Something Delicious

[~baby~doll~]

Lithuanian Kugela

1 pound bacon, diced
1 large onion, grated
5 pounds Russet potatoes, finely grated, and soaked in water
1/2 cup flour
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
squeeze excess water from potatoes
fry bacon until crisp save half the drippings. same pan; stir onions, and cook until clear.
large bowl, stir drippings, bacon, onion, and potatoes. Mix in flour, evaporated milk, and eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into baking dish, and bake bake at 375 for about an hour or nicely browned.
Cut into squares, and serve with sour cream, if desired.

[~baby~doll~]

Russian Soylenka

1 lb stewing beef, sliced thin
2 small sausages
1/2 lb ham, sliced thin
2 carrots, cubed small
1 onion, sliced small
1 parsley root, cubed small
1 good size dill pickle
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1/2-1 cup water
5 mushrooms, sliced (or to taste)
1 tablespoon flour
11 pitted black olives, chopped
1 tablespoon capers
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon sour cream

heat pan with oil or butter.
Cut onion in thin and stir until clear, not browned.
Cut dill pickle in strips, add to onions.
Add tomato paste and stir 2-3 minutes.
Add meat chopped into fine pieces
Put in a Crock pot.
Add stewed tomatoes and water to just the top of the mixture
Cook on high for 4 hours.
About 1 hour before serving add olives, mushrooms and capers.
Use flour to thicken.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

[PaPa]

Delicious was tonight's dinner of homemade strawberry shortcake.

Funny story to go with it....
My mother has always made sweetened drop biscuits instead of a cake. My sister-in-law had asked for the recipe and when she picked strawberries where she lives down in North Carolina, she invited the ladies from the church over for a luncheon. I must admit the older Southern women take their biscuits seriously. She was informed they should NEVER be served like THAT. Haaahaa! Guess us Northerners don't know what we are doing....
*Wonders if she will ever do that again.....

[~baby~doll~]

Summer Borscht and Lithuanian Borscht


5 medium fresh beets 2 pounds topped
salt
2 cups chicken stock or broth
16 ounces sour cream, plus extra for serving
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Champagne or light wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 cups medium-diced cucumber, seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped scallions complete
2 tablespoons dill extra for serving

Directions

boil beets for 30 to 40 minutes or until tender. Remove from water and let cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper.
Peel the cooled beets.
Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.

Add five sliced hard boiled eggs for Lithuanian Borscht.

[cinnamongrrl]

Admittedly, I like the idea of these even more since they were named after me! Not really...lol



Cupcakes
1 box french vanilla cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting
1 16oz container buttercream frosting
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine cake mix, water, oil, eggs and cinnamon. Fill each lined cupcake tin 2/3 full and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. While the cupcakes are baking combine buttercream, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and cornstarch using a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined. If frosting is too thin, add more cornstarch. Allow cupcakes to cool before frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg.

[cinnamongrrl]

Christmas cookies! Never too soon to plan....





Candy Cane Cake Batter Cookies


makes 24 cookies

---------------------------------------------------------

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cake mix

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened


1/2 cup white sugar


1 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons milk

24 candy cane Hershey's kisses




Preheat your oven to 375 f degrees. Beat together your softened butter and sugar using an electric mixer until well combined. Add cake mix, flour, salt, almond, and mix thoroughly. Add 3 tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Chill dough for one hour. Roll out dough and cut with a circle cookie cutter (about 1.5 in diameter). Place one Hershey's candy cane kiss in the middle of each cookie and roll in to a ball. Place onto a baking sheet. I like to use a rubber baking mat so that the bottoms don't burn. Bake your cookies for 11 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!

[cinnamongrrl]

Baked Cream Cheese & Crab Ragoons

5 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened (1/3 less fat)

1 tablespoons Light Hellmann's Mayonnaise

2 sticks imitation crab meat, shredded and diced (about 1/4 cup)

3 stalks green onion, diced (I like lots of green onion)

A few dashes of garlic powder to taste

1 box Filo cup shells (15 cups - found in the frozen pastry isle)

duck sauce for dipping




Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, green onion and garlic powder. Fold in shredded crab meat until well combined. Fill each Filo cup with mixture and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. I find that it is best to move your baking rack to the top so that the tops brown and the bottoms don't burn.