The Charmed Kitchen

Blueberry Kolachy

I have fond memories of making these delicate cookies with my Mother. I think of her every time I make them.  I made a batch for a cooking class the other night, using homemade blueberry pie filling. I have also used cherry, fig, apple and nut fillings. I made my own blueberry pie filling, but you could use store bought, if you prefer. You can also finish off the cookies with a light dusting of powdered sugar, if you like.

Blueberry Kolachy

Dough

3 sticks butter

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

3 cups flour

Blueberry Filling– recipe follows

Powdered sugar, optional

Mix dough ingredients together and chill well before using.

Roll out chilled dough into squares or circles. Spoon a little blueberry filling into the center and pinch 2 ends or corners together. Bake in 350-degree oven for about 12 minutes, or until golden on edges. Cool and dust with powdered sugar. Makes 4-5 dozen.

Blueberry Pie Filling

3 1/2 c. blueberries

3/4 c. sugar, or to taste

1/4 c. Clear Gel*

1 c. water

1 T. lemon juice

In saucepan, bring blueberries and sugar to a boil, stirring often. Combine clear gel with water and lemon juice and add to the blueberry mixture. Return to the boil and cook until thickened and bubbly. Makes 4 cups. You might not need the whole batch for the cookies.

*Clear gel is a modified cornstarch. It is used in commercial pie fillings and in homemade pie fillings, as well. Unlike regular cornstarch, Clear Gel retains it’s thickness, even if you reheat it. You can find it online or in some specialty food stores.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

I taught a class last night called My Mother’s Polish Kitchen. It is always a favorite class of mine, because it gives me a chance to remember my mom, and to share some of her recipes. This cabbage dish was a favorite of hers. Some years ago, I had gotten after her to get her recipes down, so they would not be lost. Eventually we put together a cookbook of her recipes to share with family and friends. I encourage all of you to do the same. Get those family recipes together.

This cabbage dish is great served with pierogi, or a roast chicken or pork chops. If you cut the cabbage into small pieces, you can also use it as a filling for pierogi. The recipe calls for using a paste-type soup base for flavoring. This was a little change from how my Mom made it, but it was hard to explain what she really did. Using the soup base, was a way anyone could make this cabbage dish. Every time my mom roasted a chicken or maybe a pork roast, she would save all the drippings from the pan. She’d strain them and chill it to remove the fat. She would take the drippings and pop them in a container in the freezer. Once she had a “nice amount”, she would use it to flavor the cabbage. You can see why we used the alternative soup base directions. You could also use chicken or vegetable stock, in place of the water for more flavor.

Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

3 lbs. sliced cabbage, about a 3 ½ lb. head or 3 lbs. Cole slaw mix
1 onion, sliced
1 T. oil, butter, margarine or even bacon fat
3 c. water
1 T. paste type soup base or to taste
½ t. thyme
1 t. dillweed
1 t. marjoram
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
2 T. sugar
½ c. catsup
1 c. water
¼ c. flour

Sauté onion in oil until wilted. Bring water to boil in large pot. Add soup base and add cabbage. Stir in onions and remaining ingredients, except for the 1 cup of water and flour and cook, uncovered until cabbage is tender. This can take from 15-25 minutes, depending on the age of the cabbage and the size of the pieces. In jar with a tight- fitting lid combine remaining water and flour and shake until smooth. Add to cabbage mixture and cook, stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes. Adjust seasonings. This dish is great served alone, or with pork or chicken dishes or with potatoes.

Won Ton Soup

As part of our Chinese New Year dinner the other night, I was in charge of soup. I decided to go with one of my childhood favorites- Wonton Soup. I figured it was a soup everybody would like. The one problem I find, when trying to make this soup at home, is finding wonton wrappers that are thick enough. The square ones I find at the store are OK, but thinner than the ones in wonton soup at a restaurant. At a local Asian grocery, I have found round wrappers that are labelled for dumplings, and are thicker. That is what I used. They worked out better. You can play around with fillings, too. I used shrimp this time, but have also used chicken and pork as fillings for the wontons.

Wonton Soup

¾ lb. pork chops
1 head bok choy
3 T. hoisen sauce
8 oz. cooked shrimp, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
24 won ton wrappers
2 qts. chicken stock
1 t. ginger
1 t. hot pepper sauce
Chopped green onions
Sesame oil

Bake the pork until cooked. I used boneless pork chops and seasoned them with salt, pepper and garlic. Once cooled, I cut it into thin strips. Set aside until needed for the soup. I then took stems from the bok choy and minced enough of them to make 1 cup. Combine the minced shrimp with minced bok choy, the hoisen and the garlic. This is the filling for your wontons. Slice more of the bok choy- using mainly the leaves, into thin shreds. This will go into the soup later, along with the strips of pork. You should have at least a couple of cups of the shredded bok choy, but more is OK, too. To make the wontons place one on your work surface and spoon a rounded teaspoon of the filling into the middle of it. Moisten edge with water, fold in half and press to seal. I used round wrappers, but square wrappers are fine, too. Repeat with remaining wontons and fillings until done. Bring stock to a boil and add the ginger and hot sauce. Add the bok choy to the simmering stock. Simmer gently for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the strips of pork and the wontons. Cook about 4-5 minutes longer. Finish soup with chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. Serves 6-8.

Banana Oatmeal Bread

Funny how things work out in the end. I wasn’t planning on making banana bread, but I did. It all had to do with Chinese New Year. This will all make sense, I promise.

We had delayed celebrating Chinese New Year because a couple of friends were out of the country. Once they came home, my friend Amy and I started planning the menu. You have to understand Amy, to know that the whole dinner theme had to work. You see, it is the Year of the Monkey. She wanted at least one thing to have some monkey reference to it. Amy thought maybe a banana dessert, and I had suggested monkey bread. This was all pretty last minute, so I picked up bananas at the store, just in case.

