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SWEET DOUGHS T'baftë mirë Adriatic Sea Cookies Yields 40 cookies Ingredients 1 cup Salted fresh butter, melted 3 tsp Vanilla extract ½ cup Confectioners’ sugar 1 tbsp Water or Rose water 2 cups All-purpose unbleached flour 2 cups Chopped walnuts ½ cup Confectioners’ sugar (for rolling) 1 tsp Rose petal powder Adriatic Sea Salt Directions In a large bowl, beat the melted butter with the vanilla extract with an electric eggbeater. Slowly, add ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar and beat until fluffy. Add water and beat again. Then add the flour and rose petal powder and continue to mix until the dough is formed. Finish molding the dough with your hands. When done, mold it into a big ball and wrap it with plastic paper. Let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour before shaping the cookies. In a large bowl, place the cool dough ball, add a couple of pinches of salt, and chopped walnuts. Mix the chopped walnuts well into the dough with your hands. Mold the dough in small balls with your hands and/or by using a spoon. Place the dough balls onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the remaining ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar onto a large plate. Roll each cookie in sugar while they are still warm from the oven. Place them to cool on a wooden board. Gurabia Yields 24 servings Ingredients 2.5 cups Flour 1 Greek Yogurt 2.5 Eggs 1 cup Sugar 1 stick of Melted Butter 1 Tsp Baking Soda 1 Drop Vanilla Extract 1 Drop Almond Extract For Coating Before Baking 0.5 Egg 1 tbsp Melted Butter Directions In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix together until a dough is formed. The dough should not be sticky at the end so add more flour if needed. Chill dough in parchment paper for 30 minutes before handling. Using the extra melted butter, rub some over your hands before breaking the dough into 20 equal sized pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Before rolling each ball, rub melted butter over your hands each time. Place the balls of dough onto a greased / lined baking tray 2 inches apart. You will need to split the balls into two batches, cooking one batch at a time. Brush each ball with beaten egg and place in the oven at 325 °F for 20 minutes. The cookies will be a light golden color and slightly squishy in the middle. Place on a cooling rack to cool. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet to prevent them from crumbling apart. English Toffee Yields 24 servings Ingredients 2 cups butter 2 cups sugar 1/4 tsp salt 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup almonds or pecans, finely chopped Directions Combine the butter, sugar, and salt in a large heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat and allow the mixture to come to a steady boil, stirring constantly. When it turns a dark amber color or reaches 290 degrees with a candy thermometer, it is done. You can also drop a small bit of the mixture into ice cold water, and if the drop turns hard and brittle it is done. Carefully pour the mixture into a foil-lined baking sheet. Let harden for a minute or two, then sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Let them melt on top for a minute, then spread the chocolate evenly with a knife. Sprinkle on the chopped nuts and press down slightly on the nuts. Let the English toffee candy cool and harden, then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Dawn's Torta Barozzi Servings: 4 From my friend Dawn Dawl Servings: 4 1 ounce hazelnuts or almonds, blanched if possible 2.5 ounces dark chocolate, broken into pieces 2 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into pieces 4.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks 2 eggs ½ cup (scant) of sugar ½ tablespoon rum 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon finely ground coffee Whipped cream Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toast the nuts until nicely browned and fragrant, about 6 to 7 minutes. If necessary, remove the skins while still warm. Chop and set aside to cool. Line an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with parchment. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a double boiler over gently simmering water; set aside to cool slightly. Separate the eggs, putting the yolks into a mixer bowl and the whites into a large glass mixing bowl. Beat the yolks with sugar until thick and creamy. Add the rum, salt and coffee at low speed. Stir in the chopped nuts. Add the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir again. With the hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold whites into the chocolate mixture and pour into the lined pan. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool on a rack for 20 minutes and then carefully remove from pan (it’s fragile). Cool completely before serving. To serve, cut into slices and top with sweetened whipped cream. Sara's Plum Crumble This crumble is shallow and top-heavy: a jammy layer of tart plums blanketed by a lumpy crust that can aptly be compared to a giant snickerdoodle cookie, warm with cinnamon. The plums are simply halved, pitted, and tossed with spices and a little flour and sugar. The dough is streusel-like—flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and a beaten egg—just pinched apart and scattered over the fruit. Its glorious cookie-cake texture comes from the final step: Before the pan goes into the oven, you'll pour melted butter all over the top. The butter binds clumps of dough to gether, so that they form a craggy crust that's got fluff and crisp, lightness and density. 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached flour, divided 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 10 to 12 Italian prune plums, halved and pitted 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extra (optional) 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 egg, well beaten 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted Heat the oven to 375° F. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the ground ginger. Add the plum halves and gently toss to combine. Arrange, cut side up, in a 9-inch pie plate set on a baking sheet (to catch leaks!). In another small bowl, combine the granulated su gar, baking powder, remaining 1 cup flour, remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, the vanilla bean powder (if using), and the salt. Stir in the egg and the vanilla extract (if using). Use your hands to squeeze and mix thoroughly to form soft clumps and bits. Scatter pinches of the dough evenly over the plums. Pour the butter evenly over the topping and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top is browned and the plums tender. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream, crème fraîche, mascarpone, yogurt, or whipped cream. Stilton Scones with Cranberries 6 tbsp (3/4 stick) unsalted butter at room temp, plus more for greasing 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup sugar, plus more to coat 4 tsp baking powder ½ tsp fine sea salt 2/3 cup whole milk 1 large egg 2 tbs dried cranberries 6 oz Stilton blue cheese, broken into large chunks (about 1 1/3 cups) Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a sheet pan with a little butter. In a large bowl, whish together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined and lump free. Add the butter and use your fingertips to rub it into the dry ingredients until the butter is fully incorporated. The mixture should have the consistency of a coarse cornmeal. Add the milk, egg, and cranberries and mix with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the dough comes together. Gently fold in the blue cheese chunks until just incorporated (you want those chunks to remain intact, not break down into smaller crumbs). The dough will be fairly wet. Using a tablespoon, take a heaping scoop of the dough (about 2 inches in diameter) and place it on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the rest of the dough, spacing the scoops 1 inch apart. (The dough spreads as it bakes, so if your pan isn’t big enough to space out the scones, you will need to use two.) Sprinkle with sugar sprinkles. Bake for 5 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for 5 more minutes. They’re done when they’re golden, with some browned bumps on the uneven surface. Bake for 2-6 minutes more, as needed. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the scones into a wire rack. (Some of the melted cheese will have escaped and gotten crispy on your baking sheet – that’s the cook’s treat to nibble on!) Enjoy warm or at room temp. Michele's Snickerdo odle Cookies Texture: airy, crunchy yet soft Serving size: 36 cookies Fun fact: My friend, neighbor, and grange part ner in crime Michele shared this recipe at game night, over at our mutual friend’s, neighbor, and grange partner in crime Michelle. Michele is even keeled, kind, smart and always can be counted on to be the voice of reason. Michelle and I, on the other hand, are known to lose all common sense around any type of animal. Ingredients 1 ½ cups white sugar 1 cup softened butter 2 eggs 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon salt Coating: 2 tablespoons white sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Directions Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease with butter. Beat 1 1/2 cups white sugar, butter, and eggs together in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Mix flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl then stir into creamed butter mixture until dough holds together. Mix 2 tablespoons of white sugar and cinnamon together in a different bowl. Form dough into 2-teaspoon-size balls and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough balls, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack for 7 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them over to a wire rack. When removing them from the over, they may look doughy still. That’s okay. By allowing them to continue to cook on the cookie sheet out of the oven prevents hard cookies. Once completely cooled, store cookies in a plastic container or plastic bag with a piece or two of bread to keep cookies soft. Tony's Strawberry spoon cake Ingredients ½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for greasing. 5 oz/145 grams frozen and thawed or fresh, hulled strawberries (about 1 cup) 2/3 cup/150 grams packed light brown sugar ½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at roo m temp ½ tsp kosher salt 1 cup/130 grams all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp of vanilla extract Vanilla ice cream for serving Directions Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8 inch square or round baking dish with butter. Set aside. Using your hands or the back of a fork mash the berries to release their juices, and stir in 1/3 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, milk, and salt, then add the flour and baking powder and continue whisking just until the batter is smooth. Transfer the batter to the greased baking dish, and spread evenly into corners. Spoon the strawberries and all their juices over the top of the cake batter. Place in the oven and bake for 20-25 mins, or just when a toothpick comes out clean in the center. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 mins before spooning into bowls. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Lavender mini cupcakes Ingredients 1 cup of cornstarch 2/3 can of condensed milk 1/2 cup of melted butter (1 stick) 1 egg 1 tbsp vanilla powder 1 tsp of dried lavender Directions In a bowl, mix all together and pour dough into your preferred mold but I have great success with two mini cupcake trays. If you opt for mini cupcake, fill almost to the top. Bake in 400F for 8-10 mins. ProTip: wet paper towel with butter and coat each mold. Then to get the mini cupcakes out, gently push them from side to side between your thumb and pointer finger until they loosen and you can pull out. Blood Orange Rosemary Cookies Yield: 24 cookies Ingredients For the cookies: 2 cups of all purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon of salt 1 cup granulated sugar Zest of 3 blood oranges (¼ cup) 2-3 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary ½ cup EVOO 1 large egg, room temperature ¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature For the glaze: 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice Zest from ½ blood orange (optional) 1-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed blood orange juice Directions Step 1 In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well combined. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, zest, and rosemary until it has the consistency of wet sand. Whisk in the EVOO and egg until smooth and well combined. