| Yes, you read that right. Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Pretzels. I think I may have just invented the *perfect* food.
What started as a “hey, you know what would be awesome..?” thought a while back was seen through to fruition this weekend, with spectacular results. This recipe is not only simple, it only costs about $5 to make 40 poppers! So freaking good. As is, these have the ideal amount of heat – enough to give it some kick, not enough to make it painful or mask the actual flavor. Feel free to use more or less jalapenos based on your personal preferences. |
– |  |
Archive for the ‘Side Dishes’ Category
Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Pretzels Recipe
Tuesday, November 30th, 2010Poutine Recipe – The way *I* Do it!
Friday, November 5th, 2010| Hey guys!
So, can I just say how great it feels to finally be out of the closet as an immigrant? Still feeling like a huge weight’s been lifted from my chest. You guys will reap the benefits, by the way, and today’s a great example. Aside from having to dance around where I went to school, and making sure I didn’t let a stray “u” end up in “flavor”, I balked at the idea of publishing some of my wholeheartedly Canadian recipes. Let me tell you, I have some great ones that I’ve been dying to share. Poutine is.. well, honestly it’s probably the nastiest thing ever. It’s a 2am-going-home-from-the-bar kinda food. There is nothing redeeming in nutrition OR appearance. It’s not haute cuisine in the slightest. It may just end up clogging your arteries on sight. Sometimes, I’m kinda embarrassed that it’s sort of looked at as our national dish in Canada. Oh, but it can be soooo good! |
– |  |
Grandma’s Potato Salad
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010This recipe was originally posted last summer.. but with recent weather, BBQs, and a wicked craving for it.. figured it’s about time to drag it back to the spotlight!
Lately, I’ve been on a mission to translate my family favorite “recipes” (no, that’s not a misuse of quotation marks!) into actual recipes.
It’s a bigger endevor than it sounds to be – my family writes down recipes like we cook. By that, I mean that “a handful of” or “some” are used as actual units of measurements, or any indication of actual quantity is left out completely. We add an ingredient till things look or taste right, which is fine when you’re comfortable with what you’re doing.. but not so hot for conveying a recipe to my blog readers!
Take, for instance, my grandmother’s potato salad recipe. She makes the most amazing potato salad I’ve ever had, but this is her recipe, in its entirety:
—–
boil red potatoes, cut in 4
Don’t overcook them
Cool them
Put in fridge, cover with italian dressing, let sit overnight
Take them out, add chopped green onion, celery, radishes, eggs (hardboiled and sliced)
Use Hellman’s full fat mayo, don’t use too much
—–
See what I’m dealing with? LOL.
The recipe is far too great to NOT share with the world, so here it is:
Sauerkraut Balls (Pyrizhky?)
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
I recently obtained this recipe from my aunt, by way of my grandmother. My husband was professing his love for sauerkraut, and I recalled the sauerkraut balls that this aunt used to make around the holidays. I remembered them being really addictive little bread balls filled with sauerkraut and bacon, but couldn’t remember much past that – it had been 2 decades since I’d had one!
So, after a couple of calls, I received an email with the vague recipe. I *immediately* set about making a batch for my husband. Between the bread, kraut, and bacon, I think he was about to start foaming at the mouth if I didn’t get right on it!
Sauerkraut Balls (Pyrizhky?)
Dough:
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 envelope yeast
4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour cream
Filling:
1 lb bacon, chopped
1 bag saurkraut (about 19 oz), drained
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Melted butter
Prepare the dough:
Gently mix together warm water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt. Form a well in the middle, and pour oil, eggs, and sour cream into it. Mix
well, then add the yeasty water. Mix until everything is well incorporated, then knead lightly for 2 minutes. Place dough in
a large, greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
As you are waiting for the dough to rise, prepare the filling:
Cook bacon & onions until bacon is almost cooked, but not crispy. Add saurkraut to the pan, cook and stir well until bacon fat is absorbed and everything is heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool.
Assemble the sauerkraut balls:
Roll dough out to an even 1/4″ thickness. Cut rounds that are between 3″-4″ in diameter.
On the center of each round, place a mound of about 1 Tbsp filling. Gather edges of the round and seal the filling in (like a drawstring bag). Roll around between your hands a bit to get a uniform spherical shape, and place on a lightly greased / sprayed baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough/filling, leaving at least 2″ between dough balls.
Loosely cover cookie sheets with plastic wrap, and allow to rise another hour.
Heat oven to 350F. Remove pastic wrap from cookie sheets, bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and brush liberally with melted butter.
Great served hot, fresh out of the oven, cold, or even reheated. IF they last that long.
