A couple of weeks before last Easter, my mother-in-law offered me a book with various egg decorating techniques. My attention was immediately caught by the Ukrainian Easter eggs or the so-called “Pysanky” (pysanka for singular). They were so pretty and looked so intricate. I had to try this technique.

There was only one small problem. I needed a kistka — the wooden pen you can see on the right of the post picture — and I didn’t have enough time to order one. I therefore just used my usual (“Bulgarian”) way of decorating the eggs and kept the book in mind. In the beginning of March, with Easter just about a month away, I thought of it again and immediately ordered a Pysanky kit online.

I chose a traditional kit, with a traditional kistka, as I wanted to experience the “real” thing. (My other options: more modern kistki, or to make things quite easier — an electric one.)

Basically, you put beeswax in the little tunnel of the kistka, heat it to melt the wax, and use it as a pen. I managed to decorate 9 eggs before promising myself that next time I decide to use this technique I would order the electric kistka. I can tell you that using the traditional one is a pretty effort and time-consuming activity. Even after the first 3 eggs (after which you get used to the method), it’s not easy. Though, once you melt the wax and begin to uncover the end result of your hard work, you realize it was quite worth it.

Of course, I didn’t even attempt to do any of the complicated designs (check those out, simply beautiful!), but I did my best to learn the process. Here’s in short the idea:

• Use white empty egg shells (edit: or hardboiled eggs, though I preferred not to as the dyes are not edible and, in my experience, they’ll go beyond the shell). (To empty the egg shells, you use a rather big needle and pierce carefully both ends of the eggs, piercing also the yolk. Then you either use a special tool to empty the egg, or blow from the top to empty all the contents into a bowl.) Make sure to seal the the holes with beeswax, or else the dyes will enter the egg during the dips, making a big mess later.
• Choose your design. The pamphlet that came with the kit recommended using a hard lead pencil to draw the design on the egg so you can follow it, but I didn’t like that because you could see the marks even after the dye, and you can’t erase them.
• Start working from light to dark (white -> yellow -> blue or green ->  orange -> dark red). Whichever elements you want to be in a certain color, you must cover with wax. For instance, to make white vertical or horizontal lines, I’d take the egg before dipping it in any of the dyes and would draw the lines with the  wax. Then I’d proceed. If I wanted green lines, I’d do them after dipping the egg in green, before the orange dye.
• At the end, melt the wax, bit by bit, on the egg by holding it close to a candle and wiping it off often and quickly.
• Enjoy your Easter pysanka!

Hopefully, this is an idea you’ll like and that you might even consider to decorate your own Easter eggs In any case, despite being a little early: Happy Easter to everyone!

Earlier this month, I saw a post on “Rundstykker” a type of Danish breakfast bun, on the blog My Danish Kitchen. This made me think of the bread I used to eat myself back home. Of course, the desire to make some immediately emerged.

I pulled out of the bookshelves one of my Bulgarian cookbooks and started looking for the type of bread to make. I decided to go with a pitka with honey. I made a couple of modifications to the original recipe and then, got down to work.

I’ve got to say I was a bit surprised by the end result because the texture and taste resemble much more a mix of Kozunak (a traditional sweet bread made for Easter) and brioche than what I consider a pitka. (Just in case you wonder what I consider a “real” pitka: imagine a pita if it had actual bread filling inside it rather than forming a pocket.)

Yet, the result is delicious. It’s fluffy, light, and, despite the honey, it only has a hint of sweetness which makes it great both for jams and more savory additions. While I sticked to blackberry jam, the hubby loved it with cheese. In fact, the hubby was quite responsible for this bread disappearing quite amazingly fast…

Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Pitka with Honey

Ingredients

• 3oz yogurt at room temperature
• 2/3cup + 1-2tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp yeast
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter, melted + about 2 more melted tbsp for greasing
• 1 large egg, separated into white and yolk
• 17oz all-purpose flour
• honey

