4 Exciting Ways to Use Coffee in Recipe

Think coffee is just a beverage? If so, you are missing out on the wide array of unique dishes you can create using coffee. From breakfast all the way to dessert, this much-loved drink can add extraordinary flavor to many of your favorite foods. Coffee is also highly versatile, making it an exceptional pairing with a range of other flavors.

If you’ve been looking to add a bit of excitement to mealtime, check out several of the unique ways you can use coffee in recipes.

Orange Apricot Biscotti with Pistachios & Hazelnuts - Perfect Cookies for the Mothers Day

My new Still live with flowers and butterflies - prints are available for sale!

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.

— SOPHIA LOREN

Happy Mothers Day!!!



Great to have these tasty crispy cookies on hand when guests stop by during the Mothers day, these biscotti also make lovely gifts. You can substitute dried apricots for the cherries, if you like.

Irish Barm Brack Bread with Dried Apricots Perfect for St.Patrick's Day

Barm Brack is a yeast bread with added raisins (I added dried apricots)  - it is sweeter that standard bread but not as rich as cake. Although, it is traditionally eaten around Halloween, when charms are baked into the dough as part of an ancient fortune-telling ritual, I think it is perfect for those who celebrate St.Patrick’s day.

Russian Monday: "Blini" - Vanilla Crepes with Berries

“Maslenitsa” is a Russian carnival week originating from pre-Christian times. It was celebrated around spring solstice and was dedicated to the boy-Sun named Xors becoming a man-Sun named Yarilo. The main dish of the holiday week are pancakes (or “blini” in Russian) in all their varieties. Their round shape symbolizes the Sun.

Victoria Sandwich - Get ready for Downton Abbey's final episode this Sunday!

America's love affair with the show about the lives and loves of family and servants in an aristocratic home across the pond is coming to an end as the series Downtown Abbey wraps it's sixth and final season.

Flourless Honey-Orange Chocolate Muffins - Perfect Breakfast for your Valentine

How could you go wrong with muffins that marry the best flavors: orange, honey and chocolate? These are divine with a delicate cup of Café au lait and freshly whipped cream cheese.

Lemon & Poppy Seeds Meringue Cake

The flavors of lemon and poppy seeds complement each other beautifully in this cake. I used the Meyer lemons for this recipe, but if they are not available, ordinary lemons will do just as well.

"Peach" Cookies with Dulce de Leche-Butter Cream

You probably know these cookies or have seen them all over Pinterest, in fact I have few different recipes of them in my folders. They have attracted my attention quite some time ago and I’ve been thinking of one day making an effort to bake my masterpiece. Now I am glad I did. So, the holidays may be over, but this seriously impressive dessert is giving me a reason to bake and celebrate winter. I was very surprised by the ease of the process and deliciousness of the end result. My daughter has helped me a great deal and we had a lot of fun baking. These “peach” cookies are beautiful, and Cooking Melangery is all about beautiful food. Lets start new year with creatively delicious treat!

Luxury Chocolate Fruit Cake with Rum - Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season!

ChristmasEve may be the most enchanted evening of all. So much legend, myth, and mystery, both religious and secular, are part of the night of December 24. And for those who celebrate Christmas, there are more personal and family traditions attached to this night than to any other night of the year.

Honey & Ginger Windmill Cookies - Speculaas Cookies of Holland

Isn’t it great to receive an unexpected gift?!  I think it’s amazing!

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.

Crunchy Apple-Almond Tart with Baked Apple Chips & New Still Life "Apple Season"

Have you baked your apple pie yet? Here is another recipe for an apple tart/pie you may like to try it. Almonds add a wonderful golden hue and crunchiness to the crumble topping for this tart, which makes a perfect contrast to the sweet, juicy apple filling. Adding apple chips is totally optional, however it brings extra texture to this autumn dessert. Serve the flan with vanilla or caramel ice cream. Coffee anyone?

Russian Monday: "Zavarnoe Koltso" - Choux Pastry Rings with Sweet Farmer Cheese Butter Cream

I will always remember from time to time, when coming from school, in cold and rainy autumn and winter days, opening the door and immediately smell the baking sweets being made. My fondest memories are of my mother baking “Zavarnie Kolechki” (Choux Pastry Rings). I hope you'll enjoy this delicate dessert from my childhood.

I wonder what foods and recipes do you remember fondly from childhood, and where are you from?

Strawberries in Syrup With Cardamom & Rose Water

Sweet and fragrant, a strawberry in syrup nourishes the soul as well as body. Ideal for relaxed weekend mornings when the family wanders in for breakfast, just serve over crispy waffles or fluffy pancakes with rich cream and your favorite coffee.

Cinnamon-Pecan Buns/Rolls with Butter Frosting

These cinnamon buns/rolls are very special, sweet, gooey and irresistible. You fill the dough with sugary pecans, mixed with cinnamon, butter and cocoa powder, that produces beautiful, buttery layers. These bear no resemblance to anything store-bought.

Orange-Chocolate Cake with Beets, Honey, Chia Seeds & Spelt Flour

If you love the beets as much as I do that this recipe is definitely for you. On my blog I have about twenty different recipes with beets, but there is nothing like this dessert. Chocolate and beets may sound to be a strange combination, but in fact they go very well together. This cake has an interesting texture and taste, chia seeds give it a crunch and beets chunks feel like small pieces of fruit, very sweet and colorful. Coconut oil adds an amazing aroma to this unique dessert. Try it and see for yourself, have a little culinary adventure in your kitchen. Don't forget to put a kettle on, while baking a cake-))

Russian Monday: "Sushki" - Sweet Tea Bread, Baked Crunchy Round Snacks

I use to love these little tea breads when I was a child and I still love them today. I buy them often in Russian grocery store near us, but always had a desire to bake them myself. Sushki are slightly sweet crunchy round pastries/cookies which are served with tea or eaten as a snack. They look like mini bagels but they are very dry and crispy. They are fun to make, actually our whole family was making them - that is why our sushki look all different-)) It's ok, we had some good time. I like them with poppy seeds, but you can make them plain or top them with sesame seeds as well.

Russian Monday: "Romovay Baba" - Rum Baba

When I was a child we were allowed to go by ourselves to the local food store for simple shopping such as getting bread or milk. Very often in my early age I had basic grocery shopping as a chore. Our nearby bakery was nothing special. They stocked few varieties of breads, some breakfast pastries as well as few cakes were always available, but that was all. But sometimes, if you were lucky to come to the store at the right time, you could find number of sweet treats behind glass display. One of such treats was rum baba, soaked in sweet syrup, rum and covered with white sugar icing.

Strawberry Scones with Blood Orange Icing

Scones resemble biscuits, and indeed might be considered their British cousins. They are common-place on the tea table but being inherently rebellious, people from other countries find them inviting on the breakfast table as well. Scones are simple to put together. They are generally heavier than biscuits, and often are studded with fresh and dried fruits, ginger or made from nutritious oats. A hot scone eaten as the British do, with a dollop of crème fraîche or Devonshire cream and some chunky berry preserves, is a taste treat not to be missed on either side of the Atlantic.

6 Recipes for St.Patrick's Day to Try

I have a small collection of Irish recipes for all occasions - a hearty family supper, a traditional St.Patrick's Day party, or a special celebration. I hope you'll find your favorite!