Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili
Serves 6

2 medium yellow onions
2 garlic cloves
1 kilo boneless chicken thighs
1 tbsp cooking oil
10 tomatoes
1 jalapeño chili pepper
300 ml water
1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ancho chili pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chipotle sauce
1 tsp salt
1 can (400 g) small white beans

To serve:
sour cream
tortilla chips

Chop onions and garlic coarsely. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Halve the tomatoes and place with the cut side down in a roasting pan. Halve the jalapeño and remove the seeds. Place in the same roasting pan.

Heat the oven, as far as it'll go. Use a broiler if you have one! Bake the tomatoes for five minutes (or a little more) or until they're starting to blacken.

Place the tomatoes and jalapeño in a food processor and chop coarsely.

Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Brown the onion until golden. Add the chicken and garlic, and stir well. Add the chopped tomatoes/jalapeño, water, chicken stock and all the spices. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add the beans, and cook for an additional ten minutes.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kycklingchili

Mango-Banana Sauce

This could not be simpler. But it *is* a very tasty sauce - you can use it as a dipping sauce for veggies or chicken (especially good with Coconut Chicken Nuggets) or stir it into yogurt, or use it in a dessert, like this Fruity Semifreddo.

You need one banana, and about 200 ml of mango, diced. And a little bit of lime. Mix, mash or blend, into a smooth sauce. And that's that. It keeps for a few days in the fridge, but it'll get darker over time.

Mint Chocolate Crisp

I'm still pretty upset about yesterday - and no, no sign of the computer, even though maybe, possibly an inkling of an idea about who the thief is - but chocolate makes me happy so let's go for a chocolate recipe.

I actually made these for christmas, but don't let that limit you. They were absolutely delicious, and I strongly suggest that you try them. You could use a cookie cutter to make this a bit prettier but frankly I found it too labour intensive.

This is good. Try not to eat it all at once, ok? (Except if someone steals your computer, in which case: feel free.)

Mint Chocolate Crisp

150 ml sugar
150 ml water
1 + 1/2 tsp mint extract, divided
120 g dark chocolate
120 g milk chocolate
50 ml shredded coconut (unsweetened)

Mix sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and keep cooking until it's lightly caramel-colored - about 7-9 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 tsp mint extract. Pour onto an oiled baking sheet, or a silpat sheet. Make it as thin as possible, and let it set up completely. It'll take at least 15 minutes, maybe longer.

Then, break the mint candy into pieces, and crush in your food procesor until it resembles wet sand.

Chop both types of chocolate, and melt in a microwave or a double boiler. Add the remaining half teaspoon mint extract, the coconut and the pulverized candy.

Spread this on a sheet of silpat or teflon, and leave to cool. Break apart, and keep in a cool place.

Recipe in Swedish:
Mintchokladkrisp

Sorry, but...

I'm having a lousy day. My work computer was stolen last night, which means lots and lots of work. So many documents to re-create, and to re-structure. (we do keep a backup of our archive, but the most current stuff is gone. Most of it is either printed, or somewhere in my mail, so it could be worse.)

Anyway. I'm working late, too. If I didn't, I'd have loved to spend the night on the couch with my friends Ben and Jerry.

Apple Pancakes

Ok, this sounded so smart in theory. Fry thin pancakes - like crepes. When they're done on one side, place thinly sliced apples on it, and flip.

In reality, it didn't work so well. And my apple-loving son apparently didn't approve of cooked apples, and painstakingly picked out the un-appley bits. (Drowned in maple syrup, of course.)

The particular recipe I used was absolutely awful so I definitey won't tell you about it - they were such a pain to flip, and most of them fell apart (as you can clearly see from the photo). I might try the idea again, but with US-style fluffy pancakes - should be more successful, I think.

Lime Salmon with Tomatoes

I found a version of this dish at Angela's Lista, which is a charming Swedish blog written by a very charming Swedish woman. She's about to start up an extremely exciting venture: an ice cream factory! I wish she lived closer to me, but as soon as she's up and running, I'll have to go there for a visit. (Or really, to eat all the ice cream in sight.)

Oh, and the salmon is great, too. I promise.