Directions

1. On a large baking sheet, place parchment paper.
2. In small bowl, mix together the 2/3 cup water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand until foamy.
3. In large bowl, mix together salt and flour. Make a small well in the center. On the side, add the 4 tbsp butter, yogurt, and egg white.
4. Add the yeast mixture to the well in the flour and mix all ingredients together until you get a smooth dough. If needed add the extra 1-2 tbsp warm water. The end result should be a soft dough, slightly sticky too touch, but not actually sticking to your fingers.
5. Divide dough into 3 balls and let them rest in a bowl high enough to let them rise. Cover with plastic wrap top of the bowl and then with towel and place in a warm place for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.
6. On a slightly floured surface, roll out first ball to form a thin round layer. Brush lightly with melted butter. Then brush/drizzle 1 tbsp honey. Repeat with second ball and place on top of the first. Roll out third ball, but do not brush with anything (no butter, nor honey). Place on top of the first top.
7. Out of the layered dough, cut triangles as if you were slicing a round pizza. (I recommend using a pizza cutter, and cutting the round through its center, into quarters, and then into smaller triangles). You should have 12 equal-sized triangles.
8. On each triangle, at the flat (non-pointy) end, drizzle or spoon 1/2 tsp honey, then roll the triangle as a croissant. Place on parchment paper on baking sheet and let rise for another 1 hour in a warm place.
9. Preheat oven to 375F.
10. Take a round dish and grease it. Arrange “croissants” in it to fit the space and into a pyramid-like structure. Brush with egg yolk and place in the preheated oven.
11. Bake until golden (about 40 minutes). (Do not succumb to the temptation of increasing the oven temperature because the dough takes a long time to get any colors. It will happen almost suddenly. I did increase the temp to 400F, and this resulted in slightly burning some parts of the pitka.)

Happy Monday everyone! While you might not all be happy that the weekend is over, do not worry: I’m bringing you a recipe to sweeten the week ahead! In fact, the rose water in those little gems make them so sweet, a single one will be enough to completely satisfy your dessert cravings!

How did I decide to make this? Well, as you might know from my last post, I was in Dubai last weekend. On our way back home, my husband and I grabbed a few boxes of local sweets to give out to friends, and of course, I had to grab one for ourselves (or rather myself ) too.

The box contained 4 chocolate covered dates filled with different nuts. I loved them so much, I decided I had to recreate them! But also, I was really tempted by the use of rose water which is rather popular in Bulgaria (as the country is quite famous for its roses and is one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world).

Chocolate Covered Dates Stuffed with
Pistachios & Rose Water

(for 10 dates)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pistachios (you can also use almonds, walnuts, or another type of nut if you’d like)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp rose water
• 10 large medjool dates
• 3/4 to 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (again, you can substitute with another type of chocolate)

Directions

1. Place pistachios and sugar in food processor or blender. Process for about 30 seconds or until the pistachios reach a very grainy consistency. (If you don’t have a processor/blender, you can also chop very finely the pistachios.) Transfer to a small bowl, then add the rose water. Start mixing with your hands until everything starts coming together into a kind of nutty dough. (At first it will look as if you need more rose water. As you keep mixing however, you’ll see it’s not the case. If you add too much rose water, it will completely overwhelm the other ingredients.)
2. Take dates and slice carefully each one lengthwise on one side. Remove seed, then gently fill with pistachio mixture.
3. Over medium-low heat, place chocolate chips in nonstick saucepan. Let melt slowly, occasionally stirring with a wooden spoon. In the meantime, place wax paper over a platter. Then, take each stuffed date and dip it in the melted chocolate until it is fully covered. (Use the wooden spoon to help yourself and be careful not to burn your fingers… although it’s a good excuse to lick some of that chocolate!) Place covered dates on wax paper, sliced side up so the pistachio mixture doesn’t stick. If desired, you can decorate with a bit of extra stuffing mixture on top.
4. Once all the dates are covered, place platter in fridge and let cool until the chocolate becomes hard. Remove from fridge 5 minutes prior to consuming, then enjoy! (Btw: the dates taste even better after a night in the fridge.)

Good morning and good Friday everyone!! Today is a big day for me. I’m currently travelling to visit Dubai (can’t wait to visit the spice souk! and much more of course). But, I’m also doing my first guest post! Many thanks to Jenny from Savour the Senses for this opportunity!

For this special occasion, I’ve of course prepared very special cupcakes.

Sour Cream, Almond, & Saffron Cupcakes with Cardamom & Sumo Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Please, click on the above link to check out the recipe as well as Jenny’s lovely blog! And have a great weekend!

Pie. There are so many things you can do with it.

You can compete in pie making contests.

You can also compete in pie eating contests. (I think you’ll agree with me that might be the better option.)

You can play the clown. You can reward yourself with pie. Or console yourself.

