So I made my trip to Trader Joe’s last week and got inspired by their “Almost whole wheat pizza dough”. From the dough I made my way to the fresh mozzarella, then to the pizza sauce, next came fresh basil, fresh roma tomatoes, and mushrooms. Couldn’t leave without an onion and garlic. I love onion and garlic. Put it all together…
Throw it in the oven. I don’t own a pizza stone but if you have one use it. While it is baking toss together a fresh salad.
And Enjoy! Bon Appetit!
The Ladies got together to make Vareniky together at my niece Debbee’s house. Look at those cute aprons on Michelle, Melissa, Debbee, Letty, and mom! I want to say at the top here that this recipe is for a lot of vareniky. So you’ll need to do the math and cut it down. This recipe makes about 40 or 50.
Vareniky
6 eggs
1- 1/2 C. half and half
1/2 C Sour Cream
1 T. Oil
3 T. sugar
Flour sifted (at least 8 Cups)
Update! sorry peeps! I forgot the Salt…you’ll need to add 1 Tablespoon of salt to the dough, also.
Extra cube of butter and half and half for sauce at the end…
Sift flour. Make a hole in the center of the flour. Combine eggs, half n half, sour cream, salt, and sugar. Beat until combined. Pour into the hole of flour. Mix and knead adding flour until dough stays together. Dough will be very soft.
Filling:
3 lbs. farmers cheese or hoop cheese
2 eggs
1 t. salt
3 T sugar
Beat all ingredients together until combined.
Roll out flour mixture. Cut circles about 3″ in diameter. Put about 1 heaping teaspoon of the cheese in the center of the circle. Fold in half and pinch ends together then flute with finger. Place the vereniky in boiling water until they come to the surface and float. Drain and cool. At this point they may be frozen.
This is what they are suppose to look like. Just remember this one was made by a pro!
That’s the cheese mixture in the bowl that you fill them with.
This is the boiling step.
To serve, place vareniky into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Melt one cube of butter and pour over vareniky. Heat up half and half and cover the vareniky with the half n half. Bake at 375 degrees until the half n half boils. Serve with sour cream and preserves or syrup.
My family traditionally has these for dessert on Christmas Eve when they get together. They are also a favorite for breakfast. The joy of receiving and eating these treats is always wonderful. I’m going to have to be in L.A. for one of the cooking parties so I can really learn how to make them and enjoy them in the future!
Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.
1/3 C. Olive Oil
3 Tblsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic crushed (pressed)
Whisk these ingredients all together and pour on salad greens or a nice cucumber, tomato and onion salad! Enjoy and Happy 2008 everyone!
These “melt in your mouth”. There is no other way to express it.
Russian Tea Cookies
1 C. butter
1/2 C. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2-1/2 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup nuts, finely chopped
Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla, flour, salt and nuts. Mix well. Form into small balls and flatten a bit. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 F 10-14 minutes. While still warm roll in powdered sugar. After cool, roll again in powdered sugar. Yields 3-4 dozen.
I’m joining BooMama and others in the bloggy world for Soup-Tacular. If you’d like to see more soup recipes click here and enjoy the carnival…
I found this wonderful recipe in the Better Home and Gardens Hometown Cooking February 2000 edition. I tweaked a couple things.
Mexican Corn Soup (prep: 15 min. Cooking: 10 min.)
1 – 16 ounce pkg. frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
1 – Cup chicken broth (I used the whole can of chicken broth and just 1 cup of milk instead of two so I wouldn’t have a half a can of broth left.
2 – Tablespoons butter or margarine
1 – 4-1/2 ounce can diced green chili peppers
1 – clove garlic, minced
1 – Tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or l tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 – tsp. salt
1/4 – tsp. ground black pepper
2 – cups milk (I used one cup see chicken broth above)
1 – cup chopped, cooked chicken
1 – cup chopped tomatoes (I used a can of diced tomatoes w/jalapeno, med/hot)
1 – cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (4 oz.)
cilantro as garnish if you like it
[The soup is great with the full can of broth and tomatoes. I do not like half cans left over. ]
In a blender container combine half of the corn and the chicken broth. Cover; blend until nearly smooth.
