Fresh Pumpkin Pie || SKOC

Ooh Gotta love that pumpkin. To be honest, buying this pumpkin was a random in the spur of the moment thing. I impulse buy sometimes. In fact this whole recipe is a result of impulse buying and baking.
The spring-form pan,
The actual baking of this pie.
All of it was impulse.
I live life on the edge. (Sarcasm)

I was actually presently surprised that it turned out good! Haha! I'm not doing a great job at selling this recipe to you now am I?

I live in the Netherlands so I actually had to bake the pumpkin from scratch.
Except the crust. That I bought from the store.
I should have made that from scratch though because it was too dry.
I am not American so this of course is not a traditional recipe. I just wanted to try it out.

Oh and a side note, I tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks for the first time and... it was very OK. haha! I would pick having an actual pumpkin pie over the PSL. I just don't get it.

I got the inspiration for this recipe from here!

So, here it is. my version of a fresh pumpkin pie.

Ingredients:
1 Small Medium Pumpkin
1 Can Condensed Milk
1 tbsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 tsp Salt
Store bought Pie Crust (Or use a recipe like this. If you have the time and patience I strongly suggest making the crust from scratch.)

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 175C/400F
2. Cut the pumpkin in half. Seed it. Spray the pumpkin with your choice of cooking oil. Bake until softened. (30-40 minutes).
3. While you wait for the pumpkin to cool, Line the spring-form pan/pie pan with the pie crust.
4. When the pumpkin has cooled, mash in up until its soft and smooth.
5. Add the can of condensed milk. and mix until smooth.
6. Whisk the two eggs and add the to the pumpkin mixture.
7. Add all the spices and salt.
8. Pour the mixture in the dish and cook for 30-45 minutes. The best way to check if it is completely cooked is to insert a knife in the middle. If it comes out smooth, it is ready.
9. Leave the pie to completely cool.
10. Serve cold! (or heat it u if you're into that.) Just a tip, this pie is best the next day :)

And voila! The pie is ready :)

Do add or remove ingredients as you wish.
Cooking is not a science.
Cooking is an art for the rebellious.
Go crazy you rebel!

I hope you all have been loving the fall season. It's one of my favorite times of the year.
I love the food and fashion that comes with fall! (Not crazy about the shorter days though.)
What do you love about fall?
Let me know! Tweet me @ojzzz 

Xx

Rati :)

Check out my latest YouTube video here! I talk about being 23!

I Took A Walk.

2014, you've got 3 more months left, but I must admit, I feel like you have been kicking my butt a lot.

Many personal things have happened from the start of this year. Some things deeply personal, which I have shared only with my family and somethings which I have shared with some of my closest friends.

So, I decided to take a walk.
To think about things.

It's interesting that the older you get the more you learn about humans.

You learn things about trust.

You things about loyalty.
You learn to see things from a broader perspective.
And mostly, I've learned to see the good in every situation.

I remember as a kid I was speaking to this young adult and I told him: "I can't wait to be older!!"

I was exasperated with my parents because I wanted the freedom and liberty of being an adult and making decisions.

The guy told me immediately "No, No, NO! You do not want to grow up! Enjoy being a kid. Being an adult SUCKS!"

Well, I'm here to tell you that he was wrong.

Yes, the older you get, the more responsibilities you have.
The more you learn about the world and how cruel and unkind people can be.
You see how unfair life is sometimes.

But even with all those things; there is still beauty and good.

Things do suck sometimes.
People may also suck.
And on some days, life just feels out of control.

But you have to see the good in it all. You have to make like beautiful for yourself.
So I took a walk to be alone and remind myself  "I am ok. It will all be ok."

So if you're going through a rough week, month, year or decade; I'm here to tell you that it will be ok. 

Try to look for the sparks of goodness in every situation and you will begin to notice them more often.
Those sparks will eventually become brighter and brighter.

If you find yourself being overwhelmed by life, I encourage you to:
Take a break. Go and take a walk.

Xx

Rati

Eggplant Lasagna: The Mission to find the World's Best Lasagna.

If there was one type of food I could only eat for the rest of my life it would be LASAGNA!

Any kind of lasagna. 

Seriously, I love lasagna.

I'm on a mission to find the world's best lasagna.

argh, how many times can one person say lasagna in one post. (Pre-warning: it will be a LOT!)

I was talking to Maxulia (Check out their blog. They are the coolest people with a pretty awesome online space). So, about two nights ago we somehow got to talking about my love for lasagna. It came up briefly in conversation. Julia, (She is half of Maxulia), then asked me what my favorite type of lasagna is... and I didn't have an exact answer.

So here I am experimenting with lasagna to find out my favorite recipe.

I have to admit, about 4 months ago, I was so nervous about even trying to make lasagna. I have to thank my friend Petra for showing me how simple (but really involving) it is.

There is going to be many more lasagna recipes here in the future. I will experiment with anything edible. I'm quite excited. (Nutella lasagna anyone? Eww? No? Ok.)

And yes, to me, a good lasagna beats pizza... it even beats a good burger. And a like a good burger.

This recipe is pretty simple.

It's a perfect meal for two.

