An African Experience at Berlin's Massai



A while back we were craving Ethopian food and were looking for such a restaurant here in Berlin. One of the most known African restaurants in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district is the restaurant Massai. It offers regional specialties from Ethopia and Eritrea. It is a little pricy, but it also is a nice experience with the cute decoration of the interior, little things like African style napkins, menus, candle holder and also, the African style costumes of the staff.

We went all in, having a little nice dinner in honor of my friend's belated birthday. They had cute alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. We also ordered a huge starter plate. And while my friends ordered the regional main dishes (Mafé Poulet from Mali and Abessinia from Ethopia and Eritrea), I had to go with the Cous Cous dish. If you know me, you know how much I like my Cous Cous (of course, my Mom's Cous Cous is unbeatable).

It was a very nice evening and defenitely a fun experience. However, if you judge the food, it did not taste very authentic. Don't get me wrong, the food tasted good, but it was nothing special, rather German like. I believe at this place you pay for the entire experience and not just the food. It is a nice place to show friends that are visiting.

What we ordered:

  • Jambo Africa Vegetarian Starter Plate: Mango salad, lentils, fried plantain, Kenyan green bean salad, sweet potato skewers with berbere sauce, dumblings in coconut-pepper sauce
  • Cous Cous Milboga: Cous Cous with vegetables, chickpeas, figs in safran sauce with a Harira Soup
  • Abessinia: Lamb cubes, black-eyed peas and lentils in tomato-coconut sauce, wild spinach with peanut sauce
  • Mafé Poulet: Chicken and lamb in peanut sauce with Kenyan beans and black-eyed peas








HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL



We celebrated Thanksgiving a little early this year, the weekend before. It was - as always - a lot of cooking but also a lot of fun :)

On this year's menu:

  • A rolled up stuffed Turkey breast!
  • UK style Chestnut Stuffing (as stuffing dumplings)
  • Delicious Homemade Dark Gravy with roasted onions and carrots
  • Homemade Dinner Rolls
  • Herbed Mashed Potatoes with Bacon
  • Holiday Peas
  • Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts
  • Homemade Cranberry and Apple Sauce
  • Sweet Potatoe Casserole with Marshmallows
  • Pumpkin Cheesecake

Dinner Rolls
Stuffing on a butterflied Turkey breast
Stuffed Turkey Breast

Leftover Chestnut Stuffing UK Style - as dumblings
Making Cranberry Sauce with Apple
Roasted Butternut Squash and Brussel Sprouts
Scrumptious Mashed Potatoes
Holiday Peas
Sweet Potatoe Casserole with Marshmallows
And - wait for it - PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE!! Delicious!!



Holiday Peas



The first Thanksgiving that I celebrated in the US was a big deal. We even had this little magazine "Taste of Home - Best Holiday Recipes" from which we prepared quite a few dishes. It also had a section of Thanksgiving breakfast and brunch dishes. We started our Thanksgiving cooking session with an oatmeal casserole ("Fruity Baked Oatmeal") to tie us over while we were roasting the turkey. It ended up being a loooong day.... But that's Thanksgiving :)

Other dishes we prepared that day included the "Corny Chocolate Crunch" appetizer which tasted even better the next day, especially with extra added salted pretzles. Also, we made a "Mock Eggnog" and a "Crunchy Pomegranate Salad". I finally learned the right way of opening a pomegranate, soaking the open pomegranate in water for 5 minutes makes it easier to get the seeds out :)

We also made these delicious "Holiday Peas". This year, my friends and I recreated them. It is a very simple recipe but it spices up the regular pea dish :) I discovered that baking the peas and crackers in the oven a little even increases the flavor.

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz (450g) frozen peas
  • 1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
  • 1/2 cup (80g) crackers
  • 1-2 tsp parmesan cheese - grated
  • 1 Tbsp (15g) butter - melted

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).
  1. Add peas to a medium pan, sprinkle with salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer by reduced heat and covered with a lid for about 5 minutes. Drain. Add to a casserole dish.
  2. Finely chop the crackers. Use wheat crackers. If you like more flavor, any kind of herbed crackers are delicious as well. Mix the crackers with the parmesan cheese and melted butter. Scatter around the peas.
  3. Bake peas with cracker mix in the oven for about 5 minutes till crackers are slightly toasted. Be careful not to burn the crackers. 







    Print this recipe:


    Print Friendly and PDF


    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


    Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving


    This year, I had the opportunity to try a pumpkin cheesecake instead of the normal pumpkin pie. My friends are used to making it for Thanksgiving and I thought this is a nice chance to try something new. I did not know what to expect, but it was delicious! I am definitely sold on it as a new tradition :) Good mix of sweetness and cream cheese/sour cream filling. This recipe is a version of Paula Deen's 2007 recipe used for the FoodNetwok.

