Cabbage and Carrot Salad

Fresh and tasty. This is not a recipe from my grandad's book but I had to share it with you. You simply have to try it!! We often use a combination of cabbage and carrot in salads, but not with mint. Simple recipe with such a special and exotic flavor.

Rum Punch

Perfect for this holiday season. With rum, pineapple juice and cinnamon....who can resist this lovely combination of tastes?

Thumbprint Cherry Cookies

It's that time of the year. The cookies season :) I made these in a lent version, I used margarine instead of butter. They turned out a bit flat but still tasty.

Mushroom Soup

Winter is the soup season. Nothing's better than a warm soup to welcome you at home after a long day. This soup is really simple and tasty and everyone will like it.

Homemade Whole Wheat Bagels

Bagels are my favorite breakfast. With some cheese, tea or jam. This is the first time I'm making them at home. And I made a healthy version using whole wheat flour and some flax seed. They are tasty and crunchy and not to mention that perfect baking smell in the house.

Apple Cake

Very simple recipe for a delicious apple cake. It's easy to make and even easier to eat :) It has no dairy products or eggs so people fasting can try it.

Stale-Bread Pizza

I don't like throwing bread away . Even when it's very old I take it to the balcony so the birds can eat it. This is a great recipe for when you have some bread that is a couple of days old, and, of course, for when you don't feel like making the pizza dough and still would like some pizza taste :)

Banana bread!

This is one of the recipes that turns out perfect every time I make it. It's soft, tasty and smells delicious. The banana gives the perfect softness to the bread and does not allow it to dry, so you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of days and it will remain tasty and soft. 

Cheese Muffins

The original recipe wasn't made in muffin pan, but I love muffins so much that I made a change. These muffins are so delicious that after I tried them, they are now part of our regular cooking. With basil and cheese they are perfect for breakfast or dinner, or any part of the day :)

Превртена торта од јаболка / Upside-Down Apple Cake

Вкусна торта од јаболка. Додатете рум, мускатно оревче и секако цимет. Превкусно. Многу ми е убава комбинацијата јаболко со цимет, а и кому не? Исто е добра како комбинацијата на сирење и босилек или ванила и чоколадо, тиква - мед или домат-сирење. Го сакам овој рецепт бидејќи не бара многу планирање, а резултатот е вкусен.

Piroshky Made of Crepes

This is a recipe from the Russian cuisine. It can be served as a starter or (as I like it) as a delicious breakfast. Is there any better way to start the day than with these warm cheesy pies. I made some changes to the recipe. For example I added some basil in the cheese and some Parmesan in the eggs. In time you will come up with you own favorite version. Anyway they are tasty and very easy to make.

Apples in Rum

Apples go perfectly with this season, with rain, yellow leaves and warm clothes. I live in a region where people grow apples so I love them. When I was little we used to have an apple orchard and we used to go apple picking in October, so apples remind me of my childhood. This is an easy recipe that's done in 10 minutes. The rum goes perfectly with the apples and the cream. Perfection.

Pumpkin Preserves

Winter preparation includes pumpkin jams, preserves... Pumpkin in any form keeps you warm when it's cold. This recipe is something I've always wanted to try. Pumpkin with sugar, some lemon and walnuts. It's perfect combination of tastes.

Pumpkin Soup

I am especially proud of my pumpkin soup. Everyone at home liked it. I think I'm going to have to make it very often now. It's very easy to make, but it tastes like you had spent all day in the kitchen.

Blackberry Pie!

I think that baking is as essential as heating the house when it's cold outside. Nothing is more comforting than a home that smells of something being baked, of cinnamon, of vanilla. This is a simple recipe and it takes very little time to be prepared, but it is tasty and smells like a warm night at home when it's rainy outside :)

Homemade Ravioli

I love Italian food. The pasta, the pizza, the wine...everything. I had never tried to make homemade pasta but it was a wish. This ravioli recipe seemed simple and easy enough to follow. And the final result was........ absolutely delicious.

Chicken and Pork Casserole

I love cooking in a good company. I tried this recipe with a little help from my dad. He's an excellent cook, I don't know if i have mentioned that. Oh, yes, he is. So we did the cooking together.
If you love meat, as I do, and if you like cheese, as I do, this is the perfect recipe for you.

Ham and Cheese Crepes

I love this photo :)

We are used to eating crepes with jam or honey, but every time we have them at home I take one and have it with cheese.  That's why when I saw this recipe in the book I knew it had to be the next on the list. I made a slight change, though. I added some basil. I love the basil-cheese combination. I couldn't help it :) And the good thing about this recipe is that the longer it stays in the fridge the tastier it is.

Chocolate Pie

I will start with a simple, easy-to-follow but delicious, chocolate pie. I love pies and I love chocolate so this was the perfect choice for my first post. For this recipe you will need

For the dough:

• 150 grams ( 3/4 cup) butter
• 300 grams (1 1/4 cup) flour
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoons cold milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the filling:

• 5 eggs
• 200 grams (3/4 cup) chocolate
• 80 grams (1/4 cup) ground almonds
• Vanilla extract
• Rum
• Some almonds for decoration
  

The Story

Hi! I am Irena Madzarovska, an English teacher and a food lover. I never got to know my Granddad. All I know is that he was the kindest person on earth and… he loved cooking. I’ve heard many stories about his skills in the kitchen. He was such a good cook that all the ladies from the neighborhood used to ask him for recipes and some cooking advice. He died young and never had a chance to meet any of his grandchildren. So the stories about him and the love people that had a chance to meet him feel in their hearts is the only thing that I have from my grandad. 

Looking through some old books I found the cookbook which my grandfather used to use. It’s an old edition published in 1956. I cannot explain the excitement and the warmth I felt in my heart looking at the recipes and my grandfather’s handwriting in all the notes he had written about the recipes. It was almost as if I was meeting him for the first time. So, I decided to start cooking from my granddad's cookbook, to start getting to know him through the food he liked and cooked. OK, here I begin Cooking with my Granddad.