How to Make Profiteroles (Cream Puffs)

My favorite combination: vanilla pudding in the middle and chocolate sauce poured over the top.

How to Make a Healthy Substitution

We were introduced to buckwheat at camp, and it is definitely an "acquired" taste...especially in the morning! Buckwheat reminds me of brown rice a little, but maybe more sweet/nutty.

Anyway, if you want to try a healthier side dish, here it is. This site has a detailed recipe; I just boiled it pretty much like rice, with a 2:1 ratio, but starting out with the buckwheat in cold water and boiling together. You can eat it as a hot cereal too or even eat it cold in a salad.

I can't call it "yummy" (unless maybe you throw in some bacon), but I feel really good when I feel the healthiness of it going into my body. If that makes any sense.

How to Make Chicken Curry Burgers

Obviously, I like chicken. :)

I even buy ground chicken instead of beef. I won't go into details, but it seems like the safer choice.

This recipe comes out nice and moist, and the curry is just one flavor option.

How to Make Chocolate-Chip Meringues

Here is a recipe that will use the egg whites you have left from other dishes. The cookies are best fresh, and you might want to bake them on a day that is not so hot/humid.

A friend hooked me up with some cream of tartar, but I’m not sure what local ingredient would be a good substitute, to give these meringues their body. Leave a comment if you have any ideas!

Also, note the cooking temp: 300.

Recipe follows…

How to Make Spinach Quiche

This was a labor of love that my mom took on for my sister's baby shower. And by that I mean that it was much too hot to have the oven on, but she did the baking anyway, ahead of time, and we got the sweating over with.

I am looking forward to making quiche here in Russia once the weather cools down a bit.

The traditional filling here is a spinach mixture (far right), which is DELICIOUS, but as you can see from the photo, many combinations are possible, and may be necessary for me as I don't come across spinach very regularly. The broccoli one, for instance, was also tasty.

Recipe below...

How to Make Ranch Chicken (Guest Post)

Here's another tantalizing recipe from my sister...

*See update at bottom of post for my modifications, with photo!

Now, I'm not sure how readily available Ranch Dressing is here in Russia. So I did a quick search and found a dressing recipe at allrecipes.com: Ranch Dressing. The ingredients look similar to my Russian Peasant Dip, which has a tasty flavor.

In fact, the recipe might even be tastier with the homemade dressing.

Check it out after the jump.