Ingredient: salt

Plachinda

Plachinda, also spelled as Blachinda, Platchenda, Platchinta, Blachinde, and Blagenda, is a pastry dessert with a flaky pie crust and a delicious pumpkin filling. It resembles a turnover or a hand-pie.

The history of Plachinda is intertwined with the Germans from Russia culture. In 1910, approximately 60,000 Germans from Russia settled in what is now North Dakota, USA. They brought their customs, traditions, and food recipes with them. Plachinda is one such culinary delight that continues to be enjoyed today.

Once again, I set out to bring back the ‘taste of a memory’. Of course, this used to start with some discussion about the meal with my sister Loretta. Between the two of us we could usually remember enough so I can attempt to recreate the taste.

It seemed whenever my mother made plachinda it was served with a white bean soup or ‘Weisse Bohnensuppe’.  Kind of an unusual pairing of sorts  —  bean soup with a sweet pumpkin pastry but it was so good.

It seems most recipes you find on the internet make plachinda as individual turnovers. I think I recall my mother making it in a rectangle casserole dish with the pastry on the bottom and up the sides and the filling showing. I decided to make it as a ‘jelly roll’.

Here’s my ‘spin’ on this much-loved plachinda. Good but as usual never quite as wonderful as my mother’s. 

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 Plachinda
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Cuisine European
Keyword plachinda
Servings
SLICES
Ingredients
Pumpkin Plachinda Filling
Plachinda Pastry Dough
Cuisine European
Keyword plachinda
Servings
SLICES
Ingredients
Pumpkin Plachinda Filling
Plachinda Pastry Dough
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pumpkin Filling
  1. In a small bowl, combine the filling ingredients & set aside.
Plachinda Pastry
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder & salt. Whisk together eggs, milk & oil; add dry ingredients, working into a soft, stiff dough.
  3. Turn onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper. Roll dough into a 14 x 14-inch square; spread pumpkin filling down the center & halfway out to the sides -- about 1/4-inch thickness.
  4. Fold the outside third of the dough over filling, repeating with the last third; pinch to seal. Leaving plachinda on paper, transfer to a baking sheet.
  5. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown. Slice & serve warm.
Recipe Notes
  • If preferred, individual turnovers can be made instead.

Chinese 5 Spice Pear & Applesauce Muffins

The flavor of Chinese five-spice is cozy, comforting, and tastes just like fall! While it’s commonly associated with savory dishes, it can also add an interesting twist to sweet and fruity flavors. The warm and aromatic notes of cinnamon, cloves, and star anise work well with the delicate flavor of pears complementing their natural sweetness.

Chinese Five Spice Powder has been used in Chinese cooking for centuries. Although its origins are somewhat mysterious, it seems to have roots in traditional Chinese medicine. The belief was that this mixture would foster internal harmony by uniting the five main flavors traditionally employed in Chinese cuisine: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. By achieving this balance of flavors, aligned with the five main elements (earth, fire, water, metal, and wood), tradition held that one could achieve balance in mind and body.

This flavorful blend of spices typically includes star anise, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds and while five spice powder won’t magically cure ailments, it can certainly elevate lackluster dishes.

Chinese five spice as been a favorite of mine for many years. I like it in both sweet and savory dishes but today I thought it would make these ordinary little fall muffins into something special – and it does!

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 Chinese 5 Spice Pear & Applesauce Muffins
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Chinese 5-spice pear & applesauce muffins
Servings
LARGE
Ingredients
Muffins
Topping
Course dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Chinese 5-spice pear & applesauce muffins
Servings
LARGE
Ingredients
Muffins
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin cups with 8 jumbo papers or 12 regular size papers.
  2. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter & sugar then add applesauce, eggs & vanilla & mix until smooth.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt & 5-spice powder.
  4. Add flour mixture to wet mixture, folding in only until barely combined then add diced pear & gently fold into mixture.
  5. Scoop the batter evenly into prepared muffin tin. Divide topping between muffins & gently spread over top using a fork. Bake 25-30 minutes & a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  6. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin.

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf

Chicken parmesan, also known as chicken parmigiana, originated from Italian immigrants in the US in the 1950s. The original version made with eggplant was adapted to use chicken breast instead.

