HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM

We know who our best friend is during the warm summer days - ice cream, which in moments of infernal heat refreshes us like swimming in the sea.

Knowing that homemade is always the best, here is a great recipe for ice cream that will delight you and your children. Once you try this easy variation, it will become your favorite treat forever.

Ingredients:
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 pack vanilla sugar (10 g)
  • 2.5 dl cream
  • 300 g strawberries
Preparation
  1. Beat eggs and sugar with a mixer until sugar is dissolved. 
  2. Mix cream separately and add to the eggs. Continue to mix for a few minutes. 
  3. Add strawberries and mix for 5 more minutes. 
  4. Pour into an appropriate container and freeze.
Instead of strawberries, you can put any soft fruit.
Enjoy!


PORK CHOPS WITH POTATOES

One of the most common main dishes here, no one can resist juicy pork chops with mouth-melting potatoes. I prepared this dish with fresh pork chops and young potatoes. Before frying pork chops, put them in a bowl, add oil, salt and spices and leave for 1 hour.

Ingredients:
  • 3 larger pork chops (for 3 people)
  • 1,5 kg young potatoes 
Preparation:
  1. Wash potatoes well. Don't peel them. Preheat oven at 250 C degrees. Put potatoes in a baking pan, add oil and salt and mix. Put to bake and mix occasionally while baking (2-3 times). Baking time is about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
  2. While potatoes are baking, put a frying pan to warm up.
  3. Put pork chops in the frying pan to fry at medium - low heat. Turn on both sides 2 times. They are ready when all the liquid from the pan is gone and when pork-chops got beautiful brown color. I bake them half time covered with a lid, and half time uncovered. That way they become even juicier.
  4. Serve warm with salad.
Enjoy!

EASY ROLL WITH JAM

Here is an idea for a tasty and easy sweet roll with jam. Even if you're not a kneading person, this is a recipe that's easy to cook in his kitchen.

Ingredients for the dough:

  • 150 ml. milk
  • 100 g sugar
  • 1 egg
  • pinch salt
  • 1 yeast
  • 100 g butter
  • 400 g flour
Preparation:
  1. First leave yeast with some milk in a bowl to reach. When reached, mix in all other ingredients.
  2. Knead soft dough and allow it to reach for at least 1 hour or until it doubles the volume.
  3. When the dough is reached, divide it into two parts, form a rectangular crust from each. Brush each crust with jam and roll to bend. You can use other filling as desired.
  4. Place two rolls in a pan lined with paper. Leave for 10 min to reach again, brush with 1 egg and bake at 150 C degrees for about 50 minutes or until they get a nice golden-brown color.

Enjoy!

MOUSSAKA WITH POTATOES AND MUSHROOMS (NO MEAT)

Moussaka for those who don't eat meat or are in their lent period. Simple yet delicious, it's very close in taste with the regular moussaka with potatoes and minced meat.
Thia moussaka can be 100% vegetarian and lean if you skip the topping, keep that in mind.

Ingredients:

  • 750 g potatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 500 g mushrooms (champignons) 
  • Oil, salt, vegetable seasoning
  • Finely chopped parsley
Topping
  • 200 g sour cream
  • 2 eggs
Preparation:
  1. Peel and cut potatoes into circles with a thickness of 4 mm.
  2. Fry sliced champignons in thin slices together with the finely chopped onion. When champignons have softened, add the spices and parsley.
  3. Then in a greased pan add a row of potatoes, then a row of mushrooms and finally end with potatoes. Add a little oil on top.
  4. Add 1,5 cups of water
  5. Mix eggs with the sour cream and pour over the moussaka.
  6. Bake in preheated oven at 220 C degrees until moussaka gets beautiful golden-brown color.
Enjoy!

