Shortbread vanilla cookies & 100 FB fans celebration

Last week fanpage of Lemon & Strawberries has reached 100+ fans! It's a big thing for me and I want to thank you all for your likes & support! This kind of a milestone called for some special sweets - so I've decided to make these little shortbread cookies.

I made two versions - with sprinkled sugar on top and special "facebook" version decorated with royal icing. It was my first attempt to use it and I'm pretty proud of myself, as they turned out very cute! So, grab a cookie and celebrate with me!

Baletki (Polish) - fluffy biscuits with marmalade and poppy seeds

 

Just look at these little cuties! Aren't they adorable? Baletki (which would literally translate to "ballet shoes") are small, fluffy bits of pleasure - they melt in your mouth and are just perfect for an afternoon tea or coffee time. When I was a kid we used to buy them at the pastry shop and because they're extremely light, you would get tons of them for a reasonable price. Their taste takes me back to my childhood, so it's a little bit sentimental recipe. I liked to separate them and eat marmalade first, then the cookies. I never made them before and it was a great surprise to me how easy to make they are and how little time they need!

Lazy cabbage rolls (leniwe gołąbki) in tomato sauce

Who doesn't love cabbage rolls? They're delicious and to die for, but there is one problem - they take a lot of time to make. This version of classic Polish cabbage rolls is a solution!

The taste is amazing, they're easy to make and you won't have to spend hours in the kitchen in order to enjoy them! Lazy cabbage rolls are quite popular in Poland - my mom makes them, when there is not enough time to make traditional ones. My reason to make these delicious food yesterday was the fact, that there was half of a cabbage sitting in the fridge and I had to figure out what to do with it. So, I thought - I've got cabbage, I've got meat - lazy cabbage rolls that is! And let me tell you - they were a hit!

Tourlou tourlou - Greek ratatouille

Tourlou - tourlou is one of these dishes one cannot stop eating! It's so rich in taste and colorful that everyone loves it. Its name means "mixed up" and basically that's what you do - you mix various vegetables into this delicious combination. I didn't know tourlou before I came to Greece - in Poland we make a vegetable stew dishes, but with completely different spicing and ingredients, so it was a very pleasant surprise for me and my taste buds. 

When I was doing a research about it, I found two ways of making it - one calls for a pot and you braise vegetables on a medium heat and the other one is made in the oven on a deep baking pan. Personally I like it made in a pot, as I'm getting more of the delicious juices this way and I just love to dip my bread in it. 

Tourlou is perfect comfort food and easy to make, it also gets better in time! So grab a big pot and make enough to enjoy it next day as well!