» Fruit http://helenscooking.info Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:25:13 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Homemade hot pockets with apples. (healthy breakfast in 10 minutes) http://helenscooking.info/2011/10/08/homemade-hot-pockets-apples/ http://helenscooking.info/2011/10/08/homemade-hot-pockets-apples/#comments Sat, 08 Oct 2011 13:00:50 +0000 helenscooking http://helenscooking.info/?p=1411

This is a great weekday breakfast. It’s very easy to cook, it’s healthy and very delicious autumn treat.

If you like the cinnamon, you can add it as well, walnuts will also taste amazing in this simple dish.

When I cook it , sometimes, they don’t “live”  till morning family members hunt for them in the evening and at night.

(please note that the pockets in the picture are made of the homemade flour tortillas, so these are a little bit different looking)

For the recipe you will need:

4 medium apples;

4 tortillas;

2 tablespoons of sugar;

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;

Wash the apples, peel them, then chop into mid sized chunks (take out the apple seeds ptip to chopping the apples).

Mix the chopped apples with sugar( add walnuts, cinnamon at this stage if you want to).

Preheat your oven at 375 F.

Take the baking dish, grease it with 1 tablespoon of oil.

Take your tortilla, put the apple mix on one half of it, cover with the second half and press firmly (BUT DON’T SQUEEZE TOO HARD).

Put your hot pockets on a baking dish, brush tortillas with the vegetable oil (optional), and set to bake for 10 minutes.

Your dish is ready in 10 minutes. (the tortillas will be crispy and light golden).

Enjoy!

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Puff pastry dough made easy! http://helenscooking.info/2011/09/29/puff-pastry-made-easy/ http://helenscooking.info/2011/09/29/puff-pastry-made-easy/#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:41:18 +0000 helenscooking http://helenscooking.info/?p=1332

I love puff pastry, do you? You can create literally hundreds of recipes with it and it’s ready in 15 minutes: Apple strudel, croissants, puff pastry baskets and puff pastry fish pie and much more. The recipe of this dough will help you create a lot of awesomely delicious dishes in minutes.

For the dough you’ll need:

2 sticks of frozen butter (unsalted), no margarine.

 1 cup of water

3 cups of flour

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

For the filling:

2-3 apples

½ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

½ cup of finely chopped walnuts (optional)

The batter prep takes some time and effort, but then you’ll be able to freeze it and use for 2-3 weeks easy.

So, Take your butter, cut the sticks in halves and put in the freezer for 15 min.

Mix: water, flour and vanilla sugar.

Put the batter in a freezer for 10 min.

Take out of the freezer ½ stick of butter and the batter.

Put the clear wrap on the surface you are gonna work on, using the dough roller roll the dough out until 1 inch thick. Shred the butter on the rolled out dough and fold in triangle. Put in a freezer for 10-15 minutes (cover it with clear wrap when putting in the freezer). In 15 minutes take another ½ stick of butter, take out the dough, and put the clear wrap on the working surface (the same you used before or new one). Roll out the dough until 1 inch thick; shred the butter, fold in triangle, put for 15 min in the freezer (cover with clear wrap). Repeat the same procedure with the rest 2 halves of the butter sticks. This dough takes some time and effort, but it really is delicious and the best. But, if you don’t have no time for messing with this dough, just buy the ready puff pastry dough. I normally cook this dough over the weekend, because then I can relax roll out my dough go watch TV then repeat, you know… just enjoy this dough preparation procedure…:-))

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The dough is ready, when you shred the last 1/2 stick of butter and put it for 15 minutes in the fridge: take it out cut in 3-4 pieces. Use one piece to roll out your dough for the strudel , the other two you can use for the croissants:-) Keep the other parts of the dough in a freeser for as long as you ned. It’s a great dough to fix quick dessert or pie, or cakes, or roll…

But strudel is my favorite. Ususally it doesn’t live for more than 3 hours in my house, croissants may last for 24 h the most.

Enjoy and share with me your ways of using this recipe of dough.

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Flavorful Raspberry pancakes: easy to cook and fast to eat. http://helenscooking.info/2011/09/19/flavorful-raspberry-pancakes-easy/ http://helenscooking.info/2011/09/19/flavorful-raspberry-pancakes-easy/#comments Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:49:47 +0000 helenscooking http://helenscooking.info/?p=1230

If you have never tried raspberry pancakes, well… you have never eaten the real pancakes!

Pancakes with raspberries are not only delicious, but they also boost all the good flavors in pancakes as well as raspberries, which make them unforgettably delicious.

Raspberry pancakes are very simple to cook.

