Wareneki

Our cousin Sheila and I were exchanging wareneki recipes some time ago and I finally got around to trying hers. They were very tasty! Here's Sheila's recipe, and if you have our MGCC cookbook you will find my recipe on page 90. 

Ingredients for dough:

• 6 cups flour
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups warm water

Ingredients for filling:

• 2 cups dry curd cottage cheese
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Method:

1. Stir together filling ingredients.

Method for dough:

1. Stir together flour, oil and salt.
2. Add warm water and stir well to combine until dough comes together into a soft smooth ball.
3. Put in fridge at least 1/2 hour.
4. When ready to make wareneki, divide dough into thirds and roll out thinly on lightly floured board.
5. Using a 3" glass cut out rounds of dough. Fill with a spoon of filling and pinch shut to seal.
6. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Do not allow to touch each other.
7. Fill a large pot with water and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. 
8. Drop in fresh wareneki and boil until they float to the top and continue to boil for several minutes.
9. Drain well and serve with a gravy of sour cream and butter or just a scoop of sour cream. 

Gravy: 

• 1 cup sour cream or whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

In a small saucepan heat the gravy ingredients and allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes or until smooth and very hot. If using whipping cream it will thicken if you let it come to a slow boil and then turn down to simmer. 

For added flavour top with caramelized onions.

Chicken Noodle Soup

When I make homemade Chicken Noodle Soup I use a whole fryer or broiler chicken. I don't use all the meat for the soup. Once the broth has simmered several hours I allow the broth to cool enough to handle the chicken. Remove the chicken using a small colander with a handle. Take off the two breasts and use them for another meal that needs chopped chicken. The options are endless. You could make a casserole or just use it for sandwiches or for wraps. Since the chicken had simmered in the seasoned broth. . .it will be flavorful for another use. With the rest of the chicken I remove from the bones from the meat and put the meat back into the broth. If we are not eating the soup that day .. .I refrigerate the broth and then before reheating .. .I remove all the solid fat at the top of the broth.

• 1 chicken
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 peppercorns
• 1 star anise
• 5 cloves
• a small handful chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon Maggi seasoning ( optional )
• salt to taste

1. Put your chicken in a soup pot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil and add the spices (not the parsley) which you have tied into a bit of cheesecloth.
3. Simmer for 2 -3 hours.
4. Remove from heat and take chicken off the bones when it is cool enough to handle.
5. Remove the breasts and refrigerate for another use. Remove the rest of the meat from the bones and put back into the broth.
6. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the Maggi seasoning and parsley.
7. Simmer for 1/2 hour and taste and adjust the salt and Maggi seasoning if needed.
8. Serve the broth over cooked fine egg noodles. (Do not store leftover soup with noodles. .keep them separate)

Cinnamon Moons

The Cinnamon  Moons are a staple in my mother's freezer. Each grand child has their favorite that Oma bakes and this is one of my youngest's favorites. Sunday Fasba is such a treat especially when these make an appearance. In honor of my Mother's birthday today, I am posting these with a big thank you to her for always making it a priority to bless my kids the way she knows best, through the love that comes from  her kitchen. Danke Mama, wir haben dir alle sehr lieb.

Dough:

• 1 tablespoon of quick rise yeast
• 4 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup butter / margarine
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups scalded milk 

Filling:

Vegetable Oil

brown sugar

cinnamon

Topping:
1 beaten egg to brush on top

Coarse sugar

1. Combine the dry yeast with 4 cups of the flour, and salt.
2. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until you have the texture of fine crumbs.
3. Beat the eggs with the sugar add the warm liquid.
4. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture.
5. Stir mixture together, kneading a bit to combine the liquid and the dry. At this point the dough is still sticky.
6. Place in refrigerator over night or a couple of hours. 
7. Divide the dough into 4 balls.
8. Roll each ball into a circle about a 1/4 inch thick.
9. Lightly brush the dough with vegetable oil.
10. Sprinkle with desired amount of brown sugar and cinnamon. 
11. Cut the dough into 12 wedges.
12. Starting at the wide edge roll up the crescents.
13. Place on parchment lined baking sheet.
14. Brush each roll with beaten egg. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
15. Let rise for 1/2 hour.
16. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Every oven bakes differently so keep an eye on them to know how long your oven takes. I also prefer mine on the lighter side. 
17. Makes 48 crescents.