The dish has become a ubiquitous mainstay in Italian American cuisine. Variations exist, but the core ingredients remain the same: chicken breast, breadcrumbs, Italian seasonings, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf combines the best of both worlds—the comforting appeal of meatloaf with the irresistible flavors of Chicken Parmesan.

Meatloaf is elemental. It’s enduring, served without undue fuss or expensive implements …. comfort food without a doubt. I think an easy meatloaf recipe is something every home ‘chef’ should have in their arsenal. This particular one consists of seasoned coarsely chopped chicken thighs nestled under a zesty tomato sauce and cheese topping. I find chicken thighs make such a nice tasting option as opposed to regular ground chicken.

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 Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword chicken parmesan meatloaf
Servings
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Topping
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword chicken parmesan meatloaf
Servings
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with foil & spray with cooking spray.
  2. In a saucepan, sauté onion & garlic in olive oil until softened. Cool completely.
  3. In a large bowl, mix all meatloaf ingredients just until combined. Place mixture in loaf pan. Using a fork flatten then top with marinara sauce.
  4. Bake 45 minutes.
  5. Combine topping ingredients. Top meatloaf with mozzarella & bread crumb topping. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until center reaches 165 F.
  6. Cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Cookies

Pumpkin spice – the festive blend can be found flavoring absolutely everything at this time of year. From late summer to early January, coffee drinks like lattes and cold brews, baked goods such as cookies, muffins, and pies, and various breakfast items like pancakes and oatmeal. It’s also found in cereals, creamers, and even some savory dishes, while non-food products like candles and soaps are popular as well. Its associated spices have become laden with nostalgia during the fall season.

The modern demand for all things pumpkin spice can be traced to Starbucks’ introduction of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) in 2003. The PSL’s success cemented the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves as the quintessential flavor of autumn. 

The flavor itself is much older. Spice companies like McCormick began selling pre-mixed ‘pumpkin pie spice’—a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves—in the 1930s. This made the seasonal flavor more accessible to home bakers. 

The history of pumpkin spice cream cheese cookies is a recent development, emerging in the 2020s. The cookie gained popularity by combining the established autumn tradition of pumpkin spice with the widespread appeal of cream cheese-filled, ‘bakery-style’ cookies. 

These pumpkin spice cream cheese cookies feature a vanilla dough with a pumpkin-spiced filling swirled together in a spiral of simple sweetness and aromatic spice. I guess you could say, ‘the same only different’.

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 Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese Cookies
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pumpkin spice cream cheese cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
Pumpkin/Cream Cheese Filling
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pumpkin spice cream cheese cookies
Servings
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
Pumpkin/Cream Cheese Filling
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Cookie Dough
  1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, beat softened butter & sugar until light & fluffy, approx. 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk & vanilla. Mix until well combined, about 1 minute.
  3. Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, mix on low speed until a thick, sticky dough forms.
  4. Divide dough into 2 equal pieces & chill for at least 2 hours.
Filling
  1. In a bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, pumpkin puree, spices & vanilla. Beat until smooth & creamy. Set aside but do not refrigerate.
Assembly
  1. Once dough has chilled, roll out one piece of dough at a time between 2 large pieces of parchment paper about 1/4 inch thickness. Divide filling mixture between the two rolled out pieces of dough.. Using the parchment paper, roll each tightly into a log. Cover with plastic wrap & place in freezer overnight.
Baking
  1. Remove dough from freezer & allow to sit at room temperature only long enough so you can slice it as this is a very soft dough.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  3. Slice logs (I like to use floss for slicing to make a clean cut) into 1/4"-1/2" thick cookies. Sprinkle with pepita seeds. Arrange on cookie sheets & bake for 10-12 minutes.
  4. Allow to cool for 2-5 minutes on the pan then remove them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

These are a soft cookie & are best eaten within a few days. We enjoyed them so much that wasn't a problem!

Orange Bread w/ Strawberry Chia Preserves

The other day Brion & I were in a ‘Winners’ store and were looking through the gourmet food section. A couple of Pol’s Gourmet Preserves caught our attention. One was the Strawberry Chia Preserve. The preserve combines ripe strawberries with chia seeds, date juice, and lemon juice, cooked in vacuum boilers. It is marketed as a healthy and natural product with a focus on natural flavor and consistency. Pol’s utilizes vacuum technology to maintain the strawberries’ natural qualities during the cooking process. They also emphasize the use of natural base ingredients and the absence of additives beyond the natural components. 

