Czech Foods Recipes

I love Cinnamon Milk!  It is a quick and easy thing to make, but always well-received by guests and family!  It is especially great in the summer or after some spicy food.  Cinnamon Milk is ice cold, refreshing, and sweet! You will need: 3 cups rice milk 3 cups almond milk 3 cinnamon sticks 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (and extra for garnish) 1/3 cup sugar In a heavy saucepan, combine all ingredients.  Break up the cinnamon sticks for extra flavor.  Stir constantly over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Pour through sieve into large serving jug and refrigerate once at room temperature. Serve over ice.

I loooveed the idea of making something with eggnog this year and finally settled on this! I toyed with the idea of making a white chocolate and eggnog ganache for the inside, however, due to white chocolate's low melting point and adding in the liquid of the eggnog I decided to go with a method sometimes used in fudge making, using marshmallow fluff! However, if you sub some of the cream in a ganache with eggnog I still feel like it might work? Nevertheless, here is my full-proof recipe below! You will need: 1/3 cup eggnog 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup butter 1/2 tsp rum flavoring, or to taste 1/2 tsp nutmeg Pinch of cinnamon 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 1/2 cup marshmallow fluff 1 lb white candy coating or similar quality white chocolate Nutmeg for garnish Yield: approx 30 truffles 1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together eggnog and sugar. Add butter and keep on a low boil over medium heat for a couple minutes. Add in rum flavoring and marshmallow fluff, and whisk gently. Remo...

I know that the header photo for this should be food related, but look how festive she is!  Whimsical Cookery has a new Christmas tag for the holidays.  I come from a background of enthusiastic and obsessive Christmas holiday baking and cooking, however I'm sure most of these recipes would suit any holiday your family celebrates!  CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT Alternatively, it can be found in the Dessert drop down menu. I'd like to share some recipes from holidays past... a list that will surely be added to this year! Mint Christmas Tree Meringues Holiday Sugar Cookies w/ Egg-Free Icing  Mint Chocolate Snowball Cookies Mint Dark Chocolate Truffles Mochacinno Fudge Hot Orange Spice Mocha Drink Dark Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Peppermint Frosting: AKA Ajay's Delight

There are two ways of making this diner favorite, an express way, and from scratch.  To make the crust from scratch, simply crush oreos (or the chocolate biscuit part of the oreo) until you have 1 1/4 cup, combine with a spot of melted butter and press into the base of your pan.  This is baked for about 5 minutes at 350F/175C. The second bit that can be made from scratch is the chocolate fudge.  Chocolate fudge is not difficult to make, you simply melt 1/2 tin condensed milk (that is 400g or about 14 oz) and 175g dark chocolate (about 1 cup dark chocolate chips). This pie can really be an amazing thing to whip together in no time with pre-made ingredients or you can take the time to lovingly prepare it yourself! You will need: 1 9-inch chocolate pie crust base (either prepared or store-bought) 3/4 cup dark chocolate fudge (either prepared or store-bought) 225g (8oz) full fat cream cheese 1 cup smooth peanut butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 Tbsp butter or margarine 1 tsp va...

Yes, it's that time of year when everyone tries to figure out what is in Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte and debate about whether there is real pumpkin in it (there is not, but what is 100% honest and natural these days anyways?).  If you don't have £4 to drop on one, why not make your own? Pumpkin hint for Londoners: Libby's tinned pumpkin can be found at Whole Foods if you are struggling to find it in your local supermarket.  I've only ever found it at Whole Foods after being tipped off by other american expats.  They also sell organic pumpkin, which is more watery, but fine for a drinks recipe. You will need: 2 cups milk 1/2 cup prepared hot strong coffee 2 Tbsp tinned pumpkin puree 1 Tbsp vanilla extract (imitation/vanilla 'flavour' is fine) 3 Tbsp sugar 1/8 tsp ground cloves 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Whipped cream topping optional! Yield: 2 1. In a saucepan, combine pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. ...

Yesss I have finally perfected a home recipe for the amazing cookie dough cheesecake that I had on holiday at The Cheesecake Factory .  While it's not going to put them out of business anytime soon, this recipe is a fairly straightforward with little chance of failure. Please note, this recipe is for a 6 inch/15cm tin, double the recipe for a full size cheesecake and adjust your cooking times. You will need: Cheesecake Crust: 200g malt biscuits 2 1/2 Tbsp melted butter Cookie dough filling: 2 Tbsp butter (room temperature) 3 Tbsp granulated sugar 2 Tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 Tbsp water 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips/drops Cheesecake filling: 1/2 cup sugar 300g cream cheese (full fat) 1 cup soured cream 2 small eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 1. Preheat oven to 100C. 2. Crush the malt biscuits and combine in a bowl with melted butter. 3. Press mixture into base of springform pan and bake for 5 minutes or until slightly golden.  Set aside. 4. Next, prepa...

