The eccentric Cook

Finally I'm done with my 2nd year of college!! No more finals, no more papers, nothing! It is officially summer so why not have a trip to the lake? And that is what I'm doing! Since I am the baker I am bringing the cookies :) I was contemplating which would be more convenient, muffins or cookies but cookies are definitely a bigger hit than muffins... I have never in my life baked this many chocolate chip cookies. There are just so many! More than it is shown in the photo...:P Who is coming over?? Recipe is here , only I doubled the measurements. DUH :) And because these really are the best cookies ever, it was inevitable for me to eat 1 or 2 along the baking....So I am going for a run now before leaving. ;) Have a happy weekend!!

I'm pretty sure I am not alone with this phenomenon that there are days when I am exceptionally hungry. Not craving kinda hungry but real stomach growling hungry. And no matter that I eat what usually fills me up, I need extra nutritious food. So when I have those days, like I do now, then I like to feed myself with organic a little more calorie-rich foods. That what feels right. I do not want empty calorie intakes, not that I normally do but I can't help what I'm craving for... So when I decided to have an oatmeal week on Monday, I didn't even have the slightest clue that I would get this super-hunger by Thursday so bye bye oatmeal. I love oatmeal but I always wonder why do people say that oatmeal is soooo satisfying. I mean, it's good for like 2 hours and then I always feel like eating something more. But how do others do that they eat oatmeal at 8am and be totally fine until lunch? But back to my point, I needed to eat fried eggs with a toast and then I ate som

Cakes are so much fun to make! I swear it is a lot more funner than eating it! Okay, I am not a cake junkie at all. So birthdays are all around the corner and who else would offer to make the cakes than me? :P But when it's a birthday it's not my job to choose the cake, unfortunately...And there is a hugely odd amount of love going for the Blackforest Cake. I've always wondered what makes it so popular and why people love it...Well, after tasting my version of it I still wonder... :D Not that it turned out bad, actually it was better than all the other versions I had tried before. Although, I noted a few things. 1. This cake does not require to make it 2 days beforehand. - Usually a cake is better by time 2. I added too much whipped cream gelatin. 3. Or I should have used simple ordinary double cream instead of hulala, my favorite non-deary cream Yep...Otherwise this recipe is really really good!! I advise serving it a few hours later than it is ready and not days l

I have no idea how could I have lived up to this day with the false knowledge of pastas. Seriously, how could anyone live without knowing what kind of pasta they are eating? It is totally a life or death question, right? hahahahaaa Okay, I should explain myself now. Because for years, many many years now I've been thinking that this Gomiti pasta was actually Shell pasta! I feel like I've been living in the darkness until 5 minutes ago when I came to realize this is Gomiti!! Commonly known as elbow macaroni. But what counts is that I am enlightened now and know exactly what kind of pasta I eat. But anyways...I made this absolutely yummy pasta dish the other day and since I cannot fall asleep I thought I definitely should share this recipe. The good thing about pastas is that it's so quick and light and can turn into a very healthy meal. Although I did use cream with this one, okay non-deary cream which tastes just the same, maybe even better. I love the fact that in the

The name of this cake means something to only those who have tried the traditional Hungarian túró rudi. It is originally a Russian treat. How could I describe it...Sweet farmer cheese coated with chocolate. It doesn't sound the most delicious thing ever but it IS so good!! I don't even know anyone who doesn't like it!! And this cake tastes even better than the bar it got its name from!! I've been wanting to make this cake ever since I saw the recipe . It is in Hungarian so I might as well translate it to English. It is similar to cheesecake but different. Explaining myself today is not going very well...Apperently. So it has a brownie base. Oh my god, it is just the best like this!! So much better than if it was a cookie base. So on that lovely brownies there is a layer of sweet farmer cheese cream then comes a thin layer of chocolate. After that comes another layer of farmer cheese cream and then the top chocolate layer. Since I felt really generous with adding choc

Today is sunday. Sunday = Family day. This is when we cook then eat and pretty much spend the whole day together. This is when the word diet is forbidden to mention. Even if one or all of us is on a diet because it is Sunday. DUH. The ultimate day of forgiveness. No matter how we indulge in any enjoyment, there will not be any consequences. Besides maybe feeling a little way too full ;) So I decided a few days ago that this weekend I will finally make the dessert that is on my got-to-make-recipes. Not only on that list but top of it, indeed. :) I have never ever made tiramisu before. Actually I've never really eaten a good one before. Only something that was way too sweet, queasy and mushy and it was called tiramisu. Oh my, what a shame to turn something so amazing into that I just explained. So before I started preparing this Italian deliciousness I spent a lot of time picking the perfect recipe. To tell the truth, this was the hardest part of the whole procedure. I found mil