Crackers

These home made crackers are wonderful to serve with your favourite cheese spreads or dips, smoked salmon or pate. Break these crispy crackers up into random sized pieces and place in a basket to serve. Before baking I topped these with sesame seeds and Sabrosa, which is a seasoned sea salt. See other seasoning ideas below.

Ingredients: (yields 4 - 12" thin crispy crackers)

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 egg, (for egg wash)
• sesame seeds, for topping
• sea salt, for topping

Method:

1. Add flour and salt to a bowl. Stir to mix. 
2. Add warm water to flour mixture. Stir until dough comes together into a soft dough.
3. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead well, sprinkling with small amount of extra flour if needed until dough is smooth. Knead for 10 minutes.....this is an important step.
4. Place kneaded dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp lint free towel. 
5. Allow dough to rest on counter for 2 hours.
6. Divide dough into four equal sized pieces. 
7. Roll out each piece into a thin circle approximately 12" each. The shape will not be perfect, but that makes for an interesting shape.
8. Pick up rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. I baked two in the oven at a time.
9. Break egg into a bowl and lightly beat. Brush tops of dough rounds with egg. Poke all over randomly with a fork.
10. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt. Don't over due the salt, just a light sprinkle will add a nice taste.
11. Bake in 425º oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and crisp. 
12. Remove to a cooling rack. Once cooled, break apart and serve. 

Store crackers in an airtight container or zip lock bag. 

Topping suggestions:

-garlic powder

-course black pepper

-finely chopped fresh dill or dried dill weed

-red pepper flakes

-poppy seeds

-grated Parmesan 

Jam Rolls (Rollchen)

I didn't realize until I was finished preparing this recipe that it is actually very much like Julie's Authentic Schnetki that she posted quite a while ago. You can find some nice variations there. For one reason or another, my family made them with jam and they have always been one of my hubby's favorite snack. Usually they just appear at our house with my Mom, who makes them regularly. The pastry can also be used for (fruit filled) Perishky.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 c flour plus some for shaping and rolling out
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk or water
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or sour cream)
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups thick jam (we prefer plum or guava)

Method:

1. Cut shortening and butter into dry ingredients with pastry blender.
2. Add combined beaten egg and liquids. Stir with fork until everything is moist.
3. Sprinkle with a little more flour, kneading gently and shape into log. Can chill at this time.
4. Divide log into four parts. Set aside three.
5. Roll a quarter of the dough out - rolling it up gently with the rolling pin (or flipping) to add more flour underneath. Roll sideways and up and down to achieve desired size - about 16 x 10 inches.
6. Divide into four rectangular strips, each about 4 x 10 inches.
7. Along one long side of each strip, spread about 1 - 2 Tbsp thick jam.
8. Roll up like jelly rolls, pinching ends. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Can freeze at this time to bake fresh when needed.
9. Bake on parchment-lined cookie sheets at 375° F for 30 - 35 min.

Some jam most always runs out - hence the parchment paper for easy clean up. This is why it is best to use thick jam, preferably cooked without pectin.

Creamy Ham and Cheddar Soup

This is a delicious soup perfect for the winter months. I like to have jars of soup ready in my fridge to be enjoyed for a quick lunch. And if you have any little tidbits of bacon or vegetables just add them as well. That's what's nice about soup, little bits and pieces of leftovers are always welcome.

• 4 cups water
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups ham, cooked and cubed
• 1 1/2 cups celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups carrots, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons lemon dill
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

1. In large pot over medium heat, add water, chicken broth, ham, celery, carrots, and onion. Add lemon dill and parsley. Simmer 30 minutes or until done.
2. In a medium sized pan, melt butter, whisk in flour until smooth, add milk slowly stirring constantly until thickened. Add salt, pepper, and cheese, and stir until mixture is smooth.
3. Once the vegetables are  tender, stir thickened cheese sauce into soup, making sure soup is not boiling, just on simmer at this point.
4. Enjoy with a roll or a slice of fresh bread.

