​I'm on a mission to make my breakfasts and lunches healthier. So I decided to start making salads for lunch. Salads that I can leave in the refrigerator, that keep well for a few days, so that when I'm hungry, I have something healthy to eat, rather than grabbing something that is not good for me.

I find this salad delicious, it has flavour, it has crunch. Quite often I will eat it on it's own, or I serve it as a side to some roasted chicken or lamb. You could add farfalle or risoni pasta, cous cous or quinoa to it and bulk up the salad.

I like to really crumble up the feta, I prefer it when it is not too chunky.

If you don't like chickpeas, this works great also with tinned cannellini beans. I mean you could even use the four bean mixes, if you like.

For the roasted red peppers, I just use the roasted red pepper strips you buy in jars, and chop up the equivalent to 2 roasted red capsicums.

You can add chilli flakes if you like, I do not.

This is fresh and tasty and easy to make. Perfect when you want a healthy snack or lunch.

​Recipe adapted from dimitras.dishes on instagram

Serves 6-8

2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 English cucumber, peeled and diced
2 roasted red capsicums, diced
5-6 shallots, thinly sliced
1-2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
180g feta cheese
1/2-1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
a handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves

Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons white (or red) wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, grated
1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
salt, to taste
freshly cracked black pepper, to taste


Make the Dressing: Combine all of the dressing ingredients, except the salt and pepper, in a bowl and whisk them together.
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a large bowl. Crumble the feta cheese on top and pour the dressing over the salad, season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss together and serve immediately or place in the refrigerator until needed. Will keep for 2-3 days.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/mediterranean-chickpea-salad.html 
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​So, my simple overnight oats recipe is delicious, I love the flavour and the texture. But since starting this 'health kick' of mine (wanting to lose some weight as I have two kids getting married next year), I've wanted to expand on flavours you can add to it.

This version is so good. Just by adding mashed banana to the overnight oats is amazing, but to add on a berry compote on top, this is so, so good.

The oats are mixed together in minutes, the yoghurt layer another minute, the compote, less than 5 minutes. It's so kick and easy to make.

The vanilla yoghurt layer is delicious. Now this is honestly how I eat vanilla yoghurt now, I will no longer buy sugar loaded yoghurts anymore. Just make it yourself.

The Berry Compote is so good, I like to make a little extra, as it is delicious on ice cream, greek yoghurt or on a panna cotta. I leave it in a bowl to cool, and add it to the overnight oats just before serving. You can use fresh or frozen berries.

Now I get two serves from this recipe, but if you like eating more for breakfast, make it one serve.

The glass jars I use are 420ml. If you don't have the jars, just make it in your bowl.

Now some people mix everything straight in the jar, I don't as I like my overnight oats looking pretty with straight clean lines, but if you don't care, mix it straight into your jar. 

This is a simple food prep breakfast idea that tastes great, is good for you and is easy to make.

Recipe adapted from Fitfoodieselma on instagram

​Makes 1-2 serves

Base recipe:
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 small banana, mashed

Topping:
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup

​Berry Compote:
1/2 cup of mixed berries, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
a pinch ground cinnamon, to taste
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup, to taste


In a bowl add the oats, chia seeds, yoghurt, milk, maple syrup and cinnamon. Give it a good mix. Add in the mashed banana, give it a mix. Carefully spoon into your jars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. I like it set a little before I add on the vanilla yoghurt layer.

In a small bowl mix together the yoghurt, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Carefully dollop over the oats mixture.

Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours if you want to eat it the same day.
​
Berry Compote: Berry Compote: Add the berries, lemon juice, cinnamon and maple syrup to a small saucepan. Mix to combine. Bring to a simmer, continue at a low simmer until the fruit breaks down and a syrup has formed, it doesn't take long. Here you need to taste the liquid, if too sweet add more lemon juice, if too tart, add more maple syrup. I like to mash up some of the berries.

Pour the mixture into a bowl, allow to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/banana-overnight-oats-with-berry-compote.html 
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​Overnight oats, I used to hate it. I found them bland and I didn't like the texture.

This recipe changed everything. I love it. It has flavour, the texture I now love, and it makes me feel like I'm eating better than my previous go to of toast and butter.

I like to mix up the fruits, so you get different flavours, I've never liked eating the same food everyday.

The vanilla yoghurt layer is delicious. Now this is honestly how I eat vanilla yoghurt now, I will no longer buy sugar loaded yoghurts anymore. Just make it yourself.

