Celebrating Fourth of July with Family and Friends

 How do family and friends celebrate the Fourth of July? By pulling out all the stops to show their patriotism!

We have some amazing recipes this week to spice up your Independence Day bash!

Firecracker Salmon Rolls

• 1 tsp. canola oil (plus more for brushing dough)
• 1/2 lb. fresh salmon fillet
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp. chili garlic paste (in the Asian section), or to taste
• Salt and Pepper
• Phyllo Dough

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Cook spinach, carrots, scallions, garlic and ginger until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chili paste.  Set aside.

Cut salmon into 1 x 3-inch strips.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut stack of phyllo sheets crosswise in half.  Cover with a damp paper towel while you are working with them to prevent them from drying out.  Place 1 half sheet phyllo dough on a flat surface.  Brush with a small amount of oil.  Top with second half sheet of phyllo.  Place about 1 Tbsp. spinach mixture on short end of phyllo;  place salmon on top.

Roll up phyllo into a log and gently twist the ends to make a firecracker shape.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining phyllo and salmon.  Brush firecrackers lightly with oil and bake 18 to 20 minutes or until phyllo is crisp and golden brown.
 I like a sweet and sour dipping sauce for these rolls.  I used “A Taste of Thai” Sweet Red Chili Sauce.  

 Get your party going with these Lemon Drop Jello Shots!

Let the Fireworks Begin!

Celebrating Fourth of July with Family and Friends

 How do family and friends celebrate the Fourth of July? By pulling out all the stops to show their patriotism!

We have some amazing recipes this week to spice up your Independence Day bash!

Firecracker Salmon Rolls

• 1 tsp. canola oil (plus more for brushing dough)
• 1/2 lb. fresh salmon fillet
• 1 cup chopped fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
• 1 tsp. chili garlic paste (in the Asian section), or to taste
• Salt and Pepper
• Phyllo Dough

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Cook spinach, carrots, scallions, garlic and ginger until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in chili paste.  Set aside.

Cut salmon into 1 x 3-inch strips.  Heat oven to 375 degrees F.  Cut stack of phyllo sheets crosswise in half.  Cover with a damp paper towel while you are working with them to prevent them from drying out.  Place 1 half sheet phyllo dough on a flat surface.  Brush with a small amount of oil.  Top with second half sheet of phyllo.  Place about 1 Tbsp. spinach mixture on short end of phyllo;  place salmon on top.

Roll up phyllo into a log and gently twist the ends to make a firecracker shape.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining phyllo and salmon.  Brush firecrackers lightly with oil and bake 18 to 20 minutes or until phyllo is crisp and golden brown.
 I like a sweet and sour dipping sauce for these rolls.  I used “A Taste of Thai” Sweet Red Chili Sauce.  

 Get your party going with these Lemon Drop Jello Shots!

Let the Fireworks Begin!

I love sauerkraut.  Those of you who know me…know I can eat a sauerkraut sandwich and be a happy camper.  I do consider myself somewhat of a sauerkraut snob – no tin can sauerkraut – EVER!! See My Mom’s way of making sauerkraut. While European peasants preserved the cabbage with salt in an effort to keep hunger away during the dark months, their preservation fulfilled another need – nourishment.  The process of fermentation used to transform salt and cabbage into sauerkraut increases vitamins and is extraordinarily rich in beneficial bacteria.   Cabbage is cheap.  With the sales going on now for St. Patrick’s Day, I bought a small head of cabbage today for $.18 cents!  What can you buy these days for 18 cents?  With corned beef on the horizon and a good Reuben sandwich in my future, I decided to try and make some homemade sauerkraut.  Kraut is not any more difficult to make than coleslaw.  Everyone makes coleslaw, so don’t call me crazy.  You don’t need any special equipment and only two ingredients – cabbage and salt.

2 lbs. cabbage

2 Tbsp. sea salt

 Chop or slice the cabbage.  I sliced it as thin as possible.  Toss with salt.

Squish the cabbage with a potato masher (or your fist if it’s been a rough day) to start releasing the water from the cabbage.