Or, you can also plead your blog readers for forgiveness after being silent for 2 long months.

Yes, I’m guilty of bad food blogger. But, I am also the type of person to take new year’s resolutions in the middle of February. (It’s never too late, right?)
So let’s just say I’m back with a plan of action recipe posting, and you really don’t want to stay mad at me. Nope. Not when I’m offering you in exchange such a delicious pie recipe

PS: if you are wondering where I’ve been gone for so long, head over to my personal blog

Coconut Custard Chocolate Pie

Pie crust

• 8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup and 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 1-2 tbsp water

Custard

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch salt
• 3-3/4 cups milk
• 5 large egg yolks, lightly beaten in small bowl
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Toppings

• whipping cream
• toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

Directions

1. Begin with pie crust. Place all ingredients in food processor (start with only 1 tbsp water, add 0.5-1tbsp more only if needed) and process until they all come together into a homogenous dough mixture. (If mixing by hand or with hand mixer, first mix separately dry ingredients and wet ingredients, then combine both together.) Form ball out of the dough, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. While you refrigerate the dough, begin making the custard. In saucepan over medium heat, place sugar, flour, and salt. Stir in milk. (If any lumps form, do not worry too much — they’ll go away during the cooking, provided you keep stirring.) Cook until mixture thickens (you should feel some “resistance” when stirring) and boils for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of the mixture into the small bowl with egg yolks. Then, slowly pour back the contents of the small bowl into the large one (in other words: egg-milk mixture into milk mixture), stirring quickly to prevent curdling. Add butter and vanilla extract and keep stirring until butter is melt. Place plastic over bowl and refrigerate until cool (at least 1 hour).
3. Preheat oven to 425°F and grease with butter a baking pan. Roll out the refrigerated dough and place it in the pan, gently pressing with your fingers to make it fit. Bake until crisp (about 15 minutes). Let cool, then remove crust from pan.
4. After refrigerating the custard, stir in the coconut flakes. Pour custard in crust and refrigerate for at least another 3-4 hours (or an entire night if you can wait!). The longer you wait, the better it will taste.
5. Just before serving, top pie with whipping cream and toasted coconut flakes.

Cookies. Lots and lots of cookies.

That’s what December is all about, right? The Christmas-y spirit, the warm nights next to the heater, and… the cat playing with the Fraser Fir.
Unsure whether to worry about the tree needles flying all around and sticking to the carpet, or about the tree surviving until the 25th? Just take a cookie.

A good cookie is a cookie that can make you feel better no matter what. Even when you’re right in the middle of your semester finals, like I am.

That’s exactly why, when I signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap in November, I wanted to come up with the perfect, most magical cookie recipe. One, that would not only scream Christmas (or any other holiday you are celebrating!), but that would elevate you above any worries. One, that would be refined and unique, but at the same time would bring you comfort and a sense of zen.

My inspiration? Partially my childhood. I used to eat sooo many dates around Christmas time. Partially the luxurious sweetness of the figs, dates, and honey.

To achieve that, I started with a basic fig and date cookie recipe, modified it and tested it twice, until I came up with the third and final version. Then, I sent it off to my three matches, hoping that: 1) there’d be no broken cookies, 2) my matches (Melissa, Brianna, and Val) would like it as much as I did.

And now, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy it too But, before I proceed with the recipe itself, let me thank the three bloggers who brought me joy last week!!

On Monday evening, just in time for dinner, I received Ashley’s, from Savvy Table, ANZAC cookies: I love those as a snack!

On Tuesday, in time for lunch (!), I received Julia’s, from SweetExplorations, Molasses cookies. Those are perfect for your coffee break.

And finally, again just in time for dinner (!!), on Wednesday I received Tiffany’s, (aka Streusel) from Strudel and Streusel, Chocolate Clotted Cream Fudge cookies. Really, those can be eaten at any time.

Thank you, thank you dear ladies for sending me those wonderful packages I loved trying out such completely different, but equally delicious cookies, from various parts of the countries! (Indiana, New York, Colorado!!!) You made my week extremely sweet and my exam session more bearable!

