Cinnamon Swirl Cake

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (no need to sift the flour)
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

 2 packs of Vanilla sugar or 1-tablespoon vanilla extract

Inside of 1 vanilla bean
1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 cups milk
Vegetable oil
1 stick butter (not margarine), softened
3 large eggs

 For the swirls: About 4 Tbsp. sugar mixed with 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Measure 1 1/4 cups of milk in a measuring cup and add just enough vegetable oil, to bring the amount of fluid to 1 1/3 cups. Add milk/oil mixture to dry ingredients and beat with a mixer for about 3 minutes. Then add the eggs, one at a time, and beat for another 2-3 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Generously grease a bundt pan and then dust with flour.  Scoop about 1/3 of the dough into the pan. Sprinkle a thin layer of your cinnamon/sugar mixture on top, then add another third of your batter. Sprinkle yet another thin layer of cinnamon sugar and add the rest of your batter. (you can also divide it into 4th for an extra layer of cinnamon if you like, I found 3 to be enough though).

Bake for 45 minutes, then loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the top from getting to dark. Bake for another 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Make sure to let the cake cool completely before trying to remove from the pan.

Frost if desired, but I find it sweet enough as it is. We like to eat it just like that with some whipped cream on top. Yummmmmmmm!!!

Healthyfied Chocolate Cake

**sorry, I was too lazy to get out my camera so I took a pic with my cell phone***




The original recipe to this is a pretty typical recipe for a German Chocolate Cake (and by that I mean a chocolate cake as we bake them in Germany). They are a lot more dense than the chocolate cake you get here.

I took the original recipe, cut the sugar by 50 grams and added Flax seed. My husband and I and even my picky kids all really enjoyed the results.

This cake is not very sweet so if you want it sweet, use 200 grams of sugar instead of the 150 that I used.


- 3 eggs
- 200g soft butter (about 1 1/2 sticks)
- 150g sugar (use 200 for sweater results)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 bottle of rum extract
- 400g flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- about 1/4 cup flax seeds (grind them in a coffee grinder)
- about 1 cup of melted dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips )
- approximately 1 cup of mini chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 340 degrees.

Mix the flour, flax seeds and baking powder.
In a separate bowl beat butter, eggs and sugar until nice and smooth.

Slowly add milk and flour-mix as well as vanilla and rum extract. Now add in the melted chocolate as well as the chocolate chips if you use them.

Fill the batter into a well greased loaf pan or gugelhupf pan (or use the silicone version like I did... the cake comes out so easy!!!)

Bake for approximately 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out mostly clean.

Let it cool. You can eat as is or you can glaze or drizzle it with chocolate or sift some powdered sugar on it. I decided to grate some white chocolate on top for decoration.

Enjoy, healthyfied and good!

Chicken Piccata

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Chicken Piccata is such a simple, yet flavorful dish.

The most important component in here is definitely the lemon so if you are not a fan, then this dish is likely not for you.

I really did not follow any recipe here, I just threw the ingredients together and created my own. So this may or may not be a recipe that exists already.

This recipe serves 4 people that have a good appetite or 5-6 people that eat like birds:

- 4 pieces of chicken breast

- 2 lemons (wash them well)

- about 2 Tablespoon of capers (adjust to taste)

- flour to dust the chicken with

- seasonings to taste. I use: lemon pepper, garlic, salt,

- about 2 tablespoons of butter

- about 1 cup of white wine

- chicken broth as needed


Season the chicken and then pound it to about 1 inch thickness. Cut the pieces in half so they are not too huge. Coat each chicken cutlet with flour on both sides.

(Start a pot with pasta of your choice, I used whole wheat spaghetti .. cook according to package instructions)

Melt about 1 teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and add the chicken. Cook on both sides until just cooked, be careful not to overcook. Take the chicken out and set aside.

Add the rest of the butter to the pan and scrape the pan as the butter melts so the scrapings from the chicken mix into the butter. Add the white wine and capers. Let it all cook for a couple of minutes. Now squeeze in the juice of 1 1/2 lemons ... slice the other half lemon and set aside.

Add some chicken broth to create more sauce and flavor. Season to taste. Let the sauce simmer for a couple of minutes.

Put the chicken back in, together with the reserved lemon slice and reheat from both sides for about a minute.

Arrange two cutlets on each plate with a slice of lemon on top.


Put the pasta into the pan and mix well with the sauce. Arrange in plate


That's it .... simple, yet so good!

