Bierocks

Every culture seems to have some version of a meat and bread pocket sandwich.  I think these originated in Germany.  Easily taken and eaten on the run, these make for a no fuss breakfast or lunch option.  They also freeze well.  Just reheat in a low oven to warm through. 

 

 

Filling:
1 pd. Ground Beef
1 Onion, minced
½ Head of Cabbage, diced
Hot Sauce, optional
Dough:
¼ C. Warm Water
¾ C. Milk
¼ C. Canola Oil
¼ C. Sugar
1 Egg, beaten
2 ½ tsp. Dry Active Yeast
½ tsp. Salt
4 C. Flour + more for kneading

Make the filling:
In skillet, brown ground beef, breaking up into pieces. Add the onion and cabbage. Cover and cook until cabbage is tender. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Set aside to cool.
Make the dough:
In small bowl, dissolve the yeast in water. In saucepan, heat milk, sugar, oil and salt over low medium heat. You want to scald the milk but be careful not to let it simmer. Stir to completely dissolve the sugar into the milk. Pour milk in large bowl and cool to lukewarm. Temper the egg by pouring a small amount of the milk mixture into the egg whisking constantly. Add the yeast and egg to the milk mixture and stir to combine. Add about 2 cups of the flour. Mix until smooth. Continue adding the rest of the flour until dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn out on floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, incorporating as much flour as needed. Form into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Lightly brush the top of the dough with additional oil. Cover with a towel and place in a warm spot to double in size. Punch down. Take a small amount of dough and on a floured work surface, form a disk about 6 inches in diameter. Place around 1/3 of a cup of filling in the center. Pull up edges of dough to the center and twist to seal. Place seam side down on baking sheet. Cover baking sheets with towel and let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately brush the tops of rolls with melted butter. Let cool on rack.



Poppy seed honey Cookies (Pirishkes)

These cookies are very light and crumbly, reminds me of a traditional shortbread cookie.  The subtle taste of the poppy seed and honey make these an excellent pairing with coffee or tea. 

3 C. Flour
¼ C. Poppy Seeds
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 ½ tsp. Vanilla
2 Eggs
½ tsp. Salt
¾ C. Sugar
8 Tbsp. Butter, softened
1 C. Honey

Preheat oven to 350. In bowl, whisk flour, poppy seed, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in bowl until light in color. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in dry ingredients. Dough will be very dry and crumbly. Turn out on work surface. Roll out to ¼” thick. Cut dough into diamond shapes. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden brown. While cookies are baking, bring the honey and ½ C. water to boil. Remove from heat. Place cookies on a rack to cool. Brush cookies with the honey mixture several times. Cool completely on rack then store in an air tight container.



Banana Nut Blondies

Good way to use up those remaining bananas that are slightly past their prime.  Once you taste these little delicacies, you may end up buying more bananas than you need just as an excuse to make them. Use the type of nut that you like best.  I prefer the taste of black walnuts, but pecans work nicely too. 

3 C. All-purpose Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
½ C. Butter, softened
3 ripe Bananas, mashed
1 ½ C. Brown Sugar
½ C. White Sugar
2 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp. Vanilla
1 C. Nuts

Preheat oven to 325. Butter a 9 x 13 baking pan. Whisk dry ingredients together. Set aside. In separate bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until well combined. Add banana, eggs and vanilla. Beat until well incorporated. Add dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Stir in nuts. Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the Blondies comes out dry. Cool completely in pan before cutting into squares.

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes

It’s been a tough battle, but I finally have my husband eating ground chicken.  Don’t understand why he put up a fuss with this when he doesn’t have a problem with other ground meat,( i.e. pork).  Just another little mystery of life. J  Add as much hot sauce as you want.  I like to use Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce.

1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
½ Onion, chopped
1 C. Carrots, diced
1 lb. Ground Chicken
8 oz. Tomato Sauce
¼ - ½ C. Hot Sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire
½ tsp. Celery Seed

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot and celery seed until softened. Add ground chicken. Cook until browned and cooked through, breaking up into small pieces. Stir in tomato sauce and Worcestershire. Simmer on low until thick. Serve on buns or over rice.

Red Curry Beef

One of the best curry dishes I’ve tasted outside of an authentic meal.  Don’t be afraid of the pungent aromas of the fish sauce.  It has a very strong unique smell, but tastes like heaven when it has time to incorporate with the dish and mellow out, and a necessary ingredient for the dish.

2 Pd. Cubed beef
1 lg. Onion, minced
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Fish Sauce
15 oz. Coconut Milk
2 C. Baby Spinach, rough chopped
1 C. Beef Broth
1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
1 ½ Tbsp. Red Curry Paste
2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
Fresh Basil leaves, chopped

In a crockpot, combine broth, fish sauce, coconut milk, brown sugar, curry and lime. In a large skillet, heat oil over med-high heat. Cook beef in batches until browned. Place in slow cooker. Saute onions and garlic in skillet until translucent and tender adding more oil if necessary. Place in the crockpot. Stir to evenly coat the beef with the liquid mixture. Cook on low for about 8 hours or until the beef is tender. Add spinach. Cook about another hour until spinach is wilted. Serve with jasmine rice. Sprinkle with basil if desired.

Meatball Tortellini Soup

When the temperature drops, there’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a bowl of hot, comforting soup.  This one fits the bill.  As an extra bonus, this soup is pretty healthy and great as a leftover meal the next day.  Add extra heat with the red pepper flakes.  If you are not a fan of ‘heat’ in your foods, than leave that ingredient out altogether. 

Meatball:
½ Pd. Hamburger
¼ C. Parmesan, grated
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. Parsley, minced
1 Egg, beaten

Soup:
¼ C. Parsley, minced
1 tsp. Celery Seed
2 Carrots, diced
1 Onion, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
4 C. Spinach, chopped
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
6 C. Beef Broth
16 oz. Cheese Tortellini
1 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients for meatballs. Season with salt and black pepper. Form into balls. Heat oil in stock pot. Fry meatballs in batches until cooked through. Set aside. Add more oil if necessary to the pot. Add carrots, onions, garlic. Saute until softened. Add spinach. Cook about 5 minutes until wilted. Add broth. Bring to a boil. Add meatballs, parsley and tortellini. Simmer until tortellini float to the top and meatballs are heated through. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Chipotle Turkey Chili

Is this a soup or a chili?  I don’t really know, but I do know that it tastes really good.  Especially on a cold day.  I like to have corn bread with this, but cheese quesadillas are also nice.  Don’t confuse the chipotle Mexican cooking sauce with the can of chipotles in sauce.  The latter is much stronger in taste.  The chipotle sauce I like is made by Herdez.

 

 

1 Pd. Ground Turkey

1 Onion, minced

4 oz. Green Chilis

1 C. Chipotle Mexican Cooking Sauce

15 oz. Black Beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ C. Frozen Corn

15 oz. Diced Tomatoes

4 C. Chicken Broth

8 oz. Sour Cream

Vegetable Oil

 

Saute onion in vegetable oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent. Add ground turkey and chilis. Cook until completely done breaking up into small pieces. Add remaining ingredients except the sour cream. Simmer on low for about an hour to let the flavors develop. Stir in sour cream. Heat through. Serve with lime and/or cilantro if desired.