Best of 2010!

How could I have left this until February!? Once again time passes too quickly, and what a year 2010 was! Where do I begin? For those of you keeping up with my blog and whereabouts you'll know that 2010 was a year of moving country. My passion for cooking grew and my food blogging began all during my amazing years living in London UK. London is a vibrant and non-stop eventful city, which is probably why I began cooking so much more there; cooking is a stress reliever for me.
Eventually there weren't enough hours in the day and I began to miss the calming nature and more relaxed pace of life found in my home of Vancouver Canada.
The tough decision was made, the immigration for Marek was approved, and the packing began!
Combining the fast paced life of London and everything involved with moving I didn't give myself enough time to put as many posts up as I would have liked. So I'll only mention a few, although I'd love to say all recipes of 2010 are the best, haha!

Porky Pasta
This was a dish completely made up on the fly. Loved it! I haven't made it since and I'm really wondering why? Hhhhhmmm....dinner for tonight, solved



Bolognese sauce, Perfecto!
I'm not conceited, but this is probably the best bolognese sauce I've ever had. No joke!
Classic Bechamel sauce 
This is a never fail recipe. Like I say in the post, it's easy to remember. Take a look and you'll see
Traditional Lasagne
Using both my most successful sauces of 2010, I created also my best ever lasagne


Rolled Pork Loin with Apple and Caramalized Onion Stuffing
I am very proud of this one. It not only looks beautiful but tasted gorgeous. The crackling is always a favourite at the dinner table




I'm in love Mac n' Cheese
This is still my best ever Macaroni and Cheese dish. The smoked cheese adds the most amazing touch!




Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes & Devil's Food Cupcakes
I was making cupcakes for Marek's 30th birthday. I couldn't decide between 2 types so I made both! I'm more of a vanilla girl than a chocolate girl but they were both amazing!


Chicken Goujons
These were a very popular part of our Hors D'oeures Party. They are so easy and delicious





Vianocka (Slovak Christmas Sweet Bread)
 Just looking at this braided bread makes me proud :)



So that's my trip down memory lane for 2010.

Halusky Recipe

This has to be my all time favourite meal! I can never get enough of it. When we have this for dinner I'm the one having double portions. Honestly, I can't control myself!
I must have been Central or Eastern European in a past life because I'm so drawn to foods like this.

Halusky (pronounced ha-loosh-kee) is the Slovak version of gnocchi. It's a pasta made with potato dough. The difference between the dough is that halusky is more like a thick batter than a roll-able firm dough. So, perhaps a more similar comparable would be Austrian or German 'spaetzle', except that spaetzle isn't made with potato.

There are many different ways to eat Halusky. Two of the most popular kinds are bryndzove halusky (sheep cheese with sausage or bacon) and kapustove halusky (sour cabbage - "saurkraut"), or more commonly named Strapacky (pronounced sh-tra-pach-kee).
Bryndzove halusky is Slovakia's national dish, and I certainly don't wonder why. Yum! This is the one in the photo.

Halusky
2-3 potatoes
4-5 tbsp flour
1 tsp of salt
1 egg

Instructions:

1. Peel potatoes and finely shred them
2. In a bowl combine potato, salt, egg and flour. The dough shouldn't be too tough but also not too watery. You may add more or less flour, or a bit of water if the dough is too tough
3. Boil a large pot of salted water
4. You have to work quite quickly here: With a halusky sieve (called a halsukar - see image to the right) or a strainer with large holes, put the dough in it hovering over the pot of boiling water. Stir the dough in the sieve with a wooden spoon. Little bits of dough will drop into the water as you stir. If the dough starts to get tougher you can quickly dip the strainer into the water as you go to loosen the dough a bit. Continue stirring the dough until all of it has dropped into the water. NOTE: If you do not have a haluskar or strainer with large enough holes you can instead, cut off  1/2 tsp size dough pieces and drop them into the boiling water
5. The halusky is cooked when all the dumplings are floating
6. Prepare halusky with flavour and topping of your choice (2 possibilities below)

Bryndzove
3-4 tbsp sheep cheese (or goat cheese as alternative)
2-3 tsbp milk
1 smoked sausage or 6 strips bacon, chopped and fried, reserve the juices

Stir the sheep cheese, milk and some of the reserved frying juices with the halusky. The cheese will melt in quickly. Top with the bacon or sausage.

Kapustove
1 jar (no more than a litre) of sauerkraut, drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1 smoked sausage or 6 strips bacon, chopped 
1 tsp caraway seeds
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry the sausage or bacon, remove and set aside. Then fry the onion and sauerkraut with caraway seeds, salt and pepper. Stir the sauerkraut mixture with the halusky and top with the bacon or sausage.

I am proud to send this one in for Presto Pasta Nights' 200th roundup! Hosted this week by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours. Congrats Ruth, on reaching #200! How time flies!!

Banana Bread

Banana bread is a 'never fail to please' tea time cake. Sliced and smeared with creamy butter....oh how my taste buds tingle just thinking about it!

Who can compare baking their own to store bought? The smell wafting through the house is amazing, and having the chance to spread the butter over a freshly out of the oven, warm slice.....ouu! there go my taste buds again!

Here is the latest recipe I used, and it worked like a charm

(Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

4 medium size ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar 
1 egg, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Handful of pecans, crushed


Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). 
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together the sugar, butter and vanilla, then stir in the mashed bananas 
3. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking soda and salt 
4. Add the flour mix to the banana mix and stir together with a wooden spoon 
5. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, sprinkle top with pecan and bake for 1 hour (or until a knife comes out clean from poking into the middle) 
6. Cool on a wire rack