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Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baking. Show all posts

Liren's Rugelach: Add this recipe to your cookie list!













Today I'd like to share with you a zillion photos of rugelach cookies. This is not the first time I've made rugelach but this is the first time I've made a recipe by my friend Liren. When I saw Liren's post about rugelach, I pinned it and decided to make it and bring it to my Thanksgiving hosts.



Liren's recipe is incredibly easy and comes together really well. I made a few changes












Today I'd like to share with you a zillion photos of rugelach cookies. This is not the first time I've made rugelach but this is the first time I've made a recipe by my friend Liren. When I saw Liren's post about rugelach, I pinned it and decided to make it and bring it to my Thanksgiving hosts.



Liren's recipe is incredibly easy and comes together really well. I made a few changes
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

BONUS Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway :) $25 Whole Foods Gift Card!

I tricked you all! I made it sound like yesterday's post was the last one in the Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway posts, but it wasn't!! You have one more chance to win a fun gift. This one is a $25 gift card from Whole Foods!

This card is limited edition, and not only is it really pretty, but it's made from sustainably harvested birch wood. Did you know birches are some of my favorite trees?
I tricked you all! I made it sound like yesterday's post was the last one in the Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway posts, but it wasn't!! You have one more chance to win a fun gift. This one is a $25 gift card from Whole Foods!

This card is limited edition, and not only is it really pretty, but it's made from sustainably harvested birch wood. Did you know birches are some of my favorite trees?
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway: Day 3. Bonne Maman Jam & Le Creuset Jam Jar. Cream Cheese & Jam Puff Pastry.




Did you all have a great Thanksgiving? I did! I'm ready for the weekend, but first there is a day of teleworking to deal with :)

But let's concentrate on fun things. It's time for Day 3 of Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway!

Today you have a chance to win 3 Bonne Maman Jams and a Jam Jar from Le Creuset!
I love Bonne Maman jars, and am completely in love with their cherry flavors. And of course



Did you all have a great Thanksgiving? I did! I'm ready for the weekend, but first there is a day of teleworking to deal with :)

But let's concentrate on fun things. It's time for Day 3 of Eight Days of Hanukkah Giveaway!

Today you have a chance to win 3 Bonne Maman Jams and a Jam Jar from Le Creuset!
I love Bonne Maman jars, and am completely in love with their cherry flavors. And of course
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Recipe for Monkey Bread Using Bread Machine




A few Saturdays ago my friend Cindy had a party. I decided to come a few hours earlier to help out with the food preparation and to have some time to catch up one on one. Cindy was making one of her favorite recipes: Monkey Bread. Although I've tried that bread a few times, it's always been a day after she baked it. This time, I tried it straight out of the oven: it's incredibly good! Soft,



A few Saturdays ago my friend Cindy had a party. I decided to come a few hours earlier to help out with the food preparation and to have some time to catch up one on one. Cindy was making one of her favorite recipes: Monkey Bread. Although I've tried that bread a few times, it's always been a day after she baked it. This time, I tried it straight out of the oven: it's incredibly good! Soft,
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Date & Hazelnut Bars: My Take on David Lebovitz's Fruitcake Bars




Earlier this month my friend Cindy gave me a container of dates. After doing a bit of a search for an easy recipe I found David Lebovitz's Fruitcake Bars Recipe. The recipe seemed easy enough, and really the only change I made was the type of nuts I used. David called for walnuts, almonds, or pecans, but I used a combination of hazelnuts, almonds and pecans and added zest of an orange!

Date &



Earlier this month my friend Cindy gave me a container of dates. After doing a bit of a search for an easy recipe I found David Lebovitz's Fruitcake Bars Recipe. The recipe seemed easy enough, and really the only change I made was the type of nuts I used. David called for walnuts, almonds, or pecans, but I used a combination of hazelnuts, almonds and pecans and added zest of an orange!

Date &
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Honey Apple Cake Perfect for Rosh Hashanah: Russian Recipe Revisited




This Wednesday is Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year. Although growing up in Russia I knew I was Jewish, religion wasn't a part of my life. When my family moved to the States when I was 13 years old, we went to a synagogue a few times, but it was hard for me to all of a sudden start believing in God.

