Olive Muffins with Fresh Goat Cheese

These easy cheesy olive muffins really make a chic and delish appetizer for your holiday dinner parties. They are mainly prepared with flour, milk, eggs, cheeses (Parmesan and fresh goat cheese), green and black olives, and fresh herbs. I have them served with some mixed salad greens, but you can enjoy them just without. A glass of Loire white, like Sancerre, or sauvignon blanc-based white is highly recommended. If you really don't like the common cat-pee smell from sauvignon blanc, then a refreshing riesling would be just as lovely and harmonious.

Recipe adapted from Kabeleins Olivenkuchen mit Ziegenfrischkäse und Salat

I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

• 100 g All purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp Baking powder
  
• 100 ml Milk
  
• 80 ml Olive oil
  
• 2 Eggs
  
• 60 g Green olives
  
• 60 g Black olives
  
• 50 g Fresh grated Parmesan
  
• 2 tbsp Fresh curly parsley, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp Fresh rosemary, chopped
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• 10 round Fresh goat cheese, 20 grams each
  
• Some mixed salad to serve
  

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line 10 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Add in milk, olive oil and egg yolks and beat until smooth. Now add in olives, Parmesan, and chopped herbs. Season the mixture with salt and black pepper.
   
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the egg white into the batter until combined. Fill the prepared muffin pan 3/4 full with batter. Top each with one fresh goat cheese round and drizzle with a little of olive oil.
   
3. Bake at the upper rack of the oven for about 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Serve the muffins on a bed of mixed salad.

Belgian Endive Salad with Avocado and Orange

This is basically a clean-out-fridge salad. So depending on what whatsoever greens or leftover in the fridge, you can mix and match so many different ingredients to make delicious and light meals.

Dressing	Salad
50 g Plain yogurt 1 tbsp Walnut oil 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 tsp Honey 2/3 tbsp Red wine vinegar 1 tsp Orange peel, finely grated Salt and freshly ground black pepper	2 head Belgian endive 2 Oranges, peeled and sectioned 1/2 Avocado, peeled and cut into thin strips 10 Black olives, cut into rings 5 Grape tomatoes, halved 1/2 Small red onion, cut into thin strips

1. Whisk together plain yogurt, walnut oil, mustard, honey, and red wine vinegar until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until ready for use.
   
2. Cut the ends off endives, separating leaves. Arrange Belgian endive, orange sections and avocado slices in a serving bowl. Scatter with the olive rings, grape tomato halves, and onion strips. Drizzle the dressing over and serve with some bread.

Oven Roasted Chicken Thighs and Potato Wedges

A quick, easy oven-roasted chicken thighs with Ariosto spice mix, fresh rosemary and maple syrup.

• 2 / 550 g Chicken thighs
  
• 5 Potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
  
• 1+1/2 tbsp Ariosto seasoning for meat
  
• 2 tbsp Duck fat, melted (or olive oil)
  
• 8 Grape tomatoes
  
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
  ©angiesrecipes
  
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup
  

1. Heat oven to 200C/400F. Thoroughly clean the chicken legs with warm water and drain. Make a couple of slits on the meaty part of chicken thighs. Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges.
   
2. Place the cleaned chicken legs and the prepared potato wedges in a shallow baking tray, add in Ariosto seasoning and melted duck fat, then toss until well-coated. Add in grape tomatoes and rosemary sprigs.
   
3. Bake for 35 minutes until chicken and potatoes are fork tender. Brush the chicken with maple syrup and broil for 5 minutes.

Ginger Snaps

Few things make your house smell like festive holidays as much as the delicious baked treats fresh out of the oven. Made with fresh ginger, crystallized ginger, Christmas spices, molasses, maple syrup, these ginger snaps are packed with flavours and a great reminder of Christmas. Recipe adapted from Cook's Companion by Carole Clements and Essen und Trinken

To all my friends and readers, I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas with Good Mood, Real Food and Love!

