After experimenting with a new Moroccan Chicken recipe the family requested I make the “original” version that dates back to the early days of Madison House Chef. Knowing that I wanted to blog the recipe I went in search of my original copy.
However, I couldn’t remember it’s original source. A website? A newspaper clipping? A cookbook?
What to do??
Weiner Schnitzel, kraut, pomme frites, soft pretzel, and bavarian senf (Bavarian mustard)
My husband Ken and I have long enjoyed Munich as a place to relax, to eat good food and drink exceptionally good beer. This year after leaving Florence, thirsty for a tall Augustiner Edelstoff and wanting to show the kids the amazing Deutsches Museum, we spent several days in Munich. During the time there both kids discovered a love for Weiner Schnitzel.
Continue reading "Oktoberfest Celebration: Weiner Schnitzel" »
In honor of the first Packers game of the NFL season, I’m sending Packers cupcakes to UTPA with Ken tomorrow. One of the other guys in his department is from Wisconsin and is also a diehard fan. Together they can celebrate with these Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with a Dark Chocolate Ganache filling. The “grass” frosting is vanilla butter cream.
Go Packers!
Delicious!
Since the MHC household is back into the school year routine, it’s packed lunches for us all. This morning I put a Smoked Salmon sandwich with cream cheese, capers, and alfalfa sprouts on Nature’s Own Sandwich Rounds (a recent find). Their Nutrition Facts show a decent product and they rate an A on Fooducate.
Here are the layers for this satisfying sandwich.
Continue reading "Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese and Sprouts Sandwich" »
Since the beginnings of married life, I’ve had an herb garden that included basic herbs and simple vegetables growing. Even in Washington D.C. (when neighbors were giving me a good natured ribbing about farming in the city) I managed a few carrots and leaf lettuce in otherwise uninhabitable soil. In North Dakota I had a HUGE garden, and in both Michigan and Indiana we had back door kitchen gardens with an abundance of herbs and the occasional tomato and pepper plants.
Breakfast time at our house frequently includes laughter and creativity but these pancakes added tasty frivolity.
Continue reading "Playing with My Food: Alphabet Pancakes" »
Written on the back of an old envelope, this is one of my favorite cookie recipes of all time, especially for making cut out cookies to decorate with colorful sprinkling sugar, like these Valentine's cookies.
Family: Can you identify this envelope? Hint below…
(HINT: In the original photo the envelope has the return home address of my cousin whose fiance’s home was in Virginia. (you should know already) They’ve been married over 20 years (you should definitely know now). Last hint: the zip code was 22031.)
Continue reading "Mace Cookies (Great for Cookie Cutters)" »
Cooking red cabbage reminds me of my grandmother’s dinner table with a vague recollection people, family probably, eating bone in pork chops.
The warm savory cabbage comes through my family of origin as a German food – probably inspired by the peasants for whom simple meals of winter crops that would last through extended cold snaps was the norm.
It’s that time of year again when I’m looking through my recipes to decide what hors d’oeuvres to serve as my family celebrates the New Year together.
But what exactly is an hors d’oeuvre?
What a festive way to celebrate – by making a Gingerbread House!
Continue reading "Gingerbread House Part 1: Recipe and Baking" »
Tonight was baked potato night at the Madison House Chef kitchen table with each potato topped with favorite ingredients. Meatless for Miss Muffet and myself, and a big slab o’ beef for the boys.
When selecting a baking potato, choose a football shaped Russet with tight skin, no blemishes or bruises, and positively no sprouts or green discoloration.
Pure Comfort Food! Indeed, this recipe is not low fat, not low calorie, not low anything for that matter, but the essence of comfort food is to discount any nutritious value and soak in the comfort value.
This recipe is one of those things I remember my grandmother making in a big cast iron frying pan. She taught my dad, who I watched for years make this same gravy, and then in time he taught me.
Continue reading "Sausage Gravy and Biscuits – The Joy of Cooking by Sight, Smell and Taste" »
Today I made dozens upon dozens of molasses cookies from the family recipe that has come down through the generations. I remember these being made at my Grandma Garland’s house and I’ve come to learn that they were my grandpa’s number one choice of cookie. He especially liked them when they were seasoned with a heavy hand on the cloves.
As it turns out not only was this my grandpa’s favorite, but it is now the hands down favorite in my own house. Gregory will request these if he knows that I’m about to bake and Ken chooses them over even Congo Squares. Even Madeleine eats and enjoys them.
Presenting…. my son Gregory’s favorite sandwich – smoked Virginia ham on my Quick and Easy Focaccia.
In the ongoing quest for good nutrition and a desire to limit chemicals, I’ve been making “really delicious” (per my kids) homade granola bars. We’ve been working for a chewy, moist bar that holds together when eaten, but isn’t too sticky and isn’t too sweet. That’s a tall order, I realize, but with a little trial and error, and a great deal of assistance for ‘quality control and taste (thanks, Gregory) I’ve created a recipe that works.
