Okay, all of you readers with “stellar” talents, now is the time to share your favorite recipes – especially those you would make for Easter celebrations, but any others that you would like to share.
Menagerie says:
I’m on an international recipe kick. Czechoslovakian bread, Danish aebleskivers, French-Canadian tourtière, Irish stews and Guiness pies, German beer chees soups. I need a Russian recipe and I don’t think I want to try borscht. 😀
Hey Stella, how about doing a pre-Easter international recipe thread? Lots of people still love their ethnic foods on holidays. I don’t know where hot cross buns originated, but Europe I assume? Can’t believe I’ve never made those.
Anyhow, it might be fun.
So, whether or not you have an ethnic food recipe passed down from your grandmother (or your wife’s grandmother), or you have a fun recipe that you enjoy preparing with your children or grandchildren, please share!
And nyet MUST somehow produce the recipe for his wife’s apple tart. We NEED it!
I saw one this week that might be fun to do with the kids:
http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/04/no-bake-chocolate-egg-nest-cookies/
Stella's Place 
Time to pony up nyet!
This link leads to a Williams Sonoma page with five great aebleskiver recipes, including a bacon cheddar one. I haven’t made that one yet. My family’s favorite is the lemon mascarpone, but we also like to use red raspberry jelly, and I recently discovered that using a bit of that jelly with the lemon mix is delicious. I also fill them with Nutella, peach preserves, and any home made jams or jellies I get from a relative.
I had never heard of aebleskivers, or ebelskivers as they are sometimes spelled until I volunteered at Pioneer Days at our local Audubon property last fall. One of the demonstrations was cooking over an open fire in a huge cast iron Dutch oven. I got to talking with one of the ladies volunteering, and she told me about finding an antique aebleskiver pan, and how she had used her knitting needles to turn the little balls.
You can find the pans on eBay or Amazon. I chose cast iron because I like cooking in it, but I live in a small log cabin with limited storage space, so I decorate my kitchen by hanging my cast iron skillets from the beams. Looks great, and I have easy access. Stella chose another type, so she could give you more info on that. They aren’t very expensive. You do use a knitting needle or a wooden skewer to gently rotate the balls. Sometimes I just use the edge of a butter knife and that works well.
These things are really easy and great fun to make. There are you tube videos showing you how if you are interested. It looks difficult but it isn’t. It has become a favorite treat for us on holidays and special occasions, not only because they are delicious, but because they are great fun for me to make. The last time I did it I had family seated at the kitchen bar watching me cook, and lurking all around, waiting for their favorite version. They are much better when served right after cooking.
I highly recommend you try these and find your favorite version!
http://blog.williams-sonoma.com/morning-glory-our-top-rated-ebelskiver-pancakes/
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Menagerie is right – these are fun to make and yummy to eat! I have tried the plain ones and the ones with chunky applesauce in the center (home made). My pan is made of cast aluminum and is non-stick (made by Nordic Ware), and I use chopsticks to turn them. I think they are supposed to be round, but mine are more flattened (wider than thick).
This is an example of what they look like:
This is a pan:
Here is a video:
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This video keeps it simple,
Ebelskiver for Dummies. 😉
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Sharlotka – Russian Apple Pie/Cake – Шарлотка с Яблоками
I thought I could cheat and just post from the web, but she’s not using sugar, and I am not sure about the flower. I haven’t been watching really, but I haven’t seen any signs that flower was used.
The oldest brought home a half gallon mason jar of raw honey last year and I saw a part of that was dumped into the batter. No measuring devices were used. I’ll ask her, but I’m not anticipating a clear answer.
Google “Шарлотка с Яблоками” and look at the images. There are thousands of different variations.
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You had better start being sweet and complimentary, and get some clear details nyet. Noting is as good as an old family recipe. We can google it for how, then use her tips. Get busy!
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I told her I was receiving death threats over the Internet and had to have her recipe to save my life. She just looked at me and smiled. Not a word.
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The envelopes, idgit. That means stuff an envelope.
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We are between scheduled envelopes and any additional envelopes will create a new expectation. I only have so many knees available if expectations are not met.