Lime Salmon with Tomatoes
Serves 2

2 salmon pieces, skin- and boneless
100 ml crème fraiche
1 tbsp lime juice
6 cherry tomatoes
1/2 red onion

Place the salmon in a small oven proof dish. Mix the lime and crème fraiche and spread on top. Quarter the tomatoes, and thinly slice the onions. Top the salmon with the veggies.

Bake at 175°C for 15-20 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through.

Serve with anything really - we had barley, but rice or boiled potatoes would be great as well.

Recipe in Swedish:
Lime-lax med tomater

Macarons in the making

Chicken & Bacon Pasta

A quick weekday recipe! I also have to tell you about the pasta I used here - it's from the producer Zeta, and it's made with a bronze press which gives it a great texture. I really enjoyed it, it had a great bite. The shape was called Mezze Maniche, and it was basically short, wide tubes. Yummy!

Chicken & Bacon Pasta
serves 2-3

1/2 rotisserie chicken, or two cooked chicken legs, shredded
70 g bacon
1/2 zucchini, cored and in thin slices
1 red onion, thinly sliced
50 g feta cheese
1-200 ml cream (any fat content you'd like)
200 g pasta

Boil the pasta according to the package, in plenty of salted water. Meanwhile, dice the bacon and fry it in a dry pan. When it's crispy, add the zucchini and onion and fry for a few minutes. Add the chicken and cream, and let it heat through. When the pasta is done, drain - but reserve some of the cooking water - and add to the pan. Crumble in the feta cheese. If the pasta looks dry, add some of the reserved cooking water.

Recipe in Swedish:
Kyckling & Baconpasta

Parmesan Asparagus

So simple, so tasty.

Break off the woody end of each asparagus spear. (I find that it will snap in the right place if you just hold one end in each hand and.. snap.) Halve, and place, cut side down, in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 200°C for ten minutes. Grate some parmesan, and sprinkle on top of the asparagus. Bake for a few more minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. And serve. Yum!

Fruity Semifreddo for Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Commercial holiday or not, I like any excuse to make something cute, pink and heart-shaped. And I happen to like the message: love.

So, spread some love today - tell your loved ones that they are, indeed, loved.

And make this dessert. It's yummy, and rather addictive. (So make a lot.)

Fruity Semifreddo

3 egg yolks
100 g sugar
200 ml cream (35-40% fat content)
200 ml greek yogurt
200 ml raspberries (frozen, then thawed, or fresh)
1/2 banana
100 ml mango, diced
1 tsp lime juice
200 ml mini meringues (or crushed meringues)

Beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and fluffy. In a separate bowl beat the cream until it holds soft peaks, and fold in the yogurt. Fold both into the egg yolks.

With a blender or food processor, mix the banana, mango and lime. Stir this into the creamy batter along with the meringues. Finally add the raspberries and swirl to make it marbled in color.

Pour into a silicone mold and freeze for at least six hours. Remember to thaw for half an hour before serving.

Recipe in Swedish:
Fruktig semifreddo

Garlic Breadsticks

I had a hankering for breadsticks - soft, pillowy and fluffy, like the one you get at Olive Garden? I wasn't in the mood to cook from an actual recipe so I just freestyled. I used a simple white bread dough - some fresh yeast, some water, some flour, a pinch of sugar and salt, and no, I didn't even bother to measure it.

After the first rise, when it was doubled in size, I used a little more than half the dough for something else (cold-risen rolls!). I flattened the remaining dough into a thin rectangle and placed on a baking sheet. I melted some butter, added the same amount of olive oil (about a tablespoon of each) and added some minced garlic, and a little bit of runny honey. I brushed this on top of the dough, and sprinkled with sea salt. I left it to rise for about half an hour, then baked it in a hot oven (225°C) for about ten minutes.

Delicious! And sorry to give such an in-exact recipe, but think of it more as a sketch than a recipe. I'll write down measurements next time.

Magisso cake server

I know this looks really weird, but it actually makes really neat cake slices. It's called a Magisso cake server, and it's won the Red Dot Design award 2010. Thumbs up!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berries

Sweden got hit by a snowstorm last night - well, it's still snowing - and we're again drenched in snow. The buses aren't working, and most people can't get to work. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty ready for spring to come...