We purchased a jar even though I wasn’t sure at the time what I would use it for since neither of us use a lot of preserves on toast. Of course, it didn’t take long to find a way to incorporate it into a recipe.

I have childhood memories of my mother making an orange bread loaf. I always thought it was so unique because it used the fresh orange zest from two whole oranges. The flavor was so distinct along with the bread being wonderfully moist. This recipe was one that has remained with me over the years, long after I had left my parents’ home. I used it numerous times over the years in my food service career in different applications.

Today I decided to swirl some of this interesting preserve into my mother’s orange bread loaf and the flavor was even better than I thought it would be. This orange loaf recipe is perfect for when you need a make-ahead dessert. I like it even more on the second day because the orange aroma (and flavor) becomes even more vibrant. 

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 Orange Bread w/ Strawberry Chia Preserves
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword orange loaf w/ strawberry chia preserve
Servings
Ingredients
Course Brunch
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword orange loaf w/ strawberry chia preserve
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter or line an 8" x 4" x 3-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Peel oranges thinly & finely chop peel. Boil with sugar & water for 10 minutes: cool. Pour into a large bowl & add egg & butter.
  3. In a small bowl, combine flour, salt & baking powder. Add dry mixture to wet mixture alternately with milk.
  4. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top with dollops of strawberry preserve. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, swirl preserve into batter making sure not to over stir so it creates a marbled effect.
  5. Bake for about 45 minutes or until bread tests done. Remove from oven & cool on wire rack. As I mentioned in the blog, the bread tastes better the second day if you can wait that long to try it.

Baby Potatoes w/ Bacon, Onions & Smoked Gouda Cheese

Just like red wine with chocolate, and milk with cookies, some combinations are enduring classics. Here’s another: meat and potatoes. But not just any potatoes — ‘little potatoes’ have reinvigorated this duo.

Little Potatoes are the brainchild of Jacob van der Schaaf and his daughter Angela Santiago. Unlike a big, bland, starchy potato, the small creamers have a distinctive, naturally buttery flavor—with some varieties more pleasantly nutty, and others more mineral in taste. Little Reds, for example, are slightly sweet with notes of asparagus and artichoke, and a velvety texture. Little Fingerlings, in addition to their spunky shape, are firm yet fluffy with an earthy taste and nutty finish.

Potatoes have taken a lot of flak in recent years. Fad diets and sub-par preparation methods have steered the health conscious away from these tuberous little root veggies. But, these little potatoes are such versatile vegetables, flavorful, naturally buttery tasting, and creamy. You can bake, microwave, roast, barbecue, fry, mash, purée or boil them.

The Little Potato Company was co-founded by Jacob van der Schaaf and his daughter Angela Santiago in 1996 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They aimed to popularize small, flavorful ‘creamer’ potatoes, inspired by Jacob’s childhood memory of working in his father’s fields back in Holland. They started with a single acre of hand-dug potatoes, washing them in a bathtub and selling them at farmers’ markets. These tubers, although tiny, deliver a big, buttery flavor, and because these small creamer potatoes are purposefully pulled from the patch early, their skins are tender enough to skip the peeling step altogether.

The company quickly expanded, driven by Angela’s leadership and strategic vision. Within a few years, the company grew to 30 employees and secured widespread distribution across Western Canada. 

Today, The Little Potato Company is a leader in North America’s creamer potato market, with 14,000 acres of contracted crop, 400 employees, and multiple facilities, including a flagship 95,000-square-foot plant in Edmonton, Alberta. They are expanding with a new, sustainable site equipped with solar panels and water conservation technology.

I prepared this recipe using the ‘garlic & parmesan’ little potatoes as the base. After they were roasted, I topped them with caramelized onions, bacon and smoked gouda cheese. The combination is a stunning balance of spice, smokiness, and creaminess making the ultimate comfort food!

