Cinnamon Crumble Cake

This cake is really delicious and a great dessert for after a large meal because it's relatively light. Plus it was just a box cake I found in the baking aisle. I suggest keeping some kind of boxed dessert mix in your pantry. They're relatively cheap and great for pulling out a last minute dessert if needed. Just make sure to have some water, eggs and vegetable oil on hand also because these are typically needed in the recipe. To make the cake, just follow the directions on the back of the box. How easy it that?

To make this cake a little more festive I put it in a bundt pan so it looked like a wreath. You could add berries, whipped cream, or ice cream into the center or around the sides to garnish the cake more.

Chicken Paprika and Dumplings with Green Beans

Alexa requested this meal and since she took the time to drive up to my apartment, I figured I could make this for her. I haven't had this dish in a long time and I'm glad I had it now because it was delicious. My cousins and I decided that we were going to try to eat more czech foods because this is a czech dish. We already were looking for new things to try in my czech cookbook.

Some other friends stopped by on the same night. There was just enough food for everyone. It was hilarious to watch Pat and Jenna argue over food. I personally can't think of a better compliment to my food then that. haha.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon paprika
1 chicken thigh per person serving. (I made 5)
2 tablespoons flour
2-3 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced

You'll also need the ingredients for dumplings. That recipe is in my ducks and dumpling post. If you don't want to make the dumplings feel free to serve it with potatoes or rice. I suggest something starchy on the side that can soak up the extra sauce from the chicken.

Directions:
1. In a large pot (a soup pot or saute pan with high sides and needs a lid) heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until almost golden (don't let the pieces burn so stir occasionally)

2. Sprinkle paprika over onions and allow to cook like 3 minutes.

3. Turn up heat to medium. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and add to saute pan. This step is to brown the outside, not cook the meat through. Brown both sides of chicken then remove it to a plate.

4. Turn heat to low and add flour. Stir well and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add half the chicken stock and stir until everything is incorporated.

5. Add chicken pieces back to pan. Make sure liquid/sauce comes up about 3/4 way of chicken pieces.

6. Keep liquid at a simmer and cover pan with a lid. Allow chicken to cook for about 40 minutes or until tender.

7. While this is cooking make any side dishes you want to serve

8. Once chicken is cooked remove to a plate and cover with foil. Turn heat up to medium- high and add sour cream and lemon. Allow liquid to simmer until it is slightly thickened. Return chicken to pan and serve immediately.

Prime RIb Leftover Sandwich

Holy Crap! this is my 60th recipe! Pretty soon I'll be able to print these all out and actually have a decent sized book. And it's funny because now that I've started this, there's no way I'm stopping. This has helped my cooking so much and allowed me to be so creative. Thanks to everyone who reads this, who ever you may be. I hope everyone has a good new year and I wish you all the best!!!

Alright, enough of the sappy crap and back to the food! haha This was so easy and delicious. Especially after all my hard work yesterday it was nice to just make a sandwich that is full of flavor! It took about 5 minutes to make and then like 1 minute to eat haha. Now I get to cook Christmas dinner. I'm glad it'll just be the 4 of us (dad, mom, my brother billy, and I) this year. It's so much simpler to cook for fewer people!

Ingredients:
prime rib, cut into bit size pieces
mayo mixed with a splash of au jus
2 pieces white bread
Any sliced cheese (mozzarella, swiss, provolone)
Handful romaine lettuce

Spread mayo on both slices of bread. Place cheese on top of 1 slice. Put cut up prime rib on top and then stack on the lettuce. Close up sandwich and put into a pan over medium heat. Add a pan with weight on top so sandwich gets thin. Cook 2 minutes per side then cut and serve with chips or leftover veggies from the night before.

Salmon with Beur Blanc and Rice Christmas Dinner

My dad has some food restrictions and this meal works around those perfectly so I decided to make it for Christmas. I like it because it's really simple and doesn't take very long to make.