I suppose I could start a go fund me or something. “Help Nyet keep his knees – donate today!”
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Forgot my 😀
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Think Beatles and bribe
her – a girl’s best friend. 😉
Люси в небесах с алмазами
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3 large eggs
3 med apples (can be anything, blueberries)
2 cups sour cream (500g – she still uses metric for everything and I have to translate)
1 cup sugar or honey (honeys not really sweet)
1 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vinegar
Bake at 400F for 1/2 hour (electric oven)
Then she went on about using coco, adding nuts, or if more guests showed up how much to add of one or more ingredients. Then she said, ‘Always remember everything is in threes. Three, three, and three.’ I know she was talking about the recipe, but I’m only seeing two groups of three items there.
Good luck with that.
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Thanks nyet, this goes in the file and I may make it Easter Sunday. I’m excited! Now I haz my Russian recipe. 😀
Tell her thanks!
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Yummo! Thanks Nyet that sounds delicious. I have family coming tomorrow so I may take the challenge and give it a try.
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The video mentions three’s.
“Sift the flour into the foamy egg mixture in three increments.”
Perhaps? 😉
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This seems close and has pictures.
http://natashaskitchen.com/2014/12/04/apple-sharlotka-recipe-russian-apple-cake/
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I’m betting her addition of sour cream makes it a lot better!
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Here’s a meat pie recipe. I found out about this one from a lady I met through volunteeriing at church. She hailed from Massachusetts and had the very strangest most delightful accent! Certainly different from our Georgia drawl. These meat pies were a longtime family favorite for her relatives, and I think she said they came down from French Canadian relatives. I was unable to get a recipe from her, so I googled it, and I have made these things several times. They are great with a good green salad for supper.
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/recipe/memere-rousseaus-tourtiere-meat-pie#_
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Here is The Pioneer Woman’s hot cross bun recipe. She says they are a family favorite for Good Friday, and there is a tradition of having them that day. I wasn’t aware of that. We Catholics fast on Good Friday, so if I make these, it will be for Easter Sunday.
I’m betting this is as good as all her other recipes!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/hot-cross-buns/
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Here is on other family favorite. I am a bread snob. I have been making home made breads for close to forty years, and I do it more for the love of the art, and I do consider it an art, and for my family, than actual love of the bread. I have such good memories of baking an oven full of bread, with my husband and young sons sniffing around the edges of the room like vultures. I always banished them from the kitchen until it was done, lest the boys get into one of their spontaneous wrestling matches and make the bread fall. Once our Golden Retriever attacked my sour dough starter as it was “breathing”, gently rising and falling.
This recipe came to me from a young man of Czechoslovakian ancestry. His grandmother prepared a Christmas Eve dinner of ethnic dishes and this bread. He said she called it longoushi, and was not sure of the spelling. I have never been able to google it and find anything about it, even changing the spelling on it.
It’s a delicious bread, always a holiday favorite at my house. Incidentally, it’s great with that German cheese beer soup I mentioned too.
3 cups lukewarm potato water from boiling peeled potatoes
1.5 tablespoons yeast
1.5 tablespoons kosher salt
1.5 tablespoons caraway seeds
1 cup rye flour
1 cup unableached King Arthur white whole wheat flour
4 cups unableached King Arthur white flour
.5 cup potato flour
Grated cheese to top the loaves
Combine the potato water and first three ingredients. Combine the flours without kneading, using a big spoon or stand mixer with dough hook. (I just do it by hand with a spoon.) When mixed well place in a large plastic tub with lid loosely over it to allow air flow and allow to rise about two hours, until dough rises, collapses, and flattens on top. Place tub in fridge for three hours, or you can store dough for a week or two.
When ready to bake, remove dough and roll into balls, place in oiled bread pans with lids. (I use my glass pans and aluminum foil.) Let rise 1-2 hours until doubled in size. Cover with grated cheese. (We like cheddar, but others are good too.) The foil or lid should only loosely cover bread while it rises.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and cook bread on middle rack 35 minutes or until brown and firm. I usually remove the foil about ten mitnutes before I take them out. Also, since the bread is baked covered, I make smaller loaves so that in rising they won’t stick to the lid or foil.
