Russian Meatballs

One day I hope to watch the Olympics live. Since I have to wait, I will blog about some foods I could encounter in Russia. Now, I will admit these may not be authentic recipes since I had to adapt them to something my family would eat. My husband loved this recipe which really did surprised me. He was the least excited about trying some Russian foods. I left out the tomatoes since I wasn't sure how it would taste with a sour cream sauce.

Russian Meatballs aka Tefteli
1 cup cooked white rice
1 lb. ground chicken
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Paprika 
1/4 cup parsley
1 small onion grated
2 carrots grated
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the rice, chicken, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, grated onion, and carrot.
3. Form the meat mixture into 2 inch balls.
4. In a large skillet, melt the olive oil and butter.
5. Brown the meatballs. Remove the meatballs and place into a greased baking dish.
6. Cover the meatballs with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.
7. Uncover the meatballs and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Let's Make Some Russian Food.

Sour Cream Sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup grated carrot
1 tsp paprika
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup chicken broth 

1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter in the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and carrot. Saute for 1 minute. 
3. Sprinkle the flour and paprika on top. Stir for 1 minute.  
4. Whisk in the chicken broth and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the sour cream and milk. Lower the temperature to simmer. Cook the sauce until it reduces to a thicker sauce.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve the sauce over the meatballs and rice.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago........................I made Heath Bits PB Cookies.
Two years ago......................I made Chocolate Walnut Tart.

Did you already know...........
-Sochi is located on the coast of the Black Sea.
-Sochi has subtropical weather so warm summers with mild winters.
-In Sochi, the Olympic village will host about 6,000 athletes.

Oatmeal Batter Bread

Yesterday, the ground hog saw his shadow. When I told my husband how we are going to have 6 more weeks of winter, he said we always do. We do live in Maine after all. Now, my children love winter. They put on all their winter gear and head outside to play. I actually think they play outside more in the winter than the summer. When their cousins visit, all four kids head outside. They make a snowman one week then the next week they destroy him. Today, I have scattered piles of snowman all over the yard. I would rather stay inside during this time of year. One of the best ways to warm the house is to bake some bread.

Oatmeal Batter Bread
5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup ground oats flour
2 (1/4 oz.) envelopes of quick rising yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup butter
2 cups quick cooking oats
2 tsp salt
2 large eggs

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine 2 cup all purpose flour, oat flour, yeast, and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, heat the water and butter to 100 degrees F. 
3. Add the butter mixture to the flour and mix until incorporated.
4. Add 2 cups of all purpose flour, quick cooking oats, salt, and the eggs. Mix until incorporated.
5. Add the remaining flour and mix until a soft dough forms. (More flour may be needed if the dough is too sticky.)
6. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. 
7. Allow the dough to rise for 40 minutes or until double in size.
8. Divide the dough into 2 greased 1 1/2 quart souffle dishes.
9. Allow the dough to rise for another 30 minutes uncovered.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
11. Bake the bread for 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
12. Remove the bread from the oven and pan. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

McCall cooking school cookbook

One year ago.................................I made Cookie Dough Cupcakes.
Two years ago...............................I made Buttermilk Corn Bread.

Did you already know....................
-In 1891, Quaker Oats became the first company to feature recipes on its products.
-The first flavored instant oatmeal was Maple and Brown Sugar.
-The trademark man on the Quaker Oats box is known as Larry.

Pepperoni Cheese Bread

The Superbowl is this weekend. Will you be watching? Or will you be watching the commercials? I suggested we should have a Superbowl party and my husband said not this year. I think if it was his team then it would be sure but it is only my favorite team playing. Either way, we always watch it. I was thinking about some typical football foods like wings, nachos, pizza, etc and decided to make this bread. My oldest daughter taught me how to make this delicious bread. It is like pizza in a bread with no sauce. If you miss the sauce so much, you can always use it as a dipping sauce. I think this is the type of food to share in a group to make sure I'm not the only one eating it all.

Pepperoni Cheese Bread
1 pizza dough
6  Tbsp softened unsalted butter
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 oz. Mozzarella cheese
30 pepperoni slices

Directions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. 
   