I realized I made both Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas dinner all by myself. Of course my mom and cousin helped a little but I probably did 95% of it alone. I'm pretty proud of this fact and that I pulled it off because I've never done a holiday meal alone before. It also worked out for the best because I turned it into another Christmas present for my mom and now I found out that I'll be doing an appetizer party for her b-day. This is perfect for me because it's impossible to buy gifts for my parents haha.

When it comes to rice I like to add as much flavor as possible. So it's okay to cook with water but to add more, use things like stock or wine or a mixture. This will add so much deliciousness to your meal and it is a really easy step.

My dad bought this salmon and he did a spectacular job. Make sure to ask for the salmon to have the pinbones removed and the fish should smell like nothing or the sea.

Ingredients:
1 fillet of salmon per person, washed and seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano
1 1/2 cups white rice
3-4 cups of chicken stock or water.
1 bottle white wine, divided
4 Shallots, thinly sliced
1 lemons
1 stick of butter

Directions:
1. Beur Blanc sauce: chop 2 shallots finely. Add a pat of butter to a pan and cook shallots for about 2 minutes, until shallots are soft. Add 1 cup of white wine and 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Allow this to cook and reduce until there are about 2-3 tablespoons left.

2. Put a pat of butter into another saucepan and then add 1 1/2 cups of rice. Allow rice to cook in pan for about a minute then add 3 cups chicken stock. For most rices the rice to liquid ratio is 1 to 2 but check your package of rice to see if its different. Bring liquid to a simmer then cover with a lid and lower heat to medium-low. This should be finished in 20-30 minutes.

3. Add rest of shallot to a large wide pan with high sides. This will be used for the poaching of the fish. Add rest of bottle of wine, any left over lemon juice in lemon, and water if necessary to make about 1 inch of liquid in the pan. Bring liquid to a simmer over medium-low heat.

4. To finish off beur blanc sauce take stick of butter and cut into small cubes. Add 1-2 cubes at a time and stir into reduced sauce over low heat. Allow each addition to melt before adding the next one. Incorporate all butter then leave pan on the lowest setting to keep warm

5. Slide seasoned salmon into poaching liquid. Cover with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes. When finished the salmon will take on a lighter pink color and when touched gently should spring back. It's better to take it out a little underdone then overdone because the fish will keep cooking outside the pan.

6. To serve: place salmon onto a large platter and drizzle with a little beur blanc sauce. For a fancy finish feel free to add fresh chopped chives on top of both the rice and fish. Fluff rice with a fork before serving and add a little butter, salt and pepper to your liking. Enjoy everything together for a really tasty meal.

Prime Rib Christmas Eve Dinner

I love prime rib. Let me say that again, I LOVE PRIME RIB! I just wish it wasn't so dang expensive or I'd eat it all the time. It's a really easy dinner to make because it only takes a little seasoning and then it can sit in the oven and roast while you work on side dishes or entertain guests. Since I made this for a special occasion I decided to make it real traditional so I made yorkshire pudding as well. I like making this because it stretches the really expensive beef which in my opinion is a good thing.

Tips to make this dinner extra good. Take the roast out of the fridge an hour before you plan on putting it in the oven. A room temp roast cooks up a lot better than a cold roast. Place the seasonings on the outside about 30 minutes before roasting. They "soak in" if you let them sit. Don't be afraid to use a lot of salt on the roast. Salt adds flavor and your cooking a huge piece of meat. For the yorkshire pudding- make sure the bacon fat in the pan is really hot before pouring in batter and also make sure oven is really hot during cooking or it won't bake right. Try not to even open the oven door for a peak because it'll let out too much heat. Make sure to rest meat after it's been in the oven. This finishes off the cooking and redistributes the juices which makes it more moist.

The directions below pretty much follow the timing I used for the meal but I'll make it clearer now. Season roast and place into oven. Cook bacon and shallots, peel potatoes, and place canned corn into a pot. Make yorkshire pudding batter. After time pull out roast and cover with foil (needs to rest 20-30 minutes and this will actually continue cooking it) Immediately bake yorkshire pudding. Mash potatoes and make Au Jus. Heat green beans and corn in last few minutes of pudding cooking. Then carve prime rib and serve everything together.

