For the Love of Food

We've moved again!

2009-07-19T20:59:00.001+02:00

We've moved again to a more permanent location: For the Love of Food

We've Moved!

2007-01-10T14:18:00.000+01:00

For the Love of Food can now be found on our own server at: http://kingfamily.blogdns.com/forfood or by clicking here: For the Love of Food

2006-02-16T17:15:00.000+01:00

spinach alfredo and herb-feta salad

The BLT Plus

2006-02-16T17:12:00.000+01:00

Ingredients for 4 Sandwiches:
8 slices of Wheat Bread
1 medium-small Avocado, sliced in slivers
8 slices of Bacon, cooked
4 slices of Gouda Cheese
1 Tomato slices into 4 rounds (or 8 thin rounds)
16 dill Pickle slices
2 leaves of Iceberg Lettuce
Mustard

Directions:
Toast bread to desired doneness. Spread Mustard on each slice of bread. Layer 2 slices of Bacon on each Sandwich, followed by the slice of cheese, Tomato, Avocado, Pickles (4 per Sandwich), and top off with half a leaf of Lettuce, folded to fit under the bread.

Vegetarian Version:
Replace the Bacon strips with a vegetarian Bacon substitute, or remove all together and add Alfalfa Sprouts!

2006-02-16T17:10:00.000+01:00

vegetarian meal

2006-02-16T17:03:00.001+01:00

veggie wraps

2006-02-16T17:03:00.000+01:00

Garbanzo beans, rice, and zatziki

2006-02-16T17:01:00.000+01:00

Texas Chicken Cordon Bleu

2006-02-16T16:59:00.000+01:00

5 mushroom alfredo, garlic bread, and salad

2006-02-16T16:58:00.000+01:00

Hamburger

2006-02-16T16:56:00.002+01:00

Pad Thai

Pastrami Sandwich and a "Radler"

2006-02-16T16:56:00.001+01:00

Indredients Pastrami Sandwich :
2 Slices of wheat Bread
5 slices of Pastrami
1/4 Cup of Sauerkraut
1 slice of Provolone cheese
Butter

Directions Pastrami Sandwich:
Spread Butter on 1 side of each slice of Bread. The Buttered side is the outer part of the sandwich...so that the bread does not burn to the pan. Layers on Cheese, Pastrami, Sauerkraut, and other slice of bread.

In a pan mealt a small amount of butter on medium-high. Place sandwhich in pan and let cook, flipping every 2-3 minutes to keep from burning. Add more butter if necessary.

Goes well with potato chips, pickle spears, and a Radler (see recipe bellow).

Ingredients Radler:
1 Pils Beer
1 carbonated Lemondae (Sprite, 7UP, etc)

Directions Radler:
Mix 50/50 in a beer glass, stir, and enjoy!

The History and defenition of a Radler (known as a Shandy in English).

Chicken Piccata and Yellow Rice

2006-02-16T16:56:00.000+01:00

Ingredients Chicken Piccata:
4 Chicken breast halves
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 clove of Garlic, crushed
1/2 Cup of Chicken Broth
2 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon of Capers, drained
2 Tablespoons of Flour
2 Tablespoons of Butter
6 Lemon slices
Salt
Pepper

Directions Chicken:
Season the chicken breast halves with Salt, Peper, and then lightly coat with Flour.

Heat the Oil in a large skillette over medium-high heat. Saute Chicken 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip the chicken and saute covered for 1-2 minutes. Transfer Chicken to a plate. Now, pour the Wine and crushed Garlic into the Skillette; cook until Garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes. Add Broth, Lemon juice, and Capers. Return Chicken to the Skillette and cook each side for 1 minute. Transfer Chicken to a plate, again. Add Butter and Lemon slices to the skillette. Once Butter melts, pour the sauce over the Chicken.

Goes well with Yellow Rice and Salad.

Ingredients Yellow Rice:
2 teaspoons Oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 cups Rice, well rinsed
2 1/4 cups Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon of ground Turmeric

Directions Yellow Rice:
Heat Oil in medium-small pot over medium-high heat. Add Garlic; saute until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Add Rice, Broth, Salt, and Turmeric. Bring Rice to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until Rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.

4 Servings

2006-01-02T14:19:00.000+01:00

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Baked Potato Chowder

2006-01-02T14:16:00.000+01:00

Chile con Carne

2006-01-02T14:12:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1 Lb. ground Beef
1 medium Onion, chopped
2 stalks of Celery, chopped
1 Garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1/8 teaspoon of Black Pepper
2 Tblsps Oil
1 6-ounce can (2 cups) Stewed Tomatos
2 15-ounce cans Kidney Beans, undrained
6 ounces of water
1 Cup shredded Chedar Cheese

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown ground Beef, drain excess fat. Add Oil, Onion and Celery. Cook until Onions are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except Beans. Simmer covered, 30 to 45 minutes. Stir in beans; heat through. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, if desired. Serve with white rice.

Makes 6 servings

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup with Ciabatta

2006-01-02T14:08:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1 kilogram Red Bell Peppers
1 Tablespoon of Oil
1/2 Cup of chopped Shallots - DO NOT substitute with green onions, if you have to, sbustitute with a red onion
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tablespoon of fresh Thyme
2-3 Cups of Vegetable Broth
1/2 Cup of Cream
2 teaspoons of Redwine Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of Cayanne Pepper
1 Tablespoon of diced fresh Basil leaves
1-2 teaspoon of Salt
Papper bag

Directions:
Heat oven to maximum heat setting and set to "broil" or "grill". Place Bell Peppers on a wrack with a pan or casserole dish under them to catch the drippings. Check Bell Peppers every few minutes to see if blackened, then turn, and continue process until all sides have been roasted this way. Then, carefully remove the Bell Peppers to a papper bag, and let them sit for about 7 minutes. This will loosen the skin from the Bell Peppers. If they are still too hot to handle, remove them from the bag and let them cool before peeling them, or use kitchen gloves. Peel seed, and chop all peppers.

In a medium-sized pot, heat Oil, and then add the Shallots, Garlic and Thyme and saute for about 2 minutes. Add Vegetable broth and the Bell Pepper peices. Simmer uncovered until the Bell Peppers are very soft, about 20 minutes.

With a hand blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add Cream, Vinegar, Salt, Basil, and Cayanne Pepper. Stir. Serve warm with warm Ciabatta bread.

2006-01-02T12:11:00.000+01:00

Dampfnudel with Vanilla Sauce

Pepper Stew

2006-01-02T11:38:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
2teaspoon Oil
1 small Onion, chopped (about 1 Cup)
1 green Bell Pepper, seeded, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 spicey chili pepper, diced (remove seeds to make less spicey)
1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
3 Plum Tomatos, chopped
19 Ounce can of Garbanzo Beans, drained and rinsed
a dash of Parpika
4 Eggs
Salt
Pepper

Directions: In a medium-sized pot, heat Oil over medium-high heat. Add Onions and cook until soft, stiring frequently. Add Bell Pepper, Chili, garlic, and ground Cumin. Cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. Add Tomatos and Garbanzo Beans and bring to a simmer. Cook Tomatos until they break down into a sauce. Reduce heat, but maintina simmer, about 10 minutes.

Season with Salt and Pepper to taste. Individually crack each Egg and drop onto a part of the stew--DON'T break the yolks!! Cover and cook over medium heat until the Eggs are cooked, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle eag Egg with Paprika.

Transfer one Egg to each plate and extra stew. Serve Immediatley. Goes well over rice.

Serves 4 people.

Chili-Lime chicken with Bratkartoffeln and Salad

2006-01-02T11:22:00.000+01:00

Chili-Lime Chicken Ingredients:
4 Chicken legs and Thighs
juice of 1 big Lime, or 2 smaller Limes
2 Tablespoons of Chili powder
1 teaspoon Cayan Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon Onion powder

Chili-Lime Chicken Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F).
In a small bowl, whisk together Lime juice, Chili powder, Cayan Pepper, Salt, Garlic powder, and Onion Powder. Place the chicken in a casserole dish, and rub the marinade all over the chicken. Use all of the marinade. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Place in the oven and bake each side for 10 minutes (total baking time of 20 minutes). At this point take some of the drippins from the chicken and spoon over the chicken to remoisten. Then, set the oven to Broil (Grill) for about 5 minutes, or until the tops of chicken are a bit crispy.

Bratkartoffeln Ingredients:
4 medium-sized Potatoes (do NOT use baking potatoes)
1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
Salt
Pepper
Oregano

Bratkartoffeln Directions:
In a medium-sized pot, place Potatoes on the bottom (do NOT peel or wash!!*), and cover with water. Boil the Potatoes until they are completely cooked through, about 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Prick with a knife to se if they are done. If they are not hard in the middle, then remove from heat. Remove the Potatoes from the pot of water and let cool for about 10 minutes (or until cool enough to handle). Peel the Potatoes with a knife, the skin should be loose, so this should go quickly. Then, slice the Potatoes into thin rounds.