Holiday Fig & Date Cookies

For about 40 “double” cookies

Filling

• 240g (8.5 oz) white fig jam
• 60g (2oz) dried Turkey figs/ dried White figs, chopped finely(You can also use Mission figs)
• 150g (5oz) Medjool dates, chopped finely
• 8 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 60g (3tbsp or 2 oz) honey
• 4tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 6tbsp chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional, but recommended)

Dough

(You’ll probably end up with some extra cookie dough — roll the leftover, cut it in shapes, and bake as a sugar cookie.)

• 2 large eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• large dash salt
• 345g (3 sticks or 1.5cup) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes + some extra (about 2tbsp), melted
• 690g (24oz) flour
• 320g (11oz) powdered sugar

Directions

1. Start by preparing the dough. Mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt), and then add the eggs, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter. Make sure all the ingredients, including the butter, are mixed well.
2. Divide the dough and form four equally sized balls. This will make your job later easier. (If dividing the recipe, just form two.) Refrigerate for at least an hour.
3. Once you’ve refrigerated the dough, pull it out the fridge and start preparing the filling. Mix all the filling ingredients together and combine well. Place aside.
4. Take two of the four balls of dough. On a large surface dusted with flour (you should be able to lift and move the dough afterward), roll out the first ball and try to get either a rectangular or square shape. If the sides are very irregular, cut off some of the dough to get straight sides. This will be our “base” dough layer. Place it aside.
5. Repeat the previous step with the second dough ball, but roll it out thinner this time. This is our “top” layer. It should be thick enough not to tear, but, as thin as it can be in order to achieve a proper filling to cookie dough ratio.
6. Back to the base dough layer, start placing about 1/2 tbsp of the filling mix at equal intervals — as small or big as you need them depending on the cookie cutter shape you’ll use. (If you are not using a cookie cutter, you can just choose a square, ravioli shape.)
7. Around each filling spot, brush a bit of the extra melted butter. This is done to assure that the two dough layers will stick together.
8. Place top layer on base. With finger, press gently the top layer around the filling onto the base so they stick. Cut with cookie cutter or knife in desired shape.
9. Once you are done, collect any dough left and place it aside. It’ll be used later.
10. Preheat oven to 350 F.
11. Take the two last balls of dough from the four you refrigerated. Repeat steps 4-9.
12. If you still have some filling left, use the leftover dough from step 9 to make more cookies as done till now. (The reason we proceeded with the “fresh” dough instead of immediately using the leftover one, is that the more you work with it, the harder it gets to manipulate and ends up tearing often.) If you don’t, you can roll it out and shape it with the cookie cutter. Those will be great little cookies on their own, without any filling.
13. Bake the date & fig cookies for about 25 minutes. (About 20min if you are baking any without filling). Let them cool and enjoy! (They get even better on the next day!)

In a mundane world, there are small things I’m thankful for every day, such as:

• Fast-dry nailpolish. This has literally saved me a thousand times.
• Being a morning person. (Though, sometimes, waking up effortlessly around 4:30-5am can be a curse too.)
• Online shopping.
• Being a geek. Particularly useful when your RAM module fails on a Friday morning, and it doesn’t take you much time (1) to identify the problem and (2) to fix it by opening the computer case and substituting the module.

Then, there are bigger things I’m thankful for every day:

• Every single one of your visits and every single one of your comments.
• Winning a beautiful “Flirty Apron” like this one:

I absolutely love it. Thanks to FreeSpiritEater!

• Being invited to talk with  the Executive Chef Daniel Humm and the General Manager Will Guidara from the NYC restaurant Eleven Madison Park.

Remember last Wednesday when I told you I’d have big news for you this week? Well, earlier that morning, I had received a meetup invitation to review their new cookbook and to gather up with them and a few other bloggers. Excited, I promptly accepted.

My impressions? Solely positive. I had heard of the cookbook and knew it was supposedly very good, with great photography and recipes. Yet, it was better than very good.

It was pure art.

The food in this book is almost too pretty – because, how would you dare destroy something like this by eating it? Well, if you manage to get your eyes off the pretty pictures and actually read the recipes, you’ll know. And you will dare.

The only thing with which I’m even more impressed is the people behind the book themselves. Why? Because, you’d think that people like them would have a much more elevated “sense of importance.” Not at all. Both Daniel Humm and Will Guidara were extremely friendly, approachable, and down-to-earth. The only elevated feeling in them was a strong passion to get as close as possible to excellence and perfection – a topic talked about in their book. “Make it nice” was the quote they used when signing our books and which marked my memory. Reading the cookbook, you’ll find the source behind it and why it is so important.

