Asparagus Frittata

My friend Emi recently took on a wild asparagus hunt in the mountains, and taught me this simple way of cooking them! I have never liked asparagus before, but this combination is really great!

Looking for asparagus with Emi and Sierra: 

Asparagus Frittata

1. Heat oil in a large skillet.
2. Beat eggs with a dash of water, like for normal scrambled eggs. Add spices (we used onion powder, salt, pepper, and Tony's).
3. Add eggs and asparagus and scramble!

This is an easy meal with a nice kick to it! Try it out!

(this picture is actually a frittata made by Dante... I didn't take a picture of the first round!!)

Chicken-Fried Steak, Gravy, and Potatoes

This is my favorite meal that my Mom cooks. I always request it on my birthday!
She makes it with fresh deer steak... yum! Another alternative would be beef steak. This week, we made it with pork chops. And... it still hit the spot!!!

Chicken-Fried Steak

1. Beat the steak to a thin pulp, to tenderize it. (this is Dante's favorite job. He carried the cutting board around the house, beating the steak while chasing Sierra.)

2. Beat 2 eggs with salt & pepper. Dip the steak first in the eggs, then coat thoroughly in flour. (Dante: "now I see why it's  called 'chicken-fried'... because you coat it in eggs, which are chickens.")

3. Fry in a skillet in 1/2 inch of hot oil until golden brown, then drain on paper towels. (This is a time-consuming process if you're cooking many steaks... our skillet can only hold 2 pieces at a time, so be prepared to spend some time on this!)

Cream Gravy

1. After you finish cooking the steak, rinse out the skillet well and add fresh oil.
2. Once the oil is well-heated, add flour to make a thick roux. Stir continually. Once this mixture is thick, add milk, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly. You can always add more milk to make it thinner, but you can't add more flour later... so add it gradually.

Serve with mashed potatoes. I just learned the quickest way to make potatoes... instead of boiling, fork and cook in the microwave for 6-8 minutes. (You can peel before or after... or not at all... I just leave the skins mixed in.) Then blend with butter, milk, and spices, as usual.

Momma's Buttermilk Biscuits

When I was growing up, I loved it when my mom would make biscuits! In Texas, these more commonly accompany dinner (than the rest of the US, where biscuits are a breakfast food). Easy to whip up when you need to add some carbs to your dinner. We all need that.

Momma's Biscuits

1. Mix:
           - 3 teaspoons baking powder
           - 1/2 teaspoon salt
           - 6 tablespoons shortening or butter (I always use butter!)
           - 2 cups flour

2. Add - 1 cup buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand, just sour milk by adding a bit of lemon juice.)

3. Flour your hands and a flat surface well. Roll the dough into a ball, then flatten the ball with a rolling pin or whatever you have on hand. Cut into circles.
(I rolled my dough with an old wine bottle and cut my circles with a small glass!)

4. Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 450F for 8 minutes.
Serve with butter, jelly, or my favorite--- butter and honey!

Oatmeal Cookies

I had never made this recipe till I moved to Slovenia... but I jumped on it because the ingredients were simple and easy to find! They are now Dante's favorite cookie!
This simple recipe is from a friend's grandmother. We like to add chocolate chunks and nuts to ours, but the original recipe didn't have those things. They're chewy and delicious, as cookies should be!

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

1. Mix:
            - 1 cup shortening or butter (I use butter in every recipe!)
            - 1 cup brown sugar (we prefer light brown sugar)
            - 1 cup white sugar

2. Then add:
            - 2 well-beaten eggs
            - 1 teaspoon of vanilla

3. Mix well, then add:
            - 1 teaspoon soda
            - 1 teaspoon salt
            - 1 1/2 cups flour (the recipe says sifted flour... but who has time for that? they taste fine un-sifted!)

4. Mix well, then add: 
            - 3 cups oatmeal.
If you wish, add nuts, chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks.

5. Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake or they'll get hard! 

Best Coffee Cake!

Over the past few months, I have been on the search for the perfect coffee cake. After trying 5 different recipes (which is my definition of ultimate dedication), this our favorite (hands down!)!!! It has a great, moist "cakey" texture under a thick crunchy topping. It is a great combination of a variety of flavors!  It is from "The Joy of Cooking" cookbook. (And it is good on a Sunday morning....)