In a skillet, heat the Vegetable Oil and then add the Potatoes and saute. Add all dry ingredients imediatly, and saute until all the flavors have mixed in well. Serve warm. (Bratkartoffeln also make excellent breakfast potatoes).

*It is VERY important not to peel or wash the Potatoes before boilling. If you scrub the potato you risk rubbing some skin off, and if the skin has been rubbed off of the Potatoes, they will be more grainy and crumble apart when cutting and cooking.

Salad Ingredients:
Lettuce
Tomato
Green Pepper
Cucumber

Salad Directions:
Mix together and add your favorit salad dressing. Or, use the dripping from the Chili-Lime Chicken as a Salad Dressing.

German Continental Breakfast

2006-01-02T11:19:00.000+01:00

This is a typical German breakfast that you can find in any restaurant, Cafe, Hotel, or Biergarten.

Breakfast for 2

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled Eggs
10 Cucumber slices
1 Tomato, sliced
different types of your favorite Deli meats and cheeses, mine inclue Ham, Pate, and Entmentaler
2 Kaiser Rolls
a few slices of bread
your favorite sandwhich spreads, i.e. Mustard, Tomato Paste, Salad Cream, Mayonnaise, etc.

Directions:
Asemble Sandwiches as you wish, topping with Tomato and Cucumber slices. Enjoy!

Italian Artichokes

2006-01-02T11:16:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
3 Italian Artichokes (a smaller softer-leaved Artichoke)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Water
a Pressure Cooker*

Directions:
Cut the tips off of the stems of the Artichokes. If the artichokes are too long to fit in the pressure cooker, then cut them down to size, but keep the stems and throw in the pressure cooker. Add all ingredients and then fill up the pressure cooker with water enough to cover most of the artichoke, but not too much. The more water that is in the pressure cooker, the blander the spices will be. I also don't recomend filling up the pressure cooker more than half way, doing so could make the boilling water spout out through the pressure escape valve.

Place on the stove top and set to the highest temperature. Once the preassure has built up to maximum, set a timer for 20 minutes, and let it continue to cook. When the 20 minutes are over, turn off the sotve and let the pressure cooker realease all its built up pressure, then carefully open, and enjoy!

This makes an excellent side dish, cook more or less Italian Artichokes with this recipe adjusting the spice amounts accordingly. To have an artichoke as a main course, just use Globe artichokes instead (because they are larger), just bump up the cooking time to 30 minutes.

*It is VERY important to use a pressure cooker for this recipe, or it could take hours too cook.

2005-12-01T09:28:00.001+01:00

Thanksgiving Dinner

2005-12-01T09:28:00.000+01:00

Thanksgiving desert

2005-12-01T09:20:00.000+01:00

roast

2005-12-01T09:19:00.000+01:00

Salad

Chicken Salad Sandwich

2005-11-13T19:17:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1 cold cooked Chicken Breast, cubed, preferably from leftovers
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1 stalk of Celery, diced
1 dill Pickle, diced OR 2 Tablespoons of dill Relish
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Sliced Bread

Directions:
Mix all ingredients, except for Bread, in a bowl. Spoon onto bread, and eat!

2005-11-13T19:16:00.000+01:00

potato

2005-11-13T19:14:00.000+01:00

meatloaf

Platanos Fritos

2005-11-13T19:13:00.001+01:00

The Platanos on the left side of the plate are "unripe", and the ones on the right side of the plate are ripe ones, notice how they are much darker after being fried. The riper ones are sweeter, and personaly, my favorites.

Ingredients:
3 Platanos (Plantains), ripe (mostly black peel) or "unripe" (yellow peel)
Oil for frying
Salt
a Cheese cloth or Paper Towel
a Meat Hammer

Directions:
Heat oil in a frying pan. Peel the Platanos, and cut into 2-inch pieces. Fry these pieces for a few seconds, until the outer portion is lightly fried, remove from oil and place in a dish to cool (this should not take long since they were only frying for a few seconds). Place one of the rounds vertically between the Cheese Cloth (fold the cheese cloth over it so that it is both bellow and above the Platano). Then, with the meat hammer, pound the platano until it is a flat disk. Once you have completed this with all the pieces of platano, put them back int he frying pan and fry until they are crispy. Remove them from the oil and drain them on a paper towel or the cheese cloth. Sprinkle with salt.

If the Platanos are very ripe and soft, cut into slivers and only fry once. Then serve, they most likely do not need to be sprinkled with salt, but use your descretion.

Baked Sweet Potato

2005-11-13T19:13:00.000+01:00

Yes, I was surprised too to find a Sweet Potato that is white in the middle, this is an Asian variety which is not as sweet at the orange ones.

Ingredients:
Sweet Potato(es)
Aluminum Foil
Fork

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F). Wash the Potaot or Potatoesm aking sure to scrub off any soil. With a Fork, prick the Potato a few times on each side. Wrap each Potato in Aluminum Foil, making sure the entire Potato is covered. Set in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1-2 hours. The Potatoes depicted in the picture above took 1 hour to bake, but the larger one (not depicted) took 2 hours to bake). To know when the Potatoes are completely cooked-through, wear a protective covering on your hand, such as an oven mit or siliconve oven glove, and squeeze the Potato. If the Potato feels like it is squeezing in half when you press it, it is done,if it is still hard, it must be baked longer.

You may top with what ever you like, I like to just top it with butter.

Spaetzle Auflauf

2005-11-13T19:08:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
2 Cups of uncooked Spaetzle
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Carrot, chopped
1 Cup of steamed Brocolli
1 Leek, chopped
1-2 Cups of shredded Gouda Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F).
Bring water and Salt to a boil in a medium-sized pot. Add the Spaetzle and boil until cooked (about 10 minutes). Drain Spaetzle, and then place in a small casserole dish. Mix in all vegetables and cover with cheese. Use more or less cheese depending on how cheesey you like your casseroles.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Bring water

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

2005-11-13T19:06:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1/2 Lbs. ground Beef
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
2 Celery stalks, chopped
7 oz. can of sliced Mushrooms
1/8 Cup of Milk
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Salt
1 Dash of Pepper
400-gram (14 oz.) can of Diced Tomatos
7 oz. (1/2 can) of Water
200-grams (7 oz.) can of Tomato Paste

Directions:
In a medium-sized pot, brown the beef, and then drain the fat. Add Olive Oil, Onions, Garlic, Celery, Mushrooms, Salt, and Pepper. Saute until the Onions are soft. Add Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, and 7oz. (1/2 can) of Water, Milk, Sugar, Oregano, and Basil. Mix. Bring to boil on high. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes. Serve over Spaghetti or Rice. Makes enough for 4 servings with Spaghetti.

Wonton Soup

2005-11-13T19:03:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
20 Wonton Wrapers
175g mixture of ground Pork and ground Beef
1.2 Liters of Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon of Beef Boillion powder
1 - 2inch piece of fresh Ginger
1 Carrot, jullianed
1 Cup chopped Bok Choy
4 fresh Mushrooms, sliced
1 Green Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Oystersauce
2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Sherry

Directions:
Mix the ground meats together with 1 teaspoon of diced fresh Ginger. (When I made this recipe, I cooked the Meats and Ginger together, andthen filled the Wonton wrappers, but I would leave it raw next time because teh texture was not correct)
1. Take 1 Wonton Wrapper and lay it on a flat serface. Take 1 teaspoon of the Meat and Ginger mixture and place it in the middle of the Wrapper fron one corner to another, as depicted in the top-left of the picture.
2. Lightly wet the top and bottom corners of the Wrapper and fold over the meat to creat a triangle, and depicted in the centerl-left of the picture.
3. Roll the bottom of the Wraper up towards the point, once, making sure not to cover the tip, as depicted in the bottom-center of the picture.
4. Wet the side tip of the Wonton Wrapper and fold it towards the center, asdepicted in the center-right of the picture.
5. Repeat step 4 with the other corner. Your finished Wonton should look like the WOnton depicted in the top-right of the picture.

*When using water on the corners, make sure to use enough. The water is meant to make the wrapper stick together so that your Wonton doesn't come appart when you cook it.

Directions:
Soup:
In a large pot, boil 1.2 Liters of Chicken broth. Add to that the Beef Boillion powder. Add to the liquid the left over fresh Ginger, peeled, and cut into half. The Ginger is only meat to be cooked in for the flavor, and then removed before eating. Once these ingredients have come to a boil together, add the Carrots, Bokchoy, Mushrooms, and Green Onion. Boil for about 20 minutes. I prepare the Wontons at this point, they only take 15 minutes to puttogether, even if you are a begginer. After the 20 minutes, stir in the Oyster sauce, Soy Sauce, and Sherry. Remove the 2 large peices of Ginger at this point.

