Tomato soup was a staple in my house growing up; I think everybody had that experience. The only difference is that Polish tomato soup isn't served with grilled cheese sandwiches. A shame, really.
Ingredients:
- beef soup bone (ask a butcher at your grocery store)
- water (at least a gallon?)
- 2 carrots
- 1 parsnip
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 tsp Vegeta seasoning
- 1 tsp parsley flakes (optional)
- 1 box of pasta of your choice, boiled according to instructions
You will need a large pot.
Boil the bone and Vegeta in a large pot filled 3/4 with water for roughly 30 minutes; the meat on the bone needs to be cooked through. Add veggies and boil until tender. Take out the bone and veggies, add half a can of tomato paste and stir until blended completely. Keep adding more until the soup is fragrant and flavorful.
Serve it in a bowl with pasta and thin out the soup with a little of sour cream.
Enjoy!
I think the origin of this dish comes from a Polish woman who had a whole lot of weird leftovers and decided to stick them together then cover them in mayonnaise. Because in Poland, we cover everything in mayo or sour cream. True story.
Ingredients:
- 1 big potato
- 1 can of sweet peas
- 3 eggs, hard-boiled
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 1 big apple
- 3-4 medium pickles (cannot be sweet, pickles in brine are best)
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
Boil carrots and the potato without peeling first. Cool completely and peel the vegetables. Cube everything, add peas and mayo, and mix until it's all fairly uniform. Add salt and pepper to taste. Eat with bread of choice or as a side with a main dish.
Options: You can add chopped up cold hot dogs or ham, substitute cucumbers for pickles, or add corn.
Enjoy!
Generally, I am not all that great with dishes that come from the South of the US border; that's what I have my boyfriend for (thanks, babe!). Every so often, though, I bring out this recipe because it's delicious and amazing. Also, super cheesy. You have been warned.
Ingredients:
- 6-8 tortillas (I prefer flour, corn will work)
- 1 large chicken breast
- 2 cups (16oz) shredded cheese (sharp cheddar is best)
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (1 can)
- 1 cup (8oz) sour cream
- 1 can (4oz) diced green chilies
You will need a large frying pan or a pot and a 9x13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 425F.
Chicken breast: Spice it with garlic salt, garlic powder, cumin and pepper. Put into aluminum pouch and bake it for roughly 20 minutes. Shred it with fork and set aside to cool.
Sauce: Melt butter in the frying pan. Add flour and brown it while stirring it constantly - about a minute or so. Make sure it's not too dark (aka burnt). Add broth, chilies and sour cream. Stir until uniform and set aside.
Warm up the tortillas (I sprinkle them with water and microwave for about 30 minutes). Roll up the chicken and cheese into tortillas and set into an oil sprayed baking pan. Cover in sauce and in any leftover cheese you might have. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Enjoy!
A long time ago I went to Stir Crazy and had the best chicken lettuce wraps I've ever tasted. Nothing really topped that flavor since. I've been trying to duplicate the dish - with limited success - and this is the recipe I came up with. Personally, I really like it.
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs. ground chicken
- 1 tbsp of frying oil
- stir fry sauce (half a bottle of Kikkoman brand will do)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- up to 2 cups of unsalted peanuts, chopped to small pieces
- green onions, chopped
- romaine lettuce (hearts are best)
- black pepper and paprika (if you like it spicy)
- (optional) mushrooms
- suggested garnish: grated carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, sriracha, crispy noodles/wantons, green onions, chopped peanuts
Note: This recipe is gluten-free as long as you read the label on the sauce. You can also make one yourself.
You will need a large frying pan or a wok that can hold all of the mean you will be preparing.
Brown the chicken in the pan while adding pepper and paprika to taste. DO NOT ADD SALT! Add the sauce - add a portion at a time because the chicken releases juices and too much sauce will make the dish too runny. Add garlic, green onion and however many peanuts you feel necessary. Stir until uniform. Serve on lettuce leaves.
Enjoy!
I don't particularly care for pasta dishes - I know, sacrilege - but I do know how to cook some of them really well. I picked up a ziti recipe from Stephanie O'Dea at A Year of Slow Cooking who does hers in a crockpot. I've tried it and it's amazing, but my boyfriend likes the crispiness of baked cheese so I usually go for the oven to cook it. Also, it might be just a smidgen quicker.
Ingredients:
- 1 lbs. cheese of your choice (mozzarella, Parmesan, etc.)