In the end, I made the monkey bread, but forgot about the bananas. I found them last night, still in the grocery bag, all nice and ripe- so I made the banana oatmeal bread. I didn’t need the bread. I could have frozen the bananas and made it at some later date. It had been a long day and I was really tired.  But for some reason I made it anyway.

This morning, I get a call from my brother. He wanted some baked gift for a neighbor who had done something nice for him. Could I help him out? I could, indeed. He seemed pretty impressed when I dropped it off 10 minutes later.

I don’t think there is any deep message here, or special meaning. It’s just that sometimes, things work out. It feels good when it happens.

The bread is actually a really nice recipe. Moist, not too sweet, and a little extra boost of fiber from the oatmeal. It can be a dessert, snack or breakfast. It freezes well, too. So if you have a lot of bananas, make a couple and freeze one for later.

Banana Oatmeal Bread

½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed bananas
1 t. vanilla extract
1½ c. flour
½ t. baking soda
½ t. salt
½ c. oats, regular or quick cooking
½ c. chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350-degrees and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time until well mixed. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to banana mixture. Beat well and stir in oats and nuts. Place batter in prepared pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool 10 minutes and remove to cooling rack. Makes 1 loaf.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

When pumpkin and winter squash were all over the place in the Fall, I stocked up. I have used quite a few of them up, but there are still some hanging around. I decided to cook one of the pumpkins up last night. After baking it, and scraping out all the yummy insides, I pureed it and put it in smaller containers to freeze. I did save some, though, to make waffles for breakfast.  This is a simple and tasty recipe that will make breakfast special. Because of the pumpkin- or cooked squash-  in the batter, these waffles need to be cooked until golden brown to be crispy. They just don’t get as crispy as other waffles, if you don’t cook them long enough. I love them with maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar. They would also be great as the base for chicken and waffles. Of course, you could use canned pumpkin, if you like.

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

¾ c. mashed, cooked pumpkin or winter squash
½ c. flour
1 egg, beaten
¾ c. half and half or milk
1 T. melted butter or oil
1 tsp. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
½ t. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
Pinch of cloves

Combine all ingredients, mixing until smooth. Cook in prepared waffle iron until golden brown.

Citrus Honey Dressing on Fresh Greens

This simple to make citrus and honey dressing is a great addition to any tossed salad. You can also use it as a glaze on meats, or even as a dipping sauce. In this dressing, the combination of juices, zest, honey and fresh basil works on green salads and fruit salads alike. I really prefer homemade dressings for my salad. They are easy to make, and I get to control what goes in them. This one is great to have on hand in the fridge. Just shake it up and it’s ready to serve.

Citrus Honey Dressing

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1t. lemon zest
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon honey
2 T. chopped fresh basil
1 T. white wine vinegar

In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, orange juice, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, honey, basil, and vinegar. Seal and shake well. Chill 2 hours in the refrigerator. Strain basil before serving. Use on green salad or with chicken, meats or seafood. Can also be brushed on chicken, meat or seafood as a glaze.

Spicy Lime Chicken

I love the zing that lime, and other citrus fruits, add to savory dishes. This recipe is  a great example. Chicken is rubbed with a simple spice/herb mix and sauteed. The lime juice, added near the end, adds a wonderful flavor. This is a nice dish for when time is a factor. It really takes no time to put together. I used boneless breasts, but boneless thighs work well. I almost prefer them. I have also made this dish with bone-in thighs and drumsticks. Add about 20 minutes to the cooking time when using bone-in chicken.

Spicy Lime Chicken
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/4 t. onion powder
1/4 t.  thyme
1 T. fresh parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 8 boneless thighs
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons lime juice

In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken. Rub in. This can even be done day ahead. Keep chicken in fridge until ready to cook. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with minced garlic and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce. I like to serve with rice or pasta. Serves 4.

Lemons in the Snow Cookies

The funny name for these cookies is really easy to explain. The cookies are flavored with both lemon juice and lemon zest in the dough. When nearly cooled, they are rolled in powdered sugar. They end up looking like little snowballs. Yummy, lemon flavored snowballs. The dough also contains finely ground almonds, for extra texture. They are a delicate, cake like cookie, with a slightly crisp outside. You could also add a little grated lemon peel to the powdered sugar, before rolling the cookies in it, for a more intense lemon flavor.

Lemons in the Snow Cookies

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel -or more if you like
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
confectioners’ sugar

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and egg until well blended. Add lemon juice and peel. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; stir into creamed mixture. Add almonds. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or overnight. Roll into 1-in. balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned (cookies will not brown on top). Remove immediately to wire racks; cool for 5 minutes, then roll in confectioners’ sugar. Makes 36.

Orange Tea Bread

If you are looking for a new recipe for a quick bread, and like oranges, I would recommend trying this one. It is flavored both with orange zest in the batter, and then a warm orange syrup is drizzled over the bread, right out of the oven. This makes for a bread that is flavorful and moist. It can be breakfast, a brunch dish or even a dessert, when topped with ice cream or whipped cream. The recipe makes one loaf, but I often double the recipe and make two. It seems to disappear around here pretty quickly.

Orange Tea Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
Syrup:
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-1/2″x4-1/2″x2-5/8″ loaf pan. Line pan with wax paper or parchment and set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, sugar, eggs, butter and orange zest. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir mixture until well combined. Transfer batter to loaf pan, smoothing top, and bake in oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until skewer inserted in middle comes out clean. While the bread is baking, combine orange juice and sugar in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over moderate heat while stirring, and simmer for 1 minute. Keep syrup warm. Make holes in top of bread with a thin wooden skewer and drizzle with syrup. Let stand in pan until cool. Makes 1 loaf.