I recently came across a cookery book from 1903. There are a lot of interesting recipes with unusual ingredients. I have the impression that many ingredients which now seem to be new have once again come back into fashion. They were used many years ago.

A few recipes intrigued me. I will try to use them and bring them up to date. Today I used the first one – cream kissel. It is such a simple dessert that it is strange that I haven't made it already. I served the dessert with orange and tangerine mousse. Light and slightly sour, it was excellent with sweet vanilla kissel.

Ingredients
500ml of 30% sweet cream
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
100ml of milk
3 teaspoons of potato flour
3 oranges
6 tangerines
½ teaspoon of gelatine
2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Christmas and New Year's Eve are only a memory. Warm spring days are still a long way away. From time to time it is nice to eat hot soup, which warms us up and lifts the mood. In the winter we should eat gherkins and sauerkraut, and the best are for example in salads. However, this time I would like to share with you the recipe for sauerkraut soup. I recommend adding some smoked bacon to the winter version. I don't like soups with cream or roux, so I didn't add them to the soup. If you like thick soup, add roux and spices according to your taste. In the light version don't add smoked bacon and roux, or replace them with boiled beans.

Ingredients:
300g of sauerkraut
300g of smoked bacon
3 carrots
2 parsley roots
a piece of celery root
6-8 potatoes
1 onion
2 tablespoons of butter
2 bay leaves
3 allspices
4 peppers
2 twigs of rosemary
salt and pepper

Everybody who every day wakes up early oversleeps at least once. I don't like such mornings. I know how much time I need to get my children and me ready and deviations from the routine cause a nervous atmosphere. Recently my daughter overslept. She ran to and fro nervously between the bedroom and bathroom, and didn't go into the kitchen once. It is obvious that if a teenager has to choose between washing and eating, she chooses the first one.

My housemates don't go out without breakfast, so this time I decided to help my raging daughter and prepared breakfast for her. It had to be a fast dish which she could grab and without wasting a second go to school. She only called out, "Thanks mum!", gave me a farewell peck on the cheek. There wasn't time for more.

It is ridiculous to talk about the recipe for this dish. The breakfast consists of a croissant (it may be a roll), a lettuce leaf, a slice of ham, scrambled eggs and chives. Everybody, even those who don't like the kitchen, has their own recipe for scrambled eggs. For this breakfast prepare scrambled eggs the way you like them or according to the amount of time you have.

Ingredients:
croissant
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of butter
leaf of lettuce
a slice of ham
1 tablespoon of chopped chives
salt and pepper

My mum prepared chocolate brick when in Poland there was no chocolate in the shops and we needed something sweet. In my brother's home chocolate brick is a traditional Christmas dessert. My children were jealous of their cousins so they asked me to prepare this dessert. I rarely prepare it because it is so sweet and when I tried to add a bit less sugar it wasn't so yummy. I stick with my mum's old recipe, and from time to time I make this sweet dessert. The chocolate brick has, as well as the taste, another asset. It really is difficult to eat too much and you have to drink hot, strong tea with it or coffee without sugar.

Ingredients:
200g of butter
160g of brown sugar
60ml of water
3 tablespoons of cocoa
250g of powdered milk
120g of crushed biscuits
3 fistfuls of dried fruit and nuts

The rosefish is a predatory fish. It lives in the cold water of the north seas and in the Atlantic. Its meat has a small amount of fat and cholesterol. Until recently I had eaten only smoked rosefish. I like its white and quite dense meat. This time I bought fresh fish and decided to roast them in the oven.

The mild meat of the rosefish is excellent with grilled or roasted vegetables. I roasted them with potatoes and carrots. The next time I will serve them with salsa or a spicy, fruity sauce.

Ingredients:
4 rosefish
4 potatoes
4 carrots
1 stick of celery
2 pak chois
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper
3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary
4 teaspoons of butter
4 twigs of dill
salt and pepper