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 Baby Potatoes w/ Bacon, Onions & Cheese
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword baby potatoes w/ bacon, onions & cheese
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Canadian
Keyword baby potatoes w/ bacon, onions & cheese
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with cooking spray.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, toss the little potatoes & spice packet with olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt & black pepper. Mix well to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated.
  3. Spread the seasoned potatoes out in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast the potatoes in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, flipping them halfway through, until they are cooked through.
  4. While the potatoes are roasting, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain, then crumble it into small pieces. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease in the skillet & discard the rest.
  5. Thinly slice the onion. In the same skillet with the reserved bacon grease, add the butter & sliced onions. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 10-12 minutes, or until the onions are soft & caramelized. Remove from heat & set aside.
  6. Once the potatoes are roasted, remove the baking sheet from the oven & top them with the crumbled bacon & caramelized onions. Lay the slices of smoked gouda cheese evenly over the potatoes. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 2-3 minutes, just until the cheese melts.
  7. Remove the potatoes from the oven and transfer them to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

Chai Liqueur Cinnamon Rolls

The air is chilly, the leaves are turning, the sun is shining, and the skies are blue. Frost has visited and that ‘end of summer’ feel is in the air.

But there’s more to fall flavors than just pumpkin spice. Before there was pumpkin spice, there was chai to keep you warm and cozy all autumn long. You might even recognize some of the flavors in chai as they are similar to pumpkin spice with clove, cinnamon, and cardamom. The classic way to enjoy chai is in tea, but it seems Craft Chai Liqueur is becoming a timeless staple.

I had never really heard about chai liqueur until Brion brought some home one evening to try. In the winter of 2011, Brion and I traveled Turkey for a month. We were meeting our Trafalgar tour group in Istanbul. Arriving a day early gave us time to ‘snoop’ around a bit. Next to our hotel was a ‘Starbucks’, so we went in. When Brion ordered my coffee, they gave me a ‘Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte’ by mistake. That pumpkin chai flavor was just incredible. I have been addicted to it ever since.

We both thought this chai liqueur tasted nice so naturally I was inspired to do some recipe development to see if I could use it in baked goods. There are many recipes using the chai spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and anise. I wanted to incorporate the actual liqueur as well as pop up the flavor a bit more.

But first, just a bit about the JAYA CHAI LIQUEUR itself … Created by Faaiza Ramji, a native of Edmonton, Canada, (our home city) JAYA is more than a spirit—it’s a tribute to the cultural icon of chai. With a deep respect for her South Asian heritage, Faaiza was inspired by the way chai has brought people together, whether at bustling street corners or in the quiet warmth of family homes. Every bottle of JAYA is rooted in tradition and history, a modern celebration of the centuries-old ritual of chai.

Alberta-based distillery ‘Field Notes’ is the brainchild of Faaiza Ramji. During a directorial tenure in economic development, she learned the immense value of agriculture in Alberta. Although Canada produces many of the basic ingredients the world relies upon, very few of those ingredients end up as finished products on local shelves, sacrificing GDP, jobs and additional downstream benefits to foreign countries. Greatly influenced by her South Asian heritage—where her grandmother, aunts and mother embraced natural remedies using herbs and spices to aid digestion, boost immunity, and even nourish skin—Faaiza formed a partnership in 2021 with Lindsey Good, a dedicated grower and owner of a 100-year-old farm in southern Alberta. Together, driven to build a complete food ecosystem within the Canadian Prairies by turning more local crops into more finished products the world can enjoy, Ramji and Good planted the seeds for a new kind of Alberta distillery and called it Field Notes. Chai liqueurs are rare in the Canadian market and Jaya Chai Liqueur uses distilled Canadian oats, filtered water, assam tea, Alberta beet sugar and a blend of spices like cardamom and clove for an invigorating, authentic chai flavor.

Edmonton’s distillery scene just got a recent boost, as Field Notes’ Jaya Chai Liqueur won a double gold, given because of its cumulative high score — a 98 out of 100 — from the judges at the 2024 San Francisco International Spirits Competition.

This brings me back to my recipe development which I focused on some chai liqueur cinnamon rolls. They ‘re a little more involved than the classic cinnamon rolls but I think you will find their well worth it.

