Monday, February 10, 2014

Cooking with Dzintra


A very happy February to you!
 
Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?



 Etsy



(I love the sweet vintage cards)
 


Are you enjoying the Olympics?
I'd love to know your opinion of the opening ceremony...
I really thought the artistic side of it was very true to the culture...and what a brave little girl!



A Donna Hay cook up with my dear blog friend Dzintra was in order this past weekend, as I tried to stay cozy during yet another burst of arctic air.

Dzintra lives in Australia...so I imagine myself basking in the warmth 
of their Summer right about now!
Please visit Dzintra HERE to see what gorgeous goodies she prepared. If anyone would like to join in these cook ups, just let her know...


This time we prepared our meals from the October/November Issue




It is the Spring issue, and the theme is "Fresh"


I'm all for food that puts me in a Spring mood, but since I needed a bit of thawing out, I chose to prepare a couple of dishes on the rich side, specifically using eggs.
 Eggs are a comfort food in our house.
(Perhaps it's a Russian thing?)


The main dish was very tasty....

"Artichoke, Spring Onion, and Feta Frittatas"






Of course, spring onions are not available here, so I just chopped a bit of yellow onion. So yummy.

The tomato salad called for fresh basil...another rare commodity this time of year...cilantro gave a nice little kick.




For dessert...


"Blueberry and Lemon Curd Bread and Butter Pudding"



 Is there any food more comforting than bread pudding?

This was an explosion of flavor...sublime....

The tanginess of the lemon and wild blueberries balanced out the rich and sweet pudding.
Next time I will attempt to make lemon curd from scratch, but for this recipe I found one that was incredibly delicious, and the only brand in the stores without artificial ingredients.

 







So far, each Donna Hay recipe has been a winner...
Here is her WEBSITE if you would like to learn more...
The cookbooks can be purchased on AMAZON.
Thank you Dzintra!




Bon Appetit, and wishes for a lovely week!
xoxo










































14 comments:

  1. Hello Irina, lovely to see this beautiful and warming winter food. The bread pudding looks fabulous.....actually this week I'm working on a new version of our tried and tested family bread and butter pudding. Thanks for the inspiration!

    Roll on Spring!
    Wishing you a happy week,
    Rubyxx

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  2. And a very Happy February to you too dear Irina...especially the romantic and special Valentibe's Day coming up!

    I must admit I have barely seen the Olympics not the Opening Ceremony...I did however catch a snippet of the brave little girl...how amazing!!!

    Drool, drool, drool here...I shall have to go back and re-visit my book now...that Frittata and Salad looks delicious!
    That pudding makes me want to reach in and have a piece....and there is lemon curd under that? How very, very tasty!!! I will definitely need to look that up!

    Thank you so very, very much for joining me in my little Cook Ups...always fun doing them knowing you are doing them as well!

    Bon Appetit to you my Friend...Dzintra xo

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  3. Irina,
    Oh Yes, I celebrate Valentine's Day! It is my second favorite holiday. This blueberry and lemon bread pudding looks so delicious, and the artichoke dish looks yummy too. You are always making something special in your kitchen. The vintage card is so sweet. You know, my sister first introduced me to vintage cards many years ago, and ever since then, I was hooked. I haven't been following the Olympics yet, but my husband is an athlete and loves them.

    I want to wish you a Happy Valentine's Day, Irina. I hope your day is filled with so much happiness and love.

    ~Sheri

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  4. Bonjour mon amie! I am finally here, and you are my last visit before I trek out to school. That bread pudding looks absolutely rich and buttery and lovely! I don't know what's happened to me...maybe getting OLD finally, but I have no desire to cook anymore, and I used to be an avid cook. Maybe it's the weather, I HOPE SO! But your assortment of flavors and combinations surely are a wake-up call to our taste buds' imaginations, and heaven knows,we need something to remind us that spring IS coming! Lovely collaboration with our dear Dzintra! LOVE YOU!

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  5. I did like the opening ceremonies but I haven't watched too much of it since then. Oh gosh now I am hungry after reading this post LOL.

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  6. Dear Irina,

    All the food you have shared looks delicious - it is making me feel hungry just looking at it. I love my old European cookbook and yes, must be vintage by now - have many favourites that I cook over again.
    I love Valentines day but tell my husband not to buy flowers at an exorbitant cost and would rather have a bunch when they are a more realistic price.
    Thank you dear friend for visiting me, always lovely to hear from you and to go and see what you have to share.
    Did watch the opening of the Games - it was amazing.
    Happy rest of the week
    hugs
    Carolyn

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  7. Dear Irina,
    The bread pudding looks so good, and I really like Lemon curd.. I have never made it from scratch like you, maybe one day I will. I love the vintage card and all the goodies
    Wishing you a beautiful Valentines,
    Thank you so much for your visit and lovely comment.
    bisous!

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  8. The fritatta looks yummy and that bread pudding is calling out to me.

    We don't have cable so we have not seen any of the Olympics. I do enjoy watching the skating and skiing events, but not enough to pay for cable.

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  9. Dearest sister, I am grateful for your words that always warm my heart! Your post here is rich and inspiring and I love it ... ALL of it! I enjoyed the Olympic Games opening ceremony, perhaps because it brought back so many old memories ( good and not so good)...:) Wishing you a lovely Valentine's Day! Love your way, sweet friend!

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  10. Hi Irina,

    Happy Valentine's Day to you! I have the Olympics on TV right now but I'm not really watching. Ha! I don't know...for some reason I'm not really into it like other years. I did watch some of the opening ceremony. That's always fun to see.

    That frittata looks really good! Like right about now! Ha!

    Take care my friend. Thanks so much for stopping by!

    Heidi

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  11. Dear Irina,
    Belated Valentine's greetings and Happy February. I trust your day was filled with heartfelt inspiration. As for the beautiful cuisine created in your collaborative cookfest ........ what can I say? Your photos say it all - simply divine. I love it when some else test drives recipes like that. I'll be checking out the latest Donna Hay books now. Love and gratitude dear one.

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  12. Hi Irina, I watched a little bit of the Wnter Olympic opening ceremony and I was impressed with the their ingenuity and creativity. Yes that girl was very brave, hats off to her.
    Hope you are keeping yourself warm and enjoying some healthy and comforting food.
    Have a good week dear friend.

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  13. Irina, I first have to say that I love that elephant V'tine card. So cute! The food looks delicious, and I love that pretty plate that the bread pudding is on. That bread pudding makes my mouth water. You are always so kind when you comment at my blog, and I appreciate it so much. laurie

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  14. I love farm eggs which I get from time to time from one of my sisters. They are beyond delicious and make the most gorgeous yellow lemon curd! I use lemon curd as filling in macarons.

    Bises,
    Genie

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