Braised Chicken Thighs with Pommes Puree

There are few meals that are more satisfying on a cool fall, almost winter night than chicken and potatoes.  As much as I love roast chicken and potatoes, sometimes there just isn't enough time in the day to roast a whole chicken, sometimes you're only feeding one or two people and just don't need that much food.  And sometimes, like when the holidays are quickly approaching, money is a little tight and one of the most inexpensive items at the meat counter are bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.

I've written before about my new favorite cookbook Stir by Barbara Lynch, specifically her Fennel, Cucumber, Green Bean & Roasted Potato salad.  It was delicious, fresh and uber easy.  As I was trying to figure out what to do with the some of the plethora of chicken thighs I have in my chest freezer (yes I am a bit of a meat hoarder, especially when things are on sale) I recalled seeing a recipe in Stir.  I quickly turned to the page, looked over the ingredients and realized I had everything I needed to try this recipe out, with a minor tweak here and there.  I love when I have an idea or want to try a recipe and find, that without planning for it, I have all need right in my kitchen. It was Chef Lynch herself that recommended serving the chicken with her Pommes Puree and who am I to question that?  Plus I also had potatoes and since the boy is a fan of all things starch I decided to go whole hog and make a whole meal from Stir.

Daring Cooks: Cod, traditional flavors powdered

Last month I joined the group Daring Cooks, one of the groups from the Daring Kitchen which also includes the Daring Bakers. I joined because many of my favorite bloggers also cook and bake along and because I was looking to challenge my ways of cooking a bit more with harder recipes and hopefully new techniques. Well I got more than I bargained for with this first challenge! For my first Daring Cooks challenge, our host Sketchy chose a recipe from Grant Achatz Alinea cookbook. Now for those of you that don't know who Grant Achatz is he is a chef that specializes in molecular gastronomy. Now what is molecular gastronomy? I personally didn't know much about it until a few years ago, so I went to good ole wikipedia for a definition:

Molecular gastronomy is a scientific discipline involving the study of physical and chemical processes that occur in cooking.^[3] It pertains to the mechanisms behind the transformation of ingredients in cooking and the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general (from a scientific point of view).

On of the more well-known techniques used in molecular gastronomy is spherefication, where something like olive juice is taken and formed into olive like spheres that burst when placed in your mouth. I know these olives are on the menu at the Bazaar at the SLS Hotel in LA, a place I've been wanting to visit on my next trip home.

On to the recipe, my thoughts on making and eating will follow.


Skate, Traditional Flavors Powdered - I used cod as it was a substitution allowed if you could not find skate
from Grant Achatz Alinea Cookbook

• 4 skate wings
• * Beurre monte
• * 300g fresh green beans
• sea salt/kosher salt
• 1 banana
• 454g butter - 4 sticks
• 300g lemons
• 5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet
• 150g cilantro
• 150g parsley
• 100g dried banana chips
• 300g spray dried cream powder (or powdered milk)
• 100g cup minced red onion
• 200g capers (brined, not oil)

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Powders - prepare ahead of time
caper / onion
lemon powder
cilantro/parsley powder
'brown butter' powder

Powders
once dried, all powders should be pulsed in a coffee grinder/spice mill/morter and pestle then passed through a chinois or fine mesh strainer.

citrus powder
300g lemons
1000g simple syrup
5g citric acid/vitamin c tablet

zest 300g of lemons (10.6 oz), remove the pith from the zest and poach in the simple syrup three times. dry with paper towels and move to a dehydrating tray. 130 for 12 hours. pulse the zest in a coffee grinder, pass through chinois, and mix with citric acid/vitamin C powder.

If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 8 to 10 minutes at medium powder. Once dried, follow the other instructions.

cilantro/parsley powder
150g cilantro
150g parsley

blanch the parsley in boiling saltwater for 1 second, submerge the leaves in ice water for 3 minutes. Dry on paper towels and place on dehydrator tray. 130 for 12 hours. grind and pass through chinois.

If you do not have a dehydrator, place in microwave for 30 seconds, turn over leaves and microwave for another thirty seconds. They should be dry by now, pulse in coffee grinder, pass through chinois and reserve.

onion powder
100g cup minced red onions

dehydrator - 130 for 12 hours
microwave at medium power for 20 minutes.

pulse in grinder, pass through chinois

Caper powder
200g capers (get the ones packed in brine/vinegar)

run the capers under cold water for two minutes to remove some of the brine.
dry on paper towels and dehydrate for 12 hours at 130 degrees.
microwave instructions are unclear. Dry them as much a possible with paper towels, the microwave on medium for 1 minute. Check the moisture content and stir them. repeat for 30 second intervals until they are dry. If you use this method, pleas post the time needed to dry the capers.

Once dry, pulse and sift the powder. Mix it with the onion powder.

Brown Butter powder

100g Dried banana chips (unsweetened if possible - many are coated in honey - the freeze dried ones would be brilliant)
300g spray dried cream powder

If you cannot find the cream powder, you can substitute Bob's red mill non fat dry milk powder, or even carnation instant milk powder. The substitutions will alter the flavor a little, but you will still get the general idea.

preheat the oven to 350 degrees, sift the cream powder into a fine layer on a silpat or on parchment. bake for 4 minutes, then remove for heat. If it bakes for too long, it will burn. Be very cautious with all powders in the oven. They all go from browned to burnt in a few seconds.

grind the banana chips in a coffee grinder and mix with the toasted cream powder. Pass this through a chinois and reserve.

---

* For green beans, slice each beans into very thin rounds (2 mm)
* Beurre Monte - 454g butter (4 sticks, 1 pound) cubed and cold, 60g water. In a small saucepan, bring the water to a boil, remove from heat and whisk in the butter 1 cube at a time. This should from an emulsion. Keep this heated, but under 195 degrees. The emulsion will not break - this is your poaching liquid.

