Ukrainian granny's vareniki with mashed potatoes (vegan version)

It is hard to believe, but I made my first conscious vareniki (Ukrainian dumpling) just a couple of months ago. I pretty much grew up wondering around them being cooked at the family kitchen helping to make them here and there, but never really did the thing myself from start to the end. The tradition comes from my Ukrainian grand grandma. She cooked beautifully and she taught me a few things. The one I'm most proud of is this vareniki seal, which makes them look so pretty.

Escribà pastry shop in Barcelona

Sweets in Barcelona often go unnoticed. If you don't get to spend much time there it easily overloads you with its amazing seafood, paella, wine and tapas. But this would never happen to such a sweets junky like me. Barcelona has its own beautiful culture of sweets and there is so much to try there! Escribà is one of the oldest and most famous pastry shops in the city, which I was lucky to visit during my last trip.

Lemon and caraway biscuits

Now when everybody is not as busy with halloween I can clearly see that it is not only me who is impatiently waiting for Christmas. My first Christmas cinnamon roll cookies this year were baked on October 1st and here comes the second batch. Every time I bake these lemon biscuits they surprise me once again with their depth and intensity. And almost everybody who tries them asks me for their recipe.

Tamarind and fresh ginger cake (vegan version)

This time of the year I constantly feel like something spicy. This cake came out very Asian - with intense sweet dark muscovado sugar and sour tamarind. Fresh ginger, cinnamon and black pepper create a spicy explosion, but there is almost no texture, it disappears right after it gets into your mouth.

Perfect risotto at l'Osteria restaurant (Paris)

I got to visit l'Osteria during my last trip to Paris. It's a tiny Italian place hidden in one of le Marais side streets who's chef, Toni Vianello, is famous for revolutionizing risotto. Yes, the saint-jaques risotto we had there was in fact beautiful and different from everything I tried before. But even if we leave the risotto aside, it was just a perfect evening I got to spend with an old friend in the atmosphere of almost family hospitality.

Apple and walnut muffins (vegan version)

There are definitely nice things about starting autumn. My dad came home with a case of Antonovka apples he got at the farmers market. I could tell what was in his bag standing 5 meters away from him. The apples instantly filled the house with their strong aroma. I couldn't help baking apple something. Not that I don't like them fresh, but I can't stand cold food this time of the year. These apples beautifully develop their flavor when baked and they are strong enough for you to taste them in muffins.

Cooking with class in Paris: Terresa on Organic Vegetarian

I unexpectedly got an amazing present – one day and one night in Paris. With its lovely weather, clear sky and morning sun. In this city more than in any other one I just had to spend it either shopping for food, cooking or eating. Even more luckily – I got a last minute reservation at Cook’n with class for that day. This was where I met Terresa and tried unbelievable organic vegetarian food she taught us to cook. It was like nothing else, sparkling with colors, flavors and freshness. I couldn’t possibly find any better way to spend that day.

Dinner at Corner Burger (CBBG 76) Moscow

I never even thought about coming to Corner Burger (CBBG 76) before I saw this picture of their veggie burger. When at Bolshaya Gruzinskaya street, 76 I’d just always go to Upside Down Cake, sure that my door is "to the left" and the one "to the right" (Corner Burger) is for those who like meat. But once I got into this album and started flipping through the pictures – oh my! – these amazing salads, the blueberry pie seemed to be waiting just for me. The veggie burger picture closed the deal – I knew I had to come and try this myself.

Dinner at EspaiSucre dessert restaurant (Barcelona)

I can't help wondering how all the important things seem to happen to me just by chance. While I was preparing for my last Barcelona trip I digested many restaurant guides, blogs about the city etc., but never saw EspaiSucre restaurant mentioned. That was Ferran: The inside story of elBulli book, where it was hidden somewhere in between the lines, where I could easily miss it. And yes, it turned out to be the most intriguing night of the whole trip.

Cinnamon roll cookies

I'm one of those people who start impatiently waiting for Christmas as soon as the weather turns cold. In Moscow this happens in September so it's two weeks already that I'm thinking about all the Christmas magic. Candles, Christmas tree, mulled wine and baking Christmas cookies. This year there was no way I could make myself wait till December, so with the cinnamon roll cookies my Christmas started tonight.