German Pancake with Apples

We saw this recipe and it looked quick, easy and yummy! It was. The first recipe we made used a WHOLE stick of butter and turned out a bit too oily. We lost that recipe and made it a second time from a different recipe with it being even more yummy. We totally forgot to sprinkle the powder sugar on it though, that would make it only even better.
It is great for a weekend morning breakfast with either syrup or jam. Alona likes it with lingon berry preserves. The dough is yummy and flaky and the apples add an extra crunch and flavor to it. You could probably make it with other berries such as blueberries as well.

Here's the original recipe, although we added about half a cup of sugar to the dough because we didn't make the buttermilk syrup. You should adjust the sugar content to taste:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/german-pancake

Attempt 2

 The below pictures are from the first attempt, with WAY too much butter in our opinion.

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 cup WHOLE milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1-2 apples cut up into slices..or smaller, if you like
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat up oven to 400F
2. Combine eggs, milk, flour, salt and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Melt butter and pour into a large baking dish. Spread apple slices evenly on the bottom.
4. Pour the batter over the apple slices.
5. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes until golden brown. The apples will float up to the top and the sides of the "pancake" will fluff up.
6. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
7. Serve with syrup or jam. 

What we liked:

So quick and easy to make and it just bakes. Everyone gets a hot piece at the same time too. 

What we didn't like:

We didn't like the amount of sugar in the original recipe...so we changed it :) 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked it. Although, he was suspicious of the apple pieces. 

Next time:

No changes. Keep this modified recipe

Black Pepper and Herb Mashed Potatoes

We tried a new mashed potatoes recipe. This was good. The only missing thing might be some horseradish. It really adds to the potatoes if you mix some in.
It was really fun making a new mashed potatoes recipe and the red potatoes were great. The buttermilk was a new ingredient for us in mashed potatoes.

Here's the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/black-pepper-herb-mashed-potatoes 

The potatoes are in the upper left corner

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, quartered
1/2 cup whole buttermilk
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

horseradish to taste

Directions:

1. Steam the red potatoes for about 25 minutes, until cooked
2. Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer.
3. Mix until well combined
4. Add horseradish to taste.
5. Serve!

What we liked:

It was a great mashed potatoes recipe!

What we didn't like:

Needed the horseradish :) 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked it!

Next time:

add in the horseradish

Spice Rubbed Roast Beef Tenderloin with Red Wine Sauce

This year, for New Years, we made a tenderloin. We had never made tenderloin before and were extremely pleased with how great this came out. The sauce took quite a bit of work and was the best wine reduction sauce we had ever had. Looking back, for the amount of work it took, we would probably just go with a simpler horseradish cream sauce next time, but it was great to have for the special occasion! We do like our meat more on the done side and less on the bleedy side and this came out beautifully with melt in your mouth meat. For those more keen on the rarer meat, can definitely take it out of the oven earlier and it will be more rare than what we made.
We paired the dish with some Black Pepper and Herb Mashed Red Potatoes, the recipe for that will be in the next post.

We used a bottle of shiraz for the red wine sauce reduction. We omitted the mushrooms from the sauce..because Alona doesn't like em. The sauce was really good, but if you are making it same day, keep in mind that it does take at least a good hour to make it.

Here's the original recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/spice-rubbed-roast-beef-tenderloin-with-red-wine-sauce

Plated

Cut up and ready to eat!

The wine reduction sauce

Wine Reduction cooking

Herbed beef prepared the night before. 

Ingredients:

For the beef
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. ground fennel seed
1/2 tsp. caraway seeds, coarsely ground
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
2 2-1/2-lb. beef butt tenderloins, trimmed
For the sauce
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. olive oil or canola oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced shallot (1 medium)
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
Kosher salt
3 large sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns
1 750-ml bottle dry, hearty red wine,such as Shiraz or Zinfandel
2 cups lower-salt beef broth
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Season the beef the night before.
1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, thyme, fennel, caraway, 1 Tbs. salt, and 1-1/2 tsp. pepper.
2. Pat the tenderloins dry with paper towels and coat them with the spice mixture, using your hands to spread it evenly; it will sparsely cover the meat.

Roast the beef
1. If you’ve seasoned the beef ahead of time, remove it from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about an hour before roasting.
2. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
3. Arrange the roasts on a flat rack on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 120°F for rare , 125°F to 130°F for medium rare, or 135°F for medium, 40 to 50 minutes.

Make the sauce
1. Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter and the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot, sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
2. Cook, stirring often, until soft and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the thyme, peppercorns, and half of the wine.
3. Simmer briskly until the wine reduces and just covers the solids, 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Add the remaining wine and reduce again until the wine just covers the solids, 10 to 12 minutes more.
5. Add the beef broth and simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve set over a 1-quart measuring cup, pressing lightly on the solids.
6. If you have more than 1-1/2 cups liquid, return the sauce to the pan and simmer until reduced to 1-1/2 cups
7. Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in a 1-quart saucepan over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking often, until smooth and light beige in color, about 1 minute. Slowly add the wine reduction, whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking often, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve
If the sauce was made ahead, heat gently in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking a few times, until barely simmering.
Meanwhile, let the beef rest for 15 minutes before carving crosswise into thick slices. Slice only as much as you plan to serve right away (leftovers keep better unsliced). Spoon the sauce over each serving or pass at the table.

What we liked:

The tenderloin was spectacular. 

What we didn't like:

The sauce was probably not worth the time investment :) 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was not into the meat. He did like the mashed potatoes though. Astrid LOVED the meat. 

Next time:

Try a horseradish cream sauce instead. 

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