This menu looks like a lot of work but honestly it was pretty easy. The only time it was difficult was trying to carve the meat while everyone was in the kitchen. Of course the electric knife wouldn't work at first so then I did it with a normal chefs knife and then once the electric knife was working I was criticized about my slicing. My uncle said I was cutting "cow girl cuts instead of cow boy" Whatever, it still tasted amazing! haha

Ingredients:
Prime Rib Roast (or standing rib roast, as many bones as you'd like)
1 onion
Salt and Pepper
Any or all of the following dried thyme, dried rosemary, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder
1 russet potato per person
milk and butter
1 lb. bacon
green beans
2 shallots, peeled and sliced thin
canned corn
1/4 cup wine
1 -2 cups beef stock

For the Yorkshire Pudding (makes 12-15 servings)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, divided
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs

1. Pull roast out of fridge to come to room temp. Place bacon strips into a pan (might need 2) and cook until crispy. Save the bacon fat!!

2. Preheat oven to 350. Combine salt, pepper, and other herbs/ seasonings of your choice in a bowl. Rinse prime rib with water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a plastic cutting board (for sanitation reasons). Cut off any strings and trim some of the fat. Not all the fat but just about 20% of it. (just estimate, it'll be ok haha)

3. Now rub meat all over with spice mix. Rub the bones, the sides, everywhere. Place prime rib in a roasting pan with a metal rack. Cut onion into quarters, leaving skin on, and scatter around the roasting pan. Add a little water to the bottom (about 2 cups) for the Au Jus (fancy word for sauce) later. You might need to add more water through out the cooking, just don't let bottom of pan get dry.

4. Place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast through the side (like picture). Make sure it's in the middle of the roast and not touching the bones. Place in oven and allow to brown until temperature reaches 125 for meduim rare. In my opinion medium rare is the only way to eat meat so if you want it done more you need to look up the temp yourself haha. It'll take about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to cook before rest time.

5. Mashed Potatoes: Peel the potatoes once the meat is in the oven. Cut into a medium dice and place in a large pot. Add water till it covers potatoes plus an inch of water. Put over medium heat once temp of meat reaches 110. Mash potatoes with milk and butter to your liking. Make sure to season with salt and pepper. To make these special I added roasted garlic and you could add things like bacon bits, chives and cheese.

6. Green Beans: Blanche green beans by boiling a large pot of water, cooking the green beans for about 2 minutes until brighter green, then immediately submerging the green beans into a bowl of ice and water. (can do a few days before) Put 2 tbs. of bacon fat in a large saute pan. Add thinly sliced shallot and cook over medium low heat until caramelized. Right before serving dinner and after pulling roast for rest add blanched green beans to pan and saute for about 2 minutes until heated through.

7. For the Yorkshire Pudding. If you have 2 ovens I suggest making this in a second oven but if you have one, just turn up the temp after the roast is finished. Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 450°F. IN a muffin tin add about 2 teaspoons of bacon fat to each cup. Place in oven to preheat, this step makes better yorkshire pudding. Combine milk and eggs in a blender; Add flour, 2 tablespoons sage, and salt in until batter is smooth. Add 2/3 of crumbled bacon. Remove hot baking dish from oven. Using oven mitts or pot holders to protect hands pour batter into pan. Bake 15 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake until golden brown and puffed, about 12 minutes longer (do not open oven door while baking).

8. Corn: I just used canned corn. I put it into a sauce pan with a pat of butter and a little salt and pepper. Cook to heat through over medium heat for a few minutes.

9. Au Jus: Take roast out of pan. Also remove all onions and skin. Put pan over stove top on medium heat. Add wine and beef stock and scrap bottom of pan to get all the good bits. Allow this to cook down for a few minutes. Then take 4 sage leaves and rub between your hands to release juices. Add these and allow sauce to cook 1 more minute. Then strain sauce and serve in a nice gravy boat. This sauce won't get thick which in this case is a good thing. A heavy sauce would take away from the beautiful prime rib.