This is a rich and aromatic bread, great with a holiday dinner, but I love it with soups and stews as well. My husband and sons have come to expect this at every special occasion. I have to make about six to eight big loaves to have enough.
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OK. The top picture is obviously from michellc and there is a funny story about the chickens getting into her kitchen forthcoming, right? 🙂
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Nope, don’t let chickens in my kitchen.
I can tell you a story related to chickens though. When my kids were small, we rarely dyed eggs because our eggs come in all colors. We have blue eggs, green eggs, olive eggs, pink eggs, dark brown, light brown, tan and cream eggs and we even have spotted eggs. For the longest time my kids didn’t know the difference, they had fun putting stickers on the eggs and doing their own artwork with crayons.
Then one year all the kids had to bring their own Easter eggs to Church and all the kids started asking them what colors they mixed to get those colors. It confused my little rugrats and they told them that the chickens colored their eggs, they didn’t and then they came to me and asked what those kids were talking about.
So I had to go to the store and buy white eggs, so the kids could dye eggs. Then we bought chickens that lay white eggs so every year they could dye eggs.
This year I asked my daughter if she had any food coloring and she said she wasn’t dying eggs until he got old enough to want to dye eggs and it was dumb to dye eggs that were already colored. Then she asked me why I started making them dye eggs. Kids certainly have different memories than parents. lol
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“Kids certainly have different memories than parents.”
IKR? I swear I beat my children. They don’t seem to remember it though, because they kept doing the stuff they got beat for!
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LOL
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Just for you, here is Martha Stewart’s recipe for Greek Easter bread (Tsoureki):
http://www.marthastewart.com/1073522/tsoureki-greek-easter-bread
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Here’s the Italian version (the one with sprinkles):
http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2014/04/italian-easter-bread.html
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This one looks good too.
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/polishdesserts/r/kolaczki.htm
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Those are good. The dough is similar to one I used to make for thumbprint cookies.
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Hmm. I wonder if it would work for my super duper top favorite Christmas cookie. It’s a sugar cookie rolled into a small ball to bake, then topped with a cream cheese nut mixture and topped with melted chocolate that hardens. The original recipe is too hard to make. If the weather isn’t perfect, the cookies seriously just run all over the pan and look like baked crepes.
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How do you guys boil eggs? For such a simple thing, I’ve had trouble getting perfect eggs. What works best for me is bringing the water to a boil, then putting the eggs in. I have almost never had the eggs be hard to peel after finding that tip.
I also found tips that say adding vinegar or baking soda helps, but the one above has been the most reliable way.
My husband looooves deviled eggs? Anyone have a favorite recipe to share?
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I just heard that cooking your eggs in a steamer instead of boiling water turns out perfect eggs. Don’t have any details though.
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http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_steam_eggs/
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I was looking for something else to post, but this was interesting….
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I love the plastic bottle tip, and how to make sunny side up eggs. Cool video nyet!
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I throw ’em in regular tap water, bring it to a roiling boil for 3 – 5 minutes, slap a lid on ’em turn the burner off and let them sit 15 minutes. 3-ish minutes for 6 eggs, 5-ish minutes for a dozen or more.
Then, after the 15 minutes, cool quickly and peel immediately. Put eggs in fridge for at least 3 hours before deviling. Lately I’ve been using a combination of recipes – for both egg salad and deviled eggs.
Mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and paprika Teh Momma used to call the paprika “the devil” in deviled eggs. 😉
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That’s pretty much how I boil my eggs as well, it doesn’t always make easy to peel eggs, but I’ve never found any way that will always make fresh eggs peel easy.
I always make my deviled eggs when it’s all still warm because my daughter would never eat them after they were refrigerated. We always called them angel eggs though because the kids thought calling them deviled eggs made them evil. lol
Mine is pretty basic, mustard, mayo, salt, pepper, sweet and dill relish, finely diced onions and sprinkle paprika on them after they’re made. I couldn’t tell you how much of anything though because I add until it looks good, taste and either leave alone or add more.