Panna Cotta is such a simple, and lovely dessert, and I think it works all year round. The only problem is to use the right amount of gelatine - you want it to be set, but not too firm. I always serve it out of glasses or cups rather than trying to unmold it, so I usually err on the side of too little gelatine. For me, I find that 1 sheet of gelatine for every 200 ml of cream works well enough.

And about the cream - it's called different things in different countries. We call it whipping cream, but others call it double or heavy cream. You want something plain, definitely NOT sweetened, and with a fat content of about 35-40%.

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Berries
Serves 5

400 ml heavy cream (35-40% fat content)
4 tbsp sugar
1 vanilla bean
2 gelatine leaves

Berry topping:
100 g raspberries (frozen, then thawed, or fresh)
100 g blueberries (frozen, then thawed, or fresh)
2 tbsp sugar

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water. Heat cream, sugar and the scraped seeds from the vanilla bean until it's just starting to boil. Remove from heat.

Squeeze the water from the gelatine, and stir them into the warm cream. Make sure they dissolve completely.

Pour into glasses or cups, and place in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours.

For the topping - thaw the berries if they're frozen. Stir with the sugar, until the sugar has dissolved. Spoon carefully on top of the panna cottas, and serve right away.

Recipe in Swedish:
Vaniljpannacotta med rårörda bär

Cookbook watch: Instructional, easy cookbooks

Jamie Oliver's 30-minute meals. I have almost all of Jamie's cookbooks. I skipped the last one - the "Jamie Does..." since I was pretty disappointed with his America-book and when I looked through the European one, I wasn't wow-ed. So, I really debated whether or not to get the new one, but in the end, the great reviews made me give in and I'm glad I did. It's pretty unique - as the title implies, it has instructions and recipes for how to get a meal on the table in 30 minutes. Not a dish, mind you - a complete meal. With sides, and sometimes a starter or a dessert. I admit that I haven't tried anything just yet, and I'm not completely sure the book is for me - it's clearly geared towards those that don't want to free-style a lot in the kitchen, and that are perhaps less confident cooks. Like my husband. He's looked through this and has promised to try it out - and I think he'll like it a lot. The instructions are clear and detailed - but they are in order according to the entire meal, so if you just want to make one dish, you have to read carefully. Still, I find this a rather unique concept and I like the book!



The Barefoot Contessa - Ina Garten - is not very well-known to me - probably because I've never seen her TV-show. I have a few of her books though, and I love her latest one: "How easy is that?" As the title implies, it has easy recipes for cocktails, starters, lunch, dinner, vegetables and dessert. All are very approachable even for inexperienced cooks, but also suitable for those more adventurous. It's not super-simple three-ingredient stuff - but everything is easy and straightforward to make. On the top of my list: Roasted shrimp with feta, creamy parmesan polenta, and mocha chocolate icebox cake!



Someone else, also much more famous in the US than in Sweden, is Rachael Ray. I've watched the show occasionally though, and I enjoy the cooking segments. So, her new book, "Rachael Ray's Look + Cook", is totally fun! It relies on step-by-step photos, as well as written instructions (that are a bit hard to read though, as they're squished together to make more space for the photos) and thus perfect for those of you who prefers a lot of pictures to guide you along! And the photos themselves: mouth-watering! The chapters are "cozy food", "make your own take-out" and " fancy fake-outs" and then comes a whole other section of the book with more recipes, but no photos. I'm not sure I like that as much - I can see the point (to get more recipes in) but I really prefer to have SOME photo to show the final result. Anyway - there's a lot of quick and easy dinner ideas here, and I'll get a lot of use out of it!

Wednesday bookmarks, February 9

Oh, it's such a lovely sunny day today - still cold and windy, but the sun can really do wonders for the mood.

I haven't bookmarked a whole lot this week, but a few things have definitely caught my eye. Such as the Homemade Nutella by David Lebovitz! Did you know February 5 was World Nutella Day? Me either. And I didn't eat any, so maybe I need to make some to compensate...

Hopefully healthier, these Roasted Edamame beans from perennial-favorite-site Tastespotting look delicious. I have some in my freezer, so I better try this soon!

Another snack that I think the whole family will love: Chewy Pretzel Bites, from Mel's Kitchen Café.

Finally, a variation on pancakes: Cheesy Cornflake Pancakes from Fuss Free Cooking look quite interesting. I think they'll be perfect for next time me and Titus have dinner on our own.

