Mushroom & shiitake mushroom pie

I just love different kinds of mushrooms. Especially shiitake mushroom. Did you know that it's super healthy?It's almost like a medicine - it prevents the development of tumors, helps cure allergies and viruses, helps to lower the cholesterol and contains a lot of vitamin D. Great for vegans and vegetarians! And for everyone else.

This pie contains almost all of my favourite ingredients. It tastes unquestionably good, it's good for your health - what else do you need? I added oatbran to the crust, and the crust is made of wholewheat flour only, so it contains a great deal of fiber. And I love the texture. You might wonder about the spices - I assure you it's a lovely combination. I think Indian spices are really one of the best ones. Especially I love cumin. And the smell of these spices is just stunning. I think food would be nothing without spices, and without garlic and fresh herbs. They just create something magnificent and superior. Try it!

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 dl water

1 dl rape oil

1 dl oatbran

3 dl wholewheat flour

For the filling:

2 onions

4 garlic cloves

100g shiitake mushrooms

400g common mushrooms

1/4 eggplant

olive oil for frying

2 tsp himalaya salt

plenty of black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin (or a bit more if you're into spices!)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ginger

a pinch of garam masala

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

2 eggs

2 dl milk

70g tomato puree

1 dl grated cheese

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Butter a big pie mould with rape oil.

2. To make the dough, pour water and oil into a big bowl, add all the other ingredients, beat with hands into a even crust batter. Pat with hands the batter into the pie mould, cover the sides too.

3. Slice the onions, crush the garlic and slice the eggplant into small pieces. Fry them in a pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Remove, put into a big bowl.

4. Wash all the mushrooms, cut the ends away. Cut into small cubes. Fry in the same pan in some olive oil for 3-4 minutes. Put into the same bowl with the onions. Mix together.

5. Then add all the spices into the mushroom-onion mixture. Mix well.

6. Spread the onion-mushroom mixture over the crust.

7. Mix together using a whisk the eggs, milk and tomato puree. Pour over the pie. Sprinkle the grated cheese over, then bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

8. Remove and enjoy!

Blueberry & vanilla pie

I had a lot of trouble in figouring out what the name would be for these things I made this morning. I'm not sure if you can call them blondies, because there isn't any chocolate in the dough. So I decided they would be a pie, because it's quite neutral and it fits everything. The most important thing is that they tasted great!

We were out on a picnic today with my friends. The weather has been so nice last three days, and so warm! I love sitting in a park and wathcing to the ocean and listening to the screaming seagulls. That's truely summer! So I wanted to bake something delicious for us today and this idea of the pie came to me. I modified originally a kind of brownie recipe into this recipe - I had to remove the chocolate from it because one of my friends is allergic to it. So these came out - and I was very satisfied. Everyone praised these.

Ingredients:

For the batter:

2oog butter

3 eggs

3dl brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

5dl plain white flour

1 dl potato starch

2 tsp baking powder

3 dl blueberries

1 dl soymilk or ordinary milk

For the frosting:

50g butter

1 dl vanilla sauce

about 4 dl powdered sugar (to make frosting thick enough)

For the decoration nonpareils or coconut flakes

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Melt the butter, let it cool down a bit. Beat the eggs with the sugar into a foam. Mix the flour, potato starch and baking powder together.

2. Add the flour mixture, milk, vanilla extract and the melted butter by turns to the sugar-egg mixture, carefully, add the blueberries. It's not so serious if the berries colour the batter a bit, you can't avoid it. I think it looked lovely, when the batter was all purple!

3. Spread the batter over a baking sheet, covered with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, depending how thick is the batter. Remove, cool down well.

4. To make the frosting, melt the butter. Add vanilla sauce and powdered sugar, mix well.

5. Spread over the well cooled base, be careful - if it's still warm the frosting pours over the edges.

6. When the frosting is set, decorate! And then, cut to pieces and enjoy :)

Rhubarb and red currant pie

This warmhearted pie makes me think of a warm summer evening. I love the combination of rhubarb, red currants and vanilla. With a bite of this pie you can have it all. It's easy to bake and quick too. And tastes lovely...Just perfect.

Ingredients:

For the dough:
2 dl plain flour
1 dl oat brans
1/2 dl brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dl rape oil
1 egg

For the filling:
5 dl fresh or frozen rhubarb cubes
2dl red currants fresh of frozen
2 dl vanilla sauce
1 dl brown sugar
1 egg

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees. Mix the flour, oat brans, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a bowl. Add the oil and the egg. Mix into an even batter.

2. Spread into a pie mould, smooth with your fingers, remember to cover the sides too. Spread the berries over the batter.

3. Mix togeher vanilla sauce, sugar and one egg. Spread over the berries.

4. Bake in the oven for about 25-39 minutes, until set and ready and the sides are lightly brown. Cool down well, enjoy!

Chocolate chip and peanut cookies

I've missed baking so much. I realised it this morning, when I started to bake these cookies and a rhubarb & red currant pie. I have this small holiday (four days) from school and I thought that now when I have time I'll bake something lovely and delicious! And who could resist cookies with chocolate chips and exuberant flavour of peanut? At least I can't. All I can say is that they taste amazing, it's truly a bad temptation to have a plate of these cookies on your kitchen table...they'll disappear quite soon. And I have to mention that when my brother tasted these he said these cookies saved his morning :)

Ingredients:
makes 14 BIG cookies

125g soft butter
1 1/2 dl brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2,5 dl plain flour
120g (one little package) Fazer's baking chocolate chips (Taloussuklaarouhe)
1dl minced peanuts

1. Heat the oven to 200 C degrees.
2. Beat together butter, salt, sugar, vanilla extract and eggs to a fluffy foam.

3.Mix together baking powder, chocolate chips, nuts and flour.


4. Mix the two mixtures well with each other.


5. Put spoonfuls of the dough into two baking sheets, covered with baking parchment. Don't spread the dough, it will spread in the oven.


6. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool down well before eating. ENJOY!