I’d tell you more about it, but one of the other bloggers at the meet-up, Emily, already did a very good job at summarizing the topics we covered during our discussion. You can find her post here. As for the other bloggers, please check out their sites (not all of them have posted their review yet, but will soon):

• Coco – Opera Girl Cooks
• Ben – You Fed A Baby Chili?
• Natasha – Non-Reactive Pan
• Pallavi – The Easy Indian

My last word about this cookbook: if you can get your hands on it, do it. Yes, the recipes are very fancy. Yes, they require some know-how. But, if you want to excel at cooking, you must challenge yourself and learn from the best, right? I know I will myself try to replicate some of their dishes as well as the styling.
(Daniel Humm and Will Guidara’s own  recommendations for easy dishes were to do the roast chicken, the fish, the strawberry gazpacho, and the granola.)

Oh, and when my parents-in-law visit in January, this will be the cookbook I’ll use – my best way of recommending it.

Now, off to another topic. Thanksgiving. You are probably asking yourself: “Why éclairs??? The day before Thanksgiving? It makes no sense!” Well, there’s a story behind it.
I was seven when we moved to Bulgaria and, although my mother was Bulgarian, the only thing I knew was French. I spoke French, I ate French, I behaved French. For a very long time, I clung to this culture – the culture of my father – because, this was the way I had identified myself since I was born and didn’t know anything else. But, what was really the worst was when I’d be asked: “So do you feel more Bulgarian, or more French?” People would try to argue for and against the different positions and to decide for me, when, in reality, this made no sense whatsoever.

As I grew up though, this taught me a lot. It taught me to see life from many different perspectives. I was part of two distinct cultures, but not in the distinct way many thought of it. I was in a category of my own. I was multi-cultural. Going to an American high-school in Bulgaria contributed even more. And then, later in my life when I came to the USA, it was further reinforced by me constantly being either in California or in NY – two quite different states.

Today, all of those experiences make me who I am. A person of the world, really. Because I cannot classify myself in any particular category. I have some very French traits (hearrr me speak, you’ll know), a lot of Bulgarian character, and, depending on which of my friends you’ll ask, I’ve become more or less Americanized. But you know what? That’s who I am, and I love it. And am thankful for it.

So, back to the éclairs. Yes, I haven’t forgotten about them!
See, before moving to Bulgaria, I was essentially fed on three things. Macarons, mille-feuilles, and éclairs. After I moved, I discovered that none of those could really be found in the bakeries (at least, not at the time). I could eat those only when visiting France, and that was at most once a year for a very long time. This would have been a real tragedy (especially to a 7-year old), if it wasn’t for one thing my mother actually did. She did make me éclairs.

And it was because of this (and so much more my mother has done for me) that I could find a bit of comfort in some of my old habits and have the courage to embrace changes and learn to make the best of it. So today, I’m dedicating this post and this year’s Thanksgiving to my mother – the person who, no matter how cliché this sounds, has always been there “pour éclairer mon chemin” or to light my way.

“Thanksgiving” Éclairs

(7 large or about 14 small/regular ones)
Note: you do not need a pastry bag. To make the éclairs and to fill them, I used two Ziploc sandwich bags.

Pâte à Choux

• 5 oz water
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 oz unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 4 oz flour
• 3 extra-large eggs (or 4 small ones)

Important: make sure to have all those ingredients measured and read the directions entirely before you start. The process of making choux pastry is a really quick one, and you won’t have any time in between the steps. Also, I recommend using a timer for the baking part.