COCONUT CAKE WITH SYRUP

Easy and delicious coconut cake which will delight your family. It's very fast to prepare and it's even softer and juicer when poured with the syrup.
Ingredients:
  • 7 eggs + 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • grated lemon zest
  • vanilla sugar (10 g)
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups coconut flakes
  • 1 sachet baking powder (10 g)
Syrup9
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 ½ cups water
** 1 cup is 250 ml
Preparation:
  1. Whisk eggs and sugar with a mixer. 
  2. Add oil, lemon zest, vanilla sugar, milk and coconut flakes.
  3. Add flour and baking powder and stir with a wooden spoon.
  4. Bake cake for 20-25 minutes at 200°C.
  5. Prepare syrup in a meantime. Boil for 10 minutes.
  6. When both the cake and the syrup are lukewarm, cut cake and pour with syrup.
  7. It's the best to consume it the other day.
  8. Enjoy!

MACEDONIA - PRESERVING THE REAL FOOD

We live in a new age when it's hard to find naturally grown food. Macedonia, as all other countries, can not resist the industrialization process, but you can still find good vegetables and fruits from the farmers. Can you buy natural eggs in your country, eggs from chicken that lives freely outside and sees the sun every day? I love that about my Macedonia, that I can still buy eggs from a farmer. I can still buy milk from a farmer, not that white liquid from the market that only looks like a milk. I can still buy good tomatoes and cucumbers grown from good old seeds. So, let's enjoy it while we still can and while there's still no law that will forbidden these natural beautiful things about our food, and believe me, that time is coming.


This food is on my table.
First on the right side, you can see milk, I bought it from a farmer friend and I boiled it. Here in the pot it's still unboiled, after boiling, it gets beautiful thick yellow crust on top from all the fat in the milk. I buy it 50% cheaper than that from the market. Remember when we used to boil milk? Now you buy it sterilized and homogenized, meaning - there's nothing good left in that milk.
The eggs are also bought from a farmer, their yolks are so much more yellow than in those bought from the market. I buy them about 30% cheaper than the price of regular eggs from the market. The larger egg on the left is egg from a goose :)
The lettuce and spring onions are picked from our garden in Bukovo, non sprayed, pesticides free.
The beans are from my friend Suzan, from her village. Bread is bought from the market but it's baked on woods.

NO BAKING BALLS WITH BISCUITS, ALMONDS, CHOCOLATE

Easy and fast to prepare, sweet balls! You just got to love them, they don't cost much, don't waste much of your time, they don't need baking and what's the best is that they are delicious. There's no solemn occasion without various sweet balls on the table. Everybody loves them.

Ingredients:

  • 100 g petite beurre biscuits
  • 300 g peeled and chopped almonds
  • 80 g chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder
  • 1 tablespoon brandy
  • 30 g white chocolate
  • 50 g coconut flour

Preparation:

  1. Finely grate the biscuits and mix with almonds.
  2. Melt grated chocolate at low temperature, add cream, coffee and 1/2 oz (15 g) of water. Immediately mix in almonds and biscuits.
  3. Coarsely grate the white chocolate. Mix in grated white chocolate in a cooled mixture. Make sure the chocolate won't melt.
  4. Shape balls and roll them in coconut flour, and distribute on a paper basket.
  5. Put in the refrigerator so balls would harden for few hours.


TRADITIONAL TURKISH COFFEE-THE SMELL OF MACEDONIAN MORNING

Turkish coffee is definitely one of the most favorite coffees here. Warm, strong and tasty with the smell that permeates and fills the entire space. Perfect for awakening or for greater concentration.


Unlike the instant coffees that always need correct ratio and use the same way of preparation, and therefore they have the same taste every time you're drinking one, Turkish coffee is more specific.
It's rich in minerals, as mangan and magnesium and in vitamin B3.

There are some universal rules to follow if you want to have a perfectly prepared Turkish coffee. The biggest enemies of the coffee beans are moisture and air. Once the coffee is exposed to these factors, the aromatic coffee oil spreads rapidly and disappears. Coffee is best to keep it in a dark and cold place. If you don't spend it within 10 days, then put in the refrigerator.

Preparing this coffee in no big mystery, the basic procedure is always the same - put grind coffee and sugar in the coffee pot, pour in water and bring to boil. Coffee pot must be clean, use fresh, cold water.

A coffee pot is always hiding some strange mystique and romance. Perhaps the biggest secret of delicious Turkish coffee is exactly the coffee pot. It is important for the coffee pot to be made of copper, but regular coffee pot will do good.

