FESTIVE SEASON 2013-2014: Roasted rack of pork with dried fruits and quinces

Here we have an easy recipe to prepare for the Festive season. It is ideal for those who break into a sweat every time they see complicated recipes to put together for a dinner party for friends, especially in periods like Christmas!... Delicious pork recipe, simple but impressive at the same time, which can be presented intact and cut at the table. You will need about two chops per person, so it is best to get two racks of pork. *** Also it would be wise if you make your order a few days in advance because racks of pork are not always readily available

FESTIVE SEASON 2013-2014: Mini cakes with whisky and coffee

Serve these simple in ingredients but delicious in taste Festive mini cakes during the Holiday season to please the family and your guests. Nothing complicated about them but the addition of the whisky and the coffee turn them into a special sweet treat

FESTIVE SEASON 2013-2014: Oven-cooked deer with blackberries and red wine sauce

Something different for your Festive table if you are bored of the old classic roast turkey or other poultry. The blackberry sauce is ideal for this kind of game meat and gives extra flavour. Deer is a special kind of meat and it needs a delicate cooking so not to get tough. It's much tastier if it is cooked medium and not well done. *** But, still, if you prefer your meat further cooked it is good to have in mind not to cook it more than 10 extra minutes. A piece of deer (no bone in), for example of 350gr., needs 50 minutes of cooking in the oven at 200°C

FESTIVE SEASON 2013-2014: Edible Holiday gifts for friends and family!

The little gifts made at home by ourselves always enclose the care and the meaning of offering something special to those we love! The difficult times most people have to deal with the last few years make us to be especially careful with our finances... but having to cut off expenses is not always so bad after all since now more than ever we have the opportunity to discover hidden talents which we had not realised that we possessed... So lets start this year's festive season with a few ideas of how we could create tasty, edible little gifts for those we love. I'm sure that most will appreciate the effort and the time we spend on this and they will enjoy these delicacies made at home. Three simple but very tasty recipes, two sweet and one savoury, which you have plenty of time to prepare

RICE WEEK: Layered one-pot aromatic rice with lentils, chicken and dried fruits

So delicious and colourful this recipe! Full of taste and so nutritious it can become a family hit offering a very filling meal! All flavours come together in a very nice balance and the fact that it is in the pot in layers makes it so interesting with every bite you have tasting of the different ingredients

RICE WEEK: Fluffy rice pilaf with a creamy chestnut, mushroom and almond sauce infused with Vodka

This is one of my favourite rice pilaf recipes and one that I often cook on various occasions (formal or not) to accompany meat and poultry dishes! Personally, because I love rice so much, I don't mind having it as it is without any meat on the plate! If you too like rice, try out this recipe and I'm sure it won't disappoint you! Not to mention that it is also a great idea for your Festive table