Turkey Salad Sandwich with Havarti Cheese and Cranberries
So, it’s January and I miss the long holiday weekends of November and December. I even miss the leftover turkey sandwiches. It’s time to pick up some turkey breasts and ensure there are plenty of leftovers for my favorite next day sandwich: Turkey Salad with Havarti Cheese and Cranberries.
Turkey Salad Sandwich with Havarti Cheese and Cranberries Recipe Continue reading
Meyer Lemon Bars
There simply is nothing like a lemon bar. You have the tart lemon surrounded by that mildly sweet flavor that is truly addictive. The sprinkling of powdered sugar makes them so attractive too. Do you want to try an even sweeter version of the much craved lemon bar…go with Meyer Lemon Bars.
Now is the time of year when you can find meyer lemons at specialty food stores and farmer’s markets. When you find them, grab them immediately! Grab extra too! They are well worth it just to have the experience of the perfect lemon bar. These Meyer Lemon Bars have an addictive shortbread crust, an almost but not quite cakey texture, and that oh so sweet and slightly tart lemon filling. If you are unable to find meyer lemons (sigh), you can use this recipe for the standard lemon bars. They will just be more tart and will miss that unique orange flavor that is the hallmark of the meyer lemon. Either way, you are going to love it!
Meyer Lemon Bars Recipe Continue reading
While I develop, cook and taste every recipe on my website, I have my favorites. I thought I would end the year by sharing my favorites. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
2011 Recipe Round Up – The Favorites:
Hot Roast Beef Sandwiches with Horseradish Mayo and Crispy Shallots
Buttermilk Garlic Ranch Dressing
Pumpkin Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Klinker Spaghetti ~ my Grandfather’s family recipe
Sauteed Chicken Breasts with a Cherry Tomato Pan Sauce ~ while not the best picture….still delicious!
Honey Roasted Carrots with Mint
White Chocolate Raspberry Croissant Bread Pudding
And the three recipes that YOU commented on the most in 2011…
Miso Soup
Being under the weather is never welcomed with open arms but I have to say…I sure do enjoy all the soup. This year, I added Miso Soup to my list of sick day soups. There is always Chicken Noodle Soup and sometimes I just want a seasoned broth. Miso Soup though is a perfect match for the cold or flu. It has a salty broth and the best part? I control the flavor with the amount of Miso that I add. It really is delicious and kicks that cold to the curb!
My Miso Soup is enhanced (in my opinion anyway) with some chicken broth and a few thinly sliced vegetables. You can add some diced firm tofu but that isn’t what I crave when I am sick. Once I have cooked the soup I give it a final taste. This is the beauty of a Miso Soup…you can adjust with more miso paste. This way you make the soup your own. Try some Miso Soup today!
Miso Soup Recipe
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
Directions
Moscato Poached Pears with Vanilla Whipped Cream
I decided to do a little shopping during my lunch yesterday…MISTAKE! I had scheduled 45 minutes for this trip, which turned into about an hour and a half. And that’s without the actual lunch! Unless you have to do it, shopping should not be part of your plans right now. The traffic, the lines, the frantic search for that one last gift…it is all driving people a little crazy.
Given all this craziness, I think a simple dessert that screams pure elegance is just what is needed for our family meals this weekend. This dessert has everything one could wish for ~ the freshness of pears, the wintry spiciness of cinnamon, the delicate flavors of Moscato wine, and the sweet creaminess of vanilla whipped cream. After a heavy meal, Moscato Poached Pears with Vanilla Whipped Cream is simply perfect.
Moscato Poached Pears with Vanilla Whipped Cream Recipe Continue reading
Grandpa Klinker receiving Promotion with U.S. Army
Before I share this family recipe with you, I should explain that it appears to have been created in Germany while my grandfather was stationed there with the United States Army after World War II. While my ancestors are of German descent as far back as I have researched, the Klinker side of my family settled in Delaware, Ohio around 1837. Much of the Klinker family still resides in Ohio. My grandfather, Ronald William Klinker (b. 30 Aug 1927, d. 16 Dec 1978), was raised as a meat and potatoes kind of man. My mother remembers living her early years in Germany eating a decidedly Mid-Western diet of nothing but meat and potatoes. My grandmother was a native German and would feed my mom and her brothers authentic German food sometimes but meat and potatoes topped the family’s menu. However, when there was a little extra money for fresh produce (not always available or affordable in post-war Germany), Grandpa Klinker would get a wild hair and go Italian…well, kind of. Klinker Spaghetti was my very German/American Mid-Western family’s version of Italian.
Klinker Spaghetti truly is delicious and is a hearty rendition of Spaghetti and Meat Sauce. What makes it ‘Klinker’ you might ask? Klinker Spaghetti is chock full of mushrooms, onions, green peppers and, wait for it…kidney beans. The addition of kidney beans threw me for a loop but after eating my bowl clean, I decided that Grandpa Klinker knew what he was doing!
