Lithuanian Cold Borscht

Lithuanian Cold Borscht - Beetroot Soup ❧

Ingredients:

1lb beets (2-3 beets, depends on size)

½ english cucumber (or 2-3 baby cucumbers)

2-3 eggs

Small bunch of green onions (like 4-5 stems, not more)

Small bunch of fresh green dill

1 quart of original buttermilk (kefir)

About 1 quart of cold boiled water

3 tablespoons of original sour cream

Salt to taste

How to prepare:

Prepare ingredients: boil beets skin on and cool them down till room temperature (this takes some time, you can boil them in advance, even a night before to speedup the process; using canned beets is another alternative, but I never did it myself). also boil eggs till hard, cool then down too, rinse greens and cucumber. Once boiled beets are cooled down, skin them: Take big cooking pot and grate there boiled beet into it using big slots of grater: Peel and dice eggs. If cucumber has hard bitter skin – remove skin, also if seeds appear to be hard – remove them too. Then dice cucumber and add to the cooking pot. Clean green onion, chop it and add to the cooking pot. Add finely chopped fresh dill. Add 2-3 tablespoons of sour cream and season with salt. Mix everything. Add all buttermilk. Add about the same amount of water (or more, to taste) and mix everything. Cover cooking pot with a lid and put it to the fridge or cool place for about an hour to let flavors meld. Serve cold out of fridge as a soup course before main dish. Works perfect for hot summer days.

Taramasalata

Taramasalata ☼

Serves: 4

-200g smoked cod's roe

-50g (1 thick slice) stale white bread, crusts removed

-2 tbsp semi-skimmed milk

-8 tbsp olive oil

-3 tbsp lemon juice

-1 garlic clove, crushed

-freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:

-wedge of lemon

-sprigs of flat-leaf parsley

Preparation method

Prep: 1 hour 10 mins

First soak the roe in a bowl of cold water for about 1 hour to remove some of the saltiness. When ready to prepare, soak the stale bread in the milk for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain the roe thoroughly, cut in half lengthways, then, with the skin side down on a board, scrape the roe off the skin with a knife. Put the roe in a blender or food processor. Squeeze the bread dry and add it to the roe. Blend together, trickling in the olive oil while the motor is running. Now add the lemon juice, a little at a time, adding a little extra, if liked, for a sharper taste. If the mixture is slightly thick, you can slacken it with a little boiling water, rather than adding more oil or lemon juice. Add the garlic and season to taste with pepper. Spoon the taramasalata into a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the fridge until ready to serve. Garnish with a lemon wedge and sprigs of parsley.

Food allergies in children

Food allergies in children  웃 유 

What is food allergy?

It is a reaction by your immune system to a normal amount of a particular food. This reaction happens every time that food is eaten.

Although food allergies are rare, they are most common in children under the age of four.

The most frequent food allergies are to:

- milk

- eggs

- fish

- nuts

- citrus fruit

- tomatoes

What are the symptoms?

Children with food allergies often have several different symptoms. These include:

- severe infantile eczema or skin rash

- vomiting and diarrhea for no apparent reason

- asthmatic bronchitis or asthma

- allergic cold (itchy, streaming eyes and nose).

How do food allergies begin?

A hypersensitive reaction towards food is usually a type 1 allergic reaction to something in the diet. This means your child's immune system produces a class of antibodies called IgE in response to a particular food. These antibodies cause the allergic symptoms.

Almost one third of the population omit certain foods from their diet or their children's diet because they believe they cause an allergic reaction. In fact, only about 3 per cent of children suffer allergic reactions towards food, and most will outgrow them before they reach the age of three.

Who's at risk?

Type 1 allergic diseases are to some extent inherited. For this reason you may want to talk to your GP or allergy specialist before you get pregnant if there is a family history of allergy, hay fever, eczema or asthma.

What should I do if I suspect my child has a food allergy?

Contact your doctor first.

- Do not put your child on a strange restricted diet that could result in malnutrition.

- A change in your child's bowel movements is not a sign of food allergy.

- It is completely normal for a child's bowel movements to change if their diet is changed.

- Most importantly: relax. Don't assume that your child is suffering from a food allergy until this has been confirmed by an allergy specialist.

How are food allergies treated?

A diet that eliminates the food is the main treatment for this type of allergy.

In rare cases, eating even a small amount of the food can cause anaphylactic shock (severe difficulty breathing and heart malfunction), leading to collapse.

Anaphylactic shock needs immediate treatment with adrenaline, so seek medical help straight away if your child suddenly begins to have difficulty breathing.

Banoffee Cheesecake

Banoffee Cheesecake ❣

Prep time: 110 mins

Serves: 12

Ingredients

Base:

100g (3½oz) butter, melted

250g (9oz) digestive biscuits

Filling:

100g (3½oz) butter

100g (3½oz) dark brown soft sugar

397g can Carnation Condensed Milk

Topping:

4 small bananas

300ml carton double cream, lightly whipped

grated chocolate

You will also need:

20cm (8”) loose-bottomed cake tin, greased

Method

To make the base, process the biscuits until crushed. Stir in the melted butter. Press the mixture into the base and 4cm (1½") up the sides of the tin. Chill the base while you make the filling. To make the filling: place the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over a low heat, stirring until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves. Add the condensed milk and bring gently to the boil, stirring continuously. When the caramel has started to boil, remove from the heat and pour over the biscuit base. Cool, and then leave to chill for about 1 hour, until firm. To serve, remove the pie from the tin and place on a serving plate. Slice the bananas, fold half of them into the softly whipped cream and spoon over the caramel base. Decorate with the remaining bananas and finish with the grated chocolate.

Simple Carrot Soup

Simple Carrot Soup ✰

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

1 large onion, chopped

500g carrots, chopped

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock

100g low-fat soft cheese

Ground black pepper

Method

Put the onion and carrots into a large saucepan with the stock. Bring up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 20-25 mins, or until the vegetables are tender. Blend the soup to a puree using a hand-held stick blender or transfer to a food processor or blender and whizz until smooth. Add the soft cheese and blend again until it is thoroughly mixed in. Reheat gently, then serve.

Chocolate Brownies

The easiest recipe for chocolate brownies ❤

Ingredients

175g butter
2 eggs, beaten
125g light brown soft sugar
100g dark chocolate
75g self-raising flour
50g cocoa, sieved
1 tsp boiling water

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas 5. Prepare an 18cm square, deep tin by lining with nonstick baking paper. In a bowl, beat together the butter, eggs and sugar. Put the chocolate in a food processor and whizz into small pieces. Add the butter and egg mix. Turn out into a bowl and stir in the flour and cocoa, then add the water. Transfer mixture to the prepared tin, and bake for 30 minutes. Insert a skewer into the centre to make sure it’s cooked – it should come out clean. When cooked, leave to cool in the tin, before cutting into 12 bite-sized squares.

Keep Calm and Bake Cakes

☺ Happy Easter ☺