Hollywood - the drink

The producers of AIVY Vodka - a new, Swedish designer vodka with flavors - predict this to be the new summer hit. Oh, I don't know. But it sure tasted good! It uses the new AIVY Tutti Frutti vodka, which tastes just like a Swedish candy (also called Tutti Frutti). I bet it'd work nicely with any fruit-flavored vodka though, so give it a try!

Hollywood
1 drink

4 cl AIVY Tutti Frutti
6 cl cranberry juice
8 cl lemon-lime soft drink, like Sprite or 7up
ice
wedge of lime

Simply build it in a glass, over ice. Stir and serve with lime.

Banana Wholewheat Muffins

It's finally Friday! And you know what usually happens around here on Fridays, don't you? Well, I try to post about something sweet. And this week, let me tell you about these lovely little banana muffins. I found the recipe at Foodbeam, and since I as usual had some brown bananas on my counter, I decided to give them a go. What meakes these different from most muffins is that they're really light and fluffy. Not at all dense or heavy, just cloud-like and delicious. I wish I had made them a bit smaller though - I think their lightness lends themselves very well to a mini-size instead of maxi-size as mine were. But yummy in any case! And they keep very well in the freezer, too.

Banana Wholewheat Muffins
Makes 10 large muffins

100 g butter
180 g wholewheat flour (I used wholewheat spelt)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
140 g muscovado sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature, if possible)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (or 1 tsp vanilla sugar)
3 bananas (about 300 g, peeled weight), mashed
1 banana, sliced

Preheat the oven to 170°C. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

Beat the melted butter with the eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add this to the dry ingredients, and stir in the mashed bananas. Dollop into muffin tins (don't fill them more than 3/4 to the rim - they will rise) and top each one with a few slices of banana.

Bake for 20 minutes. (Adjust if you're making smaller muffins!) When they're done, they will be crunchy on top and no longer sticky in the middle if you try them with a toothpick.

Recipe in Swedish:
Bananmuffins med fullkornsmjöl

Peanut Chicken Salad

So simple, so good. This peanut dressing. Romaine lettuce. A cooked chicken breast. (Which I grilled on my iPinium baking sheet by the way.) Some red onion. Some snow peas. Perfect.

Egg Salad Bites

I'll do a quick morning post today - I'm off to see Art Smith, Oprah Winfrey's personal chef, who's in Stockholm to launch a new book today. Very exciting!

Anyway, this is a quick and easy starter, perfect to serve to your guests with a drink or two while you're putting the finish touches on the food. Or serve this as part of a buffet! You can easily adapt this to your liking - skip the curry perhaps, use chili instead, add some mayo if you want to, and so on. Have fun with it!

I use kavring which is probably not available in most places. Use a nice rye bread instead, but preferrably one with a hint of sweetness.

Egg Salad Bites

3 hard-boiled eggs
1 tsp curry
2 tbsp thick yogurt (10% fat)
salt
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 green apple (like Granny Smith), finely diced
50 ml (oh, say 1/4 cup) pecans, finely chopped

kavring (or other rye bread)

Boil the eggs if you haven't already, and let them cool completely. Mash them and mix with curry, yogurt and salt. Add the onion and the apple.

Toast the bread and cut into triangles. Spread some of the egg salad on top, and finish with a sprinkle of pecans.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kavringsnittar med äggsallad

Cookbook Watch - cooking with kids

I have gotten two books recently about cooking with - and for - kids. I'm not a mom (yet) but when I am, I certainly plan to get my kid involved in cooking. These books - and there are many more out there - are really nice to have at hand when that happens. One of them is more geared towards parents wanting to have fuss-free dinners with their kids, and that's "Millas mysmat" (Milla's Cosy Food) by Camilla Tubertini. Here, you'll find suggestions for quick weekday wonders that the kids will love, and for special treats for parties or weekends. Much of it is simple enough to let the kids make it themselves - supervised of course - even though that might not be the fastest way, obviously.



The other one is geared towards slightly older children, who knows the basics of the kitchen already. It's called "Gastros Kök" (Gastro's Kitchen) and is written by Karl Bengtsson and Per Dahlberg, who have a restaurant in Helsinborg called Gastro. It's a gourmet restaurant, and this is a gourmet cookbook - but for young chefs. The recipes are decidedly advanced, but in an accessible manner. The restaurant also has a program for kids to actually come there and cook, and the book is a result from this project. There are seven complete menus, and the intention is clearly that a kid can make everything themselves. It's not kiddie food though - oh no, not at all. A sample menu for you: Spring rolls with noodle salad and sesame-fried entrecôte, Chicken Saltimbocca with baked tomatoes and risotto, and for dessert, Raspberry Soufflé with vanilla ice cream and crumble topping. If a kid can make that.. well, it'd be pretty impressive! So, get this book - if you speak Swedish - for your aspiring chef, and I'm sure you'll enjoy rich rewards.

Green Olive Quinoa Salad

I've been cooking all morning before work today. We're having a small girl's dinner, and I thought it'd be wise to prepare ahead. I'll be serving Cinnamon Chicken with Orange Cous-cous and Red Onion Apricot Chutney - yum! Dessert: White Chocolate Pannacotta with Blackberries. Sounds good, doesn't it?

I promised you a perfect side dish to go with lamb, and here it is! It comes straight from the lovely book Isabel's Cantina (or well, straight-ish at least) by Isabel Cruz, and it has lovely flavor combinations. The lemon and cumin are perfect together, and with the olives... mmm! I don't even like olives all that much, but in this recipe, they're absolutely perfect. This will also be a great side dish with anything that goes on the grill this summer - I think salmon would be an awesome match.

You can prepare it well in advance if you'd like - it could even stay in the fridge overnight. Very handy!

Green Olive Quinoa Salad
Serves 4

250 ml (1 cup) quinoa, well rinsed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
150 ml (0,6 cups) green olives, halved
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cumin
bunch of fresh coriander
salt, pepper

Bring a pot of water to boil, add the well-rinsed quinoa, and boil for 10-12 minutes. Drain it, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan. Fry the onion until it's softened, and then add the red pepper for a few minutes. Add the olives. Mix all these veggies with the cooked quinoa. Stir in the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and coriander. Mix well, and serve at room temperature.

Recipe in Swedish:
Quinoasallad med gröna oliver

Chocolate Mousse for one

Sometimes, it's just what you need. This recipe is easy to cut in thirds. (Although, it still makes quite a bit, so if you're not so greedy, it might be enough to share.)