Wait ten minutes.  Squish down again.

Continue waiting and squishing until there is about 1″ of liquid covering the cabbage (about 30 minutes).

If you don’t have enough liquid, mix 1 tsp. sea salt with 1 cup of water and stir to dissolve.

Transfer to a clean quart jar.
If you want to get fancy….get some labels  

I saved one piece of cabbage to add to the top of the cabbage to keep it submerged.

Set a small dish under the jar and leave it on the counter for 4 days with a lid on.**  That’s when the magic happens.  All the GOOD bacteria comes out to play.  It’s safe and people have done this for centuries.

If you see any scum or “bloom” remove.

Refrigerate and store up to 3 months.

~Adapted from Wild Fermentation

Makes 1 Quart

I met a lovely new friend at one of my Pampered Chef get-togethers who shared this amazing cheesecake recipe with me.  It’s light but very rich…whipped cream heaven!
Crust:  1-1/4 graham cracker crumbs            4 Tbsp. melted butter            3 Tbsp. sugar Combine all ingredients and press into springform pan or 10″ tube pan.  Refrigerate while you make the cream cheese filling.  Set aside 2 Tbsp. for garnish. Filling:

• 1 pkg. Lemon Jello (small box)
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 2 – 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Dissolve Jello in 1/2 cup boiling water.  Set aside to cool.  Whip 3 cups heavy cream until stiff.  In a clean bowl whip cream cheese until fluffy.  Add sugar, Jello and vanilla and mix well.  Fold in whipped cream.  Refrigerate overnight or until set.
~G. Billiams

This recipe was linked to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage 

and Sweets for Saturday
and So Sweet Sunday
and Cupcake Apothecary – A Themed Baker’s Sunday

Granny Smith apples add sweetness to this savory beer-braised pork chop dinner.  You can also substitute pears which would be just as delicious.  This is an old recipe that’s marked “Yugoslavian Pork Chops”. 

6 center cup pork chops, bone-in (3/4 to 1-inch thick)

1 clove garlic, sliced

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced

Salt and Pepper

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

2 cups lager beer

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Trim chops of any excess fat.  I cut off the tail of the chop and dice into small pieces.  Brown fat and pork pieces until golden brown and crispy.  Set aside.

In the pan drippings, brown chops and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

 Add garlic, onions and apples and saute until golden brown.

Add apple onion mixture to your baking pan.

Top with pork chops.

Melt butter in same skillet and add flour.  Cook for about 1 minute.

Add beer and bring to a simmer, scraping up any brown bits.  Cook over medium heat until slightly thickened.

Pour gravy over pork chops and apple and onions, cover and bake at 350 degrees F. for one hour.

Serve with mashed potatoes and Harvard Baby Beets.

Harvard Baby Beets

(sweet & sour)

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2-1/2 cups cooked baby beets

1 Tbsp. butter

Salt and pepper

Mix sugar and cornstarch.  Add water and vinegar and bring to a boil until thickened

Add beets and cook slowly stirring occasionally until beets are heated through.

Add butter and season with salt and pepper.

Quickly simmer a pot of soup to enjoy on a cool Spring evening.  The kind Germans call “Eintopf” – one pot meal.  Easy to make, easy to clean up, very economical and very, very delicious!

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 slices bacon, minced

1 large onion, minced

2 ribs celery, minced

 2 large carrots, peeled and minced

1 small celery root, peeled and minced*

Kosher salt to taste

2 Tbsp. flour

2 sprigs parsley

8 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

1 lb. green split peas, rinsed and drained

1 large smoked ham hock or smoked turkey leg

Freshly, ground pepper to taste

Put the oil and bacon into a 6 qt. pot and cook over medium-high heat until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate; set aside.  Add onion, celery, carrots, and celery root, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes.  Stir in flour; cook, stirring for 3 minutes.

Add parsley, thyme and bay leaves to the pot along with the peas, ham hock (I used the turkey leg because it’s a more milder smokey flavor) and 8 cups water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer, covered, until peas are very tender, about 1 hour.  Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves.  Add turkey meat if desired.  Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with reserved bacon.

