Chocolate Nougat Squares (Rice Crispy Treats)

Posted on January 31, 2012 by tartepink

On my chocolate cake post I told you I’m a chocoholic. My other addiction is shopping. As I became more of a foodie and cooking/baking lover, my addiction shifted towards kitchen shopping. I got the clue while watching Gossip Girl! Instead of drooling over THE shoes or purses, I went cuckoo when I saw Blair’s mom with all the Mauviels. So just before we moved back to Turkey for good, I went a little crazy. I could not get out of Sur la Table, Williams-Sonoma etc. I wanted all the colors and styles in Le Creuset store. I just wanted to live in Williams-Sonoma store- there was a La Cornue cooker, I could have slept in it forever. It must be great to be able to indulge in a $35-40K oven!!

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Chocolate Cake

Posted on January 6, 2012 by tartepink

It looks like a suicidal post just after holidays and New Year when new-year-new-me resolutions are floating around but I could not help my cravings. Don’t be mad at me! I have not been able to diet for a day in my life. It is just not for me! It makes me very angry and unhappy. My only diet-like accomplishment was not drinking soda while I was pregnant.

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Posted in Cakes, Chocolate, Deserts | 5 Comments

Goodbye 2011..Welcome 2012!!!

Posted on December 31, 2011 by tartepink

2011 was delicious and happy in Tartepink!

I wish you all hapiness, health, love, success and happy happy happy calories in 2012!

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Ultimate Banana Bread

Posted on December 20, 2011 by tartepink

Do you think while you’re sleeping? I do not mean the deep sleep without any consciousness, but the early stages. I do, I even solve my problems and apparently I come up with new ideas! Till last week, this happened to me twice. I solved one problem with my program code and one other with an economic model while I was sleeping. I immediately woke up and wrote down the equations while my hubby was looking at me very worried, and to my surprise they worked in the morning. I’m not working in Neutrino experiment at CERN or something but those were as complicated as it gets in my field.

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Posted in Cakes | 3 Comments

Turkish Street Food: Stuffed Perfect Baked Potatoes

Posted on December 11, 2011 by tartepink

Stuffed baked potatoes, kumpir, are one of the most common Turkish Street Foods and needless to say I love them. To me one of the best places to eat them was, of course, at my university campus. Frankly, it was nothing special. But we were still kids, having the time of our lives without the slightest worry or fear in our heads! We’d skip classes and have fun at the campus. We were happy, so stuffed baked potato is and always will be a happy food for me!

It is no rocket science to bake potatoes. But some tips and tricks help you to get perfect slightly crisp, tasty, chewy skins and a rich, cheesy, creamy inside and not rubbery skins filled with bland fillings.

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Posted in Appetizer, Main Courses, Turkish | 2 Comments