This is the recipe for a perfect Turkish coffee:

Put 2 teaspoons of good grind coffee and 1 teaspoon sugar in a pot. I drink it without sugar and you can put more or less sugar than 1 tsp as desired. Pour 120 ml of water. It is important for the coffee pot to be not more than half full.
While you add water, stir well to melt the sugar. Once you boil coffee, wait for the coffee to rise two to three times so it will have the authentic taste and smell. Serve immediately.

Cheers!

PLUMS PRESERVE - TASTE FROM THE CHILDHOOD

Plums preserve is one of the most prepared in Macedonia. Plums are cheap fruits and you can even find them in almost every garden and everywhere in nature.
Ingredients:
  • 6 kg cleaned plums
  • 5 kg sugar
  • 2 l water
  • lemon juice (5-6 lemons)
or
  • 2,5 kg cleaned plums
  • 2 kg sugar
  • 1 l water
  • lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
Preparation:
  1. Peel and cut plums in half, clean and wash nicely. Choose harder plums for preserving.
  2. Place sugar and water in a pot and bring to boil..
  3. Add plums and lemon juice. Cook for around 30 minutes with оoccasional stirring until foam appears. Remove foam from the top.
  4. Move pot from fire and place preserve in prepared hot sterilized jars. Plums will remain intact and won't darken.
Serve as desired.
Enjoy!

FAST PIE WITH WHITE CHEESE AND GREENS

So as I mentioned before, I picked up fresh chard leaves 2 days ago. I used most of them to make sarma with chard leaves and I prepared this fast pie with the rest of the leaves. I just washed and chopped them and I removed the hard white part, I didn't boil or fry them, there's no need for that. It turned out delicious, half the pie is already gone as I'm typing the recipe :)

Ingredients:
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 and 1/2 cups white flour
  • 1 cup yogurt
  • 1/2 cup of oil
  • 1 packet of baking powder (10 g)
  • pinch of salt
  • 250 g white cheese
  • green leaves (spinach, chard leaves etc.)
*** 1 cup is 250 ml size

Preparation:
  1. Mix the eggs, then add yogurt. I didn't use mixer.
  2. Add oil and salt. Stir well.
  3. Add flour and baking powder. Mix all well.
  4. Add finely chopped chard leaves or spinach. I added around 20 leaves.
  5. Add crumbled cheese in the end and mix well. It will become harder to mix, because the mixture will be thick, but that's the way it should be.
  6. Pour mixture in and oiled pan in a preheated oven at 250 C degrees. I baked it at 200 C degrees until it got beautiful golden color and crust on top, around 30-40 minutes.
  7. Combine with sour milk if desired.
Enjoy!

CHARD LEAVES SARMA

I usually prepare this dish with vine leaves, but I wanted to experiment a bit,  so I used chard leaves which I picked myself from the garden in my village. It turned awesome and took less time for cooking than with vine leaves.
This dish is easy to made, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare and about 30 minutes to cook. 

Ingredients:
  • 50-60 chard leaves (if larger, cut in half)
  • 500 g minced meat
  • 150 g rice
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp red paprika
  • pinch of salt
  • parsley
  • oregano
Preparation:

  1. If leaves are fresh and young, they are ready for use. Just remove the white hard part and wash them with warm water to soften. If you keep leaves in the freeze, then just put them in some water to unfreeze and to soften.
  2. Then cook the meat in a pan with some olive oil, add rice, spices, red paprika, salt, parsley and oregano in the end and mix well.
  3. Put a little of the meat mixture into each leaf and wrap them. Wrap them so that you first fold one side over, then the other side, then roll. Put them in a pot and add water to cover them. 
  4. Cook for about 30 minutes. You can prepare a mix of some water, 5 tsp of ketchup and 1 tbs of flour and add it in the end for better taste and for some sauce. 
Serve with fermented milk on top.

Enjoy!