Skate
Prepare the skate - 50G v shaped cuts are recommended
Bring 100g water, 100g beurre monte, and green bean rounds to a boil over high heat. Cook until the water has evaporated (about 3 minutes), when the pan is almost dry, remove it from heat and season with 3g salt

bring 300g water and 300g beurre monte to simmer over medium heat, add skate wings and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and flip the wing over and let rest in pan for two more minutes. Transfer to warming tray lined with parchment and season with 5 grams of fine sea salt.

Plating

Take the tip of a small spoon and make a small mound of the citrus powder, the onion-caper powder, and the cilantro parsley-powder. Swirl these around in a hurricane type pattern. I found that it is easier, and you get finer lines if you lightly shake the plate to flatten out the mounds, then swirl the spoon through it to get the pattern.

Peel the banana into very thick slices (3mm) fan three slices on the plate, place green beans on top and place skate wing portion on top. On the tall edge, sprinkle the brown butter powder.

My first thought when going through the process of this meal was I now know why restaurants that specialize in molecular cuisine are on pricier end of restaurants. It's very time consuming. Drying everything for the powders in the over was a real test in patience for, someone who always burns bread in the oven. As it was I burned the red onions twice, so I decided to forgoe that powder because it just seemed cursed for me. I generally work best with set cooking times and with the powders there weren't any. That was tough. Making the buerre monte was tougher than I had first anticipated, I felt like I was hand whipping a buttercream icing. But this was a challenge and I love that I was challenged, I loved even more that I felt like I really accomplished something when it was all said and done something I NEVER would have tried before.

This dish is very interesting, the powders really make what is otherwise a very mild flavored fish sing. Both the boy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I truly had no idea what to expect from this first Daring Cook experience and it's funny I went through a whole range of emotions from the reveal of the recipe to posting about it now. It started with straight up fear and then being so overwhelmed I procrastinated making it until this past weekend to complete and total frustration to exhaustion and finally to accomplishment. I doubt I will cook anything like this anytime soon, but it has made me want to dine at a molecular cuisine restaurant even more. My wish list is ever growing Alinea, The Bazaar, WD-50, The French Laundry and Colborne Lane at the top right now. With Colborne Lane and The Bazaar being the likely ones I'll visit first, since the former is in Toronto and the latter is in LA tow of my home cities.

Please head on over to the The Daring Cooks Blogroll to check out everyone elses attempts. And please please post here to let me know if you have tried any of this cooking, I'd love to hear how it went. Enjoy!

Shrimp & Mango Salad Lettuce Wraps

One Sunday, not to long ago when the boy was away at work and I was doing all kinds of boring things around the house, I decided that even though I was home alone and cleaning and doing laundry I was going to take the time to make a nice lunch for myself, so that I could sit and enjoy our recently revamped backyard. I looked around the kitchen and realized I had some beautiful organic lettuce and cherry tomatoes that needed to be used. For protein I was craving shrimp, which we luckily had in the freezer. All the other ingredients were things we happened to have on hand and I wanted to see how they would all work together.

Shrimp & Mango Salad

1 avocado - diced
1/2 mango - peel and diced
10 large shrimp
8 cherry tomatoes - halved
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp or more lemon juice
1 head Boston lettuce - leaves in tact and washed and dried
salt & pepper

1. Preheat grill on low heat. If the shrimp have shells, peel all but the tail, and place on soaked bamboo skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on heat grill. Grill shrimps for approximately 3 minutes per side until they are just pink all the way through.
2. Remove shrimp from skewer and remove tail shell. Cut each shrimp into 2-3 pieces.
3. Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and add salt & pepper to taste. Carefully toss with shrimp, mango, avocado and tomato.
4. Lay lettuce leave out in a single layer on a platter. Place a small scoop of salad onto each leaf. Wrap up leaf to eat.


All in all this made for a delicious Sunday lunch and one I anticipate to making the next time I have friends over on a hot day. It's perfect for summer, as the only cooking is outside on the grill and the whole thing comes together very easily. I'm sure it would be very tasty on some bread for a sandwich, but I was going for a low carb version and the fresh Boston lettuce worked perfectly. Enjoy!

Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadilla

This is another great dish made from leftovers and pantry staples. I roast a chicken once every few weeks and/or we buy a roasted chicken from the grocery store. Either way we usually only eat the chicken as is for one meal, more often than not leaving us with leftovers. Sometimes the boy will make a sandwich with what's left, or I'll make chicken salad but very often I like to try to get creative with the leftover chicken. It's not only packed full of great roasted flavor, but it also makes for a quick and easy meal during the week.

It's no secret I love Mexican food, so we will often have tortillas around. While whole wheat tortillas aren't exactly authentic especially not the ones our grocery store has, they are a staple. Along with a recent find of a great fresh salsa that has awesome fresh flavor and is great on chips or eggs or just about anything. So on yet another week when Mama Earth sent us organic yams, I took what we had on hand and threw together this tasty quesadilla.

Chicken & Roasted Yam Quesadillas
serves 4

2 organic yams - sliced into 1/4" rounds
2 Tbsp or more extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper
2 chicken breasts - great use of leftovers.
8 whole wheat tortillas
3 cups finely grated aged white cheddar or smoked cheddar
3/4 cup fresh salsa - bought from the produce section of the grocery store
cooking spray
sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Toss yam rounds in olive oil, salt & pepper and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Roast for 20-30 minutes until tender and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven heat to 350F.
2. If you are using leftover, already cooked chicken skip to step 3. If you are using uncooked chicken breasts, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle salt & pepper all over chicken. Place in heated skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning every five minutes until chicken is cooked.
3. Shred cooked chicken and return to skillet with salsa. Let simmer over low heat until everything is heated and you are ready to use it.
4. Spray a small skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Place one tortilla in skillet and heat until lightly golden on each side. Stored warmed tortillas in a clean towel to keep warm and continue warming the other tortillas.
5. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Place two heated tortillas on the prepared sheet. layer shredded cheese, a single layer of yams, a single layer of chicken, more cheese and finally a second tortilla. Place cookie sheet in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese melts and the entire thing is heated all the way through. Remove from oven and place a second cookie sheet with two more assembled quesadillas into the oven.
6. Let quesadilla rest for 5 minutes before cutting into quarters and serving with sour cream.


