Sweet Sweet Breakfast

       The idea for this post came from wondering every morning what we will have for breakfast that day. I don't know about you, but very often I find myself struggling with ideas on what to eat. And we eat breakfast. Every morning. As I researched for the post, I found that many people (friends and family), simply skip it. I have to admit that I was more or less the same before I got married. In the last (almost five) years, breakfasts have come to last as long as an hour, and they are the main grounds from which we plan our day and discuss the yesterdays. Now I don't know how I would function if I skipped my breakfast. Come to think of it, I cannot remember even the last time I did so! Who is this person I've become?

       This time around, I wanted to give you three breakfast suggestions. So, let's start with the recipe for homemade granola - I prefer it because I can make it just the way I like. The ready-made ones from the store are often too sweet for my taste. Only after I tasted the homemade granola did I understand what I was missing all this time. I dare you to try and see for yourself. This one is also delicious as a snack on its own. I am thinking about making it into granola bars - it would be perfect!

Homemade Fruit and Nut Granola

Ingredients

500 g rolled oats
2 cups nuts and seeds - you can use whatever you have at hand (this time I used almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds)
3 tbsp large coconut flakes
1/2 cup apple juice
2 tbsp raw honey
2 tbsp coconut butter/oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup dried fruits - I used cranberries, raisins, and chopped apricots

Preheat the oven to 160 C (320 F). Mix together nuts and seeds in a large bowl. Chop larger pieces to medium size.

Combine apple juice, honey, coconut butter or oil, cinnamon, black pepper, and sea salt in a small pan, and heat up over low heat until they are completely combined. Slowly pour over the nut and seed mixture and stir so that it is evenly coated. Line the baking sheet with baking paper and spread the mixture evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Stir the mixture every ten minutes or so to prevent burning. Cool completely. Combine with dried fruits and store in an airtight container.

Serve with milk or plain (or vanilla) yoghurt. Garnish with fresh fruits and/or chopped, raw pistachios.

Banana Vanilla Smoothie 

       As I was putting this post together, I realized that all the breakfast suggestions are on the sweet side (even though only one recipe actually calls for sugar). Well, that just means that soon I will have to make up for that by concocting more breakfast alternatives. 

       Some time ago, I read about the nutritional benefits of banana (even that it can serve as a substitute for a small meal). Armed with that knowledge I am suggesting a quick and nutritious smoothie to mix and drink on the go. This is for those of us that run around the house in the morning getting ready, and who knows, perhaps your little ones will enjoy it too. 

       The recipe is below. You can also add a squeeze or two of lemon, to keep it from oxidizing too quickly (and losing it bright yellow color) and to add a zesty touch. The recipe below uses oat milk which is already beige. If you use plain milk, the smoothie will be a lighter color.

Apple, Raisin and Cinnamon Toast - A Sunday Brunch Thought

        I am a big fan of toast, especially when made with brioche and fried with butter. It is my Sunday guilty pleasure. Cinnamon makes it very aromatic, while apples take the edge off the sugary coating. A glass of cold milk and I am sold. You will find the recipe below.    

       Lastly, on our Facebook page we have announced that Layla Says is collaborating with a very talented lady to make our blog page prettier and more functional. We hope that the new layout will be up and running really soon. 

       I am very excited.

Swedish Winter

Have you ever tasted a sweet, saffron-flavored pastry?

I did not, at least not before I moved to Sweden. As I discovered, winter holidays in Sweden are all about saffron-flavored pastries. Lussekatter, or Lucy's cats, is the one I wanted to introduce to you today. They are made throughout winter, with culmination on December 13 - the Lucia holiday. Lucia (Lusse) is a holiday dedicated to St. Lucy, but also a symbolic holiday of light - which I found particularly culture-fitting given that, even in the south of Sweden where I am, days have gotten extremely short.

Other than getting used to less daylight, the cold season in Sweden has been truly wonderful. We had snow already on December 1, in the spirit of holidays the streets and store windows are decorated, many shops give out pepper cookie treats and organize small parties for their customers... What I really love is that most Swedes light Advent candles in their windows, which stay lit throughout the night! It makes one feel cozy on those long and lonely nights spent studying...

Hope you give lussekatter a try and add some Swedish flavor to your holidays this year.


*****

Šafran u pecivu? Ne salim se!

Možda su neki od vas imali priliku probati peciva sa aromom šafrana, ali ja nisam, bar ne prije dolaska u Švedsku. Ono sto sam otkrila je da su praznici u Švedskoj nezamislivi bez takozvanih lussekatter - peciva u obliku slova S, ukrasenih grožđicama i sa aromom šafrana. Šveđani ih prave tokom godine a naročito zimi, uz kulminaciju na 13. decembar - praznik Sv. Lucije. Ja sam pod utiskom da je ovaj praznik simbolično i praznik svjetlosti (sto se uklapa u sve kraće zimske dane čak i na samom jugu Švedske).

