Kaiserschmarrn – Try It, You’ll Like It!

When my children were little and wanted pancakes for breakfast and time was of the essence, I would take a page out of my German mother’s cookbook and make them a Kaiserschmarrn. The beauty of this was the fact that I only had to make one, big pancake and the children loved trying to say the name. It basically translates to: The Emperor’s Mishmash! Nothing like making a treat with a story.

Kaiserschmarrn

4 large eggs
3/4 cup flour
½ cup milk
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons butter
Cinnamon/sugar mixture
Instructions:

Mix together egg, flour, milk, salt, baking powder and sugar till well mixed. Let batter stand for 10 minutes.

In frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Pour in batter and fry until cooked on bottom. Flip pancake, adding rest of butter, and start breaking up the pancake and continue cooking to complete finish cooking it. You want chunks of pancake with some browned edges.

Turn off the heat and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and serve.

Cinnamon/sugar mixture:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla powder if you have it on hand

Ideas:
If you are looking for a change of pace, here are some nice additions to the basic recipe.
-Plump up some raisins or dried cranberries in warm water, drain, and add to the batter before beginning the cooking process.
-Melt two tablespoons of butter and mix in 1/4 cup ground nuts, spread over the completely baked pancake and then sprinkle on the cinnamon and sugar.
-Serving jam with the warm pancake is not against the law!
-Saute a couple of peeled and chopped apples in two tablespoons of butter with a tablespoon of brandy. When the apples are almost tender, spread over baked pancake and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

Italian Night Meal! Low-Maintenance Italian Sauce

Low-Maintenance Italian Sauce

Ten peeled garlic cloves

3 peeled carrots

3 stalks of celery

1 large onion

1 green Bell Pepper

1 tablespoon granulated garlic

Generous pinch of black pepper and salt

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 teaspoon dried Basil

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1/4 cup olive oil

2 small cans tomato paste

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)

1/2 cup red wine

Put all the ingredients, except  the tomato products, broth and red wine, in the food processor and pulse until they are ground but not slush. Put back into the large cooking pot along with the remaining ingredients. Simmer anywhere from two to four hours. When your sauce is ready, you can run it through a blender for a smoother version or serve as it. Stirring in a half cup of freshly-grated Romano or Parmesan is good. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Serve over pasta, meatballs, or thin down leftover sauce with more broth and turn into a hearty vegetable soup. Want a meaty version? In another pan, crumble ground beef and brown and add to the sauce a few minutes before serving. Wouldn’t hurt to have some garlic bread on hand to sop up the sauce.

You could also put everything into a crock pot and forget about it for the day!

Peanut Butter Cookies, My Way!

I enjoy creating unique desserts and cookies but when it comes down to a satisfying cookie to go with a cold glass of milk, most people would agree that you can’t beat the simple peanut butter cookie.  This is my take on the recipe.

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup butter (margarine doesn’t do the job, here!)

1 cup smooth peanut butter (if you only have the crunchy type, that’s okay!)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon orange extract (orange really brings out the flavor!)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter, peanut butter and sugars together until fluffy. Thoroughly beat in the eggs and extracts. Sift totether the dry ingredients and fold into the butter mixture.

Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and put on vegetable oil sprayed baking sheets.* using a fork, slightly flatten each ball to make a cross-hatch pattern – press one way and then the other.

Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Cookies should just begin to get golden. Don’t overake them!

Let rest on baking sheet for easier removal to the cooling rack.

*Parchment paper is great for this recipe. You don’t need to grease the baking sheets, the cookies absolutely do not stick, and you don’t have baking sheets to clean.

Ideas . . .

Melt some chocolate chips and dip half of each cookie into it. Let them harden on waxed paper.

Add 1/4 cup finely diced orange slice candy.

Add 1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Sandwich cookies together with your favorite jam.

Asian Night at Our House!

Every week or so, I try to come up with a fun or extra-special dinner preferable with some new recipes. So, when I found a Cook’s Illustrated magazine at Costco dedicated to nothing for Asian recipes, my husband had no problem in my purchasing it immediately. Cook’s Illustrated magazines are one of our favorites as they revise well-known recipes for home kitchens without losing the authentic flavor. This magazine did not disappoint.

Today, I made boneless barbecued pork that acquired that dark, lacquered crust that makes ordering them in a Chinese restaurant almost mandatory. Now, I don’t have to leave the house to have them and they were a bit time-consuming but easy to do.

I never leave well enough alone so I also tried the orange chicken recipe. The orange chicken at the Chinese fast food places is okay but overly sweet and the crust is often thicker than the chicken itself. This recipe use real orange juice, more heat, and a fragile, crispy crust that stood up to the chilies and sauce.

I had some leftover chicken that is simmered to flavor a sauce last night so turned it into pot stickers. I recently discovered a gluten-free recipe for pot stickers that taste like the real deal so everyone was happy to see them appear. It all gathered around the steaming Jasmine rice on the plate.

My husband almost lost a stake in the meal when he said thoughtfully, “You know, it is all very good but I think the steamed rice is the best!” He plays life dangerously, sometimes.

The nice thing about making this messy meal? The kitchen elves (aka, husband and two children) were so happy they are doing the clean up for me.

Please note the close up of the barbecued pork, picture taken by my daughter. I knew four years of media college would come in handy some day!

