Ricotta and Mascarpone Tart with Chopped Chocolate and Pate Sucree Crust

Honey Lavender Cookies with Pistachios. Yes, they are as lovely as they sound. :)

Stuffed Bell Peppers: protein, veggies and starch all in one. Easy peasy dinner.

Heavily inspired by Nicoise it introduces chicken and radishes into the mix.

Cherry, Chocolate and Nut Cookies.

Meyer Lemon Pudding Cake: spongy top and moist pudding-like bottom.

Green pea, radishes and feta cheese salad: flavors of spring. Try to find fresh Bulgarian feta for this one.

These large, flat pancakes called biliny in Russian are often made during the Maslenitsa week and served with sour cream, caviar, jelly, etc.

Roasted eggplant sandwich with garlic-dill-mayo and fresh tomatoes.

Quiche Lorraine: a classic. With bacon and Gruyere cheese.

Saffron and Cardamom Panna Cotta. If you love these spices, you know what I’m saying.

Olivier: The Russian Salad. Winter favorite for over a century. Eggs. potatoes, peas, pickles and mayo = best combination.

Befana: a most cherished family Italian Christmas cookie.

Onion and Apple Galette with Savory Rosemary Crust

Honey layer cake with whipped cream and sour cream filling and cream cheese frosting.

Peanut Butter Cookies. Classic.

Call them Russian tea cookies, Mexican wedding cookies or even pecan sandies- they will be great regardless.

Zebra Cake. I will tell you the trick to achieve these fun vertical stripes.

Farmer Cheese Pancakes- Syrniki. Russians’ ultimate comfort food: cheesecake and pancakes in one.

Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Rice Krispies Bars.

Pumpkin Soup. If you can’t eat another bite of anything pumpkin: peanut butter, ginger & sesame will make you reconsider.

These are home-made pickles, which is a bit of a misnomer because the cucumbers are actually brined in carbonated water: salty and crunchy.