EB’s Recipes

EB has done several cooking demonstrations lately.  One here in Hungary and another in Ukraine.  Here are some of her favorite recipes that she shares with others.     Enjoy!  

You Can’t Live Without ‘em Rolls                                        Yield: 24 rolls

Ingredients:

1 cube yeast (élesztő in refrigerated section)

½ cup warm water

½ cup milk

½ cup Rama (margarine)

½ cup sugar

¾ tsp salt

1 egg

4 cups flour

1. Combine yeast and warm water, set aside.
2. Heat milk and Rama until butter melts.
3. Mix in sugar, salt and egg.
4. Add yeast mixture and stir well.
5. Add 2 cups of flour and mix to pancake consistency.
6. Stir in 2 more cups of flour.
7. Divide in half.
8. Roll each half out to ½ inch thickness. 
9. Cut each into 12 evenly sized triangles.
10. Roll like crescent rolls and bake for 15 minutes in 200 Celsius oven.

For Cinnamon, Chocolate or Nut Rolls:

1. Roll out each half of dough to ½ inch thickness.
2. Spread with 1 cup softened butter.
3. Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon (or cocoa and sugar, or ground nuts and sugar, etc).
4. Roll up and cut log into 12 pieces.
5. Put cinnamon rolls in 13x9 pan and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

For Sandwich Rolls:

Same as above, only layer salami, ham or cheese or whatever you would like on dough before rolling up.

Can also use for hot dogs in a blanket, hamburger rolls… be creative!

Praline French Toast Casserole                                               Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 loaf sliced white bread, with crust removed

8 eggs

3 cups milk

1 tsp vanilla,

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 T sugar

Layer (2 slices thick) bread in 9 x 13 pan.  In bowl combine eggs, milk, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar and salt.  Pour over bread in pan. Sprinkle with topping and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 180 Celsius for 40-50 minutes.  Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Topping:

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup walnuts

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

Crumble together and sprinkle over bread mixture.

Fruit Kabobs

Attractive alternative to fruit salad

Thread assorted colorful fruit chunks on wooden skewers.  Serve with cream cheese dip.  Fruit ideas: bananas, strawberries, orange sections, kiwi slices, pineapple chunks, grapes, melon cubes, apple cubes, etc.

Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

1 box hulala

1 package cream cheese

1 T strawberry jam

1 small container strawberry yogurt

Beat cream cheese until light and airy.  In separate bowl, whip hulala for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.  Carefully blend cream cheese, strawberry jam and yogurt into whipped hulala.  Serve as a dip for fruit.

Chicken Cordon Bleu                                          Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 deboned chicken breasts

4 slices ham

4 slices Swiss cheese

Place chicken breast between plastic wrap and pound with meat mallet until about 1/8 inch thick.  Put 1 slice of ham and slice of Swiss cheese on flattened chicken.  Roll up and secure with toothpick.  Chicken rolls may be breaded if desired.  Bake at 180 Celsius for about 20 minutes (or until chicken is cooked through).  Serve with rice or potatoes and mixed vegetables.

Poppy Seed Dressing                                         Yield: 3 cups dressing

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tsp mustard

2 tsp salt

1/3 cup vinegar

1 onion

1 ½ cups oil

½ cup water

3 T poppy seed

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Mix until smooth and creamy.  Serve with salad.  Keep refrigerated when not in use.

Crostini                                                           Yield: about 24 crostini

Ingredients:

1 loaf French bread (baguette/ long, thin loaf)

1 ½ cups shredded Mozzarella or Trappista cheese

7 Plum tomatoes, sliced

Pesto sauce

Cut bread into thin, diagonal slices.  Top with 1 Tbsp cheese.  Place slice of tomato and ½ tsp pesto sauce on top.  Broil 8 minutes at 200 Celsius until cheese melts.  Serve hot!

Chocolate Syrup                            Yield: about 3 cups syrup

(like Hershey’s)

Ingredients:

1 cup cocoa

2 cups sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup cold water

1 T vanilla

Boil first four ingredients for about 1 minute.  Add vanilla. 

Good for chocolate milk, hot cocoa,  and as an ice cream topping.

Store in sealed container in refrigerator.

Mozzarella Basil Tomatoes                                         Yield: 20 servings

Ingredients:

4 tomatoes, sliced

5 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

20 slices of mozzarella cheese

Salt and pepper

Place tomatoes on platter ½ inch apart. Top each tomato slice with thin slice of mozzarella cheese and sprig of fresh basil (or ½ tsp chopped, fresh basil).  Drizzle with olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Colorful, easy and delicious!

Shish Kabobs                                                              Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:                      

1 lb of your favorite meat, raw and cut into 1 ½ inch strips

20 Feta-bacon cubes

Vegetables, cubed (onions, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, red/yellow/green peppers, zucchini, etc)

1. Marinate meat strips overnight in your favorite marinade or salad dressing.
2. Prepare feta bacon cubes by cutting/molding 20 cubes of feta cheese and wrapping them in bacon.
3. Thread meat strips, vegetables and feta bacon cubes on skewers in a colorful arrangement.
4. Broil or grill for 15-20 minutes, until meat is cooked through.
5. Serve with rice or grilled potatoes and salad.

Tomato Bisque                                           Yield: about 24 cups

Ingredients:

4 large onions

10 cloves garlic

1 cup butter

7 cups diced tomatoes

3 liters tomato juice

6 bay leaves

2 tsp basil

2 tsp Dill

2 tsp Thyme

2 tsp Parsley

2 tsp Baking soda

16 oz cream cheese

1 liter light cream

Sauté onion and garlic in butter.  Add diced tomatoes and tomato juice.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  Add bay leaves, basil, dill, thyme, parsley.  Remove from heat and add baking soda slowly to prevent soup from boiling over.  Return to heat and stir in cream cheese and light cream.  Simmer for 15 minutes. 

Easy and delicious.  Freezes well!

Bacon Bread Sticks                              Yield: about 20 bread sticks

Ingredients:

1 package bread sticks

1 lb sliced bacon

Wrap each bread stick with one slice of bacon and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until bacon is nicely browned.  Remove from pan and serve.  Good hot or cold!

EB’s Peach Tea                                                         Yield: 16 cups

Ingredients:

6 cups water

6 tea bags

1 cup sugar

1 package Peach Bolero

1 package Orange Bolero

1 package Lime Tea Bolero

1 liter multivitamin juice (100%)

Bring water to boil.  Steep tea for 10 minutes.  Remove teabags.  Add sugar and Bolero mixes.  Stir until dissolved.  Add multivitamin juice.  Mix well.  Add enough water to make one gallon of the tea. 

Serve with lots of ice, lemon slice and garnish with mint leaves, if desired.

More food ideas!

1.       Plan! Plan! Plan!...even if it’s a stretch for you.  The alternative to not planning is very stressful and expensive.

2.       Recipe websites:

http://allrecipes.com                                     http://www.bestcookingsites.com links to other sites

http://www.food.com

http://www.recipegoldmine.com has lots of restaurant copycat recipes

http://www.epicurious.com includes out of the ordinary dishes

3.       Use ideas from fine restaurants.  Notice how attractively a meal is served – colors, shapes, etc! (Google: “plating food” for some great pictures, ideas and advice.)

1.       For a special flair, serve dessert on a large dinner plate.  Garnish with color: a strawberry, kiwi and orange slice; a chocolate stick, mint leaf on whipped cream.  Drizzle Hershey’s syrup over all or heat 2 T raspberry jam and make a design on plate with spoon!  Anything goes!!!