In a large saucepan, combine corn puree, remaining corn, butter, chili peppers, garlic, dried oregano (if using), salt, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in milk, chicken, tomatoes, and fresh oregano (if using); heat through. remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired (this is where I substitute cilantro instead)
Enjoy
If you’d like my mother’s recipe for a great pot of Russian Borsch click here.
Here it is folks the easiest meal in the world that my kids have loved for years! They are adults now and they still like it. It’s pretty boring but you can spice it up a bit if you like by adding a little onion or garlic or more mushrooms. BUT we’re talking about what kids will eat (I think) and this is one they seem to eat without complaint.
Throw the noodles in salted water that is boiling. Cook them to al dente. In a bowl mix the tuna (I use one can of albacore and one can of the regular cheap tuna) and the cream of mushroom soup add garlic or onion powder if you want and add a little milk. When the noodles are ready drain the water then throw the tuna liquidy stuff in and heat through. That’s it. I don’t even throw it into the oven. When the kids were little we always had a can of Green Giant corn niblets with it!
So this is such a beige meal you might want to add a nice green salad or green beans to make it look healthier! 🙂
You can also make a tuna melt with bread, tuna, and cheese. Serve it with a can of tomato soup!
Now here’s something for the adults to have after the kids finish the tuna noodle.
A PUMPKIN PIE MARTINI
3 oz. vanilla vodka, 1 oz. pumpkin puree, 1 oz. half and half, 1 T. brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. McCormick pumpkin spice
Shake all ingredients until well combined. Strain into prepared glass. (wet rim of martini glass and dip it in brown sugar) pour combined liquid into glass.
Ok we tried this and it’s one stiff drink. I’d switch out the Vanilla Vodka for a Vanilla brandy and only use 1-1/2 oz. Tasty it is but very strong… A nice shot of whip cream would be great too….
To see more last minute meals head over to Shannon’s at Rocks in My Dryer.
Photobucket has blacked out all my photos I was storing on their site and they are holding them hostage. I am working on updating my more than 4000 posts.
This is what works for me after Turkey and Thanksgiving…
To get over the Turkey doldrums and to kick up the B vitamins and iron here’s a great meal idea for you.
Buy a flank steak. Marinate it with any marinade that sounds good to you at the store and is on sale. I used a sesame ginger with mandarin orange juice Kroger brand. I put the meat in a ziploc bag and pour the marinade in the bag over the meat and give it a good massage. After a few hours or overnight hand it to whoever BBQ’s in your house and let it cook about 5 minutes on each side. (Dear cooks it for 2 minutes on each side on High. Then he turns off two of the burners and leaves the third burner on high and moves the meat off the flame and lets it cook for 5 more minutes. Perfect! Slice the meat very thin on the bias, against the grain.
This steak is great with Mustard Roasted potatoes using the recipe I posted here.
This is one of my families favorite salads. Tomato, Hot house cucumber and sliced onions salted and peppered to your taste. Simple and good.
Enjoy and don’t be afraid to barbecue in the winter. If you can’t bbq, this steak is great broiled, too. You can sear it on both sides first then stick it in the broiler…
For more WFMW head over to Rocks In My Dryer…
Caramel Pecan Cookies
Crust:
Ingredients for Basic Butter Cookies, recipe follows
Caramel pecan topping:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups pecans (1/2 pound), toasted, cooled, and coarsely chopped (I bought pecans that were already chopped and roasted at Trader Joe’s)
To make the crust: Grease a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan, then line with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on both ends, and grease foil.
Follow recipe for basic butter cookies to make dough (do not chill), then press dough evenly onto bottom of baking pan, using plastic wrap on top to prevent dough from sticking to your fingers, and chill until firm, about 20 minutes.
While crust chills, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake crust until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 20 minutes. (Leave oven on.)
Basic Butter Cookies:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 with a handheld. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined
To make topping while crust cools: Cook sugar in a 2 1/2 to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar is melted to a deep golden caramel. Tilt pan and carefully pour in cream (caramel will harden and steam vigorously). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, salt, and pecans.