German Apple Cake

My boys went apple picking with daycare ... they had an awesome day and came home with a bunch of apples .. more than a bunch .. let's just say I slipped an "Holy Sh*t" when I saw all the apples.
So now what do I do with them. I love my apple streusel but I need to make something different every now and then. So I decided to try a traditional German apple cake recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4 to 5 apples)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Confectioners' sugar, optional

Directions

• Combine the first three ingredients; set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Combine oil and orange juice and add alternately with dry ingredients to egg mixture. Beat until smooth; add vanilla and beat well.
• Pour half of the batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Arrange half the apples over the batter. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle half over the apples. Top with remaining batter, apples and cinnamon/sugar.
• Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 hour before removing from pan. Cool, apple side up, on a wire rack. Sprinkle top with confectioners' sugar if desired. Yield: 12-16 servings.

Enjoy.... soooo yummy!





















------
One cake down and if I look at the apples probably only about 20 more to go...

Pasta in Pink Salmon Cream Sauce

I used to make this dish a lot and for some reason hadnt made it in a while.

After making it tonight I remembered why I used to make it so often ;) It's really good and easy.

- 4 pieces of frozen salmon

- lemon pepper (for salmon)

For the sauce:

- garlic powder

- pepper, salt

- pepperflakes

- basil

- terragon

- about 5 tablespoon tomatoe paste (I use the tubes to not waste a can)

- about 2 tablespoon pesto

- a little squirt worshestershire sauce (or however the heck you spell that)

- about 1 1/2 cup white wine

- about 1 cup cream

- Pasta of choice

Season the Salmon with lots of lemon pepper and bake it at 400 degrees until it flakes off a fork (about 20 minutes), pull it apart and put it all in a pot

Add the wine to it and bring to a quick boil, then turn down to medium heat and add the cream as well as all the seasonings for the sauce. (Season to taste. Add or take away as you like).

Boil pasta according to package directions and serve with the Salmon sauce. Easy and yummy!

Egg Free Chicken Cordon Bleu

Having a child with a severe egg allergy forces me to find alternatives for many recipes that call for egg (but then again half the time he refuses to eat it anyway..)

- chicken breast

- ham for each breast (the amount depends on the type of ham you have or your personal taste)

- 1 slice of cheese per breast (I used pepper jack for added flavor)

- panco breadcrumbs

- a few tablespoon of sour cream mixed with a little milk

- balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic powder, basil and terragon (to marinade the chicken)

- 2 cans of diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperflakes, terragon and 5 tablespoon sugar for the marinara sauce

Marinade the meat in the marinade listed above for at least 2 hours.

Slice the meat in the middle, creating a pocket.

Fill it with ham and cheese (my chicken was very thin so I put only a little ham and cheese inside and put the rest on top

Dip the chicken in the cream then in the breadcrumbs

Set the chicken on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle more breadcrumbs on it until the whole piece of chicken is covered.

Do this with all the chicken you have.

Bake on 395 for about 35 minutes (cooking time might vary depending on thickness of chicken.. mine was thin)

Mix all the ingredients for the marinara sauce and blend them well (I use one of those handy stick mixers)

About 10 minutes before end of cooking time put some marinara sauce on top of each breast and if you like also a few sprinkles of grated cheese (optional)

Finish baking.

I served this with spaghetti and used the leftover marinara sauce for the pasta.

Bon appetit!

Meat Pie

Another one of those dishes that I made up. I liked it but I think next time I will add some sour cream or something to make it a bit smoother.










- 1 roll of refridgerated pie crust
- 1 lbs (or however much is in your pack) ground beef
- a few handful of broccoli florets
- a few baby carrots, about 8-10 (or 1-2 regular carrots)
- seasoning to taste
- a couple of tablespoon of tomatoe paste, more couldnt hurt
- a squirt of blue cheese dressing
- 5 slices of pre cooked bacon, chooped
- about 1 cup of prepared mashed potatoes (boxed)


Fry meat in a pot, chop carrots and broccoli into tiny pieces, add to the meat. Season the meat (I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, terragon, paprika..) add the bacon to it, the tomatoe paste and the dressing.
Prepare the mashed potatoes in a seperate little pot and add to the meat mixture to help bind it.
Line a small baking dish with the pie crust, fill it with the meat mixture and fold the crust that's overlapping over the meat. Slice the top and bake according to pie crust directions until the crust is golden brown.

I served it with curry ketchup and corn on the cob. Turned out to be a tasty weeknight meal. My husband got seconds and thirds ;)

Oven Baked Jambalaya

I found this recipe online and it is sooooo good. It is wonderful for a potluck event as it feeds about 16 people!


