My children love shrimps. Usually it is the safest ingredient. In restaurants, shrimp dishes can be just a little too spicy, but they are always delicious... almost always. During one of our trips, my daughter - using the rule "when there are shrimps, always choose shrimps" - ordered a sandwich with them. She was surprised when the shrimps were cold and the sandwich was a disappointment. It was the only time when a dish with this ingredient was inedible for her. I don't know if we just went to the wrong place or this traditional Scandinavian sandwich isn't beloved by everyone, but since that time, small cocktail shrimps have been banned in our home. Today, after all those years I decided to remove the ban on shrimp sandwiches and make a version that makes you say WOW! It looked like a big mess, but it was delicious. I recommend it!

Ingredients (for 2 people)
2 buns or 4 slices of bread
1 avocado
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 tablespoons of chopped chives
lettuce
cucumber
pepper
2 eggs
150g of small shrimps
a piece of chili pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
1teaspoon of butter
salt and pepper

Did you know that there are over 400 types of beans? They are a source of calcium, phosphorus and potassium. They also have soluble fibre, which helps remove surplus cholesterol from your organism. After soya and peas, beans are the third largest source of protein, so they are a good substitute for meat. Beans are unfortunately stodgy, so they are not recommended for little kids, elderly people and those with intestinal problems. Today I have a proposition of stew with beans and mushrooms. It is delicious, but not great if you're on a diet; but once in a while we can have a treat, can't we?

Ingredients:
300g of beans
200g of oyster mushrooms
250g of mushrooms
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of butter
1 teaspoon of marjoram
½ teaspoon of thyme
½ teaspoon of caraway seeds
salt and pepper

I really like the combination of pistachio and lemon. Till now I have eaten and used only roasted and salted pistachios in the kitchen. That was the case until recently, when I accidentally bought unsalted ones. Because I don't like throwing things away, I decided to use them... and they have become a permanent fixture of my dishes. This type tastes like pistachios, not like salt. It doesn't mean that I disown salty nuts. I also really like them, but I don't buy them so often, except for example for a film marathon. I always make sure that I don't eat too many though. It doesn't matter how many of them I put into a bowl, they will all disappear. I recommend trying unsalted ones. Nut lovers will love them as much as I do. Today's offer is a way of using unsalted pistachios in a cake. Try it for butter lemon cookies with pistachios. They are light, refreshing and really delicious. The recipe comes from TM's culinary book, but it is so easy that you can do it without it.

Ingredients (25-cm baking pan)
30g of unsalted pistachios without the shells
225g of butter
250g of caster sugar
½ teaspoon of lemon peel
1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
260g of flour
½ teaspoon of baking powder
50ml of lemon juice
a pinch of salt

Today's recipe is for one of the quickest and most delicious soups I have eaten. This light coconut, spicy soup with vegetables and shrimps was served with wheat Chinese noodles, but it would be great with rice too. For connoisseurs of Asian flavours there should be fresh coriander as a bonus. For those who don't like it, I suggest sprinkling the soup with parsley or chives. It will taste a bit different, but still perfect.

Ingredients:
300g of shrimps without shells
1 stem of lemon grass
a piece of ginger
1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper
1l of vegetable bouillon
1 teaspoon of butter
400ml of coconut milk
250g of fresh snap peas or green beans
coriander or parsley
lemon

I try to use my head when I go shopping. This is not only due to the prices; I just don't like throwing food away. However, sometimes I find products which I can't use in a simple way. Recently I found some beautifully packed slices of lemon with rum. The product isn't so unusual, but I couldn't find a way to use them. How many teas with lemon in rum can you drink? Especially if you don't like tea with lemon 

I decided to use them in a cake. It was a great decision. Banana-chocolate cake with rum and lemon slices was really delicious. So how do you deal with unusual products?

Ingredients (bread pan)
3 ripe bananas
180g of flour
2 eggs
150g of brown sugar
30g melted butter
juice from half a lemon
50ml of rum
a fistful of chopped almonds
100g of chocolate drops
2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
0.5 teaspoon of baking soda
a pinch of salt
a couple of lemon slices in rum