Now I get two serves from this recipe, but if you like eating more for breakfast, make it one serve.

The glass jars I use are 420ml. If you don't have the jars, just make it in your bowl.

Now some people mix everything straight in the jar, I don't as I like my overnight oats looking pretty with straight clean lines, but if you don't care, mix it straight into your jar. 

This is a simple food prep breakfast idea that tastes great, is good for you and is easy to make.

Recipe adapted from Fitfoodieselma on instagram

​Makes 1-2 serves

Base recipe:
1/2 cup oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1-2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
2 tablespoons Greek yoghurt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon maple syrup

Flavours:
For blueberry pie flavour:
1/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries plus a handful for topping

For Raspberry pie flavour:
1/4 cup fresh or frozen raspberries plus a handful for topping

For banana cream pie flavour:
1/3 small banana sliced plus a handful of slices for topping
a squeeze of lemon juice


In a bowl add the oats, chia seeds, yoghurt, milk, maple syrup and cinnamon. Give it a good mix. Add in the 1/4 cup of the fruit flavour of your choice, give it a mix. Carefully spoon into your jars. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. I like it set a little before I add on the vanilla yoghurt layer.

In a small bowl mix together the yoghurt, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Carefully dollop over the oats mixture.

Top with the reserved fruit of choice. If making banana, just squeeze a little lemon on the topping banana slices so they don't discolour.

Place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 2 hours if you want to eat it the same day.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/overnight-oats.html
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​For my wedding twenty five years ago I got a slow cooker gifted to me. I only started using it two years ago when I started cooking at Bronte Bowling Club, it gave me something I could set up, like a soup or a stew and I could forget about while I got onto cooking other things. And this recipe is just that, you have five minutes of prep work, then two hours later, your chicken is ready.

Burritos, where did my burrito obsession begin, Casa Mamis in Bondi. Their burritos, quesadillas and tacos are fabulous. The burritos are full and juicy and delicious. They are my go to Mexican take away. 

Now this is one big recipe, but the beauty of it all, is the steps are all easy and the end result means you have burritos in the freezer to eat any time you want. My family love just grabbing one for lunch or dinner, they are filling and delicious.

Chicken breasts, my least favourite part of the chicken, I find it boring and dry. But when I saw this recipe, it was made in the slow cooker, I was in burrito making mode, I thought I'd give it a try. It was great, there is so much sauce here that the breast with the sauce is perfect.

Now once the meat is cooked and shredded, you can choose to fry it in a little oil to brown it and get crispy bits on it. I don't, but if I needed to reheat it, this would be a good way to do it, just keep the sauce separate if you wanted to do this.

The chipotles in adobo sauce can be hard to find, I buy it at Harris Farm markets.

To make tacos instead of burritos, just put everything on the table and, serve the chicken with warmed small tortillas, avocado slices, Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves. Everyone can make their own. This will make 20-25 tacos. You don't need the Mexican rice here.

To make quesadillas instead of burritos, place the filling on one side of a tortilla, then fold to enclose. Start with shredded cheese, top with the chicken, you can add beans and corn, then finish with another sprinkle of cheese. 
​Place the quesadilla in a dry frying pan over low to medium low heat. Cover with a lid – this heats the filling through and melts the cheese faster, before the tortilla gets too brown. If you don’t have a lid for your frying pan use a baking tray or foil. Cook until underside is golden and crispy, then remove the lid. Flip over the folded edge -this ensures you don’t lose any filling! Use your hand on the uncooked side to hold it together.
Cook uncovered until crispy and cheese has melted – about 2 to 3 minutes.
Cut in half and serve avocado slices, Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, lime wedges and extra cilantro/coriander leaves. You don't need the Mexican rice here.

This is also perfect as an enchilada filling.

​A good Mexican red rice should be fluffy and tasty enough to eat plain. I love it. Long grain rice will give you the fluffiest rice.

I love Pico de gallo on the side, it adds spice and freshness to the burritos.

Corn Chips I add on the side as my favourite Mexican take away shop Casa Mamis in Bondi does and I love it.