I don't think the boy was sold on this one until he tried it. He is forever being subjected to my combining savoury and sweet and the oven roasted yams have a great sweetness that he wasn't convinced would be good in a quesadilla. I happily showed him the way and on this deliciously savoury with a hint of sweet quesadilla that now make regular appearances at dinner.

Beef Bourguignon Burgers

I'm going to start this by saying I have never had Beef Bourguignon before. I truly know very little about it, just that it's a delicious sounds red wine and beef dish that I always see on French menus but have yet to try. About a week ago when we were driving home from the cottage the boy and I decided to do burgers for our Sunday night dinner, because it was a nice night for grilling and burgers are easy. Traditionally in our house, the boy makes burgers, not because I can't but because it's his thing. Well it's my turn now.

As I was walking around the grocery store I remembered that I had some mushrooms from our most recent Mama Earth delivery, abottle of red wine and a whole wack of fresh herbs from my new herb garden. The boy and I bought some and then his mom bought me some, I have alot of duplicates but I love fresh herbs and have very little faith in my gardening abilities so it's good for me to have extra! I remembered a few years ago seeing Rachel Ray make a burger version of Beef Bourguignon of it on her show 30-Minute Meals and from what I could tell I had all the necessary ingredients at my finger tips.

I chose not to even glance at Ms. Ray's recipe as I wanted to build this one on my own. I just looked at some Beef Bourguignon recipes and formulated my burger from there. While I know there is no cheese in Beef Bourguignon, I can't have a burger without cheese. Keeping with the French theme I decided to stuff the burgers with brie. The boy and I are on a stuffed burger kick, ever since he made the most amazing blue cheese stuffed burgers ever. I promise to post them some day, they are that good.

Beef Bourguignon Burgers
makes 3 large burgers or 5 smaller

BURGERS
1 1/4 lb lean ground beef
2 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 small onion - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme - chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary - chopped
1 Tbsp Montreal Steak Spice or other grill spice
2 Tbsp red wine
1/2 wedge or more brie - rind removed and cut into 1/2" cubes
3 whole wheat buns
baby spinach

TOPPING
1 lb crimini mushroom or baby bellas - sliced
2 Tbsp unsalted butter - separated
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
salt & pepper

1. In a large bowl mix together meat, garlic, onions, herbs and steak spice. Once incorporated work in the red wine.
2. Form meat into 6 pancake thin patties. Place 4-5 cubes of brie in the center of three of the patties. Cover with the remaining 3 patties and seal the edges. Place finished burgers in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
3. Heat olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Once heated and butter is melted add in mushroom. Let cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat then remove from heat and add in red wine. Return to heat and cook down until wine reduces by half. Salt & pepper to taste. At this point you can remove from heat until burgers come off the grill.
4. Preheat grill to medium low. Grill burgers 8-10 minutes per side for medium. Using the corner of the spatula, poke hole in top just before pulling from grill to let any steam that has accumulate with the cheese melting to escape. While grilling the burgers, lightly toast the buns.
5. To dress place a small handful of baby spinach leaves on the bottom bun, place the burger on the spinach. Then top burger with the mushroom and wine sauce and place the other half of the bun on top. Enjoy!


These burgers were bursting with flavor, from the fresh herbs and red wine and mushrooms. They were really quite easy to put together and so worth it with the richness of the flavors. The boy loved them! And being the burger connoisseur in our house, that means alot. Even though the burgers are stuffed you still get some of the delicious brie oozing out. You could melt the cheese on top but then there goes the surprise of having it stuffed. Either way you should make these burgers soon. Enjoy!

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

Mussels are almost a religion in my family. I've been eating them for as long as I can remember. When I was in Brussels for 1 day 10 years ago (I can't believe it's been that long) I knew I had to get mussels and frites. Any time I am at a French bistro it takes all I have to not always order mussels and frites, as they are on any decent bistro's menu.

Last Friday the boy and I went to Tati Bistro and adorable French Bistro in the West End of Toronto, that a friend of his owns. They had mussels & frites on the menu and I surprisingly resisted and had a fabulous meal of beef carpaccio and black cod. As we loved the place I'm sure I will be back to sit at the bar, eat mussels and frites with a delicious glass of the Chateau d'Angeles rose. Seriously check out Tati if you are in Toronto, the boy's steak frites were amazing, the cheese selection is wonderful and they wine list is solid.

I've now completely gotten of topic. Mussels. I love them. Since I opted not to have them on friday night, I decided to make them at home. What I realized in buying them is that here in Toronto, lovely PEI (that's Prince Edward's island for those not in the know) Mussels are surprisingly inexpensive. We got a bag for $4.99! I think we'll be eating more mussels this summer. IN another twist of fate, it turned out that the Food Network had an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown focusing on mussels and frites. I only caught bits and pieces of the episode but I did see that the hometown favorite and, of course, winner used blue cheese on his mussels. We had blue cheese in the fridge so I decided to incorporate it into the recipe I had come up with

Mussels with White Wine Fennel Sauce & Blue Cheese

3/4 cup chicken stock - it all I had but I'm sure a fish stock would be lovely here too
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 large fennel bulb - sliced
1 Tbsp fennel fronds
1 shallot roughly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 lbs mussels
175g blue cheese
salt & pepper

1. Go through mussels and remove nay that have cracked shells or are open and don't close when tapped. Remove the beard, the stingy part that sticks out of the shell and then let the mussels sit on cold water for a 5 minutes, stirring everyone in awhile to help get rid of any sand. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and then place in a colander and rinse one more time with cold water.
2. In a large saute pan (one that can comfortably accommodate the mussels) heat olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add in the chopped shallots and cook until translucent. Add in sliced fennel saute for 2 minutes or until just begin to soften.
3. Add chicken stock and simmer for approximately 3 minutes. Remove saute pan from heat and add white wine. Return to heat and let simmer for 3-5 more minutes, until most of the alcohol has burned off.
4. Whisk in remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, salt & pepper and then add in fennel fronds and mussels, cover and steam until all the mussels have opened, another 3-5 minutes.
5. Turn off heat, remove lid from pan, discard any mussels that haven't opened and sprinkle blue cheese crumbles all over mussels. Serve in a large bowl with lots of broth and nice crusty bread.



