“For Polish families everywhere, having this Easter cake on the table is an Easter tradition. This delicious Easter dessert is a flat Polish cake made with different bases and toppings. Some dough can be almond or chocolate flavored and the topping varieties are many – almond paste, dried fruit, nuts, pastry cream or some are left plain. The one thing they all have in common is that they are generally one 1-2 inches in height. My family enjoys the mazurek with nuts and dried fruits and below is my recipe.”

DOUGH
1 c. unsalted butter or margarine
2 ¾ c. flour
⅔ c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs (1 whole egg and ONLY THE YOLK of the other)
3 tbsp of sour cream

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a baking pan (approx.. size of a cookie tray). Mix all the ingredients together. Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, place on a flat surface. Roll out the dough to fit your baking pan (rectangle or round). Make sure to pinch up the sides of the dough to be able to hold the filling. Bake for approximately 3-5 minutes.

FILLING
½ c. whole almonds
½ c. pecan halves
½ c. raisins
½ c. dried apricots
¼ c. coconut
1 tbsp. grated orange peel

Chop all above ingredients in a food processor to a fine spreadable consistency.

Once chopped, add the following:
1 c. honey
1 tsp. almond extract
The juice of 1 lemon (no seeds please!)

The new filling will be thick. Spread apricot jam on the cooled cake crust. Then spread the above filling evenly, leaving a slight space at the top for the chocolate topping.

CHOCOLATE TOPPING
½ c. unsalted melted butter
(1)    ½ tbsp. cocoa powder (sifted)
(1)    ½ tbsp. powdered sugar (sifted)

Add the cocoa and sugar to the warm (NOT HOT) melted butter. Once cooled, pour over the filling and sides of the crust. Decorate as desired.

What can I say? I love chocolate covered anything. In following the directions for making Chocolate Covered (Insert Fruit), do the same thing but instead add in your favorite nut: cashews, peanuts, walnuts, macadamia, etc…Heck, you could even try coffee beans or dried cranberries!

· A pound of chocolate wafers (Wilton’s is the big brand with multiple colors and flavors, but you can always just use regular chocolate wafers from the bulk section)
· Your choice of filling: nut, berry, bean, peanut butter...nutella….
· a package of mini foil cups

Fill a bowl about half-way with the chocolate wafers. Place in microwave, in its standard setting, and heat for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. If the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, heat for another 15 seconds. Continue in small increments until chocolate is completely melted but DO NOT OVER HEAT – if you do, the chocolate will start to become crumbly and gross and it won’t stick to your fruit.

Once chocolate is a smooth as a silk, toss in your nut/berry/bean of choice making sure to completely cover all sides of the _____, then spoon out and place into a mini foil cup. Let chocolate dry.

If you want to try making a peanut butter cup or maybe a Nutella cup (I’m getting goose bumps thinking about it), put a tbsp of melted chocolate into the foil cups to create a base; let the chocolate dry. Add in a ½ tsp of your choice of filling and cover with more melted chocolate until cup is full. Let chocolate dry.

Going to the Broadway Market as a girl and seeing the delicious chocolate covered strawberries glowing like beacons under the fluorescent lighting, I remember pleading with my mom to buy some for the Easter baskets. “I’ve got an idea,” says Mom. “How about we make our own?” My mom is a genius. 

Follow this recipe for a treat that is oh-so-easy to make that will leave everyone clawing to get one.

· A pound of chocolate wafers (Wilton’s is the big brand with multiple colors and flavors, but you can always just use regular chocolate wafers from the bulk section)
· Choose a fruit: package of ripe strawberries/ raspberries or cut up fresh pineapple (really, you can use what you want)
· Sheet of wax paper

Now, there is a classy, artisanal way in which you use a double boiler and actually look like a chef stirring over your stove as the chocolate melts, OR you can pop some wafers in a bowl and throw ‘em in the microwave (I suggest the latter).

Fill a bowl about half-way with the chocolate wafers. Place in microwave, in its standard setting, and heat for 30 seconds. Remove and stir. If the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, heat for another 15 seconds. Continue in small increments until chocolate is completely melted but DO NOT OVER HEAT – if you do, the chocolate will start to become crumbly and gross and it won’t stick to your fruit.

