Borsch

Remember that greenhouse with the aquaponics system that we put together? Well we planted some plants and these beets were the first harvest! We made some borsh with the beets! It turned out really great. The beets were some heirloom kind which resulted in small roots and lots of leafy greens.

Ingredients:

1 lb of cubed beef
2 shredded carrots
about 1 lb of beets, shredded
beet greens, chopped
1 onion, chopped
beef broth or water
2-3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2-3 potatoes cubed
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream for serving

Directions:

1. Saute carrots and beets in a dutch oven until soft. Add in garlic and onions.
2. Add in the beef until browned.
3. Add in potatoes, tomato paste and cover with beef broth or water
4. Add in the chopped beet greens.
5. Cover and simmer until cooked about 30-40 minutes
6. Serve with sour cream.  

What we liked:

We loved using our first harvested beets from our aquaponics system!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was too suspicious to eat it. Well...it is a pink soup 

Next time:

No changes. 

Pelmeni with a Butter Dough

Pelmeni are a very traditional Russian food. They do take a while to make but on the upside, you make a lot of them, freeze them and have quick and easy meals for later. This time we tried a new recipe for the dough. This one had a lot of butter and resulted in very soft, almost melty pelmeni dough. It was MUCH easier to roll out but the pelmeni also had more of a tendency to fall apart as they boiled as well.
For the filling, you may do any combination you like. We like to use lamb and pork and beef mix. It is important that you chop your onions very small so they don't poke through the meat when making this.

This recipe has made the perfect meat to dough ratio, we didn't have one of the two left over at the end. It was perfect.

It is great served with sour cream or vinegar and salt and pepper!

Here's the original recipe that we took the dough from: http://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/appetizers/pelmeni/

Ingredients:

Dough:

2 cups of water
1 cup butter
1 tsp of salt
2 eggs
6 cups of flour

Meat Filling:

2 -3 lbs of ground meat - we used a half lamb half pork mixture
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground pepper
6 Tablespoons of warm water

Directions:

First, prepare the dough:
1. In a medium pot, bring the water and butter to a boil.
2. Add the salt and two cups of flour all at once. Mix vigorously with a wooden or silicon spoon.
3. Take off the heat, until the mixture is slightly cooled and add in the eggs.
4. Add the remaining four cups of flour. Mix until combined.
5. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 20 minutes.

Filling:
1. Mix together all ingredients until thoroughly mixed through and no clumps remain. Letting the meat get to room temperatures will make it easier to work with as your hands will not get cold mixing it.

Creating the Pelmeni:
1. Roll out the dough into large sheets and cut small circles out of the sheet. We like to use a template because it keeps all the pelmeni uniform.
2. Into each dough circle place a little bit of meat, do not overfill as it will not close and fall apart if you do.
3. Fold the dough circle in half (resulting in a half moon shape dumpling) Pinch the edges together.
4. take the two sides of the half moon and bring them together, pinching them together. The result will be a pelmen'!
5. Place finished dumpling onto a floured cookie sheet. Once cookie sheet is filled up place it in the freezer.

After you have done making all your pelmeni, or shortly before you finish, Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, bay leaves, garlic salt, and any other spices you like to the soup, especially if you plan on eating the broth. When the water boils. Add the pelmeni and stir. It is best to cook these in small batches using the same broth rather than in one huge batch all at once. The resulting broth from all the batches of cooked pelmeni will also be the best. After you add in the pelmeni, stir to make sure they don't stick to the bottom or sides of the pan. When they float up, about 5 minutes, the pelmeni are cooked and you can get them out.

Serve with sour cream, sprinkle with greens such as parsley on top. 

What we liked:

We loved trying a new dough recipe. It is always fun to get together with family and make a delicious meal. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, these were great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Both Kaspian and Astrid enjoyed these. 

Next time:

no changes needed. 

Turkey and Biscuit Bake

Well it's been a while and it's a new year! Things have gotten a little hectic and we have fallen behind updating!

This was a wonderful dish that was way better than a pot pie. We used left over turkey to make it but imagine that it would be just as delicious with chicken and the biscuits from scratch really make this dish yummy! We did add more veggies to the dish than the recipe called for and do not regret it at all!

