Pita bread is a simple recipe of my family that has my heart. You only need flour, yogurt and an egg to make it, and some olive oil to cook it. Pita bread is delicious on its own, accompanied by some feta cheese and fresh tomatoes, wrapped up as a souvlaki or with a drizzle…
Sweet
Pistachio & dried rose petals mendiants – Mandarina cooking for Bake my Day Happy
I’ve probably stated 1000 times how much I love social media, because it has helped me connect with amazing people that then have become my friends. Nevila is one of them. We started talking some months before she officially launched “Bake my Day Happy” and haven’t stopped ever since. Apart from exchanging recipes, experience and…
Crispy oatmeal cookies
I promised to post my recipe for crispy oatmeal cookies more than a month ago, but many things happened in between (beautiful things luckily) so I didn’t manage to bring it to you. I’ll update you on what’s changing in my personal life, which I believe will also affect Mandarina a lot on the coming…
Ballokume
Ballokume are traditional Albanian cookies, that have become the symbol of Spring Day. The ingredients are very simple, but the technique is a bit challenging. Ballokume homeland is Elbasan, an old city in Central Albania, that’s why this recipe and tips come from my friends from Elbasani, Xhulia, and Ivlin. I would prefer them less…
Dark chocolate pudding
Whenever I need a quick dessert, a mood booster, or something that everyone likes, this chocolate pudding comes to help. Its silky texture and deep chocolate flavor are to die for. All you need is a deep saucepan and some ingredients, I’m sure all of you have in your pantry like milk, cream, cocoa, chocolate,…
Stuffed dates dipped in chocolate
I love creating delicious sweet bites with dates. They are ready in few minutes and you can play endlessly with flavors. I like filling dates with nut butter, like almond butter, or peanut butter, or my favorite plant-based butter, tahini. They pair perfectly also with ricotta or mascarpone, and also with lightly toasted almonds. I always…
Pistachio and olive oil cake covered in white chocolate glaze
It’s cake a clock, and not just any cake, it’s pistachio cake. I was trying to get the origin of this cake, but I have no guess. I had some of the ingredients written in a simple note on my iPhone since 2016, and I can’t remember if it was a moment of inspiration, someone…
Preserved kumquats made at home
Do you like kumquats? They’re tasty and cute and have a nice bittersweet taste. I don’t know why they rarely sell them in the farmers’ market, so whenever I manage to find some, I make this delicious and super easy kumquat preserve. I love enjoying it on a toast with butter or cheese,…
Caramelized nuts
Caramelized nuts are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. They pair perfectly with a glass of wine, or a cup of hot cocoa for those like me, that don’t go crazy for alcohol. I always make a big batch of caramelized nuts to share with family and friends. They keep well for weeks, so it’s…
Classic gingerbread cookies
It’s Christmas time aka gingerbread time, even though for me gingerbread time is all year long. I love gingerbread, the mix of spices with the bitter-sweet touch of the molasses is one of the best combinations ever. I don’t know what kept me this long from posting this recipe, but here we are 🙂 I…