24TH MAY - DAY OF MACEDONIAN BROTHERS AND SLAV EDUCATORS ST.CYRIL AND METHODIUS


Today, 24th of May, we celebrate the day of the holy brothers Kiril and Metodij (Cyril and Methodius). It's a public holiday and a non working day in Macedonia. In the honor of the brothers who are considered as the founders of the first Slav alphabet (GLAGOLITZA), are held concerts and other solemn events dedicated to the great deeds of Cyril and Methodius. Today is a name day of Kiril, Kire, Mende etc.

A little history from the 7th century
With the arrival of the Slavs in Macedonia, they brought  their pagan beliefs and their language. For written expression, they used lines and dashes. However, when they came to Macedonia and the southern Balkans, they encountered advanced culture and developed literacy. The Slavs from the native population received the script that was in use in those areas and used it in written expression. But with the existing letters of the Greek uncial script or with the Roman Latin script, they could not write all the characteristic Slavic sounds they uttered. Because of that, there was a need to create new characters - letters, with which to write Slavic words. The creation of an alphabet for the Slavs was a diplomatic step of Byzantium, and with the alphabet the Byzantine benefit was twofold. First - Christianity spread more easily among the Slavs, and secondly, Byzantium, winning over the Balkan Slavs to its side, secured a better position against the Bulgarian state, which was attacking the territory of Byzantium in the Balkans.

The task of creating a Slavic script was given to Cyril (Konstantin the Philosopher) by the Byzantine court, who had full support and help from his brother Methodius.


The great Macedonian and all-Slavic educators, the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, are the founders of Slavic literacy and literature and are responsible for the cultural development of all Slavic peoples. Because of their merits for Christianity, the Holy Church declared them equal to the apostles.
Day of the day of the holy brothers from Solun St.Cyril and Methodius is a public holiday in Macedonia which is celebrated on May 24 in honor of the founders of the first Slavic alphabet.
In the 11th century, the Church has declared May 24 (May 11 Old Style) for Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius. This day was first celebrated in Macedonia on May 11, 1860 at the church of St Mary in Skopje. Traditionally at this holiday are given awards, held concerts and cultural events
in Macedonia.
Macedonian brothers St. Cyril and Methodius were born in Solun in the IX century, they became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavs of Greater Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, because of they received the title - Apostles of the Slavs. They are credited with inventing the Glagolitza, the first alphabet used to prescribe Old Church Slavonic. 
Glagolitza - the first Slav alphabet

After their death, their students are continuing their work and activities among the Slavs. The two brothers are respected in the Eastern Orthodox Church as saints with the title Equal to the Apostles. In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their glory in the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, John Paul II declared them co-patrons of Europe, together with Benedict Nursijski.

St. Cyril and St. Methodius were born brothers from Solun, from a respectable and rich Byzantine family, father and mother Mary and Leo. Elder brother Methodius spent ten years between Macedonian Slavs as officer. Then he withdrew to Mount Olympus and the surrender to monastic asceticism. Here later joined Cyril (Constantine the Philosopher). Cyril and Methodius, known as Solun brothers educators have a major role in the Slavic history. Their work literated Slavic people.

Shortly about Cyril and Methodus

Methodius was born in 826. He was educated in special schools for the acquisition of military skills and for the performance of high state functions. Due to the acquired knowledge and abilities that he possessed, Methodius at the age of 20 received the rank of Duke from the Byzantine court. As a duke in 845, he was sent to be the administrator of the Slavic principality in Macedonia, which spread in the Strumica - Bregalnica region. Methodius' task was to ensure the support of the local population in the fight against the Bulgarian attacks on that territory.

Constantine, known under the monastic name Cyril, was born in 827. He was educated in the Solun (Thessaloniki) schools where only the children of wealthier families went. As the best student, he studied early at the University of Constantinople (the Magnaur School). There he studied several sciences and several languages. After completing his studies, Konstantin became a professor of philosophy at the university where he had previously studied. As hardworking and educated, he gained great trust at the Byzantine court.

