Popcorn – some people love it, others don't. I'm somewhere in between. I don't eat it at home, but at the cinema I always eat a small bucket of popcorn. It is a habit. My children love popcorn. They like to watch how the small yellow seeds change into white popcorn. I don't buy popcorn for the microwave. I heat a bit of oil, add the dry corn seeds, spice it up with salt and cover quickly. I need to stir every so often to heat the seeds steadily, and then we can watch the popping seeds.

For some time at the cinema we have been able to buy nachos with spicy red sauce. I have never bought any, but recently when I planned a movie night I decided to change our habit and made some nachos. I served the yummy paprika triangles with horseradish-avocado sauce and tomato-basil salsa.

The recipe for home nachos comes from the on-line Lidl cookery book.

Ingredients:
200g of cornmeal
100g of wheat flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of oil
warm water
sweet or spicy paprika
oil for frying

Artichokes are distant cousins of the thistle. It is especially apparent when they flower. However ...

Artichokes are picked before they flower and their heads are still rolled up. The open, dark heads are inedible. The inner part of the artichoke is also inedible: the hair on the bottom of the flowers. Only newly ripe artichokes can be eaten whole.

Before you start to clean the artichokes, put on some disposable gloves. Dark finger tips are difficult to wash. After cleaning you have to put at once the artichokes into cool water with lemon juice (At once means immediately ) – otherwise they go brown faster than bananas, apples and avocado.

During the holiday we don't have much time for cooking. Today I would like to share with you the recipe for a fast and easy way to make a dish with artichokes, thanks to which you will appreciate the real taste of artichokes. I found the recipe at www.weganon.pl. I think that there is no easier way: a few basic ingredients, a few minutes for cleaning, a pot, a pan and ... it is ready. If you think for a while, it could be easier. You could order some in a restaurant or buy them pickled, but I assure you that it isn't the same. Getting inside the artichokes isn't easy, but you need one or two tries to learn it. In my opinion it is really worth it, because they are yummy.

Ingredients:
8 artichokes
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons of chopped parsley
1 lemon
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper

I made spring crepes for the first time a few years ago, serving them with cottage cheese with radishes and cress. Today I called them to mind while looking for an idea for supper. Today I prepared stuffing for crepes with smoked trout, goat cheese, horseradish and lettuce. Such crepes were an excellent supper and my husband asked me for another serving for his lunch box. The green crepes were a great alternative to traditional tortillas.

Ingredients:
crepes
340g of ready semolina
700ml of milk
100g of spinach
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of oil
a hint of salt
stuffing
150g of goat cheese
200g of smoked trout
4 teaspoons of horseradish
lettuce
pepper
chives

"Mum, you haven't made pancakes for a long time". My son broke my train of thought. I was just thinking about what to prepare for lunch. Is he clairvoyant or something? Pancakes are great. They are swift, easy, I have all the ingredients close at hand and the children eat them without complaining. I decided to fulfill the order. So I prepared pancakes with courgette and sweetcorn, chopped chives and cranberry sauce. Fortunately, I prepared a double serving, which meant I wouldn't have to think about what to make for dinner.

Ingredients:
1 big courgette
1 tin of sweetcorn
1 egg
half a bunch of chives
6 tablespoons of corn flour
oil for frying
salt and pepper

Recently, I realized how rarely we eat potatoes. We eat a lot of groats and pasta, which means that potatoes are somehow forgotten. It is difficult to reheat them and they taste best just after cooking. We can roast or fry them, but that is quite a different story. We eat more potatoes at the beginning of summer when they are new. I don't need to peel them and they are the best with butter and chopped dill. We need only add kefir, yoghurt or sour milk and we have a meal fit for a king.

For new Polish potatoes we have to wait a bit, but instead we can prepare a nice snack with sweet potatoes. I can't say that it is a swift dish because you have to roast the slices of sweet potato, but that is the only inconvenience. Otherwise, it is easy, grand and yummy.

Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 tablespoon of thyme
150g of feta cheese
half a pomegranate
parsley
pistachios