This was a perfectly easy dinner that is packed with flavor and I loved the way the blue cheese crumbles tasted melted on the mussels and in the broth. It was a really interesting and delicious combination. The fennel added great depth to the sauce and was beautifully tender. I can't wait to make this one again.

Don't forget to enter my Blogoversary contest...Enjoy!

Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta

I love weekend brunch. Firstly because I love eggs, but also because brunch is later than breakfast and means you can sleep in a bit. With a new puppy the sleeping in isn't happening but I'll continue to call my first meal on the weekend, brunch. As much as I love to go out for brunch and be served I also really enjoy coming up with new tasty dishes to try. As I've mentioned before we recently started getting organic veggie delivery from the ever fabulous Mama Earth, in one of our recent baskets were some yams. I've only ever bought a cooked with sweet potatoes and was a bit intimidated by the yams upon hearing that they are in fact different vegetables. Now I could've done some research into how they are different, but I didn't because truth be told they look the same to me, so I decide to cook them the same way I'd cook sweet potatoes. One Saturday morning I woke up with a fresh carton of eggs in my fridge, lovely organic chives, blue cheese and those darn yams, and I just decided to throw something together. What that became was a Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta. Yum!


Roasted Yam & Blue Cheese Fritatta
serves 3-4

1-2 organic yams (depending on size, they are yummy to munch on their own once roasted so leftovers are a bonus)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
5 eggs
1/4 cup of milk
2 Tbsp organic garlic chives - chopped
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper


1. Preheat to oven to 400F. Peel and slice yam into 1/4" thick rounds. Spread in one layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, until the edges become brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together eggs, milk, garlic chives, Herbes de Provence, salt & pepper. Heat a medium oven-safe skillet over medium heat and spread butter around to coat the bottom and sides. Once the butter is melted and the pan is heated, pour in the egg mixture. Carefully lay in the roasted yam slices around the pan
3. As the eggs start to set-up, gently pull the eggs from the side of the pan, letting the uncooked eggs flow to the edges. When the eggs are cooked approx halfway (the center is still slightly liquid and the top is very soft), top with blue cheese crumbles and carefully move the pan to the heated oven. The rack should be in the middle of the oven, not right below the broiler.
4. The fritatta should cook until the cheese melts and the eggs are cooked all the way through. The top will start to turn a nice golden color. This will take approx 5-10 mins.
5. Remove pan from the oven (be careful of the hot pan handle), cover with a foil tent and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan to a cutting board or platter. Cut into 6 wedges and serve.

While I'm quite confident with my fritatta making skills and what I chose to put in them, I have to say this was my favorite thus far. The sweetness of the roasted yams paired with the pungent, strong blue cheese was perfect. I liked it so much that I reheated the leftovers the next day for breakfast, not something I traditionally do with eggs. The boy agreed and gobbled up 2 pieces without a second thought. Enjoy!

Domestic Diva's Fennel & Apple Poached Halibut

The Diva here with another fab guest blog for Piccante Dolce! To celebrate spring, I wanted to do cook a recipe with clean, crisp flavors. Halibut, one of my favorite fish, has just come into season. Usually, I grill or saute it, but I decided to do something different this time around. I opted to make a homemade vegetable stock with a fennel and apple base. Then, I poached the halibut in the stock and served the warmed broth with the fish. Poaching is a great way to cook fish - and also very healthy. I added whole wheat noodles and delicately poached cremini mushrooms to the recipe to give it an earthy touch. I topped the fish with fresh drizzled olive oil and julienned granny smith apple. The resulting dish felt like the very epitome of spring! Light, fresh, clean, delicious!

Domestic Diva's Fennel & Apple Poached Halibut (inspired by Charlie Trotter)

2 4oz halibut fillets (salmon also works great)
3 cups homemade vegetable stock (see ingredients and recipe below)
1/4 cup crimini mushrooms, sliced
1 granny smith apple, julienned
1 small fennel bulb, julienned with tops preserved
2 tbsp good olive oil
2 cups whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente
salt and pepper

Vegetable Stock:

1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1 tbsp peppercorns

Directions:

To make the vegetable stock, simmer all of the ingredients in filtered water for at least an hour. Strain and return to stovetop.

Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer. Add the julienned fennel and mushrooms, cooking them in the broth for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Next, add the fish to the broth and poach for a few minutes until cooked through. Remove from the broth and season with salt and pepper.

Finally, season the broth with salt and pepper, keeping it warm.

To plate, place the noodles in the bottom of a wide bottomed bowl. Place some of the mushrooms and julienned fennel around the bowl. Add the fish and then ladle some of the warm poaching liquid around the bowl. Top with the julienned apple and drizzle with good olive oil. Sprinkle some fennel tops around the bowl. Enjoy!

