I made 2 ciabattas recipes, one with sunflower seeds and this one with pumpkin seeds. When shaping, I left aside 2 small pieces for my daughter to play with. When she was bored playing with the dough, we shaped them together and sprinkled them with pumpkin seeds. I do not have to tell that my daughter little breads turned out better than mines so they were meant to be photographed.

 A flan, a normal flan, a traditional vanilla one - this is what I was looking for. This was for a special occasion for a friend who I know he likes flans.

As my daughter was so in love lately with blueberries, I had to buy more. But suddenly, not necessary unexpected, she said no to fresh blueberries. Then I had to quickly find a solution to use the remaining ones. The best option was of course to make a tart with them. I do not usually make tarts with berries as I find them better to be eaten fresh, so rarely I bake them. But then, it was my moment. Quickly, easy, delicious, this is my motto for any recipe I make. And it is the case for this tart as well. As a plus, doesn't it look so inviting a tart with blueberries inside?

I made this tart for the birthday party of my daughter. Near the birthday doll cake I needed to serve some other sweets as well. Tart was an excellent option as it was easy to make. Also, having a lot of apples from down the hill near my house, it was a perfect combination to make an apple tart.
This one is not just a simple apple tart but is in addition with coconut. This gives a specific flavor that you won't find in simple apple cakes. And the combination was a success.

There has been 3 years. 3 years of joy and happiness, 3 years of having the most beautiful feeling in life. 3 years since my beautiful daughter saw the light of this world. Happy birthday my love, Irina.

I am planning a birthday party soon. As all preparations should be done just before the party, bread is something that I can do in advance. And freeze. And then unfreeze just the day before the party. As simple as that.
Baguettes are perfect for starters as their slices are small, so this is the recipe I used for this.

Poolish is nothing else than a preferment in which the quantity of water and flour are equal. With this, you get a kind of dough at 100% hydration. Kept overnight on the counter top of your kitchen will become spongy. The name came from the Polish bakers who brought the method in France, back in the mid 19th century.

A rich bread and a lovely taste. I was a bit reluctant in adding prunes to a bread believing that will transform the bread into a cake. The reality instead contradicted me: the sweetness of the dried plums only added a delicate flavor to the bread. The second key ingredient of this bread was of course the roasted hazelnuts. They came with a special roasted nutty flavor. But what is the most incredible is the combination between the two: delicate sweet and nutty. Combine these 2 in a bread that contains also whole wheat flour and you will definitely chose this bread as one of your favorites.

On top of the successful combination, this bread is already writing history in my family. If you are asking why, the answer will be simple: it is the first bread made by my daughter. She shaped the little boule that you see bellow with her own little hands. I was working the dough on her left side and she was looking at me, copying every little movement that I was doing with my hands. It was such an emotional moment ... to be the teacher of your own child. She was so proud that she made this boule by herself and she was following its raise in the oven every 5 minutes or so, repeating me over and over again that she was the one who made it. And I was so proud of her too! I was not guessing before that I was having near me a little baker! A unique moment in life for a mother and a bread to be remembered.
I've let her play with the dough just as she was doing with play-doh. Just imagine how my daughter looked like after the shaping: full of flour everywhere, from hair to shoes. Anyway, I gave her a big laugh and a kiss.

When my breads are ready, usually she is asking for a slice. This time, she asked specifically for her own. This one was a little too tough because playing with so much flour makes the bread like that. But who cares, she enjoyed the process so much, and in the end... she has not put her piece down at all. It was hers and she ate it all.

Now, when I am writing this recipe I am actually eating the yogurt form one of these 3 "hero" pots. Mmmm.. mniam ... has a small yellow layer on top with a strong lemon aroma. Deeper, another full teaspoon  and I reach a soft, delicate and whiter layer of yogurt. Even deeper, there is a third layer that is a mix of yogurt with lemon zest.... mmmm... I am actually eating the lemon zest. And what a strong lemon aroma! There is no bitter or sour taste in there and the zest is very soft. I have the feeling that I am eating a cake not a yogurt. If you do not like to eat the zest you can strain the zest out of the milk when you make the yogurt. But sincerely... are you sure you want to do this? Do you have any idea what taste and aroma are you missing? From all the yogurts I've made, this is by far the most flavored and tasty one. And there is no artificial aroma inside, everything is natural. I know, you'll point to the cane sugar... but it can easily be replaced by honey.

I finished my yogurt pot while writing these lines and I still have a persistent lemon aroma in my mouth. I am very satisfied. I made the best fruity yogurt ever!

When I have started to make bread with a bread machine (at that time)  I thought that the best bread should be the one with a lot of whole wheat inside. Although I was not wrong believing that this was one of the healthiest choice, in time I discovered other combinations of flours that could be impressive.
This bread reminds me of those beginning times although qualitatively is superior. I have added a tablespoon of honey but the bread do not taste sweet. It helps instead for the bread to grow more.
Ah, and I forgot again that adding sugars to the bread makes the bread becoming dark faster. Nevertheless, I have not burnt it.