Recipe adapted from www.recipetineats.com/ 

Makes about 15 burritos

For the chicken:
1.5kg chicken breast, skinless, boneless 
1 cup Chipotles in Adobo Sauce
800g can crushed tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
4 teaspoons sugar
1.5 teaspoons salt
white pepper, to taste

To Finish the chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons lime juice

Mexican Red Rice: make 2 batches
​1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 small white onion, finely chopped
1 cup long grain white rice, uncooked
1 3/4 cups (435 ml) chicken or vegetable broth
2 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 jalapeno pepper, whole (optional)
1 sprig coriander

Guacamole:
2 large ripe avocados
Lime juice, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste

For assembly:
Flour Tortillas, I use Mission Wraps as they are large and soft
300ml Sour Cream
2 x 400g can black beans, drained, rinsed
2 x 400g can corn kernels, drained, rinsed
375g shredded cheese
Fresh Coriander, roughly chopped, to taste

Pico de Gallo: to serve
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, deseeded, diced
1 small white onion, diced
½ cup coarsely chopped coriander
Juice of 2 limes
2 jalapeño chillies, finely chopped
2 jalapeño chillies, seeded, finely chopped, optional
1 small garlic clove, crushed

Corn Chips, to serve, adds crunch


Place chicken breasts, in the slow cooker, add the chipotles in adobo sauce, tin tomatoes, garlic cloves, oregano, cumin, onion powder, sugar, salt and white pepper, to taste. Give it a little mix, and cook for 4 hours on low. The chicken is ready when it can be shredded easily with 2 forks.

Meanwhile make the Mexican Rice: Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, stir briefly, then add onion. Cook for 4 – 5 minutes until translucent. Add rice, broth, salt and tomato paste. Stir until tomato paste is dissolved. Place the jalapeno and coriander on top of the rice. Cover, bring to simmer, then lower heat to low so the water is simmering gently. Cook for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed (tilt pot to check).
Remove from heat, leave lid on and rest for 10 minutes, this is important. The residual liquid on the surface of the rice will get absorbed and rice will go from sticky to fluffy. Fluff with fork then set aside until needed.

Make the Pico de Gallo, if you are eating the burritos today: combine all ingredients in a bowl and set aside for flavours to develop.
​
Remove chicken and shred. Set aside.
Add lime juice (to taste) and 2 tablespoon olive oil to the sauce. Use a stick blender (or transfer to blender) to puree the sauce. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. You should have about 2 cups of sauce.

​Now I like to mix the meat back into the sauce.

Place a tortilla on a clean work surface. If your tortillas are not soft and pliable, you can heat them up in a microwave, uncovered or wrapped in foil in a warm oven.

Place about 1/2 tablespoon of sour cream on lower third of the tortilla, top with 1 tablespoon of guacamole, top with about 1/2 cup rice, shape the rice in roughly a 12cm x 5cm rectangle, top with about 1/2 cup of chicken, about 1/3 cup cheese, 2 tablespoons of beans and 2 tablespoons of corn then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of fresh coriander. These measures are all guides, you want a full burrito, but you do need to be able to roll it up.

​​​Fold up, burrito style-start rolling up from the filling side, folding in the sides when you're halfway, then finish rolling up.

​ Toasting: If eating right away: Either pan fry over medium high heat (no oil) for 2 minutes each side to make tortilla crispy and melt cheese a bit OR wrap tightly in foil and bake in oven 10 minutes.

Serve burritos with pico de gallo and corn chips.

If you are freezing them: Don't toast them: Place a piece of foil on your work bench, top with a piece of baking paper. Place your rolled burrito on one edge seam side down and roll it up tightly, folding in the ends. Place in the fridge for up to 4 days or freezer for up to 3 months, they never last that long in my house.

If you cooking some you assembled earlier and were in the fridge, heat them up in a microwave for 2 minutes, before crisping up the tortilla either in warm in oven – 15 minutes at 180C wrapped in foil or remove foil and baking paper and heat in a dry frying pan. 

Frozen – thawed overnight - remove foil, heat in a microwave for 2 minutes then warm in a 180C oven 15 minutes.

To reheat from frozen in the oven, keep wrapped in foil and place in oven for 40 minutes at 180C.

To reheat from frozen in a pan, first remove foil and baking paper, microwave for 2 minutes, then turn them over and microwave a further 2 minutes, then eat as is or crisp them up in a dry frying pan.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/mexican-shredded-chicken-burritos.html 
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Now I already have a sourdough bread recipe that I love, but it does take all day to prepare it and I can't bake it until the next day. I wanted a same day sourdough recipe, and I found one.

This bread is delicious. It is quicker and easier to make than my other recipe, and turns out perfectly. It makes two loaves which I love, as making sourdough takes time, so you may as well make two loaves, especially when you have five in your family, or you are making it for a gathering. I'll find a recipe for one loaf eventually.