1. Place in a small pot the water, sugar, and butter. Bring to boil over medium heat until the butter and sugar are melted.
2. For this step, there are two methods I’ve seen for mixing in the flour. However, whichever you choose, make sure to pour the flour at once and stir energetically with a wooden spoon. This will prevent the formation of lumps.
   - Method 1: take the pot off the heat, mix in the flour by stirring constantly until you get a homogenous pastry ball.
   - Method 2 (which I used and found successful and easier): just mix in the flour without taking the pot off the heat.
3. In both methods, once the pastry is formed, you need to cook it for about another 3 minutes. Start counting from the moment you notice there’s a tiny “film deposit” around the pot when stirring the dough. At the end of those 3 minutes, you’ll notice a slight change in the look the outer layer of the pastry ball.
4. At this point, take off the heat and place the pâte in a bowl. Let it cool down for a couple minutes. Then, using a mixer (or, if you don’t have one, stirring with your wooden spoon), integrate the eggs, one by one.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Place pastry in pastry bag with large tips (or in ziploc bag with one of the corner cut off) and pipe on parchment paper placed over your baking sheet. Make sure to have both width and height, so you don’t end up with flat éclairs. (Also, try to make them as equally sized as you can.)
7. Then, place in heated oven and:
   - If making small éclairs, cook for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 5-8 minutes.
   - If making large ones, cook for 20 minutes, decrease oven heat to 375 and cook for another 10-15 minutes depending on size.
   The result you are looking for is a nice golden color all around. If you take the éclairs out too early, they will sink and you’ll be left with some Naan bread look-alike. If in doubt: take one out and if it doesn’t collapse within 30 seconds, you should be safe.
8. Place ready éclairs aside to cool down and begin the preparation of the filling and icing.

Icing

Two options (I made some with both):
Powdered sugar – just sift and dust over the éclairs, OR
Make a ganache using equal amounts of chocolate and heavy cream. I used:

• 4 oz semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 oz heavy cream

Place ingredients over medium heat in a small pot until the chips begin to melt. Take off the heat and stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved. Dip the top of each éclair in the ganache and place to rest on a plate.

Filling

You can make pastry cream (crème pâtissière), or, if you are in a hurry like I was, make some whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, cold
• 3 tbsp cocoa (If you want a really chocolaty taste, you can calmly add another tablespoon or two)
• 3 tbsp sugar (adjust according to sweetness preference)

1. In a cold bowl, pour the ingredients and beat at high-speed with your mixer.
2. Then:
   1) use a pastry bag with a thin and long tip gently inserted into the éclair to squeeze the filling in it, or,
   2) slice the éclairs into two, and place filling, either by spooning it or by piping it using another sandwich bag with a cut-off (small) corner

Dear all! Happy #LoveThePie day

I have so many exciting news, I don’t know where to start. I guess we’ll try the chronological order?

A couple of days after I came back from France, I received a gorgeous “Flirty Apron” from the wonderful food blogger over at FreeSpiritEater, as a giveaway prize I won. (The first giveaway I win!) I will be posting a picture of me wearing it in my next post, with a special recipe!

Secondly, I’ve recently tried to be more involved in food blogging by tweeting more (are you following me yet? ) and participating in more events such as the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap for which I gained two pounds in the matter of two days while perfecting the cookie recipe I’ll be using.

And thirdly, there’s a really cool event coming up this Friday, but about that – in my next post, together with the apron picture!

For now, let’s talk pie. When I decided to participate in “Love the Pie ” I thought of making a delicious caramel pecan pie. Nothing extraordinary really, but I simply love pecan pies. However, the hubby, already on a sugar high from testing and critiquing my cookies, suggested that I go instead for something more traditional. In other words, he wanted an apple pie. With a double crust, of course.

And so, apple pie it was. Of course, I had to change things slightly, making the pie individual and also, lighter. For that, I chose to make a thinner crust – but also to spice it up in order to make it just as satisfying.

Here’s the recipe:

Individual Spicy Apple Pies

For 3 small, individual pies, or 1 regular

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp allspice
• 2 cups flour
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) butter, cold
• scant ¼ cup sparkling apple cider, cold (You can make your own – which I did – if you have a soda maker)

(Note: If you prefer the regular, very flaky crust, use 2 ½ cups flour, 2 sticks unsalted cold butter, and no apple cider.)

Filling

• 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, sliced thinly, and then cut into smaller chunks (Those will stay crispy. If you want a mushier pie, use McIntosh apples or a combination of different types.)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 4 tbsp chopped pecans
• 3 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• 3 tbsp light brown sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine all the dry crust ingredients together and mix well. Dice butter and work it in, adding as little as needed from the apple cider, until you get what looks like crumbles. Then form a ball from the dough, place it in a plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. (Or, if you prefer, divide the dough into six – three bottom and three upper crusts and wrap them separately. I personally preferred to perform it after I roll out the dough.)
2. Once the dough is refrigerated, pull it out and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. In a bowl, mix the apples, pecans, and raisins, together with the spices and sugar. Add the vanilla extract.
4. Roll out the dough. (If you have not divided it into upper and bottom crusts in step #1, do it so now.)
5. Place bottom crusts in dusted with flour ramekins. Press with your fingers to make them stick. Trim the edges, but leave about ½ inch.
6. Place a third of the apple mixture in each ramekin. Cover with upper crusts and press the edges of each top crust with the corresponding bottom crust. Trim again as needed to make a clean, about ½ inch edge.
7. Cut small “vents” in the top crusts with a knife. Then, place ramekins inside the oven, for 20-25 minutes, depending on how quickly the pies get golden. Reduce to 375 degrees, and bake for another 20-25 minutes.