Continue reading "Homemade Chewy Granola Bars, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip" »
This was the second version of the granola bars. The texture is lighter and not quite as sticky as the first version due to the increase of the rice cereal and flour.
yield: 16 bars
calories: approximately 145 per bar
Continue reading "Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bar 2" »
Madeleine has a new bento (sent from Japan) this year – blue with a lucky white bunny. Today’s lunch (bottom photo) was a peanut butter sandwich, walnuts, cheese, whole grain crackers in the large section (pictured), plus a variety of other things, including our homemade granola bars, in the other compartment. The first photo is the lunch I just packed – a garden of pasta with shaved parmesan dotted with little cheesy flowers accompanied by a mini flower shaped cheese sandwich on homemade white bread.
For his birthday this year, I asked Ken “what kind of cake would you like?” I anticipated that the answer would be Cherry Chip. No problem, I was prepared with all I needed to make it. But, to my surprise he responded, “I’d like pie; pecan pie.”
And thus, Happy Birthday – we celebrate this year with a pie.
By the way, this is a SECRET recipe, and such a good recipe that the chef at the ranch asked my mom to make it for the hunters’ dessert.
Continue reading "Homemade Pecan Pie (just like Mom makes)" »
Madeleine’s school (St. Matthew’s Episcopal School) will be saving Box Tops for Education again this year. Perhaps you have seen them on cereal, Ziploc products, Kleenex boxes, Bisquick, cake mixes, butter, yogurt and a whole host of other food and paper good products. If you come across any box tops as you are discarding or recycling packaging, Madeleine would be very happy to receive them from you and to take them to school again this year as the school collects them to be redeemed for educational supplies, school equipment, supplies, and playground equipment. Thanks!
Kale chips … Really?
Yes, really! And they are DELICIOUS. Good enough to “write home to mother about.” Though, actually I called on the telephone (instead of writing) and talked to both my mom and dad about it.
Lamb’s moist meat provides a playground within which to explore a variety of spices, most notably those with a Mediterranean flair. These lamb meatballs, spiced with cumin (or comino as we say here in the valley), onion and paprika, just one combination of the many flavor profiles that lamb compliments, sets the stage for a meal that can be either casually eaten with Naan (or any pocket bread), above, or served over couscous, below. No matter how it’s served, the classic Tzatziki (my low fat, high flavor recipe) makes a great condiment. Of course, hummus (my favorite version) also makes a tasty addition to any Mediterranean meal.
Continue reading "Lamb Meatballs, Mediterranean style – 2 ways (with photos)" »
A fun and tasty finger food that's perfect for young helpers.
Another unique look inside my refrigerator … though actually this is the second refrigerator aka “the beer refrigerator” or the “party refrigerator.” This fridge is about 87 years old (at least it seems that way….). The exterior is covered in wine and beer labels, which may in fact be what’s actually holding it together. Nevertheless, it is the coldest refrigerator ever, keeping beer icy cold and party food fresh; and more than anything else giving us extra cold space.
Continue reading "Blogging My Refrigerator Birthday Edition" »
We aren’t big New Year’s Eve partiers, but instead like to have a quiet evening at home with just our family and a few of our favorite appetizers and tapas. We let our kids stay up until midnight and have a champagne toast to welcome the New Year. This year, we may add to the repertoire and eat 12 grapes as the hour strikes. This is a custom in Spain (where we will be traveling to this summer while my husband teaches at the University in Salamanca) and a fun way of our ongoing preparation for our trip.
Nevertheless, over the last hour or so we’ve put together a few family favorites including: mushroom and leeks in phyllo, stuffed mushrooms, mini crab cakes, tamales (a friend dropped these off earlier today), puff pastry pizza stars (the newcomer to the party), and the tried and true brie in phyllo. These tasty tapas’ are taking up the majority of the space in the refrigerator and are ready for “the party.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!
This year I was fortunate enough to be part of a very traditional part of Christmas preparations here in the valley -- the making of tamales. What a wonderful experience to be standing side by side with Mexicans and Anglos alike, preparing a delicious holiday food, all the while hearing stories of generations of families working together to craft the festive food of masa, lard, meat and beans. Through the community work of preparing for the next days fiesta meal, I enjoyed entering a little deeper into the culture of a warm and welcoming community where family, faith, and respect are still highly valued and reflected in daily life.
This evening we’re hosting our annual Advent – Christmas Party to thank the leadership that work with me throughout the year. This year’s menu of desserts and red wine includes a new Peppermint Yule Log and of course, the annually requested New York Style Cheesecake with cherries.
This cheesecake is a long time staple in our family; it’s been in my recipe box for nearly 20 years and in my mother’s long before that.