1/2 cup butter
1 large onion, diced
2 large bell peppers (whatever color you like), chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3 bay leaves (I used 6)
3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning Blend
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (I used one of those and one can petite diced tomatoes)
7 cups chicken stock
3 cups chopped cooked ham
3 cups cooked andouille sausage, sliced
3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 cups frozen cooked shrimp

(I used chicken and sausage only)

4 cups uncooked long-grain white rice



DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Melt butter in large stock pot. Saute onion, green pepper, celery and garlic until tender, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add tomato paste and cook to brown slightly, stirring constantly.

Stir in bay leaves, Creole seasoning blend and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour into a large roasting pan.
Squeeze tomatoes to break up into pieces, and add to mixture in pan. Stir in juice from tomatoes, chicken stock, ham, sausage, chicken, shrimp and rice. Mix well.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through baking time (I did not stir it to let the rice settle). Remove bay leaves before serving.

Easy but delicious Meatloaf

- 2 lbs ground beef
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried minced onions
- Worshestire sauce (or however the heck you spell that)
- ketchup (approximately 1 cup)
- chicken stuffing (croutons type dried bread)
- 1 egg
- 1 envelope of onion soup mix

Season the beef the way you like it, add a couple of handful chicken stuffing. Add a good squirt of the sauce nobody can pronounce as well as a few good squirts of ketchup (I would say I used about 1 cup). Add the egg and onion soup powdered mix.

Mix everything really well by hand and add stuffing if needed until the meat has a comsistency that can be shaped and stays in place.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Line a baking sheet or dish with foil, spray with Pam and shape the meat into a nice loaf, setting it onto the foil. I put some cheese into the middle but I didnt think you could really taste it, so next time I will leave that out.

Bake the loaf for 1 hour and enjoy!!

Sour Beef and Dumplings

Aaaaahhhhhh, a taste of home... well my home at least. I was graving some good old german food so I decided to make Sour Beef and Dumblings.

The mix for the dumblings you can get in many grocery stores that have an international section. I believe Giant has them. They are simply called potatoe dumplings.

Please keep in mind that this beef should marinate in the vinegar for about 3 days, so plan ahead.





Ingredients:

- white vinegar
- water
- small onion
- beef roast
- 5-6 juniper berries
- 5-6 bay leaves
- pepper, salt
- about 3 packs of brown gravy mix (have extra on hand just in case)

- One pack of of potatoe dumplings (prepare those according to package directions)


Peparation:

- Season the beef with salt and pepper and put it into a large plastic container with lid. Add diced onions and fill the container with a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, just enough so the meat is covered in fluid. Throw in the juniper berries and bay leaves.
Seal the container and let it sit in the fridge for about 3 days.

Fast Foward to Cooking Time:

- Sear the meat in a hot pan until the outside is nicely browned.
Don't get rid of the vinegar mix yet!

Set the meat into your crockpot. You now want to add enough fluid to make sauce with it. I use half of the vinegar mix and then the rest just water so it doesnt get too sour.

Cook on High for 4 hours (I dont use the low setting because I want the meat tender, but dont want it to fall apart) Of course you could cook it on the stovetop like any other roast as well, but the crockpot gives amazing results.

After 4 hours carefully lift the meat out of the pot and stir in brown gravy mix (amount of packaged depends on the amount of fluid you have, play it by ear)

Set the meat back in while you cook the dumplings (and whatever veggie you may want to serve. Green beans are often served with this)


Slice the meat, serve with gravy (you may or may not need to run the sauce through a strainer) and dumplings. Enjoy!!

Apple Streusel Cake - my favorite!

This recipe is actually super simple but its so good.


For the Dough:

-200 g unsalted butter (I used two full sticks.. making it a little more than 200gr)

-1 Egg

-200 g Sugar

-400 g plain flour

- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder





For the filling:



- 1 small bag apples .. any kind that isnt too sweet works best



- 5 tablespoon brown sugar



- about 2 tablespoon cinnamon




Peel the apples, remove seeds and cut them into small cubes.


Put them into a pot with the brown sugar and cinnamon.


Turn stove on high, then turn down to medium as soon as you can tell the pot is heated up.

Let the apples cook slowly. stirring occasionally. You want them to become very soft.... and trust me.. you will LOVE the smell!


Ones they are cooked all the way you can either leave them as they are or you can break them up a little with a potatoe masher to whatever consistency you like your filling to be)




While the apples are cooking you can preheat the oven to 345 degrees and prepare the dough.