Wine Tasting Notes: Sea Smoke 2005 Southing Pinot Noir

To go with the clean, crisp flavors in this dish, we decided to pair a nice pinor noir from Sea Smoke, one of our favorite California producers. The 2005 pinots have been drinking great these last few months, and this was no exception. This wine, made from grapes grown in the Santa Rita Hills, one of my favorite places to find great pinot noir, had great cherry fruit on the front end, good tannins and nice acidity. I recommend checking out Sea Smoke and getting on their mailing list. Suggested Retail Price: $50

Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken

If you are a regular reader of my blog you might have noticed that I use the slow cooker regularly and often use it to make pulled meats. Mostly it's been pork, but since chicken was on sale last week decided to do a twist on the BBQ Pulled Chicken I made last summer. Being in Canada it only seemed fit to use some pure Canadian maple syrup for sweetness and you can't go wrong with booze in BBQ sauce.

Maple Whiskey Pulled Chicken

2 1/2 lbs of chicken (I used 4 large boneless chicken breasts and 4 boneless chicken thighs)
1 cup of low sodium tomato sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup whiskey
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp grainy mustard
1 1/2 tsp hickory liquid smoke
1 medium onion - chopped
3 cloves garlic - minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1. In a 6 quart slow cooker mix together all the ingredients, except the chicken. Add in chicken and cook on low for 5 hours.
2. When cook time is up, remove chicken pieces and shred with two forks. Return shredded meat to sauce and mix it all together. Serve on warmed multi-grain rolls with red onion and 3 year old cheddar.


This pulled chicken is delicious. You are hit with the heat of cayenne on your first bite, but it finishes with the sweetness of the maple syrup. It's very different from the other pulled meats I've made, mostly because I usually use chipotle peppers which give an underlying heat throughout. I like the way the heat comes first and the sweet finishes off, it's great on a sandwich and also good scrambled in with some eggs. The boy was a fan too, especially since he initially thought it was pork! It was my first time using liquid smoke and it definitely added a much need flavor element to this dish, making it taste more authentic and almost like summer.

This is a super easy slow cooker meal that you can set to cook when you leave for work and even if it turns down to warm for a few hours before you get home it just infuses the flavor in the meat that much more. Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

Here's another of Grandma's recipes. More accurately it's my adaptation of Grandma's recipe. Her's used onion soup mix and canned mushrooms, I replaced the canned mushrooms with fresh, but kept the onion soup mix. Next time I attempt bee Stroganoff I'll cut out the soup mix, as I think it has a bit too much sodium. That being, said this dish had some great flavor and is one I'll definitely be making again.

Beef Stroganoff

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 lbs sirloin - sliced into strips
2 lbs sliced button mushrooms
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
1 envelope onion soup mix
2 1/4 cups water
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
1 lb whole wheat egg noodles
1 handful of flat leaf parsley chopped

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Add in sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes until begin to brown. Add in beef broth and let simmer until mushrooms are cooked through and broth begins to reduce (approx 5-10 mins). Remove mushrooms with a slotted spoon to a bowl and reserve the beef broth.
2. Heat another Tbsp of olive oil in skillet and brown beef. Once browned remove to bowl with mushrooms.
3. Into drippings add flour, onion soup mix, cold water and reserved beef broth. Stir to combine and let simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
4. In a large pot boil water and cook noodles according to package.
5. In the skillet, add in sour cream, stirring to combine. Add back in beef & mushrooms. Let simmer to heat up the sauce and reheat the beef & mushrooms.
6. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with chopped parsley.

This is a hearty dinner on those nights that are still cool. The boy is a fan of anything with beef and this one was even better because of the gravy-like sauce. It came together so quickly and easily, especially if you buy already sliced mushrooms and a package of meat that's already cut into strips. Enjoy!

Herb Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I was emailing last week with the Domestic Diva and she mentioned that she was trying out pork tenderloin for the first time just at the same time I was planning my own pork tenderloin something I had never cooked before either! So, we decided to post our pork recipes on the same day so our readers could get the benefit from two different takes on pork tenderloin. See her recipe here.

I was inspired to make pork tenderloin by a fabulous photo I saw on Food Porn Daily with wilted greens, tenderloin and a turnip parmesan cake. It look and sounded delish, so I decided to do my own version of it. I'll first say the pork was wonderful and we had enough for me to get creative with leftovers which I'll post about in a few days. The turnip cake didn't work out how I'd like, so while you see in the photo, I won't share the recipe until it's perfected. I also served it with some spinach that I cooked slightly in a garlic olive oil.

Herb-Crusted Pork Tenderloin

2 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp ground sage
Sea Salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 pork tenderloins
1/2 cup white wine

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Using a mortar and pestle grind to dried oregano, then add in all the other spices and grind together to combine.
2. Rub spice mixture all over the tenderloins, adding more salt & pepper as necessary. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, with a bit of grapeseed oil. Brown each tenderloin on all sides, so that a nice crust forms and place in baking dish. Pour white wine into baking dish and place dish in the oven.
3. Roast for 20-30 minutes (our oven doesn't keep a good constant heat so the timing isn't exact) and use a meat thermometer to test for doneness. Remove from oven when internal temperature reads 155F, let rest covered in a tin foil tent for 10 minutes. At which point the internal temperature should read 160F. Always be mindful of carry-over cooking with meats! Slice on an angle and serve.

I was pleased with my first attempt at pork tenderloin. It was really flavorful and easy, which I always like. The problem with the sides was that there wasn't enough of a difference in texture. I think the cake need to be more crispy to add some crunch to contrast with the spinach and the pork. I'll play some more and share what i come up with. Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy Green Beer Day!! For as long as I can remember my family would always have corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. As I was planning my own corned beef dinner I realized didn't know any of the history of this seemingly traditional meal. So over to Wikipedia I went and found this:

"The consumption of corned beef is associated with Saint Patrick's Day, when many Irish Americans eat a traditional meal of corned beef and cabbage. According to the History Channel, while cabbage is a traditional food item for Irish-Americans, corned beef is not consumed in Ireland - it was originally used as a substitute for bacon by Irish American immigrants in the late 1800s. Irish immigrants living in New York City's Lower East Side sought an equivalent in taste and texture to their traditional Irish bacon, and learned about this cheaper alternative to bacon from their Jewish neighbors. A similar dish is the New England boiled dinner, consisting of corned beef, cabbage, and root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and potatoes, which is popular in New England and parts of Atlantic Canada."