Vegetable Soup with Naddles

This is one of my Dad's favorite dishes so I try to make it for him as much as I can in the colder months. The naddles recipe comes from my grandma (my dad's mom). Sadly she passed away before she could teach me how to make it herself but I hope she thinks I do her justice when I make this dish. Naddles are sort of like a crouton or dumpling for the soup.

I love making this because it can be simple (how my dad likes it) or you can add lots of things to it and make it extra fancy. It's great for a first or second course of a large meal because you can make it in advance and it just gets better. This version is the simple one but here are some other things you can add: green beans, canned beans, potatoes, parsnips, leeks, pasta like orzo or penne and shredded chicken, beef, or any left over meat that sounds good. It's great because you can throw in what you have or whatever is cheap at the store that day.

Ingredients:

1 Tbs butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 carrots peeled and cut into half moons
3 ribs of celery, sliced
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
3-4 dry bay leaves
2 Boxes of chicken stock (or veggie stock if you want. Buy low sodium or low salt)

for naddles:
8 slices of white bread, toasted and buttered
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 TBS salt

Directions
1. Put butter in a large soup pot and allow to melt. Chop all vegetables. Try to make them about the same size so they cook evenly.

2. Put veggies into pot over medium low heat. Add a pinch of salt and allow to saute for about 5 minutes until veggies are soft.

3. Add can of tomatoes and bay leaves, allow to cook about 1 minute.

4. Pour in both boxes of stock. You need this much because naddles suck up a lot of the liquid.

To make Naddles:
1. Whisk eggs and milk in a large mixing bowl.

2. Cut toasted/buttered bread into cubes and put into bowl. Mix together.

3. Add salt to flour and pour over mixture. Mix well, dough will be really sticky.

4. Take bay leaves out of soup. Use two spoons to drop a large amount of naddles into the boiling soup. Try to make the naddles and even size.

5. Let cook at least 30 minutes, the longer the better. They taste really good the next day because the naddles soak up the flavor of the soup.

Venison and Black Bean Chili with Cornbread

This recipe was done by me and my chef friend Susan. Not only do we make bomb food together we also have a lot of fun doing it! Susan's husband had killed a deer and so we decided to use some of the ton of meat she had in the freezer. It was nice because the meat wasn't gamey. I learned that if the animal dies quickly the meat is less tender because if it runs there's a lot of adrenal that toughens the meat. Get to learn something new everyday.

This recipe is from bobby flay and he likes his food really spicy. I left the amounts he put in but if I were to make this again, I would half the spice amount. I had to pour a lot of mexican crema into my chili to stop my sweating! haha.

Ingredients:
Mexican crema or sour cream
For Chili-
1/4 cup olive oil
2 pounds venison shoulder, cut into 1/3 inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1 tablespoon pasilla chile powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 bottle dark beer
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or low sodium canned or water
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
1 tablespoon honey
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

For Cornbread-
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
2 2/3 cups buttermilk
3/4 cup finely grated cheddar
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the venison with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Remove the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan.

2. Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add the ancho powder, pasilla powder, and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced.

4. Return the venison to the pot, add the chicken stock, tomatoes, chipotle puree, and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes.

5. While chili is cooking make the cornbread. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

6. In a mixing bowl combine the butter, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, eggs, and salt. Beat until just mixed.

7. Pour in the buttermilk, cheese, and honey and mixed until combined. Pour into a buttered 10 inch cast iron skillet or a 12 x 12 baking dish. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden. Cut into wedges.

8. About 15 or 20 minutes left in cornbread cooking add the beans. They need to cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.

9. Place chili in a serving dish and pour a little mexican crema on top. Add more if the chili is too spicy for you. Serve with a large slice of cornbread and enjoy!!