Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Fast healthy recipe for a busy day

I am the queen of the fast cooking, and often than expected I survive the test of being ready in less than 3 hours with meals for more than 4 people. I call it the luck of the beginner. 

This fast meal was ready in less than 20 minutes. The most time was spent with the preparation of the caramelized onion. The rest: frying the tomatoes - around 15 halved cherry tomatoes; the paprika - 2 big ones and the garlic - 5 gloves finely cut. For the caramelization I used a big onion and 1 tablespoon sugar. The process last around 5 minutes. The rest of the vegetables are added after. Zucchini can also be used. I used 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. 

Ready?

Bon Appetit!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Who is Anatol?

I did not have any idea who this Anatol is before two weeks ago, when I saw the colorful package in one of Kaiser's shops. More and more supermarkets do have dedicated corners for 'multicultural food' and as in my area there is a strong Polish community, I can find a lot of products made in Poland.
Anatol looked as a respectable and good looking box. It is a roasted grain beverage, a type of drink very
popular in Poland apparently. As a child, I've heard at least once about Inka, but did not know that it is Polish. As an emotional coffee drinker, I want to feel the strong taste of the raw coffee as often as possible, and especially after 10pm, and I still do not encounter any health problems. However, why not trying a change that will limit my portions of coffees at three per day? This was one of the reasons why I decided to invest in Anatol.

I got in exchange 20 nice badges, one per use, in combination with very hot water. Even it is called a 'coffee substitute' it does not substitute the coffeine, at least for me. However, the taste is pleasant, not very strong, not necessarily unforgettable and addictive, but not bad for offering a pleasant company to a busy writing around 12pm - as it is the case now. Compared with the cofee, it is good even after the water is no more warm. With milk, and half tablespoon of brown sugar, it can be even better. 

Overall, it is worth the investment and it is nice to count on him in the kitchen. I wish I know good Polish to find out more about the history of the brand. 

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Your ecological test

Due to the big pressure I need to face to improve my German, I started to find some useful tools that will help me to improve both the vocabulary and the knowledge in the domains that have connection with my blogging life. 

Thus, I stumbled upon a very interesting publication called: Oeko test. The aim is to carefully test the ecological assumptions of some products labeled as such, but also to check the qualities of some products we use regularly in our kitchen and home.

The publication is very useful for someone that, as me, is very careful to each ingredient of your food, even it is labelles as 100% organic. Some products even do not contain any traces of meat, do include various ingredients that are toxic and with high chemical concentrations. You can find there a lot of reviews and analysis of the latest products on the market, from solar panel, to cotton products. 

I wish I can find the equivalents of this publication in other languages. Till then, I will prefer to use the Oeko Test as one of my reliable sources for shopping projects in Germany. 

Testing recipes is always fun!

Recently, I went involved in a very nice and pleasant project: I offered my availability to test a recipe and to send my feedback once I was done. I am used to do such editing and correction work as an academic editor, but never happened before to do such a professional work for cooking. First and foremost, because I consider my cooking experience at a very beginniner level. I learned a lot and still learning each day, but I have a long road ahead and each time I succeed to prepare a recipe I feel extremely happy.

For this testing recipe experience, I felt compelled to share my own opinions and modest contributions to get a better composition. I enjoyed so much the experience that I would offer myself to repeat it as often as possible, as I learned a lot about using and cooking some spices, as well as about how to organize and write a recipe correctly. As I still have in mind the idea to write my own cooking book, this will help me to be able to write my book at least in the next decade.

If anyone interested to use my disponibility for testing recipes, drop me an invitation at: boiledwords@gmail.com