Persimmon&Honey Panna Cotta

Creamy Persimmon&Honey Panna Cotta will become a great weekend breakfast. You'd better cook it in the evening - then you can treat yourself with a tasty dessert in the morning. Of course, if somebody very bright didn't walk into your kitchen at night and didn't regale yourself ahead of time.

The dessert is bright and cheerful and will be a good decoration of a festive table. Light and tender desserts lovers appreciate it, I promise you.

Black currant cupcakes with coconut frosting

Sweet lovers, exult! Today there will be cupcakes. Not ordinary cupcakes. Their originality is thanks for home-made blackcurrant jam, hidden inside, and airy coconut and cream-cheese frosting. They are incredibly tender, aroma and beautiful - the best present for your friends and parents. But don't tell what is hidden inside. Let it be a pleasant surprise!

Green olive baked chicken

Today there will be a chicken recipe. With cherry tomatoes and olives. What should I do if I like it so much? More than that it takes so few actions from you - the oven makes the main work. It's especially actual now. It's time to "walk" your new snow-white skates, skis or even snowboard. Or borrow sleds from your little brother or sister and, happily screaming, slide from the mountain. With snow falling on the face, red cheeks, sparks in the eyes and a big desire to do it once more. All what you want except cooking! Thanks for those people who invented such easy, quick and tasty recipes.

Blini with cottage cheese and cowberry sauce

Who said that blini were made only for Pancake week? That’s not the truth. «Laced» piping hot pancakes with sour cream, honey or fantasy sauce are desired at every season. There are a lot of blini recipes. Most of all I like thin pancakes impregnated with aroma honey and stuffed with home-made cottage cheese − it’s rather good combination! And what about adding bitter-pleasant spicy cowberry sauce?

Cheddar and Cinnamon Apple Hand Pies

There is a special charm in December. The sky is coldly-blue and serene. The air is fresh and frosty, gives a reddish glow to our noses and cheeks. And snow... it falls by pretty snowflakes on the hair. The ashberry shows red, Christmas fairs are at their height. They invite us in a fairy-tale and approach magic Christmas holidays.

It's so cozy at home: favorite rocking-chair, warm plaid, a cup of hot cocoa and pies!

Truffles

Whatever you say getting delicious sweets as a present is always pleasant. It's much more pleasant if sweets are made by your own. Put them in a beautiful wrapping, cord it with a smart ribbon and fasten a post card to it. The addressee will appreciate it. It's so simple to surprise your family, friends and colleagues - you need only a wish for it. Do you have the one on the threshold of Christmas holidays?

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce

Can you tell me what would you do firstly with a plateful of beautiful, suggestively shining dates? I would make a photo - the interest to food photography is clear here. And even stunning aroma and appetizing appearance wouldn't be able to change my crazy intentions. Why crazy? They acquired such characteristic according to my family thoughts. By the way, members of my family don't share my maniac passion of food photo. They don't mind, of course, but nevertheless prefer traditional actions toward food. I'm sure you understood in what way. The same was with sweet-scented dried fruit: they were eaten. Somebody (hm-hm :)) did it without batting an eyelid and as if nothing had happened noticed that I should warn and stop grumbling: a round half-dozen of dates was left! It's better to say ONLY six dates, six lonely dates! This fact should make me feel happy.

Oh, give up being sad. It's time to go on. There won't be a photo of dates plate - you know the reason. But instead of it there will be sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce. It's very aroma and pleasant, and you may eat the sauce with a big spoon.

Treat yourself while I'm ordering the warehouse lock - I'll hang it on the plate next time. And write a note. With red felt-tip pen. To be confident at all :))

21!

It's time to allow some more than usual....

...even hamburger with cutlet, cheese, tomatoes and parsley

Happy Birthday!!!

Plum&Cinnamon bars

I suppose many of us have been still making tasty preserves for winter. And it’s a good thing because a jar of home-made salty cucumbers or tomatoes for a holiday or aroma jam will be desired for a dining table in winter.

Sometimes preserves are coming to the end before the coldest season. And not only because they were made too little. Everything is so tasty and appetizing that after opening the jar only “for test” you realize: the only degustation isn’t enough. You begin to eat and can’t stop: because of homemade, not from shop ones. How can you keep yourself? And is it necessary?

I turned up myself in the common stream of “before-wintertime-eaters”, opening the jar of plum jam. But I did it for special purpose − aroma Plum&Cinnamon bars.

