Torrijas (Spanish recipe for Easter)

Semana Santa (Easter week) is one of the main holidays in Spain, so it's no wonder that there are many traditional recipes prepared specially for it. One of the popular sweets is torrijas, a dish similar to the British bread pudding. This recipe is quite easy and requires no oven, just a stove top and the main ingredient: stale bread.

The Spanish call for "pan del día anterior", or bread from the previous day, any kind of loaf of bread can be used, I will use a normal baguette that has been sitting the entire day and has dried quite a lot. Stale bread is preferred because it absorbs the milk without breaking apart.

Strawberry Panna Cotta & Passion Fruit Jelly Cups

Valentine's Day is almost here and if you prefer having a nice romantic dinner at home, I suggest you to try this easy, light and delectable dessert: Strawberry panna cotta and passion fruit jelly cups. You can make this dessert ahead, it's quick, you can adapt it to your favorite flavors, although I think strawberry and passion fruit is a great combination and they just match so perfectly with the theme of Valentine's day!

Click or scroll down to watch video on Four-Eyed Cook's Youtube channel!

The strawberry panna cotta is creamy, rich and fruity (think of a strawberry creamsicle!); while the passion fruit jelly adds a bit of fresh tanginess, just perfect to end a lovely evening with your significant other. Also, if your other half isn't fond of chocolate (I know mine isn't!), this type of dessert is a good alternative to keep things valentine's-y and sweet without the chocolate overdose.

This recipe yields about 500 ml, so it's perfect for two servings in 250 ml cups, although the one's I used were quite small yogurt cups of 100 ml each, so I got five small servings.

Cauliflower Béchamel sauce (dairy-free, gluten-free)

Incorporating healthy ingredients into international classic dishes like a pasta with Béchamel sauce (also known as white sauce) can be quite the struggle.

During the holidays I find myself cooking comfort foods too often, so when I decided to take on the challenge of incorporating veggies into pasta without my younger siblings noticing, I thought I make up with a genius idea: making a mock white-sauce out of cauliflower. Little I knew, that it is already a quite popular susbtitute for the classic Béchamel, and many chefs have already been using it.

So even though it is not a new invention, I'm still quite proud of my very own recipe, it is very simple, requires very few ingredients, and my fussy eaters didn't even notice the change.

Use this Cauliflower sauce as a substitute of Béchamel or white sauce 

It is also the perfect sauce for dairy-free and gluten-free diets, I used dairy-free margarine, but you can use olive oil if you prefer.

This cauliflower Béchamel sauce can be used in a variety of dishes: macaroni, lasagna, gratins... (just like the regular white sauce). So do try this recipe at home!

Halloween Orange Jack-o-Lantern Whoopie Pies (box mix)

Whether you like preparing your own Halloween treats for handing them out to trick-or-treaters, or you are hosting a Halloween party at home, or are going to a party at your friend's house, making your own simple Halloween treats can be a fun way to break the ice.

Click to watch video on YouTube or scroll down

These Jack-o-Lantern whoopie pies are perfect for handing out or as a treat for any Halloween themed party. They are bite-sized, sweet and spooky!

Creamy Pumpkin (Kabocha Squash) and Carrot Soup

Autumn is here! It's Pumpkin season and the recipe for this creamy pumpkin and carrot soup is quick and easy, making it a deliciously great comfort-dish that will get you into the autumn mood. I have fond memories of pumpkin soup, as it was a quick and nutritious dinner for cold, rainy nights during my days as a student.

Orange and White Chocolate Whoopie Pies

Whoopie Pies are a fun way to eat cake, they look like macarons, but are soft and spongy! A cute bite-sized treat that can fit in lunchboxes, and they are so easy to make! Way easier than getting the perfect cake plus frosting. They take only 10 minutes in the oven, prepping and mixing them is easy peasy, and the filling can be made while they are baking.

These Orange whoopie pies with White chocolate ganache filling are fragrant and versatile, as you can substitute the orange flavour with any other flavour you like, such as lemon or vanilla! The filling can be made even easier if you just use Nutella!

So see the recipe below now!

4 ingredient Quesillo (Condensed milk flan recipe)

Lately the Condensed Milk flan has been a hot topic, as many recipes have been surfacing the Internet, and people from different countries which have had Spanish influence, such as Brazil, Philippines and Venezuela are claiming that they all have slightly differing versions and that each one's is the best.

Click or scroll down to watch video recipe on Four-Eyed Cook's Youtube channel!

(music from freeSFX.co.uk)

While, I cannot claim that the recipe I use is the best, I certainly love the result, and it's unbelievably easy to make, you'll only need 4 ingredients that are readily available anywhere, so I really hope you give this a go.