Fantastic Mango Shrimp

I know this doesn't look like much, but it tastes divine! I was served this as part of a very untraditional christmas smorgasbord, and after trying it, I went back for seconds and thirds! It'll be great for summer, but since shrimp is pretty good this time of year, why not give it a go right now? (Although, use better shrimp than I did - the quality really does make a difference. I was lazy and used ready-peeled in brine, and they were just ok.)

I know I've posted about something similar, but sans the cilantro and with sweet chili sauce. Cilantro makes everything better, but if you feel differently, just skip it. And add some finely chopped red chili if you want a spice kick - it'll be great!

Fantastic Mango Shrimp

100 g shrimp, cooked and peeled
1 bunch cilantro
100 g mango, diced
1 tbsp lime juice
1/2 red onion, finely chopped

Just put in a bowl and toss. Serve with anything - but definitely try it on some tortilla chips!

Recipe in Swedish:
Fantastisk räksallad

Feeding Titus

I've been meaning to write about food for kids for some time now. This week, I was interviewed for Expressen, one of Sweden's daily newspapers, about my thoughts on feeding kids, and that gave me the opportunity to think about how I really feel. (And an opportunity to show off a gazillion photos of him - bonus!)

This post will be pretty long, and rambling. Sorry about that. (But I hope you'll find it at least a little bit interesting.)

I want to be really clear from the get-go: This is a touchy subject. I only speak for myself. I don't care - I really truly don't - what other people choose. Their choices are their own, and that is fine. As are mine.



I only have one kid, and he's just 20 months old. Let's check back in a few years and see if my theory holds, ok?

I'm a pretty confident woman. I have strong opinions, about a lot of stuff. I am used to stand up for my beliefs and I'm comfortable with that. Yet, when I had Titus, I felt so vulnerable and nervous. There I was, completely responsible for someone else, and someone so precious, and what if I did it wrong?

Everyone had an opinion, too. Everyone. People in my family. People I work with. People on the internet. Friends. Experienced parents, as well as those child-less. Magazines. Baby food companies. Health care professionals. And who to listen to? In the end, myself.



I had so many ideas, before I gave birth. I knew I wanted to try breastfeeding, I wasn't comfortable with formula and felt it to be inferior. It went well from the start. Sure, it hurt like crazy from time to time, and it was pretty awkward breastfeeding in public (and in front of my boss) but on the whole, it was fine. I decided that it was one of the most natural things in the world, and nothing to be ashamed of, and also, nobody's business.

(And about breastfeeding, I recognize that not everyone wants to or is able to. I was able, and I wanted, and it was my choice to do it. I feel, strongly, that it was the best way for me, my baby and our family. It is not the best way for everyone. Ok?)

I had planned on breastfeeding for six months, which is the recommended time in Sweden. And since it's recommended, it seems just about everyone stops at exactly six months. I didn't. See, Titus wasn't interested in food at that time. At all. I tried giving him puréed fruit and vegetables at 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 months - no good. (For the record, I tried processed baby food too, but he wouldn't even try that - he smelled it, turned his head away and that was that.) I had endless lists of food for him - I actually wrote down combinations that sounded interesting for baby purées. (Yes, I really did. Many. Sweet potato-basil, anyone? Peas and mint? Sweetcorn and cilantro? I did this even before Titus was born.) He refused it all - he just wasn't very interested in food. (And on a side note, he's never been one to chew on his toys either - I think it's probably related somehow.)



So, anyway, we ended up breastfeeding until he was 18 months. (We stopped when I went on my trip to New York for five days - it was the perfect opportunity as he was eating well by then, and mostly nursing for comfort.) He started eating, bit by bit, from ten months or so. Stuff he could hold. Crackers. Corn puffs. Cheerios. I let him try everything, not caring if it contained sugar or a little salt, since he ate so extremely tiny amounts. He was usually eager to try - as long as it wasn't baby food, or God forbid, baby cereal.

We were always excited to find something new he liked, and eventually gladly embraced Baby-Led Weaning. Titus got to choose what to eat, and he also got to choose how much to eat. Choking hazard? Well, I read that a child who is allowed to choose his own bites is much less prone to choking, and that worked for us. I never gave him tiny little bread cubes - he got an entire slice of bread, and handled that perfectly. Before long, he ate a lot of things. Quesadillas. Chicken. Fish. Rice pudding. Pancakes. Meat. Roasted potatoes. Apples. Yogurt. Soft-boiled eggs. He allowed us to feed him some things with a spoon, but preferred to hold the food himself.

