Pancake Recipe | Russian Blinis

Hey There!

So today is Shrove Tuesday, or as it's better known - pancake day!

It is the day we can all stop counting calories and let ourselves indulge in the deliciousness of this simple, multicultural dish. Whether you prefer them sweet or savoury (or both), this recipe will work for you.

I am Russian by origin, and in my country we don't have pancake day - we take it to a whole new level and celebrate pancake week. The celebration is is called Maslenitsa (butter week), and it originated from a pagan tradition of saying goodbye to Winter and saying hello to Spring. Anyway, like we need an excuse to have pancakes!

So I thought I'd share this recipe with you all - and let you come up with any toppings you could possibly with for! My personal favourites are condensed milk for a sweet option, or sour cream and smoked salmon for a savoury option (don't knock it till you try it!)

You will need:

1. 500 ml of milk
2. 3 eggs
3. 280 g of flour
4. 1-2 tbsp of sugar (I'd recommend 1 for the savoury options, and 2 for the sweet ones)
5. 1 tsp of salt
6. 3 tbsp vegetable oil
7. Butter (for coating the pancakes)
8. Any toppings you desire!

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar and salt. Mix until the eggs are beaten, but don't mix completely at this stage
2. Add about 200 ml of milk and mix it in
3. Add the flour and whisk it in
4. Add the remaining milk and mix through
5. Add the vegetable oil
6. Allow the mixture to stand for about 15-20 mins
7. Heat up your pan (preferably one with a heavy base) and cover it with a thin coat of vegetable oil. Tip: dip a clean sponge into some oil and use it to coat the pan. This will make sure you don't use up too much oil and distribute it evenly
8. Using a ladle, pour the mixture onto the pan and move the pan around slightly to allow the mixture to spread 
9. Cook until the edges have started to turn crispy, and then flip the pancake using a thin spatula
10. Allow it to cook a little longer, before placing it on a plate and coating it with some butter
11. Continue to do so until you've used up the mixture! Tip: to keep the pancakes warm, keep them in the oven preheated to 80-90℃

So that's it! I hope you guys enjoy making them! Let me know what you guys like to put on your pancakes in the comments. Happy pancake day!

Until next time, 

Sofia xx

The Ultimate Salad Recipe

Hey There!

So today I thought I'd make a food post because well, food. We all love it and personally I really enjoy coming up with simple new recipes that I can just throw together in under 15 minutes. 

Seeing as summer is coming up soon, and I want to look my best in a bikini, I have been trying out a lot of healthy recipes. And whilst I've been seeing a lot of healthy food blogs around, a lot of them use ingredients that the majority of us will not find in our fridge or the nearest convenience store. 

So I've been experimenting the salad and as of today, we have a winner!

The bacon, egg and tomato salad! 

(Yes it has bacon in it, which instantly makes it amazing. And yes it is still healthy because there isn't that much bacon involved)

You will need:

• Wild rocket salad
• 1 Egg
• 2 strips streaky bacon (or as I like to call it, the only bacon that should be produced)
• 1/2 a small cucumber
• 1 tomato
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

The ingredients are extremely simple and easy to find, and perfect for those on a budget

Method: 

1. Start off by boiling an egg. Fill a saucepan with just enough water to cover the egg, put it on the stove and allow it to boil. I like my eggs just slightly undercooked - enough for it to be cut and placed in a salad, but not fully hardboiled. My trick for that is, once the water is boiling, allow it boil for 6-7 minutes before placing the egg in ice-cold water to stop it from cooking and allowing it to cool. 
2. Meanwhile, cut up the bacon into small pieces. Place it in a frying pan with no oil/butter and let it cook to your liking. Me, I like it crispy. Once it is cooked, place the bacon pieces on a paper towel and dab it to soak up the extra fat
3. Cut up the tomatoes and the cucumber into small pieces
4. Take a bowl, and cover the bottom with rocket leaves. Then, add your tomatoes and cucumber. Then, sprinkle the bacon bits. 
5. Once your egg has cooled down, cut it into strips and lay it on top of your salad
6. Coat with olive oil and season to taste

And tada! The ultimate salad. So delicious you'll want to make it everyday. 

Until Next Time, 

Sofia xx