Missions of the brothers

As high educationed and talented people, Cyril and Methodius will be awarded very difficult and responsible task by the Byzantine court. First they were sent in mission to the Saracens (Arabs) in Baghdad, where the main goal is to Christianize Saracens, Khazars, Moravian Slavs, Bulgarians, Russians and other people of the east and north of Byzantium and to impose Byzantine ecclesiastical authority. When Khazar king Kagan asked Emperor Michael preachers of faith in Jesus Christ, then the king ordered the two brothers to be sent among the Khazars. Once assured Kagan in the faith in Christ, they baptized the king and many of his chief assistants and a large number of people. After some time they returned to Constantinople, where they compiled the Slavic alphabet of thirty-eight letters and began to translate church books from Greek into Slavic.

The king Rostislav sent them to Moravia and there they proliferated and established the Orthodox faith and gave books to the priests to teach the youth. Later, on a call from the pope, they left for Rome, where Cyril fell ill and died on 14 February 869. Then Methodius returned to Moravia and endeavor of establishing the Christian faith among the Slavs till death. After his death - April 6th, 885 years - his students Petochislenici, headed by St. Clement as bishop, crossed the Danube and landed in southern Macedonia, where from Ohrid continued to work among the Slavs the same work that Cyril and Methodius started in the north.
The church St.Klement in Rome where the tomb of St.Syril is located

The missionary activity of the holy brothers between Macedonian Slavs, especially the application of the Macedonian alphabet, was recorded in the Life of St. Naum. This preceded the translation of the Holy Scriptures in the language of the Macedonians in Thessaloniki and missionary work among the Western Slavs in Moravia.

The work of the holy brothers after the death of St. Methodius fell into a major crisis, but thanks to their most gifted students - St. Clement and St. Naum of Ohrid, saints and miracle workers, teachers and educators, continued to announce the divine truths to new nations, beginning from their cultural identity, alive model for the Holy Church and for the missionaries of all time.

Saints Cyril and Methodius succeeded in becoming apostles of the Slavs. They wanted to serve for the benefit of all the Slav people and for the unity of the Universal Church. For these and such their merits, Pope John Paul II on December 31, 1980 declared them for co-patrons of Europe, whose patron is St. Benedict, proclaimed by Pope Paul IV on 26 October 1964.

TOP 17 MOST POPULAR DESSERTS IN MACEDONIA (with recipes)


We Macedonians like to eat sweet things, and we always ask for something sweet especially after lunch. But what Macedonians mostly like to eat  for dessert? I present you the most popular Macedonian desserts with recipes. Enjoy!

1. BAKLAVA 

BAKLAVA IS ANOTHER PASTRY THAT IS TYPICAL OF THE CUISINES OF THE FORMER OTTOMAN EMPIRE. 
TODAY, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR DESSERTS IN MACEDONIA. IT IS A RICH SWEET PASTRY MADE OF LAYERS COVERED WITH SHERBET (SYRUP) WHICH SEDUCES WITH IT'S TASTE.


2.RAVANIJA (DOUGH COVERED WITH SHERBET)


3. MACEDONIAN SWEET BREAD-KOZINJAK 


4. CELUFKI (KISSES)


5. TATLIJA - BAKED DOUGH POURED WITH SHERBET


6. KRUSHEVO LOKUM 

macedonian lokum recipe


7. GURABII (MOUTH MELTING COOKIES)




8. TULUMBA (FRIED PASTRY WITH SYRUP)


9. COOKIES WITH SHERBET (HEDGEHOGS)


10. ECLAIRS (EKLERI)



11.  SEMOLINA HALVA


12. SUTLIJASH (RICE PUDDING)



13.MACEDONIAN APPLE PIE (LAZY PIE)


14. CREPES WITH BANANA AND NUTELLA


15. MLECNIK-TRADITIONAL SWEET PIE WITH MILK AND EGGS




16. TIKVARNIK - TRADITIONAL PUMPKIN CAKE

TIKVARNIK OR PUMPKIN CAKE IS A TRADITIONAL CAKE THAT IS COMMONLY PREPARED IN MACEDONIA DURING AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON. I PRESENT YOU A HEALTHY AND TASTY RECIPE OF HOW TO PREPARE THIS AWESOME NO-SUGAR PUMPKIN DESSERT.


17. GREEN FIGS PRESERVE