Deluxe Sunday Morning Coffee Cake

1. Generously grease the bottom and sides of a (10-inch) springform pan. (I learned a little trick from a cheesecake recipe.... wrap the springform pan in foil to prevent any leaking!)

2. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with dry bread crumbs. Turn to coat, then dump out the excess crumbs.

3. In a large bowl, mix:
            - 2 cups flour
            - 1 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
            - 1 teaspoon salt

4. After these are well blended, add 
            - 10 tablespoons (5/8 cup) butter. 
Cut in until the mixture resembles course crumbs.

5. Set aside 1 cup of this crumb mixture.

6. Add to the large bowl:
             - 1 teaspoon baking powder
             - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

7. Mix well, then add:
             - 1 large egg
             - 1 teaspoon vanilla
             - 3/4 cup buttermilk (I never have buttermilk on hand; I make my own by adding lemon juice to milk and letting it sit for a few minutes to sour.)

8. Whisk vigorously till the batter is smooth and fluffy. Scrape into the pan and smooth.

9. For the Streusel topping, add to the 1 cup of reserved crumbs:
              - 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (our favorite was hazelnut)
              - 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (the recipe calls for dark)
              - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

10. Sprinkle the crumbs over the batter. Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

The recipe says to let it cool for 2 hours before eating (to "set")... but we always dig into it right away. It's a bit crumbly when it's fresh out of the oven, but it tastes great! :)

Buffalo Wild Wings' Parmesan Garlic Wings

This simple, delicious recipe is too good not to share! It certainly satisfied our craving for our favorite flavor of wings from Buffalo Wild Wings.

BWW Parmesan Garlic Wings

1. Fry wings in hot oil for 10-12 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, in a plastic container with a lid, mix:

- 1/2 cup melted butter

- 1 tsp. garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp. onion salt

- 1/4 tsp. black pepper

- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

3. When the wings are light brown, remove them from the oil and drain briefly on paper towels. Then add to the plastic container and shake! Done!

Attempt at Gumbo

Sometimes, we just get the craving for something spicy.  So... without any of the right ingredients (and not being a native of Louisiana), I gave it a try!  Here are the ingredients I used, and it actually turned out pretty good!

Gumbo (ish)

1. In a separate pan, cook rice.

2. Make a roux, with oil (approx. 1/4 cup) and flour (approx. 4 TBSP).

3. After it has thickened, add

- vegetable powder (dried chopped vegetables in a bottle)

- salt and pepper

- onion powder

- chili powder

- lots of Tony's

4. Add 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of water, 2 beef bouillon cubes, and salsa. (use Tabasco if you have it, but salsa worked in a pinch!)

5. Boil for up to one hour. Add sausage, chicken, shrimp, etc., and add rice.

Simple Chicken and Rice

As I searched for a Chicken and Rice recipe, I couldn't narrow it down... so I made my own simple version. I was experimenting for company, but it went over well!

Simple Chicken and Rice

Ahead of time, boil your chicken, de-bone it, and set aside the broth. 

1. Boil chicken broth.

2. Add 1 package of mushroom soup mix and water, boil.

We don't have "Cream Of..."s here, so when I use mushroom soup mix, you could substitute "Cream of Mushroom Soup".

3. Add shredded chicken and rice (I used 1 1/2 cups for 3 people). Cover and boil for 30-50 minutes.

4. Add sour cream, milk, spices (onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and a dash of Tony's).

Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce

I came up with the idea for this sauce last month, and it's been a staple ever since.
Thank goodness I packed Tony's.

Pork Chops & Mushroom Sauce

1. In a skillet, cook your pork chops in a thin layer of olive oil. Season with:
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- Tony's

2. Bring water to boil in a pot. Add 1/2 package of mushroom soup mix. Boil. Add 1/2 cup of milk, and season to your taste with:
- salt and pepper
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- dash of Tony's
- dash of curry

3. Right before your pork chops are done, add to the sauce. Boil.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Cinnamon Rolls (for cheaters)

On Sunday mornings, I always try to make a big, sweet breakfast. My Mom always made home-made cinnamon rolls on Sundays. So far, I haven't tackled her recipe... but this easy version was a hit with friends this last Sunday! Every piece was eaten in our gathering of friends. And when we returned home, Sierra (our 2 year old lab) had eaten the last 2 pieces I'd saved on the counter. Guess it was good.

