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Lana Mihajlović posted an update
Level:
Sous Chef
A Letter in Green Ink
#PlatingChallenge
Profile: Amateur
Type: Appertizer
Ingredients: Cucumbers; Spinach; Greek yogurt; Olive oil; Lemon juice; Caper buds; Spring onion; Salt and pepper
Story about „A Letter in Green Ink“
Today, I present a plate of silence and light — a chilled gazpacho of cucumber, spinach, and Greek yogurt, with just a few caper buds that seem to have wandered in from a Mediterranean dream.
This dish didn’t come from hunger, but from longing. I wanted to create something that would refresh, but also comfort. Something that feels like a summer morning before the heat rises, with the window wide open and the curtains moving as if they’re breathing. Gazpacho seemed like a song to be sung softly — nothing loud, nothing forceful.
Why this dish?
Because today, I needed lightness. Not in calories, but in emotion. Cucumber and spinach came together in one note — like a green heart. The Greek yogurt added creamy closeness, like a palm against a cheek. A few drops of lemon juice brought sparkle, and the caper buds — those tiny, salty kisses from the sea — were my whisper in the dish. I didn’t want many of them, just enough to remind you that life isn’t always gentle, but that’s why it can be so wondrous.What was the hardest part?
The hardest part was not overloading the plate. Resisting the urge to add, tweak, embellish. The art is knowing when to stop. When the essence is more beautiful than the decoration. When the plate doesn’t tell its story with spices, but with feeling.What did I love most?
That it all came together quickly, yet stayed with me for hours. The feeling as I served it — gently, as if laying petals on porcelain. The scent of freshness as you lean in. And that first spoonful that doesn’t ask for applause, but for closed eyes and a smile. No fanfare, no meaty drama or expensive production. Just nature, coolness, and a little salt from the caper brine to remind us that life is better when it’s delicious, but not complicated.This dish is like a song in a language you know by heart, but forgot until you heard it again. A fleeting moment of silence in the chaos of the day. It’s the green letter I sent to myself, with the message: This is enough. You are enough.
Agata Imirowicz, Kim pho and 4 others18 Comments-
Level:
Scoolinary Team
Lana, what a beautiful share-from the dish itself to the story behind it. It feels very personal, like a quiet pause in the middle of the noise.
The combination of cucumber, spinach, and yogurt sounds super fresh and comforting, and visually you created a very balanced plate, full of calm, with those small touches (like the white dots and onion flowers) that catch the eye without feeling overdone.The way you presented the concept made me wonder: how did you find the right balance between the visual and the emotional? I really appreciate that you resisted the urge to over-decorate. Sometimes less truly is more, and that comes through here.
Thanks for sharing something so honest and thoughtful! Have you considered creating more “letters” in different colors? It would be really exciting to see how you keep developing this poetic way of cooking. ❤️
Level:
Scoolinary Team
Lana, what a beautiful share—from the dish itself to the story behind it. It feels very personal, like a quiet pause in the middle of the noise.
The combination of cucumber, spinach, and yogurt sounds super fresh and comforting, and visually you created a very balanced plate, full of calm, with those small touches (like the white dots and onion flowers) that catch the eye without feeling overdone.
The way you presented the concept made me wonder: how did you find the right balance between the visual and the emotional? I really appreciate that you resisted the urge to over-decorate. Sometimes less truly is more, and that comes through here.
Thanks for sharing something so honest and thoughtful! Have you considered creating more “letters” in different colors? It would be really exciting to see how you keep developing this poetic way of cooking. ❤️
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@undefined Thank you so much for such a gentle and thoughtful comment — it truly touched me. 💚
The balance between the visual and the emotional actually comes from a quiet place, when I allow myself to listen to the dish instead of shaping it according to some pre-imagined aesthetic. When I cook this way, everything becomes simple — the colors, textures, scents, and memories find their place on the plate naturally.
That “less is more” feeling was very important to me here, especially because Gazpacho, for me, isn’t just physical refreshment, but also a pause for the soul. That’s why I wanted it to keep that calmness and have space to breathe.
The idea of “letters” in different colors completely excites me! Thank you for suggesting it — I’m already turning shades over in my head and thinking about which emotions go with which colors. It could be a beautiful, edible journey. 💌-
Level:
Scoolinary Team
@lanamihajlovic I love how you associate gazpacho with a pause for the soul , that image is just as powerful as the dish itself. And how lovely that you’re already thinking about new “letters”!
I’m sure this edible journey will be just as exciting for you as it will be for those of us lucky enough to witness it. Thank you for sharing this honest and beautiful part of your process!❤️
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It looks so fresh and amazing🤩
It looks so fresh and amazing🤩
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@Valentina Gurau thank you dear ❤️
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Level:
Executive Chef
I have been looking at your green ink letter for a while and it has given me peace. If you take a deep breath looking at the photos, you can almost feel the freshness of the gazpacho in your throat.
Beautiful Lana, and I am sure it is delicious. I’m going to save it with your permission because I have to try it😍.
As always, your stories wonderful. I think you should write a book because you have talent to spare😉.
Level:
Executive Chef
Me he quedado un rato mirando tu Carta de tinta verde y me ha dado paz. Si respiras hondo mirando las fotos, casi llegas a sentir ese frescor del gazpacho en la garganta.