And now? He certainly doesn't eat everything - far from it. As for fruit, he'll only have apples or bananas. He eats berries sometimes, usually if they're served, say, on top of a panna cotta. (Yes, he gets his own pot.) The one thing he really never tries is pasta (although he sometimes eat it at his pre-school if he's hungry enough) and he doesn't like pizza at the moment. Also, chick peas constantly gets refused, and he's not fond of any dips or sauces. He doesn't like getting messy, and is much more likely to eat bread on it's own than a sandwich. But he always gets to decide for himself.



He won't let us feed him at all anymore - he would allow it for a while, with yogurt and rice pudding, but he quickly learned how to use a spoon and a fork, and since then, he feeds himself. His very favorite foods right now: risotto, any kind. And pancakes with maple syrup. Crisp roasted potatoes is another huge favorite.

Don't get me wrong. We're far from perfect. He gets plenty of sugary foods - most notably the Danonino yogurt he insists on for breakfast. He gets to try just about everything we eat. (He loves to sip my latte in the morning. I let him. It's just a sip - can't possibly be dangerous.) If we eat chips, well, he does too. Dessert? Just try and stop him. (Like all other parents, we've found that if we don't want him to eat something, well, we better don't eat it in front of him.) I'm sure there are loads of kids growing up on processed foods that on the whole gets more nutritious food - that's really not what I'm concerned about.



My goal is to raise a boy who enjoys food, who likes flavor and who's not a picky eater. I realize that he will be picky, from time to time, and I hope I can manage not to make a fuss about it. I believe that the best way to handle is it to just ignore it. Not give expectations about what he will like or not - not say "oh, you probably won't like this, but perhaps you can try some." Instead encourage, or be neutral. We serve food, expecting him to enjoy it. As we do. I know he prefers his food un-sauced, and serve it accordingly, but I rarely cook something especially for him. (Ok, I confess that we have plenty of fish fingers in the freezer. And frozen potato Rösti, those are pretty exellent to heat up when he's hungry and we're not, or he won't try what we're having. It happens.)



Baby food. Convenient. Or is it really? I always find it more convenient to give him whatever I'm eating. I get angry with baby food producers who prey on the insecurities of new parents, telling them that they can't decide for themselves what to feed their kids. Of course they prefer people to buy their jars of highly processed foods with added this-and-that. I do believe that raising a child on processed foods will make them less prone to liking "real" food and real flavors. I choose not to do that. I think baby food tastes like cardboard, and is, on average, disgusting. It's certainly not dangerous, and I'm sure it's nutritious, but the flavor? Horrible. To me, and apparently, to my baby.

And a note on gruel. Sweden encourages baby cereal very much, and most kids gets a bottle of gruel (ok, is that really the name? Wikipedia insists, but I'm not sure. It's välling in Swedish.) first thing in the morning and again before bed. It's awfully convenient. It comes with a very long ingredient list, and is highly processed. It's often rather high in sugar. Most kids seem to love it. Titus has never tried, and that's just because I don't see the point. We breastfed for so long that once he was on solids, I had no idea why he should eat liquids. (I myself loved it as a kid, by the way, or so my mom assures me!)

I realize I write about me, and my own opinions. In reality, we are two people raising Titus, and his dad has just as much to say about our choices as I do - of course. However, I feel more strongly about food and cooking than he does and he's fine with that. Sure, he takes Titus to McDonalds more often than I do - and that's ok. Everyone has to find their own way.

Ok. That's the end - for now - of this essay. Kudos to those of you who read all the way to the end! I'll reward you with awesome recipes next week, ok?

iPad cake

This huge cake was delivered a few days ago - it's to celebrate Arla's new iPad application. Pretty cool! And pretty generous! But a bit wasteful, I ended up having to throw away quite a bit of cake...

Valentine Cupcakes with Vanilla Ginger Frosting

These cupcakes are perfect for Valentine's day - they're chocolate-y, slightly spicy, deep red, and actually not that bad for you! Pretty perfect!