It turns out corned beef and cabbage is much more a traditional New England dinner, than an Irish one. Regardless it will always be something I associate with St. Patrick's Day and this year is my first time making it. I decided to test out a slow cooker version of the corned beef using some spices and Guinness and a side of sauteed green cabbage.

Slow Cooker Corned Beef
serves 4

1 2 lb corned beef
1 cup or more of Guinness
3 Tbsp whole grain mustard
10 whole black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 whole cloves
2 Tbsp brown sugar

1. If your beef came with a spice packet, discard it, if it came with spices in the package (like mine did) rinse the meat well with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and then rub mustard all over.
2. Pour Guinness into slow cooker, you want enough to come about halfway up the piece of meat. Mix in spices and sugar. Place meat in Guinness mixture and cover.
3. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve with cabbage and potatoes.


Sauteed Cabbage
serves 4

1 medium head of green cabbage
1 large onion - diced
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
salt & pepper

1. Cut into quarters, take out the hard stalk, and remove the tough outer leaves. Slice each quarter into 1/2 inch ribbons.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add oil and butter and heat until butter is melted. Saute onions, salt & pepper in oil and butter until translucent. Add in cabbage, stir to coat with oil and butter, add salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium low and cook covered until tender, approximately 15 minutes.

This was a complete hit with the boy and oh so easy. The cabbage took no more than 25 minutes from prep to plate and the corned beef cooked all day while I was at work. A 30 minute meal if there ever was one. And we have leftovers for sandwiches later in the week, corned beef is the best on soft rye bread with some mustard and Swiss cheese. Perfect paired with an ice cold beer after a long day.

Hope you all have a fabulous St. Patty's Day. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

A few Fridays ago the boy had a hankering for Chicken Pot Pie, something I had been promising to make for awhile and just never got around to. This is not normally something I would ever do during the week as it take the planning to get the crust made and chicken roasted and just is more of a weekend comfort food type of thing. That being said after he mentioned it and I thought about it, I realized that if he picked up the ingredients on the way home I could pull it off as a late Friday night dinner in a Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade kind of way. Now let me first say that I'm not the biggest fan of many of Miss Sandra's recipes, but I do like how she tries to make things quick and easy by using some help from the grocery store. My favorite way to do this is to buy the roasted chickens (or bubble chickens as the boy calls them due to the plastic bubble they are sold in) from the Deli department. They are a quick and healthy alternative to fast food and became the cornerstone of this tasty pie.


Easy Chicken Pot Pie

1/2 roasted chicken - meat picked from the bones (store bought or fresh)
1 cup carrots - peeled and diced
1 cup pearl onions - frozen are a great short cut here or fresh just make sure to peel them
1 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
4-6 cups low sodium chicken broth (or a fab homemade Chicken Stock)
1 bay leaf
Puff pastry - thawed according to package directions
1/2 cup grated parmigiano cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pot combine the olive oil and flour to make a roux over medium heat. When it's nice and golden, stream in the chicken broth, whisking the whole time to avoid lumps and let simmer for a few minutes to thicken.
2. Add in the carrots, pearl onions (if fresh), chicken, bay leaf, salt & pepper. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add in the peas (and onions if using frozen) stir to combine.
3. Take your 9-inch deep dish pie plate (I love my Emile Henry plate) and turn it over onto the thawed puff pastry. Cut a circle to cover the top of the plate. Pour the Chicken Stew into the pie plate leaving about 1/2 in of room, if you don't use all the stew just save to eat as leftovers, it's quite tasty on it's own.
4. Cover pie plate with puff pastry, pressing to the edges of the pie plate. Make an egg wash with a beaten egg and some milk, brush over the puff pastry and toss with grated cheese. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 400F for 30 minutes or until pastry puff and becomes golden brown.

This got major thumbs up from the boy, who LOVES any kind of meat pie and it got thumbs up from me for the complete ease of preparation. I also love that if you want to take the time to roast a chicken and make a crust and get all fresh veggies it can also be a totally homemade dish. Either way it's a winner and the perfect thing for a cold winter night. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Pork Roast

My obsession with my slow cooker is not anything new to any of my regular readers. I love how slow food tastes, how flavorful it is and I also love the ease of starting something in the morning and being able to come home to a finished meal at the end of a long day of work. Since the boy has been back to work over the past few weeks we've utilized the slow cooker more and more. Of the most successful recipes is a pork roast I made last week.

Garlic & Herb Pork Roast

1 3-4 lb boneless Pork Shoulder Roast
2 tsp crushed fennel seed - I used my mortar and pestle to crush the seeds
1 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground sage
3 cloves garlic - finely minced
3 Tbsp dijon mustard
3/4 cup white wine
salt & pepper

1. Trim pork roast of any excess fat. Liberally salt & pepper the entire roast.
2. In a small bowl combine fennel, mustard powder, thyme, sage, garlic and dijon. Rub the mustard paste all over the roast. Place it in the slow cooker.
3. Pour white wine over roast. Set slow cooker to cook on low for 8-10 hours.



The garlic and herbs coupled with the slow cooking really infused the roast with tons of flavor. Since we both worked late the day I made this, I ended up just putting the pork on sandwiches. I used tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and pesto mayonnaise (just some jarred pesto mixed with mayo) on a thin wheat bun and threw it under the broiler to melt the cheese. It was really tasty. A 3 lb roast always leaves us with leftovers, which is always good. The boy cut up some of the leftovers and heated them in a skillet with some chopped onions which went really well with the sweet potato gnocchi and some steamed broccoli. Then for breakfast I cubed up the rest of the leftovers and sauteed it with some black beans for a yummy black bean and pork hash that went really well with eggs. Enjoy!

