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I love going out to dinner. Of course I have favorite places, but I like trying new things as well, but I've noticed I'm less "adventurous" when the kids are with us. So, dinner dates are perfect time to find out some awesome hidden gems that otherwise we would have missed and I am always looking forward to them. I have to admit that it's a bit of hit and miss with the quality of the food and ofte
In general, my family is supposed to celebrate the orthodox Easter, which is May 5th. However, since we moved to the States ( more years that I would care to actually count), we have embraced the idea of "international" holidays, combining traditions from Bulgaria and US.This year, Easter in the US is much earlier than previous years. Since my father-in-law is visiting us for a short period of tim
This recipe has been sitting in the "queue" for a while and I am glad that I finally got the chance to publish it. So, what's the story this time you'll ask? It is quite simple actually. As pretty much everyone else I know, I have a pasta machine. And, as pretty much everyone else I know, I'm not using it to make pasta. I've used it for fondant, gumpaste, even playdoh but not pasta, no. Why? Well
I am a very visual person, so when I look at a recipe online the first thing I want to see is a picture of what the finished meal is supposed to look like. That's why I don't like recipes that don't have images. Not that having an image always helps, we all know what happens with stolen food images online- they get posted to random recipes and then poor people who try to make the recipe wonder why
As promised my cookie list for 2012. It might sound a bit overwhelming, but it's all about organizing, really. If you are planing on a long cookie list, you should check out my recommendations on baking a lot of cookies at a time. I have to say, although I was not planing on making so many, the smiles of the people who got them- friends, neighbors, even complete strangers, were priceless. 1.
This is going to be a long post, don't say I didn't warn you. Why is it every year when I say that I'm not going to bake any Christmas cookies something always happens and I end up making even more than I thought humanly possible? This year I even got the perfect excuse- I got sick the week before Christmas. Perfect excuse?! Yeah, right, said no mom ever.In any case, it is entirely my fault,
Thanksgiving preparations are afoot in our house. Groceries shopping, bags hauling, fruit and vegetables slicing, dicing, and spicing, bread baking, turkey brining, appetizers arranging, deserts baking....Sounds like mad house? Sounds like your house? Yep, that's us today. In the middle of all the preparatio
The great thing about having Orthodox Easter in USA is that usually it is a week later, so you can catch all the Easter sales.The bad thing about having Orthodox Easter in the USA is that usually it is a week later, and your kids are expecting to celebrate both, which means Easter Bunny comes too.Between school, work and kids, I absolutely forgot about both.Thankfully, yesterday I remembered and m
* Our Christmas table 2011 I have written before about Bulgarian Christmas and our tradition to have only vegan food on Christmas Eve. The truth is that not many families go by that and serve vegetarian food instead of vegan. I try to serve the tradition as much as I can, but sometimes I have prepared vegetarian feast as well, especially when we had guests who are not used to vegan food.One thing
Today was a tough day but I'm thankful.I'm tankful I didn't burn my whole hand instead of just one finger, I'm thankful nobody managed to piss me off ( although more than one person tried), I'm thankful my chiropractor is working Friday, because lifting this 20 lbs turkey totally messed up my back ( again) and finally I'm thankful we are going to enjoy ( hopefully) one quiet holiday wi
Couple of months ago a friend blogger posted this recipe on her blog and it so happened that I had all the ingredients to try it. Half an hour later I made it and I really liked it, so I asked for permission to post it in English on my blog. I have changed couple of things to my taste too. It is rainy and gloomy day here and while I was looking through my pictures I noticed I haven't posted this
One thing I forgot to post pictures of - the Easter eggs!You all saw the Angry Bird Easter Eggs we decorated, but we made many different ones too. This are some of the eggs ( at least what was left after the kids raided the kitchen) that we decorated yesterday.And one more picture Oh, and here are the Easter breads cut!- The Easter bread with filling,- and the Easter bread with Turkish delig