Here's the original recipe: https://www.thespruce.com/turkey-and-biscuit-bake-3061833

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons chicken stock base
1/4 teaspoon  poultry seasoning
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups milk
3 cups diced turkey meat
2 cups mixed vegetables

Homemade Biscuits:
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup​ buttermilk
1 tablespoon butter (melted, for brushing the tops of the biscuits)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
2. Melt the 6 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until tender. Stir in the flour, chicken stock base, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk; cook, stirring, until the sauce mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in the diced cooked turkey and the vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is bubbly, about 5 minutes. Spoon the turkey mixture into the prepared large baking dish.

Biscuits:
1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar; whisk to blend dry ingredients thoroughly.
2. With a pastry blender or fingers, work the 6 tablespoons of butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture is moistened and the dough begins to hold together.
3. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just a few times, until a cohesive dough has formed. If necessary, work in a little more flour or buttermilk.
4. Don't overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough. Drop biscuits on top of the casserole and brush with melted butter.
5. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the casserole is bubbly.

What we liked:

Easy, quick and delicious!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was yummy

What Kaspian thought about it:

he liked the biscuits...as long as they didn't have any of the filling on them.

Next time:

no changes

Rice Cooker Fried Rice

This was Delicious! We used sesame oil in this recipe and it turned out sooo good. It does need a soy or soy/ginger sauce to make it perfect. It also reheats really well! We made some shrimp to go with it, but it could be great with a number of other dishes

Ingredients:

2 cups sushi rice
1-2 tablespoons of sesame oil
1 chopped onion
4-5 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon grated or chopped ginger
2 cups beef broth
1 cup frozen vegetables

Directions:

1. Set rice cooker to white rice
2. Add sesame oil. Add onions and garlic and ginger and cook until onions are softened, stirring as needed.
3. Add rice and frozen vegetables.
4. Add beef broth.
5. Cover and cook until done!
6. Serve with soy or any other sauce you like

What we liked:

So easy and good!

What we didn't like:

nothing, it was great

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was not into the rice,Astrid, however, LOVED it

Next time:

No changes needed

Astrid's Birthday Dinner

Astrid Turned 2 and we made her a birthday dinner. The recipes are all in previous posts, but here's a combined plate :)

Citrus Green Chile Turkey

We made a turkey for Astrid's Birthday dinner. We wanted to make it a citrus/soy with a hint of New Mexico - so we added some green chile to it. We made it in a bag and it turned out AMAZING. It was moist and yummy and well cooked! We completely made up the recipe and it was really great!

Ingredients:

18 lb turkey
turkey bag
2 onions, quartered and peeled
2 oranges, quartered
1 lemon quartered
1 cup soy
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons turkey herb seasoning (optional)
4 oz packet of green chile

Directions:

Preheat oven to about 350 F
1. Place defrosted turkey in a bag, making sure to remove all insides and gibblets and plastic bags that come with it.
2. Stuff with lemon, orange, and onion quarters. Ones that don't fit, just place on top and around.
3. Rub the Turkey seasoning on top.
4. Pour the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce around the turkey. Place the green chile on top.
5. Place the turkey in the oven and cook based on weight. Ours cooked for about 4.5 hours. 

What we liked:

It was really fun creating the recipe and the turkey tasted great!!!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great

What Kaspian thought about it:

He did not try it. 

Next time:

Definitely will make again!

Roasted Parmesan Herb Sweet Potatoes

We wanted to make sweet potatoes but didn't really want to make them sweet. We wanted to do a more savory dish with them. We found this recipe which was SUPER easy and really good. They reminded us of the sweet potato fries. Yummy! We cooked these at the same time as we did the roasted carrots and radishes and it turned out great with both dishes coming out at the same time.

Here is the original recipe: https://www.pumpkinnspice.com/roasted-parmesan-herb-sweet-potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Add diced potatoes to a baking dish.
3. Add oil, cheese italian seasoning and garlic powder to the potatoes and mix.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. The potatoes should be soft.

What we liked:

It was very good and a great new dish to try!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. Initially, we followed the recipe and mixed all the oil, cheese and garlic powder and seasoning in a separate bowl, but this made it clumpy and hard to mix into the sweet potatoes. Pouring the ingredients over the potatoes seemed to work much better. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He didn't seem to have an opinion. 

Next time:

NO change needed! Definitely a keeper!