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and buttermilk into the wet until all the dry ingredients and buttermilk have been added. Rest the cookie dough at room temperature for 30 minutes. Step 2 Preheat the oven to 375F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Step 3 Scoop 1-tablesppon amounts of cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until a finger lightly pressed into the top of the cookie bounces back. Keep the cookies on the hot baking sheets for 3-4 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature. Step 4 While the cookies cool, make the glaze. In a medium mixing bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar. Whisk in the lemon juice, zest if using and 1-3 tablespoons of blood orange juice, to taste. Spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies, and let it set for 30-45 minutes before serving. Spiced Mexican Wedding Cookies Yields 32 cookies Ingredients 1 cup pecans 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 ½ cups confectioners’ sugar, divided Zest of 1 medium orange 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ½ teaspoon almond extract Step 1 Place the pecans in a small skillet, and light toast them over medium-low heat for 4-5 minutes, or until fragrant. Transfer the pecans to a food processor. Process until the pecans are fine like the texture of almond flour. Cool slightly before using in the recipe. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add the butter, ¾ cup of confectioners’ sugar and zest in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On medium sized speed, beat the mixture for 3-4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed. On low speed, mix in the ground pecans and vanilla and almond extracts until smooth and well combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Step 2 Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Step 3 Scoop 1 tablespoon amounts of the cookie dough onto the baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the hot baking sheet for 15 minutes. While the cookies are slightly warm, roll them in the remaining confectioners’ sugar. Cool completely to room temperature and roll them once more in the confectioners’ sugar if you would like a double coat of sugar. Almond cake with pecans & condensed milk Ingredients 1 cup of almond flour ½ cup of all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder ½ cup of melted butter (1 stick for dough) + ¼ cup of melted butter (half of the stick for the sauce) 1 egg 1 tbsp vanilla powder Kosher salt 2/3 cup light brown sugar ½ cup of condensed milk ½ whole milk, at room temp For the sauce ¼ cup of melted butter 4 cups of quartered pecans ½ cup of condensed milk ½ whole milk, at room temp Directions Soak pecans for 1 hour. In a bowl, mix all together with electric beater/mixer. Grease 6 inch round cake pan with butter. Pour dough and Bake in 400F for 20 mins or until golden brown and the toothpick comes out clean from the middle. Set cake to cool. In a small sauce pan, brown butter, then slowly whisk in the milk. Then add the condensed milk and drained pecans. Turn heat off and cover with lid. Place cake in a serving plate. Pour the sauce over it before slicing into pieces. Garnish with powdered sugar (by pouring it over a sifter), or sprinkles, or colored granulated sugar of your choice, or candied orange peels, or pistachio powder, or jam, or dates, or raisins. Earl Grey Sugar Cookies This recipe yields 24 cookies prep time 15 MINUTES cook time 8 MINUTES additional time 1 HOUR total time 1 HOUR 23 MINUTES Amount Per Serving: 1 CALORIES: 130 SATURATED FAT: 5g CHOLESTEROL: 35mg SODIUM: 60mg CARBOHYDRATES: 14g SUGAR: 5g PROTEIN: 1g Ingredients 1 1/4 cups chilled butter, cut into 1/2" pieces 3/4 cups granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 3 tea bags of Tazo Earl Grey Tea Directions In a large bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter, tea leaves, and sugar on high speed for about 3 minutes until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix well, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add in the flour, salt, and baking powder on low speed, mixing just until incorporated and the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill overnight in the refrigerator for the best result of tea taste. When ready to bake the cookies, heat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out using cookie cutters and bake on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper for 12 to 15 minutes, until the edges just barely start to turn golden. Cool completely before decorating with royal icing or frosting. Notes These sugar cookies start with the slightly unorthodox approach of beating the butter and sugar together while the butter is still cold. As long as you are using a stand mixer and cut the butter into chunks, this works really well and results in a better cookie texture than creaming softened butter together with the sugar. There is 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder in the dough to make the cookies tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture without making them fluffy or causing distortions while they bake. Don’t overmix the flour into the dough when it is added. Once the dough starts to come together, it will be thick and similar to the texture of play-doh. I DO recommend chilling the dough. It helps the butter re-harden in the cut-out cookies before baking so that they don’t spread as much. It’s not like you have to wait overnight though – 1 hour will do it, and even then you could fudge it a little closer to 45 minutes if you needed to. I find that leaving the chilled dough out on the counter for just 10 minutes before attempting to roll it out makes a big difference in how easy it is to roll these out evenly. Use a rolling pin with adjustable rings that go on each end of the rolling pin to help you roll out your sugar cookie dough to an exact thickness, depending on which ring you are using. It’s a game changer in getting consistent results in thickness and reliable baking times and worth the investment, in my opinion. 1/4-inch thick is my preference, but you can make these super thick sugar cookies if that’s what you like. The key is to rolling out the dough is to let the chilled dough sit out on the counter for 10 minutes, then rolling it on a lightly floured surface using light pressure on the rolling pin. The secret to soft sugar cookies is slightly underbaking each batch. Mine typically are done right around the 12 minute mark, but I make large, 1/4-inch cookies. Small cookies might be done in the 9-11 minute range. The key is for them to look “set” because often, these won’t even brown around the edges (although the bottoms of the cookies will be lightly golden when lifted off the baking sheet). Use parchment paper on your pans so that the cookies don’t stick. Frost with royal icing or buttercream. Or just press the unbaked cookies in sprinkles before baking. Once frosted, the sugar cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter. Royal icing helps the cookies stay fresh longer, but even unfrosted cookies are good for at least a few days without going stale if stored in a well-sealed container. For longer-term storage, freeze the baked and decorated cookies by wrapping them up well in plastic wrap and freezing. Just give them time to thaw when you are ready to eat them! Both the dough and the finished cookies freeze well. If freezing the dough, transfer it to the fridge the night before you want to roll them out, then let the dough sit out on the counter for 30 minutes before rolling it the next day. Cookie dough can be made 1 month ahead; freeze instead of chilling. Cookies can be baked (left undecorated) 2 weeks ahead; wrap tightly and freeze. You can flavor the dough with a little almond extract or lemon zest, and I included amounts in the recipe notes. In my recipe testing, I experimented with each and liked them both. White Chocolate Cranberry Tart Takes about 30 minutes to cook but total time A-Z will be about 4 hours. You will need a 9-inch tart pan. It will yield about 8-10 slices. This tart is raw, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free. Its crust is made with oats, almonds, coconut oil and maple syrup. The filling is a mix of cashews, coconut milk, vegan white chocolate chips, maple syrup and coconut oil. To make it look more festive way, coat cranberries with maple syrup and granulated monk fruit sweetener. In a medium sized pan add water and maple syrup. Heat over medium to high heat until it starts to bubble. Simmer for a couple minutes, then add the cranberries. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes over low heat until almost now liquid remains. It will appear very stick, similar to caramel sugar. Transfer onto a cooling rack and let them sit for about 1-2 minutes. Then place them in a bowl or onto a plate filled with either monk fruit sweetener or granulated sugars. Coat them well and transfer back onto a cooling rack. Let them dry until maple has hardened and sugar is stuck to the cranberries. cranberries on top of tart 1 cup cranberries 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 cup water 1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated cane sugar) cranberry inner layer 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen) 1 cup water 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 tsp agar agar (substitute with gelatin powder 1:1 ratio) crust 1 1/2 cups gluten-free oats 1/2 cup raw almonds 5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)** 2 tbsp maple syrup white chocolate layer ⅔ cup coconut milk (sub with cashew milk) 1 cup raw cashews (soaked*) ¾ cup cacao butter (sub with vegan white chocolate), melted and cooled 1/3 cup maple syrup Pinch of salt 4 tbsp vegan white chocolate, melted and cooled *soak cashews in water overnight or for at least 3-4 hours. **use refined (vs unrefined) coconut oil to avoid coconut flavor. For the crust add oats and almonds into a food processor. Pulse until combined and add maple syrup and coconut oil. Process into a moist mixture. Firmly press dough into the tart and press up on the sides as well. Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes until crust appears golden brown. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes and then transfer onto a cooling rack. In a small saucepan add cranberries, water and maple syrup. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes over low-medium heat until cranberries have broken down. With a hand mixer puree cranberries and add a little bit of water if sauce is too thick. Add 1 tsp of agar agar powder (or gelatin powder) and simmer for another 5 minutes over low-medium heat. Set aside to cool for a couple minutes, then spread cranberry jam/sauce into the crust (½ way full) and let set in the fridge for another 15 minutes. In the meantime prepare the white chocolate layer. Melt white chocolate and cacao butter in a small saucepan over low heat and set aside. In a food processor or high speed blender add cashews, maple syrup and coconut milk. Process until completely smooth. Add melted chocolate/cacao butter and process until combined. Pour white chocolate mixture into the tart and let set in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours. Garnish with sugar coated cranberries and white chocolate chips and serve immediately. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Candied Pecans YIELDS: 2 c. PREP TIME: 10 mins TOTAL TIME: 25 mins Ingredients 2 c. toasted halved pecans 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper Zest of 1/2 orange 1/2 c. packed brown sugar 3 tbsp. orange juice or water Kosher salt Directions Preheat oven to 350° and spread pecans in an even layer on a medium baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until nuts are fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Combine spices and orange zest in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, combine brown sugar and orange juice or water and bring up to a rolling boil. Boil, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Add pecans to skillet and fold into sugar mixture to coat completely. Cook, stirring frequently, until no sugar mixture pools in the bottom of the pan when nuts are stirred, 3 to 4 minutes. Working quickly, remove pan from heat and stir in spice and zest mix until nuts are fully coated. Transfer nuts to prepared baking sheet and season with salt. Let cool completely before serving. Storage: Store any leftover candied pecans in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the fridge for up to three weeks. Pecan Pralines YIELDS: 2 dz. PREP TIME: 10 mins TOTAL TIME: 10 mins CAL/SERV: 155 Ingredients 1 c. (215 g.) packed light brown sugar 1 c. (200 g.) granulated sugar 1 c. evaporated milk 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 2 c. raw or toasted, unsalted pecan halves 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. kosher salt Directions Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Have a tablespoon-sized scoop or measuring spoon ready to go. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, milk, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until sugars dissolve and mixture begins to foam and boil, 5 to 7 minutes. Place a candy thermometer inside mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thermometer registers between 235° to 240°, 5 to 8 minutes . Remove from heat and immediately stir in pecans, vanilla, and salt just until mixture begins to thicken and lose its glossiness, 1 to 2 minutes. If you beat too long, it will start to seize up. Working quickly, drop heaping tablespoons onto prepared sheets, spacing about 2" apart. If mixture begins to thicken, add 1 teaspoon hot water and stir to keep mixture loose enough to scoop. Let cool to room temperature or until set, about 1 hour. Notes Work quickly! This isn’t a recipe you walk away from, so have everything ready and nearby. You want to start scooping as soon as the mixture is ready. Use a candy thermometer. While you can eyeball, a candy thermometer will reduce your stress. Pralines go from a nice and silky texture to seized up in a matter of a minute or two, so it's important to monitor the temperature. Buy some spare ingredients if you're aiming for perfection. Pralines are finicky and temperamental, and you might have to make a few batches while you get used to making them. Be patient and enjoy the process! Have some hot water nearby if your pralines start to seize up. Adding a few drops of hot water can save your pralines when you overbeat the mixture and they start to harden up sooner than you wanted. Storage: Pecan pralines can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. No refrigeration needed. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Tahini Cookies Recipe from my dear friend Nadia O'Dell. Yield: 3 ½ doz, or 5 if allowed to rest as below. Ingredients 3 cups unbleached Flour 1 tsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Kosher Salt 1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened 1 + cup Tahini, well stirred 2 tsp Vanilla 1 cup loosely packed Dark Brown Sugar 1 cup Sugar 2 large Eggs Directions Whisk Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt together. Set aside. Beat Butter, Tahini and Vanilla on medium speed until no butter streaks left. Add sugars, beat. Reduce to low speed; beat in half of Flour mixture. Add egg, beat. Add rest of Flour, beat. Roll into 1 ¼ inch diameter balls. Place on baking sheet. Lightly press each ball to flatten slightly and leave indentation. Bake 14 (20 in gas oven?) minutes at 350°, rotating half way through. Do not overbake – they crisp as they cool. Optional: Sprinkle with DeMara sugar before baking. Dough is soft and sticky – let rest in fridge a few hours or overnight – easier to handle. This also creates a greater yield. Apricot Bars Recipe from my dear friend Nadia O'Dell. Ingredients 3 cups Flour 1 ½ cup Sugar 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter) 1 cup unsweetened coconut 2 egg (beat before adding) 1 cup finely chopped or ground nuts 1 18 oz. Apricot (or other) preserves Directions Work first 7 ingredients as for pie crust Press ¾ of mixture in ungreased 9x13 pan Spread with preserves Crumble remaining dough mixture on top Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes depending on o ven. If using ground nuts the dough will me a little more dense and moist and will need more baking time. Bakllavë me 5 arra (5 nut Baklava ) Baklava is an iconic pastry that defies borders: It’s beloved in Turkey, Greece, Central Asia, the Balkans and beyond, and each of these regions boasts its own variety. This version, my version, combines the Albanian, Greek, and Turkish versions. Store-bought phyllo makes preparing a pan of homemade baklava much easier, but it does require patience, too. There are no cutting corners when it comes to buttering every couple of sheets of phyllo, but your efforts will yield shatteringly thin layers of pastry. Making and chilling the syrup in advance of pouring it on top of the pastry is an important step, as it allows the baklava to fully absorb the sticky sweetness, reducing pooling on the bottom of the pan. To thaw frozen phyllo, remove the rolls from the box but keep them in their plastic sleeves. Place it in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can thaw at room temperature according to package instructions. Ingredients 3 cups of mixed nuts (1 cup of pistachio & 2 cups of pecan, hazelnut, walnut, cashew) 2 sticks of salted butter with sea salt 1 pound phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator (Kontos brand #4) 2 cups sugar and 1 tbsp of sugar Juice of ½ fresh lemon Directions In a food processor, pulse the nuts until coarsely ground (or you can chop them by hand until very finely chopped). Don’t overprocess the nuts. You want to maintain some texture. Clarify the butter by melting it over low heat, then letting it cook until the foam rises to the top and the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5 to 10 minutes depending upon how high your heat is, but don’t rush it or the butter could burn. Line a fine-mesh sieve with a piece of cheesecloth, place it over a bowl and pour the melted butter through. Heat oven to 400 degrees and brush the inside of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a little of the clarified butter. Prepare the phyllo dough by trimming the stack of it with scissors to fit the bottom of your baking dish. Packages of phyllo come in different sizes; some won't need any trimming, some may need an inch or two cut off a side, and some may need to be cut in half crosswise. Place 1 piece of phyllo on the bottom of the baking pan; brush lightly with clarified butter. Layer phyllo sheets on top, brushing each sheet with butter as you go, until half the phyllo is used. Spread nuts on phyllo in an even layer, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 2 of clarified butter, then layer with remaining phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you go (rewarm butter if necessary). Cut the pastry into 36 pieces (6 by 6), using clean up-and-down strokes and rotating the pan if necessary. Make sure to cut all the way through to bottom of pan. Pour any remaining butter evenly over pan. Bake baklava until the top is golden brown, and the lower phyllo layers beneath the nuts are thoroughly baked through. To test this, use a knife to lift up a corner of one of the pastry rectangles from the center of the pan so you can peek at the bottom layers. Start checking after 40 minutes, but it could take up to a n hour. If the top starts to get too brown before the pastry is cooked through, lay 2 pieces of foil over the top and put another piece of foil under the pan. Meanwhile, prepare sugar syrup: In a medium pot, combine sugar with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in fresh lemon juice. When the baklava is baked through, remove from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot baklava, including the corners. Set aside to cool completely before the pieces are removed from the pan. Baklava is best served after it has rested and the syrup has been fully absorbed, 4 to 6 hours. Cover and store at room temperature for 3 days, after which you can transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week. 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Relieved Relieved DF 12.2022 Snap! With each passing moment, I leave behind the one place I knew I am looking up as I am falling down, becoming resistibly aware of separation, of the glue that bound while I sprouted and grew Then slightly changed and dew soaked, I am suddenly scintillating away Swoosh! I tumble through air waves from a butterfly’s flapping wings And re-find my balance on the crown of a golden rod, now gray Delicately rebloomed into a patch of puff balls on top of browning twigs I am looking down as I see their leaves fall, becoming resistibly aware of nature’s cycle, of the glue that bound while we sprouted and grew Then slightly changed and sun soaked, we are suddenly scintillating away Sway! Seed heads scattering, up then down, like falling stars, separating and falling like me. We sway together but apart, and the ground is near With every sway, my first encounter of separating and falling keeps fading In my journey of tumbling, I found others, and I found me, but not fear I am looking down as I near the sweet leaves of grass, becoming resistibly aware of the ignorance I once had, of the everlasting glue that bound them and me Then slightly changed and out of time, I am on the ground and of the ground, I am in peace. But I am only a leaf.

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POETRY Poetry Workshops in Fairfield County, CT 1. Eco-Evolution Cafe in Norwalk (monthly) 2. Erica's Shed (invite only) 3. Ralph Nazareth's house 4. Poet's salon in Fairfield 5. CT Poets Society at Wilton Libr ary (Est.2010) (monthly) 6. Gabi Coatsworth's groups (WritersMic and Writers Rendezvous are attendable by Zoom or in person at Westport Librar y. 7. Open Mic at Unity Center, above Ford Dealership in Norwalk, CT 8. Fairfield County Story Lab or Fairfield County Writers' studio 203-374-8343 fcstorylab.com and fcwritersstudio.com 9. Westport Writers' Workshop westportwriters.org Haiku Resources 1. Wales Haiku Journal 2. Haiku Foundation -> Haiku Dialog ue 3. Cold Moon Journal by Roberta Beach Jacobson Poetry is the sister of music. — Sergei Rachmaninoff A poem should not mean but be. — Archibald McLeish These are my allusions... — Janet Krauss Make of your life a poem. — Ray Rauth List of Titles The poetry pages below are a collection of mine. However, the recited section found at the bottom of this page is a combination of mine and others that I found inspiring. A Gardner in New England - An Opera 12.16.2023 Relieved 12.2022 The Tears of Re 12.19.2019 It's the Same Old Song 09.01.2019 Three Generations 01.19.2019 My best friend, Oscar 02.17.2023 New York, New York 05.01.2020 This is the Jungle (slam version) 08.1 0.2020 This is the Jungle 09 .11 .2019 Haikus various Magic Moments 01.21.2023 You and Me 11.15.2025 The Digital Mirror 12.18.2025 Recited verses Better To Light Candles by Merle Shain Better To Light Candles by Merle Shain Better To Light Candles by Merle Shain Better To Light Candles by Merle Shain It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness. It is better to plant seeds than to accuse the earth. The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something that we can give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away. So there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the way. It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness. It is better to plant seeds than to accuse the earth. The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something that we can give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away. So there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the way. It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness. It is better to plant seeds than to accuse the earth. The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something that we can give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away. So there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the way. It is better to light candles than to curse the darkness. It is better to plant seeds than to accuse the earth. The world needs all of our power and love and energy, and each of us has something that we can give. The trick is to find it and use it, to find it and give it away. So there will always be more. We can be lights for each other, and through each other's illumination we will see the way. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring. Each of us is a seed, a silent promise, and it is always spring. Anything come to mind to share?

