A very indulgent breakfast on a very slow weekend morning;  paper thin almond flavored warm crêpes topped with zesty and fruity compote and snowy, powdery sugar. Dessert for breakfast anyone?

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Pretty Pink, pretty pomegranates, bright and tart cranberries, rich cream and the ever decadent chocolate, all combined in a cup. This is a great dessert for entertaining; really easy to make and you can serve in individual cups nicely decorated.
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“Turkish Delight (Lokum) is a confection made from starch and sugar. It is often flavored with rosewater, mastic or lemon; rosewater gives it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes dusted with icing sugar or copra to prevent clinging.” (Wiki) Sometimes little pieces of nuts like pistachios, hazelnuts & walnuts are added too.

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Pears soaked and bathed in wine, juice and spices transform themselves into luscious jewels. A very elegant dessert indeed!

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Nestled  among the cluster of  fancy & upscale shopping & dining  at The Shops at Legacy is – Café Istanbul – ” ….the Turkish Restaurant..” which is “… proud to serve exquisite dishes from Anatolia Turkey…” (Cafe Istanbul). This one is a very  recent addition to the original Cafe Istanbul which is located at Inwood Village, Dallas.

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This is one of those fun recipes which involves the kids in the kitchen. Summer is offering the bountiful fruits to cool us down. A trip to the Whole Food market last week made us load our cart with these delightful little cantaloupes they were offering four for a dollar that day.

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Not a crumble, not a pound cake – but something of both is this delicious, fruity, nutty berrylicious Spoon Cake. The best part of the summer is probably the bountiful colors for the luscious & juicy fruits & berries. At home, with the scorching heat beating down the windows, we pull the shades to cool ourselves & indulge in the sweet berries & the juicy melons & mangoes & the other stone fruits. What else would compliment the season but this fruit & berry cake?

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Remember those Archie’s Galleries back in India? Valentine’s Day always stir up very special memories for me… all those times of courtship, of holding hands and spending hours browsing “Love” cards in the gallery along with other Love smitten college kids before the Valentine’s day. As silly as it sounds, it still puts a smile in our hearts:-) Yes I was 18 then… many eons ago, a part of that crowd in Archies as the Love Bug had bitten me too. Over the years the Archies cards have made ways to short sweet handwritten notes and little appreciations for one another. Many seasons have passed ( no we are not bald & old yet) -  the aura & warmth of those intense flaming times still remains strong between both of us. I would say, given a lot of time thru’ the day we would make everyday our Valentine Day.

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Or A Non Traditional Shrikhand …

Shrikhand is a delightful Indian sweet dish (esp. In the Western Region of India) made with strained creamy yogurt,  often with fruit pulps or pieces of fruits added to it. Saffron, Cardamom & Sugar are used  to enhance the taste & flavor. It is very easy to make, with very little ingredients, most of which one would always have at home. Here is some information from Wiki…

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What a strange sounding Translation! Anyway…

India has a large repertoire of sweets. Some sweets are consumed all over the country whereas some are only typical to a region. Traditionally, a lot of Indian sweets are prepared with milk, sugar & flour. In India sweets play a very important role in the culture. Every happy occasion, every ceremony, & festival is marked by distribution of sweets. Just like a box of chocolate, or a bottle of wine is brought in as a gift, a regular form of gift in India is a box of sweets.

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