Immediately spread topping over cooled crust and bake until bubbling, about 20 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours.
Run a heavy knife under hot water, then wipe dry and cut confection into 2-inch triangles, diamonds, or squares. Caramel pecan cookies keep, layered between sheets of waxed paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.
Ooey Gooey Good!! Enjoy…
For more Recipe Round-up goodies head over to Semicolon blog.
For more Giving Thanks posts about all things Thanksgiving head over to There’s No Place Like Home.
I’m sharing the love, there are more recipes at Karla’s too.
Overnight Mushroom Egg Casserole
Ingredients: 5 Tblsp. butter, divided, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1- 1/2 cups milk, 1 (4.5 oz) jar sliced mushrooms, drained, 10 eggs, 2/3 cup half & half cream, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 10 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled [I used ground breakfast sausage]
1. In a saucepan, melt 3 tblsp. butter. Stir in flour until smooth, gradually add milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the mushrooms; set aside.
[2.] Fully cook sausage and set aside. I used 2 large gourmet breakfast sausages.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat the remaining butter until hot. Add the egg mixture; cook and stir over medium heat until eggs are fully set. Transfer to a greased 11 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish; top with mushroom mixture. Sprinkle bacon or [sausage]. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 32-36 minutes or until heated through.
Tip: This recipe seems to be a little under seasoned. I’d add a little zing with some extra salt and pepper and throw in some scallions in the egg mixture if you want.
ht: all recipes.com
Breakfast Bread Pudding
Ingredients: 12 slices white bread, 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, cubed, 12 eggs, 2 cups milk, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 1/4 tsp. salt
Remove and discard crusts from bread. [I didn’t have white bread so I used Challah Egg bread] Cut bread into cubes. Toss lightly with cream cheese cubes; place in a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. In large mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, syrup and salt; mix well. Pour over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.
Again this recipe also seemed like it could have used more salt, I would use 1/2 tsp. instead of 1/4 tsp. When you serve it make sure to have a pitcher of maple syrup for people to add on the pudding if they’d like. My bread pudding shown above was half the recipe and so it’s in the smaller baking dish.
As of June 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos that I had stored there and are holding them hostage. Hopefully I can update my photos on all the posts they have ruined, over 4000 of them.
Monday Evening November 5th…
The Table is set ~
The Candles are lit ~
Our dear friends Dave and Jody arrive from Washington for the night ~
We are truly blessed ~
For an extra treat here’s a great recipe from the Barefoot Contessa for Mustard-Roasted Potatoes ~
2-1/2 lbs. small red potatoes (I used gold), 2 Yellow onions, 3 Tblsps. good olive oil, 2 Tblsps. whole-grain mustard, 2 tsps. kosher salt, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1/4 C. chopped fresh parsley ~
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Cut the potatoes in halves or quarters, depending on their size, and place them on sheet pan. Remove the ends of the onions, peel them, and cut them in half. Slice them crosswise in 1/4 inch-thick slices to make half-rounds. Toss the onions and potatoes together on the sheet pan. Add the olive oil, mustard, 2tsp. salt, and the pepper and toss them together. (I mixed these ingredients all together before I tossed them with the potatoe/onion mix) Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until the potatoes are lightly brown on the outside and tender on the inside. Toss the potatoes from time to time with metal spatula so they brown evenly.
Duhlicious (I spelled that wrong on purpose!)
Serve hot sprinkled with the chopped parsley and a little extra salt.
For dinner with Dave and Jody we had these Potatoes with Filet Mignon, Mushrooms and Onions sauteed with white wine and cream, and a Fiesta Salad.
For dessert we had Milk Chocolate & Hazelnut filled Brioche Bites.
And Dear mixed up a Kensington Dream for Jody and I.
Good Friends, good food, good conversation, good times….
And with all this fun I’m having you’ll understand why I’m a little slow in getting around blog world today to comment…
As of June 2017 Photobucket has blacked out all my photos that I had stored there and are holding them hostage. Hopefully I can update my photos on all the posts they have ruined, over 4000 of them.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 