A Ukrainian Night

Tonight we had the pleasure of welcoming some dear Ukrainian friends for dinner. We met them a couple of years ago at the Washington DC LDS Temple Lighting Ceremony at Christmastime. They came as part of the Ukrainian delegation, as Andriy works in the embassy. His wife Mariia is expecting their second son in 2 months and is busy running after their son Mark, who is 18 months old. We have kept in touch since we first met and have enjoyed their friendship. They've invited us to a few Ukrainian events and we have had them over to the office a few times. We had invited them over for dinner before all of the craziness started in Ukraine, and we are grateful they were still able to come. We also had the Wests over - Jon, Kylee and their 4 darling children. Jon served an LDS mission in Ukraine, so we thought it would be fun for them to join us. Jon made plov, an authentic Ukrainian dish, and we loved it! Kylee also made an amazing salad with fennel and blood orange - I might dream about that salad!

I made Ukrainian cabbage rolls, served with mashed potatoes and sour cream. I also made a yummy Ukrainian apple cake for dessert. Both of the dishes turned out so well that I thought I'd like to keep the recipes for future reference. (Please forgive the photos - I forgot to take pictures until after the dinner was over.)

Ukrainian Stuffed Cabbage (Halupki)

1 head cabbage, cored
1/4 t. salt
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 c. cooked white rice
2 T. butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 T. chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. reserved cabbage water
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 c. white vinegar
2 2/3 T. white sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cabbage in a stockpot with enough water to cover. Add 1/4 t. salt to the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Turn cabbage every 2-3 minutes and remove leaves that separate from cabbage and place in a strainer to cool. Boil until all the leaves have cooked, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 1/2 c. of the cabbage water. Trim thick center vein off center of each cabbage, while cutting leaf in half.

In a sauté pan, melt butter and cook onion until tender and cool. In a large bowl thoroughly mix together, ground beef, ground pork, rice, onion, parsley, egg, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Lightly pack a small amount of meat mixture sand place in the center of cabbage leaf. Fold sides over the filling and start at the stem and roll the cabbage up until the meat is encased. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling. Grease a 9" X 13" glass baking dish and layer the cabbage rolls on the bottom.

In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce, reserved cabbage water, white vinegar and white sugar. Pour half of the mixture over the cabbage rolls. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until the meat is no longer pink. Baste the stuffed cabbage rolls with more tomato sauce every hour.

Serve the cabbage rolls along side mashed potatoes topped with the extra tomato sauce. Ukrainians also like to put sour cream on top of it all - which I also think is yummy!

Ukrainian Apple Cake (Yabluchynk)

3 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. salt
4 t. baking powder
1 c. butter (cold)
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 c. heavy cream
5 lg. apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
4 T. butter (cold)
1 c. brown sugar
4 T. flour
4 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9" X 13" baking dish. Sift together 3 c. flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Cut in 1 c. butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir together the egg with the cream and gently mix into the flour until a soft dough has formed. Press into prepared baking dish. Layer the apples on top, overlapping, in neat rows. If you have extra apples, just add another layer. Prepare streusel by mixing the brown sugar, 4 T. flour, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Cut in 4 T. butter until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the apples.

Bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees. I served it with a little vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, which was delicious!

Kraut Burgers

Rick's mom made these often for him when he was growing up. I keep forgetting to get her actual recipe (I'm sure I've gotten it numerous times and have lost it), and since we were craving them today, and she was at BYU all day, I had to just go off of memory. They turned out great and the boys devoured them!

Don't let the dough scare you off, as it's so simple to make and only rests for an hour, which is plenty of time to cut everything up and get the mixture cooked thoroughly. This recipe makes 24 large rolls and would be easy to cut in half. I ate two, the boys each ate two, and Rick had four + one later tonight! Hopefully that gives you a good idea of how many to plan on. If you end up with extras, you can easily freeze them, either after they're cooked or uncooked.

Whenever Jane makes these, she will also make extra dough and make "pigs-in-a-blanket" for the kids. They bake the same amount of time, so it's a fun addition when you have younger kids or are feeding a crowd.

Dough

1/2 c. warm water
4 t. active dry yeast
4 T. sugar
1 3/4 c. warm milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. butter softened
2 t. salt
7-8 c. flour

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water (make sure it isn't hot or it will kill the yeast). Once it starts to activate, add all the other ingredients and knead for 8 minutes (either with a mixer or by hand). Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth; let it rise until double (about an hour). Punch down and divide in half. Roll dough out on a floured surface, into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into 12 squares. Fill each square generously with the hamburger filling. Fold in two opposite corners, then the other two corners and pinch into a little "purse" so all the ends are secure (making sure to not stretch the top of the bun too thin). Spray cooking spray onto a cookie sheet and place the rolls seam side down. Continue with the second batch of dough, so you end up with 24 rolls total. Let the rolls sit for about 20 minutes to rise (this step isn't completely necessary if you're in a hurry). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until nice and golden brown. Once they are out of the oven, rub tops with a little butter. Serve with mustard and ketchup.

Filling

1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. sauerkraut (optional)
olive oil

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large sauté pan, and cook onion until translucent. Add garlic and stir a few times. Add hamburger meat and stir, breaking up the chunks into small pieces. Add cabbage and sauerkraut and cook for at least 15 minutes, until all cabbage is soft and looses it's color. Drain any excess liquid off and it's ready to be used.

Apricot Chicken

This recipe originally came from my sister Elaine who cooks it in the dutch oven when she's camping. Karen and I started making it in the large roasting pans to feed a crowd. When I was in charge of the menu for funeral dinners in my Cedar Hills ward, I started serving apricot chicken and it was so easy to feed up to 150. I think they are still using my menu and it's now known as "funeral chicken."

Apricot Chicken

15 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 bottle Russian salad dressing

1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix

1 sm. bottle apricot jam

Remove as much fat as possible from thighs. With a little oil, brown chicken thighs and then add to crock pot or roasting pan. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours. Serve over rice.

Kalua Pork

The Fishers used to have us over each year for their amazing annual luau. It's one of the things I miss the most about our old neighborhood in Cedar Hills. Kulani and Cindy go all out and usually cook a pig in the ground for the event. They have cooked at many ward parties as well and have often made their kalua pork. One time I asked Cindy how to make it and I was shocked at the simplicity of the recipe. It's a favorite of mine now and I often make it when I have to feed a huge crowd and put 2 or 3 roasts in a big roasting oven. But sometimes, like today, my family asks for it out of the blue and I just use my crock pot. I love to use the leftover pork for BBQ pork sandwiches later in the week.

Kalua Pork

1 lg. pork butt or shoulder roast, bone in

2-3 T. liquid smoke

1-2 T. kosher salt

Prick the roast all over with a large meat fork. Pour liquid smoke all over the roast (I usually use about 1/4 of the bottle for one roast). Cover the roast in salt and cook on low overnight. The next morning I usually take all the meat out and separate the bone and fat out. Then I drain the drippings and take most of the fat off. I shred the meat and put back into the crock pot, with the drippings. I like mine very moist, so I usually add about a cup of water. Let it continue to simmer on low until you need it. Serve with rice.

Korean Beef

My friend, Amy McAllister, told me about this great recipe she's been trying lately. It's from a darling little blog called lizzy writes. I tried it last night, and it was amazing! She used hamburger, but since I was taking dinner to a friend in the hospital, and it was Sunday dinner, I decided to use flank steak. I got a huge steak at Wegman's, which I thought would be plenty to feed the 7 of us, plus take dinner to two others, but I underestimated how much my family would love it! We ended up eating all of it in one sitting, without saving some to take to our friends. I had to act quickly and I cut up some chicken breasts. I added some red peppers to the chicken as it sautéed, and it turned out amazing. Essentially, this is a really good teriyaki sauce, or a stir fry sauce. It's just the kind of sauce Rick loves-with garlic, ginger and very sweet. I've adjusted the recipe slightly from Lizzy's by adding a little corn starch to thicken it and I used a little less brown sugar  than she does.

2 lbs. flank steak, lean ground beef or chicken
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. soy sauce mixed
2 T. corn starch
1 T. sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 t. crushed red peppers
salt & pepper
1 bunch green onions, diced

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and brown meat with garlic in the sesame oil. Whisk corn starch into soy sauce and add to meat along with the brown sugar, ginger, salt and pepper and red peppers. Add any other vegetables at this point (peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, etc.) and cook until tender-crisp. Simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors and thicken. Serve over steamed rice and top with green onions.

BBQ Sandwiches

This recipe is another that is almost embarrassing to post, but I assure you it is amazing! I even fed it to a US Senator and his staff this past Sunday! It's something my mom used to make all the time with left over roast beef and it's one of Rick's favorite meals. You can use either beef or pork. If there is time, I like to make homemade rolls to serve it on, but the kaiser rolls at the bakery will do just fine on a busy day!

1 medium roast
1 lg. bottle of ketchup
3 T. yellow mustard
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. dried onion

If you are cooking a roast for this recipe, cook it for a couple hours in a crockpot, with salt and pepper, just until it's cooked through. Take the roast out and drain it and slice it up (it's usually not tender yet). If you are using a left over roast, slice it up and continue from this point on.

Put the roast in the crockpot (which should be empty of liquid) and add the ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and onion. Cook for another couple of hours until it is falling apart. This is a recipe that really has no measurements. Just keep adding things until you get the perfect taste. It is such a yummy, mild, BBQ sauce.

When you are ready to eat, slice rolls in half, spread with butter and broil until toasted. Spread the BBQ beef onto the rolls and serve!

Bolognese Sauce

This is a hearty red sauce and the recipe that I use for everything from spaghetti, to gnocchi, and especially lasagna. The recipe comes from Giada de Laurentiis and I've been making it for years. My sister Karen lived in Italy for 3 years and makes a killer Bolognese as well, which is very similar to this one. I always make a double batch and freeze the leftovers.