    Ingredients:

    Crust:
    • 1 3/4 cups (285g) graham cracker crumbs (or similar)
    • 3 Tbsp brown sugar (or a little more ;)
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 stick (115g) butter - melted
    Filling:
    • 3x8 oz (3x225g) cream cheese
    • 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin purée
    • 3 eggs 
    • 1 egg yolk
    • 1/4 cup (55g) sour cream
    • 1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
    • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
    • 2 Tbsp flour
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract

    Preparation:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Fahrenheit)
    1. Prepare the crust: Break the graham crackers to crumbs. In a bowl, mix the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Now, spoon the mix into the cake pan and press it smoothly to the form.
    2. Prepare the filling: Add the cream cheese to a big bowl and beat it till smooth. Add the pumpkin purée, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar, spices, flour and vanilla. If you do  not have ground nutmeg or cloves, you can also use 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. Mix till everything is combined. 
    3. Bake the pie: Pour the filling into the crusted form. Bake for 1 hour. It is ready when you prick it with a fork till and it comes out clean. Let the pie cool down for 15 minutes, then cover it and refrigerate for a few hours. It is easier to cut when refrigerated. 








    Print this recipe:


    Print Friendly and PDF


    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

    Avocado Beet Bread



    I just recently discovered my taste for avocado…  I did already like it as a guacamole dip, but eating a fresh pure avocado was still something strange for me. But now, I really do love the creamy consistency, especially as a breakfast dish or as toppings for salads and soups. On my recent vacation to the “Island” I had this delicious baked Avocado Boat dish, topped with smoked salmon and a poached egg (which was not really poached, but that was totally fine).

    Today I want to present another breakfast dish not only with avocado but also with beets. I used up the last of the beets from my brother’s garden. As I already posted a Beet Carpaccio with boiled beets, I will roast them this time.

    This is a decadent Avocado Beet Bread with layers of field salad, roasted beets, crumbled goat cheese, avocado slices, sprouts and some chia seeds on fresh and crusty bread.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 beet
    • 1 Tbsp oil
    • salt, pepper
    • wild lettuce
    • 1 avocado
    • goat cheese
    • sprouts
    • ½ tsp chia seeds
    • salt, pepper (to taste)
    • crusty bread

    Preparation:

    1. Roast the beets: Cover the entire beet in oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap into parchment paper and roast at 375 degree Fahrenheit for about 45 minutes. Beets are ready when you can prick them with a fork easily. Take the beets out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then put on some gloves (to protect yourself from the bleeding beets) and peel the beets. Then slice them in slices of ¼ inches thickness. 
    2. Slice the avocado: Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Now, if you want really nice and clean slices, I recommend to actually cut the slices with the skin on. Then, peal the slices which will be really easy. If you do not care how the slices look like, you can also slice the avocado inside the peel and just spoon it out. 
    3. Layer the sandwich: Cut a generous slice of crusty bread. First layer is the field salad, then add the beet slices, crumble some goat cheese on top. Add the avocado slices. Top with some sprouts. Sprinkle with chia seeds, salt and pepper.












    Print this recipe:


    Print Friendly and PDF


    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


    DIY Smoothie Bowl - A purple berry smoothie bowl


    Back on my vacation in Tallahassee I wanted to go for breakfast, nothing big, something light and refreshing. My friend suggested smoothie bowls and I honestly did not really now what to expect by it but it sounded like fun. She took me to Robeks and I tried one of their smoothie bowls and fell in love with it :) It was a different kind of breakfast but exactly what I wanted at that time.

    Now, it is time to recreate it! Looking at pinterest I got inspired of different flavors. This time I chose a purple berry smoothie bowl. It will be a start. I am planning on also posting a yellow mango pineappley smoothie bowl and a nutella inspired smoothie bowl a little later on :)

    There are tons of possible toppings, every kind of fruit, nuts, oats, seeds and even chocolate. As I am always very indecisive, I decided to call this post DIY Smoothie Bowl - I will put out there some of the possible toppings, but you can decide which ones to take and how to arrange them :)

    Some of the toppings are even called "superfood" because they are supposed to be nutrient-rich and beneficial for health and well-being (chia seeds, hemp seeds, coconut, superfruits such as pomegranate, goji, acai berries, etc.).


    Ingredients:


    Smoothie
    • 2 cups frozen berries
    • 1 frozen banana
    • 1/2 cup vanilla soya milk
    • 3 Tbsp yoghurt (greek or berry flavor)

    A Small Selection of Toppings
    • rasberries
    • blueberries
    • banana - sliced
    • pomegranate seeds
    • oats (or oat clusters)
    • hazelnuts - roughly chopped 
    • coconut flakes
    • chia seeds
    • sunflower seeds
    • chocolate chips 

    Preparation:

    1. Prepare the smoothie: Put the frozen fruit, the milk and yoghurt in the blender. Start with the liquid to make it easier for the blades to crush the frozen berries. Blend till its smooth. If it is too thick, or the blades are not able to cut everything, then add 1-2 tablespoon cold water or orange juice. If you like it sweeter, add a teaspoon honey or sugar. 
    2. Add the toppings you like and arrange them to your liking. Be creative :)

    The Toppings Station :)

    Let's get started!

    I wanted to recreate this pretty pattern I saw on Pinterest!

    Classy & Pretty

    Wild & Colorful



      Print this recipe:


      Print Friendly and PDF


      Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

      Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...