PS: You can “Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton,Bags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press”  until November 23, 2011.

I can’t believe it’s been over a week since the hubby and I came back from France. We went there with lots of actual work to do, but also to see our families. The trip was short – seven days, 2.5 of which fully spent travelling. (The fact that his family is in the North and mine – in the South, doesn’t make our trip from San Fran any shorter.)

Still, we had a great time. And a lot of great food too. And by a lot, I mean so much food that you actually need a small sorbet after your first several courses to prepare you for the second half of your meal…

Of course, no need to explain why I decided  it’d be a pretty good idea to have some healthy, light, and veggy-full dishes for a while after our return. Here’s what I made this Tuesday:

Spicy Orange Beef

(adapted from Good Housekeeping — One-Dish Meals)

Ingredients

• 3 medium oranges, rinsed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 12-14oz beef top sirloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2tbsp +1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 broccoli crowns (a little over 1lb), cut into flowerets
• 3 medium green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2-1tbsp (depending on preference) fresh ginger, peeled and minced
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp red pepper powder

Directions

1. Peel one of the oranges. Remove the membranes, recuperating the “meat” and any falling juice in a small bowl.
2. From the other two oranges, peel (moving horizontally) 8 strips, around 3-inch long and ½ inch wide. Remove any white pith from the strips. Then, squeeze ¾ cup juice from those oranges.
3. Coat evenly the beef slices with the 2tbsp cornstarch. (Don’t forget: you must have ½ tsp left after this.)
4. In large skillet, heat the oil over medium high and then add the orange peels. Cook them for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, and then place in large bowl.
5. Immediately after this, place the beef slices in the skillet and cook until both sides are lightly browned. (About 5 minutes.) In the meantime, mix together (in a cup or another recipient)
   Add to the large bowl with the orange peels.
6. In the meantime, mix together the ¾ cup orange juice, the soy sauce, the red pepper powder, and the ½ tsp cornstarch left.
7. Now, add 2 tbsp water to the skillet and the broccoli flowerets. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add greens onions and red pepper , and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for one more minute.

You didn’t think I’d skip the season and would be the only food blogger not to post a recipe involving pumpkin, did you?

I know, I know, I made you wait for it a while. But, sometimes you’ve got to wait for the good things, right? And this recipe… well, this recipe is really good.

Generally consumed at or around Christmas in Bulgaria and called “Tikvenik”, this is a sweet type of “Banitsa”, or pumpkin filled phyllo. It’s very easy to make, and if you’ve never had tikvenik before, I highly recommend you reserve some of your pumpkin stack for this – you won’t regret it.

Ingredients

• About 20 regular phyllo dough sheets (depending on how much mixture you place in each roll)
• 5 cups shredded pumpkin
• 4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts (You can use more or less depending on your personal taste)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) melted, unsalted butter
• Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease lightly a cookie sheet.
2. Combine together the shredded pumpkin, the cinnamon, walnuts, and sugar. Make sure it’s mixed well.
3. Place a phyllo sheet on the table. With a brush, spread some melted butter over it. Cover with another phyllo sheet. Spread generously some of the pumpkin mixture on one end, lengthwise. Then, carefully, start rolling toward the opposite end (over its width).
4. Take this first roll, and then roll again, this time forming a circle like a cinnamon bun. Place at the center of the cooking sheet. Repeat the previous step, and then place the new roll around the first, forming a bigger circle. Continue until you have no mixture/rolls left.
5. Bake for about 35 min, or until golden. (Partially depends on how much filling you’ve put.)
6. Sprinkle with powdered if desired after the tikvenik cools down (I skipped this).

Note:
I’ve seen this recipe adjusted for slightly boiled or even for canned pumpkin, so if you don’t feel like shredding 5 cups, that’s something to keep in mind. Also, if desired you could add some nutmeg too.