Instead, I consider myself a cultural Jew: I ♥ Jewish traditions, most of the holidays {I stopped



This Wednesday is Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year. Although growing up in Russia I knew I was Jewish, religion wasn't a part of my life. When my family moved to the States when I was 13 years old, we went to a synagogue a few times, but it was hard for me to all of a sudden start believing in God.

Instead, I consider myself a cultural Jew: I ♥ Jewish traditions, most of the holidays {I stopped
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Kallari Chocolate & Red Currant Muffins




I love, love, love dark chocolate! A few months ago I received three bars of Kallari chocolate as a "try us out" and really liked these smooth, rich, and slightly bitter bars. I ate one of the bars as is, but decided to use another one in baking. I made Kallari Chocolate & Red Currant Muffins last month for brunch with my friends and they were quite a hit! Now I finally get to share the recipe



I love, love, love dark chocolate! A few months ago I received three bars of Kallari chocolate as a "try us out" and really liked these smooth, rich, and slightly bitter bars. I ate one of the bars as is, but decided to use another one in baking. I made Kallari Chocolate & Red Currant Muffins last month for brunch with my friends and they were quite a hit! Now I finally get to share the recipe
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Easy Plum Dessert with KIND Healthy Grains




I have a confession to make: sometimes it's hard to be kind. Sometimes it's much easier to be mean, snarky, snooty and maybe even a little nasty. But I remind myself that my parents taught me better and try to be and do better.

What on Earth does this have to do with a food blog, you may think? Well, earlier this month I received a lovely package in the mail from KIND Snacks filled with



I have a confession to make: sometimes it's hard to be kind. Sometimes it's much easier to be mean, snarky, snooty and maybe even a little nasty. But I remind myself that my parents taught me better and try to be and do better.

What on Earth does this have to do with a food blog, you may think? Well, earlier this month I received a lovely package in the mail from KIND Snacks filled with
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Egyptian Sesame Challah Recipe AND a Giveaway of Nile Style Cookbook by Amy Riolo




If you haven't won my first giveaway for a copy of Amy Riolo's Nile Style cookbook with six of my photographs in it, do not fret. This is your second chance! Leave a comment telling me your favorite bread for a chance to win your copy of the book.

My favorite photograph I took for Amy's book was definitely Egyptian Sesame Challah, so that's the recipe I will share with you today.

I made half



If you haven't won my first giveaway for a copy of Amy Riolo's Nile Style cookbook with six of my photographs in it, do not fret. This is your second chance! Leave a comment telling me your favorite bread for a chance to win your copy of the book.

My favorite photograph I took for Amy's book was definitely Egyptian Sesame Challah, so that's the recipe I will share with you today.

I made half
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gluten-Free Baking - A Journey into New Territory

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Gluten-Free Baking - A Journey into New Territory

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Perfect Summer Brunch Dessert: Apricot & Almond Crostata




Looking for a perfect summer dessert? Then you must make this Apricot & Almond Crostata.

Here's the back story: I flew to Seattle at the beginning of June to visit my family and friends and to celebrate my mother's birthday. Clearly I've known my parents my entire life, but there are certain things about them I will never understand. For example, when asked what she wanted for her birthday,



Looking for a perfect summer dessert? Then you must make this Apricot & Almond Crostata.

Here's the back story: I flew to Seattle at the beginning of June to visit my family and friends and to celebrate my mother's birthday. Clearly I've known my parents my entire life, but there are certain things about them I will never understand. For example, when asked what she wanted for her birthday,
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

How to Bake Biscotti at Home: Hazelnut Date Biscotti Recipe




Last week I flew to Seattle to spend time with family and friends and to celebrate my mom's birthday. One of her favorite cookies is the super easy to make biscotti. I've written several times before about the process of making biscotti at home, adding different fun things to your biscotti, and about my not so stellar attempt at making chocolate biscotti.

This time I decided to make Hazelnut



Last week I flew to Seattle to spend time with family and friends and to celebrate my mom's birthday. One of her favorite cookies is the super easy to make biscotti. I've written several times before about the process of making biscotti at home, adding different fun things to your biscotti, and about my not so stellar attempt at making chocolate biscotti.

This time I decided to make Hazelnut
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mango Tart with Crystallized Ginger & Pistachios: Mango & Tomato Turns 5!!!




