Racuchy

Racuchy are essentially Polish pancakes. They are extremely straight-forward and will most definitely delight for an autumn breakfast. I suggest a complement of nice glass of milk and maybe some powdered sugar to top the pancakes.

Ingredients:

• 2 large apples; peeled, cored and sliced into relatively small pieces
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups of flour
• 16oz of milk
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon (optional)
• frying oil of your choice.

1. In  a large bowl mix all of the ingredients and make sure the batter is uniform. Flour pockets are unpleasant when eating pancakes.
2. Add apples and stir.
3. Heat up the frying pan and fry up all the batter. You can make the pancakes any size you want, though they're best if they're almost palm-sized.

Chocolate Delight

Even though the ingredient list is very short, this is a labor intensive recipe. It will turn out just fine as long as you're patient and follow the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 9 eggs
• 400g of dark chocolate (it's roughly 0.85lbs) - 72% is best
• 250g of powdered sugar (about 7oz)
• a pinch of salt
• 200g of unsalted butter (2 sticks)

You will also need wax paper and a square pan (8x8in). Preheat your oven to 350F.

1. Stick the butter and chocolate in a glass bowl and set over steaming water in a pot (make sure water doesn't get inside). Mix until it's uniform and set aside to chill completely.
2. Separate egg whites and yolks. 
3. Put yolks in a large bowl, add sugar and mix until uniform.
4. Whip the egg whites until they have soft peaks.
5. Gradually stir in the chocolate sauce into yolk and sugar mixture. Afterwards, fold in the whipped egg whites. The mixture should be really fluffy now.
6. Line the pan on all sides with the wax paper. Pour in the mixture and bake it for approx. 35 min. If the middle still looks runny, bake it for about 10 more minutes.
7. Once it's done, let it cool. IT WILL COLLAPSE! 
8. Cut it into pieces and serve with whipped cream, and/or fresh fruit, or preserves.

Enjoy!

I've got the stuff

Let's talk kitchen equipment. There's a few things you will need that will help you get along when cooking. While it's possible to have one pot and one pan for everything, variety helps. Here's the things I use a lot.

• Crockpot. For anybody who claims to have no talent in the kitchen and can't cook, please stop now. Go to your local retailer, spend about $20, and get yourself a basic model of a Crockpot. There are lots of fancy versions, but that's if you have spare income and/or you want to be fancy. Crockpot is one of those fantastic contraptions that will allow you to toss all your favorite ingredients into one place, turn it on and LEAVE. Since half the battle with cooking is patience and paying attention, this gives you a chance to make something delicious while being completely lazy about it. It's how I got hooked on cooking, I swear.
• Pots and pans. I strongly suggest having at least three different sizes of each, so you can regulate how much you make of any given dish. Getting one of those boxed deals at a retail store is probably your best bet, but do expect to invest at least $50. Just remember, it's for the greater good.
• Mixing bowls. Personally, I prefer having glass mixing bowls, because they have more heft to them. More importantly, if I need to soak meat in an acidic marinade for three hours, I won't have to worry that the marinade permeated the plastic bowl and my next cake will smell/taste of Chipotle. Also, it's kind of gross when you think about it. That being said, it's your personal preference. I do suggest getting at least 3 different sizes, for the same reason as pots and pans.
• Spatulas/mixing spoons. This is kind of a 'duh' bullet point, but I'm making it anyway. Frankly, you can just use regular silverware to cook with, but it's always nice to have options.
• Whisk/electric mixer. Electric mixer can be rather cheap - I have seen one sold new for $7. It's a great investment for anytime you want to bake a dessert of some sort. I think I use it most often when I have to whip up egg whites or whipping cream. So good!
• Food processor. This is where things get expensive. It is not necessary to own a food processor, but having it does make things a LOT easier when you're trying to blend things quickly and efficiently. I have a really old and beat up one, but whenever I need to blend that cheesecake, it's there for me.
• Juicer. This one is quite the extravagant possession but I don't regret having it. There are a multitude of recipes, esp. Polish recipes, that ask for grated vegetables or fruit. Getting that done by hand is a true test of patience and I don't have that much of it. A juicer makes things that much easier for me. Also, fresh apple juice. You haven't lived until you tried freshly juiced apple juice. Just sayin'.

Strawberry Nutella Muffins

Growing up in Europe, I didn't have access to peanut butter - I didn't even know it existed - but I did have access to Nutella. I can wax poetic for hours in regards to Nutella, but let's stick to the topic at hand. When a friend suggested this particular recipe, I pounced on it immediately. The original recipe can be found here, though I did adjust it a bit to fit my needs (read: higher elevation and my love of strawberries).