*If you cannot find celery root or don’t care to use it, substitute, potatoes, or turnips!

Sharing with Easy Natural Food – Sunday Night Soup!

~Adapted from Saveur – Home Cooking from Around the World

Whenever I see those little Tastykake pies on the shelf – I grab ’em.  They seem to be dwindling away just like all the little packaged cakes we grew up with.  This is a version of one of my favorites – Pineapple Pie.

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup Crisco Shortening

1 Tbsp. melted butter

2 large cans Dole crushed pineapple

1-1/4 cups sugar

7 Tbsp. Minute Tapioca

In a medium sauce pan, bring crushed pineapple (with juice) sugar and tapioca to a boil.  Cook on medium low heat until thickened, about 10 minutes; let cool.

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar with Crisco as for pie crust.  Add milk to beaten eggs and vanilla.  Add to dry ingredients and mix.  Roll out half of the crust to fit a greased 11 x 16″ cookie sheet.  Spread cooled filling and cover with the other half of rolled dough.  When putting the top dough on, carefully roll it up on to your rolling pin and unroll onto filling.  You won’t be able to move it once you place it on the filling.  Crimp edges to hold in filling.  

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned.  Cool about 5 minutes and brush with 1 Tbsp. of melted butter.  Sprinkle liberally with confectioner’s sugar when cool and cut into squares.

This is one of those traditional Polish meals that has to be made in certain pots or pans.  You know what I mean don’t you?  Certain things HAVE to be cooked in certain pots.  I think that’s part of why it tastes so good – but mostly because its tradition and cooked with love.  There are sooo many names for stuffed cabbage.  Golabki, Holubki…as long as it has an “ki” at the end, it all boils down to stuffed cabbage – Eastern European cooking.  We always called it “gawumpki”.  From start to finish it takes about an hour to prepare and 3 hours to simmer or bake.  Tastes better the next day and freezes beautifully. Every family has there own version – this is how I remember my mom making them.
You will need:

• 1 large head of cabbage
• 1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 cup rice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. paprika (or to taste)
• 2 cups good quality tomato juice (or enough to cover cabbage rolls by at least 1″)
• 2 cans condensed tomato soup

Parboil cabbage in a large pot of simmering water, cutting leaves against the core and pull them off into the water and cook until pliable; about 5 minutes.

Let leaves cool slightly.

With a sharp knife, cut the thick membrane or stem off the back of each leaf, being careful not to cut through the leaf.  Lay the leaf down flat and keep your knife horizontal to slice off the thick part of the leaf.

Continue simmering the cabbage and removing leaves.

Any leaves that cannot be used at the end, reserve for later.

Reserve cooking water (yes, we are being very frugal here!)

Prepare Filling:

Saute onions in 4 Tbsp. butter until golden.
Cook 1 cup of rice in 1 cup of water with 1 tsp. salt for about 7-8 minutes.  Just parboil the rice.
Mix ground meats with sauteed onions and add rice.  Add Worcestershire, salt and pepper and paprika.  Add cooled rice and beaten eggs and mix well.  Hands come in handy.
Now we can roll:

Depending how big the leaves are, place about 1/2 cup of filling towards the end of the cabbage leaf.

Roll leaf up and over meat, fold in both sides and continue to roll into a bundle.

Arrange stuffed cabbage snugly in the pot.
Add any leftover cabbage leaves to the bottom of the pot.

If there is any meat leftover, just form them into meatballs and add to the pot. 

  Mix the tomato soup as directed.  Pour the tomato sauce over the cabbage.  Add tomato juice to cover.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Simmer, covered 2 to 2-1/2 hours.  If you want to bake them, bake at 325 degrees F. covered, for the same amount of time

Get Grandma’s Sauerkraut recipe here!
You can add sauerkraut to this recipe.

Grandma always served her stuffed cabbage rolls with home made mashed potatoes, adding the liquid from the stuffed cabbage rolls to the potatoes! YUMM! Small Batch Potato & Cheese Pierogi Melt in your Mouth Monday Blog Hop – Lots of great recipes!