Sunday, October 14, 2012

Haluski

I know what you are thinking, "Haluksi!" "Gesundheit!"
But for reals, this recipe is called Haluski. I think its Polish?
All I know is that I have never really seen this dish anywhere but in Pennsylvania. Thats not to say it isn't in other states, but its most def popular in PA. Specially in the Pittsburgh area.
Both my sets of my grandparents live about an hour from the Pitt, and this dish was a staple. Whenever I smell its I immediately am transported to 1995 summer vacation at Gramma and Pap's house.
I have been feeling nostalgic lately and we are having company for supper so I made it(along with a pot roast! which isn't going to be blogged, sorry).
The recipe I will share is more of an amalgam of recipes and just winging it. I mean its 4 ingredients, its not that difficult.
Do I like this dish that hearkens me to my youth?
Absolutely not.

Ingredients:
16 oz bag of egg noodles, 3 onions, a head of cabbage, and 1 cup of butter

So the onions. You know how in most of my recipes I cut back on the onion? Do not cut back for Haluski! Add as much or as little(if you must)as you want. I choose 3, at first as you can see from the picture but they were a little small so I added a fourth. They were small because our landlord grew them. We came back from work one day and a bag of what we thought were apples was waiting for us. But no, it was onions, about 2 dozen garden grown onions. Another reason why I made this recipe. Because I had a ton of onions to use up.


Directions:
Chop onions into half moon slices, and cook in large skillet with a stick of butter. Cook until golden brown/translucent. Chop the cabbage into long strips, and add them and another stick of butter to onions. Cook until cabbage is no longer crunchy. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.

 
I had no idea how to cut a cabbage, so I just kinda hacked it. All I know is that it needed to be long strips. Also, I am not posting times since I really depends on the stove and pot you use. The onions took about 5 to 10 mins, and the cabbage is about 10 to 15. But this recipe is really a case by case recipe.

This is the resulting mess.


 
This pot got so hot that I needed pot holders just to pick it up!
 

I know what you healthy people are thinking, "A WHOLE stick of butter!" Just for once don't worry about that kinda stuff and just RELAX.

 
Onions are gross, but I find kinda fun to cook. Its so easy to see the results. Aside from the cutting that is. Then you can't see anything through your tears. I had to go outside and take a huge whiff of fresh air, then I got a candle to light, and dropped an entire big box of matches on the floor. I didn't take a picture because my cat was like, "STICKS!!!" and started to scatter them everywhere, and all I could envision is one lighting on something and setting our apartment on fire and burning the place down around me. So, yeah no pics of me frantically cleaning up matches, as my cat is freaking out, I look like I've been crying(which I was, technically), and onions cooking on the stove.
 
 
Yes, another stick of butter.
 
Mix onion cabbage mix with noodles and stir until noodles are hot again. Serve HOT with salt and pepper.
 

I mixed the onion/cabbage with the noodles in the pot that I cooked the noodles in, it was the biggest one I had. And I kept it on a hot burner, so it would heat up faster.
 

 
There is the finished project! My husband said it was good, but the cabbage was still a bit crunchy, so next time I will cook that a bit longer. Other then that he really liked it, and so did the company that we had over. They enjoyed the pork pot roast I made as well. It was the first roast I ever attempted, and it was moist and fell apart as you tried to dish it on your plate. Perfect. Well I hope you all enjoyed this recipe. It wasn't too complex, and never fear Butter. Or in this case Margarine!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Why, hello there.
Here I am, back at it! With a very challenging recipe.
Banana Bread
How was it challenging? Read on my wayward son! Read on!

Ingredients:
(I made a double recipe, because I had more than enough bananas, but I will give the regular recipe) 1/4 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup mashed ripe(mine were over ripe *shudder*)bananas(about 2), 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt
The recipe also called for nuts. But why totally ruin a good batch of banana bread by adding nuts? Now, as you can see the bananas are really ripe. I had frozen them, and now here is where this recipe almost did me in, they were so SLIMY and SQUISHY. Which means GROSS. More on that later.


Directions: (I got this recipe from my Taste of Home cookbook)
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy.



I love my new mixer. Its simply the best. I was listening to a Franki Valli and the Four Season CD, when the song "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on. I sang to my mixer.


Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.


As you can see by the picture, I did not add my eggs one at a time. Oops! I don't think it changed anything. But this was the first time I have ever done this(and probably the last you'll know why coming up)recipe.


Stir in bananas and sour cream.


Yes, the bananas were that gross that I had to were gloves. The bananas were metly, slimy, squishy, smelly, and just plain gross. When I picked one up, it made a terrible gushy noise. My mom told me to "Squeeze them like a tub of toothpase." So thats what I did. Lemme tell you, that was the WORST part. It felt so gross, even with gloves, and had the consistency of well....Pepto Bismol helps with it. So on the second banana I stopped looking at it, and I didn't even take a picture. I had 5 bananas and almost threw up on the 3rd. Yeah, thats how gross. And that my dear readers, is why I will most likely never make banana bread again.

