This multi layer cake is fairly sweet and soft from the luscious amount of sour cream and condensed milk cream. The layers are baked to a perfect  golden colour. This cake does take sometime to make,but it’s not difficult at all to make it.It’s better when you make it day ahead.
There is two different variations for the cream.Sour cream with sugar or condensed milk with butter.I like them both,so I use them both in my cake.The sour cream and sugar will make it more softer then the condensed milk and butter.If you decide to make condensed milk cream, then don’t place it in the fridge. Let it sit for 6 hours at room temperature.

Prepare a pot with hot water for water bath.
For 5-6 layers (I doubled for 10 layer cake)

Ingredients:
2 tablespoon honey
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 stick butter + 1 tablespoon
2 eggs
3- 3.5 cups flour

Cream #1 for 10 layers:
3 1/2 cups sour cream
1 cup sugar (add more if you like it sweeter)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream #2:
1 can condensed milk
3 sticks butter (softened at room temp.)

Directions for the cake:

Heat oven to 375 degrees

In a mixing bowl (that can be placed on top of a water bath)Combine sugar and eggs with a whisk.
Add honey and place the mixing bowl over the water bath. Mix until all the sugar is dissolved.
Add butter and 1 tablespoon of flour.Mix well.
Remove the mixing bowl with honey mixture from  the water bath and add baking soda and flour gradually mixing it well. Start with 3 cups of flour and add more if needed.(remember it will thicken as the dough cools down). Divide the dough it to 6 equal balls. You can let it cool down for a little or you can start rolling.

Sprinkle flour on the surface where you will roll the dough.
Roll the dough very thin.( sprinkle with flour in between when you flip the dough to other side,so it doesn’t stick to the surface)
Transfer to an upside down cookie sheet(well floured or greased)
and bake 3-4 minutes or until it will nice and golden in colour( be careful,It can burn fast)
As soon as you take it out from the oven place a round dinner plate (upside down) and cut out the circle leaving the edges for later use on the topping.
Repeat with the rest of the layers.

Combine eggs,sugar and honey

Mix on top of water bat (double boiler) until sugar is dissolved

Add butter and 1 tablespoon of flour

Add the rest of the flour

Cream #1: Beat sour cream,sugar and vanilla with a mixer for about 4-5 minutes.

Cream #2:
Beat butter for 1 minute. Slowly add condensed milk while still beating.

leave 1(or two if the recipe is doubled)layer for the topping

Add Generous amount of cream to each layer: 2 layers sour cream,1 condensed milk cream and so on.
Add cream to the top and sides of the cake.

Crumble the leftover pieces and layers of the cake.( I use mini blender for this)

Add the crumbs to the top and sides of the cake. For best results leave in a fridge for 12 hours.Enjoy!!!

Serves 2
Ingredients for the salad:
Organic baby spinach
3 white mushrooms sliced
2 tablespoons Pine nuts
2 slices of Apple wood smoked bacon
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Dressing:

1 small shallot
3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed juice from orange
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 scallions
2 tablespoon honey (more or less depending how sweet you like it to be)
Fresh ground pepper and and little bit of salt

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a blender.you will have leftover of this dressing that you can store in fridge for later use.

Directions:

Make the dressing first and set aside.
Cut the bacon and bake it at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or so.Let it slightly cool down.
Place spinach in a salad bowl.Add mushrooms,pine nuts, and bacon.Drizzle some dressing and mix gently.Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and salt if needed.You can also add fresh fruit like orange,apple or pear if you prefer.

Ingredients:

7 eggs diced
1 can corn
8 oz imitation crab diced
1 1/2 cup shredded medium cheddar cheese( or your preference)
6 green onions finely chopped (green parts)
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt if needed

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients.place it in fridge for a least one hour.

 These are really filling appetizers. You can use zucchini,Mexican squash or yellow squash.they could be grilled or fried.

Ingredients:
2 zucchinis sliced lenghtwise
any white fish (I used rock fish.) cut into 1 inch strips.
breadcrumbs ( I used Panko breadcrumbs)
salt and pepper
about 1 cup of oil, add more if needed.
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 garlic cloves crushed
1 teaspoon fresh chopped dill
red bell pepper  sliced(optional)

Directions:
Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper.
sprinkle salt on sliced zucchinis.
Add some oil to the frying pan and fry the zucchini on both sides on medium-high heat.
Add 1 cup of oil to the pan and let it heat up.
Dip  fish strips in the breadcrumbs so its well coated.
fry the strips turning once.