VEGGIES T'baftë mirë STUFFED PEPPERS with feta and rosemary Ingredients 4 Italian Green Peppers 2 cups of jasmine rice 2 eggs 3/4 cup of crumbled feta salt and pepper to taste Rosemary powder EVOO Directions Cook the rice thoroughly and while it is cooling, Cut peppers in half and clean out flesh and seeds. Rub peppers on the outside with EVOO and place in a roasting pan where they can prop each other up In a medium bowl, mix rice, feta, eggs, rosemary powder, 2 tbsp of EVOO, salt and pepper Stuff each pepper with the stuffing from the bowl Drizzle with EVOO and cook on 425F for 30 mins or until lightly golden brown on top. STUFFED PEPPERS WITH GROUND BEEF Texture: Soft but able to stand up on its own Serving size: 4 people Fun fact: Stuffed peppers are a popular dish around many Balkan countries. This recipe does not attempt to follow any traditional recipe, bu t it owes credits to many. Ingredients 4 green bell peppers ½ lb of high-grade ground beef (80%/20%) or ground lamb or a combination of the two I recommend you start with ground beef as your first recipe. You can substitute the meat with a combination of walnuts, mushrooms, and chickpeas. 2 cups of jasmine rice A tablespoon of high-quality dill 1 large potato 1 medium onion 3 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon tomato paste 1 teaspoon of high-quality relish 3 tablespoons of EVOO 1 heavy pinch of paprika powder Pepper as you like ½ teaspoon of sea salt (it seems like a lot but it will soak in the rice) Directions Reheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Dice onions and garlic and sauté in a pan with EVOO and the meat. Once the meat is no longer pink, throw in the rice, paprika, relish, tomato paste, pepper and salt. Then, dice the potato and throw it in. Mix well and lower heat to avoid getting the potato or rice stuck to the bottom of the pan. Cover with a lid and wait 5 minutes. Mix again. Wait 5 mins and turn it off and let it rest. Clean the peppers of the seeds by cutting out, in a circular motion, the top of the pepper where the stem is. You will not need to save the top so be as rough as you’d like with it. Gently place EVOO on the palms of your hands and spread it over the surface of the peppers and around the open rim up top. Place the peppers in a small baking dish so they are a bit snug with each other. Not too much, only enough to prevent them from tipping over as you maneuver the baking dish in and out of the oven. Take a teaspoon and fill the peppers with the stuffing from the pan. Press down so every nook is filled. Spray the top with EVOO. (If you have extra stuffing, place it with your spoon around the bed of the peppers, wherever there’s room). Place foil over the top (it’s okay if it touches the peppers) and bake for 1 hour. If you’d like to crisp them up, after 1 hour, increase the temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, remove foil, drop 1 teaspoon of water in the center of the pepper, where the stuffing pops out and let peppers cook until they blacken on the sides. Serve with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt as a sauce on the side to help with indigestion. ROASTED PEPPERS These peppers are sweet and savory and buttery and yummy. You can use them as a snack, as an appetizer, as a side dish, as a substitute for avocados/guacamole (for example, toast, rice bowls, tacos, sandwiches). They taste great on their own, but it also pairs very well with feta cheese. Any sized sweet pepper will do but it is easier to clean the seeds and to peel the larger peppers. Ingredients Sweet peppers EVOO Rice vinegar Finishing salt Black pepper powder Fresh garlic cloves (1 medium clove to 4 large peppers) Directions Roasting: It is not recommended to cut the pepper open in half or at the top to pre-clean out the inner walls and seeds because then it doesn’t roast in its juices and dries out. Turn the oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 30 mins or until the skin starts blackening and pulling up from the flesh of the pepper. Turn the peppers as they roast so they cook evenly on all sides. Don’t overthink it. You can get away with doing it once, half way through the roasting. Take them out and let cool in the baking sheet until you can stand to peel the skin off and not burn your hands. Cleaning out the skin and seeds: Place the first pepper on a large plate. P ull out the green tail to open the seed pod. Then start peeling the skin off. Once the skin is off, cut the pepper in half, then in half again to make quarters. Now, you may clean the seeds by gently scooping them out of the pepper with a knife or a spoon. Put the clean pepper quarters on a new plate. And continue doing the same with the rest of the peppers. Save the pepper juice on the plate with the seeds because you will need it later. Note: If you opt for using small sweet peppers, I don’t recommend cutting them at all, just scooping the seeds with a small knife or spoon out from the top. L ayering: Find an airtight container, glass works better than plastic, but whatever you have is fine. Cut the garlic into thin slices. Now you are ready to layer. First add a drizzle of EVOO to the bottom of the container. Then add the first layer of pepper quarters (try your best not to overlap peppers too much as you layer). Sprinkle salt and pepper. Then add a few garlic slices. Then a few drizzles of vinegar, pepper juice, and EVOO. Now add the second layer of peppers and repeat until you are done. Place the container in the fridge (wherever is the warmest area of your fridge to avoid crystalizing the EVOO, pepper juice and vinegar mix). Ready to enjoy in 15-20 mins. PAN ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH VINEGAR & EVOO Serves 3-4 Ingredients 4 eggplants 1 green pepper Garlic powder Black pepper Sea salt Apple cider EVOO Directions Cut the eggplants in one-inch-thick slices (longways or circular - as you prefer) Sprinkle salt on both sides and let sit for 30 mins Cut pepper in long thin slices because they will be added raw In an iron skillet, add 2 tablespoons of EVOO and roast eggplants on high heat Place one layer of roasted eggplants on a deep square dish (eggplant for this recipe needs to be squeezed tightly on the dish so use a large dish.) Add a layer of sliced green peppers on top - less of a full layer and more of a sporadic sprinkle Then, sprinkle layer with salt, paper, garlic powder, EVOO and apple cider (roughly once cap full of each per layer). The second layer of eggplants should be now ready to be placed from skillet. Repeat steps 5-7 When you are done with all the layers, push eggplant layers down with a wooden spoon to make sure they’re nice and tight together. You may eat them right away or to store for later, cover dish with a top and leave on the countertop if eating later, in fridge if eating the next day. Note: For high quality, use small Italian organically grown eggplants (they’re usually much smaller than the regular ones at the store), garlic powder from Penzeys and Italian sweet green peppers. ROASTED E GGPLANT Ingredients 2 eggplants 4 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp olive oil fresh thyme smoked paprika fresh basil 4 oz feta cheese salt black pepper Directions Half the eggplants Salt the halved eggplants and let rest for 15 minutes. Score by making square/diamond cuts into the pulp, every inch or inch and a half. Place them in a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Space the eggplant halves so they don’t touch. Brush them with olive oil and season with black pepper and paprika. Fill the cuts with slices of garlic and feta cheese, then sprinkle fresh thyme. Bake at 180 degrees C (356F) for 25-30 min. Serve with fresh basil on top. EGGPLANT CA RPACCIO Texture: S oft, explosion of flavor, crowd favorite Serving size: a dip for 4-6 people Fun fact: Recipe was inspired by a similar dis h tasted at Nur restaurant, now permanently closed. The rose and eggplant combination is out of this world. Ingredients 2 Eggplants ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 Shallots (sliced) 5 cloves Garlic (sliced) 1 tablespoon Cumin Seed (toasted and ground) 1 Lemon (zested and juiced) ½ cup of crumbled feta ½ teaspoon Rose Water ½ cup Pistachios (raw and finely chopped) Parsley leaves Directions Char eggplants directly over the fire of a gas burner for 10 minutes, rotating every 3 minutes. Another option is to do this in a gas oven, on broil. Place eggplants in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest for 1 hour. Peel charred skin off eggplants and discard with the tops. Reserve all liquid. Sauté garlic and shallot in olive oil until translucent and add cumin. Remove from heat and add to eggplant. Add lemon and rose water to the eggplant mixture and smash and mix everything with a fork. Lay eggplant mixture out in a thin layer on a plate and add tahini sauce, pistachio, feta and parsley to garnish. Serve with pita bread, pita chips, or toasted sourdough slices. EGGPLANT AND TOMATOE TAPENADE Texture: Soft, melts in your mouth, yummy Serving size: a dip for 6-8 people Fun fact: In a pinch, you can buy it canned from Trader Joe’s and it’s very close to the taste. Ingredients: 3-4 small italian eggplants 12 oz of your best virgin tomato sauce flaky sea salt (Maldon) EVOO 1 small onion garlic powder (penzey’s) or two fresh cloves Cracked pepper Apple cider vinegar Cast iron cooking pan For the sauce: ‘La Fede’ brand, Passata Di Pomodoro, Finely Sieved Tomatoes Directions: Cut eggplants in half longways and sprinkle with salt (leave for 20-30 mins) Sauté diced onion in EVOO Add garlic Add tomato sauce Add cracked pepper Add sea salt Bring to a slow boil Add eggplants (lay them down gentle as you dip them into the sauce) Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour on low heat with a lid on the cast iron pan. Cool down completely. Serve cold or reheat. Drizzle EVOO, apple cider vinegar, and extra salt on top before serving. Serve with bread, chips, crackers, or over rice, couscous, veggies, mea t EGGPLANT PARM(IGIANO) Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard cheese made from unp asteurized cows' milk and aged at least 12 months but for best taste, 24 months. The cheese has a sharp, complex fruity/ nutty taste with a strong savory flavor and a slightly gritty texture. The best taste is acq-uired when cows are fed only on grass or hay, producing grass-fed milk. Only natural whey culture is allowed as a starter, together with calf rennet. The only additive allowed is salt, which the cheese absorbs while being submerged for 20 days in brine tanks satur-ated to near-total salinity with Mediterranean sea salt. 'Parmesan' is a marketing term for lower quality cheese, whether it be Italian marketed to the US or elsewhere around the world. Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl (or cheeks). It is not smoked. Its name is derived from’ guancia’, the Italian word for ‘cheek’. Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such as ‘spaghetti alla carbonara’ and sauces like ‘sugo all'amatriciana’. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally also not smoked, can be used as a substitute for guanciale. Or bacon. Good quality ingredients will make this dish superb. Take your time choosing the right eggplant, cheese, guanciale, and tomato purée (aka passata). Ingredients EVOO (for drizzling) 2 large balls Fresh Mozzarella (thinly sliced) ⅓ cup Fresh Basil Leaves 2 Large Eggplant (cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds) For Egg wash bowl: 2 Eggs (beaten) ¼ cup Whole Milk For breading bowl: 2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs 1 ¼ cups Parmigiano Reggiano (grated) 2 teaspoons of herbs (Hand-mixed/rubbed, not ground, from dried: shallots, chives, green peppercorn, dill weed, basil, tarragon, chervil and bay leaf) 1 teaspoon Sea Salt ½ teaspoon Black Pepper (freshly ground) For sauce: 24.5 ounces tomato purée (aka passata) 4-5 small slices of guanciale 1 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder ½ teaspoon Dried minced onion ½ teaspoon Powdered Black Pepper Directions Make the sauce 1. In a saucepan, slowly fry the guanciale pieces on low heat, without burning them, to get the liquid taste out onto the pan. 2. Remove the guanciale pieces and discard them or eat them. 3. Add the passata. 4. Then fill the passata bottle 3/4 with water and shake, then add the liquid to the saucepan. 5. Add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp of onion and ½ tsp of pepper 6. Let simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. 7. Turn off heat and let cool Bread and roast the eggplant 1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 2. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper 3. Cut the eggplants into ½-inch thick rounds, place in a large bowl and sprinkle with salt and set to the side 4. Prepare two dipping bowls, one with the whisked egg and milk, the other with the breadcrumbs and herbs, salt, pepper, and ¼ cup of Parmigiano 5. Dip one eggplant slice at a time, first in the egg wash on both sides, then in the crumbs on both sides too. Make sure the eggplant is well-coated on all sides! 6. Arrange the breaded eggplant slices in a single layer on 2 parchment-lined rimmed baking sheets. 7. Drizzle with EVOO 8. Bake for 20 mins or until the crust is golden brown 9. Set aside and let cool Put it all together 1. Cut the mozzarella into thin round slices 2. Spread some tomato sauce in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Add a layer of eggplant slices, more tomato sauce, and half the sliced mozzarella. 