Now I bake one loaf on the first day and I bake the second loaf the following day, that way I have fresh bread two days in a row.

You do need kitchen scales here. I prefer scales to cup measures.

If using baking paper, make sure your piece is long enough that when your bread is baked you can use the baking paper as handles to take the bread out of the extremely hot pot.

The crust softens the next day, ​but the bread is still great fresh. But can I say, this bread is delicious toasted. 

I'll take more photos at each step next time I make it, so you can see how easy it is to make.

If when you bake it, it cracks elsewhere other than where you slashed it, it's fine, the bread will still taste amazing.

Here is my recipe on how to make a sourdough starter. ​Now I have big starters as I like sourdough discard, but if you only have a small amount of starter, you won't need 1 cup water and 1 cup flour, feed it so you have equal quantities, starter, flour and water. You just need to make sure you have 250g starter.

I have now made three successful starters which I named Heidi, Polly and Isabel. Heidi I keep at home, Polly I make a work and Isabel I share to those that want to make sourdough bread. I've baked with all three and all were perfect.

If you have nailed making a starter and a ready to bake a sourdough loaf, this is a great starting recipe. ​

Recipe adapted from oliviarosedemuro on instagram

​Makes 2 loaves

250g active sourdough starter
725g room temperature water
25g salt
1kg bread flour

First thing in the morning. The earlier the better.

​Take your sourdough starter out of the fridge. Discard about half. Feed it with 1 cup bread flour and a little less than 1 cup water. Give it a good mix so no dry flour is left, place lid on top, do not screw it shut, just pop it on top. If your jar does not have a lid, just place a paper towel on top secured with a rubber band. Leave it on your kitchen bench until it is at it's peak, i.e. it is has doubled in size and is bubbly. Mine took about 4-5 hours. You could do this the night before so you can start making bread earlier in the morning, especially if it is cooler weather.

Once your starter is at it's peak, pour 250g into a large bowl. Add the water, give it a good mix with a dough whisk or wooden spoon. Add the salt, mix, then add in the flour. Start by mixing with your whisk or spoon, then with a damp hand, mix it until you have a shaggy dough with no dry flour left.

Now I like to move the dough into a large clean bowl, this is optional, cover your bowl with cling film, or beeswax or a shower cap, I like a shower cap, leave in a warm spot for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile feed your starter with 1 cup bread flour and a little less than 1 cup water, mix it in. Cover and place in the fridge until you need to bake bread next time.

After 30 minutes you will do a set of stretch and folds. To do this, , with a damp hand, take a section of the dough furthest from you and stretch it up and fold it onto itself towards you, try not to tear it. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat the process. You need to do this about 8 times.

Cover bowl again, leave for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes you will do another set of stretch and folds. Again, with a damp hand, take a section of the dough furthest from you and stretch it up and fold it onto itself towards you, try not to tear it. Rotate the bowl 90° and repeat the process. You need to do this about 6 times.

Cover bowl again, leave for 30 minutes.
​
After 30 minutes, now you will do coil folds. To do this, with damp hands, slide both hands, fingertips really, under the middle of the dough from each side, gently lift the dough upward until the ends start to release from the bowl. 

As you lift the dough and it releases from the bowl, the front edge of the dough will naturally tuck under and “coil” over itself. Lower the dough back down gently. Rotate the container 90° and repeat on the other side. Do four coil folds in total.

​​Cover bowl again, leave for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, you will do another set of coil folds. Again with damp hands, slide both hands, fingertips really, under the middle of the dough from each side, gently lift the dough upward until the ends start to release from the bowl. 

As you lift the dough and it releases from the bowl, the front edge of the dough will naturally tuck under and “coil” over itself. Lower the dough back down gently. Rotate the container 90° and repeat on the other side. Do four coil folds in total.

Cover bowl and leave on the counter in a warm spot for 2 hours.

Your dough should have doubled in size and you should see some air bubbles on the surface. Gently loosen the edges of the dough by pulling it away from the sides of the bowl. If your dough is feeling a little sticky, dust your bench with some flour, if it's not, you don't have to. Pick up your bowl and let the dough gently fall out of the bowl onto the bench. Using a metal scraper with a quick confident action, cut the dough into two roughly equal pieces. 

