Category Archives: Desserts & Sweets

Strawberry Bruschetta

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During strawberry season I try to make this quick and easy refreshing snack of strawberries, which is perfect for a lunchtime picnic or brunch with friends and family. Sweet strawberries with cream cheese and a pleasant tartness of balsamic, what a nice combo! Instead of goat cheese try to add mascarpone cheese or ricotta. (more…)...
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Easter Cake (Kulich)

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Kulich is a Easter bread-like cake that is traditional in the Orthodox Christian faith. Kulich is shaped like a cylinder, often prepared with raisins and decorated with powdered sugar or glaze on top. Spices like vanilla, cardamom, and nutmeg are often added. Traditionally after the Easter service, Kulich, Paskha (cottage cheese cake) and colored eggs are blessed by the priest. This...
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Chocolate Pudding with Guinness

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This rich, smooth chocolate pudding with homemade whipped cream is always a treat and easy to whip up, much better than boxed pudding mix. The ingredients below will yield one large glass of pudding, if you want you can divide it into smaller containers. Instead of Nutella, you can add 1 tbsp of chopped hazelnuts....
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Pavlova

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January 26 is the official national day in Australia called appropriately - Australia Day. So I decided to cook a delicious meringue-based dessert with berries that's especially popular in New Zealand and Australia. This cake was actually created in honor of the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. There are several versions of how and why this cake was created...
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Vatrushka with Tvorog (Quark) and Raisins

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Vatrushka with tvorog (quark) is a popular in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia (Slavic) made from round soft sweet pastry buns that are open on top and filled typically filled with trovge in the middle, along with raisins or dried fruit. Tvorog (quark) is a type of fresh dairy product, dictionaries usually translate it as curd cheese, cottage cheese or...
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Blueberry Peach Tart

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Deliciously sweet and slightly sour tart topped with a bounty of fresh peaches and blueberries, it's a true taste of the season and easy to prepare. Even on the next day it stays tasty, so you can eat it cold or slightly warmed up in the microwave. Serve with tea or milk for breakfast, or as a dessert with cream...
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Madeleine Cookies with Lavender

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Another option for Madeleine cookies, this time with lavender flowers. Usually I don't make large portions of these cookies but if you have left overs, just warm them up in a microwave the next day. Or just cook half and cover the rest of the dough and leave in the refrigerator until the next day....
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Sunflower Kozinaki

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Another Slavic sweet and easy recipe from my childhood that can be prepared quickly from sunflower seeds or nuts. Kozinaki (Gozinaki) are Georgian and Armenian sweets with walnuts and honey, traditionally prepared for the New Year and Christmas. Instead of walnuts they can be made from hazelnuts, sunflower seeds or sesame seeds. It's definitely kid's favorite!...
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Buns with Poppy Seeds and Raisins

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I baked similar buns with my mom and grandmother on holidays or just for breakfast. We also made poppy seeds pirozhki and rolls so if you do not want to mess with each bun, you can roll out the dough, add poppy seeds and raisins for the filling and wrap the roll. Buns can be stored for...
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