Here it is all mashed up. Still had trouble holding in my lunch. Sorry for the more graphic descriptions in this blog. Its just how I felt!


Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Stir into banana mix, just until moistened.


As much as I do love my mixer, it wasn't quite big enough for this task. If I had made just a single batch, it would have been fine.



"Stir just until moistened" That one sentence alone was enough to make me almost have an anxiety attack. "Is this too little? Or too much? Maybe just another stir. No, I shouldn't have done that. Well, there is still a pocket of flour, maybe just another stir. Was that too much?"



In the end, I think I got it mostly right. Still am a little paranoid about it though.

 

Transfer to a greased 8inx4inx2in loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Boom baby! They came out great! The one in the metal pan is a little better than the one in the glass pan. Not sure why though. But I am going to slice them and take them to church tomorrow, but I had a slice and think they turned out good. For the only time I will ever make them, they aren't bad! Well thats it for me. Hope you enjoyed this installment!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

I'll Be Back

Hello!
Its been awhile I know, I know. Whats me excuse for not updating since April?
A few.
One, we moved. Again. The last place was always a temporary homestead, so now we moved into town because the second reason I haven't updated...
I got a job. An honest to goodness 8-5 receptionist job. At a very fast paced office, so when I would get home at night the last thing I wanted to do was cook something. Its taken me near 3 moths to get used to it. And I am still learning new things everyday. Mostly office politics. Its primary gender is female and we'll you know women.
So now here we are. I have an appreciation for weekends so on Saturday I baked. All day. Why? Because I got
A KITCHEN AID MIXER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Words cannot describe the excitment. I've wanted one for like ever. How did I come about such a wonderous machine? A wonderously expensive machine? Well, basically my husband has an awesome coworker. His coworker was upgrading her Kitchen Aid to a new more snazzy model, so what was she to do with her old one? Why sell it to me, of course! At a super good price and well I love it. Its white, which is good. I was worried it was going to be some ugly color like, avocado or something. I still woulda taken it, duh. But its also in great condition! Basically one of my biggest kitchen dreams has come true.  So I made an apple pie(not photographed) and....
Cinnamon Rolls
I have never attempted cinnamon rolls before, but have wanted to give it a go. After this I may try homemade donuts. But now on with the recipe.

Ingredients

5 cups all pupose flour, 1(18.25 oz) package yellow cake mix, 2(.25 oz)packages quick rise yeast, 2 1/2 warm water(120 to 130 degrees F), 1/4 cups melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon NOTE: there is ingredients for frosting as well, but I didn't take a pic mostly cuz I forgot! But  here is what you need: 6 tablespoons softened butter, 3 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 1/2 tso vanilla extract, 2 Tbsp milk

See my awesome mixer?? Isn't it amazing? I hugged it. About the yeast, I happened to have some yeast at home but it didn't say anything like "quick". So when I was grocery shopping I looked at the yeast and only one said "rapid rise", which is pictured. I called my mom and she advised I get teh rapid rise, even though I had yeast at home. Better safe then sorry.

Directions:
In a mixing bowl(Squee!)combine 4 cups flour, dry cake mix, yeast and warm water until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn on a lightly floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

So I don't have a pic of me kneading the dough, because at this point my husband said, "Wanna go to lunch? If so we have to leave NOW." His urgency was because we were going with other people that were starving after working at our church all morning. So I kneaded the dough like twice, threw it under the mixer bowl and ran out the door. When I came back it was doubled. I shoulda taken a picture of it. It was like The Blob, and was oozing out all over the counter.


Punch dough down. Turn on a lightly floured surface; divide dough in half. Roll each portion into a 14 in x 10in rectangle. Brush with buter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.


 


So I didn't measure the sugar and cinnamon. I just sprinkled a good amount of both. Cuz, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon?? A single teaspoon? That seemed a small amount to me. So yeah just eyed it up! And I think it was just right.


Roll up jelly roll style starting with the long side( reading thie now, I think I did it wrong, I did the short side. So they weren't as big as they shouldve been, I spose. Oh well this still worked) Cut each roll in into 12 slices place cut side down in two 13in x 9 inx 2 in pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 20 minutes.

So I waited the recommenced 20 minutes and they grew a little, but didn't double. Still worked though. I think.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 20 minutes. Then frost it up! Just mix the butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Frost warm rolls.