Finally we have a mint bush in our garden. It is a blast. What is even better is our fresh basil. Ah, gotta love the home-grown stuff :) When you know it's yours, it just tastes better! So if I have mint then why not make mojitos? I actually would have preferred the original - not virgin - version but virgin was requested so virgin it is. Maybe I will just sneak a bit of vodka into mine ;) It just tastes better with it.... On a summer day it is a lovely drinking treat. It's the best if we let it sit in the fridge so the flavors mix in together. And of course, the colder the better. :) Virgin Mojito 3 liter cold water or club soda 1 cup mint leaves 4-5 teaspoons raw brown sugar 3-4 limes (it depends on how big the limes are) lots of ice Put the limes, mint and sugar in a glass and try to blend it together.  Fill glass with the ice. Top off with water or club soda. Stir with a spoon. 

I don't even know where to start...Possibly making chocolate chip cookies is one of the easiest things in life. Even a kid can make those, mostly that there are those pre-made boxes you can buy at the store and all you have to do is add an egg and mix it together. You can't go wrong with that. But is it really worth it? I'm not one who likes way too easy things. I always think that if something is too easy then there must be something wrong going on. Nothing ever is easy in life. And yeah there are so many unpronouncable ingredients in those boxes that all I'm asking is WHY would anyone do that to their body? Okay, I've gotta admit that I actually happen to have one in my house because I was certain that I just can't make the original cookies that taste actually like cookies here in Hungary. I've tried so so so many recipes before and none resembled to the real American ones. So when I was in the US a few months ago, I stored in a few boxes of this and that

I'm a huge fan of pasta, tomatoes and food that is so fast to prepare. And what if I combine all of these aspects? Win-win. It was yummy and healthy and so easy. Perfect for a summer lunch. We have basil in our garden and what's better than fresh basil? Ah....It wakes up the food, it gives the tomato sauce a nice kick. Enjoy :) Spaghetti with Pancetta-Tomato Sauce 1 package Spaghetti - whole wheat preferably 1,5 purple onion - chopped fresh garlic pancetta or bacon chopped into small pieces  (as much as you'd like) 4-5 tomatoes - diced olive oil salt, pepper, italian herbs 1 cup fresh basil - chopped pecorino or parmesan cheese Bring water to boil seasoned with 3 teaspoons of salt, when it is boiling add the pasta. WHILE the water is coming to a boil heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat, add onions, garlic, pancetta and saute for about 8 minutes. Add in tomatoes. Cook for 15-20 minutes and add 3/4 cup of the pasta water and the basil leaves in.

I declare here and now that this was the last guilty pleasure I had for at least a week. I cannot let my little inner voice convince me that simple baking will not lead to weight gaining! Yes yes yes, it does. Even if I use whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose and reduce the sugar and so on... What was I even thinking making some killer brownies on a Monday?? But before, it really did seem like the best idea ever. And my Grandpa is here, visiting, never had brownies before so I have a pretty good excuse, right? Ah! Oh well...I can say, it was so worth it!! This recipe makes the perfect brownies! Seriously! I actually had my go-to brownies recipe which is still my number one but I can't really compare the 2. The other one is with chocolate, LOTSa chocolate and I never let it fully bake so it's the mixture of a soufle and a brownies. But THIS one is what everyone calls brownies. Moist, gooey, rich and definitely not dry or resemble to a cake. I highly recommend it! Also, I

I do not like whipped cream. I do not like any dessert that involves whipped cream. But surprise surprise everyone else around me just loves it...even my doggie will do anything just to get a lick :) He actually had a lick from the cake itself. Tricky little baby :D So I put the cake on the table in the terrace, left it just for ONE second to grab the camera and when I get back what do I see? My dog having his 2 paws on the table and enjoying himself...He didn't even pretend to feel bad about it after I scolded him :D And to tell the truth...he was so funny I just couldn't be mad at him. But for the record, it was only a lick and I removed that part so it was all okay. About the cake...My mom and I threw a fit over who should make the dessert today. She wanted to make this particular recipe but didn't feel like making it anymore. I wanted to bake but not this recipe...So in the end, my family won. And I won, too. It is soooo soooo heavenly delicious!! It is a recipe from