Just mix all of the ingredients and mix really well by hand.


At first the dough seems dry but keep working it and it will quickly turn into a nice smooth dough.



Grease a Springform and use a little over half of the dough to layer the bottom and side of the form.


Then pour filling into the springform.



Last break up remaining dough over the filling, spreading it nice and evenly.


The crumbs will "melt" a little while baking and build a pretty layer on top of your cake.



Bake for 45-50 minutes, The cake is done when the crumbs have turned into a nice golden brown color.




This cake is wonderful fresh but I like it even better the next day.

Pork (or chicken) Pot Pie a la Me ;)

- 3 pork chops (or chicken breast)

- cube chicken broth

- 3-4 potatoes

- 1 1/2 cups of corn

- half a head of broccoli

- a handful of sliced mushrooms

- 1 can of broccoli cream soup

- about 1 cup heavy whipping cream

- about 1 1/2 cups dry white wine ( I love keeping a wine box in the house .. I cook with wine a lot)

- salt, pepper, garlic powder, nutmeg, paprika, pepper flakes

- 2 cans of Pillsbury cressant creations dough (this one http://tinyurl.com/cuvm8f )


Boil chops (or chicken) slowly with a cube of chicken broth and salt, pepper and garlic

Take meat out of the water when done. Cut up potatoes into cubes and boil them until just done in the broth that the meat was in. You can add some water if needed.

Pull meat apart.

Drain water when potatoes are done. Add meat to the potatoes as well as the corn, broccoli, mushrooms and the can of broccoli cream soup. Add a cup of wine and let it all warm up over medium high heat. Stir carefully. Add cream and more wine if needed until you have the amount of sauce you want. Season to taste.

Spray a Casserole dish with cooking spray and line with one sheet of the cressant dough. Push the dough up on the sides so it will hold the filling.

Pour filling into the casserole dish and top with the second sheet of dough. Cut a few lines into the top.

Bake at 375 degrees until the dough is golden brown.

Soooo good. Of course you can replace the veggies I used for your favorite veggies.

Best Ever Marble Cake

Sorry about the metric numbers.. if your meassuring cup doesnt have metric meassurements on it then you can just convert it online.

-250 Gramm Butter (soft at room temperature)

-200 Gramm Sugar

-500 Gramm flour (dont use self rising, just the plain simple white flour)

-a few drops vanilla extract

-1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

-1 Pinch Salt

-4 Eggs

-1 Cup Milk

- few drops butter extract

- few drops almond extract

- 1 block 70 or 80% cocoa chocolate (Lindt has a good one)

- 3 tablespoon sugar

- a handful dark chocolate chips or candymelts

- few drops of rum extract

(or.. but the first tastes better....:
-30 Gramm cocoa powder for baking .. its about 5 tablespoons
-3 tablespoons water
-3 tablespoons sugar

- few drops of rum extract)

Mix the butter with the sugar, salt and vanilla until nice and creamy.

Slowly add the eggs. Mix well.

Mix flour with the baking powder and while mixing, slowly add the flour and the milk.. taking turns between milk and flour so the consistency stays smooth.

Add a tiny bit of almond extract (very little, maybe 3-4 drops) and a little butter extract.. maybe 10 drops)

Melt chocolate in a hot water bath (break chocolate up into a cup and set the cup into a pot that has some water on the bottom.

Heat the water and let the chocolate melt like that. Stir occasionally, add the chocolate chips or candy melts when the dark chocolate is smooth and add the sugar as well.)

(If you do the second option then just mix all ingredients until smooth)

Grease a "Kaiser Springform" and pour 3/4 of the dough into it.

Add the chocolate to the remaining dough and also add some rum extract.

I like the rum flavor so I put quite a bit but you can do that to taste.

Mix well.

Pour the dark dough in top of the white one in the Springform. Use a fork and twist the dough so the black slightly mixes into the white.

Bake at 355 degrees for about 60 minutes.

After about 45 minutes I lay a sheet of aluminum foil over it to avoid the cake getting too dark on the outside before the inside is done.

Cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Honey Dijon Salmon

For 4 Servings:


- 1 large Salmon filet

- 1/4 cup melted butter

- 3 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Honey

- Salt, pepper, garlic powder

- Panco breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400degrees.

Put the salmon filet, skin side down, on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle some salt, pepper and garlic powder on it.

Mix butter with mustard and honey, stir until it is all well mixed, nice and creamy.