If you used raw meat in the Wontons, follw these instructions, if not, skip to the next paragraph. In a seperate pot, bring 2 Liters water to boil. Place the Wontons in the boiling water, 5 at a time is more managable, and boil until they float to the top (that means they have cooked) about 4-7 minutes. Remove the Wontons with a slotted spoon and put them into the Soup.

If you used cooked meat in your Wontons, then place the Wontons directly into your soup and let cook for about 30 seconds. Serve the soup imediatly.

I think this amount makes a good meal for 2 people with some rice on the side. But, it would make about 4-5 servings as a side dish.

Reminiscing to September 2003...

2005-11-10T22:22:00.000+01:00

These are the first pictures ever taken of my culinary creations. The date is September 22, 2003 : my birthday party in Karlsruhe, Germany. On the menu: (from top left clock-wise)
Spicey Chicken Wings
Fruit Platter
Tortilla Chips with Salsa and Guacamole
Salad Deliziosa
Veggie Platter with Ranch Dip
Mexican Layered Dip
Deviled Eggs

To view the recipes, please click on the names above.

Sauerkraut with Turkey

2005-10-30T16:37:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith Apple, sour, seeded and chopped
1 raw Turkey leg (drumstick) with skin still attached
2 Lbs. of canned Sauerkraut
4 dried Juniper Berries
1 dried Bay Leaf
2 dried Allspice berries
4 dried Cloves
2 Cups of Veggetable Broth
1 - 6-Quart Pressure Cooker (if you do not have access to a Pressure Cooker, see** bellow)

Directions:
Pour the canned Sauerkraut into the Pressure Cooker, do NOT drain, and then place the turkey leg in it so that it is partially covered by Sauerkraut. Add all other ingredients. Seal the Pressure cooker and cook on high. When the pressure has reached "maximum strength", set a timer for 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes are over, remove the Pressure Cooker from the stove top and let the Pressure naturally release from the pot-do notforce it out prematurly! When the pot is safeto open, open it, and check the turkey leg to see that it has prperly cooked through. If not, you may put it in the oven to finish cooking, or you may reseal the pressure cooker and cook it for another 20 minuteson high. When done, remove the turkey leg, and set aside. Remove the Juniper Berries, the Bay Leaf, the Allspice Berries, and the Cloves, and discard.

Oncethe turkey leg has cooled down enough to handle, remove the skin and discard. Tear off as much turkey meat as you can, and put it back into the pot with the Sauerkraut. It is now ready to eat! This goes well with Potatoes and Bratwurst. *If the Sauerkraut is too sauer for your taste, fry up some Bratwurst in a pan and then sauté the Sauerkraut in the leftover grease.

Enjoy!

**The Pressure Cooker helps the Turkey leg cook through faster, if you do not have access to a Pressure Cooker, use a normal pot, and check the turkey leg with a meat thermometer after 40 minutes of cooking until it is thorougly cooked. Because of the longer cooking time, make sure that the liquid does not run out so that the Saurkraut starts to burn to the bottom of the pan. Have some extra Vegetable Broth handl and add 1 Cup extra at a time when liquid levels get critically low.

Bag Roast

2005-10-30T16:36:00.000+01:00

This is my "Bag Roast" served with Klöße (also spelled: Kloesse, are shredded potato balls that have bread in the middle and have been boiled, when I have agood recipe for them, I will post it)

Ingredients:
2 Lbs. Pot Roast (beef)
2 Celery Stalks
1 large sweet Onion
2 New Potatoes , washed and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
3/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Flour
1 "Reynolds Oven Bag", Large Size (16" x 17 1/2")

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C). Shake the Flour in the "Reynolds Oven Bag". Place the bag in a baking pan with the openingtowards the wide side of the pan. Combine the Oregano, Pepper, and Salt; rub onto surface of Beef. Add the Beef to the "Oven Bag." Arrange the vegetables around the Beef in a even layer; sprinkle with aditional Salt and Pepper, if desired. Close the "Oven Bag" with the provided nylon tie. Cut 6 1/2-inch slits in top of bag; tuck ends of bag in pan. Bake 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until the meat thermometer reads 145°F (63°C). Place vegetables and meat on a serving platter. Pour the remaing juice from the bag into a grevy bowl, mix with some cornstarch if desired (to thicken). Makes 4-6 Servings.

*This is based on the "Ribeye & Roasted Garlic Vegetables" recipe from the "Reynolds Oven Bags Cooking Guide"

2005-10-30T16:16:00.001+01:00

Burbon Chicken

Salad of the Season

2005-10-30T16:16:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
Salad:
1 bunch of Lamb's Lettuce
1 Tomato, chopped
1/4 a Red Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup of Feta Cheese, crumbled

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon of olive Oil
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon dried Oregano
1 Tablespoon of Redwine Vinegar

Direction:
In a bowl, combine all Salad ingredients. In a seperate bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together, and whisk. Pour dressing over the Salad and toss to combine. *Tossing the salad with a fork will "injur" the Salad by mildly pricking it. This is GOOD forthe salad because it will help absorb the flavors of the dressing more quickly and evenly*

Lasagna Soup

2005-10-30T16:15:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
3 Lasagna noodles
1/4 Cup of chopped , raw smoked bacon
2 Cups of roughly chopped Cabbage
4 Liters of Water
4 Beef Boullion Cubes (or enough boillion powder for 4 Litters of water)
1 teaspoon of Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Boil Water in a medium sized pot. Once water hascome to a boil, add the Beef Boillion and let dissolve. Then, add the bacon peices, Cabbage, Salt, and Pepper. At this point, taste and add more Salt if desired. Let boil covered for 5 minutes. In the mean time, break the lasagna noodles into peices (about the size of a US quarter or a 2 Euro piece). Add noodle to the soup and stir. Let boil covered, stiring occasionally for about 20 mintues. When the noodles and Cabbage are soft enough, remove from heat and enjoy!

Autumn Salad

2005-10-30T16:11:00.000+01:00

Ingredients:
1 bunch of Field Salad (also called Lamb's Lettuce)
2 Tablespoons of fresh Lingonberry (Lingonberry) **Other names for this berry are: Lowbush Cranberry, Mountain Cranberry**
1/4 of a Yellow Bellpepper, chopped
1 whole Roasted Pepper , canned, cut in slivers
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1.5 Tablespoons Ginger Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Hazelnut Oil

Directions: Mix first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle Pepper over the Salad ingredients and tos to coat. Repeat the same steps for the remaining ingredients. Eat right away!

2005-10-03T21:48:00.000+02:00

A New Name! : "Recipe of the Week" becomes "For the Love of Food"

2005-10-03T14:54:00.000+02:00

With my growing love for my Recipe Blog and its growing popularity among family and friends, I have decided to rename my Blog to "For the Love of Food". I beleive it more acuratley portrays why I have started this Blog. "Recipe of the Week" was approriate for the time when I was entering fewer recipes; now there are times when I am entering multiple recipes in a single day.

I would enjoy any comments you are willing to provide to my Blog's new title.

--Nicole

2005-10-03T14:22:00.000+02:00

Amilia Fish

Recipe of the Week gets renovated!

2005-09-29T13:11:00.000+02:00

I have renovated this Blog so that it is easier to navigate. I have come to a point where I have too many recipe to display all at once, and it was feeling unorganized. If you have any suggestions, please send me a "comment" by clicking on the "comments" link at the bottom of this posting.

Cheesey Dessert

2005-09-18T19:41:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
Geramont (a soft creamy French cheese)
Cambozola ( type of soft blue cheese)
Camembert ( soft French cheese)
1 Fig, cut into 3 pieces
10 grapes bunched together

Directions:
Serve on a platter and eat! Serve with slices of French bread. Best when small pieces of the cheese are pressed on to a slice of bread. You may eat 1 piece of fruit in between different types of cheese to cleanse the flavor from your mouth. This is a typical French dessert eaten after family meals: for a group of people. I also enjoy having this as a light lunch.

Got Guests? Hors d'oeuvre Medley

2005-09-17T14:59:00.000+02:00

This is great for when you're having guests over or you want a less traditional meal with a lot of variety.

Recipes are from top left cuonter clock-wise

Over-stuffed Develish Eggs
Ingredients:
6 Eggs
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salmbal Oelek mixedwith 1/2 teaspoon melted Butter
1/2 teaspoon fresh Chives, diched
1/2 Cup Bacon chuncks and drippings

Directions:
Hard boil the 6 eggs to desired doneness (I boil mine for 15 minutes). When eggs are done, remove from heat and cool in cold water until they are cool enough to handle. Carefully peel the shell off of the Eggs and place in a safe location. When you are done peeling the Eggs cut each one in half length-wise so that you end up with 2 "bowls" made of Egg White. Scoop out the Egg yolk into another bowl. Place the Egg White bowls on a plate face-up.