In a small dish combine sour cream,garlic,dill and salt.
Spread the sour cream mixture on one side of the zucchini strip.
Take one fish strip and place it on one end of the zucchini strip.
If you like, you can add a strip or two of bell pepper, or serve it on a side.
roll the zucchini and insert a toothpick to hold it together.

This soup is light and very easy to cook.It is  best when made with homemade vermicelli, which I don’t make very often, so I usually buy thin egg noodles or vermicelli from European market.That’s the closest to homemade.

Ingredients:
Whole Organic free range chicken( for best taste)
1 big onion cut crosswise to the middle
1-2 carrots peeled and cut in to thick rounds
1-2 bay leaves
salt
egg noodles or vermicelli
chopped fresh dill

Directions:

Fill a big cooking pot with water.Bring water to a boil.Rinse the chicken and place it in the boiling water.Add onion,carrots,bay leaves and about 1 tablespoon of salt (I use Himalayan pink salt, you might need more or less with other types).
Bring it to boil again and reduce to low. Cover with lid but not all the way.Let it cook for about 2 hours.check for salt and add more if needed.

Cook egg noodles in a separate pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil added to the water. drain the water.
When the stock is ready,take out the chicken and let it cool a little.Take off the skin and pull the meat apart.

To serve (per 1 serving) Add some noodles/vermicelli and chicken to the soup bowl. Pour the chicken stock over noodles.sprinkle with chopped fresh dill and fresh ground pepper if desired.Return left over chicken and dill to the pot with stock.

Ingredients:

8-10 lbs. Prime rib

2 heads garlic
1 shallot
bunch of rosemary(4 oz.)
bunch of thyme (4 oz.)
2 tbsp. fresh ground pepper
2-3 tbsp. salt
2/3 cup olive oil

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or blender.
Rub the garlic and herb mixture all over the roast.
Heat oven to 500 degrees.
Place meat on a roasting pan.
Add water to the bottom of the roasting pan,about a 1/4-2/3 from the bottom.
Place the roast in the oven uncovered.
Bake the roast for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 2 hours 15 minutes for medium rare.cook more if you want well done.Every 30 minutes baste the roast with drippings from the roast.Add more water(boiling/hot) if needed to the pan.
When the roast is done,cover it with foil and let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Au Jus:
2 cups drippings from the roast, if not enough drippings add beef stock.
1/2 cup red wine

Place the roasting pan over the stove.(or transfer to sauce pan)
bring to boil.
Add wine and simmer for 5-7 minutes.

Horseradish sauce:
6 tbsp. sour cream
2-3 tbsp. prepared horseradish
1 tsp.Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice 
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients.

This salad is very famous in Russian/Ukrainian culture. It’s a must on the New Year table.As always there is different variations of this salad,every family has their own recipe.It consist of diced potatoes,carrots,eggs, bologna, pickles and peas that’s usually combined with mayonnaise. You can also substitute bologna for cooked chicken meat or beef,fresh cucumbers instead of pickles, and sour cream for mayo if you are watching your waistline.Making it half mayo, half sour cream won’t make a lot of difference in taste.If you have a European Deli Market store nearby,it’s better to use bologna called “Doktorskaya”from there.Otherwise it will taste great anyways.I know some people even use Oscar Meyer hot dogs, and it’s still good.

Ingredients:

3 potatoes cooked with skin,peeled and diced (small)
2 carrots cooked and diced (small)
12 eggs hard boiled and diced
1.5 lbs of bologna diced (small)
10-12 small kosher dill pickles dice small
1/2 sweet onion finely chopped
1 can (15 oz) sweet peas,drained
3-4 tablespoons Mayonnaise
salt to taste

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients with mayonnaise or sour cream.
 *Finely chopped baby dill and green onions are optional.You can modify this recipe to your taste by adding more or less any of the above ingredients.

6 tablespoons of sugar divided
3 drops of red and 3 drops of green food coloring
2 sticks butter softened at room temp.
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla (or almond extract)
1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries (or dried cherries chopped)
4 oz. cream cheese
1/2 can of condensed milk

Directions :
heat oven to 375 degrees

In a small bowl combine sugar and red food coloring. Mix well until all sugar is colored.repeat for green sugar.Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.add vanilla.