* My Easter breads 2011 When my garden starts blooming ( in spite of the cold weather), when I start baking the Easter breads and everything smells of lemon and cinnamon, and when I start smelling the grass in the morning, seeing the bright green blades showing I know it's Spring. It's not Spring, with blooming trees and bees and buzzing everywhere ( yet) but it's Spring enough to make me feel the
I was thinking of an unusual way to wish everyone who follows my blog Happy Easter and just before I went to bed I came up with the idea to make Angry Birds Easter eggs and I HAD to share it right away! :-) If you would like to see how I decorated the real boiled eggs as Angry Birds, leave me a comment and I'll make a video tomorrow! HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE,Annie
It's this time of the year again, the aroma of freshly baked the Easter breads, lemon and nuts is in the air.This year I decided to try different recipes than the usual ones and I hope you like what I have to show you in the next 3 days before Easter. The first recipe I called " Vit kozunak" ( Easter bread with a swirl shape) and it's a combination of 2 things. The recipe is a version of the Easte
In Bulgaria we celebrate the first steps a child takes and honestly to me, that's a big of deal. Making the first steps, the beginning of the "exploration" phase in the child's life, it's huge and it deserves a celebration.We celebrate it as a "coming of age" thing, but earlier version. All the relatives get invited, the oldest woman in the household ( or an unmarried one) makes a special bread (
For the dolmades: 4 tbsp olive oil1 onion, finely chopped2 cups diced baby bella mushrooms1/2 cup finely chopped carrots2 cups white rice1/2 cup walnuts, chopped2 cups water2 tsp ground cuminSalt and pepper to taste1 (8-ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed and drained3 cups of water to blanch the leavesFor the dressing:1 cup yogurt2 tbsp fresh chopped dill3 cloves garlic salt and black pepper to t
Wouldn't it be wonderful to wake up Sunday morning and have this brought to you in bed with the paper and a kiss? Well, I hope that special someone in your life reads this post tomorrow and surprises you! Simple, delicious, comforting, what more does one need to feel loved?You will need( for 2):6 pieces of bacon4 Bellino Italian toasts( or regular toast)8 pieces of asparagus20 piece
My son's school has a Harvest festival each October and each year they sell chili. When I saw the chili for the first time I told myself " There is no way in hell I'm eating this!", but when I finally tried it, I was pleasantly surprised, because it was really delicious! That was actually where I picked up the habit of eating the chili with sour cream and cheddar cheese too. I hav
Five years ago in the Bulgarian forum I'm visiting from time to time a lady posted for the first time the recipe for this "crocodile" and soon pretty much everyone I knew tried the recipe. Now don't get me wrong- I don't mind the recipe being popular...but it it was quite quite overwhelming feeling to see the damn lizard everywhere you go, so out of pure stubbornness I decided not to make it
I have been asked to post the recipe for my Christmas Eve navy beans in the clay pot, and here it is!Bulgarian navy beans in a clay pot ( or slow cooker)Ingredients:For the clay pot in the beginning: 2 packages navy beans ( 500 gram)1 red onion, chopped1 white onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, chopped1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, cut1 cup peppers (green bell, yellow or red, whatever you like), sliced 1
What is Christmas without sweets? Thank you, Tannita for the wonderful Turkish delight Melting moments! Bulgarian baking soda flat bread ( on Christmas we can't have "live" ingredients in our bread) Candles, fresh fruit, nuts, whole onions and garlic in hope to bring abundance next year Dolmades with yogurt dressing Sauerkraut sal
I've been busy baking and stuffing, and sowing and drawing, and packing ( and snacking), but I wanted to say a very Merry Christmas to you all!Since we've come to the US I started a tradition in our house- to bake cookies and give them away to friends. It's huge fun to do that with the kids and I'm sorry that my son missed most of the baking this year, since he was at school but since
We had a friend coming over and it was a special occasion and I wanted the table arrangement to be different. I had very little time and I had to use imagination, pair of scissors, some ribbon and candles and sparkle stones. I have used only things I found at home, I didn't buy anything especially for it. Enjoy!