Mash the Egg Yolks until there are only fine little crumbles, then add the Mayonnaise and mix well. Add the Chili Powder, Salt, Sambal Oelek and Butter mixture, and half of the Chives and mix well together. In a skillet cook the chuncks of Bacon until they are completely cooked and a little crunchy. Add the Bacon chuncks and the fat their drippings to the bowl with the Egg Yolk mixture. Mix well.

Spoon the mixture into each Egg White bowl. Sprinkle the remaining Chives on the Eggs. Enjoy!

Caveman Pizza
Ingredients:
1 medium-large Tomato
1 ball of fresh mozarella (125 g or 4.4 oz.)
6 fresh Basil leaves
Olive Oil
Red-wine Vinegar
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Slice the tomato into 6 slices (6 rounds); slice the Mozarella ball into 6 slices and place one slice on each tomato. Place one Basil leaf on each piece of Mozarella. Make sure that the Caveman Pizzas are on the plate you wish to serve them on. Drizzle some Olive Oil over the Cavemen Pizzas,then drizzle some Vinegar over them. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper to taste.

Goes well with Ciabatta (a type of Italian bread) or a Baguette (French bread) sliced. Use the bread to soak up the Vinegar and Oil from the plate once the Caveman Pizzas are eaten.

Chicken Wings
Ingredients:
8 Chicken Wings

Honey-Mustard Marinade: (for 4 Chicken Wings)
1 Tablespoon Yellow Mustard (from the jar)
1 teaspoon Honey
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/4 teasppon Salt
1/4 teaspoon ground Mustard Seed

Directions:
In a small bowl combine all ingredients and stir wel together. Coat Chicken Wings in marinade and place on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Broil/Grill at 275°C (552.6°F) for 10 minutes on the bottom side of the Chicken wings, then flip over and brush the marinade on again and then continue to broil for another 7 minutes or until the Wings are done.

Sambal Oelek Marinade: (for 4 Chicken Wings)
2 Tablespoons Salbal Oelek
1 Tablespoon Butter

Directions:
In a small sauce pan melt butter and Salmbal Oelek together, do not boil. Remove from heat. Brush on Chicken wings and place on a baking sheet in the middle of the oven. Broil/Grill at 275°C (552.6°F) for 10 minutes on the bottom side of the Chicken wings, then flip over and brush the marinade on again and then continue to broil for another 7 minutes or until the Wings are done.

All three recipes makes 1 meal for 2 people. But, I beleive it would make enough Hors d'oeuvres for 6 guests.

Quick & Easy Salad

2005-09-13T14:58:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
Salad:
4 large leaves of your favorite type of lettuce, torn into smaller pieces (here I have used "Red Bowl" Lettuce)
1/2 a Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
4 Grape Tomatoes, quartered
2 small Yellow Tomatoes, chopped
1 Tablespoon of chopped Green Onion (green part only)

Dressing:
1 Tablespoon of your favorit vinegar (I used Ginger Vinegar in this recipe)
1 Tablespoon of your favorit Salad Oil (I used Hazlenut Oil in this recipe)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Place all salad ingredients in a large bowl (larger than the salad seems to need). Sprinkle with Salt to taste and toss the salad. Then, sprinkle with Pepper to taste and toss the salad. This may seem repetative, but it helps the salad soak-in the dressing flavors. Then drizzle the Vinegar over the salad and toss to coat. Drizzle the Oil over the salad and toss to coat. Taste the salad, adjust levels off Salt, Pepper, Vinegar, and/or Oil as you see fit. If the dressing flavors are too strong, add 1 teaspoon of water and toss to coat.

This recipes goes well with Lasagna!

Creamy Meat Lasagna

2005-09-13T14:56:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
Sauce:
1/4 Onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
200g Tomato Paste (7 oz.)
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Basil
1 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Marjoram
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Sugar

Meat:
500 g (1 Lb.) ground Beef
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
2/3 Cup Water
7 Lasagna Noodles

Topping:
3 Tablespoons Milk
125 g (4.4 oz) Creme Fraiche
150 g (5.29 oz) shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F).
In a small sauce pan heat 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil. Satue onions in oil until tender. Add all other sauce ingredients and stir together on medium heat. Then, lower temperature to lowest stove top setting and cover to keep warm until the meat is prepared.

In a large skillet heat 1 Tablespoon of oil. Brown the meat until it's completely cooked. Add the sauce to the meat and stir together. Add 2/3 Cup of Water and stir until completely combined.

In a small rectangular or square casserole dish, layer the meat sauce then the noodles (starting with meat sauce onthe very bottom and ending with meat sauce on top).

In a small sauce pan on low-heat combine Milk and Creme Fraiche until completely mixed. Do not wait for it to simmer or to boil! Then, pour evenly over the top of the lasagna. Top with shredded Mozzarella Cheese.

Bake on the middle wrack of the oven for 20 minutes. If you would like the cheese to be crispy, let it bake a little longer, if not, remove imediatly and serve! If you want both crispy and not-crispy cheese, then cover half of the casserole with aluminum foil.

Serve with Salad! Enjoy!

Crème Brûlé

2005-09-08T19:11:00.000+02:00

A nice warm dessert for an extra special occasion!

For step-by-step pictoral directions see: Cooking for Engineers

Ingredients:
1 Cup Whipping Cream (30% fat)
4 Egg Yolks
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla-Butter (this is the German version of vanilla extract in liquid form)
4 Custard dishes (small bowl or baking forms that are oven safe)
1 large Casserole Dish
Water
Propane Blow Torch or Kitchen Butane Torch
some extra Sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250°F(121°C).
In a bowl beet Sugar and Egg Yolks until smooth. In a small sauce pan heat the Whipping Cream until almost simmering, and let it cook for 1 minute. Then, add warmed Whipping Cream to the Egg Yolk mixture a little at a time and stir together. **If you pour the war Whipping Cream in all at once it will cook the egg yolks and it will ruin the whole recipe by making scrabled eggs.** Pour the mixture of the Egg Yolks, Sugar, and Whipping Cream through a sieve into another bowl to catch any clumps. Mix in the Vanilla Extract after the mixture has run through the sieve. Pour the mixture into 4 Custard containers.

Place the large Casserole Dish on the middle wrack of the preheated-oven and place the filled Custard Dishes in the Caserole Dish. Fill the Casserole Dish with enough water to be half-way up the sides of the Custard Dishes. Bake for 40-60 minutes. Then "check to see if the custards are done. We want them to be set on the outside edge, but jiggly (like jello) at the center. The easiest way to do this is to take a pair of tongs with food grade rubber bands wrapped around the ends to help grip the ramekins. Pick up a ramekin and shake to see if the centers jiggle. If the only the center jiggles a little, it's done. If the whole thing is set, remove immediately - it'll be a little over done, but still delicious. If it's not done, just put it back in the water bath and check again in ten minutes. Once the custards are done, let them cool on a cooling rack to room temperature. This will let the custards finish cooking the centers on their own."--Cooking for Engineers

Once cooled, place the Custard Dishes in a fire-safe location, such as on a metal table or a cutting board wrapped in aluminum foil, away from any objects that may catch fire, such as house plants, napkins, etc. Sprinkle some extra Sugar over the Custard in each dish until the entire surface is lightly covered. With the Blow torch, heat the sugar until it browns (don't burn..turn black) by placing the blow torch over the sugar on the Custard until each location turns a light golden brown, then move to the next location. Pick up with oven mits..it will be very hot! Then, enjoy!

*You may also make it a day ahead of time and refrigerate, this will make the Crème Brûlé a bit cooler since it has been chilled for a few hours, but it will still be good. I experimented with both eating it only 1 hour after cooking it and the next day after chilling it, and I prefere to eat it the same day when it is still warm all the way through.

Shrimp and Onion Medley

2005-09-07T10:40:00.000+02:00

Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients:
400g (about 1/2Lb.) of uncooked shrimp, shell removed, sheel on the tail left on
water
vegetable steamer

Directions:
Place the vegetable steamer in a small to medium sized pot and fill the pot up with water to right bellow the bottom of the vegetable steamer. Place the shrimp in the vegetable steamer and turn the stove top on to the highest temperature. Cover the pot. Set a timer for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes check to see if the shrimp have attained their pink color, if not, depending on how much grey is left, let the shrimp steam for another 3 minutes, or until they are fully pink. Quickly remove them from the steamer at this point and place them in a bowl with ice water. This is make sure that the shrimp do not continue to cook and become rubbery.

Serve with some lemon and salt, or with cocktail sauce.

