In my home mazurek on a shortbread bottom is an obligatory cake for Easter. Surprisingly, this is not because of the taste, but more because my children like decorating the cake. It is a bit like gingerbread cookies before Christmas. Usually I make mazurek with caramel. I add a bit of plum stew to make them less sweet.

Today I recommend a new version of this popular cake for Easter. I cover the shortbread bottom with cream with mascarpone cheese, white chocolate and a bit of lemon. I add a lot of fruit to it. The cake looks glamorous and I assure you that it tastes even better.

Ingredients:
dough:
200g of flour
50g of ground almonds
175g of cold butter
2 big teaspoons of caster sugar
a pinch of salt
cream:
250g of mascarpone cheese
100g of white chocolate
1 teaspoon of lemon essence
fruit

Sour soup, white borscht, red borscht with horseradish, sausage and eggs are part and parcel of the Easter menu. In my home we always had red borscht on the Easter table. We also like sour soup, but the custom dictates that we eat this soup on wet Monday or without occasion, just to make my family happy.

If you have enough time, make the sourdough for the sour soup yourself. It doesn't need any extraordinary abilities. Put 100g of rye flour with a crushed clove of garlic, a couple of allspices, peppers and bay leaves, a piece of good wholemeal bread and 1l of warm water in a clean wide jar. Cover with a clean tea cloth and leave for 5 days. If you don't have enough spare time, use a readymade product.

Ingredients:
2 carrots
2 parsley roots
0.5kg of potatoes
a piece of celery root
a few dried mushrooms
3 allspices
3 peppers
2 bay leaves
0.5l of sourdough
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of butter
300g of sausages
2 tablespoons of marjoram
100ml of sweet cream
2 tablespoons of horseradish
4 eggs
salt and pepper
parsley

Beside the mazurka and cheese cake, Easter cakes are the most popular cakes baked for Easter in Poland. Often they are frosted and serve equally as a decoration on the table and a pleasure for our palate. This time I would like to share with you the recipe for a common vanilla-chocolate Easter cake called zebra. The secret of this cake is to have thin layers, alternating between light and dark dough and, needless to say, don't mix them up. The thinner the layers, the more stripes your cake will have. It looks excellent and even a very busy housewife can do it. The preparation lasts only a few moments, the ingredients are really basic, and the effect is glamourous. You have to try it!

Ingredients:
210g of flour
120g of brown sugar
80ml of oil
250ml of milk
1 tablespoon of cocoa
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of apple vinegar
chocolate icing

I love it when asparagus spears are in season. We eat one bunch and almost the next day buy another one. We really like asparagus spears. We especially like them green, steamed, roasted, fried, for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This year for the first time we ate asparagus with a pistachio-lemon crumble topping. This time I prepared kaszotto (similar to risotto with rice, "kaszotto" is a dish with any kind of groats). Green asparagus spears with dried tomatoes and pistachios are an excellent ingredient for groats dishes.

The idea for this dish comes from the Lidl culinary book. I prepared it in my own way. In the original recipe there is quinoa. I used bulgur. You can use your favourite kind of groats. I think that pearl barley could be great. You just need to cook it for longer.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
a bunch of asparagus spears
100g of bulgur
a few dried tomatoes in oil
half an onion
2 cloves of garlic
half a chili pepper
1 teaspoon of butter
a few sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon of lemon peel
pistachios
parmesan
salt and pepper

The spring brings with it commitments. It is worth working off your fat reserves to be able to fit into your summer clothes. It is impossible to hide your small winter sins under big sweaters. So we start immediately, beginning with our supper. Watching your waistline doesn't have to mean only self-sacrifice. Prepare a light, colourful salad with ingredients you like. You can replace mayonnaise with a light sauce or yoghurt. The dish will be beautiful, yummy and healthy.

I prepared one of my first spring salads with spinach, roasted beetroots, feta cheese and orange. I served it with sunflower seeds and a sauce made from orange juice and olive oil.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
3 fistfuls of spinach
2 beetroots
120g of feta cheese
1 orange
3 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper