Kugelis

This is an annual tradition for us, making kugelis for Tevukas' Lithuanian Christmas Eve dinner.

Sauteed bacon & onion. Beware, bacon grease is included in the final product!

Peel, peel, peel.

A little break for some dancing!

Separating the eggs.

Grating the potatoes seemed a lot easier this year than in years past. I am guessing it is because we bought a new grater within the past year and it's edges are not yet dull!

Stir it up!
On a side note: the recipe calls for scalding the milk. A Google search concluded this is not a necessary step. We did, however, warm the milk by microwaving it.

Unbaked.

Baked.

Sources:

Chocolate Banana Bread

I will never forget how delicious this bread was, during the earliest (and most exhausting) days of early mommydom. It is best to slice and freeze it for an occasional treat or chocolate pick-me-up. The slices are delicious eaten while still frozen or microwaved so the chocolate chips inside melt.

Chocolate Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350 and place oven rack to middle position. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Place the nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 - 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. Fold in the nuts and chocolate chips. Scrape batter into prepared pan and sprinkle the top of the bread with coarse brown sugar (optional). Bake until bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 1 - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf or three smaller loafs.

Recipe:
1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe bananas (approximately 1 pound), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish:
Turbinado or Demerara sugar (optional)

Easy Chicken & Rice Divan

This is a recipe from "way back", at a time when I was rather novice in the kitchen and cooked recipes "to a T".
Anyhow, it was inspiration for tonight's dinner, though I didn't end up following the recipe at all.
Easy Chicken & Rice Divan

serves 6 (good leftovers too!)
prep 15 min. total time: 50 min.

2 cups milk
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups Minute brown rice, uncooked
1 1/4 lb. boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
1 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed & drained (or use fresh)
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

preheat oven to 375

Using a 3 qt. casserole or 13x9 inch baking dish,
mix together the milk, mayo, thyme and garlic powder.

Add rice, chicken and broccoli; mix well.

Bake 30 min.

Remove and sprinkle with cheese.

Let stand until cheese is melted (or turn off oven, cover
with foil and leave in oven until it’s time to eat).

What I did:
Blanch fresh chopped broccoli in boiling water for 4 minutes, run under cold water to stop the cooking.
Chop up & saute some celery, onions and mushrooms.
Chop up 1 very large chicken breast.
Cook breast with the veggies once they are softened. I turned the chicken over at this point.
Pour into a casserole, grate some cheddar on top, cook at 375º until melted.
Cook up a side of rice.
Enjoy!
Here is a BIG fan of rice:

Easy Crockpot Beef Stew

It doesn't get easier than this! Buy packet of seasoning mix, veggies and stew beef. Chop veggies, add all to crockpot and let cook for 8 hours.
I like a blend of celery, onion, carrots, parsnips and potato.
Sometimes the stew beef needs to be cut down if the pieces are huge.
Whisk the (msg-free) seasoning packet + water, pour in, cover and cook!
This taster especially enjoyed licking the butter off his bread!

Quick Ravioli Dinner

We boiled up some frozen store-bought, "Mama Rosie's" spinach & cheese raviolis. Whenever boiling up some pasta, I have found, the larger the pot of boiling water, the better. 9 minutes seemed right. I sauced it up with a (microwaved) frozen portion of pizza sauce.
I'd been in a veggie chop-a ton: for beet soup, beef stew (to go in the crock pot tomorrow) and this salad! The salad was nothing special- even the tomato was a very boring winter-time type :-/

I took a peek in the living room: Dada providing some guidance with a challenging game.

Time to eat!
Topped with fresh grated parmesan and parsley.
Also, with some "Texas Toast."

Shovel it in! Raviolis are always good.

Veggie Beet Soup (or baby food?)

We have beets in the garden! What to do, what to try? Our fall-planted beet seeds were not thinned out well as seedlings so their growth tended on the small side. Now that frozen ground and winter doom is pending, it is time to dig them up and enjoy them!

First, wash and scrub your beets. They love dirt!
Next, encase in a nice drip-resistant cocoon of foil.
Roast at 375 for 1 1/2 hours for typical (larger) store-bought beets.
These beets were done after 45 minutes. Look how dark they got! Think concentrated, developed beet sugar deliciousness.
Chop up some celery, carrots and onion. Sautee with a pat of butter, on medium-low.
This flavorful combo of veggies is known as a mirepoix.
I used Swanson low-sodium chicken broth. If you are vegetarian, simply use or make your favorite broth.
While the broth melted (and stopped the cooking of the mirepoix), I roughly chopped up and added the roasted beets. I made sure to keep parts out that may harbor grit (the root ends and stem area).
This concoction to simmered covered, on very low heat, throughout the time we ate dinner.
When I got around to it, it was ready to be pureed!
During the "boat motor" process, I had a curious and ready customer, pleading for the goods! Beets are sweet, he loves carrots- and heck, it looked like a big bowl of ketchup! To fatten it up a tad, and since I had some on hand, I added a splash of light cream.

A taste....

Yum!The soup is actually for tomorrow's lunch. I put two bowls in the fridge.
Thinking it may be great cold, with a dab of sour cream,
and some hot grilled cheese from the panini press!

Marinated Mackerel (saba)

I've long had a desire to create my own saba sashimi. My favorite saba ever is at our local sushi restaurant, Asahi, on Market St. in Brighton Center. It has the perfect tang and richness and is not "fishy" at all. That being said, I went to Super 88 in Allston to seek out some other Asian ingredients. We were there at 10 a.m. while they were stocking the seafood case. They didn't have Mackerel but I purchased a couple of these attractive little guys to try out.
After all, they were labeled "Mackerel Pike". At $1.08, how could I go wrong? I did a Google search and discovered that they are actually known as Pacific saury.
A quick knife sharpening and I set up filleting next to the kitchen sink. Whew! They were fresh but had a strong odor, characteristic of a more oily fish.
The fillets are coated with sea salt and left to sit (refrigerated) for an hour to draw out any excess juices.
Rinse the salt off under cold running water and pat them dry with paper towels.
Marinate them in a vinegar mixture for 1-2 hours. I need to play around with the marinade recipe to get the perfect taste (hopefully the sushi chef at Asahi will divulge).
The recipe I used: 1 cup of rice vinegar, 1 tb mirin and 1 tsp salt.
The vinegar helps to preserve and tighten its oily flesh, making it easier to slice.
Remove from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Slowly peel off the papery thin outer skin. Place fillets on a cutting board and feel for any small bones. Use tweezers to remove them. Slice up and enjoy! It can be prepared up to six hours in advance.
The verdict? I didn't eat it! Bwaahahahaaa!
It had too much of an off-putting smell, not at all similar to the Mackerel I love. This project simply served as a confidence booster.
I can't wait to get my hands on a fresh caught Mackerel!