Pour the mixture on top of the salmon and spread it out all over so the whole salmon is covered.

Top with a nice coat of breadcrumbs and gently press them onto the fish/sauce

Bake Salmon for about 30 minutes or until it flakes nicely with a fork.

I served it with lemon pasta (pasta with salt, pepper, garlic powder, some lemon juice and a little butter)

Enjoy!

Homemade lasagna

- 1 pack lasagna plates (doesnt necessarily have to be the no boil kind, they cook through either way during baking time)

- 1 lbs lean ground beef

- 1 sweet italian sausages (squeeze out of casing)

- 1 cube beef broth

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 1 pack thick and zesty spaghetti sauce mix (its a seasoning pack)

- 1 container ricotta

- basil (fresh or dried... or both)

- salt, pepper, garlic (minced)

- a little olive oil

- a little milk

- 1 large can of tomatoe sauce

- 1/2 to 1 pack of grated mozarella (or cheese of choice)

Fry the beef in a little olive oil, add the sausage when beef is about done.. break it all up really well so its all crumbled up. Season with salt, pepper, garlic

When meat is done, add the cube of beef broth and a bit of water... let it break up and stir well. Add the pack of spaghetti seasoning and 1 1/2 cups of water and stir well. Let the water cook down, should go quickly

In the meantime mix the ricotta cheese with plenty of basil, a splash of olive oil and a bit of milk to get a thick and creamy consistency. Add garlic, salt and pepper.

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Put some tomatoe sauce on the bottom, then a layer of lasagna plates.

Top with tomatoe sauce, then Ricotta mix, then meat,

Add another layer of lasagna plates and repeat.

Do as often as you want until you used all the meat and cheese (or until your dish is full)

On the top you want lasagna plates with tomatoe sauce

Finish with a nice layer of grated mozarella cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a piece of aluminium foil with cooking spray and loosely cover the lasagna with it (so the cheese doesnt dry out)

Bake for 1 hour, then take the lasagna out of the oven and let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!

Super easy, mouthwatering Porkchops ... and Brussel Sprouts

You can of course make this with anything other than brussel sprouts if you dont like them, but I am sharing both recipes here

For the Pork, 4 Servings:

- 4 thick Pork Chops (boneless)

- plain panco bread crumbs

- 1 egg

- salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder

- 1 can cream of mushroom soup

- a few tablespoons of cooking sherry (or white cooking wine)

- a few tablespoons of milk

- half a pack of sliced portabella mushrooms (optional)

Line a casserol dish with aluminium foil and spray with cooking spray.

Season the pork with spices listed above, then dip in egg and then in panco breadcrumbs.

Arrange in the casserol dish. I usuall add some more breadcrumbs on top and push them on nicely. Spray the breaded pork lightly with cooking spray (butter or olive oil flavor is favorable) .. you can skip that step if you want to. It just helps get things crunchier.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake chops for 1 hour.

Mix the cream of mushroom soup with a little sherry and a little milk to make it nice and creamy. You can add the fresh mushrooms here, if you are using them.

After 1 hour, take pork out of the oven, put the cream of mushroom mixture on top and continue baking for another 30 minutes

That's it. So tender and soooo good!!!

For the brussel sprouts, 4 servings:

- Fresh brussel sprouts (amount to what you normally eat, I get two bowls of the fresh one),

cut them in half if they are very large

- 3-4 slices of bacon

- 1 can chicken broth

- pepper

- 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Fry bacon until its just starting to crisp. Take bacon out and let it sit on a plate.

Use the bacon grease to fry the brussel sprouts until lightly browned outside.

Add brown sugar, stirr, then add the chicken broth and some pepper.

Cook covered for about 20 minutes on medium-high heat, then remove lid and continue cooking until all the liquid is gone.

Add bacon back into it and mix well

It's really tasty and even people that normally dont like brussel sprouts have liked it that way

Enjoy!

Schnitzel

So, being a true german I guess its about time to post a Schitzel recipe.

Well here it goes.

- Pork Steaks (or chops, or sliced loin or sliced roast)

- Plain Panco Bread Crumbs

- Egg to dip meat before breading

- vegetable oil

- salt, pepper

Flatten meat to about 1/2 inch thickness, season with some salt and pepper

Dip flattened meat in egg, then generously in panco breadcrumbs

Use a large frying pan and put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan easily. Heat the oil (you know its hot if you stick a finger in .... or just put the stick of a wooden spoon into the oil and small bubbles build around the wood).

