German Style Apple Pie

This is a recipe which has been in our family for quite some time. I grew up eating this apple pie at numerous birthday parties and other family occasions and I can tell you one thing about it. IT IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.
Here's the catch. In europe we make our pies in a so called Springform dish which is a 10" round cake pan with a removable (snap on) outer ring so you can easily remove the cake from the pan. If you do not have one of those Springform dishes please use two round aluminum pie dishes instead.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1/3 cup sugar
9 Tbs butter (equals 1 stick + 1 Tbs), soft but not melted
1 egg
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Filling:
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
3 gala apples, peeled, cored and chopped
* cut the apples however you prefer to eat them. Small chunks, little chunks or even grated with a large cheese grater. That does absolutely not matter. Also I usually add 1Tbs Rum and 1/4 tsp cinnamon to my apples but that is optional.

Crumbs:
1 cup flour, sifted
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter, soft but not melted
5 Tbs oats

1.) Preheat oven to 350 F
2.) In a medium size bowl combine egg, butter, sugar and vanilla and beat with a mixer until well blended. Add remaining ingredients and beat on high for 3 minutes. The dough will be a bit crumbly and rather solid.
3.) Place dough in the center of your Springform dish and use your hand to spread it evenly. The crust should be about 2,5 inches tall on the side of the Springform dish.
4.) Combine the chopped granny smith apples and the chopped gala apples in a bowl and blend well. You may now also add rum and cinnamon if desired
5.) Pour the apples in your pie dish and spread evenly
6.) In a medium size bowl combine butter, sugar, flour and oats and blend with a mixer for about 2 minutes. Then  crumble the mixture on top of your apples
7.) Bake for about 60 minutes or until the crumbs are golden brown in color. -> If you used two aluminum dishes instead it may already be done after 45 minutes!

Buon appetit

Porcupine Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 can of classic tomato sauce, 26oz (use your favorite brand)
1 cup water
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce


1lbs ground beef
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup white rice, uncooked
2/3 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp curry powder
1 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced

1.) Combine the tomato sauce, water, garlic, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce in your crockpot
2.) In a medium size bowl combine the beef, onions, rice, water, salt, pepper, curry, worcestershire sauce and garlic and blend well. Then form into 16-20 Meatballs (about the size of a golf ball)
3.) Heat some oil in a large skillet and fry the meatballs until they are well browned, then transfer them to the crockpot.
4.) Cook on high for 50 minutes, then turn the pot on low and let simmer for another 45 minutes or until the rice in the meatballs is cooked
5.) Makes 6 servings

Breakfast Casserole á la uncle Junie

My husbands great uncle Harry King Jr. "Junie" was famous for his delicious breakfast casserole. This is his recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

1lbs sausage (e.g. Jimmy Dean)
3 cups croutons
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbs ground mustard
4 eggs

1.) In a medium size skillet brown sausage, crumble and add into your casserole dish
2.) Pour the croutons over the crumbled sausage and spread them out evenly
3.) In a medium size bowl combine the milk, 1 cup shredded cheese, cream of mushroom soup, ground mustard and eggs and blend well with a wire whisk. Then pour the mixture over the croutons.
4.) Top with remaining cheese
5.) Cover with aluminum foil and let sit over night in the refrigerator
6.) Preheat oven to 350 and bake for 1 hour

This is easy to prepare the night before and taste super delish. And oddly enough it is even better if you serve it with maple syrup. Seriously! Just give it a try.

Lasagna

Here a easy and quick recipe for a fantastic Lasagna.

1lbs italian sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup dry red wine
26oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp salt

1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz mozzarella cheese, cut in tiny cubes (IMPORTANT: Use the fresh kind of Mozarrella that comes in a container with liquid like the one from BelGioioso)
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp freshly chopped basil
1/4 tsp mediterranean seasoning (McCormick Perfect Pinch)
1/4 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
about 9-12 sheets of no cook Lasagna noodles
2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer Mozzarella-Provolone mix from Sargento)

1.) In a large skillet crumble the sausage and cook until browned, then add the chopped onions and cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is cooked.
2.) Meanwhile combine cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, chopped mozzarella, garlic, basil, mediterranean seasoning, italian seasoning and salt & pepper in a medium size bowl and blend well. Then set aside
3.) When the sausage-onion mixture is cooked add the red wine, spaghetti sauce and 1/2 tsp of salt and let simmer on low for about 5 Minutes
4.) Use a 8" x 11" casserole dish and layer as follows:

- Sauce mix, just enough to barely cover the bottom of the pan

- 3 to 4 sheets of Lasagna noodles

- 1/2 of the cottage-ricotta cheese mixture

- 1/2 of the remaining sauce

- 3 to 4 sheets of Lasagna noodles

- remaining half of the cottage-ricotta cheese mixture

- 3 to 4 sheets of Lasagna Noodles

- rest of the tomato sauce

- top off with shredded cheese

5.) Preheat oven to 350 F and bake Lasagna for about 45 minutes
6.) Makes about 10 servings

Hamburger Patties

The BBQ season has started and we do love cooking out on the barbie a lot. This is by far the best way to prepare your hamburger patties. Don't worry about the tabasco sauce. It isn't spicy at all and even my 10 month old daughter can eat this. It's all about the flavor.