3. Add one layer of eggplant slices, and sprinkle left over breadcrumbs from the bowl in areas where eggplant is light 4. With a spoon, spread a layer of tomato sauce 5. Then a layer of mozzarella 6. Repeat the layers, finishing it off with any remaining mozzarella and Parmesan (1 cup). 7. Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to bubble. Then, turn on the broiler for a couple of minutes, so the cheese starts to brown in places. 8. Let the hot eggplant Parmesan rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving. Then, top it with fresh basil leaves. In my opinion, it tastes better heated the next day! CARROT & GIANT WHITE BEAN SALSA 4 carrots diced 1 can of giant white beans 1 medium onion (chopped) 2 handfuls of parsley (chopped) 2 tbsp vegan butter (Miyoko's Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter with a Hint of Sea Salt) 1 tbsp of paprika Pinch of cayenne pepper Salt to taste 2 tbsp EVOO Sauté onion and carrots in 1 tbsp of EVOO and 2 tbsp of vegan butter. Add the rest of the ingredients and 5 cups of hot water, mix, close lid, and cook for 20-30 mins in low heat. Before serving, drizzle 1 tbsp worth of EVOO on top and finish with a pinch of thinly chopped parsley. Serve with sourdough toast or warm pita bread. WHITE BEANS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH Ingredients 1 can of white beans ½ a butternut squash 6 leaves of sage EVOO Garlic powder Chives Sea salt Black or white pepper powder Maple syrup Paprika powder Directions Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel and chop squash in ½ inch half-moons and throw in a bowl. Drizzle with EVOO, maple syrup, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and pepper. Roast for 40 minutes or until they look caramelized and crispy-ish. Meanwhile, in high heat fry the sage leaves in EVOO until crips (but not burned) and set aside on a paper towel. Lower heat to medium-low, throw in the beans, cut fresh chives and throw them in. Mix and simmer until thick. Once thickened, place the beans in a plate, add the roasted squash on top, drizzle more EVOO and add the sage leaves on top. Best enjoyed on sourdough toast. ADDICTIVE CABBAGE SALAD Recipe was inspired by a similar dish tasted at Kawani restaurant in Westport. Ingredients 1 cabbage 5 scallions Sesame seeds – black and white Salt Pepper Rice vinegar Cayenne pepper Wasabi (optional) Hondashi (optional) Directions Cut cabbage and scallion into salad bites. Sprinkle seeds, salt, pepper, rice vinegar, hondashi and wasabi (if you have it) otherwise, cayenne pepper. Let sit for 1 hour, mix every 15 mins. KELLEY'S PEAR AND FENNEL SALAD For best results, make the dressing in the salad bowl then add other ingredients. Dressing 1 small shallot (minced) Salt 2 lemons (juiced) 1 tsp of honey 1/3 cup of EVOO Freshly ground black pepper Salad 4 stalks celery (thinly sliced) 2 bulbs fennel (cored and thinly sliced) 2 pears (peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced) 1 cup of arugula leaves ½ cup of pumpkin seeds (fresh or toasted) ½ cup of parmigiano-reggiano SWEET AND TANGY SALAD A crowd favorite! Inspired by a Rothbard Ale + Larder salad, a German cuisine inspired restaurant in Westport, that's now closed. For best results, once tossed, let salad rest for 10 mins before serving. Ingredients 1 cup of halved sweet grapes (color is your choice) 1/2 of diced champagne mango 1 cup of crumbled Roquefort cheese 1/2 of sliced shallot 1 short and crunchy cucumber, diced 1/2 cup of diced carrots For salad leaves, I recommend endive and/or Nappa cabbage A handful of pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds) EVOO Black pepper 1/2 fresh lime Dressing 1/3 cup of EVOO Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 of freshly squeezed lime juice Salad Chop the salad leaves to your liking and throw in a large mixing bowl. (If you haven't used endives before, I recommend you half the endive long ways, then dice each half in thin moon slivers. Endives are tough to take on any taste if cut too thick. Same goes for the Nappa cabbage leaves, you can be less strict with the green top part of the leaf, but the bottom white crunchy part will taste better if chopped in less than let's say 1 inch in size). Then hand-sprinkle in the ingredients with the cheese last. Then pour the dressing on top and mix gently with a large wooden spoon until the cheese and the dressing make a lightly creamy consistency throughout. Let rest and enjoy! Goes well with sourdough toast (but what doesn't). HUNGARIAN SOUR CREAM CUCUMBERS Can be served as a side salad or as a dip/spread. Ingredients 4 medium cucumbers 1 small sweet onion or 1 large shallot 1/2 cup of sour cream 1 tb of white vinegar A pinch of sugar 1/2 tsp of powdered garlic 1/4 cup of EVOO Salt and pepper to taste Directions Peel cucumbers and slice thin. Slice onion thin in half-moon crescents. In a large bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients then toss cucumbers and onion in. Gently mix with a spoon. Let sit in the fridge 1-2 hours. Enjoy! BUFFALO GRILLED MUSHROOMS Mushrooms are at their best when cooked over high, unrelenting heat, which makes them ideal for grilling. So that they crisp instead of shrivel, toss them with more oil than you think is required and salt them only after they are cooked. As the mushrooms’ moisture disappears, their earthy umami concentrates and their outsides brown. Top with parsley and blue cheese for crunch and taste. This method here works with most mushrooms, but avoid larger ones like portobellos, which, over such high heat, will burn before they’re cooked through. Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 1½ pounds medium to large mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, shiitake or maitake, or a combination; not portobello), stemmed EVOO 2 tablespoons Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped Kosher salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and refrigerated 1½ ounces firm blue cheese, sliced or crumbled A few sprigs of parsley, for garnish (optional) Directions Prepare a charcoal grill for two-zone cooking over high heat by pouring the coals onto one half of the grill. For a gas grill, heat all the burners, then off turn one of the end burners before cooking. (High is above 450 degrees. You should be able to hold your hand 4 to 5 inches above the grates for 2 to 3 seconds.) While the grill is heating, place the mushrooms in a large bowl, and drizzle them generously with olive oil (about 6 tablespoons). Put the hot sauce and garlic in a medium cast-iron skillet. When you’re ready to grill, bring the mushrooms, skillet, salt, cold butter, a tightly folded paper towel soaked with oil, oven mitt and tongs to the grill. (You want the butter to stay cold, so if you’re worried about it melting in the sun, bring it out in a cup over ice.) Clean the grates with a grill brush, then oil the grates with the paper towel. Add the mushrooms gill-side up over the flame. Cook the mushrooms, turning occasionally, until well browned and tender, 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and type of the mushroom. For a gas grill, close the lid between flips, listening and keeping an eye out for flare-ups. If liquid collects in the mushrooms while cooking, move them to an area of the grill without fire beneath to avoid flare-ups, then flip and return to direct heat. When the mushrooms are almost done, add the skillet to an area of the grill without flame beneath, so that there’s indirect heat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet as they finish. Season lightly with salt and add the butter, stirring to combine until glossy. Season to taste with salt, pepper and more hot sauce, then top with blue cheese and, if using, parsley. KELLEY'S MUSHROOM FRITTATA Cook in a 9 inch cast iron skillet or Dutch oven Sauté 1 tbsp of EVOO ½ large yellow onion (sliced) 3 garlic cloves (chopped) 8 oz mushrooms (thinly sliced) 3 cups of arugula Beat eggs then add the rest in 8 eggs 2 tbsp of whole milk Salt and pepper to taste ¼ cup of crumbled goat or feta cheese Chives, dill, parsley (chopped) Pour onto sautéed mix, mix gently, and close the lid. Cook for 15 mins in low to med heat. DITA'S SPINACH SOUP ( shrimp optional) Texture: creamy, delicate, filling Fun fact: Tastes just as good if served hot in cold winter evenings or served cold during the summer. Serving size: 4 bowls You will need a large pot, a large frying pan, and a blender. Ingredients For soup: a lot of spinach (800g) 1 small yellow onion 2 cloves of garlic Salt 100g grated Parmigiano Romano or Reggiano 1 cup of FAGE sour cream 4 cups of water 4 tablespoons of EVOO For shrimp & marinade: 400g of fresh (large to jumbo) shrimp garlic powder lemon juice 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 teaspoon of soy sauce A pinch of salt A pinch of paprika A pinch of cracked black pepper Marinade the shrimp In a bowl, add shrimp, garlic powder, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, a pink of salt and a pinch of paprika, 2 pinches of cracked black pepper. Let them in that marinade for at least 15 minutes but the longer they marinate, the better they will taste. Make the soup Clean the fresh spinach and drain the excess water Finely chop the onion and garlic cloves and sauté with EVOO in a pot until the onion is transparent and the garlic is a bit golden Add spinach, stir, close the lid and let it simmer and soften Pour the water and let it cook for about 10 mins Pour the mixture into a blender Add a pinch of salt Add sour cream Blend until you get a creamy consistency Add the grated Parmigiano cheese (Don’t go too heavy on it because you may oversalt and the soup does not need it for its creamy texture) Blend and let sit while you cook the shrimp Cook the shrimp Heat up the large frying pan with 2-3 tablespoons of EVOO. Add the shrimp from the bowl (try not to dump the extra liquid in the pan) and cook for roughly 1-1.5 min on each side or until they become nicely pink. (If the shape of the shrimp ‘C’ starts resembling an ‘O’, then you’re overcooking them.) Once you think they are done, pour a few drops of white wine and let it evaporate. Remove shrimp on a cutting board and let rest for 2 mins. Cut in slices and add on top of the soup. FOUR ONION SOUP ( inspired by Dilly Duck Cafe) Texture: creamy, delicate, filling Total Time: 55 minutes Serving size: 4 servings/cups You will need a large pot, a large frying pan, and a blender. Soup may be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered. Reheat, covered, over low heat. Ingredients 4 medium leeks 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 small onion (1/4 pound), thinly sliced 2 large shallots (1/4 pound), thinly sliced 1/4 cup of scallions (for garnishing) 1 1/2 cups water 1 large boiling potato (6 ounces) such as Yukon Gold 1 cup nonfat chicken broth 1/2 cup grated Gruyère (2 ounces) 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar Directions Chop enough white and pale green parts of leeks to measure 2 cups. Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water. Lift from water and drain in a colander. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then cook chopped leeks, onion, and shallots with salt and pepper to taste, stirring frequently, until edges are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and deglaze pot, scraping up brown bits. Transfer mixture to the pot. Peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add potato, broth, and remaining cup water to onions. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are very tender. Purée soup in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) and stir into remaining soup. Season with salt and pepper. Serve soup sprinkled with cheese or chopped scallions and drizzle with vinegar. You've got special recipes to share? Please do!

Art They've been punishing us for 2000 years for eating the apple. - Dea Shkupi Video Amy Sherald - It’s more than just the corrective narrative. It's gotta be about humanity first. Video Rose B. Simpson - I can stand in my femininity and still feel that power. Video Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn - We're taught history based on certain agendas. I'd rather explore it through my personal lens. Video Gorilla Girls - You can't stop artists. Even if they don't become superstars, you can't stop them from doing their work. Hello Hello Hello Hello Unleash Your Best Unleash Your Best Unleash Your Best Unleash Your Best The worst days can make the best art The worst days can make the best art The worst days can make the best art The worst days can make the best art Share your art today Got your own art or someone else's that you love? Please share!