- 1 box of pasta (penne, rigatoni, ziti, etc.)
- 1 jar of pre-made red spaghetti sauce (unless you want to make your own from scratch)
- 1 can of tomato paste (6oz)
- 1/2 lbs. of ground beef
- medium onion, chopped
- 1-3 cloves of chopped garlic (to taste)
- spices (salt, pepper, paprika, oregano)
- (optional) mushrooms
You will need a large pot and 9x13 baking pan. Preheat the oven to 425F
Start cooking pasta according to instructions prior to starting the sauce. Shred all of the cheese and have handy for later.
In a large pot (unless you have a giant frying pan), brown the beef while making sure it doesn't clump together. Add spices, garlic, and onion, and cook until everything is browned. Add sauce and the paste, mix until uniform and set aside, simmering. It's not necessary to cool the sauce.
Coat the pan with a non-stick spray (lining it with aluminum foil might help as well). Layer the ingredients as follows: a third of the pasta, a third of the sauce, a third of the cheese, repeat. Sprinkle the top cheese layer with a little paprika for extra spiciness. Bake for approx. 45 minutes, or until the top is a delicious golden brown.
You can serve it as a side to chicken Parmesan or by itself.
Enjoy!
This is one of those amazingly easy recipes that you can toss together and feel good about; it will turn out delicious no matter what. Quiche is a French breakfast equivalent of 'empty your fridge' with eggs kind of dish, so while I chose to use these ingredients they don't have to be copied 100%
Ingredients:
- deep pie shell
- 4-5 large eggs
- 1/2 pint of half and half (anything with less fat content won't taste as delicious)
- 2oz. goat cheese
- 2oz. Gruyere or smoked Gouda
- 2-4 white mushrooms, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- (optional) ground rosemary
Note: Cheeses can be changed out as long as one soft and one hard cheese is used. Also, the amount of cheese can be increased to your liking.
Preheat oven to 400F. You might need a cookie sheet to set the pie shell on so it doesn't overflow into the oven proper.
Roughly mix half and half with the eggs, add all spices, and set aside. In the pie shell set out the sliced up mushrooms, crumbled goat cheese and shredded Gruyere. Pour the mixture over it, stick the whole thing in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes.
Quiche should be ready when the top is a lovely golden brown color. You may try sticking a toothpick in there as a test of readiness, though the cheese will most likely keep it gooey.
Enjoy!
The traditional Polish apple cake was one of the first cakes I have ever learned how to make. My grandma was downright ecstatic when I displayed interest in learning how to cook and bake. That being said, this is a relatively labor intensive cake. It will take you a couple of hours to put together, that's for sure.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs (whites and yolks separated)
- 4 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2.5 cups of sugar (3.5 cups if you like super sweet things)
- approx. 1lbs of flour
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream (if necessary)
- 6 large Granny Smith apples
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
You will need a 9x13 baking pan, a variety of mixing bowls, a pot, and cooking spray.
Preparing the dough: Combine all the flour, 2 tsp of baking powder, salt, and a cup of sugar in a large bowl. Add the butter and 4 egg yolks, and knead the dough with your hands until it becomes uniform (I'm sure this could be done in a mixer, but I do not possess one). If the dough comes out too dry, add some sour cream until the dough no longer crumbles. Wrap it in plastic wrap and freeze it for an hour.
Preparing the apple layer: Peel the apples and grate them; you can either do it by hand or run the apples through a juicer and put everything back together. The choice is yours. Put the grated apples into a pot, add a cup of sugar, and simmer until the apples have completely softened. Optionally, you can add a tbsp of cinnamon to apples. Set aside and let it cool completely.
Preparing the whipped layer: Put 4 egg whites into a sturdy bowl and whip them into foam with hand mixer until you have soft peaks. Add 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tbsp of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar while stirring carefully with a spoon.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Assembling the cake: Grate 3/4 of the frozen dough onto the baking pan and stick the rest back into the freezer. Bake that for about 25 minutes, or until the top is just barely baked (it will start showing golden edges). Take out the pan. Pour the apple layer onto the cake layer and smooth out. Pour out the whipped layer onto the apples and also smooth out evenly. Grab the remaining frozen dough and grate it on top of the whipped egg whites. Try to cover as evenly as possible, even if the grated dough will try to splatter everywhere. Put the pan back in the oven and bake for another 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving.
Enjoy!