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 Chai Liqueur Cinnamon Rolls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword chai liqueur cinnamon rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Chai Cream Cheese Glaze
Course dessert
Cuisine European
Keyword chai liqueur cinnamon rolls
Servings
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Chai Cream Cheese Glaze
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Dough
  1. Marinate raisins in Chai liqueur overnight, Stir occasionally.
  2. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water with 1 tsp sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  3. In a large bowl, sift 1 cup of the flour. Stir in yeast mixture & lukewarm milk. Cover with plastic & let stand in a draft free place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
  4. While the dough rises, make the filling. Combine the sugar & spices together in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside.
  5. Punch down firmly & work in beaten egg, ¼ cup sugar, vanilla & pieces of softened butter. Sift the remaining 2 cups of flour with salt & work in 1 ½ cups to form a soft dough. Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead in the remaining ½ cup of flour & raisin/liqueur mixture. This becomes a very soft & buttery dough but is not sticky.
  6. Roll dough out into a long rectangle about 16 x 12- inches on a well-floured surface. Spread the 2 Tbsp butter for the filling all the way to the edge of the dough. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the butter, pressing it down to stick to the butter.
  7. From the long end, roll the dough away from you into a tight roll, sealing the bottom edge down by pinching the dough together.
  8. Use floss or a very sharp knife to cut the dough into 8 even rolls. Place the rolls in an 8-inch spring form pan. Brush rolls with egg wash. Cover the buns loosely with plastic wrap & allow to rise in a warm, draft-free spot until about 1 1/2 times the size. Toward the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350 F. & set an oven rack in the middle position.
  9. Bake the cinnamon rolls for about 55 minutes or until they are golden brown and no longer doughy. Remove from oven & allow to cool.
Glaze
  1. Using a mixer, combine the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, chai liqueur & milk. Beat on low speed, gradually increasing to high until light and fluffy. Brush glaze evenly over the rolls.

Grated Apple Pie w/ Salted Carmel Topping

Many cultures have embraced the apple pie and put their own spin on it, so why is it known as the quintessential American dessert. German immigrants brought over the modern hamburger and Italians were the first to combine cheese with macaroni. Apple pie—a dish that commonly follows the words ‘American as’ —has a reputation for being one of the rare dishes the country can fully claim. But as it turns out, the history of the iconic American dessert isn’t so simple.

The phrase ‘as American as apple pie’ emerged in the early 20th century. It gained widespread popularity during World War II, when soldiers were asked what they were fighting for. The response often included apple pie, alongside other symbols of American life like mom and baseball. This association cemented apple pie’s status as a quintessential American food.

For some cooks, grated apple pie was a practical alternative to the traditional sliced version. Grating or shredding the apples creates a pie with a tender, uniform, and almost custard-like filling, unlike the chunkier texture of a standard pie. Shredding the fruit reduces the cooking time required to soften the apples, which was an advantage for home bakers. As shown in some historic recipes, eggs and melted butter were often mixed into the grated apples, creating a richer filling. 

This pie reminds me of an experience I had that seems quite comical when I think of it now. Before I had ever studied in the commercial food industry or made any number of pies, a friend gave me a recipe for a ‘Swiss’ apple pie. Her instructions were to place the shredded apple in a pastry lined pie pan. Next, pour vanilla pudding over the apples and bake. It sounded great! I purchased a box of Jell-O brand vanilla pudding & pie filling, made a crust and filled it with shredded apples. I assumed you were supposed to cook the pudding before covering the apples with it for some reason. Wrong!! What resulted was apples baked in a pastry shell with a ‘rubber top’. I guess we all have to start somewhere, right?!

Today, I wanted to revisit the grated apple pie idea being fall with all the wonderful apples that are in season right now.

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 Grated Apple Pie w/ Salted Carmel Topping
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Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword grated apple pie w/ parsnip pastry & salted caramel
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Apple Filling
Salted Caramel Sauce
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword grated apple pie w/ parsnip pastry & salted caramel
Servings
Ingredients
Pastry
Apple Filling
Salted Caramel Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Pastry
  1. Sift flour, sugar & baking powder into a bowl. Add salt & rub butter into flour with fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vinegar & water. Sprinkle the egg/water mixture over the flour mixture & combine ONLY until dough comes together. DO NOT OVERMIX. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Apple Pie
  1. Preheat oven to 450 F.
  2. Grate apples & combine with lemon juice.
  3. Line a 9-inch pie plate with chilled pastry. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt. Sprinkle 3 Tbsp evenly in the bottom of the crust & set the rest aside.
  4. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the remaining sugar mixture & beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla & eggs. Beat until mixed well & the mixture turns lighter. Stir in the apples.
  5. Pour the filling mixture into the crust & spread out evenly. Place a pie ring or one made out of aluminum foil around the edges of the crust.
  6. Bake at 450 F. for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 350 F. & bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. If the crust is not brown enough, remove the pie ring for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.
Salted Caramel Sauce
  1. Place the sugar & water into a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook, stirring, over a low heat until sugar has dissolved. Increase heat & bring to a boil for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you get a deep amber color.
  2. Remove from heat & immediately add the heavy cream & stir. Be careful as it will bubble up quite a lot. Once the caramel has dissolved into the cream, add the butter & salt. Place in a small blender & blend for a few seconds until mixture comes together nicely. Place into a small container & cool.
Finish
  1. Once pie is at room temperature, brush or drizzle sauce over the apple filling. Chill further & serve.
Recipe Notes

