Apple, Honey, Almond and Rosemary Muffins

The Jewish New Year is celebrated on Wednesday, and this brings back memories of traditional foods even to an agnostic such as myself. One of these culinary traditions is to dip a slice of apple in honey, and eat it as a symbol for a sweet New Year. Plenty other sweet dishes are added to the table as well, in order to emphasize this hope for a sweet New Year.
The muffins I have created here were inspired by this tradition.

Savory Scallions, Red Pepper and Olives Muffins

If you get up in the morning and feel like having some fresh bread that doesn’t require lots of work, these quick “all in one bowl” savory muffins are the answer.

Shrimps Rice Rolls with Soy-Tahini Dipping Sauce

Fresh and tasty rice paper rolls are a signature dish of the Vietnamese cuisine. The thin rice wrappers are filled with fresh ingredients and served with a savory-sweet dipping sauce, which is an integral part of the dish, as the filling is not seasoned. All this makes the rolls perfect for summer entertaining.

Romaine Lettuce Salad with Halloumi Cheese

On a hot summer day, a fresh salad with some filling additions is all that is needed for lunch or dinner. This colorful salad is full of flavors and textures, and is the perfect example for such a dish.

Crispy Asparagus with Saffron-Garlic Mayonnaise

Fresh asparagus is always a delight, and when I saw this beautiful bunch at the store, I immediately grabbed it.

Lobster Rolls

When it comes to lobster rolls, there are two main approaches: the purist one, originated in Connecticut, which refuses to add anything but melted butter to the warm lobster; and the one originated in Main, which serves the lobster cold, with mayonnaise and other seasonings.

Cinnamon and Raisins Monkey Bread

Monkey bread is actually not a bread, but a very tasty cake, with many versions. It is made by rolling yeast dough balls in butter and sugar, then baking them together as a whole cake. The pieces of dough can be pulled apart easily, hence the name.

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Rice and Herbs

Stuffed grape leaves are known all over the Mediterranean, where they are mostly stuffed with rice and herbs, and in the Middle East, where a meat filling is more common.

Zucchini, Cheese and Herbs Mini-Bakes

These tasty mini bakes are perfect for a weekend brunch, as a side dish or a light snack any time of the day.

Burekitas with Zucchini-Tomato filling

The Sephardic cuisine offers quite a few versions for Burekitas, small hand pastries, with various types of dough and fillings (check THIS post for more information about them).

Banana Yeast dough Cakes

I often end up with overripe bananas, that usually find their way into one-bowl type of cakes. As this time I was planning on making yeast dough roulades, I’ve decided to see how they would work in this type of dough.