[Fyah-l] [Fja:l] [Fjalə] noun Alba nian for ‘Word’ ‘Speech’ ‘Rumor’ ‘Term' A unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds that functions as a principal carrier of meaning. Homo sapiens developed capacity for fjalë about 50,000 years ago. - speech or talk that communicates & preserves the spoken and unspoken of the times - the text or lyrics of a song as distinguished from the music - a promise, a disagreement, gossip, or news - a healer of the mind, body, and spirit - a short talk or conversation - a conveyor of facts and/or emotions Examples of stories passed down from one generation to another through fjalë are: history, language, profession, pride, lineage, lyrics, art, remedies, food growing and making, fabric or dress making, child-bearing and raising, land stewardship, shelter and safety, living in harmony with nature, other survival lessons and wisdom. These stories ultimately offer belonging. There’s no place in world that is better than another, if measured by the love natives carry for their culture and natural environment. This is based on my own experience of exchanging fjalë with natives of over 100 countries. I am dual cultured – born and raised in Albania and lived in the United States since a prepubescent age. My sense of belonging is split down the middle between both nations. And natives from each respectively attribute my sense of belonging to them or despite of them. I find it fascinating and human. It’s normal that a tribe often either claims or relinquishes its members. There’s hardly a middle ground drawn out unless you are in the middle. And if you are, this is the place for you. The middle exists in the eye of the beholder and being 'in the middle' offers a unique perspective, an addition by far, rather than a subtraction. I invite you to share your fjalë here . This site is a common place for anyone 'in the middle', a conduit for connection and following streaks of curiosity that promote healthy living and belon ging. How to become a member? Membership is free. Simply subscribe to the mailing list. Your free membership grants you access to have your content displayed on this site. How can you get involved? You may donate your time and skills toward creating more content for the site and/ or contributing to current projects. Regarding monetary donations, a donation is not expected, and no donation is too small. But the purpose of this site is offering connection, not exploitation. Does it interest you to get involved in current projects ? Do you possess a special recipe passed down that has a story within it? Is there a children’s story that you have been old many times but that you don't think has been written yet? How about a nursery rhyme? Or a story of belonging or immigration? How about a story about your grandmother’s knitting and quilting or your great grandmother’s handmade fabric or dress? Does your own art reflect a story of 'the middle'? What about proverbs and rules of society that are not necessarily written anywhere as you have heard them? Is there a special natural remedy recipe? How about a sustainable method or two for farming? Or ways of survival in the natural world that span generations? This is a feel-good space but does not mean that trauma cannot be shared. All I ask is that you find a path that can be healing when sharing. - Share you story with me - Ask your loved ones to share stories with you - Ask me to post your stories and related content here for free - And/or ask me for help with composition of your stories for a small fee - Contact me for a collaboration on a project or idea - Contact me with ideas on how to improve this site “ENI DJEM” V.Deda e grupi i vajzave 1988 00:00 / 02:18 “MALE FUSHE JA NJOHEM ZJARRIN” N. Buçi F. Mustafa L. Ndou 00:00 / 02:33 My Story, My Fjalë My second chapter of creativity shifted onto my mind; where I wove dreams of animals and loving them, for decades, and submerged myself into understanding their inner strength. During my first ever opportunity to splurge, I discovered my pleasure of frozen moments, and so moved from my fluid dreams into my photography phase. I walked for miles, up mountains and down rivers, across countries, and between conflicts, learning about the world, humans, myself, nature, identity and love. And when I thought I had something to compile, I wrote children's books about B E L O N G I N G. And this third phase happened to coincide with my third decade of life. After my mother left, my heart urged me to keep her garden alive. Not out of obligation, but because the timing felt right. I was in that tender phase of daughterhood where we seek to define ourselves apart from our mothers. If she could build her life, so could I—on my own terms. Ironically, tending the garden drew me closer to her. Through each sprout and harvest, I came to know the rhythms of nature more intimately than ever before. The soil connected me to her mother, my nanadaja, and to the women before her—those who waltzed and skipped across the Northern Albanian mountains, cultivating life with grit and grace. Gardening became a quiet revolution of belonging. It linked me not only to my lineage, but to humanity itself—to anyone who has ever sowed seeds and nurtured growth. Through it, I shared stories, built community, and deepened my appreciation for the simple, sacred act of growing food. As my fourth decade approached, I set out on a three-month journey through the Western Balkans, seeking clarity amid personal upheaval. My father's sudden cancer diagnosis prompted a deeper search—for my heritage, for understanding, and for healing. With my husband beside me, we left behind routines and responsibilities to hike through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania—carrying only what we needed and embracing everything we found. Upon return, I stitched together trail stories, recipes, reflections, and human connections into a tapestry of land, legacy, and love, culminating in The Illyrian Way book that made me a first-time published author. I proudly share it with my family, the resilient people of the Balkans, and you. And may it inspire a spark toward your own version of The Illyrian Way. Decades later, I remain an amateur enamored with words in verse. And the patient members of the Connecticut Poetry Society tolerate and nurture me. Poetry in the Preserve (wiltonlandtrust.org) Wilton-poetry-society-library-meeting And in between sessions, sometimes I record my voice, reciting. And in between everything else, I take nature walks, propagate plants, dry flowers, paint, host dinners, write lists of things I wish to do, shy away from superficial conversations, take baths, read, and rest. I don't claim to be someone special, and I appreciate the hard work it takes to be creative and to practice inner peace in a noisy world. I believe in working together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. For more information about my experience, portfolio or to share ideas about how we can collaborate on an upcoming project, get in touch today. I am happily awaiting your fjalë. My earliest memory bleeds red into black, from my mom's typewriter ribbon spool of ink, onto my 6-year-old fingers. I wish I could remember what my first poem was about. I had help with it, but I kept the pride all to myself.

A DIARY Across the Peaks of the Western Balkans The ambition: 7 countries, 700 kilometers of walking, love, history, unity, hard work, good food, great fjalë. THE ILLYRIAN WAY Get your copy today! Nina, Nana Lullaby In The Press Book Description Shortly after a life-shifting diagnosis fractured the silence of everyday life, the author set out with her husband on a three-month pilgrimage through the wild heart of the Western Balkans. The Illyrian Way is more than a travel memoir—it's a deeply personal journey of grief, healing, heritage, and discovery. Crossing seven countries and three legendary long-distance trails—Via Dinarica, Peaks of the Balkans, and High Scardus—the pair embrace mountain solitude, cultural resilience, and unexpected joy. Packed with trail maps, intimate photos, local recipes, and luminous vignettes of alpine meadows, Sharr dogs, wild horses, and warm family tables laden with raki and homegrown fare, this book is a love letter to connection: to history, land, and strangers turned kindred spirits. It’s a mosaic of encounters—world travelers, village heroes, ancient ruins, and a search for the author's own Illyrian roots. With quiet strength and playful reverence, The Illyrian Way invites readers into a tender expedition that celebrates nature’s drama and human grace. Whether you're a backpacker, a dreamer, or simply curious, this journey will awaken your wanderlust—and just might guide you toward your own version of home. Get your copy today. From the author The Illyrian Way is a physical trail along mountain peaks, forests, and the Adriatic Sea. There are three established long-distance trails that I have stitched together for the hiker enthusiast to experience 7 countries in the Western Balkans in one go. These established trails are called Via Dinarica, Peaks of Balkans, and High Scardus. Altogether they make up over 965 miles of hiking in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania. I personally walked 450 miles of it. The Illyrian Way is also a mental journey of discovering culture from the comfort of your own home through this book. It depicts a unique cultural blend of West and East, of Christianity and Islam, of communism and democracy, and of various ethnic identities, the larger two being Slavic and Albanian, that have shaped the region. It is so much more than a place you may associate with corruption, poverty, and conflict, due to mainstream media often focusing their reporting on grief rather than celebratory human stories. For me, The Illyrian Way is a spiritual journey , a pilgrimage into my own heritage. One in which I embarked on out of personal grief, history, and fear but that left me feeling hopeful, proud, and joyful. Read more... VIA DINARICA is ~1,000 km or ~620 mi trail system in the Dinaric Alps or Dinarides. The Dinarides are named after Mount Dinara (1,831 m), a prominent peak in the center of the mountain range on the border with the Dalmatian part of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The trail begins in Razdrto at the foot of the Nanos plateau in Slovenia, and roughly follows the Croatian mountains of Velika Kapela, Velebit and Dinara. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the trail passes through the Hercegovina region, and then through the mountains of Central Montenegro. The route ends in the Valbona valley in the Albanian Alps in Northern Albania. PEAKS OF BALKANS is a ~192 km or ~120 mi trail system in the Accursed Mountain Range, the southernmost subrange of the 1,000-kilometer-long Dinaric Alps range (Dinarides). The Accursed Mountains (in Albanian: Bjeshkët e Nëmuna; in Serbo-Croatian: Проклетије, Prokletije; both translated as "Cursed Mountains"), also known as the Albanian Alps (Albanian: Alpet Shqiptare), are a mountain group in the western part of the Balkans. The official trail extends from northeast Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. It does not include the other half of Accursed Mountain Range in northwest Albania, nor the Sharr or Korab Mountain Ranges in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia. HIGH SCARDUS trail is a ~362 km or ~225 mi trail system which leads through the untouched mountain world of the Western Balkan countries of Kosovo, Albania, and Northern Macedonia. The start point is in Staro Selo in North Macedonia and the end point is in Sveti Naum at Ohrid Lake also in North Macedonia. When hiking the High Scardus Trail you cross the mountain ranges of Sharr, Korab, Deshat, Jablanica and Galichica - one more beautiful than the other. The best time to hike the Trail is from mid of June to Mid of October. The sea level stretches from 700m to 2.764m - so a certain basic physical condition is needed - especially when hiking the longest stage with 8 hours and a length of 26km (stage 8 "Brod - Radika") but boy, is it worth it! The longest stage by altitude meters is stage 10 ("Strezimir - Radomire") with 300m up and 1.600m down (you cannot miss this one either). Below is a journey that combines VIA DINARICA & PEAKS OF BALKANS & HIGH SCARDUS trails and includes official and unofficial trails. A portion of the VIA DINARICA official trail overlaps with the PEAKS OF BALKANS official trail. Th e northwest Albanian region of the Accursed Mountains (Malësia e Madhe region) is NOT part of PEAKS OF BALKANS official trail today; however, it is well marked and is not something you should skip, as it will offer you complete authenticity . Trails along the Sharr Mountain Range and