The purpose of putting some of the sugar mixture into the bottom of the pie crust is to absorb some of the liquid that forms when sugar & fruit are mixed together.
If the apples produce a lot of juice, drain them BEFORE adding them to the batter. If you pour off the juice after adding the apples to the batter, you will lose a lot of the spice flavor.
Using a deep dish will help avoid it from running over in the oven.

Oktoberfest German Spätzle Lasagna

Oktoberfest is an annual festival which began in Munich. It actually begins in September, ending on the first Sunday in October.

The festival originated on October 12, 1810, in celebration of the marriage of the crown prince of Bavaria, who later became King Louis I, to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.

Of course, as with any celebration, there are many foods associated with the occasion, ‘spätzle’ being one of them. The first name that comes to the mind when one thinks of pasta is Italy, however, the Germans too love pastas. Spätzle is a cross between pasta, an egg noodle and a dumpling, a kind of ‘German mac & cheese,’. It originates from the Baden-Württemberg region of southwest Germany and is a common dish at any beer hall or beer tent during Oktoberfest. 

Celebrating Oktoberfest doesn’t have to be all about the German beer. So I thought, why not take the spätzle idea one step further and make it into lasagna?! Classic German staples come together in this lasagna to make a very unique version of the classic dish.

There are six main ingredients in this recipe. The first is spätzle. The second is onion. By caramelizing the diced pieces you turn it into little velvety pieces of heaven that add incredible depth and sweetness to the dish. Third is Bratwurst, a fresh link sausage characterized by its many different spices and seasonings. Fourth is sauerkraut, bratwurst’s classic sidekick. Fifth is bacon and the crowning touch and grand finale is the Emmentaler cheese.

Compared to traditional pasta dough, spätzle is softer and quite moist. The dough is quite basic, made from flour, eggs, water and salt. Although these little ‘dumplings’ can be eaten with almost anything, I thought they added something real special to this German lasagna.

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 Oktoberfest German Spätzle Lasagna
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine German
Keyword Oktoberfest German Spaetzli Lasagna
Servings
Ingredients
Spätzle
Sauce
Caramelized Onions
Cottage Cheese
Additional Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine German
Keyword Oktoberfest German Spaetzli Lasagna
Servings
Ingredients
Spätzle
Sauce
Caramelized Onions
Cottage Cheese
Additional Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Spätzle
  1. 1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with salt & make a well in the center. Add eggs to the well & whisk the flour into the eggs. Gradually whisk in the water until a very thick batter forms. Cover with a damp cloth & allow to rest for 30 minutes.
  2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place spätzle dough maker above the pot with the water. Load with dough & slide back & forth or press to squeeze the dough through & form the spätzle noodles.
  3. Once the spätzle begins to float to the surface, scoop with a large, slotted spoon & transfer to a colander placed inside a bowl for the drained water to collect. Continue the process until all of the dough is used.
Caramelized Onions
  1. Heat oil in saucepan, add onion & sprinkle with salt. Cook & stir about 15 minutes or until moisture is evaporated & onion is soft. Reduce heat, sprinkle with cider vinegar. Cook & stir until golden. Stir in brown sugar; cook & stir until caramel brown in color. Set it aside.
Sauce
  1. In the saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour, bouillon, garlic powder & salt until smooth. Gradually stir in milk & broth. Bring to a boil; cook & stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat to a bowl & set aside.
  2. In the saucepan, cook bacon (not too crisp); remove to a cutting board to coarsely chop. Add bratwurst sausage meat (which has been removed from casings) to saucepan & scramble fry until cooked. Drain on paper towel. Add chopped bacon, bratwurst & caramelized onions to your prepared sauce.
Cotage Cheese & Other Ingredients
  1. In a small bowl, beat eggs; add cottage cheese & pepper. Set aside. Drain sauerkraut & rinse. Squeeze dry. Grate cheese
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking pan.
  2. Spread 1 cup sauce mixture over bottom of pan. Layer with 1/3 of the spätzle noodles, 1/3 of sauce mixture, 1/2 of the cottage cheese mixture, 1/2 of the sauerkraut & 3/4 cup grated cheese. Repeat layers (spätzle, sauce, cottage cheese, sauerkraut, spätzle, sauce). Save grated cheese for the last 5 minutes of baking.
  3. Cover & bake for 50-60 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining GRATED CHEESE; bake 5 minutes longer until cheese is melted. Allow to stand 15 minutes before cutting.
Recipe Notes
  • If you do not have a spätzle dough maker, just drop spoonsful of dough into the boiling water to form spätzle noodles. Dip your spoon into water to prevent it from sticking on the spoon.