Now you will gently stretch out the dough to form a 30 x 20cm rectangle, no need to measure, just roughly. I like to gently stretch it from underneath, pulling it out to shape it. Try not to squish it or you will knock out all the bubbles you spent hours forming. 

Now take one long end and fold it over 2/3 of the way towards the other long end. Then take the other long end and fold it over to form a kind of rectangle log.

Now grab a short end with both hands and quickly and confidently start to roll up the dough as tight as you can. You will end up with and round/ovalish shape. Now shape the dough, for a round shape, with both hands, either floured or slightly damp, you drag the dough and try and tuck the ends under the dough, to form a tight surface. Leave the dough balls on the bench for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, generously dust flour into 2 banneton baskets.

Now you will gently stretch out the dough to form a 30 x 20cm rectangle, remember, no need to measure,

Now take one long end and fold it over 2/3 of the way towards the other long end. Then take the other long end and fold it over to form a kind of rectangle log.

Now grab a short end with both hands and quickly and confidently start to roll up the dough as tight as you can. You will end up with and round/ovalish shape. Now shape the dough, for a round shape, with both hands, either floured or slightly damp, you drag the dough and try and tuck the ends under the dough, to form a tight surface.

Grab your scraper and flip the dough into your banneton, the bottom of the dough will now be the top in the banneton. Repeat with the second piece of dough. Dust both doughs with flour. Cover both bannetons loosely with shower caps. Refrigerate dough for 2 hours.

After 1.5 hours when you have 30 minutes left for proofing in the refrigerator, place your cast iron pot and lid in the oven Preheat the oven to 260C/240C fan forced for 30-40 minutes. 

Once your oven has preheated take one dough out of the fridge. Uncover, either using baking paper or a silicone mat place the paper or mat over the banneton. Flip the dough onto your bench and gently pull off the banneton. Dust the dough lightly with flour, now using a bread lamb decorate your dough. 
​
Now you have two options:

​Option 1, my preferred option, slash the bread on the right side, about 1-2cm up from the base of the loaf, from the end furthest from you to the end closest to you. It's a light slash, don't go too deep.
(This is the top pictured bread loaf)

Option 2:  Now here you have two options here also, and I do either one depending on what I feel like on the day. You can either, gently slash the dough down the centre of the dough now, do not go deep, a light slash from the furthest end from you to the closest end to you.  

Or

You can put it to bake first for 7 minutes, then take it out and score it while in the pot as described above.
(This is the bottom pictured loaf)

Which option you choose is up to you.

The bread bakes for 30 minutes covered. Then you uncover it and bake it for 16-20 minutes. Go by colour and how crisp you want it.

Now you can repeat with the second loaf immediately, or you can bake the second loaf the following day.

​Allow to cool completely before slicing into it. This is essential, cutting into a hot loaf ruins the crumb.

​Slice and serve.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/easy-same-day-sourdough-bread.html 
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Our 18th country in Our Eating Around the World Adventure is Finland.

Finland is a Nordic country located in Northern Europe. Before I started this journey I had never had Finnish food and if I were to guess what they ate, I would have thought food similar to what I thought Swedish food was. Now I have found I was right, as there are many overlapping similar dishes shared by the countries, that happens with all countries that border each other.

I have found the food very different to what my Croatian background has exposed me to, but we really enjoyed the food.

Here is what I made:
Finnish Meatballs (Lihapullat)
​Finnish Macaroni Casserole (Makaronilaatikko)
​Beetroot Salad (Rosollii)
​Blueberry Custard Pie (Mustikkapiirakka)
​Sima

If the recipe is not written down below, click on the name of the recipe, it is a link that will take you to the recipe.

​Finnish Meatballs (Lihapullat): These were lovely, we really liked them. I served it with mashed potatoes and as we didn't have lingonberry jam, I served it with a Croatian plum jam. The flavours were great and the meatballs were not dry.

Here is how I made it:

500g  pork and veal mince
1 brown onion, chopped
1/4 cup breadcrumbs, fresh or store bought
1/2 cup Chicken stock
1  egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Turn on your oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced.

In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs and chicken stock and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

In a frying pan over medium heat, add a bit of oil and sauté the onions until softened, set aside to cool down.

Combine all ingredients and mix until they are well combined and season to taste.

Fry a small piece and taste to make sure there’s enough salt in it and adjust accordingly.

Roll the balls and place them on an oven tray lined with baking paper, leaving a gap between each meatball.

Bake in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.
Enjoy!

