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”

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”

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”

Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls: Just as Ooey, Gooey, & Satisfying

Cinnamon rolls are so divine that heaven must be filled with them. When I wasn’t eating gluten for a while, I created a gluten-free yeast roll recipe, mainly with the hopes of turning it into an incredibly tasty cinnamon roll. I’m happy to say… mission accomplished. Reality is, how can you go wrong with butter,Continue reading “Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rolls: Just as Ooey, Gooey, & Satisfying”

Canadian Tourtière: A Christmas Meat Pie Full of Holiday Spices & Herbs

The Canadian Tourtière is a hearty, savory mixed-meat pie full of traditional French herbs and warm holiday spices bound together with mashed potatoes and enveloped in a buttery, flaky double-crust pie crust. What could be more satisfying in both flavor and indulgence during the holidays? Canadian “Tourtière” Meaning The French word tourtière derives from theContinue reading “Canadian Tourtière: A Christmas Meat Pie Full of Holiday Spices & Herbs”

Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake: Gluten Free & Buttery

Imagine a dessert that’s a cross between a sweet pound cake and savory, buttery, cheesy cornbread in both flavor and texture. The Salvadorans have done just that. The Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake is near the sweetness and texture of a pound cake with a moist, sweet cheese flavor and near density of aContinue reading “Quesadilla Salvadoreña Sweet Cheese Pound Cake: Gluten Free & Buttery”

Silky Smooth Coconut Flan: Gluten & Dairy Free- Light & Sweet

A silky smooth, creamy egg custard coconut flan covered in a rich, sweet caramel sauce creates the perfect ending to any meal. This truly is an aesthetically gorgeous dessert. While seemingly complicated, a flan is anything but. The ingredients are few and the preparation and bake are quite simple. It’s gluten and dairy free withContinue reading “Silky Smooth Coconut Flan: Gluten & Dairy Free- Light & Sweet”