Pored navikavanja na kratke dane, hladna sezona u Švedskoj je zaista divna. Snijeg je počeo da pada već sa početkom decembra, u duhu praznika ulice i izlozi su ukrašeni, mnoge prodavnice časte svoje kupce paprenjacima ili organizuju mini zabave... Ono sto mi se iznimno dopalo su (električne) svijeće koje se pale sa prvim Adventom i kojim većina Šveđana osvijetli svoje prozore. Uz njih su mi bile lakše duge, usamljene noći provedene u učenju...

Nadam se da ćete probati lussekatter i začiniti ovogodisnje praznike aromom švedske tradicije.

Lussekatter (for 32 buns)

Ingredients

40 g fresh yeast
200 g butter
1 gram saffron
4 dl milk
1 dl heavy cream
200 gr sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1600 gr flour

Final touches

raisins
1 egg, beaten


Method

Crumble the yeast into a mixing bowl. In a saucepan, melt the butter and let it cool. Add saffron, milk, and cream, stir and slowly heat until barely warm to the touch. Add about a cup of the liquid to yeast, stir until it is dissolved and then add the rest.

Combine egg and sugar, stir and add it to the bowl. Add salt. Add almost all of the flour (reserve some for later). Knead the dough or mix with the dough hook until it is manageable. Cover and leave to rise (about 45 minutes - until it doubles in size).

After the dough has risen, work in the remaining flour - if needed. Heat the oven to 250 C. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Separate the dough into two equal halves and keep separating each piece into two equal pieces until you get balls about the size of half a fist. Roll the balls into thin round sticks and roll them in an S-shaped bun. Place them on parchment paper and leave some space between them as they will rise. 

When all the buns are ready (you might need more than one baking sheet), cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes. Brush with the beaten egg and decorate with raisins. Bake for about 10 minutes (start checking them at 7 minutes), until golden.

Serve and enjoy!

*****


Lussekatter (za 32 peciva)

Sastojci

40 g svježeg kvasca
200 g maslaca
1 gram šafrana
4 dl mlijeka
1 dl jogurta
200 g šećera
1/2 kašičice soli
1 jaje
1600 g brašna

Dekoracija

1 jaje
grožđice

Izmrvite kvasac u veću posudu. Istopite maslac i ohladite ga. Dodajte šafran u prahu, mlijeko i jogurt, i lagano zagrijte do 37 C (tečnost je jedva osjetno topla na dodir). Odvojite pola šoljice tečnosti i dodajte je kvascu - promiješajte dok se kvasac istopi a zatim dodajte i ostatak tečnosti.

Ručno umutite jaje i šećer, pa smjesu dodajte u prethodno spomenutu tečnost. Dodajte sol i skoro svo brašno (ostavite manju količinu za kasnije, oko pola čaše). Zamijesite ručno ili mikserom. Pokrijte i ostavite da tijesto naraste (oko 45 minuta - tijesto treba da se udvostruči).

Nakon što tijesto naraste, umijesite ostalo brašno ako je potrebno - tijesto bi trebalo biti malo ljepljivo i čvrsto. Zagrijte pećnicu na 250 C. Obložite tepsiju pek papirom. Prepolovite tijesto na dva dijela i nastavite da razdvajate svaki novi komad na polovine dok ne dobijete loptice veličine otprilike pola stisnute šake. Razvaljajte loptice u oble, duguljaste štapiće i smotajte ih u peciva oblika slova S (kao na slici). Stavite ih na pek papir ostavljajući slobodan prostor između jer ce one narasti.

Nakon sto ste savili sva peciva, prekrijte ih čistih kuhinjskim ubrusom i ostavite još pola sata da narastu. Premažite umućenim jajetom i ukrasite grožđicama. Pecite oko 10 minuta (počnite provjeravati vec oko sedme minute), dok ne porumene.

In addition to lussekatter, throughout winter Swedes enjoy pepper cookies and glögg - a warm, aromatic drink (mulled wine of sorts) made usually with fruit and spices. It is a lovely tradition that I plan to share with friends and family back home.

Cranberry and ginger glögg

Ingredients

2 dl concentrated cranberry juice

100 gr sugar

1-2 tbsp grated, fresh ginger

4 slices of lime

1 l water

200 gr cranberries

Mix all ingredients and bring to a boil. Serve warm, with almond pieces mixed in the drink.

Happy holidays!

*****

Pored lussekatter, tokom zime u Švedskoj se casti paprenjacima i glögg-om, toplim, aromatičnim pićem (alkoholnom i bezalkoholnom verzijom kuhanog vina), koje se obicno pravi sa voćem i začinima. Ova simpatična tradicija odgovara zimskom ambijentu, i ja je namjeravam podijeliti sa prijateljima i porodicom kući u Sarajevu.

Glögg od brusnice i đumbira

Sastojci

2dl soka od brusnice
100 g šećera
1-2 kašike naribanog svježeg đumbira
4 kriške limete
1 l vode
200 g brusnice

Pomiješajte sve sastojke i prokuhajte ih. Servirajte toplo sa svjezim bademima umiješanim u glögg.

Sretni praznici!