​​Finnish Macaroni Casserole (Makaronilaatikko): This was a bit bland, you know it's not great when tomato sauce (which they actually serve it with) actually makes it taste like a pie, and made it better. Not something I'd repeat. It just needed more flavour.

Here is how I made it: 

Serves 6

400g minced beef
400g macaroni pasta
1 brown onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 teaspoon beef stock powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
50g Butter
3cups full fat milk
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
200g grated tasty cheese

Heat up your oven to 200C/180C fan forced.

Boil your macaroni pasta according to the package instructions, drain the liquid, and set the macaroni aside.

In a frying pan, add in the oil and fry your onions until caramelized. Add the minced meat and beef stock powder and fry until the meat is browned.
Add in the salt, black pepper, onion powder, and butter, mix until everything is combined and the butter has melted - taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.

In a different bowl, combine milk, eggs, and a couple of pinches of salt.

In a large bowl, combine the macaroni and minced meat mixture and transfer it to a deep baking tray or any ovenproof dish, which you can fit the whole mixture in.

Pour in the egg and milk mixture over the macaroni and minced meat mix.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and then take it off to add the grated cheese on top and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Serve it with ketchup! Yes, you read that right. Try it before you judge it.
Enjoy!

Beetroot Salad (Rosollii): We make a similar salad in Croatia, so I knew I would love this one. But what took me by surprise was the apple in it, I loved the fresh bite it adds. Serve this salad as a side with a barbecue or with Christmas Ham, it would look festive on the table. You could add boiled eggs to this, I think it would be great.

​Here is how I made it:

Serves: 4 as a side dish
4 beetroot (around 450g), peeled and cut into cubes
2 carrots (260g), peeled and cut into cubes
2 potatoes (250g), peeled and cut into cubes
1 red onion, finely diced
1 apple, cut into cubes
1/2 cup roughly chopped gherkins
100ml sour cream
3 tablespoons gherkin juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the beetroot, carrot and potatoes in separate pots and cook until tender but not mushy. Cool completely. You can do this step a day ahead of time. Gently mix with the onion and apple in a bowl.

Whisk the sour cream and gherkin juice together and dress the vegetables in this. The cream will turn pink. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
​Enjoy!

Blueberry Custard Pie (Mustikkapiirakka): ​This is possibly the easiest pie I have ever made, it comes together in minutes. You have this crazy easy crust to make, that is unlike any other pie crust I have ever made, and the custard filling is made with sour cream and is scented with lemon and packed with blueberries, it's so good.

Sima: Sima is a lightly fermented Finnish lemonade with a refreshing citrus flavour. It's a traditional drink commonly prepared on the first day of May to welcome spring,

Here is how I made it:

8 cups water
1 large lemon
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar (plus additional to finish)
1/8 teaspoon yeast
15 raisins

Boil the water in a large pot.

While the water comes to a boil, zest the lemon. Then remove the bitter white rind and seeds.  Segment the remaining lemon flesh. 

Place the lemons and zest in a glass bowl.  Stir in the sugars.

Pour the boiled water into the lemon mixture.  Cool the mixture to room temperature, then stir in yeast and cover.  Set the mixture aside at room temperature for 24 hours (a few bubbles will begin to form on the surface of the lemonade).

Strain the lemonade and discard solids.  Pour the liquid into jars, add 5 raisins and 1 teaspoon of sugar to every 4 cups of lemonade.  Cover and set at room temperature for 2-5 days or until the raisins float to the top of the jars.  Once per day, open the jars to release some pressure.

Remove the raisins and chill lemonade before serving.
Enjoy!

​​​​Now to add another sticker to my world map.

Next Stop: Sierra Leone

​The greatest thing to come from social media for me is recipes like this. Recipes that I would never have found if not for social media.

These baguettes are so easy to make, are ready in about 2-3 hours, and taste amazing.

You just mix the ingredients together, cover it and leave it for about 2 hours to let the dough rise and do its thing. There is no kneading involved. Sometimes if I feel I didn't mix the dough well enough, I do one set of stretch and folds after 15 minutes, but only if I didn't mix the dough well enough. After it's risen, you tip the dough out, shape it, leave it to rise a further 20 minutes, then bake it. EASY!

They come out of the oven crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

These baguettes are not crispy the next day. But to make them like they are freshly baked, simply wet them with tap water quickly and place them in an air fryer at 200C for 5 minutes, flip them half way through cooking them. They come out like you just baked them. You could probably do the same in a fan forced oven.

