Italian Caprese salad

After I got fresh green basil from the nearby store and made fresh pesto pasta I still had some pesto left. So I thought about making my the most ever favorite Caprese salad. Everything is just perfect about it. A crispy simple idea, balanced flavor. Every time I make it I get surprised once again by its beauty. Especially given that all I need to do is to slice tomatoes and mozzarella.
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Quiche with red onion and blue cheese

We started routinely baking quiche in my family well before I went to study in France. Once I made the classic Quiche Lorraine (bacon and cheese quiche) after I bumped into a recipe in Gastronom.ru. Everybody liked this idea of an open savory pie filled with something baked in egg custard and we started trying different fillings.
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Pumpkin fritters follow up

The pumpkin porridge was gone immediately, but half the pumpkin was still in my fridge. That's how I found myself frying pumpkin fritters. There is something very relaxing about cooking fritters. I love spooning them into hot oil, watching the oil bubbling, flipping them over and watching their golden crust. It's most fun in the winter when I constantly need to warm up.
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Hot and spicy mulled wine

One of my greatest joys at cold season is mulled wine. It sounds as "Glintvein" in Russian and it's just around you in the winter. Every single Moscow restaurant and cafe has it on the menu. Cooking magazines keep publishing mulled wine recipes. I absolutely associated it with Russian food before I went skiing to Austria and then to France and bumped into their "Glühwein" and "Vin chaud".
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Grilled vegetables out of the oven

I was almost set to go to my first dancing class yesterday night. It's been 2 or 3 years that I stopped to dance and I felt like something has been missing since then. I came back from INSEAD determined to start again. My friend referred me to Gala dance school and here I am. Something happened though and I didn't go. I'll go on Saturday. I really will. So I stayed at home doing guess what.
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Fresh and simple guacamole

Surely Michael (my little brother) wasn't going to appreciate the Thai green curry I was making yesterday. So I thought why not finally make my own guacamole with some tortilla chips for him? It is one of those simple and delicious things we love. Well, to be completely frank, I love the guacamole and he loves the chips.
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Crispy cheese quesadillas

Last night I started from guacamole and ended up also making quesadillas (sandwiched tortillas with cheese based filling) because I came across this wonderful Jamie Oliver recipe. They worked perfectly - Michael (my little brother) kept happy and occupied by the tortilla chips and quesadillas for the whole dinner and I even still have some guacamole left for myself.
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