After visiting the Chef of the Year contest, I came home with plenty of giveaways. One of them was a paper bag with locally grown veggies, and that included a beetroot and a carrot. I also got a recipe booklet that included a recipe for beetroot-chocolate muffins. I modified that to work with both beet and carrot, reduced the sugar and included half a vanilla bean. I used the remaining vanilla bean alongside some ginger to make a cream cheese frosting - delicious!

I used a 12-cavity muffin tin and this recipe yielded 20 cupcakes. The icing, however, is just enough for 12 - I froze the others unadorned, and will either eat them plain (they're great just like that) or frost them some other time.

Valentine Cupcakes with Vanilla Ginger Frosting
makes 20 cupcakes

1 medium beetroot (about 100 g)
1 medium carrot (about 100 g)
200 g butter
200 g granulated sugar
50 g cocoa powder
1/2 vanilla bean
3 eggs
240 g all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder

Peel and grate the veggies finely. Melt the butter, and stir together with sugar, cocoa and the scrapings from the inside of the vanilla bean. Add the eggs, one at a time, and finally the grated veggies.

Stir in the flour and baking powder.

Scoop into cupcake liners (in a muuffin tin) and bake at 175°C for about 12-14 minutes. Test with a skewer, it should come out mostly clean.

Vanilla Ginger Frosting
enough for 12 cupcakes

55 g butter, at room temperature
55 g cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 vanilla bean
1 tsp ground ginger
100 ml powdered sugar

Beat all ingredients until smooth, and spread onto the completely cool cupcakes.

Recipe in Swedish:
Valentinmuffins

Fantastic Guacamole

Well, I've been writing about guacamole before, and until fairly recently, this was my favorite recipe. However, in November, on our New York trip, we ended up at Dos Caminos. And their guac was to die for. Luckily, their recipe was easy enough to find, and from that, I developed this.

You have to start with great avocados. Really. That's no easy feat in Sweden - sometimes they're good, and sometimes they're not. And it's not easy to tell from the outside. It's a good thing that even not-super-great guacamole is still pretty darned good.

Mixing onions, jalapeño and cilantro together into a paste really makes the flavors bloom. It's really bright and sparkly, and *very* different from my old recipe. Which is still good, but this one is something else entirely.

Fantastic Guacamole

3 avocados, very ripe
1 small yellow onion
1 garlic clove
1 large bunch cilantro
1 jalapeño (more or less, depending on how hot you want it)
salt
pepper
1 tbsp lime juice
3-5 cherry tomatoes

Halve the avocados. Remove the stone and scoop the flesh onto a cutting board. Using a fork, mash it, along with the lime. Scoop into a bowl.

Cut the top 1/3 from the cilantro bunch - that is, the leaves - chop them, and add to the avocado.

Coarsely chop onions, garlic, the remaining cilantro and the jalapeño. Put in a food processor and mix into a smooth paste. (If you want to be more authentic, feel free to use a pestle and mortar. Me, I like the processor.)

Add this to the avocado.

Cut the tomatoes into quarters, and remove the seeds. Cut into very small dice, and stir into the guacamole. Season with salt, pepper and perhaps a bit more lime.

Recipe in Swedish:
Fantastisk Guacamole

At Årets Kock 2011

I'm visiting the biggest contest for professional chefs in Sweden: Chef of the Year. Lots of intense cooking going on.

Wednesday bookmarks, February 2

Oh, how quickly the weeks pass! It's already Wednesday again, and time to share some linky love with fellow food bloggers. This is what I've been bookmarking since last week:

-An insanely cute Penguin Cake, from Fowl Single File.

-The perfect Breakfast Bread, prepared at night and then left to rise while you're sleeping. From always-reliable bread blogger Martin. (Swedish.)

-From Food52, a Caramelized Onion Dip and a Not-Too-Virtuous Salad with Caramelized Apple Vinaigrette.

-I'm always on the look-out for fish recipes, since it's not really my strong suit but it's turning out to be Titus' favorite food. Go figure! Easy Baked Parmesan Tilapia from How Sweet It Is is definitely on my to-try list.

-And finally, from the Curvy Carrot, what might possibly be the least healthy food I've ever seen, but also the most appealing in a long time: Almond Joy Cheesecake.