Beer Battered Shrimp & Onions
Ingredients:
400g (about 1/2Lb.) of uncooked shrimp, shell removed, sheel on the tail left on
1 large sweet Onion, cut into large rings
Vegetable Oil for frying
1 Cup of unbleached Flour
Salt
Onion Powder

Marinade
1/4 Cup Worchestershire sauce
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice (Juice of 1 large Lemon)
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Batter
700mL (24Oz.) of Beer *choose a beer with a strong flavor that you would not mind drinking; avoid light beers or "watery-flavored" beers
2 Cups unbleached Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika

Directions:
In a medium-large bowl, carefully pour in the beer and makesure it does not foam too much (or you will be cleaning it off of your counter top instead of making bater with it). *Take a sift* and pour the flour through to make sure that the flour does not clump up in the beer. Whisk in the four. Pour the Baking Powder through the shift to make sure it does not clump. Pour the Paprika through the shift to make sure it does not clump. Whisk together. Place the batter in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Marinate the shrimp in the marinade for at least 30 minutes (in the refrigerator).

Heat the oil in a pot to 365°F. Make sure that the Oil is at least 4 inches deep and that the side of the pot are about 4-5 inches higher than the level of oil in the pot.

Remove the Batter from the refrigerator and whisk again.

Place the 1 Cup of Flour on a small plate. When the oil is hot enough for frying, remove 1 shrimp from the marinade and roll it in the *flour on the plate, dip it in the batter, and then carefully place it in the oil. Let it fry for about 1-2 minutes and then remove it with tongs. Try this with only 1 shrimp at a time until you get the hang of it, then you can do 2 shrimp at a time. I know it sems tedious to only do 2 at a time, and if you have a larger pot, you can do more at a time, it just requires a lot of coordination and timing to take the shrimp out in time. Also, regularly scoop loos batterout of the oil to prevent it from burning.

Place fried shrimp on a plate with paper towel on it in order to soak up some of the oil dripping from the shrimp.

Onion Rings
Directions:
This recipe usues the same batter as the Beer Battered Shrimp; there should be enough for the shrimp and the onion rings.
Place the Onions that you have cut into rings in the marinade from the shrimp (after you have fried the shrimp). Remove 1 onion ring and roll it around in Flour, dip in batter, and then place carefully in the frying oil. Depending on the settings of your stove stop, the temperature of the Oil may needto be lowered slightly to allow the onion within the batter to actually cook, or you will be eating raw battered onion rings. The onion rings need approximatley 7 minutes to completely cook, turning once within those 7 minutes so that each side browns.

Place fried onion rings on a plate with paper towel on it in order to soak up some of the oil dripping from the onion rings. Sprinklewith some salt and garlic powder.

*It is VERY important that you roll the shrimp and the onion rings in the flour before you dip them in the batter. The flour will allow the batter to stick to the shrimp/onion ring while it is frying. You can do a test to see what happenes if you don'tpre-roll them in oil. Basically, the batter fries off of the shrimp/onion ring and does not puff up.

I recomend drinking a small amount of alcohal or eating a salad with vinegar on it to help digest this greesey meal, but it is not a necessary step.

Fried Pickles
Although not pictured above, you can make fried pickles similar to how you make the onion rings. Just use large pickles that are cut in half length-wise, roll the pickles in flour, dip them in batter, and fry them. Only allow them to frylong enough to toastthe batter becausethe pikle will start to disintegrateif it stays in too long.

Stuffed Vegetables

2005-09-07T10:38:00.000+02:00

This is a very quick and delicious recipe that I have made with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Bell Peppers(not shown above).

Ingredients:
2 medium sized Tomatoes, top cut off and seeds removed with a spoon - body should be left intact
1 English Cumber, cut in half length-wise, seeds removed - body should be left intact
2 Green Bell Peppers, tops cut off, seeds removed - bod should be left intact
300g (10,5 oz - or a little over half a pound) ground Beef
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mojoram
2 teaspoons Worchestershire Sauce
2 Eggs
1 Cup of plain Bread Crumbs
1/4-1/2 Cup of warm Water

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 200°C (417°F). In a medium sized bowl, soak the bread crumbs in 1/4 Cup of Water. If 1/4 is not enough, add another 1/4 Cup to make sure they are soft and mushy, but not swimming in water. Mix in all other ingredients and mash together thoroughly. Add the mixture to the hollowedout vegetables. Pleace the filled vegetables on the center rack of the oven on a baking sheet or cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil or in a casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Depending on the size of the Bell Peppers, the Bell Peppers may need to stay an extra 20-30 minutes in the oven.

Sprinkle some Parmasean Cheese on forsome extra flavor.

Savory Pork Chops, Salad, and Rice

2005-09-07T10:36:00.000+02:00

Pork Chops
Ingredients:
4 Pork Chops
200g Whipping Cream
200g Crème Fraiche
280g Mushrooms, from a jar
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Salt to taste
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the Vegetable Oil. Once oil is heated, place the pork chops in andlet them brown. Once the pork chops are cooked. Add the mushrroms and let them brown a little. Add all other ingredients and and let simmer on medium low heat. Serve with rice.

Rice (this is a base recipe for 2 servings, multiply accordingly)
Ingredients:
1 Cup of Bastmati Rice
2 Cups of Water
1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (optional)
1 teaspoon of Salt (optional)

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a small pot and set the stovetop to the highest heat. Let boil for 8 minutes and watch. The liquid in/on the rice will start to look foamy and holes will form in the rice mass. When this happens (sometime between 8-10 minutes after setting the rice on the stove top), lower the temperature to the low and put the lid on. Place the lid on the pot and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Prick the rice with a fork and remove a few grains to taste and see if it is tender enough.
*The Olive Oil and Salt give the rice a better flavor and help it not stick to the pot, but are not vital to cooking the rice, this is just my version.

Salad
Ingredients:
Crunchy red tipped Lettuce, torn to smaller peicesby hand
2 yellow Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a Green Onion (green part only), sliced
-Dressing Ingredients:-
Salt
Pepper
1/4 Cup Redwine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Hazelnut Oil

Directions:
Place salad ingredients in a large bowl (1/2 larger than the actual sald). Sprinkle some salt on for taste and toss the salad with 2 forks. Repeat the previous step with the pepper. These 2 steps are important inorder for the lettuce to soak-in the dressing ingredients. Dribel the vinegar over the salad (use less vinegar than suggested if you have a small salad) and then toss with the forks, do the same with the Hazelnut Oil.

Smooth and Creamy Guacamole

2005-08-11T14:56:00.001+02:00

This is a recipe I came up with while living in Germany. Not only is any Tex-Mex-related product expensive, but it just doesn't taste like anything I've ever had in Texas or Mexico...

Ingredients:
2 ripe Avocados, do not use Hass Avocados, they are too small and too fiberous
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

Spoon out the avocado into the blender, discard seed and peel. Add all other ingredients. Purée until smooth and creamy, or blend on a lower intensity for a rougher texture. Add more salt and/or lemon juice if necessary.

This recipe comes out different every time. The quality of te avocado, the avocado's origin, and the season will make each avocado different, therefore your guacamole will turn out slightly different each time. The difference will be very minute, but that is why you may need to adjust salt and lemon juice amount. You may also need or want to add more sour cream.

Texas Salsa

2005-08-11T14:56:00.000+02:00

This is a recipe that I invented when trying to make a salsa similar to Chili's salsa.

Ingredients:
380 grams chopped, stewed Tomatos, with no added ingredients other than salt, undrained
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1 Bell Pepper, seeded and quartered
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Salmbal Oelek
juice of 1 Lime

Directions:
Add all ingredients to a blender, and blend to your desired consitency. Larger particles prove to be best. Add more salt if needed.

Chocolate Mousse in Chocolate Cups

2005-08-11T14:52:00.000+02:00

A very simple and tasty recipe!

Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup whipping (heavy) cream
1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
Chocolate Cups (see below)
1 1/2 cups whipping (heavy) cream

CHOCOLATE CUPS
1 1/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Direcetions:
Heat 1 cup whipping cream in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat just until hot. Gradually stir at least half of the cream into egg yolk mixture, then stir back into hot cream in saucepan. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (do not boil).

Stir chocolate chips into cream mixture until melted. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, just until chilled. Prepare Chocolate Cups.

Beat 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold refrigerated mixture into whipped cream. Pipe or spoon mousse into chocolate cups. Garnish with strawberries. Cover and refrigerate any remaining dessert.

CHOCOLATE CUPS
Mold aluminum foil to the outsides of eight 6-ounce custard cups. Place upside down on cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips in heavy 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly; remove from heat. Spread about 1 1/2 tablespoons melted chocolate over foil on bottom and about 1 1/2 inches up side of each cup.

Refrigerate about 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. Carefully remove foil from custard cups, then remove foil from chocolate cups. Store chocolate cups in refrigerator.

If you are like me, I couldn't get the chocolate off the the cups without breaking them, so I had chocolate slivers with my chocolate mousse!

