I'm almost sure that everyone has at least once bought too much bread. Later we eat it without any pleasure, because we don't want to throw it away. We can turn rolls into breadcrumbs, but what about bread? If we have to buy a large amount of bread, we can freeze some of it and later take it out as and when needed. But if we have a little bread left over, we can make croutons and add them to soup or to salad.

Today I want to share with you a recipe for a light salad with croutons. I used ciabattas, which I often buy because we all like this type of breadstuff. We can also add some mozzarella cheese, feta cheese, bacon or Parma ham. This time I added cooked chickpeas.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
croutons
1 ciabatta
olive oil
thyme
salt
salad
2 tomatoes
a fistful of green olives
a fistful of black olives
a fistful of capers
half a red onion
basil leaves
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

When my mum was focused on baking cakes for an important occasion, she usually failed. But whenever she casually prepared a cake for Sunday dessert, it was wonderful. Unfortunately, it is similar with me. Usually, festive baked goods are far from perfection, but everyday cakes taste and look fantastic. Can somebody solve this mystery?

This time the cake I prepared in 15 minutes was so delicious that I regret I prepared only a small baking tray of the oat cake with fruit. I won't make the same mistake twice. Even the ingredients for this dish had to be changed. I didn't have enough flour, so I sloppily ground some oats and I used the leftover fruit from the fridge. It was a zero waste cake. 

Ingredients (20-cm cake tin)
dough
180g of flour
110g of rolled oats
150g of butter
150g of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
2 tablespoons of chopped almonds
stuffing
2 apples
150g of fruit (raspberries, blueberries, currants)
1 tablespoon of potato flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Until now I have used avocado to prepare salads and pastes, that is, dishes cold served. Lack of ideas for a quick lunch caused me to invent a new, incredibly delicious dish. I prepared a paste from avocado and feta cheese, which I treated like pesto, and I mixed it with pasta. I also added unsalted pistachios, black olives and different coloured cherry tomatoes. It all was so tasty that only my common sense stopped me from eating another portion. Unfortunately, the dish has a weakness. It can't be heated up, but it is possible to create quickly another serving.

Ingredients (for 2 people)
150g of penne
1 big avocado
1 small clove of garlic
50g of feta cheese
3-4 tablespoons of water from boiling penne
black olives
coloured cherry tomatoes
unsalted pistachios
a couple of basil leaves
salt and pepper

Duck dishes are treated like a luxurious option served at official meetings. Duck roasted with oranges, flambé duck breast or duck thigh with apples are delicious dishes, but they require knowledge and ability, so it isn't popular in home kitchens. Today I want to offer a meal thanks to which duck meat can be an ingredient of an everyday dish that can be prepared by anybody. It is best to make duck stew with dark duck meat. I prefer juicy meat from the duck's thigh and the rest of the meat that's left after cutting out the thigh and breast. An amazing addition to this normal dish is pomegranate and unsalted pistachios, which look wonderful and taste surprisingly good with stewed meat.

Ingredients:
500g of duck meat
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
chili pepper
a piece of ginger
150ml of dry white wine
half a teaspoon of curcuma
half a teaspoon of cumin
half a teaspoon of paprika
3 tablespoons of thick coconut milk
2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of lemon zest
pomegranate
unsalted pistachios
salt and pepper

This week my children's teachers have excelled themselves. From Monday to Friday I have been running from one desk to another, helping, explaining things and teaching my kids. I hope that this Monday the situation will change and teachers will teach again. This weekend I decided to do nothing. No multiplication tables, orthography, craftworks or English words.

I was relaxing in the kitchen while making a colourful and yummy dessert for my family. Speckled, vanilla-chocolate cupcakes with fruit and white chocolate calmed me down, and my family had a sweet afternoon tea. I particularly like cooking and baking when I don't have to do it. My children like all types of fruit. I don't have to smuggle in vitamin bonuses in secret, but I still hide bilberries in the icing. Just like that, so it is surprising.

Ingredients (6 muffins)
150g of flour
75g of brown sugar
60ml of oil
180ml of milk
1 tablespoon of cocoa
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of apple vinegar
100g of white chocolate
blueberriesand currants for decoration