If you need 8 baguettes, just double the recipe. I have also shaped them like ciabatta sandwich bread and they were perfect.

With the salt, the original recipe used 3g, I felt it needed more, so add the salt, to taste.

So if you are like me and you love baking your own bread, but want a simple 'quick' recipe. This one is for you.

Recipe adapted from Isabelle Dunn on instagram-account tastyfeedsdaily

Makes 4 mini baguettes

375g bread flour
5g salt
7g instant dry yeast
300ml warm water

In a large bowl, add flour, sprinkle in salt on one side of the bowl, sprinkle in the yeast on the other side of the bowl. Mix it all together. Add the warm water and mix well with a wooden spoon until sticky and well combined. Make sure no dry bits are left.

Cover the bowl tightly with cling film. Let it rise for 1.5-2 hours, or until doubled.
​
Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

​Pour 375ml (1 1/2 cups) cold water into an empty oven proof dish (not glass, I use a loaf tin) and place it on the bottom rack of your oven. Turn on your oven to 240C fan forced and preheat your oven while you get on with your next step.
​
Flour a clean work surface, tip out the dough onto the flour, any bits left stuck to the bowl, just use floured or wet hands to take it out and place on top of the dough on the bench. Now I like to gently shape the dough into a rough loaf shape by folding the dough onto itself, do this gently you don't want to knock out the air in the dough.

Cut the dough into roughly 4 even pieces. Now gently, stretch the dough into a rectangle shape, do not press to flatten it, just stretch it. Fold one long end to the centre, fold the other long end in to meet the other fold. Pinch the ends together. Now you can stretch it into the length you want. Place seam side down on your prepared tray. Dust with some flour and cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
​
After 20 minutes, score the tops 2-3 times with a bakers lame or a sharp knife. Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until golden and crisp. Cool slightly, then eat while still warm and crispy.

If you need to make them ahead of time see my intro notes on how to make them warm and crispy like you just baked them.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/no-knead-baguettes.html 
​Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060725164166/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​This is one quick and tasty dinner idea. It takes about ten minutes to make, a perfect midweek meal idea.

I always have homemade pesto in the freezer, I just defrost it in the fridge overnight and then this dinner happens in no time when I need to make it the next day. You can use store bought, if there is a brand you love.

You can use short pastas like penne, casarece or spiral pasta.

With the broccoli, I used one large head of broccoli. I cut the broccoli into florets, then I cut the florets into smaller bite sized pieces.

I love this with broccoli, but if I don't have broccoli in the freezer I will make it with other vegetables such as sliced or julienned zucchini, sliced mushrooms, shredded kale or baby spinach. With the mushrooms and zucchini, I would add them when after the garlic to fry them off before continuing with the recipe.

​You can add chilli flakes if you like, I however don't think it needs it.

​This is such a tasty dish for something so simple to make.

​Recipe adapted from simplehomeedit.com/

500g fettuccine
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast (roughly 600g), finely sliced
2 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
320g pesto (store-bought or homemade)
300ml thickened cream
750g broccoli or broccolini
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
Cracked black pepper, to taste
​
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Season with about a teaspoon of salt.

Once the pasta water is boiling, place the broccoli in for 2 minutes. Remove the broccoli and set aside until needed.

Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, less 1 minute (the pasta will finish cooking when it’s combined with the sauce).

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat.

Add the chicken, in batches and cook for 1–2 minutes until it just colours (it will still be uncooked in the centre). 

Add the garlic and continue stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant. Return all the chicken to the pan.

Add the pesto, cream, broccoli and cherry tomatoes. Place the lid on and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat, stir through the cooked pasta and parmesan, keep stirring until the sauce thickens and absorbs into the pasta, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Serve sprinkled with extra parmesan, and extra cracked black pepper, if desired. ​

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/creamy-pesto-chicken-pasta.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060725089046/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​Even people like me that love to cook, don't always want to cook.

My husband is growing Chinese Broccoli at the moment, so he requested a dinner where I cooked with it. Usually I cook it separately as a side dish to go with another meal, which we love, so I went with that. I finally decided on pan fried chicken thighs to go with my Asian greens, as I really wanted an easy dinner tonight. So I went out and bought the chicken, but when I got home, I didn't feel like that anymore.

So quick google search and this recipe caught my eye, I had all the ingredients at home, apart from the ginger and shallots, but I thought, do it. It's one pot, it looks good. This dish is very easy to prepare and you don't need to marinate the chicken for long. It is one pot, so minimal dishes to clean up and it looked like my family would enjoy it.