Klinker Spaghetti
A funny part of this family recipe is that my Mom grew up thinking that Klinker Spaghetti was her mother’s concoction. Although really, she should have known better since my Grandmother’s tastes lean towards pickled pigs feet, head cheese, and authentic German food. Only recently did she learn that this was her father’s recipe, giving her a new twist on her fond memories of growing up in Germany. Mom tells me that Klinker Spaghetti was what she thought Italian food should taste like all her life. When she finally had authentic Italian food she was surprised that the ingredients were simple and minimal. So when Mom wants “real” Italian food she opts for her family’s version…Klinker Spaghetti. We hope you enjoy!
Grandma and Grandpa Klinker at Marriage Ceremony, 12 Oct 1948
Klinker Spaghetti Recipe
1 1/4 lb ground beef
1 large can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
3/4 cup Water
1 large onion (large dice)
8 oz mushrooms sliced
2 cans light kidney beans, drained
1 tbls Chili powder
1/2 tbls garlic powder
1 tbls garlic salt
Directions
1. Brown hamburger. When browned, drain fat. Add spices, onions, and green pepper. Sauté with meat until vegetables are softened.
2. Add tomato sauce and tomato paste with ¾ cup water. Add more water to the consistency you prefer. We prefer a thicker meat and vegetable sauce. As the sauce cooks, you may want to add even more water if it gets too thick.
3. Add kidney beans and cook at medium low for about one hour. Add mushrooms and cook for another 30 minutes on low.
4. With 10 minutes remaining, cook spaghetti in salted, boiling water and cook according to package directions.
5. Serve with spaghetti and garlic bread.
Fresh Radishes with Dill Butter and Sea Salt
Sometimes the simplest of foods are the most satisfying. These fresh Radishes with Dill Butter and Sea Salt are the perfect example. Delicious and peppery radishes straight from the farmer’s market combined with a homemade compound butter and a coarse salt…so easy, yet so tasty. What more is there to say?
Radishes with Dill Butter and Sea Salt Recipe Continue reading
I kick off this new topic of my website by sharing one of my favorite interests (call it a hobby or maybe even an obsession)…Genealogy. Years ago, I became simply entranced by the idea of getting to know my ancestors. Growing up, my immediate family was, and still is, very close. Outside of my nuclear family there seem to be differing degrees of closeness. As a child, I spent time with my mother’s family but distance kept us apart. Unfortunately, I spent only a few years with my father’s parents before my grandmother and grandfather passed away. My sisters spent almost no time with their paternal grandparents. As an adult, I became more interested in getting to know my grandparents and their ancestors, and gradually I became my small family’s “historian”.
Notice I mentioned above that my family is small? With my perception that I could count my known family on my fingers and toes, I was convinced that my family search would be quick and painless. Boy was I wrong! So far I have researched (quite thoroughly I might add) and found almost 1,000 ancestors and living family members. I have talked with family I never knew existed! I have pieced together my ancestor’s lives through pictures, census records, family stories, newspaper archives, and historical publications. I have discovered that I am really good at research (a big plus for researching your family history) and that my family wanted to be remembered.
My Fourth Great Grandfather, Joseph J. Klinker's Resting Place; b. 1799, d. 1851, Buried in the beautifully quaint Mayfield Cemetery, Ohio
One way to learn more about my family is to educate myself on the lives they led. I can do this by learning about the events of their time…historical happenings and major events. However, I also want to learn about them through food, an obvious connection to my love for cooking. My family has recipes that have been passed down through the generations. I want to share those. There are also recipes that were specific to certain geographic locations, cultures, and historical timeframes. I want to share those too. What about your family’s recipes and memories? I would love to share them as well! Email me here to give voice to your family’s favorite meals and in remembrance of your family history.
Watch out for my first family recipe this week. I can’t wait to kick off this new and exciting way of cooking for the family!
Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Phyllo Tarts
Need a quick and easy yet elegant appetizer this December? These Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlets are your answer! A few ingredients and some help from pre-made phyllo tarts make these bite size appetizers speedy, simple, and scrumptious.
I was planning my contributions to a big family dinner recently and decided that I was tired of the pre-dinner starvation ritual that we all go through. You know it…about four hours before the big dinner, people start hovering in the kitchen, begging for something to hold them over. Everyone was “smart” and decided to forego lunch in preparation for the gluttony to come for dinner. No one thought about how hungry they would be while they waited on the big meal. My response at this meal? Here…have a Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlet. They were a big success but were gone way too quickly!
Note: If you are feeling ambitious, make your own phyllo tarts with phyllo sheets, butter and a mini muffin tin. Just cut small squares of phyllo, layer two or three decoratively in the mini muffin tins with butter brushed on each in between. Bake until golden brown. Done.
Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tartlet Recipe Continue reading
Grilled Maple and Mustard Glazed Ham Steak
Do you ever crave a big home cooked meal but you have no big family meal planned for weeks? Sometimes I want a turkey, roast beef or ham dinner but the extended family is nowhere to be seen. A single ham steak is a perfect way to solve this little problem.
When I think of a thick slice of perfectly cooked ham, I automatically think of a sweet and slightly tangy glaze. For this particular meal, I wanted maple syrup as my sweet so I decided to combine it with dijon mustard and a grill. The glaze is a perfect complement to the smoky flavor of the grilled ham and fed my home cooked meal craving without all of the big meal fuss. Perfect! And the leftover sandwiches make this feel so homey!
Grilled Maple and Mustard Glazed Ham Steak Recipe Continue reading