270 g All-purpose flour 2 tsp Baking soda 2 tsp Ground ginger 1/4 tsp Ground cardamom 1 tsp Ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp Ground clove 1/2 tsp Salt

200 g Golden caster sugar, plus extra for coating 120 g Unsalted butter, room temperature 1 Egg, room temperature 45 g Molasses 45 g Maple syrup 2 tsp Fresh ginger, finely grated 100 g Crystallized ginger, roughly chopped ©angiesrecipes

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Prepare 3 baking trays with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and salt in a mixing bowl.
   
2. Beat the golden caster sugar and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in egg, molasses, maple syrup, and fresh ginger.
   With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until incorporated.
3. Fold in the crystallized ginger. Cover with a plastic film and chill for 1 hour. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in the sugar, and place about 2-inch apart on the prepared baking tray.
   
4. Bake until the cookies are just firm to the touch, about 12 minutes or 15 minutes if you prefer them crisp. Transfer the ginger snaps to wire racks and let cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Beetroot Risotto

Risotto is really delicious at any time of the day and the addition of beetroot makes this pretty much a super-food, as beetroot are a rich source of potent antioxidants and nutrients. Next time I am going to scatter some

• 200 g Cooked beetroot
  
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
  
• 1 Shallot, finely chopped
  
• 1 clove Garlic, minced
  
• 130 g Risotto rice
  
• 80 ml White wine
  
• 400 ml Hot vegetable stock
  
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
  
• Handful of arugula

1. Puree half of the cooked beetroot and cut another half into small pieces. Ser aside. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Tip in shallot and garlic, then stir until translucent. Stir in rice until well-coated with oil. Pour in the white wine and beetroot puree. Simmer until all is absorbed.
   
2. Pour in a third of the hot vegetable stock and set the timer to 18 mins. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the stock has been absorbed, then add half the rest of the stock and continue cooking and stirring until that has been absorbed.
   
3. Add in the rest of the stock, stir, then simmer until cooked. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in most of the Parmesan, arugula and the diced beetroot through the risotto. Serve with Parmesan and arugula scattered on top.

Rosemary Walnut Shortbread

Rosemary, with its unforgettable pine-like fragrance, pungent flavour, and unique health benefits, is an indispensable herb for every kitchen.
They are often used to flavour meat, fish, sauces or soups. Besides its well-known culinary use, rosemary has been used in cosmetic and to treat digestive disorders and headaches.

Adapted from BBC Good Food

• 325 g All purpose flour
  
• 200 g Salted butter
  
• 125 g Caster sugar
  
• 2 Egg yolks
  
• 1 tbsp Rosemary
  ©angiesrecipes, finely chopped
  
• 60 g Walnuts, chopped
  

1. Put the flour and butter in a food processor and whizz until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, egg yolks and rosemary and whizz to a dough.
   
2. Tip onto a lightly floured work surface and knead in the walnuts. Shape into a log about 5cm across. Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.
   
3. Line two baking trays with paper. Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Slice the dough into biscuits and arrange on the prepared trays. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown. Remove and transfer to the wire racks to cool.

Orange Beetroot Salad

br />

A delicious and simple salad with fresh oranges and quality vacuum packed cooked beetroot served with orange caper dressing. d makes The contrast of colours makes the salad extremely appetizing and pleasing.

• 2 Cooked Beetroot, cut into 4mm thick slices
  
• 2 Oranges
  
• 1 tbsp Flat parsley leaves, chopped
  
• 3 tbsp Orange juice
  
• 1 tsp Honey
  
• 20 ml Olive oil
  
• Salt and fresh ground Pepper
  
• 1 tbsp Red onion, finely chopped
  
• 10 Capers
  

1. Slice the cooked beetroot into 4mm thick slices. Peel the oranges, removing the white pith and slice into 4mm slices.
   
2. Place orange juice, honey, olive oil in a jar, season with salt and pepper. Close the lid and give it a good shake. Add in chopped red onions and capers. Mix thoroughly.
   
3. Arrange the orange and beetroot slices alternately in a row on a serving platter. Pour the dressing over and sprinkle the chopped parsley on top. Serve immediately.

And I also want to thank Alisha of The Ardent Epicure and Sara of The Lonely Radish for sharing this award with me. THANK YOU!