Spicy Apple Bars

It is only August but around here school is already back in session so I’m going to declare it the earliest beginning of the Fall season! Fall means something with apples and this recipe seems to fit. Consider getting some vanilla ice cream when buying your cake ingredients! I think you find a reason to use it!

Spicy Apple Bars

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Finely grated zest of one lemon
1 cup softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups unsweetened applesauce
1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries (soak in warm water and drain before adding)*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper or use vegetable oil spray.

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, vanilla, spices, and zest and mix well. Stir together the flour and baking soda and add to mixture stirring only to just blend. Blend in the applesauce, walnuts and raisins or cranberries. Bake in prepared baking pan for approximately 20-25 minutes. Top should spring back when lightly touched. Place on wire cooling rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Finish cooling and cut and serve.

*I like to roughly grind up my raisins or cranberries before adding to the batter as it spreads the fruit more evenly in the batter.

Pineapple Brownies

Two flavors that go together very well are chocolate and pineapple. The best way to indulge in chocolate? By way of a brownie so combing a brownie with chocolate seems like a great solution.

Pineapple Brownies
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3 ounces baking chocolate, melted and cooled
½ cup chopped walnuts

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

Cream together the butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest, beating well. Stir in crushed pineapple. Fold in the baking chocolate and walnuts. Spread into a 11×13-inch baking pan or one of comparable size or two smaller ones. Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes or until top is firm. Cool before cutting.

Ideas . . .
Save the juice you drain from the crushed pineapple and make a thin glaze for the brownies.

Line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment for cleaner removal of the brownie portions.

No-Fuss Chinese Chicken

Since chicken is still reasonably priced, it appears on our dinner table more than once a week. To keep it from getting boring, I’m always looking for interesting ways to prepare it. This is a good one if you like an Asian flavor.

No-Fuss Chinese Chicken

1 whole chicken about four to five pounds
1 teaspoons Chinese 5-spice powder
3-4 green onions sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon of fish sauce
1 cup dry sherry
1 cup chicken broth (canned is fine)
3 slices of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Rub the chicken, inside and out with the Chinese 5-spice powder.

Mix the remaining ingredients in a cooking pot large enough to hold the chicken. Bring to a boil and then carefully lower the chicken into the pot. Turn once to coat the chicken completely with the mixture.

Bring to a boil once more, cover, and simmer for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken. For added flavor, turn the chicken (carefully!) several times during the cooking.

Remove the pot from the heat and uncover and allow to cool down a bit until you can handle the chicken. Carve the chicken into serving pieces and serve with rice or Asian rice noodles.

When I don’t have a whole chicken, I have successfully used cut up chicken pieces as well as just chicken thighs. I’m thinking, however of having an Asian dinner using Cornish game hens in this way. Wouldn’t have to cut them much, except in half, to serve them.

The Forgotten Egg . . .

I keep track of daily calories so have gotten into the habit of choosing food that packs the most nutrition and least calories. I consider my ration of calories like spending money and I want to make sure I haven enough left at the end of the day to have a piece of fruit in the evening.

On thing I’ve rediscovered are eggs. Science now says that eggs are not the villains they were once considered. And, when you are counting calories, you still have to get enough protein into your daily diet.

After a few days of having a couple of hard boiled eggs, I remembered omelets! Not only can they be prepared with a minimum of butter/oil, you can load them up with fruits or vegetables and make it a permissible meal that tastes almost sinful when you watch calories. Some cheeses have fewer calories than others or you can grate a third of what you think you want and will find it spreads out nicely to give you the taste with less fat. Also, I find that using three eggs but only one yolk works well for me.

Some of my favorite omelets:

Spicy Salsa Omelet – When I’m in a hurry, prepare your eggs and use your favorite salsa for the addition.

Greek Omelet – You don’t need much Feta cheese for flavor and the addition of some fresh spinach and chopped tomatoes makes for a filling meal.

Cheese Omelet – Chose a sharp cheddar or pepper jack cheese and you don’t need as much to get the flavor profile you like.

Fruit Omelet – Although not my first choice, fresh, chopped fruits can turn your omelet into a change of pace with some sweetness to still the craving for sugar. A dusting of powdered sugar is good.

Bell Pepper Omelet – Slice up some of those mini-peppers and saute them with some onions and add them to your omelet. Cheese is almost optional.

Pizza Omelet – Finely dice up some Pepperoni (you only need a very little for the taste), add some diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and a tablespoon of shredded mozzarella cheese and you have a small feast.

Remember that these are only suggestions and you have to consider your tastes when preparing and seasoning them. Salt is optional but freshly ground black pepper is almost mandatory!

Sweet Potato Muffins

I like to sneak the good stuff into even my baking so sweet potato muffins do happen at my house . . . and my family enjoys them!

Sweet Potato Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned sweet potatoes, smashed
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
grated zest of one orange
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped (your choice of nuts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Line cupcake tins with cupcake papers.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat in thoroughly. Blend in the sweet potatoes until mixture is fairly smooth.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and orange zest. Add extract to milk.
Add the dry ingredients to the egg and milk mixture and mix to just combine. You don’t want to overdo the mixing. Fold in the nuts.

Fill the prepared pans 2/3rds full. Bake for approximately 15-25 minutes, depending on your ovens. Tops should be golden and slightly firm to the touch. Makes about 18-25 cupcakes. These also make great mini-muffins, too. Remember, however, to adjust your baking time.