This May, Mango & Tomato turns 5!!! I can't believe I've been blogging for the last 5 years and honestly can't imagine my life without it. To celebrate, I decided to make Mango Tart with Crystallized Ginger & Pistachios.

Although I tried to get a few sponsors for my celebration and to host a few giveaways, nothing came of it. Instead, I'll share a few special recipes with you and treat myself



This May, Mango & Tomato turns 5!!! I can't believe I've been blogging for the last 5 years and honestly can't imagine my life without it. To celebrate, I decided to make Mango Tart with Crystallized Ginger & Pistachios.

Although I tried to get a few sponsors for my celebration and to host a few giveaways, nothing came of it. Instead, I'll share a few special recipes with you and treat myself
reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Mango & Sour Cherry Oatmeal Muffins




Whether you want a delicious breakfast, an addition to your brunch menu or an afternoon snack, you are going to love these Mango & Sour Cherry Oatmeal Muffins.

Last week I received a box of mangoes courtesy of Mango.org, and after eating most of the mangoes as is, I saved three champagne mangoes to make muffins.

If you can't find champagne mangoes, use regular ones. If you don't have frozen



Whether you want a delicious breakfast, an addition to your brunch menu or an afternoon snack, you are going to love these Mango & Sour Cherry Oatmeal Muffins.

Last week I received a box of mangoes courtesy of Mango.org, and after eating most of the mangoes as is, I saved three champagne mangoes to make muffins.

If you can't find champagne mangoes, use regular ones. If you don't have frozen
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Ina Garten's Carrot Cake Recipe from Foolproof Cookbook




This past Saturday, my friends Cecilia and Julia came over to my condo for a cookbook dinner party. We each chose a few recipes from Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof. Combined with a few appetizers and three bottles of wine, this turned out to be another fun evening with good friends.

For one of my recipes, I made Ina Garten's Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting. Because I followed the



This past Saturday, my friends Cecilia and Julia came over to my condo for a cookbook dinner party. We each chose a few recipes from Barefoot Contessa's Foolproof. Combined with a few appetizers and three bottles of wine, this turned out to be another fun evening with good friends.

For one of my recipes, I made Ina Garten's Carrot Cake with Ginger Mascarpone Frosting. Because I followed the
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Gluten-Free Baking - A Journey into New Territory

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.

Gluten-Free foods are taking their place in the world these days. We are all becoming more aware of gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac (or coeliac) disease, and what this means for so many people. While I am not gluten intolerant, I often cook and bake for functions, locally. Last year I was asked to provide little treats for a Princess Party, put on by the Dacotah Prairie Museum. Accompanied by a "queen", little girls from tots to teens were invited, to learn about the lives of real princesses. They were taught how to wave properly, and curtsey.

Little girls hear the word "princess" and go dreamy-eyed. The program was sold out. I made lots of little treats, but found out one of the little princesses and her queen were gluten intolerant, and couldn't partake of many of the little treats. This was an intolerable state of affairs! I decided I needed to learn about this disease, be aware of what was involved, and provide alternatives that would be tasty and exciting.

Over the past year, I have been trying out different gluten-free flour mixtures, and making lots of goodies, mainly from my own normal recipes, converted by simply substituting gluten-free flour and adding xanthan gum. In the main, they have been a whopping success. In my honest opinion, as someone who has been baking for 42 years, some of the cakes, fruit or nut loaves turn out more moist and tender than when made with wheat flour; a very happy discovery, without a doubt. The "queen" mentioned above, works at the museum, so I took an afternoon to talk with this young woman and learn more about what was involved. I also had baked one of my favorite coffeecake recipes, gluten-free and took it for her and the museum staff to try. They all loved it; moist and tender and full of flavor. The young woman was happy with my experiment, as was I.

Another great help along the way was finding Shauna Ahern's "Gluten Free Girl" website. I have studied her site extensively and learned all sorts of things there. I mixed up her gluten-free flour mixture to experiment with, as well as trying out one of her bread recipes; another success. I took some of the bread for the woman at the museum to sample, as well as a slice I slathered with homemade pesto and cheese and broiled. She exclaimed, "This is the best bread I've tasted since going gluten free!"