Cinnamon Roll Cake

- 3 cups flour

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 cup sugar

- 4 tps. baking powder

- 1 1/2 cups milk

- 2 eggs

- 2 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 c. melted butter

Mix all the ingredients but the butter. Then slowly add the butter in. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Topping:

- 1 cup softened butter

- 1 cup brown sugar

- 2 TBSP flour

- 1 TBSP cinnamon

Mix, then pour evenly over the cake. Swirl with a knife.

The cake is thick, so this was not very easy to swirl... I had to spoon up some of the cake over the top layer to get it more "marbled".

Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes, when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. While the cake is still warm, drizzle with the glaze:

Glaze:

- 2 cups powdered sugar

- 5 TBSP milk

- 1 tsp. vanilla

Chocolate Cake and Coffee Icing

This icing recipe has been my go-to favorite for several years! It dresses up any old plain chocolate cake from a box!
When I moved here, I had to find a good "box-less" recipe (aka from scratch).... so here is an easy, delicious cake from scratch. It's delicious as cupcakes or a big cake!

Easy Moist Chocolate Cake

- 3/4 Cup butter

- 1 1/2 Cup sugar

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 Cup milk

- 2 Cups flour

- 1/2 Cup cocoa (6 TBSP)

- 2 tsp. baking soda

- 1 tsp. salt

- 1 tsp. vanilla

Blend all the ingredients, then add 1 cup of boiling water.

Blend well. Pour batter into a greased, lightly floured pan. Bake at 350 until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (approximately 30 minutes).

My Mom taught me the secret to a great moist cake is freezing it after it is cooked. It makes it moist and very easy to frost. Freeze the cake for at least an hour (a day or two is good too!).

Coffee Buttercream Icing

- 2 egg yolks

- 2/3 cup (sifted) powdered sugar

- 1 tsp. instant coffee powder

- 6 oz. (3/4 cup) softened butter

Beat until smooth (around 5 minutes). Chill until it thickens a bit but is still spreadable.

There may still be "clumps" of coffee powder. It's not the smoothest icing (even if you DO "sift" the sugar, which I sometimes skip), but it tastes great! 

If you make two cake rounds, this icing makes just enough to frost between and on top. If you also want to frost the sides, double it.

Chicken Chimichangas

Living in Koper, I have to do what I can to satisfy my longings for good old Tex-Mex. Usually, my Mom's Chicken Enchilada recipe will do the trick, but in February I decided to think outside the box and create a new recipe!

Chicken Chimichangas

Ingredients:

  - Chicken (raw or pre-cooked)

  - Oil

  - Shredded Cheese

  - Garlic Cream Cheese

  - Salsa

  - Milk

  - Taco seasoning + other seasonings of your choice

1. Saute the chicken (raw or boiled and shredded) in oil with seasonings of your choices.

I used a bit of every seasoning I could find: salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and a dash of taco seasoning. 

2. Fill tortillas with chicken, shredded cheese, and salsa. Fold the top and bottom in, and then roll closed (where no filling can escape from any side!) Pin closed with 2 toothpicks.

Most recipes call for using 12-inch tortillas... we don't have 12-inch tortillas here! I use small ones and they work great. 

Cheese:  I would prefer cheddar, but I've had to find alternatives here- we used a cheap shredded "pizza cheese" that's a blend of Gouda and others. 

3. Fry it in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side. Watch them closely: they cook quickly!

4. For the topping, mix milk (1/4 to 1/2 a cup, depending on how thick you want your sauce), 1/5 package of taco seasoning, and 1 package of garlic cream cheese. Heat in the microwave and then slather on the cooked Chimichangas.  How did I not discover "garlic cream cheese" until we moved here?!

A normal adult will eat 2-3 of these small chimichangas. I cook them 2 at at time, and it cooks quickly!