Do you have a few minutes to make an elegant Valentine dessert for you and your sweetie or bestie? This beautiful chocolate covered cherry cake in the shape of a heart with a maraschino cherry frosting is simple, sweet, and perfect for a quick Valentine’s Day dessert or anytime you’re craving chocolate… and cherries.😉 MyContinue reading “5-Minute Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake: Rich Dessert for Two 💝”
Author Archives: Summer
Vietnamese Puffy Steamed Buns or Dumplings: Fantastically Fluffy & Yeasty
A soft, light, and airy puffy bun folded and steamed to perfection. Vietnamese Bánh Bao steamed buns, while traditionally split and filled with your choice of shredded meat and sautéed veggies, also make incredible yeast rolls eaten all on their own. This dough can also wrap around your favorite fillings and steamed for a wonderfulContinue reading “Vietnamese Puffy Steamed Buns or Dumplings: Fantastically Fluffy & Yeasty”
Chinese Almond Ginger Cookies: Terrific Crispy, Buttery, Sweet, & Spicy Delights!
Thin, crispy, sweet, buttery, sparkly, spicy, and fruity describe these Chinese Almond Ginger cookies. They have a balance of thin and crispiness with a tender, soft center that melts in your mouth. Think of a sugar cookie with a hint of ginger and almond flavors. These cookies will pleasantly surprise you even if you aren’tContinue reading “Chinese Almond Ginger Cookies: Terrific Crispy, Buttery, Sweet, & Spicy Delights!”
Easy & Incredible Tasting Buttery, Flaky Puff Pastry
How many elegant savory and sweet tart recipes have you seen with puff pastry? It produces a cloud-like, buttery, puffy crust used in tarts, strudels, pies, and the list goes on. Puff pastry is incredibly versatile. The traditional, very-time consuming method of making a regular puff pastry requires at least 73 layers (says Julia Child)Continue reading “Easy & Incredible Tasting Buttery, Flaky Puff Pastry”
Scottish Black Bun: Hogmanay New Year’s Cake Wrapped in Pastry
The Scottish Hogmanay Black Bun is a satiating sweet treat of dried fruit mixed with an abundance of spices, a bit of flour, and sweetened with brown sugar and molasses. It’s enveloped in a lightly sweetened buttery, flaky pastry resembling a present. It truly is an edible gift of joy and hope. The traditional ScottishContinue reading “Scottish Black Bun: Hogmanay New Year’s Cake Wrapped in Pastry”
Elegant Czech Vánočka: Beautiful Bread for the Holidays
Countries all over the world indulge in fruited holiday breads and cakes like the Italian Panettone, German Stollen, and American Fruitcake. The Czech Republic’s version called Vánočka is no exception. While called a cake, this simple Czech Christmas delight is a lightly sweetened, buttery, enriched, brioche-style yeast bread scented with nutmeg and dotted with driedContinue reading “Elegant Czech Vánočka: Beautiful Bread for the Holidays”
Addicting Finnish Pinwheels: Elegant but Simple Fruit-Filled Sugar Cookies
Cookies or mini tarts? Finnish fruit-filled pinwheels are tasty, sweet treats, perfect for the holidays. This version made with a tender shortbread artistic cookie dough and dollops of sweet homemade dried fruit filling is a must try. While prune filling is traditional, you can use your favorite dried fruit instead like cranberries, cherries, blueberries, dates,Continue reading “Addicting Finnish Pinwheels: Elegant but Simple Fruit-Filled Sugar Cookies”
Holiday Vegetarian Tamales: Gluten-Free, Vegan & Meat Friendly
Tamales are like the perfect Christmas dish. They can be wrapped like a present and tied off with corn husks like a bow. You can fill masa dough with red and green ingredients like tomatoes, scallions, zucchini, and cilantro (or parsley). Serve them with red or green tomato or tomatillo salsa and green guacamole withContinue reading “Holiday Vegetarian Tamales: Gluten-Free, Vegan & Meat Friendly”
How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds (Arils): 2 Easy Methods
Pomegranates contain beautiful ruby red seeds known as arils, the only part of the pomegranate you can eat. Crunchy, fruity, nutty, and nutritious easily characterize those gorgeous ruby red babes. They add color, flavor, nutrients, and texture to salads, appetizers, beverages, sauces, glazes, desserts, and make a wonderful healthy snack. This post highlights two easyContinue reading “How to Remove Pomegranate Seeds (Arils): 2 Easy Methods”
Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange
The smell, taste, and look of the holidays rolled into a sticky, crunchy, sweet confection does more than tickle your senses. My holiday rolled baklava recipe focuses on holiday flavors to include pistachios, pomegranate seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brown sugar, and orange zest rolled in layers of buttered phyllo dough and coated in a honey-orangeContinue reading “Holiday Rolled Baklava: Wonderful Spices, Pistachios, Pomegranate, & Orange”