Sauerbraten - UPDATED!

All my married life, my husband kept talking about his German Grandmother's sauerbraten.  I have searched and searched the Internet trying to find THAT recipe in hopes it would come close to his Grandmother's recipe.  The recipes that I thought were great, he didn't like - not like Grandma's!  I have several German cookbooks, none of them had THE recipe.  None of his sisters or cousins knew the recipe either.  I began to think this would be one of those recipes that was lost forever.

BUT . . . one day he was talking to one of his friends at work who has a German Mother (and who makes sauerbraten!).  She graciously gave us a copy of her recipe.  The Recipe Angels were singing because it was exactly like the sauerbraten my husband remembered that his Grandmother made!  My mission in life was accomplished!!

This is not one of those recipes that you can whip in one day.  It is easy but takes several days to let the meat marinate.  So please check back for updates and pictures. 

Sauerbraten by Mom Byner

Ingredients

3-4 lbs rump roast
2 tsp salt
2 onions, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 T Pickling Spices (tied in cheesecloth)
2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T shortening or oil
16  to 20 gingersnaps crushed to fine crumbs

Directions

Rub the meat with salt
Put the meat in a large crock or bowl.
Place the onions and bay leaves on top of meat.

Heat the vinegar, water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour over meat (the liquid should be fairly warm, but not boiling)
Add the cheesecloth with the pickling spices.

Cover the bowl with the meat and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
Turn the meat and baste each day.

To roast the meat:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Remove the meat from liquid (SAVE THE LIQUID!!!)
Pat dry the meat with a paper towel.

Melt shortening (if using) or heat oil in a skillet.
Brown meat on all sides.

Put meat in a roaster or a Dutch Oven.
Pour in liquid and add the spices in the cheesecloth.

Cover.
Cook for 3 hours or until tender.
Remove the meat.
Strain the liquid
Pour the liquid back into the roaster or Dutch oven. 
Stir in the crushed gingersnaps.

Gravy will take a few minutes to thicken - start out with 16 crushed gingersnaps, you might have to add 3 or 4 more crushed gingersnaps.
It best served with the gravy over homemade noodles - it just doesn't get any better than this!!

Entire Recipe:

Sauerbraten by Mom Byner

Ingredients

3-4 lbs rump roast
2 tsp salt
2 onions, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 T Pickling Spices (tied in cheesecloth)
2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
2 cups water
1/4 cup white sugar
2 T shortening or oil
16 gingersnaps crushed to fine crumbs

Directions

Rub the meat with salt
Put the meat in a large crock or bowl.
Place the onions and bay leaves on top of meat.
Heat the vinegar, water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Pour over meat (the liquid should be fairly warm, but not boiling)
Add the cheesecloth with the pickling spices.
Cover the bowl with the meat and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
Turn the meat and baste each day.

To roast the meat:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Remove the meat from liquid (SAVE THE LIQUID!!!)
Pat dry the meat with a paper towel.
Melt shortening (if using) or heat oil in a skillet.
Brown meat on all sides.
Put meat in a roaster or a Dutch Oven.
Pour in liquid and add the spices in the cheesecloth.
Cover.
Cook for 3 hours or until tender.
Remove the meat.
Strain the liquid
Pour the liquid back into the roaster or Dutch oven. 
Stir in the crushed gingersnaps.
Gravy will thicken pretty quickly.
Serve the meat over noodles.

VERDICT:

This is a winner in our house.  According to my husband, this is exactly like his Grandmother's.  The meat is so very tender.  It is easy to make, it just takes 3 to 4 days to let it marinate, but it is worth it.


Enjoy!!

Gingerbread Men

Nothing says Christmas more than baking gingerbread men!!  Besides, it does make your kitchen smell WONDERFUL!!

I was going through all my cookie cutters the other day and found my gingerbread man cookie cutter that I bought many years ago at a craft show.  Never used. Guess I got too busy.  Well, it was time to put that man to work!!

It was amazing with all the cookbooks that I have, I could not find one gingerbread man recipe.  There was a recipe for iced ginger cookies (not the rolled type), gingerbread, gingerbread pancakes, gingerbread bundt cake - but no gingerbread men recipe - very interesting!!  So off to my computer I went.  I knew there had to be at least one good recipe on the 'Net!

SUCCESS!!!  The first entry on my search was McCormick's (they make the spices in case you didn't know and, of course, they are going to recommend you use their spices in their recipe).  So I thought I would give it a try!  So here is their recipe, I made a few slight changes (nothing major):

Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

　
3 cups  all purpose flour
2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (I omitted this - I do not use salt)
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) butter softened - I use unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until completely mixed.

Add molasses, egg and vanilla; mix well.

Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.

Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  I left my in the refrigerator overnight.

 Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days

Entire Recipe:

Ingredients

　
3 cups  all purpose flour
2 tsp Ginger
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (I omitted this - I do not use salt)
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) butter softened - I use unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla 
Directions
Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.

Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until completely mixed.

Add molasses, egg and vanilla; mix well

Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed.

Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.  I left my in the refrigerator overnight Preheat oven to 350 F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets

 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.

Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days

Enjoy!!
VERDICT:

My husband hasn't tried them yet.  I ate one.  OH MY, it was good!  As far as I am concerned, this is a keeper recipe!  They are so easy to make.  Yep, we have a winner on this one!

French Cranberry Apple Pie

I have no idea why this is a "French" Cranberry Apple Pie - whenever I think of anything that has Apple Pie in the name - "Mom and Apple Pie" always comes to mind - nowhere does French come into the picture!  But who am I to question???

