Simple, Healthy & Delicious Strawberry Spring (Assignment/Exam) Snack :3

To make this AMAZING strawberry snack all you need is two simple ingredients and approximately 5 mins of time;

Ingredients for 1 person;

6 to10 strawberries, washed with the tops chopped off
1 cup of strawberry yoghurt of your own choice

Take the majority of the prepared strawberries and half or quarter them according to their size
Place them in the bowl you'll be serving them in
Add the yoghurt on top of the strawberries and mix
Garnish with the reserved strawberries
Done!!

There you have it; a simple, healthy and delicious strawberry spring snack prepared in a jiffy and so tasty it doesn't need any sugar added to it! What's more you can eat this during an assignment/exam break ;)

Amazingly Delicious Lemon Cheesecake Recipe

This cheesecake will taste absolutely divine! It is so dense and decadent and it'll make any tea party proud!! You're sure to impress your guests with this cheesecake ;) Don't be discouraged by the fact that you have to bake it; it's relatively easy to follow and once you make it for the first time; they'll beg you to make it again :D

Ingredients:
Crust:
200g of your preferred plain biscuit crumbs

50g granulated white sugar

114g unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

400g full fat cream cheese at room temperature

125g Mascarpone cheese

100 grams granulated white sugar

18g all purpose flour

2 large eggs, room temperature

Zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C with the rack in centre of oven.

Use a disposable aluminium round  pan and grease it liberally with butter. This will aid in proper cheesecake removal as you will see at the end of this post ;)

For the Crust  use a food processor with the chopping blade to finely chop the biscuits along with the sugar. After doing so; add the melted butter and process until you obtain the consistency of wet sand. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the greased pan. Refrigerate the biscuit base whilst you make the filling.

For the Filling use the food processor with the chopping blade. Place the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, and flour and beat on medium speed until smooth for about 2 minutes. Make sure that you scrape down the bowl as required. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl (in case of bad eggs and shell pieces) and add them one at a time beating well until incorporated after each addition. Add the lemon zest and the pure vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. If you have a beater option in your food processor; remove the blade attachment right before pouring the mixture into the pan and beat for a final 15-30 seconds. Retrieve the biscuit base from the fridge and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan so that you'll have catchment in the case of spillage.

Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 120°C and continue to bake for about another 25 to 40 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm and only the centre of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Let it cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating it for several hours, preferably overnight.

When you come to dig in all you need to do is carefully use a knife to cut the foil and peel it back to reveal the set cheesecake. Slice away and enjoy!!

Note: If you have leftover filling make mini cheesecakes like the ones below (following the normal instructions with reduced cooking time)!

‎Chinese‬ ‎Stir‬-fried ‎Noodles‬ with ‪‎Shrimp‬ :)

Want a very hearty meal in approx 15 mins? Then this is the one for you!!

Ingredients (for 1 person as a main meal for 2 as a smaller meal/starter)

• 12 peeled and deveined large shrimps
• 1 small onion cut into lengthwise strips
• 2 spring onions cut into slices
• 1 medium-sized shredded carrot
• 4 peeled cloves of garlic sliced
• 1 Xg packet of instant noodles
• 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce
• Salt
• Sunflower oil (do not use olive oil) 

Take the peeled and deveined shrimps and after rinsing them salt them with approx 1 tsp of salt. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the noodles for 1 minute only. Drain the cooked noodles and run under cold water; after doing so put a little sunflower oil in the noodles and mix so as to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Heat a deep saucepan/wok and put in 2 tbsp of sunflower oil and after heating sufficiently (1-2 mins) stir fry the shrimps for 1 minute only and after doing so remove them from the pan and put them to the side. After adding a little more oil; stir fry the onion strips until they become translucent (1 min) and then add half the spring onions along with the garlic and the shredded carrot cooking for another minute. Season the vegetables with salt to taste. At the end; add the noodles along with the 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce and the cooked shrimp. Stir fry for another minute and serve.

Notes:
If you are cooking for e.g. 4 people multiply all of the ingredients by 4. If you're really hungry consider this recipe enough for one person but if you're serving as a starter this recipe should be enough for 2 people. 

How to make Pulpetti :)

Pulpetti are a Maltese staple food which are very comparable to burgers but are much more versatile. Pulpetti can be pan fried or even cooked in the oven. They are delicious both hot and cold. Whilst they are traditionally with or without a bun and with a side of mashed potatoes or chips (fries for the Americans ;) ) and steamed vegetables they are much more versatile. Pulpetti can be enjoyed with your favourite cheese and galletti (another Maltese food! - similar to crackers). They would make any platter proud! They're also amazing sliced in sandwiches, panini and wraps. Furthermore you can turn your leftover pulpetti from last night into a delicious spaghetti bolognese by simply dicing said pulpetti and substituting them for the meat in the traditional bolognese sauce - absolutely delicious and no one will know the difference unless you tell them :P

So let's get crackin;

You will need:
Ingredients:

500g minced pork
400g minced beef
200g bacon cubes/pancetta
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
3-4 tbsp grated cheese
Fresh Parsley
Salt & Pepper

Place the minced pork and beef into a large mixing bowl. Chop the bacon using a food processor until finely chopped and add to the mixing bowl. Chop the onion and garlic and add. Mix these ingredients using your hands until combined. Beat the 2 eggs in a separate bowl (we don't want bad eggs to ruin our meat!!) along with the cheese, some salt and pepper and the chopped parsley and add to the bowl. Mix well until combined and then cover either with the bowl's lid or using cling film and refrigerate for a min of 30mins and a max of overnight refrigeration so that the flavours can mingle :)

Tips!
If you're using salty cheese e.g. parmesan be careful with the salt as no one likes overseasoned pulpetti :P
Mixing with your hands will ensure that the pulpetti mix is mixed well. This is less laborious when compared to using a wooden spoon.

When the mix has mingled enough; divide it into 12 smooth balls. You are left with 2 options;

Option №1:
Heat a saucepan with a drizzle of sunflower oil and after hot enough; place the pulpetti and first seal them and continue to cook them covered turning occasionally until they are cooked through. This way they retain their moisture better :)

Option №2:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and place the pulpetti on a baking tray (not sheet because the gravy will drip and make cleaning a nightmare!!) lined with baking/parchment paper. Cook the pulpetti until their tops are nice and crispy and till they're cooked through.

Whichever option you'll choose you will end up with a glorious plate of pulpetti ready to be served with some gorgeous mashed potatoes or chips/fries and steamed veg :D

How to make Pulpetti :)

Pulpetti are a Maltese staple when it comes to fresh and tasty homemade food :) I'll soon be posting a recipe on how to make these scrumptious Maltese burgers perfectly delicious both warm and cold. Stay Tuned!!

P.S.: I swear that this'll be your reaction when you taste Pulpetti :')

My first blog post :)

Food has always been a passion of mine :) This blog will feature both original recipes created by me and favourite recipes to which I'll add my personal twists. I hope you embark with me on this culinary journey :D Feel free to share ideas and comment on my posts and most importantly share these wonderful recipes with the people you love ;) I'd be especially pleased if you uploaded pictures of your wonderful creations as well ;)
Next stop is: Amazing Food :D
P.S.: Below is some of the food you can expect ;)