I've come up with an extremely successful peanut butter and chocolate chip ice cream recipe! This relatively simple ice cream recipe actually tastes more like gelato due to the added creaminess from the peanut butter, but I am hesitant to label it as that as I do not wish to incur ire from foodies. For one batch that fits perfectly in a standard ice cream maker you will need: 1 cup whole milk 1 cup double cream (half and half) 2/3 cups granulated sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 200g (7oz) smooth peanut butter 140g (5oz) dark chocolate (or semi-sweet) chocolate chips Note: This recipe assumes that you have chilled your ice cream maker or are familiar with how to make freezer ice cream. 1. Combine whole milk, sugar, and vanilla extract in a pan over low heat.  Remove from heat as soon as smooth and set aside to cool. 2. Using an electric mixer, beat the double cream until it becomes aerated and starts to stiffen. 3. In a large bowl (that can easily be poured from), add the peanut butter ...

I saw pics of these pancakes on Pinterest and Buzzfeed and I just had to make my own!!!   They are so beautiful and taste just as good as they look.  I wished there was more people around to share them with when I was cooking!  I believe that they could benefit from using mint chocolate chips, but those are not easily available to me where I live in London.  But if you can get some, go for it! You will need: 1 1/3 cup flour 2 Tbsp granulated sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1 cup buttermilk 1 large egg 2 Tbsp butter (melted, but not too hot to scramble the egg!) 2 tsp peppermint extract 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup milk (added a bit at a time until batter is correct consistency) Green food coloring 3/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips OR mint chocolate chips Whipping cream + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, whipped! OR already prepared whipped cream) Yield: 12 medium pancakes (that are very filling!) 1. In a large bowl, sift flour, su...

Tajpal Dhamu Photography Okay, so it took me several months to get this up here!  I got married last November in a beautiful ceremony in east London.  The day before the wedding, my mum, one of my bridesmaids, and I were all baking around 140 cupcakes in a style reminiscent of Cupcake Wars.  It was great fun and the guests seemed to enjoy the cakes! Yield: 24 You will need 480g cake flour 240g sugar 1tsp baking soda 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 cup oil 2 cups milk 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 30g vanilla bean paste IMPORTANT NOTE: To make a batch of cake flour if you cannot buy it, substitute 2 Tbsp of corn starch (corn flour UK) for every 1 cup of standard flour used.  The best way I found to do this was to take a cup measurement, add 2 Tbsp corn starch, and then fill the remainder of the cup with flour.  You then need to sift these ingredients together. 1. Sift cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in sugar. 2. In a small bowl, add milk...

The world's cheeriest cupcakes!  Perfect for summer parties, or in pastels for easter!  These cakes are easy to make, but a bit more time consuming than typical cupcakes.  To save time, and to get truer colors, I usually use a white cake mix. You will need: 1 box white cake mix batter prepared (or 1 recipe white cake batter) 6 small bowls Rainbow of food colourings (Red, Yellow, Blue required) Frosting recipe below! Yield: 20 cupcakes 1. You will need to divide the batter into six bowls.  1 bowl should have an extra 3 Tbsp of batter (this will be the red). 2. Dye each, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple.  Without being too patronising, if you do not wish to invest heavily in food dye, orange, green, and purple can be made from red, yellow, and blue. The higher quality the food dye is, the more vibrant your results will be. 3. Line a cupcake tray with 20 wrappers. 4. Begin layering, starting with purple at the bottom.  Use only enough of each color bat...

Happy New Year!  I present to you the perfect frozen Sunday morning or even Christmas morning treat.  I used this recipe as a guide, but had to make a few mods as I wanted it a bit more 'pumpkiny'.  Also rum is a no-go for me, so I made a really simple classic cinnamon roll glaze to go with it. My modified ingredient list: 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 cup milk 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast 1 cup pumpkin puree 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups bread flour ---- 3/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 2 Tbsp unsalted butter Topping: 1/3 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 3/4 cup powdered (icing) sugar Recipe as written by Willow Bird Baking Directions: "Make the pull-apart bread dough : Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the 2 tablespoons of butter. Let it bubble and foam and when you see it start to brown, stir it so that it browns evenly. When...

My mum made these festive beauties!  Yes, another meringue recipe, but these will brighten up any Christmas cookie plate! You will need: 4 egg whites 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp peppermint extract 1 cup sugar 12 oz mini chocolate chips Red food coloring (careful not to go overboard, as this will affect stiffness of meringue) 1. Preheat oven to 225F/110C. 2. In a lage bowl, beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, peppermint extract, and food colouring. 3. Slowly add the sugar, just one spoonful at a time and continue to beat the meringue until it is stiff enough to form peaks. 4. Carefully fold in the mini chocolate chips. 5. Drop meringues by heaped tablespoonfuls (meringues should be about 1.5in wide and just under an inch tall). 6. Bake about 1 hr 15 minutes, though I recommend you check earlier as browning meringues are not ideal.  These meringues can take up to an hour and a half to bake.

