Maultaschen: Feed Bags...wait whaaaa?

Thats right, the German to English translation for Maultaschen is "mouth (or feed) bags." Sounds kind of gross, but never judge a dish by its name! I was in Germany last summer, Tuebingen to be exact in the southwest kind of near Stuttgart for a friend's wedding. Well, we had a ton of free time and since I wasn't staying with a family this time I figured it would be a little more difficult to find where to go for authentic German cuisine, in Germany ha. It was only difficult because it had been years and years since I was in Tuebingen, and even still I don't remember being there 10 years ago!

Anyways, we had a free day to explore the city and all it has to offer. During our very very long walk, I was starting to scope out all of the restaurants and everything souned so good. It was difficult to pick just one place, but finally I did. We actually ended up at the same place that we had been previous days before having a beer. Across the street was one of my FAVORITE things to eat, Doener Kebap, but I really just wanted German food...even better, Swabian!

After looking at the menu and translating what I knew, I decided to go with something that I wasn't too sure about, and that happened to be Maultaschen! I know I had heard of it, but I couldn't remember what exactly it was. When the plate arrive I wanted to cry, it looked and smelled amazing. It was two large 'ravioli' and a pile of german potato salad. Inside the ravioli is a spiced meat mixture with a very light gravy over the top. This was one of the best meals I had in Germany.

I've come up with a recipe which I have made twice since last summer using won ton wrappers as the noodle. I mean, if you want to make the noodle yourself, by all means go for it, but I am lazy.

Filling:
1 tb butter
6 strips medium-lean bacon, cut into cubes
3 md onions, diced
1/4 lb fresh sausage meat (sweet Italian sausage)
1 hard roll, without crust, and best when stale
1/2 lb frozen spinach
1/2 lb ground meat or smoked sausage
1 c Bauernbratwurst or leftover roast, stew meat, etc., diced (really, anything!)
3 eggs
3 tb to 4 tb chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
3 tb milk

Melt the butter in a skillet and fry the bacon with the onions until translucent. Combine the bacon mixture with the sausage meat. Moisten the roll in water, press dry. Put every thing in a food processor, I mean, everything and lightly combine it. Then fold in the eggs, parsley, and seasonings; mix together.
Take a whiff, this recipe smells as delicious as it tastes!

So take your wonton wrapper, and put quite a bit of mixture in the middle, fold in half, into a rectangle. Next, fold all of the sides over slightly and press with a fork to ensure the filling doesn't fall out during cooking.

and this is the home made version

To cook, I usually boil some broth because I like to eat it like a dumpling. You will need to cook these for some time, maybe 10 minutes in boiling water or more. Test for doneness by pressing on it, should be firm when ready. Serve in a bowl with broth spooned over, or if you want to make it very pretty like the pic I took above, serve with my german potato salad!

If you don't dare or care to try, then come over and I will feed it to you, and you will love it!

Israeli and Not So Israeli Chopped Salad

I love salads of all kinds, especially when produce is in season. Even if not, this salad I am about to share with you is great all the time, its healthy and super easy! Actually, I am going to give you two versions. The first one is just a simple chopped cucumber and tomato salad. If you have to bring something to a pot luck or BBQ this summer, try this salad. Also, its much easier to eat than traditional lettuce salads too!

Here is what you need:

1 long cucumber (I use european seedless ALL the time)
2 vine ripened tomatoes or heirlooms
1/2 red small onion
Your favorite italian dressing

Chop the cucumber and tomato in bite sized pieces. You may want to very gently squeeze some of the juice from the tomato. Throw it all in a bowl and pour just a little bit of the italian dressing over the salad and stir gently. The salad is best when it can marinate for a couple hours, but is still delicious when eaten right away.

Now, the variation I am about to share come from an awesome friend of mine, Dahlia. I actually just met her for the first time in like 11 years or so this past weekend and I am now super excited to introduce this recipe to you, with love of course!

It is a basic Israeli salad, same as above but omit the dressing. Chop an avocado the same way and this time you will want to saute the onion in some olive oil AND add some freshly chopped onion to the salad.

So anyways, you have everything in a bowl, but what makes this a hearty and healthy side dish (or even a meal) are lentils. I use the regular brown lentils that you can buy in any store. They are pretty cheap and can be found amongst the other dried legumes, because technically a lentil is a legume. Boil the lentil according to the package but do not over or under cook, you will know they are ready when they hold shape, but you can easily chew them. Add the lentils to the salad, add the sauteed onion, salt and pepper and squeeze a couple fresh limes over the salad and gently mix. DELICIOUS.