*The is a recipe from Bettey Crocker

Tomato Sauce/Marinara

2005-07-15T10:35:00.000+02:00

This Sauce is meant to be a pizza sauce or a dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks

Ingredients:
400g can of Chopped Tomatos (only other ingredient than the tomatos should be salt)
200g Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Marjoram, dry
2 teaspoons Basil, dry
2 teaspoons Oregano, dry
1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 teaspoon Thyme, dry
1/4 teaspoon Rosemary Powder
1/4 teaspoon Paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Sea Salt

In a blender purée the canned chopped tomatos (with it's juice) and the tomato paste until mixed completely*. Add mixture to a small pot and cook on the stove on low heat. Immediatly add all other ingredients and mix well. Cook for about 3 minutes making sure it does not burn. Because the sauce isso thick, when it bubbles up to boil the bubbles are much larger and pop out. So, makesure to cover the pot.

For a Marinara/dipping sauce for mozzarella sticks, it wouldbe best to substitute the onion powder for a freshly chopped1/4 peice of onion and thegarlic powder for 1 small clove of fresh garlic, crushed. Sautée the onion in 1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil until soft, then add all other ingredients (including the fresh garlic). I would also recomend cooking it about 10 minutes with the fresh ingredients. I believe this recipe would also be simple to make in the microwave, just please remember to use glass containers. The tomato sauce will stain any plastic.

*This is a very important step where the choppedtomatoes are made smaller, leavingthis step out will leave you with larger tomato chuncks and a more soupy sauce.

Almond Chicken Salad

2005-07-15T09:12:00.000+02:00

This is a salad that I made up trying to make a very quick dinner.

Ingredients:
3 leaves of Bib Lettuce, cut up
1 handful of Mangold leaves (other names: Chard, Leaf Beet, Spinach Beet, and Swiss Chard)
10 Rocket leaves (other names: Ruccola, Arugula, and Roquette)
1 hand ful of Field Greens
1/2 a small head of Raddicio, shredded (Raddicio looks like a small, purple, ice berg lettuce)
1/4 cup of Slices and Pickled Red Bell Peppers
a few small green Spanish Olives
1/8 Cup of Almond slivers
1 chicken breast
Your favorit dressing (mine is Cucumber Ranch)
Sea Salt, freshly ground

Directions:
Wash all fresh greens/vegetables, dry, and arange on a plate. In the mean while, in a grill-pan*, grill 1 chicken breast seasoning only with freshly ground sea salt. Cook the chicken breast until done, turning occasionally. Remove from heat when done and let cool. In a small skillet, roast the almond slivers until they get a little toasty brown, but don't burn. Continue making the salad, adding all other ingredients to the top of the greens. Cut the chicken breat into strips once it has cooled and add to the top of the salad. Then, top off with the toasted almond slivers. Top off with your favorit salad dressing.

*A grill-pan in a pan that has ribs in it so that one can grill indoors on the stove top. I got mine at IKEA for about €12 and it works very well.

Black Bean Stacked Salad

2005-06-06T07:34:00.000+02:00

I believe we (our family) got this recipe from Vegetarian Times about 3 years ago...everyone loves it!

Ingredients:
Salad:
15.5 oz. can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed) or 1 cup of dried black beans cooked according to package directions
4 Plum Tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Cups of frozen Corn, dethawed
1 English Cucumber (it has no seeds in it), diced
2 Jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and diced
1 red Onion, diced

Dressing:
juice of 4 Limes
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 Cup Peanut Oil

Other necessary toppings:
1/2 Cup Sunflower Seeds, roasted and salted
2 Cups crushed Tortilla Chips
1 1/2 Cups shredded Chedar Cheese

Directions:
In a large, clear, glass bowl, layer the black beans, tomatoes, garlic, corn, cucumber, jalapeños, and red onion.

In a small soup bowl wisk together lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and coriander. Wisk in peanut oil slowly so that it mixes in well.

Bring the layered salad to the table. At this point you can make the decision of 1. adding the cheese, chips, sunflower seeds and dressing in the large bowl, mixing it and serving it, OR 2. letting everyone add the cheese, chips, sunflower seeds, and dressing in their own bowl after you have just mixed the vegetables together. I prefer option 2 because if there are leftovers the chips will be very soggy and it will not taste as great the next day. But, if you are sure you will eat it all in the same meal, then ontop of the red onion layer the cheese, sunflower seeds, and then the crushed tortilla chips.

The original recipe calls to add 8 Tomatillos, tusks removed, and chipped (this would be the second layer after the balck beans), but since there are no Tomatillos in Germany, I leave them out and in the summer when green tomatoes are in season, I add that instead. But, I leaft them out of the main recipe. The original recipe also calls for Moneray Jack cheese, but I prefere Chedar's stronger flavor.

Serves 4 as a main dish (without tomatillos)
Serves 6 as a main dish (with tomatillos)
Serves 14 as a side dish (with tomatillos)

Tomato Soup

2005-06-06T07:33:00.002+02:00

This is a German recipe, that I modified, from the internet www.chefkoch.de

Ingredients:
1 kg (2 Lbs)Tomatoes, diced
1 small Onions, diced
2 cloves Garlice
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Basil, dried
1 Tablespoon Oregano, dried
1/2 teaspoon Thyme, dried
1/2 teaspoon Marjoran, dried
1/2 teaspoon Rosemary, dried and ground
750mL (3 Cups) of Beef Stock
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
1 Tablespoon Gin*
Salt
Pepper
4 Tablespoons Crème Fraiche

Directions:
In a large pot sauté the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and all the dried spices and cook in the pot for 15 minutes with the lid on. Then pour in the beef stock and let cook for another 5 minutes. Then take off the heat and put entire soup into a food processor or blender and purée. Then return to pot and to medium heat and add the tomato paste and the gin. Stir until completely mixed in.

Once the soup is in individual serving bowls add 1 Tablespoon of Crème Fraiche to each bowl and stir in. This will make the soup much thicker.

*Gin is an absolutely necessary ingredient for this recipe. You can leave it out, but it will just not taste right. I heard you can also use Sherry, but I have never tried it.

Serves 4

Spicey Spring Onion Soup

2005-06-06T07:33:00.001+02:00

Sometimes I just get inspired!

Ingredients:
3 Cups of water
3 Tablespoons of Chickenbuillon
1/4th packet of Rice noodles (vermacelli)
1 Green Onion, cut into long 2-inch pieces
1/4 of a Leek (the white part), cut into rounds
1/2 teaspoon of Sambal Oelek* (red chili paste) per bowl of soup served

Directions:
In a medium sized pot boil water. Once water has come to a boil add chicken buillon and taste to make sure that it has a strong enough chicken broth taste, if not, add 1 teaspoon at a time until it is strong enough for you. Add green onions and leek and let boil for 1 minute. Then, add rice noodles and take off the heat imediatly. Let the soup sit in the pot for about 2 minutes or until the rice noodles has softened. Serve into bowl and place sambal oelek in each bowl if desired. Stir and eat soup.

*Sambal Oelek is very spicey and if you are sensetive to spicey foods, just leave it out, the soup also tastes great without it.

Serves 4

Simple Bulgar Salad

2005-06-06T07:33:00.000+02:00

This is a partial recipe from "Bulgarsalat mit Paprika und Tomaten" that is in my "Salate" cookbook.

Ingredients:
300g Bulgar
Salt
juice of 2 Limes
Pepper
1 teaspoon Cumin
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions:
Cook the Bulgar in 1 Liter of boiling water, that has been lightly salted, for 30 minutes. When done drain the excess water and put in a serving bowl.

In a bowl mix the lime juice, salt to taste, a pinch of pepper, cumin, and the olive oil. Pour over the Bulgar and mix. Let sit for 15 minutes so that the flavors really soak in.

Meant as a side dish.

Serves 8

Filo Dough Pastry

2005-04-02T12:54:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Filo Dough (pastry dough) about 40cm x 20cm (16 inches x 8 inches), cut to make 8 squares
1 150 gram (5.5oz) block of Feta Cheese, mashed
1/2 Cup Smoked uncooked bacon, diced
1 egg
pepper to taste
3 Tbs milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
flour
wax baking paper

Directions: On a hard serface spread out some flour and place one filo dough square on it. Sprinkle the square with some more flour and roll out with a rolling pin until about double in size. Make sure not to make any holes in the dough. Repeat this process for all dough squares. In a bowl scramble the egg and then add in the feta, milk, and pepper--the feta should be salty enough that it does not need extra salt. Mix ingredients very well together. Take one dough sheet that you have already rolled out and softly brush on some butter on one side (this will be the inside). Place about 3-4 Tbs of the cheese and egg filling in the center of the dough. Then sprinkle in about 1 Tbs. of the bacon on top of the cheese filling. Then fold the dough closed so that the cheese and egg mixture ends up wrapped in filo dough so that there are no oppen ends, making more of a pocket. Place all pastries that you just put together in the cold oven in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet with wax paper (the dough will stick to aluminum foil) and set the temperatur to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 30 minutes (checking every 15 minutes). Once the dough is a light golden brown, remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Enjoy! You may also brush the outside with some egg white to make it brown more quickly and the give it a more glossy look. The longer cooking time is better so that the cheese filling is not to runny and wet, and that if you would like the more glossy look , to add some egg white about 5 mintues before you think the pastries will be done.