2 oz./approx 50g semi-sweet bakers chocolate for stars 4 eggs whites 1 cup granulated sugar 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp mint extract Green food coloring (I used 4 drops of McCormick brand) Prepare chocolate stars FIRST by heating a small amount of chocolate, and using a small piping tip (or cut the tip of a plastic bag), pipe out a few dozen stars in chocolate onto wax paper or parchment.  These can then harden while meringues bake. For the meringues: 1. Preheat oven to 200F/100 C. 2. In a bowl, beat egg whites and tartar until mixture begins to thicken. 3. Slowly add sugar to the mixture until meringue is able to hold stiff peaks. 4. Beat in mint extract and food coloring.  Be careful not to overdo it on the food coloring, as it will cause your lovely stiff meringue to become a gooey mess. 5. Line a baking sheet with parchment or some other non-stick surface. 6. Add mixture to a piping bag with a large cupcake decorating nozzle (see picture of meringues for idea of what t...

Tis nearly the season!  For pumpkin. SO.  Today's mission?  Popularise pumpkin bread in the UK.  Easy peasy.  I have come up with a recipe for pumpkin bread using metric measurements instead of U.S. measurements. You will need: 425g pumpkin puree 450g plain flour 600g sugar 4 eggs 240ml vegetable oil 150ml water 1 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp ground cloves 1/4 tsp ground ginger 3/4 tsp nutmeg 1 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1. Grease and flour 3 bread loaf pans. 2. Combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, and sugar. 3. In a 2nd bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon. 4. Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, just until mixed.  Over-mixing may affect the texture of your bread. 5. Bake at 175 C for 45 minutes (less for smaller loaf sizes). 6. Serve with butter or sweetened whipped cream.

This cake is perfect for when you want a big impact with little effort.  Chocolate and orange compliment each other.  That is a fancy box of cream chocolates, hot chocolate, Terry's chocolate orange fact. For this cake you will need: 1 prepared dark chocolate or devil's food cake batter or mix You have two options for the frosting, depending on how orange-y you want your cake to be, you could make it with vanilla extract or no extract at all. For the frosting and decoration you will need: 5 cups powdered (icing) sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) 1 1/2 tsp orange extract (high quality makes a difference) 1-2 Tbsp Milk You will also need: 3.5 oz (100g) White chocolate orange buttons 11.5oz (330g) smooth sweet marmalade (or you can remove peels yourself through a sieve from 15oz. marmalade) 1. Bake the cakes in three 9 inch pans and allow to cool. 2. Trim the sides and set aside. 3. For the frosting, you will need to cream the butter and powdered sugar together....

I made this recipe up on a whim using ingredients I found in my parents house while on holiday.  However, I think I have stumbled onto a winning recipe here.  This cupcake is perfect for those who usually find cupcakes, with their globs of frosting, to be too sweet.  Instead, this recipe plays off the strength of adding a bit of savory to something sweet.  And just in the same way that caramel benefits from salt, so does the peanut butter and chocolate in this recipe.  The pretzel topping dipped in the frosting reminds me of something I had as a child, though I can't quite put my finger on it. 1 recipe prepared dark chocolate cake (24 cupcakes) 1 1/2 Sticks butter 1/3 cup peanut butter 4 cups powdered (icing) sugar 24 pretzels Sea salt 1. Prepare approx. 24 dark chocolate cupcakes (box mix if you're in a hurry). 2. Allow cupcakes to cool. 3. In a large bowl, cream butter and peanut butter using an electric mixer. 4. Add sugar slowly until desired consistency. 5....

  So... my favorite flavor is 'blue'.  My musings throughout the day are usually consumed by thoughts about when I'll be able to sip my next blue raspberry icee/slushie.  For this reason, I had to invent my own, as I don't have any of that beautiful, much-coveted blue slushie syrup. You will need (for 1 large/2 small): 12 ice cubes 3 Tbsp Kool Aid Blue Raspberry Lemonade Drink Mix 1/2 cup club soda 1/2 cup water 1. Dissolve Kool Aid in the water. 2. Add 12 ice cubs to a blender with a smoothie setting. 3. Add in Kool Aid mixture and blend until smooth. 4. Pour in club soda and serve.

Another multipurpose recipe!  Perfect for an english tea time or a Christmas cookie tray dusted with powdered sugar snow.  This recipe is a slightly tweaked version of Better Homes and Garden's Mini Raspberry and White Chocolate Whoopie Pies. For Vanilla Whoopie Pies you will need: 1/2 cup butter (room temperature) 1 cup sugar Pinch of salt 3/4 tsp baking soda 1 large egg 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 2 cups flour 1/2 cup buttermilk 1. Preheat oven to 375 F/190 C. 2. In a large bowl, cream butter. 3. Add sugar, salt, and baking soda and mix. 4. Add egg and vanilla. Mix. 5. Add in flour and buttermilk (alternating between the two). 6. Drop dough in heaping teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-covered (or some other VERY non-stick surface)  baking tray. 7. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes at 375 F/190 C.  Allow to sit for five minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. For the Raspberry Cream filling , you will need: 1 small jar of raspberry preserves (...

And now for a recipe that accurately reflects the season... a simple kiwi smoothie!  Perfect for long hot and sunny days. You will need: 5 kiwis 1/2 cup orange juice 2 Tablespoons honey 1 3/4 cups ice (roughly) 1. Peel kiwis and cut into fourths. 2. Combine kiwis, orange juice, and honey in blender. 3. Once it has liquidized, add the ice (to avoid putting strain on your blender's motor). Enjoy!