December 2025

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!  

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!

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.

This recipe is a leftover  spaghetti make-over!  This frittata can be served hot, but tastes better at room temperature.  Great to have for lunch or even to take on a picnic.  No leftovers?  It’s worth boiling some fresh.

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or parsley
• 2 cups cooked spaghetti
• 1 cup cubed mozzarella or other cheese
• 1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Defrost and thaw spinach and squeeze out excess water.  In a frying pan heat 1 tsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter and saute onions and garlic until softened.  Add cooked spaghetti and toss to coat.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs.  Add the Parmigiano, salt and pepper and basil or parsley.  Add cubed mozzarella.  Add spinach to spaghetti mixture in the pan and saute for a few minutes.  Add egg mixture and smooth the top with a spatula.  Cook over medium-low heat until the frittata is browned on the bottom and set.  Invert a plate larger than the frying pan over the pan and turn out the frittata.  Heat the remining butter and olive oil in the pan, and return the frittata to the pan to brown the other side.  Carefully turn out the frittata and serve at room temperature with fresh sliced plum tomatoes or your favorite marinara sauce. Printer-Friendly Version
~Adapted from Ciao Italia

It was 18 degrees this morning – perfect excuse to put the oven on, make the kitchen toasty warm, and whip up the easiest, tastiest “sticky biscuits” you’ll ever enjoy.

Syrup

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until medium-brown

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Biscuits

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter

1 cup cold milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8″ square pan.

Chop the cooked bacon into 1/2″ pieces.  Combine the bacon with the remaining syrup ingredients, stirring until well combined.  Spread in the bottom of the prepared pan.

Whisk the dry ingredients for the biscuits together in a bowl.  Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.  Add the milk or buttermilk, stirring to make a sticky dough.

Drop the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls on top of the syrup in the pan.  Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes.  Turn the oven off, and leave them in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until golden.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a serving plate.  Lift off the pan, and scrape any syrup left in the pan onto the biscuits.  Pull biscuits apart to serve.

~Adapted from King Arthur Flour Cooks Note:  These do harden up a bit when cool.  Just pop in the microwave to 20-25 seconds to warm them.  You could also use 2 Tbsp. of the bacon fat instead of the butter in the syrup…………just saying……:o) Sharing with: Melt in your Mouth Monday 
Winter Breakfasts

Sometimes I get carried away with my cooking ethic:  Never throw any food away, and sometimes watching Food Network’s “Chopped” can come in handy and spark your imagination!  This next recipe came about with what I had left in the fridge.  Worthy of a holiday appetizer I’d say.

• 1 pkg. Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Dough
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pkg. frozen chopped broccoli
• 2 Tbsp. dry red wine (just take it out of your glass)
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 hot Italian sausages, cooked and diced
• 1 cup (1/2 shredded and 1/2 diced) Manchego cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• Coarse salt
• Sesame seeds

In a large frying pan, heat 3 Tbsp. of the oil.  Add the garlic and saute until soft.  Add the broccoli and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the wine and oregano and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.  Let cool. Unwrap refrigerated pizza and dough and stretch to fit your pan.  Lightly oil your baking sheet.  Brush the dough with the remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil.  Spread the broccoli mixture over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge.  Scatter the diced sausage and cheeses over the dough and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

  Starting with the long side, roll the dough up tightly like a jelly roll.  Pinch the seam to seal and position the roll so the seam is on the bottom; tuck the 2 ends under the roll.

Brush the top with a little olive and sprinkle with coarse salt and sesame seeds.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool slightly and cut into thick slices.

Of course you can substitue any ingredients in this recipes.

Pepperoni would be great, and of course, mozzarella or provolone.

The Manchego cheese adds a nice, sharp bite to this roll.

Have I been chopped?

Suggested Wine Pairing with Manchego – Merlot  ~Adapted from Ciao Italia
Sharing with Melt in your Mouth Mondays

If you think cookware would not make a great Christmas gift – think again?  Regular viewers of the Food Network and avid cooks know that you need good cookware to properly prepare meals.  Even newbies could use a good start.  Visit http://www.foodnetworkstore.com/ to find great deals on Calphalon Skillet Sets –
http://www.foodnetworkstore.com/s-89-Cookware.aspx. This cookware is the best you can buy and lasts a lifetime when properly cared for.  They can go from stovetop to oven and clean-up is a breeze.  I am intending to get this set for my son who just moved into a new apartment and needs to build up his cooking skills! (which he got from me by the way).