Here they are all done and frosted. You could defiantly do way more frosting then I did, my husband doesn't like too much so I did less is more. It was really runny too. Which was good, I think. I baked them in 2 different pans. One batch on a metal and one on a stone from Pampered Chef. The one on the metal pan got a bit crispy on the bottom, which wasn't unappetizing. But the ones on the stone came out super good, and not crispy on the bottom. So I called that "The better" batch. They were really good, I love cinnamon rolls! And several people said they were good! So my first try was succesful. Next time, I think I will just use the cooking stone, cut them right and I think they will be really really good.
Well sorry to make you all wait. Hope you don't mind that my updates won't be as frequent, since I don've have much free time anymore. I thuroughly enjoed my time off, but its time to get back to reality.
One thing I don't like about our new place is that I can't see our TV. I loved to just put a random movie on while I cooked. But I fixed that quick! I have a portable DVD player, that I put on a small counter I don't use for cooking and let a movie play away. Yesterday I chose, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkahban(Is that whole to spell it?).

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Whats the matter....you chicken?!

Good Day! Well I am not sure how this blog entry will go. Blogger just got a new layout and I am still figuring out where everything is. I think it will be ok, it will just take some getting used too.
So it is sorta storming out right now, and my husband and a friend of his are working out, outside. I asked if maybe they should come in since lightning was striking like, a mile away and they said no. It added to the work out, they claimed. Men are so weird sometimes.
I will gladly stay in, and write this blog for you. And I will let you know if they are still alive by the end of it.
Chicken Kiev
I got this from my Taste of Home cook book. It has been a good one. You will be surprised to know that I tried this dish. What did I think of it? Well you will have to read til the end to find out.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup softened butter, 1 Tbsp minced chives, 1 clove of minced garlic, 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, 3/4 cup crushed cornflakes, 2 Tbsps minced parsley, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/3 cup buttermilk

I know what you are thinking. That is a ton of buttermilk! Well it took me a good 5 minutes to locate that buttermilk, and it was the only size I could find! I kid you now. And it was the only brand. Does anyone know a recipe that I can user the left over for? Oh, and the original recipe called for fresh ingredients on all the herbs. Yeah right! You know how expensive FRESH  herbs are?? Too expensive thats how much. So, I cheated. But I don't think the recipe suffered. And if you have the means feel free to use fresh!


Directions:
In a small bowl combine the butter, chives, and garlic. Shape into a 3inx2in rectangle. Cover and freeze until firm. About 30 minutes.

Ok, a few things that I have to add about this part. I was impatient for the butter to soften, so I nuked it in a microwave for like 10 seconds and that worked fine, I think. But, shape into a rectangle?? What nonsense!  As you can see by the picture below I could not shape that mix into any anything. It was that soft. And to such a specific size too. 3in x 2in. What if I wanted it in a 2.5in x 2.5 in one? It didn't make sense. So I threw some plastic wrap over the bowl and set in the freezer. 30 minutes. Way to long! I think ten would've been better. It was solid as a ROCK when I took it out of the freezer. I couldn't even spoon it  out. So, I nuked it again. Just for 5 seconds. That made is somewhat managable without it being a soup. Lessons learned my friends.

Flatten each chicken breast to 1/4 in thickness. Cut the butter mix into 6 pieces(I guess that was if you made it into the super specific rectangle, I just scooped up 6 equal-ish parts)place one piece in center of chicken. Fold over butter; secure with toothpicks.

I had whole chicken breast that I just cut in half, and that seemed to work fine. I have said it before and I will say it again. I can't stand touching raw chicken. That is what the tongs are for.


Every time I pounded the chicken a hole usually was in it. Just from hitting one place too much I guess. Oops!

There they are, all rolled up. A few were more difficult then others, seeing as there usually was a hole in them. But it worked out ok. Not my best work.

In a shallow dish, combine the cornflakes, parsley, and paprika. Place buttermilk in another shallow dish. Dip the chicken into the buttermilk and coat. Then evenly coat with cornflake mix.


I did not measure the cornflakes. I just crushed up a 1 qt ziplock bag filled with the cereal. And it came out to about a cup. With these dipping scenarios in recipes I tend to lean more toward having too much rather then too litte. Otherwise when you run out you have to wash your gunky hands and make more for that last piece of chicken, then you do have too much extra. Better safe then sorry.



I didn't really have any shallow dishes, so I used my super cute pyrex! I love the older pyrex stuff, and want to have a kitchen filled with it someday.


I didn't measure the buttermilk either. I just poured some in(my cute dish!)until I thought it was enough.




Place chicken in a greased 13in x 9 in baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 425 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove toothpicks before serving(Dah!).

Before
After!


There ya go! All done. That one in the back, its seasoning was a bit burnt. But that is because it had the very last of the seasoning that was mostly cornflake dust, so it burnt a little. Now, for how it tasted. It was ok. I didn't like it all that much. I think it was the cornflakes. The inside was great, but the outside, not so much. I think next time I will just use bread crumbs, or something. My husband found it to be just ok as well. It really needed a dipping sauce, so he used ranch and said it improved it greatly. So please tell me a way to make this dish a home run. I am still new at cooking, and need advice. So if you make it, let me know, tell me what you did differently.
Oh, and my husband and his friend are just fine. They still worked out when it started to rain. It too, added to the work out. Goofs.