Combine flour,salt and baking powder and gradually add to butter mixture. Shape in to 1 inch balls and  place on baking sheet .flatten the balls with fork. bake 8-10 minutes. let cool.

Cream:

Beat cream cheese and add condensed milk.

Crush the cookies with hands.Add walnuts,cranberries or cherries and creamMix until well blended. Shape into balls in roll in colored sugar. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

This is very simple and healthy salad.

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage shredded
1/2 English cucumber cut in half lengthwise and sliced
salt
pinch of sugar
1-2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon.
unrefined sunflower oil( or your choice)

In a bowl rub cabbage with salt and sugar.add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

Vareneki is a Russian classic dish that takes some time to make, but worth it! there is variety of fillings you can use,the most popular is with potato and onion,but this one is my personal favorite.for the dough I use the kitchen aid stand mixer,it’s much easier and saves the time.

dough:
2/3 cups milk or buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
7 cups plus 6 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

Combine and whisk together milk,eggs,salt and water. Add 4 cups flour and using a dough hook,mix it until well combined. then add 1 cup at a time for the rest of the three cups. If the dough is still sticky add flour 1 tablespoon at a time and continue mixing or about 3-5 minutes.place is under a bowl or plastic wrap.

Sauerkraut filling:
2 cups sauerkraut ( here is the recipe http://everydayrussian.com/?p=492)
1 onion finely chopped
fresh cracked pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

Heat oil in a frying pan on  medium heat. add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.add sauerkraut and pepper.cook stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes.

Caramelized onions:

1/2 onion finely chopped
1 stick of butter

Fry  onions with butter on med-low heat until golden brown.

Directions:
Cut the dough into 6 pieces. With one piece at a time make a thin log. Cut the log into about 1/2 inch pieces. Dust the rolling pin and the surface with flour. Press down the pieces into a plate with flour (both sides,making a round shape.)
Roll the pieces in to a 1/8 thick rounds.Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the middle and fold it making a semi circle the looks like a smile.Place vareneki on well floured pan.

To Cook:
Bring a pot of water to a boil.Add salt and vareniki one at a time.mix carefully. Cook uncovered until vareneki will float on top then cook for another 3 minutes.Drain the water.

Serve with caramelized onions and butter. Sour cream if desired.

This is a healthy way to start the day.I make this not only using steel cut oats,you can use cream of buckwheat or polenta too. It can be either sweet or salty depending on your preference.my personal preference is not sweet.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats, cream of buckwheat or polenta.
 salt
about 1-2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons cottage cheese ( more or less depends how much you like it)
sour cream
sugar ( I used  raw sugar)

Directions:
cook oats,buckwheat or polenta with salt. when its done cooking keep the heat on low and add butter and cottage cheese.mix well. serve with sour cream and sprinkled with sugar.

This creamy garlic chicken pizza is favorite pizza in our family.It’s made of creamy garlic sauce, chicken,red onions, green onions and bell peppers (if desired). You can use any type of chicken,cooked,grilled, rotisserie ,and even canned.I also like to add a little bit of smoked mozzarella cheese on top and red pepper flakes.

Toppings:
Your choice of chicken cut in to square bites or pulled apart
shredded mozzarella cheese
shredded cheddar cheese or Colby jack
green onions finely chopped
red onion sliced
your choice of bell peppers(optional)
tomatoes (optional)
Parmesan cheese

Don’t add chicken for meatless/vegetarian pizza.

Ingredients for the dough:
serves 2 (14 inch)pizza crust
dough recipe adapted from Bobby Flay

3 1/2-4 cups flour (preferably bread flour)
1 teaspoon sugar or honey
1 tablespoon instant dry yeast
1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F.
2 tablespoons olive oil,plus 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Combine the flour, sugar(or honey),salt, yeast in the bowl of stand mixer and combine.While the mixer is running,add the water and 2 tablespoons of the oil and beat until the dough forms into a ball.If the dough is sticky,add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time,until the dough comes together in a solid ball.Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead into a smooth,firm ball.

Grease a large bowl with 2 teaspoons olive oil.place the dough in the bowl,and cover with plastic wrap and put it in a warm area.(I cover the bowl with blanket).Let it double in size,about 1 hour.Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces.Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let them rest for 10 minutes.

White sauce ingredients:
8 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
2 (heaping) tablespoons  ranch ( I used Litehouse brand)*optional
if you like you can add a pinch of each,dried parsley,oregano,thyme
or fresh chopped parsley.