1/4 c. olive oil
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 (28-oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 c. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground pepper
1/4 c. freshly grated romono or parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, salt & pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about an hour (the longer you cook it, the better it gets). Stir in the cheese and season to taste.

Shredded Chicken Quesadillas

This is actually embarrassing to add to my favorite recipes, but I have friends (who will remain anonymous) who honestly call me a couple times a year because they can't remember how to make these. One of my sisters started making them for our Lake Powell trips because they fed a crowd and you could make the mixture and then whip up yummy quesadillas day after day. I have taken these to friends and neighbors who need something for a meal, along with lunch for a few days in a row. I've also taken it to people when they move into a new house so they can eat them for a few days when they are busy and don't have much in their fridge or pantry yet. Simple but wonderful, this recipe makes enough to feed an army!

6 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 very lg. jar of mild Pace picante sauce
3 lg. fresh tomatoes, chopped
12 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lg. can green chillies
lg. tortillas
monterey jack cheese, shredded
sour cream
olives
guacamole

In a large saucepan, mix chicken, salsa, tomatoes, onions, cilantro and green chillies. Cook on medium heat until flavors combine, about 10-15 minutes. On a saute pan or griddle, place a tortilla and top with cheese; wait until it starts to melt. Spread hot chicken mixture on half of the tortilla (use a small amount so it doesn't spill out the sides) and fold other half over top. Grill until light brown on both sides. Cut into triangles and top with sour cream, olives and guacamole. Mixture can be refrigerated for a week and warmed up to use at a later time, or frozen for up to 6 months.

Cilantro Chicken Enchiladas

My friend Elyssa Andrus brought these to me one day and I have never made any other enchiladas since. I have probably made them for 100 new moms and it is my go-to meal for the missionaries. They are dreamy! This is the original recipe (although I have added the beans and corn), and I always triple it for our family and bake it in a large baking dish.

4 oz. chopped mild green chiles, undrained
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves and stems
3 green onions, sliced 
2 T. sliced pickled jalapeno chilies (if you don’t want them too spicy, only use a little)
2 T. fresh lime juice (we use more because I like it so much)
1/4 t. salt
1/3 c. water
4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 c. cooked chicken, shredded
1 c. grated monterey jack cheese
1/2 c. black beans
1/2 c. white corn
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 11 X 7 baking dish. In blender, combine chilies, cilantro, green onions, pickled jalapenos, lime juice, salt and water; puree until smooth. Transfer to 8-inch skillet and heat to boiling over medium heat; boil 2 minutes. Dip one side of each tortilla in sauce; spread 1 tablespoon sauce over other (dry) side of tortilla and top with chicken. Add cheese, corn and black beans. Roll up tortilla and place, seam side down, in prepared baking dish. Stir cream into remaining sauce in skillet; pour over filled tortillas. Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil; sprinkle with cheese and bake until cheese has melted about 5 minutes longer.

Baked Cheese Crepes

If you ask my kids (especially Andrew or Harrison) what meal they would like me to make, it is usually cheese crepes. I saw Giada De Laurentiis make this on Food Network's "Everyday Italian" and I thought it looked so unusual that I decided I had to try it. My kids couldn't stop raving about them and for the last 10 years it has been a top favorite at our house.

6 lg. eggs

1/3 c. whole milk

½ t. salt

¼ t. pepper

butter

Mix all ingredients (except butter) together. In a sauté pan on medium-high heat, butter the pan and add about ¼ c. of egg mixture. Turn pan to coat and pour out any excess mixture. Cook for about a minute until done on the top, but not too crispy on the bottom. Cook all the crepes.

8 oz. fontina cheese, grated or cut into cubes

8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese

basil, cut into strips

1 jar of marinara sauce

¼ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Arrange one crepe on a work surface. Place some of the fontina and mozzarella cheese in the center of the crepe, add some fresh basil and roll up. In a 9X13 baking dish, cover the bottom in some sauce, then add the crepes, seam side down. Top the crepes with the remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese (and whatever other cheese is left). Bake until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I serve along side some simple pasta, using the extra sauce to top it with.

Chicken Divan

The first time I ever had this recipe was when I had Andrew. My sister Karen brought it to me and there are few times that I have needed "comfort food" as I did then. It tasted heavenly. It's a staple at our house and a wonderful dish to take to new moms, or anyone needing a bit of comfort.

1 whole chicken, deboned and shredded

broccoli

2/3 c. mayonnaise

1/3 c. milk

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 T. lemon juice

2 t. curry powder

1 c. cheddar cheese

6 slices of bread

¼ cup melted butter

Layer broccoli and chicken in a 9X13 baking dish. In a saucepan, add mayo, milk, soup, lemon juice, curry and cheese and melt until smooth. Poor mixture over broccoli and chicken. Cube the bread and toss with melted butter. Top the casserole with bread cubes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve over rice.