DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD CAKE with ORANGE GLAZE

First, I'm very excited to tell you that I won Table for Two - The Cookbook for Couples: "Hello Mateja, As part of our goal to reach 525 followers, you were randomly chosen to receive a copy of Table for Two - The Cookbook for Couples. Please send me your address and I will send you an autographed copy right away. Thanks for following! Bon Appetit! Warren Caterson" Can hardly wait until the book arrives and I can immerse myself in reading of yumminess! Please do visit Warren's site @Table for Two Cookbooks. The introduction to his blog is spot on : "Table for Two Cookbooks: Presenting a temptingly delicious platter piled high with recipes for two, time-saving kitchen tips, helpful cooking hints, and winsome commentary - all served with a side of garlic-infused humor and a steaming bowl of buffoonery."
My husband is very simple and plain when cakes are in question, so I had to split this cake in half. The plain half is all his to enjoy, while me and the kids are enjoying the glazed half. Originally, the glaze covers only the top of the cake, but as I had plenty of glaze on hand, I just opened the cake and filled it with some glaze too.

Delicious Gingerbread Cake With Orange Glaze

MY NOSTALGIC BAKLAVA

I was first introduced to baklava when I was very little. In my hometown, Ilirska Bistrica, Slovenia, we had just one pastry shop back then. This shop was owned by a Macedonian man. He came to my hometown after the second world war ended and my home town became his hometown, too. He was a very respected hardworking man. In his shop you could buy the best ice-cream ever! My favorite flavor was lemon. And in the winter he would make the winter ice-cream (marshmallow cream) topped with thin coating of chocolate swirled into an ice-cream cone. Unforgettable! There was a wide variety of pastries in his shop and among them baklava. Though the best piece of baklava I ever ate was in Istanbul, Turkey! As for the sweets made with both kinds of fillo dough, in my book, Syria wins the first place! And here it is, my nostalgic baklava!

My Nostalgic Baklava

SWEET BREAD enhanced with golden rasins and walnut cream

So much food to blog about, yet so little time to put it all in writing. This Sweet Bread is waiting to be published since Christmas and it came out just magical. The dough was puffing and huffing and when baked it was as light as a feather! Cardamom seeds added a seductive aroma; although my husband didn't like the idea of biting into the kernels! (Note to myself: Next time use grounded cardamom!!!) And the nutty filling and the golden raisins just added some additional moistness to the sweet bread. All in all, it was a total success!

Sweet Bread Enhanced With Golden Rasins and Walnut Cream