The Amalfi Coast

Well, I finally uploaded all my pictures from my trip to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It was so much fun finally being in a hundred degree area and sweating, while visiting old ruins and houses. But I didn't mind the sun and the weather at all, that's totally me, enjoying the heat and the warm sun rays on my arms. The cold is simply my biggest enemy. 

The first night we took our own little tour around Sorrento and I found this café filled up to the ceiling with all kinds of pastry. And not the healthy types of desserts, but just too yummy to ignore it. 
I guess, I took like a billion pictures and I was the typical tourist the waiters loved to make fun of. But who cares, it just looked amazing!

Spending a week in Italy you are forced to eat ice cream as often as you pass an ice cream store. I almost had more ice cream than other food. Especially when I discovered this spinning ice cream wheel. It was almost like a tiny carousel only made for delicious ice cream varieties. 

On our last night we went out for a really fancy dinner to a restaurant offering homemade pasta with Ricotta cheese and tomato sauce. The sauce still had tomato chunks mixed in and we could taste the freshness (if this is possible). 

For dessert we ordered Profiteroles. Completely dipped in hot chocolate with whipped cream. The filling inside was so moist and the pastry so fluffy: It was the perfect end for our trip. 

Lentil Salad

Finally, the summer has come! I am spending almost all of my free time outside: studying for my last tests, riding my bike, going for a run, swimming and of course eating ice cream. After this horrible spring the summer took the lead at last and made its way to us. Seriously, I am sure it was acknowledged by playing the best part as winter. I can't stand  cold, cloudy days anymore. There were simply too many of those in the last months.

So now I feel my summer taste buds awakening and looking for fresh energetic food. There is always this moment where you can't eat anything but a salad or something light in order not to have a "clogged" stomach when it's too humid outside. And actually this moment was today!
We don't have air conditioning in our apartment, so trying to cool down is definitely not an easy job, especially if opening up the windows makes you melt even faster. Somehow we really do need to bring a fan into here, now that summer is starting to heat up. I don't know how we managed it the past years living here. 

And before the keyboard starts to dissolve under my fingers I rather tell you real quick the foodie type of solution for the horribly humid days: Well, no surprise, a lentil-salad with fresh lemon dressing.
In my opinion lentils are not too heavy, vegetables give me some extra energy through the day and the lemony taste makes me smile :)

Lentil Salad
Single serving 


Ingredients:

1/2 cup brown lentils 
2 champignons 
1 large carrot
1 small pepper
cauliflower (as much as you like)
Romaine lettuce as "base"
few slices of an onion
juice of half a lemon
salt, pepper 
fresh cut basil

Directions:

Cook the lentils in water over high heat until they are boiling. Lower the heat and leave them for about 40 minutes until soft. Then drain the water.
Wash, peel and cut all vegetables. 
Cook the cauliflower in a pot, filled with water, just until boiling. Remove from stove and place in a pan with the champignons, pepper and carrot. Sauté for 10 minutes or until they are turning brownish.
Arrange the Romain leaves like a frame at the sides of a bowl and pour the lentils in the middle. Top with the vegetables and garnish with raw, sliced onions. 
For the dressing squeeze the juice of the lemon into a cup, season with salt, pepper and the basil. Pour dressing on top. 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches

I have this tradition with my one friend we try to keep up as good as we can. It all started with increasing our passion for baking together, finding new recipes, experimenting with new ingredients and then feeding our history class with our baked goods.
We were almost forced to bring something in every day, because they got addicted to those new inventions and old traditional recipes.
That was our tradition at school.
And then we had our own private tradition: Bringing something yummy every time just the two of us were hanging out together. We've already had self-made Peanut Butter Cups, Cake balls (we had a whole era of those :) ) and all sorts of cookies.

This time I wanted to go over her house for a movie night after I haven't seen her in a really long time. Well, it definitely feels like a really long time. So I decided, why not stick to the tradition and bake something we've never had before?
For that you have to know that I am obsessed with cookie dough-everything. There is no eating ice cream without cookie dough in my cone. And because I had a cookie dough ice cream before making that decision I had to bake something with cookie dough! I can't believe we've never made anything with it until now (there was a lot of cookie dough in the last sentences). As the day passed on I found the perfect tradition fulfilling recipe for my purpose.

It was a lot of fun baking for my friend again. Although my sandwiches turned out a little large they were still loved by everyone.
Sometimes I have the feeling I have to practice how to make real pretty cookies, which will come out perfectly in the end with the right size and form.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches

    makes about 20 sandwich cookies

Ingredients:

For the Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips

For Cookie Dough Filling:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed, scraping the side of the bowl occasionally, until smooth. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Cover and transfer the dough to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten balls slightly into 3/4-inch disks. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.

Bake until cookie edges are slightly golden brown, about 9-11 minutes. Cool cookies for 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

To make the cookie dough filling, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, and salt on low speed until incorporated. Slowly add heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stir in mini chocolate chips.

To assemble, Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with second cookie, forming a sandwich. Repeat with remaining filling and cookies. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen