Old-fashioned hospitality is at its best when you combine good food with your friends. And what could be more neighborly than to welcome your quests with a special fresh baked pumpkin bread full of flavors and fall's vibrant color.
Pumpkin Bread with Raisins, Dried Cherries & Pumpkin Seeds
Russian Monday: "Lenivie Golubtsy" - Lazy Style Cabbage Rolls
Nobody knows exact origin of golubtsy (pronounced in Russian as “go-loob-zy”), i.e. Russian traditional stuffed cabbage dish, neither origin of its name. One thing is for certain – this dish is tasty, satisfying and impossible to get bored with due to tens of variations of the same recipe. One of such variations is named “lazy golubtsy”.
Baked Sweet Potato Roses with Fresh Thyme
If you’re run out of ideas for sweet potato appetizers/snacks/side dishes, these potato roses are a very pretty and easy to make. It takes only 25 minutes to cook it and just few ingredients.
Russian Recipe: "Makoviy Pirog" - Poppy Seeds Challah Centerpiece Wreath
Russians love to bake. My childhood home always smelled like sweet dough and we had bakes all year round. But of course fall and winter were special seasons for baking. To the day I still carry that tradition. When the weather starts to cool down and first firewood is put to use, I like to spend my time baking and creating new sweet recipes.
Poppy seeds is one of the commonly used baking ingredients in Russian cuisine. Challah is my favorite type of dough, it is simple to make, it's tasty and its texture is great. If poppy seeds are too much trouble for you, just make plain Challah wreath and top it with almonds. But I absolutely love poppy seeds here, they bring sweet crunch to this delicious dinner table centerpiece. This recipe is great for holidays and family gatherings.
Baked Acorn Squash with Chestnuts, Mushrooms & Quinoa, also a Story about Horse-Chestnuts!
Halved acorn squash make perfect single-serving bowls. These make a great vegetarian main course for any day, but they're also a festive accompaniment to turkey, chicken or roast duck.
(This post has many beautiful photographs - enjoy them!!!)
Russian Monday: "Rassolnik" - Beef Short Rib Soup with Vegetables, Barley & Pickles
With great pleasure I am happy to introduce you to one of my favorite soups – pickled soup (or “rassolnik” in Russian). This is traditional soup of peasants and farmers, people working the land - hearty, tasty and cheap to cook. Today’s “rassolnik” is direct descendant of picked dishes of traditional Russian cuisine, some of which included pirogue with stuffing soaked in cucumber or any other spicy brine. Four main varieties of “rassolnik” are made either with meat, fish, vegetable or giblets broth and pickles is mandatory ingredient in all of these varieties.
