Cooking with friends is so much fun!

Weather is still VERY cold, days short and the craving for sunlight is ever growing!
It's a common fact that sunlight and depression are negatively correlated but the good things of life are there to cheer us up, and I'm referring to high-carb diets ;) but also to being surrounded by people you appreciate and care for.

Yesterday a friend came over and we cooked dinner together! We've discussed the menu the evening before and it consisted or 'Moroccan Meat Balls', warm pepper/tomato salad (chekchouka) and... a banana bread or most properly Bananenbrot plus mini-Daim's! ;)


Moroccan Meat Balls
400 g ground beef
50 cl tomato juice
1 ground clove of gralic
1 tbsp parlsey
1 tsp cumin (+ 1 tsp for the beef)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp grated onion
a pinch of safran
Sal & pepper

Combine beef with cumin + onion + safran and let rest.
In a sauce pan, combine tomato sauce, oil and spices. Let simmer for 15 minutes under a moderate. In the meantime, make 2cm-diameter meat ball and add them to the sauce. Let cook for 10 more minutes and serve.


Pepper and Tomato Warm Salad
2 bell peppers (green and red)
2 medium tomatoes cut in cubes
1 grated clove of garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Place the peppers in a heated over (200°C) for 15 minutes. Take out of the over and place in a zip-lock plastic back for 5 to 10 minutes. This will allow the peel to be removed easily. Cut the peeled peppers in small squares (1cm). Place in a sauce pan together with the tomatoes, garlic spices and oil. Let cook under moderate heat for about 15 minutes and serve.


Bananenbrot
http://www.chefkoch.de/rezepte/436051135187994/Schnelles-Bananenbrot-kuchen.html
70 g butter or margarine
150 g sugar
1 lemon zest
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
2 mashed ripe bananas
250 g all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla sugar

Mix together butter, sugar, salt and lemon zest briefly with the mixer. Add the eggs and mashed bananas and mix. Add flour mixed with baking powder, stir only briefly.
Pour batter into a rectangular mold (25 cm) bake for about 45-50 minutes. The bread (cake) tastes best warm, served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream :) and to indulge while watching 'Fiding Nemo'.

My personal touch: place 8 Milka squares evenly on top of the dough as you place the mold in the over. This is what i actually did today! It tastes like heaven! mmm

Music suggestion: KT Tunstall: Eye To The Telescope ((c) 2004, Virgin Recods Ltd.)