Did you know that grog was treated like medicine on ships? Sailors, especially those who spent a long time on the rough seas suffered from scurvy. One of the easiest ways to avoid this illness was to eat products which are rich in ascorbic acid – citrus fruit and sauerkraut. Grog ensured a daily dose of the vitamin.

There isn't just one right recipe for grog. For sure you need dark rum, lemon and sugar. You may use also cinnamon and cloves. You can prepare grog with hot water, but I like hot, strong black tea instead of water. Maybe it isn't sailor's grog, but it is my own, fiery and very yummy grog. I recommend it for a winter evening with an interesting book under a soft blanket in front of the fireplace. I had a dream... Maybe those who aren't planning a rowdy New Year's Eve party will use my grog recipe for a lovely evening.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
300ml of hot, strong black tea
1-2 teaspoons of brown sugar
a lemon
an orange
a few cloves
2-3 pieces of cinnamon
200ml of dark rum

I know that in every home after Christmas there are leftovers. A beautiful yeast cake has a lot of fans when it is fresh. After a while, there are fewer and fewer fans, and in the end the cake is only good for those who even like it stale with butter and hot tea. I like this kind of cake, so in my home yeast cake never goes to waste.

Today I would like to share with you the recipe for how to use up Christmas yeast cake. Charlotte is a dessert which is a second life for yeasty cake. The dessert is fragrant, sweet, and crunchy on the outside, and deliciously soft and fruity inside.

The recipe comes from the magazine "Moje gotowanie" ("My cooking"). I changed only the fruit. Instead of apples and currants I added cranberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
6 slices of yeast cake
3 tablespoons of butter
100ml of milk
2 fistfuls of fresh cranberries
a fistful of blueberries
a fistful of blackberries
3 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of orange juice
a pinch of cinnamon

Christmas is the most beautiful time of the year. There aren't any other days which are more cheerful and warm with a family atmosphere. At this amazing time I hope that Santa Claus, or whoever brings you presents, will deliver only happiness and smiles and add a bit of snow and sun to this package. Let the children have a wintry Christmas.

I wish you health, love and time with family and friends. After a busy day preparing 12 traditional dishes, find some time for rest, conversation and playing with the children. Enjoy a moment of respite by the glittery Christmas tree, candles and homemade gingerbread.

Merry Christmas!

I wonder if there is something you cannot add to herrings? I think only meat doesn't go with this fish. Herrings with onion, vegetables, herbs, spices – you can always add something tasty to make a great new dish. Last year herrings with cranberries were my culinary discovery. This year I think spicy herrings with pickled mushrooms will be my favourite herring dish. They are just the way I like them – a bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit sour – in one word – yummy! I'm not the only one who likes them. The next time I have to make a lot more, because my daughter ate almost everything– she is a fan of herrings.

Ingredients:
4 pieces of herring in oil
chili pepper
1 small red onion
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
10-12 pickled mushrooms
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

In Germany and Austria during Advent they serve small almond-vanilla cookies. They are crunchy and fragrant and they herald Christmas, and they are excellent not only for Advent. This year I abandoned the old recipe for crunchy cookies and made almond cookies without flour. They looked beautiful and tasted like a traditional Florentine, but I added a bit of sweet cream, and my cookies had a more creamy taste and smooth consistency. I didn't cover them with chocolate, so they are lighter and you can eat them without remorse.

Ingredients:
100g of almond flakes
100g of chopped almonds
70g of ground almonds
150g of dried cranberries
175g of sugar
75g of butter
150ml of 30% sweet cream