Once chocolate is a smooth as a silk, dip in your fruit of choice and immediately following, place onto a sheet of wax paper. Let chocolate shell dry.

Continue until you run out of fruit or chocolate, put into your fridge to chill and save for your guests…or devour them all (again, I suggest the latter).

This recipe comes from Ella Skalska's great grandmother who originated from Poland. However, in looking up what "babka" means, (grandmother), I found that this type of sweet bread holds nationality in mulitple Eastern-European countries including Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovakia, Belarus, and Western Russia.

Some recipes also suggest drizzling chocolate on top for a "modern" twist...

According to the woman who instructed me on the recipe, due to the fact that it takes the dough 8 hours to rise, Babcia (grandma) Fela recommends starting this process at night, going to bed, then finishing it in the morning. Sounds like a good idea to me!

· 5 whole eggs
· 1 2oz pkg of fresh yeast (comes looking like a mini brick)
· 1 ⅓ c. butter
· 1 ½ c. milk
· 1 ½ c. sugar
· 7 ¼ c. all-purpose flour
· 2 tbsp vanilla extract
· 1 ⅓ raisins (I find raisins to be optional)
· 1 beaten egg + 1 tbsp cold water (for egg-wash glaze)

Into a large mixing bowl, cut the butter into pieces. Add the egg on top of the butter; poke each yoke to break it. Crumble the yeast on top of the eggs.

Cover the ingredients in the bowl with the sugar. Pour the milk over all the ingredients. Surprisingly enough DO NOT STIR.

Cover the bowl with a dish towel; leave on the counter for 8 hrs at room temperature.

Go to sleep. Next Day!

After the 8 hrs, preheat oven at 250°. Add flour, vanilla extract and raisins to the contents in the bowl. Using a dough hook attachment, mix the mixture with a mixer (Ha! Say that 5x’s fast!) for 10 minutes (if your don’t have a dough hook, use a wooden spoon to gently paddle through the dough).

Place mixed dough in greased pan (a bundt cake pan will do the trick though you may need more than one) to 1/3 of the height of the pan; brush on beaten egg-wash glaze. Sprinkle on crumb topping OR leave plain and frost baked babka with glaze.

Place pans in preheated oven for 5-10 minutes then increase temperature to 350° and bake for approximately  45 minutes or until done (will sound hallow when lightly tapped).
Remove babka from pans and cool on a wire rack. Frost if desired when the sweet bread is cooled.

CRUMB TOPPING

¾ c. sugar
½ c. flour
¼ c. butter
¼ c. chopped almonds (optional)

Combine sugar, flour and almonds; add in softened butter and (using your CLEAN hands) mix until mixture is crumbly and pea-sized. Sprinkle over egg-glazed babka just before baking.

GLAZE FROSTING

1 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 tbsp softened butter
2 tbsp rum extract

Mix well; if too thick, add water, 1 tsp at a time, until mixture is smooth and will flow over top and down sides of babka.

GLAZE FROSTING ALTERNATIVE

1 can Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style Cream Cheese Frosting
2 tbsp rum extract

Microwave ¾ cup of frosting for 10 sec. Stir; add rum extract; mix well and drizzle over cooled babka.

Now, I know this may seem a bit premature as we  just entered into spring, but this weather is so magnificent that I can't help myself in thinking of all the goodness this spring and summertime will bring!

I first tasted this little ditty when visiting some NUTS studying in London in early July '11, and boy was it a treat! Quite simple to make and perfect on a hot day, a classic Pimm's is like party tray of fruit in a glass. Lemonade is the base for most of the recipe, but parents - Pimm's is alcohol, so please don't feed this to your children.

*Throw some ice into your glass or pitcher (depending on if you're entertaining).

*Cut up chunks (or slices) of mint, cucumber, strawberries, apples (maybe even raspberries!) and add into the glass

* Enter 1 part Pimm's and 3 parts chilled lemonade

*Stir and enjoy!