CHEESY BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND TORTELLINI IN BASIL PESTO SAUCE

Today was just one of those days that gets you overwhelmed with things that went wrong and things you did not count on to happen. Well, a day like this deserves to be ended with a full glass of wine - tangy and deep red. Reality strikes  again right after the first sip and you sadly realize that it's not how you teleport yourself into tomorrow morning, and there's still yesterday's dishes that need to be washed, garden that needs to be watered, cats that need to be pet, make up that needs to be removed, laundry that needs to be sorted, bellies that need to be fed. And there is also a fridge that is in a desperate need of a weekly grocery shopping. 

It did take me few peeks into it in order to  figure out how to stop to an end of a lausy day full of "wrongs" and highlight it with one good and tasty "right". That's when totrellini came in, acompanied with basil pesto, cheese and brussels sprouts. 

I am not a huge fan of pesto and I always use it carefuly, I kind of like to add just a spoon of it into the dish or it all turns into an unbearable nightmare for my taste buds. Tonight I felt like taking a risk while pairing it with bittery brussels sprouts and mild bocconcini cheese, so I added two spoons! It ended up as being a good decision, as almost tasteless bocconcini soaked up the strong pesto flavour to the perfect point, leaving the enough space for brussels sprouts to take the part of the stage. Yummy. That's all that I can say. 

How to make it:

 • 500g cheese tortellini • 10 Brussels sprouts florets • 100g grated white cheddar cheese • 4-5 fresh basil leaves • 2 table spoons chopped parsley • 3 table spoons butter • 1 table spoon sesame seeds • 1 table spoon chives • 1 table spoon garlic powder • 2 table spoons basil pesto sauce •  salt and pepper • 200g bocconcini cheese • 1 tea spoon dry basil

Cook tortellini according to the package instructions, then drain when cooked and set aside. Wash brussels sprouts and cut each in half, then cook in boiling salted water for 15 minutes and drain when done. Turn oven to 375F. In a larger pot, melt butter then add drained brussels sprouts and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add chopped basil leaves, parsley, sesame seeds, chives, garlic powder and  basil pesto sauce. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add grated cheese and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Add drained tortellini and mix well again.  Lightly grease the casserole dish and transfer pasta into it. Layer sliced bocconcini on top of the pasta, sprinkle with dry basil and put in the oven for 7-8 minutes, until cheese on top is melted. 

ZESTY CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE

When I finally decided to go for it and start this food blog journey, I knew right away what would be my first recipe to share. Actually, there was no doubt at it at all. It's something that always comes out of the oven looking and tasting just perfect, and it's done in a blink of an eye - my Mom's ZESTY CHOCOLATE MUD CAKE. The love at first bite between me and this chocolate goodness was more than obvious. My Mom made it for me not long after she started working as a chef in a restaurant where this cake was on the menu. When she told me how it's made, I couldn't believe that something so decadent and flavorsome is so easy to make! It only takes several ingridients that can be found in every pantry, few minutes of mixing, hot oven and - voila! Ready to serve! The great thing about this cake is that it is splendid in taste whether you eat it warm or after it cools down. The orange zest compliments the chocolate in every way, while the hint of cinnamon makes it wonderfully comforting. I love to sprinkle it with powdered sugar just because I'm a horrible sweet-tooth, but also because it looks great when serving.

INGREDIENTS:
-6 whole eggs
- 100 grams castor sugar
- 250 grams unsalted butter
- 250 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 orange zest
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- powdered sugar for decoration

INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare your oven by heating it to 375F.
Melt the butter and the chocolate chips in the microwave (in separate bowls), then set aside to cool down a bit so it's not too hot.
Mix together the eggs and the sugar on high speed until foamy. Add melted butter, mix for one minute, then add melted chocolate and mix again for one minute. Add flour and mix again until smooth. Finally add the rest of the ingredients (orange zest, rum extract, cinnamon andsalt) and give it a final round of mixing.
Take the baking dish (I like to use ceramic pie dish), oil it generously so the cake mix doesn't stick to it during the baking, pour the cake mix into the dish and pop into the oven for 25 minutes.
The cake will rise and become kinda cracked on top when done, but to be 100% sure it's baked, you can just gently stick a thootpick in the middle of the cake - there should be some sticky batter leftover on it, but it cannot be too thin or watery.
After you take the cake out of the oven, give it 10 minutes to rest and cool down, then it's ready to serve.
Sprinkle with some powdered sugar before serving.