Alinka

Klary, thank you for sharing the recipe for boterkoek! As I was baking it last night, the house smelled so good, this warm buttery aroma... What makes this cookie even more delightful is that it's a family recipe, not something invented in a restaurant kitchen. Do I need to say the tart is already all gone? I have to say though that in the States self-rising flour already has salt added to it. But I only had regular flour, so I added a little salt and a teaspoon of baking powder. And the ginger I have is not packed in syrup. Keep those recipes coming!

The crepes look so sunny... About the berries on the omelet: Зоя says it's marinated Italian pink pepper. I've never heard of it.

Mooshmouse's tortellini and percyn's sturgeon (oh-so-tender inside) is what I would like to have, please. With FoodMan's gorgeous "last minute" tart for dessert. Come to think of it, there's not nearly enough desserts shown here, I think!

It's funny as I bought the book by accident, at the Half-Price Bookstore . It's worth having though. Most of my pictures (including the ones above) are taken on my kitchen counter. I've recently heard that traditionally artists' studio windows faced north to create the best lighting. After thinking about it I realised I am lucky: my kitchen window faces north! I've taped a sheet of white paper to the wall though, to create a white background. I hate using a flash, and I don't have any additional setup, so I have to chase natural daylight, which means I have to take my plate outside sometimes, or only take pictures on weekends, because in winter I often don't get home until it's already dark. Why do you think my favorite thread is breakfast? By the way, I would like to take this opportunity to officialy thank all my dining companions who ever had to wait patiently for their plate to come back . Thank you for your compliments, they really are a great motivation to cook!

Sorry, I just realized you wanted to know what those berries on the omelet are. She didn't say, but I'll ask her.

Thank you, Chufi, for starting this thread! Good luck!

I am pleased to see your interest . Basically, it’s a cooking forum, where Russian women swap recipes. For a peek into what they cook for their families, here’s the Dinner Thread. When the thread exceeds 20 pages, it closes and a new one starts. Pan, Надюля wrote that her husband likes eggs, fried with tomatoes and hotdogs for breakfast (kind of like sausage and eggs, I suppose). Personally she doesn’t care for that, so she had mashed potatoes and hotdogs that morning. It is not unusual: in Russia, hotdogs are often eaten as an entree (if it’s a simple meal at home, supper, for example), with mashed potatoes, pasta, or other starch on the side. But the hotdogs taste quite different from what we have here in the States . MaKosh’s breakfast was actually her husband’s lunch which he forgot to take. It’s pancakes layered with chicken liver pate (don’t ask me, I’ve never seen this before!). Зоя ate omelet with asparagus on page 12 . She gave her approximate recipe for one serving: 2-3 eggs, several asparagus spears, butter, Parmesan to grate on top. As for her next dish, with blackberries and mint leaves on top, it’s just oatmeal . By the way, they also have an equivalent thread to our Dinner II, it’s called “Our crooked hands” .

...said Daniel before proceeding to bombard us with a bunch of mouthwatering pictures! Great job, Daniel, everything looks great, and I am sure your friends feel very lucky to be... well, your friends .

By the way, some time ago there was a thread on eGullet - someone was wondering what people in other countries eat for breakfast. If anyone's curious, here's the "What I had for breakfast today" thread on one of the Russian culinary forums. It's in Russian, but pictures speak for themselves .

Just cheat and make Baked Ziti...everything you would put in lasagna just all mixed up. I will never assume someone knows what baked ziti is anymore, someone asked me last weekend they liked it tracey ← That's an idea! And why did I buy those lasagna noodles today?! Dinner tonight was an eclectic mixture of red Thai curry over brown rice... ...and Basque cake from The New French Baker: The combination of the crumbly crust, soft sweet pastry cream filling, crunchy nuts, and tart cherries was just lovely .

It's old-fashioned, the kind that takes 20 minutes to cook. I tried those instant ones in packets, but they were too sweet, and with an artificial aftertaste to them. I've gotta say though that I like some chew to my grains, so I mostly eat brown rice, whole wheat pasta, etc. . Growing up, we ate a lot of hot cereals: buckwheat, millet, rice, cream of wheat.

Great dinners, everyone! Lasagna sounds good. If only it was not so time-consuming...

Thanks, Susan. I am really flattered by your suggestion of a foodblog, but I'm afraid that then I'll have to take a week off work - it's like a full-time job . Too many people report being nervous doing the blog: the pressure! I couldn't handle the pressure! I'll just hang out here and in the dinner thread posting when inspiration strikes, if you don't mind . Okay! I can never cook eggs to look as delicious as yours, and you can't say I didn't try . That's just what you need, Klary, with your recent "comfort food streak". A heart-warming bowl like this for supper will sure make you feel better .

