Potato Pancakes

Living in a city with 14.2 millions of people comes with some extreme challenges. Many people have to wake up before sunset and start driving if they do not want to spend their entire mornings in the  traffic rush. This year, I have to wake up at 6 o'clock to go to school but I am used to it because since 1st grade I have been getting up very early in the morning. That is why it is not a big deal for me to skip breakfast. 

I know that skipping the most important meal of the day is extremely unhealthy. But I do not have enough time. However just because I am not having breakfast at home doesn't mean that I do not have breakfast at all. When I arrive to school I pick up a grilled cheese or a yoghurt and have my breakfast when I arrive to school. 

Weekends therefore are really important for me because weekend is the only time where I can properly have a breakfast with my family. But I am very picky when it comes to breakfast. For example, I do not like the classic white bread, I prefer whole-wheat. Also, I do not like scrambled eggs, I prefer omelettes. 

In a classic Turkish breakfast, you can find tomatoes, green peppers, olives, feta cheese, eggs, sucuk (a spicy Turkish sausage), a variety of savoy baked goods like poğaça or börek, honey, jam and the classic Turkish tea, which I also do not like. So, I prefer to prepare some things that will fit my taste palette and will be a healthy option in the morning. 

Today I am going to share a recipe that is a great alternative if you have some leftover mashed potatoes. I did not have any leftovers but come on, boiling some potatoes is never that difficult. I woke up this morning craving some pancakes, but then I realised that I actually wasn't in the mood for a sweet pancake. So, I decided to go with this version. I was very amazed with the outcome so, I hope you'll like time. They might not look like a perfect pancake, but I assure you that they taste amazing. These pancakes will be a great option for your Sunday Brunch. So, here is the recipe;

Lemon Cake

I am not a person who loves sour and fruity flavours. I have a more intense palette. But this lemon recipe proves me wrong every single time. It is my aunt's recipe and everyone who has a bite from these cakes begs her for the recipe. So, today I am going to share her most famous recipe: Lemon Cake. 

I baked this cake for a bake sale at our school so I used cupcake liners instead of a big cake pan. 

Gnocchi with Basil

I am a person who loves to cook and especially with fresh ingredients. But I am going to be honest. Not everyone has the time to make a dough, roll it then cut it, let it rest and then finally boil the pasta. I know that the taste of homemade pasta is much more delicious than the store-bought version. But who am I kidding. Sometimes you just have to prepare a dinner in 10 minutes. 

So, that is how I had my first gnocchi, it was store bought. 

Normally when I go to an Italian restaurant, I either order pizza or risotto. And if I like what I had, I try more interesting things when I go there the second time. But I've never had gnocchi in a restaurant. To be honest, I was not sure what it was. When I learned that gnocchi was a potato dumpling, it was unusual for me. I found potatoes and pasta dough a little bit odd because why add more carbs if you have enough in a bowl of pasta? 

But after a while I decided to cook myself some gnocchi. I was extremely curious. Even though the gnocchi was from a supermarket, they were amazing. When I took a bite, I was sure that it wasn't just a dumpling. The gnocchi was fluffy, smooth, creamy and delicious. And now gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian food. So, I decided to cook the homemade version for you. Hope you'll enjoy :)

Vanilla Pudding with Crispy Kadayıf

During summer, one of my go to desserts is a basic pudding. It is fresh, refreshing and a good alternative for ice cream. But it is highly possible of us to get bored if we cook the same pudding over and over again. So, I go this recipe from my aunt. It is a vanilla pudding. But it is a little bit fancier because it is topped with kadayıf. 

Kadayıf is actually a Turkish dessert but it is also the name of the main ingredient in the dish is also called "Kadayıf". Kadayıf is basically a kind of shredded dough. Here in Turkey it is normally served with pistachios and a syrup. But I believe that a syrup-based dessert is kind of heavy for summer. So, I do not cook the classic "Kadayıf" during summer.

One thing to keep in mind: You can keep this recipe for 3-4 days but the kadayıf will get softer and softer each day. So, it is better to eat it on the first day. And believe me it probably will be finished on the first day.

This recipe is also like a cheesecake but without the cream cheese and double crusted. So, we can also call this one a fake-cheesecake :). 

Summer Update and Apologies

As many of you might have noticed I am not very good at updating you guys. I have been on my summer break since the last week of June and I have to admit that I haven't been writing to you and I am very very sorry about that. I will try to write more and share more recipes with you. However today I am going to tell you about what I have been up to in these 2 months, so no recipes for today and I am sorry about that. 

I have been travelling both nationally and internationally. I've been to Chicago, Bozcaada and did some touristy things here in Istanbul. Both Chicago and Bozcaada was very nice and I did all these "must do things" there and something hit me: I live in a city that I do not know of. I felt like many visitors from all around the world actually might know a lot more of Istanbul than I do. And that kind of made me feel embarrassed and sad at the same time. So, when my cousins came to pay us a visit from Germany, I decided to "explore" Istanbul with them. We went to the Prince's Islands, strolled around Kadıköy and tasted some of the Turkish Classics from Turkish delight to köfte. 

a Traditional Ferry