Bread for the Journey

Luke 12: 34  'For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'

There is a time when being a pack rat is a good thing.
Usually we see it as a negative thing because pack rats save everything thinking that one day they may need it. Their living space is filled with stuff.
Now think of being a spiritual pack rat, when you store God's word in your heart and fill every bit of space for the time you need to draw from it.

Psalm 119:11 'I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.'

Do not be held hostage by the 'stuff' in your life, let God 'clean out' your heart and fill it up with His word.

Cauliflower Chowder

I came across a large bag of finely chopped cauliflower in my freezer a few weeks ago.

We'd bought too much for the antipasto we made before Christmas and
I'd bagged up the remainder thinking I could use it in soup.

So that's what I did and it was delicious!

It's  hearty, healthy and satisfying!

• 1 1/2 cups finely diced cooked farmer sausage *
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 large stalk celery, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half cream or whipping cream** 
• 1 head cauliflower, finely chopped ( about 4 cups)
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and seasoned pepper (like Montreal steak spice)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1. Saute onion garlic, carrots and celery in butter until vegetables begin to soften.
2. Place vegetables in large soup pot and add cauliflower, bay leaf and chicken broth.
3. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium low heat until cauliflower is softened. 
4. Taste chowder and add seasoned pepper and salt if needed.
5. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

Notes:
*You can replace the farmer sausage with 1 cup crumbled, pre-fried bacon
**You can replace the cream with 2% milk if you like but you may need to thicken the soup with milk and flour blended together. Add thickening and stir as you bring it back to a boil. Simmer a few minutes, stirring well.

Chicken Noodle Soup Made Easy

There's nothing quite like homemade chicken noodle soup to cure whatever may ail you. (And it seems that in January there are many who are 'ailing'!)  If the thought of cooking up stock and making your own noodles is a little daunting, here's a short-cut recipe that is delicious and doesn't take long to cook up! 

• 1 rotisserie chicken
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 or two cloves garlic, minced
• 10 cups chicken stock (store-bought or homemade)
• 350 gr / 3/4 pound noodles (I used fresh linguine from the deli, cut into 2 or 3-inch pieces)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 star anise* 
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken; cut into bite size pieces and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and saute until onions begin to turn translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or so.
3. Pour the 10 cups chicken stock into the stock pot. Add bay leaf, star anise and parsley and simmer over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook noodles in a separate pot according to directions...being sure not to overcook.  Drain.
5. Add chicken pieces and noodles to the soup pot.  Test and adjust seasonings as needed.  Heat through and serve.

*star anise is optional, but gives a wonderful exotic flavour to the soup.

Serves 6-8

Farmer Sausage Borscht for a Crowd

This is another hearty thick soup that I made for our small church group. It is both economical and perfect to pair with some buns and a salad. You will need a large stock pot that holds 12 liters. It can be made a day in advance, refrigerated and then warmed very slowly over low heat so as to avoid scorching the bottom.

• 1 1/2 rings smoked farmer sausage or 3 pounds of other smoked mild sausage
• 2 jumbo onions diced fine
• 12 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 10 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 - 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons "Better than Bouillon" vegetable base (look by the bouillon cubes)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 chili peppers diced fine (I used fresh but you can use 2 teaspoons of dried chili peppers)
• 2 medium cabbages, quartered and sliced about 1/4 inch thick
• 1 packet of fresh dill weed (in the produce section) chopped fine

1. Brown the farmer sausage and onion in your very large stock pot until nicely browned.
2. Add 2 cups of water to de-glaze the bottom of the pot and simmer for 10 minutes while you prepare vegetables.
3. Add all the rest of the vegetables and seasonings but the cabbage and dill weed in order.
4. Stir well.
5. Add the cabbage last,  filling your pot up two inches from the top.
6. Add water to come level with the top of the cabbage.
7. Bring to a boil and add in the chopped dill weed.
8. Simmer  and stir occasionally on low heat for 4 hours.

Serves 25