For 12 thick pancakes I use:

2/3 cup of cultured buttermilk;

1 cup of hot water

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

3 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 egg

1 cup of raspberries

1,5 or more cups of flour (until the batter is bit thicker than buttermilk)

2 tablespoons sugar

Mix hot water with baking soda, add to buttermilk. Add baking soda, 2 tablespoons of sugar (this is to my taste, as I don’t like them too sweet), vanilla extract, sugar, 1 egg and whisk well.

Combine the mix with flour and add the cooking oil 2 tablespoons.

Frying: When frying your pancakes, at first, preheat the frying pan at maximum heat, than add the cooking oil and turn the gas to medium. When you pour a pancake mixture on a frying pan, allow it to fry for 20 seconds and then put the raspberries on the uncooked side of your pancake. Add cooking oil when needed. The pancakes should be thick and fluffy. When turning the pancake from one side to another, be careful, because the batter may still be liquid.

When you fry the pancakes at medium heat it takes about 45 seconds for pancake to fry on each side.

Raspberries will give your pancakes unforgettable flavor and taste.

Decorate your pancakes with fresh raspberries and enjoy!

Btw, they are amazing with honey, yum!

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Fast and simple baked chicken with apple and strawberries http://helenscooking.info/2011/08/16/fast-simple-baked-chicken-apple/ http://helenscooking.info/2011/08/16/fast-simple-baked-chicken-apple/#comments Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:27:30 +0000 helenscooking http://helenscooking.info/?p=1059

This is my invention: apples give the chicken sweetness and honey flavor, strawberry adds bit of acidity to this combination.

You can have this this dish ready literally in 55 minutes. Preparation takes 15 minutes, cooking about 40 – depending on if you marinated you chicken in advance or just before cooking.

4 servings

4 chicken thighs (chicken drumstick will be good as well)

2 medium onions

2 apples

½ cup of strawberries

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1/3 cup of lemon basil

2 tablespoons of mayo.

Prepare the marinade: mix salt, pepper, mayo and onion rings, throw in the chicken thighs. Leave for 5-10 min (depending on how much time you have, if you are short on time, just start baking your chicken immediately).

Preheat your oven at 350 F. Put the chicken to bake for 40-55 minutes.

Bake for 20 min on one side, then for for 20 min on the other side.

15 minutes before taking the chicken out: wash and peel the apples, slice the strawberry. When turning the chicken thighs around, put under them: apples and on top the strawberry. Bake for another 15 minutes. Check with the toothpick for the readiness, there should be juice in your chicken but it shouldn’t be too juicy (because this will mean that the chicken is raw, mind the color of the juice out of your chicken, it should be transparent)

If you want to serve your chicken with potato, just wash the potato, don’t peel it, cut in rings and put baking together with the chicken. The potato will be golden brown and crispy.

Enjoy!

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Crepes with cream cheese and ice cream. http://helenscooking.info/2011/05/26/pancakes-with-cream-cheese-and-ice-cream/ http://helenscooking.info/2011/05/26/pancakes-with-cream-cheese-and-ice-cream/#comments Thu, 26 May 2011 22:06:43 +0000 helenscooking http://helenscooking.wordpress.com/?p=85

Pancakes are a traditional dish for Ukrainians and all Slavic nations.
 Pancakes are very easy to cook and they are good with any stuffing, as well as just with honey or maple syrup.

For 1 stack of thin pancakes (12-15 thin pancakes) you will need
1-2 eggs;
0.5 cup of water and 0.5 cup of milk (1 cup of water);
2-3 drops of vanilla extract;
2-3 tablespoons of sugar;
0.5 cup of flour;
Salt on the tip of the knife;
2-3 tablespoons of sunflower/corn oil;

Mix properly all the ingredients. You can start with mixing egg(s) and water/milk, then gradually add sugar, flour and salt/ sugar. The dough shouldn’t be thick or thin. It should resemble the consistency of crème-soup.
After you have mixed everything add 2-3 tablespoons of corn/sunflower oil.

Preheat the frying pan 2-3 min at the highest heat, and then reduce to medium. Pour a little bit of oil on the frying pan, then take the soup ladle and pour one soup ladle full of dough on the frying pan.

Fry until you will see golden edges around the dough, turn the pancake over and fry another side.

*My Secret Trick*: when you take the ready pancake off the pan, cut a thin slice of butter and smear it on a hot pancake. It will melt and your pancake won’t be dry?*My Secret Trick*

When you have fried all the pancakes let them cool off then cut them in half and stuff with the cream cheese. Just cut one slice of the cream cheese, then cut this slice in 4 pieces, Put each quarter of cheese into your pancake half and then roll it up. Put the rolled up pancakes into the frying pan that you used to prepare you pancakes. Stew your pancakes on the lowest heat, so that the cream cheese could melt and the pancakes could get a golden crust:-P

Take one serving of warm pancakes, cover it with the scoop of ice-cream and enjoy!

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