Ingredients:

1lbs ground beef
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed/minced
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp curry powder

1.) Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and mix with your hands until it's all well blended
2.) Split the meat in 4 equal pieces and form hamburger patties. Make the patties larger than your hamburger buns as they shink on the grill
3.) Prepare your Hamburger as desired
4.) Makes 4 servings

Salmon Filets in a Soy-Garlic Marinade

This is yet another one of those family favorites. My husband and the kids can't ever get enough of this. The coolest thing is that it is so flexible when it comes to the cooking part. You can throw it on the grill, make it in the oven (which I prefer) or use a skillet.  My family loves to eat this with jasmin rice and steamed peas & carrots but it also fits very well with my curried rice salad.

Ingredients:

4 salmon filets, about 5-6oz each
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup soy sauce (we like it best with the sodium reduced LaChoy soy sauce)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbs lemon juice
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced/crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
You'll also need a freezer bag to marinate the fish

1.) In a small bowl combine the water, oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, pepper and garlic and whisk with a wire whisk until well blended
2.) place the salmon filets in the freezer bag, add the marinade. Then sqeeze the excess air out of the freezer bag and seal it.
3.) Marinate the fish in the refrigerator for at least two hours or over night
4.) Preheat oven to 380 degrees; take the salmon filets out of the marinade and discard the liquid, place the salmon on a ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes on each side.
5.) If you choose to cook the fish on the grill be sure to oil the grill rack so that the filets doesn't stick, then grill for about 8 minutes on each side
6.) Makes 4 servings

If you have purchased salmon filets with skin please cook the skin side first for about 10-12 minutes, then cook the flesh side for 6-8 minutes. The salmon is fully cookes when it flakes easily with a fork

Brie en Croûte

This is probably the best starter for get togethers and parties. The good thing is that you can choose whether to make it sweet with a hint of jelly or savory with sauteed mushrooms and onions. And since it has to cool off for one hour before serving it is the most perfect little treat to bring to any party.

Ingredients:

13oz - 16oz round Brie cheese, don't remove the white rind
1 sheet Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 Tbs water

Filling #1:
4 Tbs cranberry jelly and 1/4 cup toasted and sliced almonds

Filling #2:
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms, 1/8 cup finely chopped onion and 1 Tbs fresh chopped parsley
~ heat 1 Tbs of olive oild in a medium size skillet and sautee the onions and mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes, add salt and pepper to taste; mix in the parsley just before placing the mixture on the puff pastry


1.) Preheat oven to 400
2.) Unfold thawed sheet of puff pastry and roll with a rolling pin until you have a 14" square
3.) Place the filling of your choice in the center of the puff pastry sheet; set the cheese on top of the filling
4.) In a small cup combine the egg with 1 Tbs of water and blend with a fork
5.) fold over all four corners of the pastry; brushing every seam with the egg wash to seal it and make it stick together
6.) Flip over the cheese bundle and place on a ungreased cookie sheet; brush with egg wash
7.) Bake for 20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown
8.) Let sit for 60 minutes before serving

You may serve this with your favorite crackers or with french baguette

This item is a MUST HAVE

This item is a MUST HAVE kitchen utensil if you want my recipes to turn out good. I find that store bought minced garlic is disgusting and it really doesn't hurt to use fresh ingredients.



I bought mine at IKEA for 8 bucks

Curried Rice Salad

I do like maccaroni salad as well as potato salad but sometimes you really do need a change. This salad is beyond believe delicious. It's fantastic with fish, chicken, brats and steaks. Probably the best way ever to get rid of leftover rice.

Ingredients:

2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled

1 medium cucumber, diced

1/2 cup onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

1 Tbs fresh parsley, minced

5 Tbs mayonnaise

2 Tbs canola oil

1 Tbs lemon juice

1-2 Tbs honey

1 tsp curry powder

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

salt and pepper to taste

1.) In a large bowl combine rice, cucumber, carrot, onion and parsley

2.) In a separate bowl combine  the rest of the ingredients with a wire whisk until well blended, then stir into the rice mixture

3.) The rice salad tastes better if you allow it to sit in the refrigerator for about two hours before serving; You might have to add some additional salt and pepper if you allow it to sit for a while