This coffeecake recipe was given to me by my best friend of 54 years, and is a terrific recipe, no matter which flour you choose. This is the original recipe; for gluten-free, I substituted a gluten-free flour mixture made up of 6 cups brown rice flour, 2 cups potato starch and 1 cup tapioca starch. I used this mixture measure for measure in this recipe, and added 1 teaspoon of xanthan gum to the sifted dry ingredients. Be sure to check the labels of ingredients for hidden wheat when making this Gluten-Free!

Bundt Coffeecake

1 cup unsalted butter

1½ cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup chopped nuts; walnuts or pecans are good

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs, sour cream and vanilla and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. Grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan.

Mix together the chopped nuts, the 2 teaspoons sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle ½ of this topping into the greased pan. Put in half the batter - this requires "plopping" small spoonfuls of the batter into the pan as the batter is very thick. Then carefully smooth it to fill in any gaps. Tapping the pan on the countertop helps. Pour on the rest of the "topping" and again plop spoonfuls into the pan till all batter is used.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the cake if desired. Serves 12 to 16.

GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Replace the flour with your preferred gluten-free flour mixture and add in 1 teaspoon xanthan gum. Mix and bake as directed. (Sometimes baking is a little bit longer than normal, but since the texture and moistness is so wonderful, I can wait those few more minutes!)

Try this recipe, either way, and you won't be sorry!

Chris Rawstern Photo My name is Chris Rawstern and I have been on a cooking and baking journey for 42 years. Many people have asked what "A Harmony of Flavors" means. Have you ever had a meal where the visual presentation was stunning, the smells were incredible, the taste was so remarkable that you ate slowly savoring every bite, wishing the experience would never end? Then you have experienced what a truly harmonious meal can be like. My passion is to teach people how to create a "Harmony of Flavors" with their cooking, and help pass along my love and joy of food, both simple and exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, trying new things. I would love to hear from you, to help me continue my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Visit my Web site http://www.aharmonyofflavors.com/ Let me know, and I will send you a copy of my monthly news letter full of recipes the latest tips.
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New West Knifeworks' Superbread Knife & Baking Bread in Le Creuset by Ruhlman




Remember the post where I swooned about my new The 8 knife from the New West KnifeWorks? Well, I've used this knife so often and have been so happy with it, I decided to pitch a new idea to the company: I would FINALLY bake bread in my Le Creuset and then use their gorgeous Superbread Fusionwood knife to cut into my loaf of bread.

Guess what? They said YES and sent me the knife for a review.



Remember the post where I swooned about my new The 8 knife from the New West KnifeWorks? Well, I've used this knife so often and have been so happy with it, I decided to pitch a new idea to the company: I would FINALLY bake bread in my Le Creuset and then use their gorgeous Superbread Fusionwood knife to cut into my loaf of bread.

Guess what? They said YES and sent me the knife for a review.
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Nigella Lawson's Clementine Almond Cake: Flourless Cake Recipe




A few weeks ago I saw a tweet by Alejandra, aka @nandita, mentioning a Clementine Flourless Cake by Nigella Lawson. I knew that I would HAVE to make the cake that very weekend. First, I ♥ Nigella. Second, clementines happened to be on sale at my grocery store. Third, it'd be a perfect excuse to have friends over for dinner.




Because the recipe is incredibly easy and I made it exactly as



A few weeks ago I saw a tweet by Alejandra, aka @nandita, mentioning a Clementine Flourless Cake by Nigella Lawson. I knew that I would HAVE to make the cake that very weekend. First, I ♥ Nigella. Second, clementines happened to be on sale at my grocery store. Third, it'd be a perfect excuse to have friends over for dinner.




Because the recipe is incredibly easy and I made it exactly as
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"Bagels & Lox" Savory Cheesecake: WASA Crispbreads Recipe Development




Earlier last month I received a recipe development request from Wasa Crispbreads.

Have you heard of Wasa crispbreads? They have been a part of my breakfast rotation routine for a few years, and I love that they are crispy, low in calories and come in whole wheat varieties. I must admit that I tried one of their Light products and did not like that as much.

"The wholesome, all-natural



Earlier last month I received a recipe development request from Wasa Crispbreads.

Have you heard of Wasa crispbreads? They have been a part of my breakfast rotation routine for a few years, and I love that they are crispy, low in calories and come in whole wheat varieties. I must admit that I tried one of their Light products and did not like that as much.

"The wholesome, all-natural
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