Chicken and Mushroom Pasta is one of my favorite ways to eat pasta. It’s so easy to make, and can be made as a one pot meal. Everyone loves washing less dishes. Fettuccine means little ribbons in Italian. It’s an egg pasta noodle, often made fresh or bought dried. Fresh pasta is always the tastiest,…
French Onion Dip
French Onion Dip is a classic American dip that’s popular all over the world. An easy dip to enjoy at parties, potlucks or backyard barbecues. An easy dip to make for your Super Bowl party or a family game night. Who Invented French Onion Dip? The original recipe was made in the 1950’s in Los…
Apricot Chicken in a Slow Cooker
Apricot Chicken is the perfect summertime recipe, when the backyard apricot tree is full and your stomach is empty. A sweet and sticky chicken recipe from yesteryear. Of course with a few updates. The original retro recipe has too many processed ingredients, and no fresh apricots! That’s of no use during apricot season! What is…
Pirog Meat Pie (Пирог с мясом)
This delicious Russian Pirog Meat Pie (Пирог с мясом) is made with beef and potatoes and is easy to make. This is a recipe from my childhood that my mother used to make for us all the time. Everyone loves a meat pie, and there are so many different ways to make them across so…
Salmon Gravlax with Beets
Salmon Gravlax is a delicious appetizer, with origins in Scandinavia. I love making homemade Gravlax, and serving it on a bagel with cream cheese and thinly sliced red onions. This is my favorite way to eat bagels. More commonly it’s served as an appetizer. Gravlax on dark rye bread is a delicious appetizer I love…
Christmas Punch with Cranberries
During the Christmas holidays (and Thanksgiving too), it’s such a busy time of year. There is always more to do than we have time for. And so many mouths to feed too! Nobody wants a complicated recipe to add to the stress of the day. My Cranberry Christmas Punch is the perfect drink, the whole…
Honey Roasted Carrots with Soy Sauce
There are so many different variations on how to enjoy Roasted Carrots, a side dish dinner favorite. We tend to eat a lot of meat and vegetables for dinner, and you can never have too many easy side dish recipes. And Honey Soy is a perfect accompaniment for Roast Carrots. How to Make Honey Roasted…
Eggnog Waffles for Christmas
Everyone loves waffles, and this Eggnog Waffles recipe is the perfect Christmas morning breakfast! I love eating them with a pat of butter and pancake syrup. Other people add cinnamon whipped cream, or with homemade Dulce de Leche Caramel. Christmas Waffles are sure to be a family favorite. Where Did Waffles Come From? Waffles are eaten…
Blue Cheese Dip for Everything!
Homemade Blue Cheese Dip is so easy to make. The popularity of this recipe seems to increase during Super Bowl, as many people like to make this as a veggie dip or to slather their Buffalo Wings into this cooling Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce. I interchange this recipe with a Bacon Ranch Dip as well….
Sugared Cranberries
Sugared Cranberries (клюква в сахаре) are a Russian treat enjoyed as far back as the 1800’s. It’s considered a dessert or treat, and can even be bought in stores. It’s so easy to make sugared cranberries at home. Wild cranberries grow all over Russia and Northern Europe. A popular Russian cranberry juice is called Mors,…
Dulce de Leche Recipe (Сгущенка)
This is a super easy Dulce de Leche recipe that anyone can make at home, without any mess in your kitchen! A perfect treat on waffles, with tea, or just on a piece of fresh bread! It’s a popular ingredient in Banoffee Pie. What is Dulce de Leche? It’s a sweet caramel treat enjoyed all…
Creamy Seafood Lasagna
This Seafood Lasagna recipe is perfect for seafood lovers. So rich and creamy, this is not diet food! Someone told me this was a popular recipe in the 80’s, a bit before my cooking time. I think that Campbell’s Soup recipes were more popular when I was growing up. I think people prefer fresh…
Easy Thai Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Cauliflower Rice recipes are all the rage now, and are a side dish packed with flavor. You won’t miss the carbs on your plate! It’s gluten free, low carb, pescatarian and paleo. But you’d never know it was any anything else but delicious! If you’ve never made a Cauliflower Rice recipe, you might be surprised…
Chebureki Recipe (Чебуреки)
Crispy, golden and bubbly Chebureki, is a delicious memory from my childhood. Crispy yet soft, with the trademark bubbles on the dough. No vodka or hot water in this recipe, just a real delicious and easy recipe. Sometimes they are known as Chiburekki. Chebureki are a fried turnover, filled with ground beef and onions. They…
Hummingbird Cake Recipe
Hummingbird Cake is a dense and moist cake of Jamaican origin that’s popular in the southern United States. It’s also known as a Doctor Bird cake in Jamaica, which is another name for Hummingbird (Jamaica’s national bird). A Hummingbird Cake recipe is similarly dense like a Carrot Cake. It is not a light and fluffy…
Creamy Tuna Pasta Recipe
This easy Skillet Tuna Pasta Recipe is perfect with you’ve run out of time, but need to make dinner for your family, and it’s large enough for leftovers. It’s made with basic ingredients that most of us have in our pantry, and still tastes great! I don’t usually cook dinner using condensed soup cans as the…
Sweet Potato Mac and Cheese
What could make Macaroni and Cheese even tastier? By adding Sweet Potato, of course! This recipe takes comfort food to the next level! As it gets colder, I think we all start to eat heavier, comfort foods. I know I don’t always make enough room for vegetables and salads as much as I should. I…
Balsamic Onion Jam
Have you ever heard of Onion Jam? It’s not typical sweet jam that you eat on toast, but more of a savory condiment. I eat it with grilled meats, sausages, hot dogs, hamburgers or just slathered on a piece of crusty bread. Even over cream cheese on a cracker or baguette, the possibilities are endless….
