PEAS WITH DUMPLINGS - GRASAK S NOKLICAMA

Place of origin: Croatia

Very simple and quick-to-make soup-like dish. This is the first dish I’ve learned how to make. Mum used to make this a lot when she didn’t have enough time for cooking or was out of ideas. Many many people make this simple dish, it's very popular and everybody's favorite. I always eat the soup and peas first and then enjoy dumplings with some extra salt on top. :-D 

DOUBLE CHOCO BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE - DVOSTRUKA CHOKO CHEESECAKE S BOROVNICAMA

Place of origin: Our recipe

The second cake I made for Katarina and his B-day party this July, together with Choco coco raspberry cake. I wanted to make an easy, no bake cake that I can "put together" in no time or while the other cake was baking. Of course, it had to contain the chocolate as I'm surrounded by choco lovers. :-D Blueberries came in the picture as a seasonal fruit that goes well with chocolate and mascarpone. Unfortunately, unlike raspberry cake, not one single piece of the cake survived till the next day so I wasn't able to take a picture of a cut. But I guess it can all be seen even without it. ;-) And when you think about 7 people (out of which 4 were women) eating two normal sized cakes all by themselves in one night (and I ate probably least of all) after the four-course meal (five if you count cakes) with rather big portions .... I suppose it wouldn't be over the top to say they were delicious :-D :-)

CHOCO-COCO RASPBERRY CAKE - COKO-KOKOS MALINA TORTA

Place of origin: Our recipe based on chocolate strawberry cake recipe I found few years ago somewhere on the internet and printed it out but forgot to make a note where I have found it.

For one B-day party this summer I wanted to make choco strawberry cake. But strawberries were already gone (you can't find fresh strawberries all-year-round in Croatia) so using the recipe for a strawberry cake I wanted to make, and making some changes to my taste, I came up with this lovely cake. :-)
I suppose it was very good as the cut pictured below was the only remaining piece I've found in the fridge the next morning! The other cake from the same party, Double choco blueberry cake, was not so lucky. In the morning, when I asked where is the other cake, I was just told - well, we ate it. :-D Bad people, they should have left at least a small piece for the cook. :-P

RAFFAELLO MUFFINS

Place of origin: Our recipe, based on Ferrero Raffaello pralines

One day I was eating Raffaello while looking at some muffins recipes. And it crossed my mind - I could make Raffaello muffins. And so I did the very next day for my friend’s B-day. She didn’t have a party, we just had a drink in a bar. So muffins were a surprise. :-D

STUFFED HORSESHOE BREAD - PUNJENA POTKOVA

Place of origin: Our recipe based on some similar European recipe 

I've once seen a recipe for something similar somewhere, but couldn't remember where, was it a cookbook or the internet. I've only remembered it was a European dish. I liked the idea so I made one on my own combining milk and butter bread dough with a filling to my liking. :-)  

MIXED NUTS TRUFFLES - ORASASTE KUGLICE

Place of origin: Our recipe

Just another simple no bake recipe I came up with some time ago. Based on traditional Dalmatian sweet made from dried figs - Smokvenjak (smokva = fig) :-) 

CHOCOLATE WALNUT TRUFFLES - ORAHOVE KUGLICE

Place of origin: Croatia

An old truffle recipe (from Dalmatia) that I found in my granny Elisabeta's (mum's side) cookbook from mid 20th century. Easy and delicious :-)

QUICK MILLET CURRY PILAF - BRZI PILAV OD PROSA S CURRYJEM

Place of Origin: Our recipe 

I made this for the first time when I had nothing for next day's lunch at the office. In the fridge I found only one carrot, 1/2 zucchini and few onions while in the freezer only peas were left. I was also too tired for anything complicated (as it was almost midnight when I remembered I should make myself something for lunch)... so I put it all together and got wonderful pilaf that can be served either as a main dish for a light meal or as a side dish with any meat (roasted, cooked, grilled....). This dish can also be made with bulgur wheat, rice or couscous.

TURKEY IN RED MUSHROOM SAUCE - PURETINA U CRVENOM UMAKU OD GLJIVA

Place of Origin: Our recipe
   
Simple, quick and tasty :-)

NUTTY CAKE WITH APPLE AND VANILLA CREAMS - ORASASTI KOLAC S KREMAMA OD JABUKE I VANILIJE

Place of Origin: Our recipe

A somewhat healthy cake (not much sugar and flour) that we have created while working on excavations in Slavonia few years ago. Long winter days, locked inside the house with tons of pottery laying around.... we were baking something almost every day. And making experiments, too. Some turned out pretty well, like this one :-)