1 cucumber chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 onion chopped and sauteed
1 small red onion chopped
1-2 avocados chopped (sprinkle with lime juice right away)
1/2 cup brown lentils

Kitchen Tools: Peelers

I wasn't kidding when I tell you that I have almost every kitchen tool or gadget you can think of. I've pooled together all of the peelers I could find, because, yes I really do use all of them. In the photo, you'll see a variety of peelers, but I think in the real world you could find many other kinds in addition to these.

So when do you use which peeler!? Well, I use the traditional peelers for carrots and potatoes. You don't need anything fancy (2nd from left AND the last one on the right). In fact, using a fancy peeler on something so small really makes the job harder. For example, if I were to use the peeler 2nd in from the right on a potato, I might end up cutting my wrists. It's just not worth it. However, I do use that particular peeler for peeling eggplant. It allows you to hold the eggplant with one hand and since it is long enough, you start from the top and peel toward you. Much easier than using a knife and the traditional peeler, in the end, use it to peel long vegetables.

What's that, did someone say knife? Yeah, I added a paring knife to the picture, the reason is that when peeling apples, this really is one of the easiest things to use. Forget all the others, they just don't pierce the tough skin as easily.  I do however, have a lovely apple peeler contraption that I will save for another day. It is pretty awesome and allows you to peel an apple in seconds...again that is for another day. For now, just use the paring knife.

Also, the wooden handle is an apple corer/some kind of peeler. Pretty neat eh? I am sure at one point it was, but the peeler is too dull for apples, maybe its ok for carrots, and MAAAYBBBEEE if you are creative you can use this one to make neat garnishes (which I haven't mastered yet, but one day!)

What is that strange looking one all the way to the left? Ohh...that is a citrus zester! It allows you to peel the skin of a citrus, so if a recipe calls for lemon zest, this baby is your tool. It peels in strips and just deep enough to get all of the mouth watering flavors while avoiding the horridly bitter white pith (the white membrane between citrus peels and the actual fruit). I seriously use this ALL the time, its much easier than using a grater.

I think that about sums it up. I hope you were able to follow the puzzle which is my rambling on, but I do also hope you've learned something helpful. And, no recipe today mehhhh!

Awesome Chicken Salad!

I love salads, not green salads (though I love those too), but the fattening ones made with tuna, chicken, ham etc. It has taken me years to perfect my version of chicken salad, but finally I did it and am now willing to share it with the world. I first found out how awesome this recipe really is when I started making it for events, and then started making it for myself often. I love it that much.

I made this chicken salad last night and added a sprinkling of curry powder, just the kind that you buy in the grocery store and I love the variation! I think for a full recipe, start out with a little if you want to try, like maybe a teaspoon, wait 30 minutes and taste, you may want to add more or keep it as is. The recipe I am sharing will just be the original.

Also, sometimes I am a little lazy, I don't care, but I buy a whole pre-cooked chicken, I actually like the one I get from Market Basket, often times you can find some cold ones reduced in price aww yeah!

With the wet ingredients (mayo and yogurt) start out with what I give you, and if you like it wetter add more, but keep in mind that this salad will be fairly thick, also, I don't measure when I cook so it might be better to start lower and add more later. Remember that you can add more but you can't subtract from it once its mixed in.

1 whole 3 lb chicken, cooked, deboned, shredded

3/4 cup low fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 stalk finely chopped celery

2 tsp onion powder OR a couple grates of fresh onion

1 tsp celery salt

handful of dried cranberries

With your hands, shred the chicken, make sure there are no bones or cartilage (gag), just meat! This part is most important because I don't really like chunky salads for some reason. Next, add in the mayo and yogurt, with a fork mix and mash, the chicken should break down more, almost like a spread. You can add the onion and celery salt in now too, taste to make sure there is enough of both, but really you should let the flavors sit for AT LEAST 30 minutes to allow everything to meld together.

If and ONLY if everything is to your tasting, add in the cranberries and celery and mix in. Its always best to allow the chicken salad to sit a little longer before serving (See how many times I say this?).

Lastly, this is also great as a spread for crackers at parties. YUMMMM.

Lick the Plate Clean Chicken Marsala (Seriously, You Will)

If you are looking for an easy recipe that will have your guests literally licking the plates (DAWN!! go to her page if you like shoes) then this is an absolute MUST try.

I really like chicken marsala, but I wanted something a bit creamier that will really stick to the chicken and the pasta. So I decided to add a dollop of mascarpone cheese to the sauce and believe me, you will too once you try it. eek!

This recipe will be for 2, but even if you double it, 2 people will still be licking the plates and pans clean. You can always make extra sauce by adding extra broth, wine etc.