Carefully add Schnitzel and turn heat down to medium-high.

There has to be enough heat still to make sure the oil is constantly sizzling.

Fry for about 7-10 minutes then turn and fry the other side for 7 minutes as well until both sides are nicely browned.

Serve over a bed of salad, or with fries or whatever side you like. You can also make a sauce for it, a brown gravy with mushrooms and roasted peppers, which would make it a "Jaegerschnitzel"

Enjoy!

*** A true Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal instead of pork. It will be much more tender

The recipe is the same, cookingtime might vary***

Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients for 4 servings:

- 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef

- 1 white roll (or 3 slices of white bread)

- worchestershire sauce (or whatever the name is)

- salt, pepper, oregano, basil, garlic (all fresh or dried)

- 1 egg

- a little mustard

- 1 head white cabbage (the one that almost looks like an iceberg lettuce)

- 1 can beef or chicken broth

In a bowl add ground beef, a little mustard, worchestershire sauce and seasonings (to taste), the egg and the bread (pulled into little pieces) and mix well by hand.

From the cabbage throw away the few outer leaves, then carefully take off 8 leaves and cut out the thick stem on the bottom.

Devide the meat into 4 portions and roll them into balls. Wrap each meatball tight in two leaves and tie with sewing thread so it wont open up during the cooking process.

Heat a little vegetable oil in a frying pan and sear the cabbage rolls from both sides until they are nicely browned, then add about a quarter of a can of beef or chicken broth. Season with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder.

In the meantime preheat oven to 355 degrees. Line a ovensave dish with aluminium foil (for easy clean up) and add a bit of broth to the bottom of the pan. Put cabbage rolls into the pan with the broth and bake for 45 minutes, turning ones after half the cooking time.

That's it!

The leftover cabbage I like to slice into thin pieces and fry in the pan that I used to sear the cabbage rolls. I let it cook at low heat with a lid on for the same amount of time that the rolls are cooking and in the end remove the lid and turn up the heat to fry it up a little. Season with salt and pepper and a little cumin powder. Makes a nice cabbage side dish.

I also peel some potatoes, cut them into chunks and cook them in saltwater to serve with the stuffed cabbage. A simple packaged brown gravy on top and its a great dish!

Wussie Wings

To all of you that want all those great fingerfoods but cant handle the kick that usually comes with it (just like me)
- 1 Bag of frozen, unseasoned Winglettes (or fresh)

- 1 stick of butter

- Frank's Hot Sauce and some Habanero or Jalapeno sauce (optional)

- Honey

- Garlic Powder, Salt, Pepper, ground Ginger, Curry Powder, Paprika Powder










- Defrost chicken

- melt butter in microwave, add a good amount of hot sauce (to taste) and a little of the Habanero Sauce (more if you want Spicy Wings instead of Wussie Wings.. haha)

- Add a couple of big squeezes of honey

- Season with pepper, salt, paprika, curry, ginger and lots of garlic powder

-Mix well.

-Brush both sides of the chicken and arrange (meaty side up) on a broiler pan, so the grease can drip down and the chicken wont sit in it ...

****(Now, I use a gas oven.. so cooking might vary with your stove)*****

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Turn on broiler and put the chicken under the broiler flame until the top of the chicken is nice dark and crusty, then turn of the broiler and move the chicken to the middle of the oven to finish baking.

Brush chicken at this point again with the marinade.

Bake for 45 minutes, brushing one more time towards the end of the cooking time.

Use the rest of the mariande (if there is any left) to lightly brush it again after you take it out of the oven

Serve with fries or by itself... yummmm!

TIP: line the bottom of the broiler pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up and spray the top heavily with cooking spray so the chicken wont stick

Old Bay Pasta, so easy and oh so good!!

- 1 Box of Pasta of Choice (I like Linguini or Fettuchini for this)

- Shrimps and Sea Scallops, amount to taste, I would say that 1 1/2 cups each for 4-6 servings is enough .. I eyeball it and just add what I think I want

- Heavy whipping cream, 2-3 cups

- white cooking wine, about 2 cups

- Old Bay Seasoning, minced garlic (or garlic powder), salt and pepper









Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.

Put cream into a large frying pan (or pot) and heat over medium heat.
When it starts warming up, add cooking wine.
Add some salt and pepper and a bunch of old bay. Bring to a light simmer for a few minutes then taste ... add more seasoning if required.

Add seascallops to the sauce, let cook for 1 minute then add shrimps. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until shrimps turn pink.


Mix sauce with pasta and serve.