Repurposing Jam or Nutella empty bottles!

We buy all sorts of glass bottles that most of them just end up in the trash or go for recycling. There are however so many ways for you to "recycle" them on your own that it's worth to take a look at the following pictures to get inspired! So whether you buy nutella, jam or as we have it here in cyprus "glyko tou koutaliou" when you are finished with them wash them and re-use them!

1. Excellent for home made jams.

Their purpose is to be airtight and preserve so why change it? If you like making your own jams just use the ones you already have! Just make sure to boil them in hot water to sterilize them first.

2. Drinking cups!

Whether you choose to keep the lit or not you can use them for your drinks especially during the summer time. Keep them covered so you can take them for a picnic, make a hole so you can put a straw or just use them as they are!

3. Mixing a salad dressing or a marinade.

You put the ingredients in and shake it. Simple!

4. Decorate them.

The sky is the limit! Glue stones or a rope around it, put sand in it and some candles or fill it with seashells. Be inspired!

What you should have in your freezer at all times!

Having certain foods or items in your freezer can be a big help especially if you do not have much time to cook. The good thing about having frozen food is that they last for a long time, they can be cooked much faster and usually they need very little preparation. Here is a list of items that I always have in my freezer:

1. Ice cubes.


I know it's not edible but here in Cyprus we use ice cubes almost all year round so they are a must have item!


2. Vegetables.



I prefer to have sweet corn and mixed vegetables separately since I like the first more! I also prefer tesco's mixed vegetables that can be cooked in the microwave in 2.5 minutes.

3. Meat and chicken.



Since we both really love meat I always have chicken breasts and pork chops. If you are cooking them for dinner just take them out in the morning and by dinner time it will be ready to be cooked.

4. Potato wedges.



What can I say? I love them! And I can cook them within 20 minutes just by putting them in the oven!

5. Onions.



Life savers! I buy onion cut in small pieces and just use it directly in my recipes. No more tears!

6. Mushrooms.



Cut, washed and ready to be cooked!

7. Homemade food.













Whether a traditional food that only moms can cook or just a food that I really love but it's difficult to make, there will always be something in my freezer ready to be put in the oven and cooked.

So remember to have:

Essentials for cooking
Favorite foods
Homemade meals

Be prepared!!!

Pork chops oven baked

Even though I am currently fasting my fiance who really loves meat does not follow into my steps so I need to cook other foods for him. So last night I bought some pork loin to cook for him. It's a very simple recipe and you can add the vegetables or spices of your choice.

Ingredients:

Pork loin chops (depending how many people are eating)
Olive oil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Onion

How to:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 180 Celsius. In the platter you are using put some aluminum foil and some baking paper (less mess to clean afterwards).

2. Wash the pork chops and put them in the platter. Add oil, oregano, salt and pepper and mix it all together. Cut the onion and put it on top. Put the platter in the oven.

3. After 20 minutes take the platter out and turn the pork chops on the other side. Leave them in for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave it in for 10 more minutes. Serve :)

Enjoy!

Avocado spread with baked carrots

During the fasting season there are a lot of options to eat. Some are faster to make and some are not. So when I don't have much time to eat I have to improvise. Hence the other day when I went home I checked my pantry and saw that I had avocado, carrots and luckily bread.

So with:

1 Avocado
1 Carrot
Olive oil to drizzle
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

I made lunch!

How to:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. Peel and cut the carrot. Place it on baking paper. Drizzle some oil and add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Wrap the carrots with the baking sheet in some aluminum foil and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes. They will be baked but will still be crunchy.

3. In the meantime peel the avocado, put it in a plate and using a fork mash it. Add some lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir it to blend the flavors in. 

4. Once the carrots are done remove them from the oven.

5. Serve! Take a slice of bread, spread the avocado and some slices of carrot.

Enjoy!

What type of chair is best for a kitchen?

Yesterday I was talking to a customer whose chairs were destroyed because of his cats and was asking me if there was anything he could do. Truth of the matter I am not a fan of having pets in a house even though I like them. Having a pet is like having a kid that will never grow up and needs constant care. What it also needs is training. And a lot of people cannot train their pets either because they don't know how or simply don't find it necessary. So whether it's pets or kids you need to have a chair that will last especially for the kitchen where you spend most of your time as a family.

