Remember how I made the delicious farmers cheese? Farmers cheese is an Eastern European version of ricotta cheese except it first curdles at room temperature to start off the fermentation process and then finished with the help of some heat. It really is best for your digestive system due to lactic acid bacteria which guards your healthy [Continue Reading…]
Nutella Cardamon Rolls
During the colder months when the wind is beating against the house and the trees around us are groaning and aching under the strain, nothing calms my nerves in quite the same way as freshly baked Nutella Cardamon Rolls. Any season, any time of day and night these sweet and airy pastries will work. But, somehow, wintertime and especially [Continue Reading…]
Pomegranate Bracelet Salad
Now, every year I get crazy excited seeing the boxes full of big, bright red pomegranates in the grocery stores. They are my fall and winter power fruits. The juicy little bursts of ruby pomegranate seeds are so pretty, I wish I could have them as jewelry. An edible jewelry, like this Pomegranate Bracelet Salad! This salad blows [Continue Reading…]
Rustic Smoked and Sour Soup – Solyanka
Solyanka is a traditional Russian rustic smoked and sour soup, where a surprising combination of smoked meats and acidic liquids come together. What gives this soup its ultra fab smoky flavor are the hard rock variety of smoked meats like ham, salami, sausage and bacon, while the pickles, olives and lemon juice bring out the mild tartness. [Continue Reading…]
Classic Russian Dumplings – Pelmeni
If you haven’t noticed, I’m on a roll with all things wrapped in dough these days. Remember the manty and vareniki earlier this week? This time it’s the Siberian Pelmeni – one of the most classic and delicious Russian dumplings filled with a mix of ground meat. Unlike vareniki, pelmeni are always made with ground meat. Although any [Continue Reading…]
Two Filling Pierogies – Vareniki
As a little girl I used to spend lots of time at my grandparents’ place. Among all the beautiful memories I’ve kept from that time there’s my grandmothers’ cooking. Even now, when I close my eyes, I can still smell and taste all the delicious meals she cooked for us. Vareniki was one of my [Continue Reading…]
Uzbek Steamed Dumplings – Manti
These Uzbek Steamed Dumplings – Manti are the bomb! I could hardly wait to take them out of the steamer and sink my teeth into one, not to mention I had to wait to take pictures! It was torture, pure torture! But now all is good in the world again. I had my Manti with a big scoop [Continue Reading…]
Russian Favorite Salad – Olivye
It’s Monday, and it’s always fun to begin a week with something super decadent. Traditional, rich and slow-motion-in-front-of-you awesome. Like this Russian Favorite Salad – Olivye, which basically represents your new favorite potato salad! Olivye has been and always will be a staple at our family gatherings. We make it with bologna, ham, beef, chicken or simply vegetarian. Just looking at this [Continue Reading…]
Bolete Mushroom Foraging and Zhulien
Fall is synonymous with apple picking, but have you tried mushroom foraging? Back home, mushroom hunting and preserving is a national pastime. Here in Ontario, come autumn, summer’s mountain-bike riders and bushwalkers are replaced by Eastern European families, who arrive with barbecues, baskets and an eye for fungi. Their motivation is not only a chance to [Continue Reading…]
Fluffy Squash Pancakes
Nothing warms my soul like fluffy, golden brown, cozy and delicious squash pancakes on a cold autumn morning. And the fact that there is a fluffy squash pancake batter waiting for me in the fridge at the very moment that I type this is just completely tempting and distracting. Write. Focus, focus, focus. Also, there’s [Continue Reading…]