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Yup – the ol’ taste test is required. 😀
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I will probably make panettone, but in the bread machine. The recipe I have turns out perfect every time (make in a 2 lb capacity bread maker, although I have recipes for 1 and 1-1/2 lb loaves):
2/3 C room temp milk
1/3 C unsalted butter, room temp, cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 large eggs, room temp, lightly beaten
1 TB orange zest
1 tsp salt
1/3 C granulated sugar
3-1/3 C (14.25 oz) bread flour
1-1/4 tsp anise seed
3/4 tsp ground nutmeg (best if freshly ground)
2-1/4 tsp instant or active dry yeast
1 C mixed dried fruit (golden raisin, citron, dried peel, or any combo of same)
Place the milk, butter, eggs, zest, salt, sugar, bread flour, anise seed, nutmeg and yeast, in the order listed, in the bread pan. Put the bread pan in the bread maker. Select “sweet bread” cycle (my machine). Press start button. When the “mix-in” ton sound (or when the bread
is mostly mixed, before risehas risen once, and been deflated, before the second rise) add the mixed fruit.Of course, you could make this by hand, or in a stand mixer. Here is a traditional, overnight, recipe for Panettone. This bread is seriously delicious, and really good toasted as well:
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/overnight-panettone-recipe
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Easter chicks deviled eggs!
http://athriftymom.com/easter-chicks-deviled-eggs-diy-simple-money-saving-recipe/
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Cute!
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My favorite side dish for special occasions with a roast or ham is a potato and cheese gratin. This is the recipe that I use.
6 medium red or yellow potatoes (I use Yukon gold)
1 clove garlic, cut in half
1 TB soft unsalted butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 oz grated Gruyere or Comte cheese (about a 1/2 cup)
3/4 C heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375F and put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven.
Peel the potatoes, and slice very thinly (I use a mandolin, but you can do this by hand if you have a good knife and good knife skills). Put the potato slices in a bowl of cold water.
Rub a 9×13″ baking dish with the cut surface of the garlic, and then coat it thoroughly with the soft butter. Dry the potato slices well with paper towels.
Starting at one end of the prepared dish, using half of the potatoes, place rows of the potatoes, overlapping each preceding row one-third with the next row. Lightly salt and pepper the layer and sprinkle with half the cheese. Starting at the other end, repeat the layer of potatoes, using them up, then repeat with salt, pepper, and the rest of the cheese. Pour the cream over. NOTE: You can use more cheese, if you want to. I often do.
Bake for 20-30 minutes on the top shelf of your oven. Serve immediately.
PS: On two occasions I have made this dish and FORGOT to put the cream in. It was still delicious! (Gruyere is good no matter what)
PS2: I made this one Christmas when I had my SIL’s mother for dinner. She took the baking dish and scraped every bit of potato she could find, and ate it! It is very simple to make and delicious.
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This isn’t an Easter recipe, but a friend gave it to me and I really like it because it’s easy to make for one or two or a big crowd. After years of cooking for three kids and usually their friends it’s hard now to cook for two and half the time I still cook too much and tell them to come over for dinner. lol
Amounts depend on how much you’re making.
Potatoes peeled and quartered, if I use Yukon I don’t peel.
Boneless, skinless chicken cut into bite size pieces
Melted butter
Olive Oil
Hot Sauce
Chipotle Powder
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Kosher or Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Cajun Chicken Seasoning
Paprika
Parsley (Chopped or dried)
Parmesan
Cheddar, Colby, or your favorite cheese grated
Green onions, chopped
Fried bacon, chopped
Ranch Dressing
Mix melted butter and about quarter amount of olive oil compared to butter, hot sauce, chipotle, garlic, onion, paprika and parsley. Coat potatoes in this mixture. Place in casserole dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400*, turning every 15 minutes until crispy on outside and tender on inside. Season chicken with Cajun Chicken seasoning and black pepper and place in the leftover mixture and refrigerate until the potatoes are almost done. Saute chicken in bacon grease and add to done potatoes. Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then cheddar or whatever cheese you’re using, then chopped bacon, then ranch and green onions and bake until cheese is melted.