*You can also combine just ranch dressing with garlic.

Heat oil in sauce pan on medium heat.add garlic, cook for about a minute(be careful not to burn it).Add flour and mix until combined well with garlic.slowly add the cream and milk stiring all the time.Add ranch salt,pepper and all dried herbs (optional)

Heat oven to 415 degrees

Spread the dough on to the pizza pan.poke the dough with fork. transfer to the oven, and bake for 5 minutes.
Take it out from the oven.Spread the sauce all over the crust.add some cheese and your desired toppings,and sprinkle with little more of cheese.Bake the pizza for about 5-8 minutes. sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.serve and enjoy!

This apple tvorog crumb cake will melt in your mouth.Combination of apples and tvorog is amazingly delightful.Its fairly easy to make and perfect with your favorite cup of tea or coffee.

Adapted from edimdoma.ru

Ingredients for crumb crust:

4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 sticks cold butter shredded

Filling:
2 1/4 cup Tvorog(farmers cheese)*
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons cream of wheat(manka)
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
4-5 apples peeled and shredded

*You can use ricotta cheese if you have trouble finding tvorog.

Heat oven to 375 degrees

Directions:

For the filling: Combine all the ingredients except apples and mix until well combined.Add apples and mix again.

Crust:combine all the ingredients and rub using hands to make crumbs,that butter is well incorporated with all the ingredients.

Grease 11×15 glass baking pan.Transfer half of the crust/crumb mix to the baking dish. press and spread out making a smooth layer.Add the filling and spread it out.Add the rest of the crust mix to the top layer and spread it gently. bake for about 45 min-1hour.

This is a perfect dinner dish with tender turkey or chicken, fresh lemony sauce with tomatoes and olives.
This recipe is adapted from Cuisine tonight magazine.

 Ingredients:
4 sliced turkey breast
salt and pepper
flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1tsp. garlic minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup diced fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp. sliced kalamata olives
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp. crumbled feta cheese and flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Pound breasts with a meat mallet between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4c inch thick.
Season cutlets with salt and pepper and dust with flour.
Heat oil over medium heat in a saute pan.Saute cutlets until golden on both sides.

Add garlic to the same saute pan.Deglaze pan with wine over med-high heat until wine is evaporated.1-2 minutes.
Add broth,tomatoes,olives, and lemon juice.
Bring to a boil and reduce mixture by half.
Return cutlets to the pan and cook 1 min. per side.
serve sauce over cutlets with sprinkled feta and parsley with your choice of side dish.

Mashed potatoes are very easy to make and all time favorite at gatherings.There are many ways you can make it, starting from just plain and to adding more flavor like with garlic,chives,cheese and so on.I usually use milk and lots of butter, and sometime I use cream or mascarpone cheese.

Ingredients:

8 potatoes peeled,cut in half
1 stick butter sliced (1 1/2 if not using mascarpone)
2/3 cup warm milk
1 tbsp Mascarpone cheese (optional)
salt
bay leaf
chopped chives (optional)
1 crushed garlic (optional)

Directions:

Place potatoes in a pot, and bring to a boil.

Add salt and bay leaf. Reduce to low.

Cook until potatoes are done.

Drain the water,discard bay leaf.

Using hand mixer,beat the potatoes for about 1 minute.

Add 3/4 butter and mascarpone.

Beat again for 1-2 minutes.

Add milk.

Beat again until well combined.

Throw in chives and garlic.

Add butter on top. Mix when serving.

This salad is almost everybody’s favorite.It’s healthy and the color is very vibrant.It’s usually done with homemade sour cabbage (Sauerkraut) but some people make it with store bought, and say its still good. I never tried using store bought, and didn’t make it myself either, because my mom makes it all the time, so I just ask her to add one cabbage head extra for me.I’m including the link how to make it. it’s really simple.http://everydayrussian.com/?p=492

This salad is great for parties because it can be done day ahead,and it tastes even better.

Ingredients:

3 potatoes cooked in skins,peeled, and diced (small)
6-7 medium beets cooked,peeled, and diced (small)
6 kosher dill pickles diced
1 onion diced (small)
15 0z.can peas
15 oz.can kidney bean
2 cups sour cabbage (I like to add even more)
1/4 cup unrefined sunflower oil
salt to taste

Directions:

Combine all the ingredients with oil.Refrigerate.