Potato Gnocchi Two Ways

For February the Food Network Cooking Club Challenge gave participants three different comfort foods recipes to vote on to determine the challenge. The choices were Osso Bucco, Corn Chowder and Gnocchi. I was totally pulling for the Osso Bucco as it's forever been on my list of things to try, but alas Michael Smith's Potato Gnocchi won out. While it wasn't my first choice, I was definitely excited to try this since I do love gnocchi. The recipe as given includes Michael's recipe for a roasted tomato and olive sauce, but I decided to keep it traditional with a simple butter and sage sauce. I cut back on the gnocchi recipe by a 1/3 since I was just making this for the boy and I.

Michael Smith's Handmade Potato Gnocchi
from foodtv.ca

3 large baking potatoes (I used 2)
3 eggs, lightly whisked (I used 2)
3 cups flour (I used 2 cups)
1/2 tsp nutmeg (I used a heaping 1/4 tsp)
Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
olive oil

1. Bake the potatoes until they’re tender when pierced with a fork, about an hour. Scoop the flesh out of potatoes and put into a large bowl.
2. While the potatoes are still a bit warm add the eggs, 2 cups of the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir and knead until a dough forms, adding more flour if it seems too sticky. You may not need all the flour called for as potato sizes and moisture content vary. It is important not to add too much flour, or the gnocchi will be too dry. (I slowly added in flour a couple Tbsp at a time to the right consistency)
3. Divide the dough into 4 even pieces and roll each piece into a 1” wide ‘snake’. Cut the long ‘snakes’ into 1” pieces. (I rolled one side of each dumpling across a fork and made a small indentation on the back side to help each piece cling to sauce better)
4. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it liberally. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and let them cook for 2-3 minutes, until they float to the surface. Drain well and toss with a bit of olive oil.


Butter Sage Sauce

8 Tbsps unsalted butter
1/4 cup sliced fresh sage
freshly grated parmigiano
salt & pepper to taste

1. In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat. Once it's melted add in the sage and let cook until butter begins to brown, but not burn.
2. Toss gnocchi in butter sauce and serve topped with parmigiano.



These were so tasty! I will admit I tried the recipe twice because the first time I made the gnocchi in the late morning and cooked them in the evening. I left the finished dumplings on a baking sheet and they stuck, turning into an unattractive mass of dough when cooked. The second time was perfect though and I actually peeled, chunked and steamed the potatoes for my second go round. This was to save time, since I was trying during the week and didn't want to wait an hour for the potatoes to bake. I'd be interested to know if anyone has ever made and refrigerated or froze gnocchi before, because while not completely time intensive it's not something that will always be easy to make right before cooking.

After the success and ease of the standard potato gnocchi I decided it would be interesting to try to make them with sweet potatoes and whole wheat flour. This was initially in an attempt to make them healthier but also for a different take. I found that the sweet potatoes require alot more flour than a russet potato, but otherwise the recipe worked out almost exactly the same as with a white potato. I served them with a cinnamon butter and a dollop of mascarpone to play up the sweetness of the potato.


Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi
adapted from Michael Smith's recipe
serves 2 (as a side dish)

1 large sweet potato
2 (or more) cups whole wheat flour
1 egg - lightly whisked
salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp nutmeg

1. Bake potato at 400F for 1 hour, or until tender. Scoop flesh out of skins into a large bowl.
2. While the potatoes are still a bit warm add the eggs, 1 cup of the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir and knead until a dough forms, adding more flour if it seems too sticky. You may not need all the flour called for as potato sizes and moisture content vary. It is important not to add too much flour, or the gnocchi will be too dry. I ended up using 2 full cups of flour.
3. Divide the dough into 2 even pieces and roll each piece into a 1” wide ‘snake’. Cut the long ‘snakes’ into 1” pieces. Roll one side of each dumpling against a fork while gently pressing one finger into the back, making a small indentation.
4. Heat a large pot of water to boiling and salt it liberally. Drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and let them cook for 2-3 minutes, until they float to the surface. Drain well and toss with a bit of olive oil.

Cinnamon Butter

5 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cinnamon stick
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp mascarpone cheese - whipped (optional)
ground cinnamon (optional)

1. Place butter and cinnamon stick into a small saucepan. Melt butter over medium low heat. Let cook until just golden brown. Then remove from heat.
2. Remove cinnamon stick and toss with gnocchi. Serve topped with a dollop of whipped mascarpone and sprinkling of ground cinnamon.


The boy is not a huge fan of sweet potatoes and wasn't exactly looking forward to my take on gnocchi, but was pleasantly surprised when he tried them. The whole wheat flour adding a different texture to each dumpling which I found to be very enjoyable. They were served as a side dish to some leftover pork roast (stay tuned for a post on that this weekend) and some steamed broccoli. The sweet potato gnocchi went extremely well with the pork roast, especially when paring a bite of pork with a bite of gnocchi. I will be making both types of gnocchi again in the very near future. Check out the Food for Though blog on foodtv.ca (after February 28) to see how the other participants fared. Enjoy!

Yet Another Breakfast For Dinner

If you are a regular reader you know I am a fan of eggs and an eve bigger fan of breakfast for dinner. Awhile back I read this post by one of my favorite bloggers Molly from Orangette. Now I'll state up front I'm not the best when it comes to eating my veggies. I know I should, but it's rare that I'd ever crave a big ole plate of greens, but something about this recipe sounded really tasty and it went on my list of things to try.

After a few weeks of too much baking and lots of heavy food I decided it was time to get a bit healthier and work more veggies into our meals, which brought me back to Molly's post. I have never cooked kale or any greens like it before and was excited to try. I adapted the recipe a big to include ingredients I had on hand. As I was organizing my ingredients to prep this I realized that instead of kale I had bought collard greens. At that point I decided that greens are greens and moved ahead with my dish. Which luckily worked out! After some research today I learned that kale and collared greens are actually in the same family and can be swapped out for one another (in this dish anyway) based on what's readily available.

