The winter has finally decided to let everybody know about itself. Day after day it has simply become cold. It comes as no surprise. After all, it is January. This kind of weather could have started over a month ago. I don't like extreme weather. I definitely prefer a temperate climate. I like a not too hot summer and a not so frosty winter. Snow is overrated, and I would like to see it only in the mountains and city parks.

However, since we do have such a climate, we should rescue ourselves somehow. Today my proposal is for an especially tasty and warming horseradish soup. I found an inspiring recipe in the online Lidl cookery book. The soup is flavorsome and the decoration of chives could be a shy invitation for spring to come. Ok, I exaggerated a little with the idea of spring in January, but you should try the soup.

Ingredients:

6 potatoes

2 stock cubes

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons of horseradish

160g of Parma ham

1 teaspoon of marjoram

100ml of heavy cream

1 tablespoon of butter

4 eggs

2 tablespoons of chives

salt and pepper

A carrot cake with cinnamon resembling a Christmas ginger cake appeared in my home a few years ago and I have made it regularly since. Every time it is excellent: sweet-smelling, moist, slightly nutty, with a hint of chocolate. I know that this cake is often decorated with lemon glaze.

Most of all I like a chocolate and nut combination. The quantity of the ingredients is easy to remember. You need two of almost everything (except for eggs and oil). Recently I found that this portion is too big for me, so I made an "at once" cake, taking into consideration the amount of ingredients as well as the speed at which it disappears from the plate. In the ingredients of this cake you will only find amounts, because if you keep everything in proportion and use a cup as a measuring jug for the carrot and flour, the cake will be perfect.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup of oil

2 cups of flour

2 cups of grated carrot

2 cups of sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnammon

2 teaspoons of baking soda

2 teaspoons of baking powder

walnuts, raisins

chocolate icing

Everyone likes muffins (in Poland called babeczki). They came to Poland from the USA and Great Britain, where they are very popular. They can have different fillings: sweet, such as with chocolate, fruity or dry with meat, cheese and vegetables. All varieties taste excellent. It is interesting that in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand "English muffins" are known as fried yeasty pikelets, served hot with butter.

Today I discovered that I could use a popular baking pan for muffins "with dimples" to make a sweet interesting dessert or hot dinner. French pastry molded in the shape of small baskets with a pear-cheese filling with walnuts looked almost identical to muffins and was delicious. As with muffins, you can use different fillings. You should remember that if you use juicy fruits like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, you should put a bit of crumbled sponge cake on the French pastry in order to soak up the juice.

Ingredients for 15 "almost muffins"

1 pack of chilled French pastry

1 egg yolk

5 pears

150g of gorgonzola cheese

10 walnuts

1 tablespoon of butter

You get used to good things very fast. For some reason, I have of late been baking a lot of sweet things at the weekend: cakes, muffins and cookies. Last weekend before Christmas I was lazy. I didn't want to bake anything. My children were indignant. What do you mean there is no dessert? On Sunday I was filled with remorse and moved by the sad faces of my children, so I prepared a colourful chocolate dessert.

Basic ingredients, 15 minutes of preparation, a few minutes in the fridge and my children's faces – invaluable. I recommend it to every hard-working mother.

Ingredients:

250 ml of 30% cream

150g of mascarpone cheese

150g of chocolate

1 tablespoon of caster sugar

colourful chocolate drops

Do you remember the difficult days when we waited impatiently for information about a ship with citrus fruits heading to Poland, and when ham was only for Christmas and Easter? I still remember the taste and smell of exotic longed-for products and disappointment when every day we had cheese or egg on bread. Although my mum, like most housewives, went all out to diversify the home menu, we missed common sausages.

Times have changed. Luxury cold meat is a money issue only, and we can buy citrus fruits all year round. My children couldn't imagine anything else. They listen to my memories about food coupons, queues and lack of basic products like they were stories about dinosaurs. These changes have another aspect for me: Sometimes I would like something else for bread other than ham or summer sausage.

Due to such nostalgic deliberating in front of the open fridge, I made two pastes from smoked mackerel. The first one is more mellow but with a bit of mayonnaise and horseradish, and the second one more spicy with mustard and chili pepper. You should add the seasonings with care so as not to lose the distinctive taste of the smoked fish.

Paste 1

Ingredients:

smoked mackerel

2 dill pickles

a fistful of minced chives

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

1 teaspoon of horseradish

salt and pepper