It’s a meal all by itself and if you don’t like cheese or can’t eat cheese you can leave it out. I’ve also added veggies to it and I’ve made just the potatoes for a side dish without the chicken.
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Thanks for all the delicious recipes. I always feel guilty about recipe threads because I cook without measuring so I have a hard time sharing my recipes.
This is from a Calabrian grandma who would be 112 if she were alive today. She wouldn’t give me her recipe but I learned from her granddaughters what they learned from watching her.
Calabrian Kalamata Olives
About 1 pound of Kalamata olives
2 – 3 fresh garlic cloves (grated)
Enough extra virgin olive oil to marinate olives and sauté peppers
Half lemon
1 medium Red Pepper diced
Rinse Kalamata Olives and let rest on paper towels for 3 hours.
Meanwhile sauté red pepper in EVOO, about 1 minute before the peppers are done add grated garlic cloves to peppers and oil. After garlic has sautéed for about a minute add about half a cup of EVOO and heat until just warm.
Once Olives have dried transfer them to a glass bowl. Pour the sautéed red peppers/garlic over the olives including the oil they were sautéed in.
Squeeze the juice from half lemon over olives.
Let marinate over night.
Eat and be merry.
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This goes great with Easter ham. It is the one thing that my family always requests that I make for any gathering. I make a huge amount so people can take some home so you can easily cut portions so has not to have a tub of it.
Pasta Salad
1 1/2 pound tri colored rotini pasta
1/2 sweet onion (julienned)
About 3 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2 large red peppers (diced into 1 inch squares)
1 large green pepper (diced into 1 inch squares)
About 1/2 pound broccoli tops
1 -2 can(s) pitted black olives drained
2 – 3 garlic cloves grated
2 small – medium zucchinis diced into triangles
1 pound cherry tomatoes
Salt
Parmesan/Romano/Pecorino cheese (one or all three whatever you like)
– – –
Boil Pasta in salted water, drain and transfer to large glass bowl.
Boil Broccoli for 2 minute in salted water that does not quite cover flower heads. Drain broccoli.
Toss broccoli, tomatoes, olives and onions in with pasta. Mix well.
Steam spinach, add to pasta mix.
Sauté peppers and zucchini in Extra Virgin Olive Oil, one minute before peppers, zucchini are done add grated garlic.
Add about 1/2 cup of EVOO to sauté mix until warm and add entire mixture to pasta mix. Stir well.
Save in fridge. Best served with the chill taken off and fresh grated parmesan/Romano cheese.
– – –
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This is a good dish for a buffet, as it is actually best at room temperature. Very good with ham, and asparagus is in season!
Asparagus & Rice Salad
1 C. uncooked long-grain White Rice (I usually use Basmati)
1 Lb. Asparagus trimmed and cut diagonally in 1″ pieces
1/4 C. Pignoli (pine nuts)
1/4 C. Mild-flavored Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tb. Freshly squeezed Lime or Lemon juice
1 Tsp. Grated Lime or Lemon zest
1/2 Tsp. Salt
Freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
1/2 C. Trimmed Green Onions sliced thin diagonally
6 thick curls Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (see note)
Instructions:
Stir the rice into 2 cups boiling salted water. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand uncovered, until slightly cooled. Fluff with a fork.
Meanwhile, place the asparagus in a vegetable steamer over simmering water. Steam, covered until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Lift the steamer from the saucepan, then rinse the asparagus with cold water. Drain and cool.
Toast the pine nuts in a small, heavy, dry skillet over low heat about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden. Watch constantly! Not even your dog will eat burned pine nuts.
Whisk together the oil, juice, zest, salt, and pepper until blended in a large bowl. Add the rice, asparagus and green onions and toss to blend. Spoon into a large platter or shallow bowl. Sprinkle with the toasted pignoli and curls of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Makes 4-6 servings.
NOTE: To make the curls, use a vegetable peeler to shave a wedge of Parmigiano.
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