Mac&Cheese

Mac&Cheese pair skating to the accompaniment of delicate cream and aroma provençal herbs is the highlight of the dinner program. Classic combination seasoning with dizzy Mediterranean flavors won't make you indifferent!

Cherry&Sweet Cheese Dumplings

Breakfast must be tasty, health-giving and quick to cook. And people must eat it with pleasure. Cherry&Sweet Cheese Dumplings are right for this description. This easy dish will be appreciated both by grown-ups and children. Children especially like "berry surprise" inside each dumpling!

Black Forest Dessert

This dessert is my variation of the popular sweets "Black Forest". It's easy to cook: just cut cookies, crumble the chocolate up, mash cottage cheese and add berries. The most difficult thing is waiting for an hour while dessert will be in the fridge. But, believe me, it's worth waiting!

Provençal Tomatoes

The last summer weekend is past. I hope it was good for you and your health. The weather was fine so it was no reason to stay at home with warm blanket, hot tea and favorite book. More than that it's like crime when blue sky and sun are outside. I enjoy the sun! It doesn't burn but pleasantly coddles by its rays. And the air is cool, pleasantly cool. Nevertheless the autumn comes.

Nectarine&Feta Bruschetta with Honey and Thyme

Pleasant breakfast, light snack or delicious appetizer? Nectarine&Feta Bruschetta with Honey and Thyme is good for each occasion.

Semifreddo

This summer I had a chance to taste delicious Italian dessert - Semifreddo. I cooked it by myself at home. Four hours waiting seemed to be endless while the dessert was being frozen in the fridge!

Chocolate cookies with white pepper

Sometimes you haven't got any mood. No good, no bad, may be depressed mood? I can't express more exactly. Only kitchen saves me at such moments. Not eating tenth chocolate sweet, but cooking. Maybe even sweets. But I get special pleasure while baking pies, cakes and cookies. At first making dough, then wearisome waiting, working with the dough and finally long-expected result. You treat your family, take a sample by yourself, share the recipes - and get much pleasure. You feel happy.
Do you have such moments?

Apples «Raffaello»

Today I'd like to show you the apple: not fresh, not baked, but boiled. Are you interested? Welcome!

Almond cake with cream and vanilla

When guests suddenly come to you or you don't know what cook for family evening tea this cake is a real boon to you. It's easy to cook and delicious. I like it for this.

P.S. Like with milk, coffee or cocoa.

Lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

There is baking that I love not only for stunning taste but also for aroma. For example, with citrus plants. More than that I'm ready to bake with lemons, limes and oranges only for their aroma - it's so pleasantly-astringent, dizzy and agreeable. It's great pleasure to wake up to the accompaniment of such aroma. Our weekend morning consisted of a cup of coffee and delicate lemon cupcakes!

Roasted garlic pasta with quail egg

I decided to cook supper. Delicious and quickly. And, of course, from usual ingredients. What can be easier and tastier than macaroni whose package is in each house? May be potatoes. But they require to be peeled. Macaroni is quite another matter: put it into boiling water, wait for sometime - and, voila: you can eat. However who wants to taste macaroni without anything? My family doesn't. It isn't surprising: pasta is much tastier with sauce.
Do you still remember that I wanted to cook supper during 5 minutes? I couldn't. According to the recipe which I found in Donna Hay's journal I need to roast a head of garlic in the foil. By the way it takes 30 minutes! Sometimes I permit myself to deviate from original, but not today. I don't know why. May be I would like to know particular features of roasted vegetable? Of course, it may seem funny, but the head of garlic was in the oven as long as it was required. And it wasn't in vain. I wonder if it would be so tasty to us if I made my conservative and super-fast manipulations with garlic?

Plum cobbler

When can you enjoy juicy plums? Pick ripe fruits from the tree, fill your stomachs buckets, cook jams and bake pies? Only in August!
But sometimes after coming back from the garden you have strength only for sleeping. And what about rewarding yourself for successful harvest? You must do it! That's why I'd like to show the recipe of the pie which is not exactly the pie. It's more likely a dessert: aroma, pleasant and easy to cook!

Vareniki with cottage cheese

These vareniki are special. We cooked them by the whole company. Somebody kneaded dough, somebody cut circles, the others made the filling and then we all together shaped "grebeshki". At that we managed to make a competition on the neatest, the funniest and the most unusual "plait". I've never thought that such team-work can be so exciting. It was no less pleasant to eat home-made vareniki: cooked under the steam, generously poured by fresh sour cream, they vanished from the plate one by one. It was so delicious that we decided to make the process again but with another fillings!