Here is what you should probably avoid:

Leather or leather look or fabric chairs:

Chairs that have leather or leather look are more easily destroyed so they are best left for areas that are not often used or for houses with trained pets who won't scratch or eat them. Once scratched the leather or fabric cannot be easily repaired to look as good as new.

Best use:

Plastic or wooden chairs:

They are easier to clean and if scratched they won't be rendered useless unlike the leather ones. Solid wood chairs can be repaired by painting them again or if the scratches are too deep they can be smoothed by using sandpaper.

So think before you buy: What will the item's use be? And also who will be using or maybe abusing it?

Greek fasting season - My favorite foods!

A lot of people are surprised when I tell them that I fast for 49 days before the Christian Orthodox Easter. They cannot imagine what just how many choices I have even though I do not eat any meat, milk products or fish with the exception of shellfish like shrimps, crabs, octopus and calamari. I therefore made a list with just some of my favorite foods during the fasting season since they are also suited for vegetarians just to give you all an idea! (Just a disclaimer: Photos are not mine!)

1. Veggie burger

I can keep it frozen and cook it in the oven in 20 minutes when I don't have time to cook anything else. All I need to do is buy myself a burger bun and add some ketchup!

2. Spaghetti with sauce in UNDER 7 minutes!

I fill the electric kettle with water. While it boils I get my pot, throw a vegetable stock cube in it and put it aside. I get my small frying pan, drizzle with oil and put it on the stove. While it gets hot I cut an onion and put the water from the kettle in the pot and add the spaghetti (which only need 5 minutes) and keep an eye on them stirring occasionally. In the meantime I add the onion and mushrooms to the pan (I buy them cut not whole to save time), and wait until they are softened. I add some tomato juice, stir, check the spaghetti  if they are cooked and once the sauce is hot and bubbling I serve them!

3. Vegetable soup.

I do this in the Thermomix in just 25 minutes and I just add croutons!

4. Falafel.

Also in the Thermomix but I can order them in restaurants as well!

5. Fried calamari.

6. Rice with shrimps.

Water, vegetable stock cube, shrimps and rice. Just boil them until cooked!

7. Avocado.

Peel the avocado, smash it with a fork, add lemon, salt and pepper and done! You can use it as a bread spread as well.

8. Salads.

My favorite is lettuce, pine nuts, dried figs, avocado and mushrooms.

9. Lentils - as we make them in Cyprus.

A fried onion, rice and lentils all cooked to perfection!

10. Sushi with shrimps and maki with avocado and cucumber!

Ordered in restaurants of course!!!

Should you buy a thermomix?

When I tell people that I own a thermomix I get mixed responses. Some people get excited and share their recipes or tips with me and some others look down to me as if I am cheating at cooking! And I believe that that is one of the main reasons that people don't like it, they feel that it takes away the "creativity" and hard-work of cooking. But why blame a product that does what it was made for? Of course it makes it easier for someone whose cooking skills are not so good to cook something that you could eat at a restaurant! And as for the "creative" factor once you get to know it and can improvise with it then you can be as creative with it! So here are my reasons why I love my thermomix:

1. Less things to wash!

If I make for example a soup with vegetables I will peel them, put them in the thermomix and it will cut them, boil them with rice and vegetable stock and if I want the soup to be veloute then it can do that as well. All these in the same bucket so I only have one thing to wash. If I was to do it in the traditional way I would have to peel them, use a grater or a mixer to cut them into smaller pieces, use a pot to cook them in and if I want a veloute soup use again a mixer to do so.

2. More time to do other things! 

If I am expecting guests to arrive or need to clean the house at the same time it really helps that I don't need to be constantly there stirring or tasting so I can have time to cook something else, set the table or clean the house while it does all the work!

3. I can cook difficult things easily!

So I may not be the most skilled cook! The thermomix can cook bechamel sauce, pork fillets with plums in honey sauce and nutella ice cream easily and I can serve them to my family and friends and enjoy a lovely meal! 

4. It can cook baby food.

I know a mother of two who uses it to cook for her kids homemade puree with meat and vegetable or apples. Much cheaper, has a lot of variety and is sure that all the ingredients are fresh and that there are no preservatives or sugar in them.