Once I marinated the chicken I felt this sauce might be too strong, but I went with it, when I was cooking the chicken, I thought this sauce is too strong, but I've committed to this now. But once we were eating it, it was not too strong. It was delicious. My family all agreed I could make this frequently as they loved it. Now don't get me wrong although the aromas are strong wafting through the house, my family were loving the aroma and were excited to try this. I just felt there might have been too much sauce for the quantity of rice, but I was wrong.

Try to get Chinese Broccoli with thick stems so they don't become overly soft when cooked in with the rice. If you can only find ones with thin stalks, scatter the stalks on top of the chicken instead of stirring into the liquid. Other Asian Greens - like pak choy, bok choi etc Cut as per recipe but scatter across the top of chicken, do not stir into liquid, otherwise it will be too mushy when eating.

Now the size of your pot matters. I used 32cm round non stick sauté pan, with height about 7-8cm. It has a domed lid which is ideal when adding the leafy part of the greens at the end. Why I say the pan matters is because when you add the chicken over the rice, you want it all to be in a single layer, so the chicken sits in the liquid for even cooking.

You can serve your favourite chilli sauce with this dish of you like, my boys did, I preferred it without.

This is a great mid week meal idea, it's quick and easy to make, it's delicious and you only have one pot to wash afterwards.

​Recipe adapted from www.recipetineats.com/

Serves 6-8

2 tablespoons oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoon ginger, grated
2 onions, finely chopped
1kg chicken thighs, skinless boneless, halved 
2 big bunches Chinese Broccoli with thick stems

Rice:
2 cups (360g) uncooked white rice, jasmine or long grain
3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock, low sodium

Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
​4 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine
6 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Garnish:
Green onion , sliced
Sesame seeds, toasted
​
Mix sauce ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes to overnight.

Cut Chinese broccoli stems cut into 2.5 cm pieces, leafy part 5cm pieces.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, shaking off excess marinade,  RESERVE the marinade.

Cook both sides until golden - about 90 seconds on each side, don't let them burn! Remove chicken onto plate.

Add a touch of oil if pot is dry. Add onion, garlic and ginger, cook for 2 minutes,. Add rice, stir to coat grains in oil. Add stock, reserved marinade and Chinese broccoli stems. Stir.

Place chicken across the top, pour in juices pooled on plate. Cover, bring to simmer then lower heat to medium.
Cook for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Working quickly, scatter Chinese broccoli leaves across surface, clamp lid back on. Immediately remove the pot from the heat.

Rest for 10 minutes. Remove lid, toss rice and serve, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/one-pot-chinese-chicken-and-rice.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060725028669/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella

​One of my aunts (Teta Marica) gave me this recipe years ago. She's my cookbook aunt, one that tries new things all the time. Each time you go over her house, you get to try something new (quite often I ask for the recipe). Back when I got the recipe I made it regularly, however over the years I tried other things and I'd forgotten to make this again. Yesterday I made it again for some of my family that I had over for dinner, and it was a hit. The flavours go so well together. It is great to serve when guests arrive, with drinks.

It is really easy to make, you can prepare the bases and filling in the morning, then just assemble before serving.

​Recipe adapted from an Australian Women's Weekly Cookbook

Makes 32

1-2 sheets ready rolled puff pastry
200g ricotta cheese
3 teaspoons hot water
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
3 teaspoons horseradish cream
6 slices smoked salmon, chopped coarsely
32 capers
Salt and pepper, to taste
​

Preheat oven to very hot 250C/230C fan forced. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Allow the pastry to thaw slightly. Cut 5.5cm rounds from pastry sheets (you need 16 rounds). Place the rounds on your prepared tray. Bake for 7-8 minutes, or until browned. Once cooled, split the rounds in half. They have a natural line you follow, but do it carefully to not crack the pastry cups you make. At this stage once cooled completely, place the cups in an airtight container, and leave until needed.

​In a medium bowl, add the ricotta and water, stir to combine. Stir in the chives and horseradish cream. Refrigerate until needed.

Just before serving, spread the ricotta mixture evenly over the rounds. Top with the salmon. Add a caper to each. Season with a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper, decorate with chives.

To save the recipe to your favourites go to www.whatscookingella.com/smoked-salmon-and-caper-pizzas.html 
Pin it: au.pinterest.com/pin/399413060724688870/

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #whatscookingella