Podmolik Family Ribs

2005-04-02T12:53:00.002+02:00

This recipe is from Uncle Jim who revised it from his sister Aunt Fran's recipe! It's simply delicious!

Ingredients:
2 Racks baby back pork ribs
Dry Rub (recipe below, ingredients listed in this ingredients list)
1 Cup Heinz Hicory-smoke Flavored barbecue sauce
Aluminum Foil
3 Tbs Brow Sugar
2 Tbs Paprika
1 1/2 Tbs Chili Powder
2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 tsp Fine ground Yellow Mustard
1 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

*Over night refrigeration is required in this recipe*

Directions:
Dry Rub- In small bowl, combine: Brown Sugar, Paprika, Chili Powder, Salt, ground mustard, and garlic powder. Stir well to mix.

Rub both racks of ribs vigorously on both sides with dry rub. Wrap each rack securely in at least 3 layers of heavy duty aluminum foil cut long enough so that ends can be folded over to seal ribs in. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to cook, remove ribs from refrigerator and let stand in their wrappings until they reach room temperature. This last step is key to making sure they are cooked through as well as keeping them moist. Then, heat oven to 450F. Unwrap each rack and brush with 1 cup barbecue sauce. Re wrap ribs with all three layers, sealing tightly. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from oven, heat broiler. Unwrap ribs and place on rack in broiler pan. Broil, 4 to 5 inches from heat, 3 minutes on each side to crisp, basting with sauce if desired.

Serbian Pie

2005-04-02T12:53:00.001+02:00

I have named this recipe Serbian Pie because it is quite different from the American version of a pie, but according to my Serbian friends, the direct translation for this dish is Pie.

Ingredients:
1 sheet of Filo Dough (pastry dough) about 40cm x 20cm (16 inches x 8 inches), cut to make 8 squares
1 150 gram (5.5oz) block of Feta Cheese, mashed
1 egg
pepper to taste
3 Tbs milk
2 Tbs butter, melted
flour
wax baking paper

Directions:
On a hard serface spread out some flour and place one filo dough square on it. Sprinkle the square with some more flour and roll out with a rolling pin until about double in size. Make sure not to make any holes in the dough. Repeat this process for all dough squares. In a bowl scramble the egg and then add in the feta, milk, and pepper--the feta should be salty enough that it does not need extra salt. Mix ingredients very well together. Take one dough sheet that you have already rolled out and softly brush on some butter on one side (this will be the inside). About 1 inch away from the edge of the dough place about 3-4 Tbs of the cheese and egg filling long ways on the dough. Then roll the dough closed so that the cheese and egg mixture ends up wrapped in a few layers of filo dough. You may also roll out the dough a bit less and place the cheese egg mixture in the middle and fold the dough over, making more of a pocket. Place all Serbian Pies (the pastries that you just put together) in the cold oven in the middle of the oven on a baking sheet with wax paper (the dough will stick to aluminum foil) and set the temperatur to 200°C (400°F) and bake for 30 minutes (checking every 15 minutes). Once the dough is a light golden brown, remove from oven and let cool about 5 minutes. Enjoy! You may also brush the outside with some egg white to make it brown more quickly and the give it a more glossy look. I think the longer cooking time is better and that if you would like the more glossy look , to add it about 5 mintues before you think the pastries will be done.

Summer Pasta Salad

2005-04-02T12:53:00.000+02:00

Makes 4 side servings

Salad:
2 Cups uncooked spiral shaped macaroni noodles or other spiral shaped noodles
water
10 Ice cubes
1/4 Cup black olives, sliced
1/2 Cup Broccolli, chopped in tiny floretts
1/2 Cup red bell pepper, chopped
Dressing:*
juice of 1 lemon
1 whole red pepper (paprika)** from jar, diced
2 Tbs diced onion
1/4 Cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Waldkreuteröl (Forest herb oil)***
4 Tbs Olive Oil
4 Tbs Vegetable Oil
3/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Directions:
In a small pot cook boil about 3-4 Cups of water. Add noodles to boiling water and cook until tender (a little past aldente). Strain noodles and place in cold water and ice cubes while you prepare the rest of the salad. Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl. In a small bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients--please remember the Balsamic vinegar, it is vital to this recipe! Pour dressing over salad and mix. Noodles should be cool by this point; drain them in colander. Pat dry with a lint free towel so that they do not bring in too much water to the salad. Add to the salad and mix. If needed add some more salt or olive oil to taste and mix. The salad can be eaten right away or put in the frindge for 20-30 minutes (mixing about every 10 minutes) while you prepare other parts of the meal.

Personal notes: It has taken me 10 years to figure out this recipe...I am not joking. I ate a pasta salad from the grocery store's deli in Miami once, and have been trying to remake the recipe ever since with little luck. Last night I made it for the first time in about 3 years and it was almost the right flavor, but something was missing. I had read in another recipe that someone had added some Balsamic vinegar to their salad, so I decided to take a leep of faith, and that was the missing ingredient. I also discovered how important fresh onions are to vinagretts and the jarred bell pepper. It, of course, does not help that I had never heard of Balsamic vinegar until about 5 years ago.

*All dressing ingredients are absolutely necessary (see ***); please DO NOT substitute or it will not come out tasting right!
**This is a paprika that has been roasted, peel removed, and put in a jar with the ingredients being red bell pepper, vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, and water. This is not a sweet pepper, it is basically the red thing you find in the middle of jarred green olives, but in whole form.
***Waldkreuteröl (Forest herb oil) is not necessary for this recipe, it just gives it a little kick, do not substitue other oils with this oil because it has a very strong flavor that is not meant for this recipe.

Pressure Cooker Pot Roast

2005-04-02T12:44:00.000+02:00

It may not look too exciting int he picture, but it is a very cost effective meal, filling, and tastes great!

Ingredients:
3 Lbs Beef, the high rib section (should have some visible fat on it)
1 onion with peel*, halved
1 carrot with peel*, ends cut off, cut into large chuncks
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
1 Bay Leaf
Water
1 Sellery stalk, chopped
1 Carrot, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 medium/large Potatoes, with peel, chopped

Directions:
In a pressure cooker place the meat inside and cover completely with water--make sure there is at least 5 inches left in your pressure cooker above the water or the stew will over flow. Do Not pre cut the meat! Add the halved onion with peel and the chopped carrot with peel, salt, pepper, and the Bay leaf. Cook on high. Once the pressure cooker is cooking at full speed, cook for 40 minutes. Once 40 minutes are up, remove from heat and let the pressure cooker release it's pressure. Once safe to open, remove the meat and place on a plate to let cool. With a straining spoon remove the onion with peel, the carrot peices, and the bay leaf and throw away. Add all other ingredients to the remaining broth at this point and bring to boil until the vegetables are cooked to desired doneness. In the meanwhile, cut beef into large chuncks. When the vegetables are completely cooked, add the meat and cook for about 3-4 minutes so that it reheats the meat. Add any desired salt at this time if the stew is not salty enough. Remove 4 chuncks of potato and put in blender with 4 Tbs of broth. Blend and then put back into stew. This will give they stew more consitancy instead of being so soupy and so that you don't have to add flour or cornstarch. Remeber, potatoes have a lot of starch in them!

*The peel from the onion and the carrot have most of the flavor in them and many vitamins too, this is esential for the broth. Do not worry, they will not fall apart, and you will be able to strain them out.

German Philly Cheesesteak Sandwhich

2005-03-17T08:18:00.002+01:00

Jacob's dad (my father-in-law) helped me with the ingredients for the recipe.

1 Baguette (French bread)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, sliced
1 small onion, sliced
100 grams (about 8 slices) of Provolone Cheese
300 grams (about 1/2 Lb.) Beef Gulash meat, thinly sliced
water
Salt to taste
relish
Teufelspaprika (Devil's peppers, basically a spicy canned pepper)
Katstup

Freeze Goulash meat for about 30 minutes so that it is easier to slice. Slice thinly; set aside.
Slice onions and green bell pepper. Heat up a medium sized skillet--do not add oil or fat or any thing. Add the meat and start cooking. Add water about 1/8 of a cup at a time so the meat doesn't burn to the pan, but not too much so it doesn't boil. Keep adding some water once it is evaporates until the meat is almost dones and then add no more water. At this point add the onions and cook till they are to your desired doneness (I like mine soft). Add the bellpeppers and cook to your desired doneness (I like mine crunchy). In the meanwhile cut the baguette in half and then cut it open on one side so that it looks like a pita pocket. If you cut it all the way through the food will just all slip out. Once your meat and veggies are cooked add the cheese on top and cook until the cheese melts. Then remove skillet from heat and place half the meat in one peice of the baguette and half in the other peice. Sprinkle some salt to taste on the meat in the sadwhich and layer with the desired amount of relish (dill is best), cillies, and ketsup.