2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded as thin as possible (or you could cut them and pound out)
1/2 cup marsala wine (or madeira or even sherry)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese but try to use mascarpone)
1 cup chicken stock
Flour for dredging
Salt n pepa
Olive Oil

With your pounded out chicken, sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and toss it in flour. You don't want it to be heavily coated, just enough to form a crust. In a preheated pan over medium to high heat, heat some olive oil. I use no measurements, maybe a table spoon or you can even use cooking spray, and add your chicken and let them cook thoroughly on each side. Try not to flip them for at LEAST a few minutes, if they are sticking to the pan then they are not yet ready to be flipped. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a plate (juices will collect, this is good!)

Next, you'll want to scrape up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan so while its very hot, add the chicken stock and scrape away! Now lower the heat and add the wine, mustard and mascarpone, whisk til all thoroughly melted and incorporated. Add the chicken and juices and allow to simmer for a bit, the sauce should thicken a bit (not gravy thick, but shouldn't be watery either, if it is add a little cornstarch to some water and then add to the sauce).

Serve over pasta or mashed potato! In the pic I have also paired it with sauteed green beans and mushrooms. If you want more of the sauce, which I always do, just add extra broth, you can't really mess this dish up so don't be afraid to try. Want it creamier? Add more mascarpone! Get it?

Heaven on a Yellow Plate

Well, I guess I didn't mean the dessert, turkish delight (YUMMM!!!) but I discovered another Armenian market in Watertown which is pretty awesome. I hate though, that there are so many Armenian markets within a mile radius, why can't I have some by me?

Anyway, there are staples that I always buy when I go to one of these treasure chests: olives, lamejun (Armenian pizza), boregs and other 'pies', muhammara and stuffed grape leaves. Also, if you are in the market for herbs and spices, you can usually get good size bags for cheap.

I was lucky enough to get to go to this new place after work one day this week, since we had to go in that general direction I figured I would stock up on these delicious treats.

In the photo, in the middle are the olives. I LOVEEEEE red olives and I can never find them. A nice size container was like $2.50. To the left and diagonal are the lamb stuffed grape leaves, to the right is hummus, then meat pie, above that is lamejun, to the left s baba ganoush (eggplant dip), and the red stuff next to it...muhammara (spicy red pepper and walnut dip).

Obviously, I didn't make any of these myself, but soon you will have your own recipe for hummus which is super easy, and you can flavor it to your liking. Also, the grape leaves on the vines have not yet matured or even opened, but come June, you can certainly find me picking grape leaves at my mothers house to be stuffed later with yummy meat and rice.

And this my friends is what I call, heaven on a yellow plate.

Grillin' n Chillin'

So, I've been without my laptop for..get this..DAYS and it feels like years. I am back and I am ready to grill! Tonight I wanted something on the grill, and I bought steak tips from the market, pre-marinated. When you work 1100 hours a day, sometimes you just don't have time to remember to marinate your own, and its OK if you don't!

I actually just bought a pack of terryaki steak tips in a vacuum sealed bag for like six smackers. Not bad, it could easily feed 3. So first you need to take each chunk out of the bag, you may be able to cut it into quarters or thirds. I love when they label them as "tips" when really its like half the cow. Anyway, don't bother trimming the fat, unless its a LOT. It will baste the meat and add to the fire....YUM.

Get your veggies ready and cut. Some people cut them way too small, don't do this. If you are cutting a pepper, you should be able to get like 4 or 5 large chunks from it, this way when it cooks it won't burn and shrink. Grilled onion is my favorite!! I don't use a specific kind, but I just happened to have a vidalia which came out lovely and sweet. A large onion can be cut into quarters, but you should be able to get 8 chunks out of it. These two are my "go to's" since I always have them, but other delicious veggies you could use are zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms or even fruit like pineapple or peaches.

So, I've invested a dollar in metal skewers, yes, I paid one dollar for like 6 or so at the christmas tree shoppe. They are great to have on hand, but if you have traditional wooden skewers, feel free to use them. You can soak them first so that the tips don't burn off but I usually skip this part. Now comes the fun part...ASSEMBLY LINE TIME! Start with whatever you like...tonight I started with meat, then onion, then meat, then pepper then meat and so on. It doesn't matter, but they do come out pretty with whichever pattern you choose. You can pour the leftover marinade over the meat and vegetables, no need to waste! Voila, you now have kabobs! (Do you see how we transitioned from skewer to kabob?)

Your grill should be preheating now too. I use gas, so all I can tell you is to put it on medium low, you'll want to cook these slowly so as to avoid burning and drying out. If you like rare, then you can put the heat up higher to sear the outside but get that nice pink inside. Once on the grill, do not keep constantly turning them, just cook maybe 10 mins on 2 sides and they should be done in no time.

I like to serve these with bread, salad, rice (or couscous or quinoa).

What kinds of things do YOU like to grill? Or serve with grilled food?