Korab Mountain Range are part of the High Scardus trail . They are not part of VIA DINARICA because these mountain ranges are not part of the Dinaric mountain range. The Sharr Mountain system is about 80 km or 50 mi long and 10–20 km or 6–12 mi wide and does NOT have an official trail system. The Korab Mountain system stretches over 40 km or 25 mi and does NOT have an official trail system. These mountain ranges offer the best cheese in the Balkans, are arguably the world and similar can be said about the views and the trails. Remote, raw, barely explored, but the natives are friendly and will give you a wonderful experience, every step of the way. Our journey across the PEAKS OF BALKANS Slovenia/Slovenija Lake Bohinj Mt. Vogel Lake Bled Mt. Triglav Mt. Viševnik Mt. Snežnik Cro atia/Hrvatska R isnjak National Park Mt. Risnjak Northern Velebit Premužić Trail Middle Velebit Split Senj Opatija Pag Island - Star Novalja Bosnia & Herzegovina/ Bosnia i Hercegovina B lidinje National Park Jablanica Mostar Sarajevo Umoljani & Lukomir Sutjeska National Park Montenegro/Crna Gora Durmitor Mo untain s Prokeletije Mountain Range and National Park -Babino Polje - Plav - Mt. Talijanka (Maja e Vajushës) - Grebaj - Karafili Peak - Vusanje - Kolata Peak Kosovo/Kosova Pejë Accursed Mountain Rang e and Bjeshkët e Nëmuna National Park - Maja Hajlës (Hajla Peak) - Gjeravica Peak - Marijash Peak - Guri Kuq Peak Prishtinë Prizren High Scardus Trail - Sharr Mountain Range and National Park - Korab Mountain Range Macedonia/Makedonija Sharr Mountain Range Ma vrovo National Park Jance and Galicnik Korab Mountain Range A lbania/Shqipëria Kora b Mountain Range Korab-Koritnik National Park Theth and Valbona National Parks Accursed Mountain Range - Maja e Harapit (Arapi Peak) - Vuk ël - Tamarë - Vërmosh - Lepushë - Bogë - G rykë e Lugjeve - Theth - Maja Jezercës (Jezerca Peak) - Çerem - Dobërdol Bogë Shkodër Lake Shkodër Tiranë THE ILLYRIAN WAY DAILY ITINERARY Start Now EC ME LEZET! Peaks of Balkans & High Scardus Trails along the Accursed, Sharr, and Korab Mountain Ranges spanning Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia Accursed Mountain Range Accursed Mountains (Bjeshkët e Nëmuna in Albanian and Prokletije in Serbo-Croatian), also known as the Albanian Alps, are a mountain group in the western part of the Balkans that are the southernmost part of the Dinaric Alps. Maja Jezercë, standing at 2,694 m (8,839 ft), is the highest point of the Accursed Mountains and of all Dinaric Alps, and the fifth highest peak in Albania. Accursed Mountain range extends from northern Albania (Malësia e Madhe, Theth National Park, and Valbonë Valley National Park) to southern Kosovo (Bjeshkët e Nëmuna National Park) and northeastern Montenegro (Prokletije National Park). They are ethnographically and sociologically diverse with many tribes living in the region as sheep herders; primarily, Hoti, Kelmendi, Shkreli, Kastrati, Gruda, Dukagjini, Shala, Shoshi, Nikaj, Krasniqi, Gashi, Kuci and Rugova. It includes the highest mountain in Montenegro and second highest in Kosovo. - Zla Kolata (2,534 m or 8,314 ft) part of accursed mountain range - Gjeravica (2,656 m or 8,714 ft) part of accursed mountain range Accursed mountains are world renowned for its dense old growth forests and high biodiversity. The range was formed by the folding resulting from the collision of the African and Eurasian plates. After the Alps, these mountains are the most glaciated in Europe south of the Scandinavian ice sheet. They have very steep limestone slopes with abundant karst features. Its engulfed by active glaciers, glacier lakes, rivers, waterfalls, karst caverns, protected wetlands, wildcat, lynx, fox, deer, boar, wolves, chamois, falcons, brown bears, partridge, owls golden eagles, ancient black pine, hundreds of medicinal herbs, blue grass, glacial flora, beech, fir, maple, spruce, Petasites doerfleri is only found on the Jezerca peaks, and the Albanian lily Lilium albanicum and Viola ducagjinica are only found at the top of the Maja Radohimës slope, and last but not least, t he Accursed Mountains are also the only European area where the Tertiary relic Forsythia europaea grow. Fun Fact: Albania has 42 mountains that are 2,000m or 6,000ft and above . Sharr Mountain Range Sharr Mountains (Malet e Sharrit in Albanian) is a mountain range extending from southern Kosovo to northeastern Albania to northwestern North Macedonia. The sections in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia are national parks (Korab-Koritnik National Park in Albania, Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia, and Sharr Mountains National Park in Kosovo). These mountains are among the highest on the Balkans, with ~30 peaks higher than 2,500 m or 8,202 ft and 70 above the 2,000 m or 6,600 ft. There are 70 glacial lakes along the range. The dog breed Šarplaninac (aka Illyrian dog) comes from this area. Sharr Mountain Range is NOT part of the Dinaric Alp system and therefore not part of the VIA DIN ARICA Trail but part of the High Scardus Trail. Count on this trail to deliver arguably the best cheese you have tasted in your life - the Sharr Cheese. Korab Mountain Range Southwest of Sharr mountains, Korab Mountain Range is a mountain range around the border triangle of Albania, North Macedonia and Kosovo. It’s across three national parks (Korab-Koritnik National Park in Albania, Mavrovo National Park in Macedonia, and Sharr Mountains National Park in Kosovo). Great Korab or simply Korab peak stands at 2,764 m or 9,068 ft and is the highest peak in Albania, Kosovo, and North Macedonia. A kind of double peak, that of Korab II is about 150 m or 160 yds northwest of the peak within the Albanian territory. On the same ridge are two other peaks rising over 2,700 meters or 8,900 ft: Shulani i Radomirës and Small Korab or Korab III. Korab-gate (Albanian: Maja e Portës së Korabit; Macedonian: Korapska Mala vrata) is another peak about 2 km or 1 mi to the southwest. A few hundred meters south is another peak, Maja e Moravës. Fun Fact: Korab is the highest mountain in Albania and the fourth-highest mountain located entirely in the Balkan Peninsula, standing at 2,764 meters or 9,068 feet. The official trail systems extend primarily from northeast Albania to southern Kosovo and northeastern Montenegro. It does not include the other half of Accursed Mountain Range in northwest Albania, nor the Sharr or Korab Mountain Ranges in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia. The information above is to promote the official extension of the current trail to include ther half of Accursed Mountain Range in northwest Albania, the Sharr and Korab Mountain Ranges in Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia. List of top 60 Accursed peaks Maja Jezercë (2,694 m or 8,839 ft; in Albania) Gjeravica (2,656 m or 8,714 ft; in Koso vo) Maja Grykat e Hapëta (2,625 m or 8,612 ft; in Albania) Maja e Radohimës (2,570 m or 8,432 ft; in Albania) Maja e Popljuces (2,569 m or 8,428 ft; in Albania) Maja Briaset (2,567 m or 8,422 ft; in Albania) Maja e Hekurave (2,561 m or 8,402 ft; in Albania) Rodi e Kollatës (2,556 m or 8,386 ft; in Albania) Maja e Shënikut (2,554 m or 8,379 ft; in Albania) Maja Tat (2,543 m or 8,343 ft; in Albania) Gusan (2,539 m or 8,330 ft; in Albania and Kosovo) Zla Kolata/Kollata e Keqe (2,534 m or 8,314 ft; in Albania and Montenegro) Marijaš/Marijash (2,533 m or 8,310 ft; in Kosovo) Dobra Kolata/Kolata e Mirë (2,524 m or 8,281 ft; in Albania and Montenegro) Rosni Vrh/Maja e Rosit (2,524 m or 8,281 ft; in Montenegro) Žuti kamen/Guri i Kuq (2,522 m or 8,274 ft; in Kosovo) Maja Visens (2,517 m or 8,258 ft; in Albania) Maja Kokervhake (2,508 m or 8,228 ft; in Albania) Rops/Maja e Ropës (2,502 m or 8,209 ft; in Kosovo) Maja Shkurt (2,499 m or 8,199 ft; in Albania) Maja Reshkullit (2,496 m or 8,189 ft; in Albania) Maja e Malësores (2,490 m or 8,169 ft; in Albania) Karanfili (Veliki Vrh, Kremeni Vrh, Maja Gurt e Zjarmit) (2,490 m or 8,169 ft; in Montenegr o) Maja e Ragamit (2,472 m or 8,110 ft; in Albania) Maja Bojs (2,461 m or 8,074 ft; in Albania) Koprivnik/Kopranik (2,460 m or 8,071 ft; in Kosovo) Maja Vukoces (2,450 m or 8,038 ft; in Albania) Veternik (2,410 m or 7,907 ft; in Albania) Shkëlzen (2,407 m or 7,897 ft; in Albania) Maja e Thatë (2,406 m or 7,894 ft; in Albania) Pasji Peak (2,405 m or 7,890 ft; in Kosovo and Montenegro) Maja Bogiçaj (2,404 m or 7,887 ft; in Albania and Kosovo) Hajla (2,403 m or 7,884 ft; in Kosovo and Montenegro) Rusulija (2,382 m or 7,815 ft) Streoc (2,377 m or 7,799 ft) Tromeđa (2,366 m or 7,762 ft) Žljeb (2,365 m or 7,759 ft) Maja e Kakisë (2,360 m or 7,743 ft) Liqenat (2,341 m or 7,680 ft) Rrasa e Zogut (2,305 m or 7,562 ft) Hajla e Vëranocit (2,281 m or 7,484 ft) Junik (2,280 m or 7,480 ft) Maja Stogut (2,246 m or 7,369 ft; in Albania) Maja e Elbunit (2,231 m or 7,320 ft) Deçan Mountain (2,200 m or 7,218 ft) Maja Harapit (2,218 m or 7,277 ft) Maja Trojan (2,190 m or 7,185 ft) Pogled (2,155 m or 7,070 ft) Maja Dramadol (2,120 m or 6,955 ft) Beleg (2,102 m or 6,896 ft) Maja e Ershellit (2,067 m or 6,781 ft) Maja e Vjelakut (2,014 m or 6,608 ft) Hajla e Shkrelit (2,011 m or 6,598 ft) Maja e Madhe (2,011 m or 6,598 ft) Maja e Grebenit (1,864 m or 6,115 ft) Lice Mountain (1,799 m or 5,902 ft) Maja e Veleçikut (1,725 m or 5,659 ft) List of top 30 Sharr peaks Titov Vrv (2,747 m or 9,012 ft) Mal Turčin (2,707 m or 8,881 ft) Bakardan (2,704 m or 8,871 ft) Borislavec (2,675 m or 8,776 ft) Velika Rudoka (2,660 m or 8,727 ft) Bistra – east summit (Peskovi) (2,651 m or 8,698 ft) Bistra – west summit (2,641 m or 8,665 ft) Small Rudoka (2,629 m or 8,625 ft) Džini Beg (2,610 m or 8,563 ft) Lake Peak (2,604 m or 8,543 ft) Karabunar (2,600 m or 8,530 ft) White Lake Peak (2,590 m or 8,497 ft) Maja e zezë (2,585 m or 8,481 ft) Big Vraca (2,582 m or 8,471 ft) Guzhbaba (2,582 m or 8,471 ft) Isa Aga (2,555 m or 8,383 ft) Black Peak (2,536 m or 8,320 ft) Kobilica (2,528 m or 8,294 ft) Piribeg (2,524 m or 8,281 ft) Ljuboten (2,498 m or 8,196 ft) Maja Livadh (2,497 m or 8,192 ft) Zallina (2,493 m or 8,179 ft) Small Vraca (2,483 m or 8,146 ft) Kara Nikolla (2,409 m or 7,904 ft) Maja Koritnik (2,393 m or 7,851 ft) Tumba Peak (2,346 m or 7,697 ft) Gemitash (2,183 m or 7,162 ft) Kalabak (2,174 m or 7,133 ft) Crnkamenska Kula (2,117 m or 6,946 ft) Šerupa (2,092 m or 6,864 ft) tri-point List of Korab peaks Great Korab or Korab (2,764 m or 9,068 ft) Korab II (2,751 m or 9,026 ft) Shulani i Radomirës (2,716 m or 8,911 ft) Small Korab or Korab III (2,683 m or 8,802 ft) Korab-gate (2,727 m or 8,947 ft) Maja e Moravës (2,718 m or 8,917 ft) Daorson - capital of the Illyrian tribe Daorsa 300 to 50 BC Ošanjići Capturing beauty through unique perspectives A creative portfolio dedicated to showcasing the beauty of Albanians through photography. Click here to start on the visual journey. Capturing beauty through unique perspectives A collective of researchers from different generations, ethnicities, and backgrounds in Kosovo. OHI's main activity is its publicly available and researchable multilingual digital archive that presents life stories of people from varying angles. Albanians have a long and unique relationships with oral history. Curiosity may take you on a lifetime journey peeling the onion of intergenerational transnational memory one layer at a time. Capturing beauty through unique perspectives Balkanism is a dynamic digital platform and publication focused on Balkan identity, history, culture, diaspora experiences, and social rights issues.

Prints Stickers Stitched Recipe book Western Balkans book Chicken Tending 101 book Prints of any published content Photography To represent your content Learn More Interview, Write-up To represent your content Recordings Content recordings of interviews, poetry, song, instrumental, meditation, recipes in American English, Albanian, Spanish, and Italian language. Learn More d Submit a Request and Get a Quote All digital content shown in the site is free, including the addition of your content and services. In return, I ask that you kindly credit the site and author of work, whether it features your work or that of others when sharing, republishing, printing. Any collaborations (one or multi-media) are also free, under the condition that they are to be added to this site. Services requested for your content that you do not wish to add to this site are billable. These services include printing, photography, recording and/or interviewing and/or write-ups of interviews, recordings, videos, recipes, etc. Prints of items listed above under Prints are also billable. 100% of profits go to support the Albanian Highlands via various projects aiming to protect the natural habitats while increasing accessibility. Submit Thanks for submitting!

