Armenian Sweet Bread

 

So my family and I have done our DNA tests to see what our heritage blend is, and one of the surprises we saw on everyone’s test was Armenian descent (very small percentage), among other cultures, but this one surprised us! So I decided to explore their cuisines in time for the Easter Holiday. I found a recipe and adapted it a bit because our family has some allergies and using certain species was not realistic, so I adapted the recipe and came up with this delicious Armenian Sweet Bread, that tastes and looks a lot like Challah Bread. My kids devoured it!

This is sure to become an Easter family tradition that I hope my girls (and son) will continue when they have their own children. This bread does contain egg, which is how you achieve this gorgeous deep, rich color. By all means, if you do not eat egg, you can simply take out the egg. The top will not be as golden brown, but you can experiment with olive oil, and brush that on top instead.  In this case, I would also increase the sugar in this recipe from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup.

This recipe is a great starting point, and you may add in the herbs if you wish or omit them altogether. You may even experiment with other herbs. The Armenian herbs are Mahleb and Nigella seeds, ground along with sesame seeds to finish off the top of the bread. It tastes as good as it looks!

Happy Spring! Happy Easter!

Morning Coffee

I love the smell of coffee when I wake up in the morning. My husband has been making the coffee for years and the aroma of coffee emanates upstairs and wakes me up.

Growing up my dad would make the coffee and I can remember jumping out of bed when I was in high school to have some with him, and share a conversation before we started our day. Back then I was up very early  because I had to work through my dance routines before I went to school for the day. After school I would teach aerobics until late at night. Getting up at 5:30 am in high school to do a run through before the day started was my morning routine, and having a hot cup of coffee made it bearable at that hour.

There is something about coffee that I love! Sure I love the taste, the aroma, the thought of it…but it’s the conversations that take place over coffee that “perk” me up! It’s also my favorite me time, and sometimes shared time with my husband.  Life gets busy, so it’s nice to slow down, reflect upon your day, and sip a hot cup of coffee which  for me is sweetened with sugar and I always add warmed milk. That’s the way they serve it in Italy. They heat the milk and ever since I visited there I have been enjoying it that way…Take some time to enjoy your me time or shared time over a cup of coffee.

xo

Homemade Ravioli

Making homemade pasta can seem overwhelming, but by utilizing a few simple techniques, you will be making pasta in a snap! This is a homemade pasta (with egg yolks only), and all-purpose flour. If you want to step it up a notch go for “00” flour instead. I mixed my ingredients to make a smooth, silky pasta, then I let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Rolling it out by hand was very easy, but the trick is to divide and conquer the dough.  One piece of dough, divide into 2-3 equal parts. Using a little flour, so it doesn’t stick, roll in every direction working the dough to make it as thin as possible. Once you have the pasta rolled out you can then decide to make linguine or ravioli, whatever you like.

If you are making ravioli, the inside is your choice, but this one is made of sweet potato with sauteed shallots, fresh thyme and a little butter. The sauce is complimentary flavors: lemon, olive oil, flour, butter, thyme, shallots. This combination is amazing!!!!!!!! There are so many sauces you can create.

For more pasta making tricks and exact ingredient amounts – check out my cookbook on Amazon! Also, check out my video on how to make homemade pasta! If you want to see my new kitchen reno, look for my Cauliflower and Broccoli Pizza video on my blog.

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Basil Cheesecake with Raspberries

This rich, creamy, savory and decadent cottage cheese cheesecake is a pleasant surprise in taste and more calorie conscious than its counterpart ricotta cheese cheesecake. In the German culture (where my great-great grandfather on my mom’s side of the family originated from) they use a cheese like small curd cottage cheese in their cheesecake.  My recipe has many similar qualities, but the crust is different.  This cake is fluffy and has a light-as-air consistency, in comparison to most American cheesecakes, especially New York Style Cheesecake which are very dense. Give my Basil Cheesecake with Raspberries a try. This will become a family favorite. It will not disappoint. And since it has cottage cheese in it, I am pretty sure eating it for breakfast is perfectly fine!