2. Roll out the pizza dough into a long rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
3. In a small bowl, mix the butter, oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
4. Spread the butter mixture over the dough.
5. Cover the butter mixture with the cheese.
6. On top of the cheese, place the pepperoni. The pepperoni should be slightly overlapping.
7. Roll each side of the dough into the center of the dough to form a long strip. Place the seam underneath the dough.
8. Take one end of the dough and roll the dough into the side of the dough towards the other end to form a large circle. The dough should not be lifted off the counter. 
9. Carefully, transport the circle to the parchment paper. 
10. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
12. Bake the bread for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
13. Allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Recipe provided by Allie of Sweet Morris.

One year ago....................................I made Homemade White Loaf.
Two years ago..................................I made Baby Back Ribs.

Did you already know.......................
-The Superbowl was watched by more than 164 million people last year.
-The winner of the Superbowl receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
-The sterling silver Vince Lombardi Trophy is made by Tiffany & Co.

Go Broncos!

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love Sweet and Sour Chicken from our local Chinese restaurant. Now, I know it isn't authentic Chinese cuisine but it still is one of my favorite dishes. The kids love it. I love it and most importantly my husband loves it. When we order Sweet and Sour Chicken, it comes with this crazy looking bright pink sauce. There are pineapple chunks with cherries and lots of fried won tons. No wonder we like it so much. So, I decided to try this dish on the family. I wasn't sure how my family would react but they loved it. It is pretty easy to make and cooks for an hour so I can get other things completed before dinner. My husband told me when we have this dish again we should double the sauce. The photos reminded me of a Chinese menu.

Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp ketchup
1/8 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Timari soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, chopped into bite sizes
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 bunch green onions

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder. Set aside. 
3. On one plate, spread out the cornstarch. Set aside.
4. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Set aside.
5. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. 
6. Coat the chicken in the cornstarch then in the egg.
7. Brown the chicken in the skillet on all sides.
8. Remove the chicken and coat the chicken into the vinegar sauce.
9. Add the chicken and vinegar sauce into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
10. Bake the chicken for 1 hour. Stir the chicken mixture every 15 minutes while it is cooking. 
11. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
12. Top the chicken with pineapple chunks and green onions. 

Recipe adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff.

Two years ago.........................................I made American Beauty Cake.

Did you already know.............................
-Sweet and sour sauce does originate from China.
-In China, sweet and sour sauce is used for dipping seasfood.
-Since tomatoes are not native to China, the sweet and sour dipping sauces found in China are different from the ones found at the local Chinese restaurants. 

I hope you have a wonderful Chinese New Year on Friday!

Fried Rice

Of all the recipes I have made over the years, there are some recipes I just tend to mess up. It's always the quick dishes I'm trying to make in a hurry like bacon. I don't know how many times I have burnt bacon. I think it's the standing there and being focused on one thing when I have children running around, phones ringing, and other distractions. Well, my husband always request his bacon crispy just not that crispy. I have also attempted to make fried rice several times but I was doing something wrong. So, we tend to go to a local Hibachi table where they prepare the food in front of you. I figured if I went enough times then I would learn the technique. Do you like my reasoning? When I made this recipe, the kids said it tasted just like when we go out to eat. My daughter asked me to make it again tomorrow. I finally made edible fried rice so next will be bacon. 

Fried Rice
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
3 cups cooked, room temperature Jasmine rice
3 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce
2 eggs, beaten lightly
3 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat the 3 Tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat.
2. Add the 1/3 cup onion and saute for two minutes.
3. Add the 1/2 cup carrot and saute for three minutes.
4. Add the 3 cups rice and continue to stir. Cook the rice for about three minutes. 
5. Add the 3 Tbsp soy sauce over the rice and stir. Cook for 1 minute while stirring.
6. Move the rice and vegetables over to the side. 
7. Add the 2 eggs and stir constantly until lightly scrambled.
8. Stir the rice into the egg to distribute the egg throughout the rice.
9. Add the 3 green onions and cook for 1 minute before serving.

Recipe by Jen of Sweet Morris.

One year ago.................................I made Hash Brown Potatoes.
Two years ago...............................I made a Mushroom Burger.

Did you already know....................
-Besides making fried rice on a Japanese Hibachi table, fried rice traditionally is cooked in a wok.
-Chinese fried rice has a thick sauce poured on top.
-Fujian and Hokkien fried rice are two types of Chinese fried rice.