Retro Porcupine Meatballs

Porcupine meatballs are an North American casserole dish of ground beef and rice meatballs cooked in tomato sauce. This recipe, that appealed to cooks in the 1930s, appears to have been developed during World War I when rice was affordable and readily available, but meat was pricey. The recipe appeared as ‘rice meat balls’ in the 1918 cookbook ‘Conservation Recipes’, a clear forerunner of the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (1939). The name comes from the appearance of the meatballs, which appear prickly when the rice pokes out of them as they cook, resembling a porcupine.

Meat, even something as mundane as ground beef, was expensive and home cooks used innovation and imaginative ways to make a small amount of protein stretch to feed a large and hungry family. Porcupine meatballs were one of the answers to the problem.  It’s great that generations later we are still enjoying them!

Of course, this simple recipe is very customizable. Other ingredients could be added to the meatballs like green pepper, mustard, celery, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, or other seasonings. The simple tomato sauce made with canned soup could be enriched with molasses and seasoned with chili powder and cumin. A later recipe from 1969 for ‘porcupine meatballs paprika’ replaces tomato soup with cream of mushroom, and adds other ingredients like mustard, or sour cream and paprika. ‘Porcupine meatballs Chinois’ was a variation influenced by Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients. Served with peach sauce, the Chinois meatballs are made with ground pork, shrimp, rice and green onion, seasoned with soy sauce and sherry, and steamed instead of being cooked in sauce.

Ground turkey can also be substituted for the ground beef, just add 1/4 cup oatmeal to the mix to compensate for the extra moisture in the turkey.

I recall my mother making these meatballs numerous times when I was growing up. They tasted great then and still do today. I decided to make some with the tomato sauce and some with mushroom sauce since Brion was not familiar with this meal. I think he will enjoy them.

Print Recipe
 Retro Porcupine Meatballs
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword vintage porcupine meatballs
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Meatballs
Sauce
Alternative Tomato Sauce
Alternative Brown Mushroom Sauce
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword vintage porcupine meatballs
Servings
SERVINGS
Ingredients
Meatballs
Sauce
Alternative Tomato Sauce
Alternative Brown Mushroom Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Meatballs/Sauce
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a medium bowl, lightly mix together all meatball ingredients. Form mixture into 12 meatballs & place in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients; pour over meatballs. Cover & bake 1 1/4 hours or until rice is tender.
  4. These meatballs are nice served over rice, egg noodles, mashed or baked potatoes. Simple but tasty!
Alternative Tomato Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onion until tender crisp. Add crushed tomatoes & simmer for about 5 minutes. Add seasoning to taste & sour cream; combine then whisk in chicken broth. Pour over meatballs & bake.
Alternative Brown Mushroom Sauce
  1. In a skillet, heat oil & sauté onion & mushrooms. Add beef base, pepper, garlic powder & 2 cups of the water. Bring to a boil. Combine cornstarch with remaining 1/2 cup water. Gradually add cornstarch mixture to pan & stir as you are pouring. Cook, stirring often, until thoroughly mixed. Pour over meatballs & bake.
Recipe Notes
  • The advertisement picture on the blog was from life magazine in 1948.