This serves 2 adults for a whole meal.

Polenta With Yogurt

2005-03-09T09:42:00.000+01:00

This is a recipe that my friend Zorica taught me.

Polenta
Water
Salt to taste
Plain Yogurt

Directions: Cook Polenta according to package direction using only polenta, water, and salt. *Some packages of polenta recomend cooking with milk and other spices, but this recipe does not call for that*. Some tips for cooking the Polenta is to never let it boil. If the pot heats up too much than it can start to burn to the bottom of the pot. Once it is the consitency of grits/oatmeal/etc it is done. Spoon into a bowl and put some plain yogurt over it. It is an extremely quick and healthy meal.

Simply Delicious Salad

2005-03-09T09:40:00.000+01:00

This is a recipe that my friend Denis makes. I learned by watching.

6 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
1 English Cucumber*, peeled and chopped
1 medium Yellow Onion, cut into strips
1/2 block of Feta Cheese, cut into little 1/4" cubes
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil**
1 tsp Salt
Directions: Mix all ingredients in a bowl together. What I like to do is put salt on each item group that goes into the bowl to make sure that the salt is well distributed. You can eat the salad right away, it does not need to be chilled. It goes well with steak, or anything on the grill.

*I use an English Cucumber, which is a very long cucumber without seeds, because it is less watery. They are expensive in the US, so the next best option is to use the small pickling cucumbers, which are also less watery, and make sure you buy the same weight as the English cucmber would be.
**Please make sure you use a very very good Olive Oil. Make sure that it is Extra Virgin and a First Cold Press. The darker the Olive Oil looks, the stronger it will usually taste. It is very important to this salad that the Olive Oil taste strong. Do not add anything to another Olive Oil that you currently have to make it taste stronger, there are cheep($) Olive Oils out there that also taste very good.

Roasted Potao Salad with Olives

2004-09-03T14:01:00.000+02:00

This is a recipe that I got from a friend, unfortunatly, I don't know which cookbook it came from.

Ingredients:
2 Lbs. New Potatoes, rinsed, dried, and halved
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 1/4 teaspoons Herbs de Provence (mixed dried French herbs) or dried Thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup pitted and coarsley chopped Kalamata Olives
1/2 small Red Onion, cut into thin slivers
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh Parsley
1 1/2 Tablespoons Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
1 small Garlic Clove, crushed
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Directions: Toss the Potatoes with 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and Herbs, a generous sprinkling of Salt, and a few grinds of Pepper. Place the Potatoes, cut side down, in a single layer on a lipped cookie sheet. Set the pan on the lowest rack of the cold oven; heat the oven to 450°F. Roast until the cut side is golden brown and Potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer Potatoes to a large bowl; add Olives, Onion, and Parsley.

In a 2-Cup glass measuring cup, whisk together the Vinegar, Mayonnaise, Garlic, a big pinch of Salt, and a couple of grinds of Pepper. Slowly whisk in remaining Oil. Pour dressing over warm Salad; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature for best flavor.

Serves 6.

Salad

2004-09-03T14:00:00.000+02:00

This was my atempt to make a really sofisticated looking salad. You can be the judge of if I actually acheived that or not...

Ingredients (per salad):
1 head of baby Romain Lettuce
1 English Cucumber
1 Tomato
your choice of Dressing

Directions:
Cut off the top of the baby Romain Lettuce, make sure to keep the leaves together

Mexican Layered Dip

2003-09-22T20:14:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
1 16-oz. (450 grams) cann of Refreied Beans
1 mixture of Taco Seasoning (see recipe bellow)
4-oz. (220 grams) Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Salasa (tomato based); click here for my personal recipe: Texas Salsa
2 Cups shredded Iceberg Lettuce
1/2 Cup chopped Tomato
1 Cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Green Onion, chopped
1/4 Cup chopped olives (I used Green Olives in this recipe, but Black Olives are best)
1 Dinner Plate
Tortilla Chips

Directions:
On one normal-sized Dinner Plate, spread the Refreied Beans. Sprinkle the Taco Seasoning onto the Refreied Beans. Spread the Sour Cream over the Refreied Beans and Taco Seasoning. Gently spread the Salsa over the Sour Cream. Sprinkle the Lettuce over the Salsa, and then sprinkle the shredded Cheese, Green Onions, and Olives, respectivly (ending with Olives). Scoop the dip up with Tortilla chips.

This is best if made one day ahead to let the Taco Seasoning flavors set in. But, it can also be eaten right away.

Taco Seasoning:
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Cayan Pepper
1/8 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Mix all spices and Salt together in a small bowl.

Deviled Eggs

2003-09-22T15:31:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
6 Eggs, hard-boiled
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/4 Cup Bacon chuncks and drippings

Directions:
De-sheel the Eggs, and vertically cut in half. Remove the yolks to a seperate bowl, careful not to break the white part. In a skillet, fry up the bacon peices. In the seperate bowl, mash the Egg Yolks, and mash-in Mayonnaise, Chili Powder, and Bacon. Re-stuff the Egg Whites with with mixtzre, and serve.

Salad Deliziosa

2003-09-22T15:30:00.001+02:00

Ingredients:
6 Artichoke Hearts (canned; in water), quartered
6 Palm Hearts (canned; in water), chopped
1 Avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 head Romain heart Lettuce, chopped
juice of 2 Lemons
4 tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 large heads of Endive (make sure it is in season, or it may be very bitter tasting)

Directions:
Place the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix together Lemon juice, Olive Oil, and Salt and Pepper.  Pour over salad; mix.  Remove the larger leaves from the Endivine and stick in the salad vertically so that people can pick them out.  Use the Endivine leaves to scoop the salad out and eat it.  Serve immediately.

Veggie Platter

2003-09-22T15:30:00.000+02:00

This is one of the easiest dishes to put together. Just neetly put together some freshly washed and cut vegetables that are good for dipping in a sauce or dip.

Here I have used, Broccoli, Celery, Cucumber, Carrots, and Cherry Tomatoes.

What a simple fruit can do

2003-09-22T15:29:00.000+02:00

Ingredients:
1 Pinneapple
5 Kamkuats

Directions:
Remove the skin from the Pinneapple. Cut the leafy top of the Pinneapple off and set asidefor later use. Cut the Pinneapple into large disks. In a 10-inch pie dish, place the leafy top of the Pinneapple in the center. Layer the Pinneapple disks around it. Place Kamkuats aroundthe base of the leafy top for decoration.

Spicey Chicken Wings

2003-09-22T13:59:00.000+02:00

This was a very daunting recipe for me the time. Living in Germany, it is very difficult to find the American products that I was accustomed to. Tabasco Sauce is available in Germany, but it is not my favorit condiment, and it is a bit pricey here.

*Usually, I list ingredients in exact amount, but it has been so long since Imade this recipe to the date I am posting it (slightly over 2 years), that I only remember the basics, but it is a very simple recipe that can be adjusted to you taste.

Ingredients:
Chicken Wings
Tabasco Sauce
Butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200°C (417°F). In a sauce pan mix Tabasco Sauce with Butter. If you add more Butter than Tabasco Sauce, the sauce will be mild. If you add more Tabasco Sauce than Butter, the sauce will be spicier. I suggest adding the butter a little at a time and tasting it until you have found the level of spice that you desire. Ok, so, melt these 2 ingredients in a sauce pan, remve form heat, and set aside.

On a cookie sheet (or multiple cookie sheets if you have more wings) place the chicken wings in rows, but make sure they are not layered on top of each other. Brush them each with the Sauce mixture that you just made. Place them in the oven and cook them brushing them with more sauce every 5 minutes until they are done. Once the wings are cooked, set the oven to "broil" or "grill" and grill the wings for 2-3 minutes. Watch them carefully at this stage because they could easily burn. The point of this step is to make them crispy because we have baked the wings and did not fry them, which would have given them a crispy crust.

Another variation on cooking the wings, which I have done time and time again, is to only broil or grill them. What I do is place them on a cookie sheet (upside down so that the bottom gets crispy first) and brush them with my suace mixture. Then, I place them in the oven on the "broil" or "Grill" setting for 10 minutes. Make sure that the cookie sheet is always in the middle level of the oven. Then, I turn the wings so that they are right-side-up, and I brush them with more sauce and place them back in the oven to continue "grilling" for another 10 minutes. At this point the Chicken wings should be cooked through. Brush on one last thick layer of sauce and, this time, place the cookie sheet on the top level of the oven and let the wings "grill" for 2-3 minutes, watching them carefully to make sure they don't burn.