Recipe: Donauwelle

This is such an interesting cake and it’s really delicious too. The layers are supposed to look like the waves of the Danube. I’m not entirely sure I understood how to achieve this effect the first time I made this recipe but it’s certainly good enough that I’ll probably give it another try in a few months. It’s not complex per se but it does have quite a lot of parts. I cut down on the amount of buttercream frosting used as well because I like more balance in my cake but if you feel like you need 6 leagues of buttercream on your cake, I’m not going to stop you.

Donauwelle

Adapted from Sunday Baker

Recipe: Miso Mushroom Pasta

Creamy, salty, umami bomb which makes a really exciting dinner in about 15 minutes. I made my own udon for this dish but you can easily use store bought udon or any pasta noodle (fettuccine would work just as well honestly). You can use a variety of mushrooms or just regular white ones if that’s all you have on hand. My only suggestion would be to start light with the miso so that the dish doesn’t get overly salty.

Miso Mushroom Pasta

Adapted from The Missing Lokness

Recipe: Butter Chickpeas

Despite the title this is actually really easy to make a vegan recipe by replacing the butter with coconut oil instead. You can finish it with some almond milk if you like also. I like to mush half of the chickpeas with a potato masher to get a bunch of different textures and also I think it thickens the recipe without cornstarch. I might try adding more vegetables to this recipe in the future but I really liked its simplicity.

Butter Chickpeas

Adapted from The Iron You

Recipe: Banana Bread

It couldn’t be simpler to make banana bread and it’s what nature intended for all those bananas you seem to end up having leftover every now and then. Perfect with butter, jam, or a smear of cream cheese or even just by itself this recipe takes about 10 minutes to come together in a single bowl and the results are great. Add in coconut flakes, nuts, or even some chocolate chips to take it to the next level.

Banana Bread

Recipe: Manicotti

I recently learned that the food I thought was manicotti (back in New York) was actually just cannelloni. The difference is subtle but cannelloni is cylinders of pasta stuffed with soft cheese and other things and manicotti is actually soft crepes stuffed with soft cheese and other things. I was a little intimidated to make crepes but actually the process is quite easy and while I haven’t mastered the single hand flip, it isn’t too bad. The crepes and filling can both be made a day ahead if you need to space out the work but this is a great weekend / special occasion dinner that can easily be made in bulk despite being quite complex and is a crowd pleaser.

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Recipe: Potato Rolls

I never have “leftover mashed potatoes” but I really wanted to make potatoes rolls and found this great recipe. I am still unclear if the potato in them really does anything but they were so good I literally made them three times in a month so maybe it does? These wonderful fluffy rolls are perfect with soup, salad, or as a breakfast accompaniment and come together with very little effort. Also since they’re individual rolls instead of a loaf of bread they last a good 3-4 days without going stale (if they last that long before you eat them of course)!

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Recipe: Onigirazu

I know every website will tell you that onigirazu is like making sushi but easier but it still takes SOME effort to get the hang of making these stacked rice sandwiches. That being said they’re perfect for lunch and you can fill them with whatever you want in my variation they’re packed with lots of vegetables and a spicy-chili mayo but these are good with canned tuna, breakfast fixings, leftover cooked ground meat or anything you can think of.

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Recipe: Crumpets

A British staple filled with nooks and crannies these aren’t available at all in Estonia so when I was craving them I thought I’d be kind of out of luck or that the recipe would be super difficult but I was pleasantly surprised that it’s no more difficult than making pancakes. I used biscuit cutters for the mold rings which was a little annoying but doable. These are really lovely with a bit of jam and cream cheese.

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Recipe: Crab Rangoon

These are a great thing to make ahead of time with pre-made wonton wrapped. I used surimi to make them even cheaper and easier but you can use canned crab or already shedded crab and it’ll be just as good if not better. These freeze (pre-fry) very well and then take just a few minutes to make so they’re great for a party, side dish, or snacking.

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