Collard Greens on Toast
serves 4

1 bunch of collard greens - stripped from the ribs and sliced into 1/2 inch ribbons
1 leek - white and light green parts sliced
2 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
salt & pepper
bakery fresh multigrain bread
halved garlic cloves
4 eggs
olive oil
Parmigiano shavings

1. Place the chopped leeks in a bowl of cold water and toss around with your hands to get any bits of dirt off and the separate the pieces. Drain in a colander, rinse with some more water and pat dry with a paper towel. Repeat the same steps with the collard greens.
2. In a pot heat one Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the leeks until translucent and tender. Add in the garlic, red pepper and greens, saute until wilted then pour in the chicken broth. Let simmer until tender, tasting to adjust seasoning as you go, approx 30 mins
3. Slice bread into thick slices and toast. While bread is toasting bread fry eggs in olive oil to desired doneness. Rub cut side of garlic on to toast. Spoon a generous helping of greens onto toast with a bit of extra chicken broth. Top with fried egg and parmigiano shavings.

This is a very basic dish that is packed with tons of flavor. While you could easily simmer the greens in water, the chicken broth really adds so much that I wouldn't recommend anything else. I was a bit nervous serving this to my meat & potatoes guy, but he enjoyed it so much and responded more enthusiastically than he has to dinner in quite awhile. I liked it so much that I reheated some of the greens for breakfast the next morning and I have to say it was one of the most satisfying starts to the day. If you've never been a huge fan of greens, make this dish. I am not sure if it is the slowly simmered greens or the warm yolk all over everything or the garlic toast sopping it all up but this is a hearty, satisfying and oh-so-healthy meal that I think everyone should try at least one. Enjoy!

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

This is a dish I've been wanting to try for quite some time and Valentine's Day seemed like the perfect day since we had no set plans and the boy loves just about anything with beef and finally I got a fabulous Le Creuset Dutch Oven for Christmas that I had used a bunch on the stove top but had yet to use in the oven. I knew it would be the perfect for browning the ribs and then an oven braise. Check it out:

Raspberry Mascarpone French Toast Strata

This was the perfect breakfast for those weekend mornings when you just want to have a lie-in and relax, but still want a tasty breakfast. It's also good for a crowd. We had this for breakfast on Valentine's morning, the red of the raspberry's made it in the spirit of the holiday and it was something super easy for me to throw together the night before and just pop in the oven Saturday morning.

This recipe was inspired by a Cranberry Lemon French Toast Strata that the fabulous mom of my "adopted" little sister made for the fam when we were all in VT skiing over the Christmas holidays. I don't have the actual recipe but loved the dish so much I decided to create on of my own and I think it was quite successful

Mac & Cheese with Cauliflower

Most of you dear readers are aware of my obsession with Mac & Cheese, especially if you happened upon this site by way of Food Buzz, where on my flavor page I say that I'm always craving Mac & Cheese. I think it's the most perfect food, easy to make, homey and comforting and conducive to all different types of cheeses and other additions. I almost always have all the necessary ingredients on hand to throw together some form mac & cheese (and not the Kraft kind). I once made it with spaghetti because it was the only pasta in the house. While it wasn't perfect it certainly cured the hungover craving my sis, her friend and I had on that Sunday.

I've now completely digressed. Today's mac & cheese creation was made in an attempt to make this delightfully gooey dish a bit more healthy. While it's still full of cheese, by making a few substitutions I think this is a little more guilt free than how I normally make it.

Grandma's Rolladen

To go along with Grandma's pierogi, I made her Rolladen, a tasty German meat dish that both my brothers love. For those of us unfamiliar with Rolladen (or Rouladen as it's traditionally spelled) here's what wikipedia has to say:

"Rouladen (or Rinderroulade) is a German meat roulade consisting of bacon, onions, mustard and pickles wrapped in thinly sliced beef and then cooked. The dish has sometimes minced meat or only bacon and onion filling. Rouladen is traditionally served for dinner. Red wine is served with this dish."

Now I know the post is titled Rolladen, and that's because it's my grandmother's recipe and how she spelled it on the recipe card. I know, I know it's not the "correct" spelling, but it's hers so I'm going with it. Also, the wikipedia definition includes a few more ingredients in the beef roll that my recipe does, but I wanted to try Grandma's recipe as written before I started messing around with it.

I apologize to not starting the post with a photo but while it's a tasty dish, it's not the most photogenic. But since I took a photo and there may be some of you who haven't heard of rolladen here you go anyway, a beef roll that I cut into to show the tasty onions in the middle.


Grandma's Rolladen
serves 4-6

3-4 lbs round steak
4-5 large onions
salt & pepper
butter

1. Cut meat into slices, approximately ½ inch thick. Place onion slices, salt, pepper and a small tab of butter on each piece. Roll up and tie with heavy string.
2. Brown beef rolls in olive oil (or hot shortening). When all sides are brown, pour water over to cover and Simmer 2½ to 3 hours or until tender. Adding more water if necessary.
3. Remove meat rolls and unwind thread. Thicken the cooking juices for gravy and serve.
I'm quite happy with how this turned out, although the "thicken the cooking juices for gravy" directions didn't work out so well for me. We went without gravy, but I think next time I'll make a roux with some butter and flour and whisk in the cooking juices for gravy. The onions really help keep the beef really moist and add tons of flavor. It smells delicious while cooking and went really well with the pierogi or would also be great with spaetzle.

For my next go I think I will play around with some of the other filling ingredients, especially some nice grainy mustard and maybe try pickles too. I've really been enjoying making these recipes of my grandmother's it makes me feel as though I'm carrying on some of our family traditions that I will be able to pass along to my own kids and grandkids someday. Enjoy!