Yelena Strokin

I don’t know if I ever told you, my dear readers, when my daughter was born, I used to illustrate stories for children. I could spend hours and hours…

Home-baked bread speaks to us of the warmth of the hearth and home. It conjures up bustling kitchens, flour-dusted work counters, large bowls covered with dishtowels, ovens yearning for…

This is a colorful pasta, made from roasted beets with a sweet aftertaste and a lovely bright color that marries best with cheese sauce and fresh herbs that show…

Bumble-berry pie is an old-fashioned name for a pie made with several varieties of berries. Once you bake your first homemade pie you will never again eat the one bought…

Good hearty buckwheat kasha is a serious matter. It’s a thing in itself crowning the whole of Russian cuisine. It requires a responsible and thorough approach when cooking with…

As the familiar sweet aroma fills the house, no one will be able to resist a slice of this dense, chocolate bread. Breakfast time? Serve the bread at room…

“Manti” (steamed buns with lamb filling) is a traditional meat dish of the people of Central Asia, Turkey, Mongolia, Korea, as well as of the Tartars and Bashkir of…

Here, chicken thighs and drumsticks are slowly cooked in a flavorful garlic sauce with white wine, thyme, and spices to create a comforting meal. To make a one-dish meal…

With its sweet, earthy taste, butternut squash soup with apples and ginger is my favorite for the month of October. I like to play with spices when I am…

My dear readers, as many of you know that during the summer time, my blog was a little lonely as I did not post any new recipes for you.…

When fall comes, what makes us want to bake so much? I wonder… Is it the changing colors on trees, or the cool evenings, or the orange pumpkins sticking…

What a beautiful evening it is outside tonight as I write this! The air is still warm enough to be comfortable, but a cool breeze is coaxing the still-vibrant…

“Povidlo”– Apple Butter is cooked from fruit or berry puree with sugar. Once fully cooked good povidlo looks like a homogeneous mass of brownish or dark golden color. In…

I love everything about fall – from kids finally going back to school to the turning leaves and the crisp air.  Of course, I look forward to visiting various…

Green Tomato With Orange Peel & Vanilla is very unique marmalade for using the last tomatoes of early fall that just never seem to ripen. This dark-green, sweet and…

Sweet, buttery, laced with chocolate and fragrant with cinnamon, these beautifully twisted wheels is easy to prepare and you can serve them with a chilled glass of milk or…

Flaky, white biscuits are easy to make. One of the fastest of baked goods to put together, biscuits are among the most reliable. People who make them with regularity…