Cherry&Walnut jam

May be for somebody it is an ordinary jam, nothing special, for somebody, but not for me. For a jar of ruby dainty I ...no-no-no, I'm not going to sell my soul, but if I'm offered to choose among Nutella, condensed milk and this cherry jam I will stopped on the last one. And there are some reasons for it.

This jam is skillful. It does all its best while cooking: the aroma attracts, charms, turns my head, knocks me down - in general, you understand me! The second cause is no less convincing: you can buy the chocolate paste and condensed milk in every supermarket when you want, even at night, even at severe cold or harassing heat. Cherry jam is completely different in this way. It's almost unreal to find natural one in the supermarket and you have a chance to cook it only in summer. But all charm is in it. It's pleasant to remember harvest, nights in the company of big pans with gurgling berries, especially in winter, warming by a cup of aroma cherry drink. And finally there are nuts in this jam. Walnuts - I like them so much, but I'm sure it'll be delicious with almonds too. I suppose the second portion will be with them!

Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The name of these cookies points to their nature. It you leave them alone for two minutes somebody very bright, going by the kitchen at this moment, will take two pieces with him - it's impossible not to be tempted by their aroma at first and then their look. On the one hand, this thing is convenient to me. It means that cookies are tasty, my family appreciated them as their true value so there is a merited cause to reiterate the process. But! But just imagine such a picture: at first you knead dough with special feeling, model tiny balls, put them on the sheet so that every ball feels comfortable, then watch balls turning into cookies, see to it that nothing will burn slightly, to the accompaniment of incredible aroma take the sheet from the oven, enjoy equal ruddy circles and satisfied with the result go for a camera. But when you come back you find out that the sheet is almost empty. And only appetizing crunch is heard from the room next door. Of course you smile, scold a rowdy and ... knead dough again. At this moment cookies continue to vanish. By the way with your help! :)

Spaghetti alla vodka

Sometimes I want macaroni. Certainly in the sauce, certainly in the creamy one, with flakes of aromatic Parmesan and sweet-scented basil. If I want something very much I'll exactly do it. While pasta is being cooked (by the way, almost by itself) I'm making the sauce - there is a big area for experiments - mix them quickly and then ... then the moment for which everything was planned comes.
When I tasted macaroni cooked according to the recipe which I'll tell you later about I compared myself with Julia Roberts's heroine in the film "Eat, pray, love". Do you remember how appetizingly she ate spaghetti in one of Italian restaurants? With pieces of ripe tomatoes, basil leaves, moreover generously sprinkled with cheese, it looked incredibly appetizing. Like the heroine I twisted macaroni on the fork and enjoy my helping with sense.  I don't know the reason of my wild gastronomic delight: great appetite or the fact that I haven't eaten macaroni for years. Or may be it's connected with secret ingredient which I added to the sauce? However I got real pleasure. "Every molecule of my being was full of happiness" - the heroine would tell this if she tasted my macaroni.

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes

If you had a chance to taste a cheesecake it won't be so simple to say no when you are offered to regale yourself with this pastry. Though....what do I tell about? I'm sure nobody is going to refuse. It's incredibly soft, light and delicious - the most pleasant dessert for girls. I like raspberry-flavored cheesecake. And what about you?

Pie with fish, spinach and pomegranate seeds

If you are going on a picnic this advice is for you: take delicious food as much as you can because great appetite suddenly appears outdoors. The best variants for a snack are pies, patties and tartlets. You can eat them with great pleasure while the main course is being cooked on the fire.

Apricot jam

It's the height of apricottime. You can enjoy the flavor and aroma of ripe fruit, soft and velvety on the outside and juicy inside, and its bright orange color. At first provide yourself with vitamins which fresh fruits are rich of and then begin to make desserts, pies and, of course, jams.
I like jams and confitures since my childhood. With blini, thick pancakes, toasts and cottage cheese, especially in winter when jam reminds me of summertime. I enjoy eating jam with cold yoghurt making attractive patterns on the white surface - it's beautiful, delicious and naturally fruity.

Panna cotta with raspberry sauce and mint

By 4 p.m. it becomes a bit cooler outside - it's time to sit in the shadow of aromatic fruit trees giving a treat to yourself by having a delicious afternoon snack. It usually consists of juicy berries, ripe fruits and cold milk, but sometimes I want something more interesting. What about fine panna cotta with raspberry sauce and mint? Delightful, fairly sweet creamy layer coupled with berry palatable sourness and fresh mint is great pleasure which is so simple to cook by yourself!