I knew that my weekend spent in Richmond was definitely going to prevent me from making a dessert for the blog this past weekend. A few ideas had rolled around in my head of desserts I might try at local restaurants but nothing really jumped out at me. Suddenly, however, at the eleventh hour an unexpected Whole Foods trip for Pellegrino and a late night snack led me past the freezer section, and an unusual sight. A group of people beelining for a stand alone freezer. The kind that usually holds frozen fish or waffles or other not so intriguing things. 8:30 at night on a Sunday what was making everybody so animated?
Read MoreWeek 4 - Rugelach - Israel via NYC
Rugelach have been with me since childhood. When we visited my grandmother in New York it was always the treat she always seemed to have around. Sometimes they would be apricot filled, chocolate, or strawberry but always rugelach. While Rugelach have become much more common now, even available in my southern small town bakery, the sense of childhood, family and New York is strong whenever I have them. So when I thought...
Read MoreWeek 2 - Umm Ali - Egypt
From one of our most ancient civilizations comes our dessert for today, Umm Ali. Umm Ali ( or Om Ali, Um Ali) meaning Ali's Mother is a traditional Egyptian dessert. While I've seen several different tales as to how it came by that name, the most common is the story about the Sultan's wife (Ali's mother) who was murdered because of the jealously & plotting of sultans second wife ( or was she Ali's mother? Ive seen it both ways),
Read More