The first banana bread I baked was in the bread maker.I used one of the recipes in the handbook that came with the bread maker...and it came out awful! It was under baked, it was sticky and gooey.Only I know about this bread though, because I didn't serve it. ( thanks, Julia Child ;-)) But trust me, there were tears in my eyes when I threw it away. I hate wasting food!There were couple more exper
Have you seen the movie Ponyo?Miyazaki is one of my favorite directors and as a huge fan of "Kiki's delivery service", " Castle in the sky", "Howl's moving castle" etc, I couldn't miss to introduce this movie to my kids!We all LOVED it! I've talked about how my kids love to eat "movie" food and while we were watching " Ponyo" I was certain that we'll have Ponyo's noodles for diner! :-)And here is
I had this big basket of strawberries that we picked up from a local farm and although the kids love them, I wanted to try something different than the regular things.So, I came up with my version of Strawberry Daiquiri which both my daughter and I enjoyed very much in this hot day!You will need:2 cups strawberries1/2 cup sugar ( you can put more if you like!)1 tsp fresh lemon juice2 cups finely c
Very long and complicated title, I know! No time to make it short and it says what the food is, so I guess it will do.For the longest time I though that the best way to make chicken livers is baked with butter and spices, but that was until I tried this way of preparing them.IngredientsYou will need:1 lbs chicken livers1 cup sliced white onions1 cup diced green peppers1/2 cup julienne carrots
I love Potato Croquettes!When they are freshly made, I love the smell of savory and onion in the mashed potato!I love to eat them with everything! I make them as a main dish, I make them as a side dish, I make sandwiches and burgers with them, I make them in shapes ( like carrots for example with dill leaves). I fry them or bake them..they are still delicious! Even when they are cold and the taste
This salad is very easy ( and quick) to make and on top of that is very delicious if you like zucchini! We LOVE zucchini! I prepare them in so many ways and my family really enjoys them, but this salad since I started making it couple of months ago became a favorite very fast!I came up with the recipe by accident! I had a whole bag of zucchini and no time to prepare them in any way I know, so I de
What is a better way to spend a rainy afternoon at home, than with your family?What is a better way to have your family over than to have a nice lunch?And what is a better way to have a family lunch than to serve warm comfort food made with lot of love? Roasted leg of lamb with mint and spinach stew IngredientsFor the roasted lamb leg1 boneless leg of lamb5-6 baby carrots5-6 garlic cloves7-8 bay l
As I mentioned yesterday in my post " Food for the soul or food for the mouth", I prefer food for the soul, but that unfortunately is not enough, so here is a nice, warm "feel good" recipe for a meatball soup that I call "magic"!Why magic? Because according to my kids, once you eat it, you feel better, no matter if you were sick or sad..:-)Does it really work? Sure it does! It just need the right
I love good food, what I love more is to see it well presented in the plate!I can be compelled to try a recipe just by the look of the food! I respect very much people who can arrange beautifully the food in the plate, I respect even more the people who can take a good picture of it.Unfortunatley, I am not very good at both, mostly because I don't have the time to invest in reading and pract
I only wanted to wish you Happy Easter everyone and head off to a birthday party!While I am gon,e enjoy the sight of these amazingly yummy Easter crescents I made by the recipe of a friend of mine:The recipe you can check here:http://tanitaang.blogspot.com/2010/04/blog-post.htmlAnd if you like baking things but you don't have the time to knead and stuff, here is my present for you:&nbs
This is what has been keeping me from posting yesterday! You can see the recipe I use step by step here : Kozunaci ( Easter breads) the recipe18 eggs, 6 lbs flour and the result is 11 kozunaci ( Easter breads)!At one point I thought I would never finish! I have a small, non-convection oven and it takes 3 times more time to bake them than in convection oven. But, after 8 hours straight
I have been asked so many questions about this recipe, that I decided I should repost it and update the instructions, hopefully you'll find it useful when making this delicious treat ! Before I continue, I have to say that the original recipe is NOT mine! It was published by a very nice lady from a Bulgarian forum( Scarlet, THANK YOU!). However, the instructions and pictures are mine! I
Ok, most of you probably have seen these "cool looking" atractions at the restaurant when a wide shoulder waiter with a thin mustache sets on fire food and everyone ooohs and aaaahs.Yes, it's exciting but it is so expensive to order that I am sure most of you haven't even tasted flambe food. The truth is that making flambe is so easy, once you try it, it can become a regular on your table. I am pl
