La Kitchen: A New Monthly Kitchen Tour Event {A Guest Post by BlogResipi}

La Cuisine. Or The Kitchen. 

Kitchen is the heart to every household. It is a place where you cook meals, bake a cake, or just make coffee. A place where some of us spend the most (or the least) of their time at. The thing is, whether you are a heavy-cook or not, you still need a place called kitchen-right? No matter how big, small, fancy or simple, every single of them has their own interesting characters. A set of cabinets, appliances, stove, washing basin, pots and pans, and whatnot-every single elements in that room defines your kitchen.

Kitchen is place where recipes are passed down through generations. A place where some of us store our fancy china sets and baking toys. A place where cooks and bakers find their solace and freedom. A place where good food are made.:) 

And to us, as a food blogger, kitchen is definitely our behind-the-scene thing. So with that, let me introduce you to La Kitchen. This is a new blog event features kitchen-related photos and questionaire, and off course, recipes shared by my guest blogger. It will be a monthly event, at the moment, because it is still at early stage. So let's just walk first, and then we run. :)

I've sent few invitations to some bloggers, since the last couple of months, and the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. Many thanks to all of my blogger friends who have agreed to join the event. I hope the sharing will bring better things for all of us. :) 

So let's welcome my first guest blogger, Ijan from Blogresipi. I first came across Ijan's charming site, BlogResipi, through a link on her American Chocolate Cake, a couple of years ago, and I've been hooked to her blog ever since. From sweet to savory to just plain everyday cooking, her site is a really great place to get inspired. Apart from that, the thing I like the most about her blog is her fun family photos and food photography-neat, colorful and graced with her own style. I’m excited she’s sharing her kitchen with us today! Plus a recipe for one of my all-time favorite dessert-Molten Lava Cake! Please welcome Ijan and do check her blog, Blogresipi. 

1. Tell us about yourself and your kitchen. 

I’m a 30 year old mama of an adorable son, a wife to a loving husband, and a just graduated student from a local university in Finland. I love cooking, especially for my beloved ones. I take it as a personal pleasure, creating not only healthy home cooked foods, but also learning to serve it in a beautiful way on the plate. I think it is one way of showing the very much love I have for my family.

I started to blog when I was pregnant for Mikael back in 2009. It was just as a hobby in the very beginning, to keep a record of the foods I tried and cooked for Faiz. Later when the little bundle of joy was brought into our arms, I started to feel like blogging could be a nice online diary of keeping the memories of raising Mikael too. So besides talking about food, I love to include some pictures of Mikael and ourselves, telling stories about the small things happening in our lives. I love living my life with good memories and sense of appreciation in whatever things I do/have. I hope one day when reading the blog, and looking back at old the pictures, it could bring smiles not only Mikael but to everybody who reads it :) 

As I have been an expat in a foreign country for some years, I never had chance to have a kitchen, which I can call my own. The kitchen I have currently is relatively small in size, barely enough to hold my favorite kitchen stuffs and groceries. 

My two sweethearts come and help too sometimes, as it always brings much more fun in the kitchen! 

2. What is your favorite kitchen tool/equipment?

Hmmm, I would say the oven. I love cooking, baking, roasting, grilling in the oven. I think I would easily turn handicap without one :D

3. What are your favorite ingredients to cook with and why? 

The most essential things to have in my kitchen are salt and pepper. But I think this is obviously very basic. So to have another answer to your question, I think ….. I would go for…. Rosemary and lemon. :D 

Then the next question is why? :D well, my husband and son love roasted chicken with rosemary and lemon, very much! They would sit down quietly and finish the food in their plates joyfully. Pretty much every time :) 

I think that would be the best favorite things I would like to have in my kitchen. :)

4. What is the biggest challenge in your kitchen?

I always want more space there! Hehehe….. I want larger cabinets, bigger sink, wider working table to dice my onions and to cut my vegetables! :D :D :D

I can hardly keep all my plates and Green Gate thingy nicely and neatly. Every time trying to get something, I have to dig out from the tiny cabinet that I have, and again, have to arrange everything back as they were before! Phew, it is not very pleasant to do :D Hopefully I could get one fitting my wishes, very soon!:)

5. What type of kitchen would you like in the future? 

The kitchen of my dream… ermmm, now I can start dreaming….zzzz…. hahaha :D I always love one with big space for working, with big glass windows to bring more lights and breeze, and white cabinets and working table. I love white very much :)

6. What is your cooking style?

I like fast ways of cooking. If I’m using meat/chicken, I like to start with searing and finish it in the oven. I also like using less oil whenever possible.

7. What are you cooking for us today? 

I made Molten Lava Cake which is currently becoming a hit among my two sweethearts. I hope the readers would love it as much as we do :) This recipe is very easy to make and fabulous as dessert. You could serve it with your favorite ice cream or fresh strawberries or cherries.

Molten Lava Cake Recipe

Modified from: PaulaDeen@FoodNetwork

Serving: makes 6 cakes

Ingredients

120 grams bittersweet chocolate 

120 grams semisweet chocolate 

150 grams (10 tbsp) butter 

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar 

3 large eggs 

3 egg yolks 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 tablespoons fresh milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 degree Celcius).

Grease 6 (6-ounce) custard/muffin cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave, or in a double boiler. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and milk. Divide the batter evenly among the custard/muffin cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm but the center will be runny. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates. 

Interested to join La Kitchen event? All you need to do is email me your interest (just fill in the "Contact Us" form in below bar) and I'll email you the questionnaire and the guidelines. :) Your kitchen will be queued for coming event! :D