Weekend! Come on, time to bring the breakfast thread up. Percy, bring your eggs, Susan, where are your potatoes? It's oatmeal from me today. Since you can't have too much of a good thing, it's loaded with: brown sugar, cinnamon, almonds, raisins, dried apricots, maple syrup, and soy milk.

Aaaaa!.. Now my keyboard is sticky from all that salivating over that smoked fish! Mooshmouse's pizzas are also lovely.

M-m-m, look at those breakfasts! Lovely, just lovely. I especially like how Percy pokes a hole in his FIRED eggs to let the yolk run... Tease, indeed .

avocado, it's interesting that you say that it is good for the cold weather. Actually, this is kind of "summer" version, thin and without much fat. Usually I make borsch more savory and filling, with more meat and fat, basically . I was reading Bourdain's Cook's Tour recently, and he gives a pretty good description of a "proper" Russian borsch. I should cook it up and show some time. Meanwhile, here is the recipe for what you see on the photo. It is very approximate, of course, since I usually go by "a pinch of this, and handful of that" . Summer borsch For about 4 servings 6 cups vegetable, beef, or chicken stock 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces 1/4 medium cabbage head, shredded 1 tablespoon rendered bacon or chicken fat 1/2 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1/2 bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons tomato paste OR 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons fresh parsley 3 tablespoons fresh dill Freshly ground pepper Sour cream for serving Cook potatoes in stock until partially cooked but still firm. Add cabbage. Meanwhile, in a skillet sauté onions in fat until translucent, add garlic, carrots, celery, and bell pepper, saute 2-3 minutes, add tomato paste or tomatoes, saute for about 2 more minutes. Add the vegetable-tomato mixture to the soup, bring to boil. Add lemon juice, herbs, and pepper. Remove from heat, let stand covered for a few minutes. Serve with sour cream, sprinkled with more fresh herbs. Eat with rye bread (rub the crust with fresh garlic) and - if you're lucky enough to have it - salted pork fat (salo) .

Thanks, Megan! Considering I was pretty hungry by then, dancing around the plate with the camera was quite a feat!

That looks really good! Was it hot or chilled? It was hot. And she really enjoyed it! What a cutie-pie . When I read Chufi's story about what she had for lunch yesterday, for some reason it made me so nostalgic for my childhood food (by the way, pancakes are also eaten for dinner in Russia, and also eggs, omletes, hot cereals)... So I made borsch, the way mom used to make it, not very thick, and without beets (no matter, I did not have any anyway ). The borsch I cook is more traditional: thicker and more filling, with meat. Mom's version is much lighter, with crispier cabbage and lots of bay leaf, dill and parsley. When I opened the lid after letting it sit for a while, there it was - the warm aroma from my childhood! (I've noticed I've been cooking a lot of Russian food lately - is it time to go home for a visit? ) It's eaten with sour cream, rye bread, and (preferably) fresh garlic and salo (salted pork fat). Well, no bread or SALO, so I just had a little sour cream .

The food looks great, indeed. I think that has something to do with the chef, too ... A quick browse through the soup thread left me with some serious craving. So, soup it is. Pea mint.

Not very pretty or fancy, but it was fresh and quick: Parsley pasta, parmesan, cream, tuna, lots of pepper.

I liked them. I used whole wheat flour and a generous pinch of apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, and I don't remember what else is included), so the pancake came out looking kind of dark inside.

Inspired by tejon's Dutch babies - Puffed apple pancake from Epicurious. Topped with a mixture of brown sugar and ground hazelnuts before baking, and yogurt mixed with raspberries after.

Thank you. I wish I could share it with you (in exchange for that gorgeous salmon pate ). And why do you think I was cooking eggs for breakfast earlier this week (see top of the page)? Where's the bread? Dutch babies... Interesting. I've read about German pancakes, but never got around to making them. Looks good!

Cream cheese croissants... When I lived in California, there was a bakery near our apartment, and our Saturday morning ritual was to go there (actually walking, something not possible in Houston) and have breakfast. It was always a cream cheese croissant for me, maybe followed by a palmier or an eclair... Well, no French bakeries within 30 minute driving radius here, so I'll have to fend for myself - by maybe baking some blueberry and cappuccino muffins: The blueberry muffins DO have blueberries in them -