Magic Moments MAGIC MOMENTS 11.14.2019 When the sun rays shine through the dancing leaves Of brown barked trees She walks, and the air cascades Sweet and soft hues of ponderosa Whenever she is here alone, she feels company Old friends fifty feet tall invite her in their bubble And the charming duet of sparrow and chickadee Grandiosely serenade the mariposa And she walks and the air cascades That sour soil of old leaves and moss Tomorrow to bitterly be replaced By synthetic smells of citrus and mimosa She grin-and-bears the new world order Comfort replaces spirit, and work, life The chance of these magic moments Often demoted to the superficial hike And it is this path in which we burn the earth alive Slowly step by step and stone by cement Dwellings with a bush or two, fighting plastic to survive Comforting the owner and forbidding a bee of its hive This is the real magic The natural becoming unnatural The unnatural walking to evoke the natural Magic moments

PASTAS T'baftë mirë Breads Veggies Pasta Making, Spaghetti or Tagliatelle Recipe yields 8-10 servings of pasta (about 2 lbs. of dried spaghetti or tagliatelle) Ingredients 5.5 cups of semolina flour (plus 2 cups for dusting) 8 large eggs (room temperature) 2 tsp salt 2 tbsp EVOO (plus ¼ tsp for covering dough while proofing) 4 tsp water Utensils Large bowl or tray for dusting the pasta Pasta hanger for drying the pasta Large aluminum pans and plastic bag for storing pasta Dough mixer Pasta roller Pasta cutter Measuring cups Measuring spoons Pizza cutter or scissors Directions Pour all wet ingredients into mixing bowl and mix in medium speed. Use mixer’s bread hook. Slowly, mix half a cup of flour at a time. Adjust speed as you see fit. You may use a spatula to bring the dough down from the sides. Adjust speed up and down as you see the dough get wetter or dryer with the goal of getting it all together like a bread dough consistency (that stays together as a ball/disc shape) hooked around the bread hook. Remove dough from mixing bowl, form a ball and gently rub it with EVOO and plastic wrap it. Let proof for 30 mins. Cut dough into 8 even and flat triangles. (1 triangle will create roughly 1 serving of cut pasta. 1 serving = 1 pasta plate) Take one triangle at a time, lightly dust triangle with flour and pass it through the pasta roller to create one sheet. If you are using Kitchen Aid mixer and rolling insert, the recommended speed is 2. Regardless of the type of pasta you will cut at the end, the rolling should happen at an even and slower speed. The speed of the engine is different from the thickness setting on the roller. The thickness differs depending on the type of pasta you will end up cutting. For example, I roll both the spaghetti and tagliatelle sheets up to level 4 thickness. Others go up 1 or 2 more (to 5 or 6 thickness) to get the pasta thinner. I have found that it dries too well that thin and it can break on you very easily. You can do level 4 thickness to reduce risk of pasta breaking and still achieve great taste. As you roll to get to desired thickness, pass the pasta sheet on the same setting twice, folding it in half every time. (e.g. roll triangle through on thickness level 1, then fold it in half, then roll it again through thickness level 1, then fold it, and roll it on thickness level 2, then roll it again through thickness level 2 and so on) Roll of 8 triangles into sheets and hang them. Then, attach the pasta cutter attachment and prepare to cut your pasta. For spaghetti, I use mixer speed 7 and the spaghetti cutter. For tagliatelle, I use mixer speed 5 and the fettucine cutter. Take the first sheet and cut it in half. Take the first half and dust it with flour then pass it through the cutter. Dust the cut pasta in flour (on a deep tray or bowl) then hang. Take the second half and do the same. Then repeat the past 4 steps for the remaining 7 sheets. Let pasta hang to dry for 48 hours before removing it for storage. (For storage, I use large aluminum trays and cover them with large clear plastic bag.) Cooking: Fresh pasta will cook in 1-2 mins in boiling water and rise to the top of the pot; 48 hour pasta will cook for 2-4 mins; After 48 hours, will cook 4-8 mins depending Similar/good recipes https://culinaryginger.com/homemade-tagliatelle-pasta/ https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-pasta/ Green Pesto Pasta Make pesto sauce yields 10-12 ice cubes of pesto (2 cubes needed per plate of pasta) 70g basil leaves (no stems) 2/3 cup of EVOO (high quality) 140g grated pecorino romano 20g hazelnuts 1-2 garlic cloves pizzico of salt 1 cup of pasta water Blend well together and fill ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, remove from ice cube tray and store in zip lock bag in the freezer. Make pasta pesto (250g of pasta yields roughly two big plates of pasta) Boil pasta of your choice al dente. While boiling, grab a cup of boiled pasta water and add it to the sauce In a sauce pan, melt pesto cubes with a tablespoon of EVOO and a cup of boiled pasta water Add al dente pasta and mix well but gentle Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, mix one more time before plating White Pasta with Porcini Make porcini sauce ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp dried onion powder 2 handfuls of dried porcini 2 pinches of salt 2 pinches of black pepper ground 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce 2 cups white wine 1 cup whole milk ½ cup of pecorino romano 1 tbsp of EVOO (high quality) A few drops of truffle oil 1 cup of pasta water Soak dried porcini mushrooms for at least 30 minutes before starting the sauce. In a sauce pan, over medium heat, sauté porcini in EVVO, then add Worcestershire sauce. Mix while adding spices and truffle oil. Then turn the heat on high, wait a few seconds and pour in the wine. Let wine burn off for a few seconds then turn heat back to medium. Add milk and mix gently. Make pasta Boil pasta of your choice al dente (tagliatelle is my favorite). While boiling, grab a cup of boiled pasta water and add it to the sauce Add al dente pasta to the sauce pan; turn heat on high for 1 minute then let rest for 5 minutes before serving , mix one more time gently while sprinkling pecorino before plating Red Guanciale Pas t a Guanciale is an Italian cured meat product prepared from pork jowl (or cheeks). It is not smoked. Its name is derived from’ guancia’, the Italian word for ‘cheek’. Guanciale may be cut and eaten directly in small portions but is often used as an ingredient in pasta dishes such as ‘spaghetti alla carbonara’ and sauces like ‘sugo all'amatriciana’ or like the one below. It is a specialty of central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Pancetta, a cured Italian bacon which is normally also not smoked, can be used as a substitute for guanciale. Or bacon. Good quality ingredients will make this dish superb. Take your time choosing the right pasta, cheese, guanciale, and tomato purée (aka passata). Ingredients For the sauce 24.5 ounces tomato purée (aka passata) 5-8 small slices of guanciale 1 teaspoon Sea Salt 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder ½ teaspoon Dried minced onion ½ teaspoon Powdered Black Pepper For the pasta: 5 tbsp of EVOO ½ tsp of salt 1 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano Directions In a saucepan, slowly fry the guanciale pieces on low heat, without burning them, to get the liquid taste out onto the pan. Add the passata. Then fill the passata bottle 3/4 with water and shake, then add the liquid to the saucepan. Add 1 tsp garlic powder and 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp of onion and ½ tsp of pepper. Let simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally. In a large pot add water, ½ tsp of salt and ½ tbsp of EVOO and bring to a boil. Check the back of your pasta how long it takes for it to cook al-dente. Time it so when the sauce is ready, so is the pasta. Cook pasta and strain in colander. Add pasta into sauce (hopefully at the end of its 30 minute simmer). Stir. Turn up the heat for 15 seconds. Stir again. Let pasta congeal for 5-10 mins. Do not cover with a lid. Serve in a pasta bowl, with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano and heavily drizzled EVOO. B utter and Sage Ravioli 10 oz small cheese ravioli 10-20 fresh sage leaves 1 large garlic clove ¼ stick of butter Lemon pepper Sea salt Boil in sauce pan for 1.5 mins Drain and leave ½ cup of pasta water Turn heat on high, put back, add 1/4 stick of butter, 10-20 sage leaves, 1 large garlic clove (crushed), lemon pepper, sea salt. Mix lightly (2 stirs), turn-off, let sit for 3 mins and serve. You've got special recipes to share? Please do!

Entrée Accompaniments T'baftë mirë Roasted Potatoes Yields a side for 4 people 8-9 yellow gold potatoes (medium to large) Ingredients For the boil Salt Paprika powder Garlic powder Salt Pepper For the roasting Dill Garlic powder Lemon pepper Salt EVOO Directions Peel and dice the potatoes in one-inch squares. In a large boiling pot, boil a gallon of water with ‘for the boil’ ingredients. Add diced potatoes in and bring to a boil for about 15 mins. Pre-heat oven on 425 degrees Fahrenheit. With a large strainer ladle, scoop potatoes from the wa ter into a large roasting pan. Drizzle ‘for the roasting’ ingredients. Shake back and forth in the pan to make them fall in place in a more even distribution. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for 10 mins before serving. Polenta Polenta flour Milk EVOO Parmigiano-Reggiano 1 part polenta and 4 parts water is the standard. Try instead 1 part polenta, 2.5 parts water, 1.5 milk. 3 tbsp of butter is the standard. Try 3 tbsp EVOO and ½ cup of ground Parmigiano-Reggiano. Place EVOO, water, and milk in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to lowest setting. Slowly pour in cornmeal while stirring with a whisk. Do so for 3 minutes then remove from stove and let cool for 2 mins. Add the cheese on top and enjoy! Falafel 1 can chickpeas Handful hazelnuts 1 cup of loose curly parsley ½ small onion 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp salt 2 pinches of cayenne pepper, paprika, and cumin. 4-5 cups of vegetable oil In food processor, blend all until smooth then cover and put in the fridge for 3 hours. 1 tsp of baking powder 4 tbsp all-purpose flour Pulse a few times to evenly spread the flour and baking powder. Pour dough into a bowl. Make balls, cover in panko gently, deep fry. Rice inspired by mid-east Ingredients 5 cups of white rice ½ cup of dried currants 1 cup of raw hazelnuts ½ cup of raw cashews 2 handfuls of parsley (chopped) 2 carrots (diced) 2 tbsp of EVOO 2 tbsp of honey Salt and pepper to taste 3 tbsp of vegan butter (Miyoko's Creamery European Style Cultured Vegan Butter with a Hint of Sea Salt) Directions Soak currants, hazelnuts, and cashews in a pot of water for 1 hour before you start the rest of the cooking process Cook white rice: In a medium-sized deep pot, sauté rice over 2 tbsp of EVOO until it starts looking transparent. Mix often to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom. Add ¼ tbsp of salt and 10 cups of boiling water. Mix well so it doesn’t stick on the bottom. Leave the heat on high until it comes to a boil. Then turn heat all the way to low. Cover with a lid. Note: My prefer method to a lid is a towel folded at least 4 layers thick. Wait to open for 15 mins. Taste rice to check if it is cooked. If yes, turn off. If not, add ½ cup of water by sprinkling it on the top and cover with lid again for another 5-10 mins. In a large sauce pan (I often use a household paella pan), over medium to high heat, sauté carrots over 3 tbsp of vegan butter. Then add drained currants and nuts. Then lower heat to medium-low, add honey and let it melt into the rest. Then add cooked white rice over it, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley and mix well. Cover with lid or foil until you are ready to serve it. You've got special recipes to share? Please do!