Precioso Lana, y estoy segura que está riquísimo. La voy a guardar con tu permiso porque tengo que probarlo😍
Como siempre, tus relatos maravillosos. Creo que deberías escribir un libro porque talento te sobra😉
2a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@undefined What a beautiful message — thank you from the bottom of my heart! 💚 Just imagining someone feeling peace through a simple photo or a few words means the world to me. I guess sometimes the color and simplicity can really have an effect on us. Of course you can save it — it would be an honor to know it found a place in your kitchen.
I mostly write for clients, within marketing and copywriting, but I always take the chance to write something of my own, outside of that. It’s that side of me that still loves to daydream, without a brief or a deadline 🙂 As for the book… maybe one day, with support like this, I’ll gather the courage to actually write it. 😊✨
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Level:
Scoolinary Team
@loles-mhotmail-com I agree with EVERYTHING you wrote
Level:
Scoolinary Team
@loles-mhotmail-com Coincido con TODITO lo que escribiste
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Executive Chef
This letter with green ink is hypnotic, I can’t stop looking at the plate, it’s beautiful. And the freshness pierces the screen… so much for that summer breeze, which I love to feel on my face, but makes me tuck in the sheet. 🥰🥰🥰🥰 #twinsisters
Level:
Executive Chef
Esta carta con tinta verde es hipnótica, no puedo dejar de mirar el plato, es precioso. Y la frescura traspasa la pantalla… hasta aquí ha llegado esa brisa veraniega, que me encanta sentir en la cara, pero hace que me arrope con la sábana. 🥰🥰🥰 #twinsisters
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@Beatriz Torija Bea, you know that whenever you write something like this, I instantly want to serve you another bowl. That gaze of yours, piercing the screen, and that breeze that both cools you and tucks you in—that’s so you. The gazpacho loves you. And I love you even more.
#twinsisters forever 💚
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a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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@lanamihajlovic I only know you from these posts and from the class we share, but I read you with illusion since the first day and I don’t think you are just enough, you are much more than that. It shows in your stories, but also in the delicacy and elegance of your dishes. A hug!
@lanamihajlovic sólo te conozco por estos post y por la clase que compartimos, pero te leo con ilusión desde el primer día y no me parece que seas sólo suficiente, eres mucho más que eso. Se ve en tus historias, pero también en la delicadeza y la elegancia de tus platos. Un abrazo!
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@Carolina Alvarez Santín My dear Carolina, reading your words gave me that quiet shiver in my chest—the kind you feel when someone truly sees you, not just on the outside, but from inside.
Through the dish, through the story, through the things I sometimes can’t even put into words—you felt it. Your warmth reached me exactly where it was needed.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart… Sending you a big hug ❤️😘
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I’m glad to hear it. I’m here if you need me!
Me alegro. Aquí me tienes si me necesitas!
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Scoolinary Team
When we finally gather all of your texts and dishes, we’ll have a new kind of Library of Alexandria – one where recipes are written in emotion and plated in poetry. ✨📚ALetter in Green Ink is a quiet masterpiece. A dish that doesn’t shout – it breathes. The way you translated longing into flavor is deeply moving, and the restraint you mention? That’s artistry. That’s trust in your ingredients, and in your story.
Isn’t it amazing how certain dishes don’t just feed the body, but mirror the soul? What inspired the balance between the creamy yogurt and the sea-kissed caper buds – was it always there, or did it reveal itself while blending?
This gazpacho doesn’t need applause. Just a spoon and a moment of stillness.
Please share this luminous moment on your socials and tag us: @scoolinary_en & @davidjrickett 💚🌿Level:
Scoolinary Team
When we finally gather all of your texts and dishes, we’ll have a new kind of Library of Alexandria — one where recipes are written in emotion and plated in poetry. ✨📚A Letter in Green Ink is a quiet masterpiece. A dish that doesn’t shout — it breathes. The way you translated longing into flavor is deeply moving, and the restraint you mention? That’s artistry. That’s trust in your ingredients, and in your story.
Isn’t it amazing how certain dishes don’t just feed the body, but mirror the soul? What inspired the balance between the creamy yogurt and the sea-kissed caper buds — was it always there, or did it reveal itself while blending?
This gazpacho doesn’t need applause. Just a spoon and a moment of stillness.
Please share this luminous moment on your socials and tag us: @scoolinary_en & @davidjrickett 💚🌿
1a year agoTranslated from Spanish
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Level:
Sous Chef
@undefined Thank you so much for these beautiful words. Truly, your comments are like poetry that gently fits into every bite. 💚✨
“A Letter in Green Ink” wasn’t just a recipe, it was really a story that was waiting to be written through smells and flavors. The balance between the creamy yogurt and the capers was like a conversation with myself—something that had always been there, but only when the ingredients came together did I feel like everything was in its place. It was like a quiet discovery, like searching for the word that perfectly describes a feeling.
Sometimes, a dish just needs to breathe, like a moment of silence that reminds us everything is alright. 🌿
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Looks very good indeed! 😻
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Level:
Sous Chef
@Agata Imirowicz Thank you ❤️
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