Vareniki with Farmer’s Cheese (Вареники)
Every Russian household has grown up eating Vareniki dumplings. They are an Eastern European staple, known in many countries by many different names. There are so many different ways to stuff them, from Potatoes and Cheddar Perogies, fruit filled, to these Tvorog or Farmer’s Cheese Vareniki (Вареники с Творогом). They are similar to Russian Pelmeni…
Vegetable Minestrone Soup
Vegetable Minestrone Soup is a classic Italian vegetable soup, which dates back to the ancient Romans. Made with tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, beans, and usually a rice or pasta it added. There is no specific recipe for Vegetable Minestrone Soup, as it’s made with whatever vegetables are in season. I always use zucchini, fresh green…
Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe
A delicious home recipe of a Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork recipe – takeout style – using regular ingredients without any MSG! Crispy fried battered chicken smothered in a homemade sweet and sour sauce with pineapple and peppers. I could drink this sweet and sour sauce. I told my wife that this was a healthy…
Homemade Dill Pickles
Homemade Dill Pickles are easy to make, and every Russian, Ukrainian and Polish person has their own way to prepare them. Some recipes require fermenting and cellaring, other recipes use canning as a way to preserve. There are even quick refrigerator pickle recipes. Don’t get me started on the flavors, everything from sweet and sour…
How to Make Kombucha
How to Make Kombucha Ever wonder how to make Kombucha? This Kombucha recipe is a delicious fermented black tea beverage, which many people drink for the immune boosting health benefits it provides. So easy to make at home, enjoyed by the whole family. There’s no other food flavor reference I can think of when trying…
Homemade Sour Cream Recipe
Ever wondered how to make Homemade Sour Cream? The original Russian name for it is Smetana (Сметана) and it’s easier to make than you think. Creamier and tastier than sour cream you buy in a store. It’s a delicious Russian export! Yup, Sour Cream has it’s origins in Russia/Eastern Europe and is called Smetana. It’s a…
Korean Carrot Salad Recipe
Russian Korean Carrot Salad Recipe called morkovcha (Морковь по-корейски) is popular salad and side dish across Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet states. Simple to make, a healthy salad that your whole family will love. This Carrot Salad recipe isn’t a true Korean Carrot Salad recipe, but a Russian variation from ethnic Koreans who lived in…
Mediterranean Lamb Patties (Kofta)
These Middle Eastern Spicy Lamb Patties are a type of Kofta that we eat for lunch, usually inside a Pita. Easy to make, and reminds me of a version of Russian Kotleti, but with exotic spices. What to serve with Lamb Patties? These Kofta Patties are kind of like lamb burgers, or lamb meatballs or…
Fall off the Bone Ribs Recipe
Everyone loves a tender, flavorful Fall off the Bone Ribs recipe. Baked low and slow, tender, juicy and full of flavor. Plus this bbq sauce recipe has a spicy Sriracha kick! There are so many ways to make bbq pork ribs. To make ribs fast, you can boil the ribs before grilling to save time….
Blackcurrant Juice (Mors Drink)
Making Homemade Blackcurrant Juice (Mors) is cheaper and easier to make than you think! A pressed juice is also much healthier, with more vitamins than diluted store bought juice drinks. In Russia, a popular homemade juice is called Mors drink, usually made from berries like cranberries, raspberries, lingonberries, blueberries and blackcurrants. You can buy this…
Herb Butter Roast Turkey Recipe
You can enjoy a Roast Turkey recipe anytime of year, not just at Thanksgiving or Christmas. A deliciously crispy butter basted turkey with fresh thyme and garlic. I love having Christmas in July as it’s winter in Australia, a perfect excuse to eat turkey! Roast Turkey isn’t as popular here in Australia as it is…
Easy Scone Recipe with 7 Up!
Here’s a really easy scone recipe, made with a surprise ingredient, 7 UP or Sprite! It’s a classic Australian Scone recipe, one that my wife made for me about 20 years ago. Perfect for breakfast or with a cup of tea. In Australia, they call this recipe Lemonade Scones. If you’re from the States, it’s…
