I haven't made risotto in a long time. In a long time means about a month  I added the truffle oil which my husband brought back from a business trip on impulse when preparing this dish. The truffle olive oil comes from Tuscany in Italy. The best white and black truffles are picked in this region. I recommend this oil as the last finishing touch to classical dishes. We like it with fresh bread and a pinch of salt. It is excellent with a glass of your favourite wine. This time I used truffle oil for my mushroom risotto. I recommend it!

Ingredients (for 4 people):
200 g of rice arborio
1.5l of vegetarian bouillon
2 shallots
2 cloves of garlic
200ml of dry white wine
500g of small mushrooms
3-4 dried ceps
4 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of parmesan
parsley
truffle oil

When my children go to sport camp I traditionally ask what they want to eat when they get back. Surprisingly, this year they asked for crepes with Nutella. They know very well we don't buy Nutella, so they accepted homemade chocolate cream. When I asked why they wanted Nutella when they know the rules, they answered that it's always worth a try  My children thought that, confused after two weeks of peace and quiet, Mom would agree and then they could hold her to the promise. They failed, but the crepes with homemade chocolate cream were excellent.

Ingredients:
dough:
300g of flour
300ml of milk
300ml of water
100ml of oil
1 egg
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa
a pinch of salt
chocolate cream
4-5 dried dates
1 avocado
2 tablespoons of cocoa
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
50g of dark chocolate
2 bananas
3 tablespoons of almond flakes

Winter this year isn't frosty and snowy for sure, but it bites for those who don't like changes in the weather. Warm days followed by cold days, strong wind and lack of sun don't affect people positively. But we can comfort ourselves with delicious and nutritious food. Hot garlic soup definitely fits the bill. If we add some meat or legumes, it will be a balanced and delicious meal. I decided to add chickpeas. Some spinach or kale would be a nice, colourful accent on the plate. If you don't have or don't like these things, you can just add parsley.

Ingredients (for 4 people)
4 cloves of garlic
1 shallot
a piece of leek
2 carrots
1 parsley root
4 potatoes
200g of boiled chickpeas
2 fistful of spinach of kale
1 tin of coconut milk
1.5 l of vegetable bouillon
1 tablespoon of butter
salt and pepper

So far I have prepared traditional coconut cookies with egg whites, sugar and desiccated coconut. We like them. They are crunchy on the outside and soft inside. We used up all the eggs for our weekend breakfast, so I looked for a recipe for coconut cookies without eggs. Basically, I could have used aquafaba, but I only thought about it when the cookies were already on a plate. I found the recipe for lemon-coconut cookies at www.aniagotuje.pl. The cookies were very yummy and the colourful decoration gave them a spring-like character. I would love it to be spring already.

Ingredients (20 cookies)
100g of desiccated coconut
160g of flour
100g of butter
90g of natural yoghurt
60g of caster sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Before I prepare any dish with new ingredients I look for information on it. I'm interested in what kind of seasoning I should use, what ingredients I should use, and finding the best way to prepare the dish. I treat this information as tips from the masters, who know better and have tried out a lot of possibilities. Sometimes I like to take a chance and try something new. I think that a lot of traditional dishes were created in this way. Somebody had to experiment or make a mistake for the first time and that's how they made new dishes.

It was in such a way that I made my lamb stew with carrot, ginger and brandy. I took a risk in the choice of ingredients and I made a meal fit for a king. It is worth taking a risk ... sometimes . I recommend it.

Ingredients (for 4 people)
500g of lamb stew meat
2 carrots
2 parsley roots
a piece of leek
3 cloves of garlic
chili pepper
1 onion
a piece of ginger
2-3 tablespoons of coconut milk
100ml of brandy
500ml of bouillon
2 tablespoons of oil
1 teaspoon of butter
1-2 tablespoons of flour
half a teaspoon of cumin
half of teaspoon of ground coriander seeds
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
salt and pepper