Start off with pre-heating your oven to 375F/190C.

Then grab:

1. 1/2 a medium sized Eggplant. Chopped the way you like it.
2. A handful of Broccoli.
3. 3 tablespoons of Sweet Corn.
4. A handful of Green Beans.

In a non stick pan, put enough olive oil to cook. (Enough for me is 1 tbsp or less. But do as you please. Live life on the edge. Be a rebel. With the olive oil that is.)

Toss the Eggplant in the pan until cooked. Then add the rest of the veggies and toss them till they are just cooked but still crispy. (That is just my preference. I hate overcooked veggies.)

Next, add about 1/2 a cup of Tomato Puree.

Make sure that it is enough to cover all the veggies and still is liquid-y. (Is that even a word?). Just make sure there is more than enough to cover the veggies.

Side note: I added Sriracha. Best hot sauce out there.

And a side note to the side note: My tomato puree is pre-flavored. If yours isn't, do add some Italian Spice mix and a bit of salt. Even pop in a clove of garlic and an onions with the veggies.

Grab a dish that is big enough. 

What is big enough?

Well, I used a round dish that is big enough for two. (Or one really, REALLY, hungry person.)

For the lasagna layering, use whichever brand of lasagna pasta you want. (Yes you rebel. You have free will!). The one pictured above is my favorite brand of no pre-cook lasagna pasta sheets. LONG LIVE BARILLA!

Now its time to build your lasagna. This is how the layers go:

1. Spread the Eggplant Veggie Mix. 
2. Sprinkle cut up slices of your favorite Cheese. (I like that old strong cheese. That Aged Gouda or Gruyere. YES!). Put as much cheese as what makes you happy.
3. Cover with a layer of lasagna Pasta Sheets. (If you used a round dish like me, this may be the most challenging part of this whole recipe. They need to invent rounded lasagna noodles.)

Repeat this until the dish is full.

Make sure to finish the last layer with the Eggplant Veggie Mix and cheese on top.

Take about a 1/4 cup of water and pour it around the edges. This extra liquid will help it cook better.

Pop it in the oven for 45 minutes.

NOTE: Turn the dish around halfway through cook time. Also check the dish after 30 minutes. It might need more or less time depending on your oven and the types of pasta sheets you used.

If your dish isn't quite cooked yet but the top is already getting too brown. Just cover the top with foil paper and let it bake until it's ready.

While I waited, I cleared up the kitchen and went outside to enjoy the last few days of sunshine and warmth.

Then VOILA!!!

The lasagna is ready.

It's the perfect meal for two. 

I served it with some salad on the side. YUMMY!!

I hope you give the recipe a try. If you do, let me know in the comments.

Also let me know, what type of food you would eat for the rest of your life if you could only eat one thing?

If you liked this recipe and post, please like and share it.

You can also subscribe to my blog to know when I post some new things.

Enjoy!

Xx

Rati :)

P.S. I wrote lasagna 19 times... OK now 20 times. You're lucky this wasn't a drinking game :D haha.

P.P.S. As you cook, add and remove as much things as you want. Cooking is an art for the rebellious. Do what you want to make it as tasty for you as you want. There are no rules.

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Road Trip to Germany || #Summer

A week ago I was lucky enough to go on a fun impromptu road trip from Eindhoven in the Netherlands through to the Cologne and Bonn areas in Germany. I love travelling, road trips and little spontaneous getaways. I went away for 4 days both by carpooling/hitchhiking and trains.

On the first day, I arrived in Cologne and it was pouring. Of course, as my luck would have it, I didn't have my umbrella or any cover from the rain. But it didn't spoil my good mood. I have been to Cologne before, but I still spent several hours rediscovering the city exploring the city a little bit.

Day two of the trip was really fun. We woke up with the intention to go another city by train, but on the way there, we saw a broken castle up on a hill/mountain and decided to get off the next train stop (Konigwinter) to climb to the top.

It was the best idea ever!!! 

I was not wearing hiking clothes or shoes, the road was muddy and halfway to the top it started raining SO MUCH! We were lucky to be near a shed and had to wait under it for about 30 minutes. It was hilarious. Just imagine ten adults huddled under a small shed to stay somewhat dry!

After the rain stopped, we continued on up. The views were amazing! The river Rhine is beautiful. We got to the top and took pictures and just took in the amazing view.

The next day, we went on a 3 hour hiking adventure in Bad Honnef at the nature park near to where we were staying. I absolutely love hiking. The feeling of getting to the top and being lost and surrounded by nature is so exhilarating to me.

On the final day early in the morning I headed back to Cologne by train. From there I connected with a
driver for carpooling back to Eindhoven. On this trip I  used BlaBlaCar.com for carpooling for the first time and its really great!



Germany is beautiful! I can't wait to go on another road trip to see other parts of it. Berlin is on my Wishlist!

My summer this year has been a fun adventure and its still going. I literally have no plans but everyday something fun and new happens. I have not been bored at all. Like Louis from FunForLouis would say, "Peace out, Enjoy Life and Live the Adventure"!

How is your summer going so far? What are you keeping busy with?

I love hearing from you in the comments!

Xx

Rati :)