I was browsing through my Google reader looking for ideas for breakfast and I remembered that my virtual blogger friend Toni had this awesome milinki recipe that I swore I'll try when I have more time.For my English speaking audience the word Milinki doesn't speak much, but this is indeed a "bread"-like breakfast that every Bulgarian child knows and has a lot of memories with.Every Bulgarian kid
I love cream soups! The melting, dense texture of the soup combined with the crunchy homemade croutons with herbs or just spices is one of my favorite comfort foods!Yummy!!!Today my poor dog got a surgery done and I spent the whole day trying to occupy myself with different things so I wouldn't worry too much ( not that it actually worked), that I forgot about dinner!We just got home, my pup is r
Since I discovered the awesome quinoa grains I experiment with different recipes I usually used rice for.Stuffed peppers is one of my kids' favorite and I decided to substitute the white rice I usually use with bulgur and quinoa. It turned out better than I expected and I decided to share this recipe with you!You will need:10 green bell peppers ( make sure they are not hot!)1 cup bulgur1 cup quino
If you do, this recipe is exactly for you!I've written before how my son likes to eat whatever he sees in movies etc, and recently we watched this movie in which there was pineapple pie. I have never made pineapple pie, but being a good mom I decided to give it a try and make my own version of it. I love caramelized pineapple and I figured, if this recipe tastes delicious with plums and apples, wh
OK, I've been here what....5 years now and I have my favorites from the American cuisine, but pancakes was never one of them. I tried them in different restaurants...and I just can't stand the baking powder smell! Every time it was so strong that it burns your nose. We were talking with a friend and I shared my dislike of the American pancakes and " You can't be serious!" was her reaction. So, sh
It was very difficult to think of a title for this post. If I had named it only Sarmi, the Bulgarian readers would have guessed what it is about, if I had named it only Halupki, the Polish audience would have know, so I decided to go the long way and include everything that would give you an idea what I am going to show you today.In general, Sarmi is a sauerkraut leaves stuffed with ric
As I was bragging yesterday, I got myself my very first pressure cooker and I tried a soup that my guys at home like very much- Brown Beef and red skin potatoes soup.Depending on how fresh is the meat ( and how old was the animal) it can take from 60-80 minutes to be read and that's a lot of time to make s single soup. That's why I am very happy that I found this convenient way of doin
I have been cooking for a while, 23 years and if there was one thing I've always been scared of, that is a pressure cooker.The previous generation storyMy mom married before she knew how to cook, so you can imagine the amount of experiments my family went through. At that time my parents lived in my grandparents' house and my mother's first cooking lessons came from her mother-in-law, which was no
My virtual friend blogger Tannita gave me a big surprise! She organized sort of a raffle on her blog, where we had to guess what her daughter wants for breakfast. My kids and I guessed most of the things and won the raffle. She sent me this beautiful round baking pan, that I just LOVE! I can't wait to show you all the recipes I have in mind for it! Anyway, Tannita gave her permission to post her r
As I promised in my post yesterday, here is the recipe for the mini tarts I made for Christmas. Very easy and less time consuming than most recipes for sweets. You would need:1 package of pie crust ( there are 2 crusts inside)1 jar of jam ( I used caramelized pear jam but you can use any kind you want!)1 cup walnuts50-60 half cut pecans ( these you would need to put on top, so if you think you are
I was thinking if I should name this post " Cookie baking from Hell", but then I thought it would be easier to find the posting later if I put only the " Christmas cookies". :-)Long story short, I spent 8 straight hours baking sheet by sheet ( no, I don't have one of these nice wall mounted double convection ovens I dream about...sigh) 3 varieties of cookies. At the end of the 8 hours( 275 cookies
I haven't made fish soup more than a year. I don't know why, probably because the kids prefer the baked/fried fish more, but it's a real shame because I have the best recipe for Salmon soup with saffron.So, last week I wanted to cook something warm, like a soup, because it was such a chilly day ( -5F!!!), so I remembered I had one package of salmon and I decided to make my all time favourite Saffr