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 0.5 cup sugar
• 0.25 cup oil (canola or equivalent of your choice)
• 0.33 cup of buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 8oz of strawberries, chopped into small pieces
• Nutella
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

  You will need to preheat the oven to 350F.

1. In a large bowl combine all the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add the oil, egg, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix everything together until the batter resembles uncooked biscuits.
2. Add strawberries and mix thoroughly. If the batter is too dry, add a little more buttermilk or water. Be careful, you don't want it too runny or it will bake wrong.
3. Line the cupcake pan with paper cups (I usually use 12)
4. Put about a full teaspoon into each cup and make sure it covers the entire bottom. Don't put in too much - we will need more for the top.
5. Put just under a half of teaspoon of Nutella into each cup - you don't need much to get the flavor.
6. Cover up the Nutella with the remaining batter - about a half of teaspoon each. After all is said and done, you should have filled about 2/3 of each cup.
7. Sprinkle a little bit of Turbinado sugar over the muffins.
8. Bake for about 18-21 minutes. They are ready when the tops are golden.

Do let them cool a little, though they are best when served a little warm - to make sure the center is nice and gooey.

Enjoy!

What's in YOUR spice cabinet?

When cooking, you always need to know what the plan of action is ahead of time. Whether you have a detailed list of ingredients and utensils or a vague idea in your head, you need to know what will happen in the kitchen. Since I get distracted very easily (you could even say I am, wait for it, spazzy), I usually require a list of things I'll need for the day or I will always end up missing a key ingredient. It's happened before and it will happen again. That being said, I do keep a variety of spices on hand that make my life incredibly easy when I need to add flavor to a dish.

Here's a list of spices I use most frequently:

• Salt. This should go without saying, really. It's one of those standards that every kitchen should have and use. There are different types of salt and it should be up to your personal preference which one you go with: plain table salt, kosher salt, iodized salt, sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, etc. I even own a small jar of salt smoked with wine barrel wood. It's lovely on red meat.
• Black pepper. Whether you buy it in a jar or have a pepper mill is up to you, but this is one of those unassuming spices that will give a fantastic pop to your dish and bring it a bit of spice.
• Garlic powder. This is the money spice. Every time I am cooking something and I feel like it's missing flavor, I just add garlic powder and suddenly it becomes delicious. Of course it's always better to use garlic cloves instead, but let's be realistic about time constraints and general desire to be lazy - it's just not going to happen. Also, garlic powder is very cheap and available everywhere. And since you're already at the store, pick up garlic salt as well. You're welcome.
• BBQ rub. Some people prefer to use liquid BBQ sauces and there is nothing wrong with that. Personally, I prefer to use dry rubs because they give me more control over what kind of spices go into my food; I do read the label whenever I pick up a new jar. It's one of those things that you can just throw on a piece of meat, stick it in the oven for a half hour and suddenly you have a delicious meal. It's magic.
• Ground chile/ground Chipotle chile. This spice is fantastic with BBQ foods, Mexican dishes, or just about anything involving meat. It has a little bit of kick, but the flavor is divine. The smokiness of Chipotle chile is fantastic. This tends to be my go-to spice when I'm making eggs and bacon.
• Paprika. I know, this one is weird. Paprika doesn't necessarily have a lot of flavor, but I use it whenever I need to add some heat to my food without altering its flavor.
• Vanilla extract. It always feels like at least 75% of baking recipes ask for vanilla extract. Even when you think they don't, you should probably add it anyway. A teaspoon here, a teaspoon there and suddenly you went through the entire bottle. If you love baking, you must have this. A nice substitute is an almond extract. It's more expensive, but quite delightful - add it to pancake batter sometime.
• Honorable mentions: allspice, bay leaves, basil, cinnamon, cumin, curry, dill, oregano, rosemary, thyme. They are all fantastic spices, but perhaps not necessary for a beginner spice rack. You'll want to get them eventually, though.

I feel like this list is a good beginning, but shouldn't be the end. Experiment with new things and see where it takes you.

Enjoy!

Introduction

Welcome!

My name is Shan and I like to cook. A lot. I consider it a way to relax and de-stress myself as well as make something productive out of my negative emotions, if there happen to be any at the time. It works really well, I might add. I make anything from simple dishes to something that takes 2 days to accomplish (I'll get to that on another day), but most days I just want to make food that I can pack in Tupperware and take to work as lunch. Since I am Polish, a lot of the food I make has Polish flare to it, or are outright Polish dishes. I swear, it's not hard!

I am not an experienced blogger and I am uncertain how well I'll be able to stay consistent with my posts - I would like to start with one a week. I do know that I would like to have a place online where I keep my recipes and share them with my friends and family. I am open to suggestions and feedback, if anybody tries my recipes. I will try to have pictures, too, but those will have to be updated as I make the dishes at home.

Enjoy!