Anyway, I found this recipe on the I Am Baker blog (www.Iambaker.net).  Fortunately, I had several apples and a bag of cranberries in my refrigerator that I had no idea what to do with.  I guess the Pie Gods were speaking to me!!  And I had all the rest of the ingredients, so no mad dash to the grocery store and no fighting the last minute shoppers - a new baking experience was born.  AND I got to use my new apple peeler that my husband bought me for Christmas (NOTE:  we already celebrated Christmas last week - my sailor son was home for only a few days and couldn't be here on the 25th - so Santa came to our house a couple of weeks early).

This recipe is so EASY!!  And you are going to love how your house smells while baking it!!

French Cranberry Apple Pie by I am Baker

Ingredients

 

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box  (or your favorite pie crust recipe)

 

Filling

 

4 c sliced and peeled cooking apples (4 medium apples - I used Red Delicious) 

2 c fresh cranberries (or frozen if you can't find fresh)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c white sugar

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

 

Topping

 

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4  butter (softened at room temperature)

 

Directions:

 

Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan and bake as directed on the box or according to the directions of your recipe.  Remove from oven. 

 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

 

In large bowl, mix apples, cranberries and vanilla.

(Doesn't that look pretty!)

 

In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the apple/cranberry mix; toss to coat. Spoon into pie pan.

 

 

For the topping, mix together the topping ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly.

 

Sprinkle evenly over filling.

 

 

Bake 45 to 55 minutes until the crust and topping are golden brown.

 

 

NOTE:  After 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent the crust from burning.

 

Let cool on rack (if you can!!)

Recipe slightly adapted from Pillsbury.com.

Entire Recipe:

French Cranberry Apple Pie by I am Baker

Ingredients

 

1 box refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box  (or your favorite pie crust recipe)

 

Filling

 

4 c sliced peeled cooking apples (4 medium apples - I used Red Delicious) 

2 c fresh cranberries (or frozen if you can't find fresh)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c white sugar

1/4 c all-purpose flour

1/4 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

 

Topping

 

1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4  butter (softened at room temperature)

 

Directions:

 

Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan and bake as directed on the box or according to the directions of your recipe.  Remove from oven. 

 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

 

In large bowl, mix apples, cranberries and vanilla.

 

In a separate bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to apple/cranberry mix; toss to coat. Spoon into pie pan.

 

For the topping, mix together the topping ingredients except butter. With pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over filling.

 

Bake 45 to 55 minutes until the crust and topping are golden brown.

 

NOTE:  After 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent the crust from burning.

 

Let cool on rack (if you can!!)

Recipe slightly adapted from Pillsbury.com

Verdict:

Oh yes, this was a winner!!  My expert pie eater absolutely loved it.  In fact, he came back for seconds and thirds.  This would be a great pie for your Christmas dinner.  The cranberries make it look very festive.  We will definitely be seeing this pie again at our dinner table.

The Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake

I am a subscriber to Ree Drummond's Pioneer Woman's blog (and who isn't??).  I love her blog and all the recipes that she posts!  Recently, she posted this recipe saying it was "The Best Coffee Cake EVER."  This got my attention!  Not that I have a good coffee cake recipe . . . but I have been looking for a good one (and the one that I made from Paula Deen last week was pretty darn good!).  So Ree, I had to try your recipe.

It is really easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients.  Well, you might have to run to the store for the chopped pecans and butter (real butter, not margarine). 

Ree Drummond's The Best Coffee Cake Ever

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 1/2 stick of butter, softened
2 cups (scant) white sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt (I omitted this)
1 1/4 cup milk
3 whole egg whites, beaten until stiff

For the Topping:

1 1/2 stick butter, softened
3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firm
2 T cinnamon
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt (if you are adding salt).

Beat the egg whites in your electric mixer until they are stiff, set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the flour mixture and milk alternately until combined.  You do not want to over mix.

Fold in the stiff egg whites with a rubber spatula.

Spread in a well greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

For the Topping, in a separate bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. 


Using a pastry cutter, mix until it is crumbly. 

Sprinkle all over the top of the cake.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.   Serve it warm!

(You should smell how WONDERFUL my house smells!!!)

Now the hard part, waiting for my husband to come home before I cut into this puppy!!    Will post the verdict later on tonight.  If it tastes as good as it smells, I think we have a keeper on our hands!

VERDICT:

My husband really liked the coffee cake.  It is very good.  The topping really makes the cake.  But is it the best coffee cake ever, I don't think so.  We liked the Paula Deen's coffee cake better.  Sorry Ree.  Yes, I would probably make this cake again. 

Ree Drummond's The Best Coffee Cake Ever

Ingredients

For the Cake

1 1/2 stick of butter, softened
2 cups (scant) white sugar
3 cups flour, sifted
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp salt (I omitted this)
1 1/4 cup milk
3 whole egg whites, beaten until stiff

For the Topping:

1 1/2 stick butter, softened
3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed firm
2 T cinnamon
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt (if you are adding salt).

Beat the egg whites in your electric mixer until they are stiff, set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the flour mixture and milk alternately until combined.  You do not want to over mix.

Fold in the stiff egg whites with a rubber spatula.

Spread in a well greased 9 x 13 baking pan.

For the Topping, in a separate bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans.  Using a pastry cutter, mix until it is crumbly.  Sprinkle all over the top of the cake.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.   Serve it warm!

Paula Deen's Ultimate Coffee Cake

With a title like that, how could you resist??

Every morning I make my husband breakfast, after 23 years you start running out of ideas . . . Cherrios just doesn't cut it anymore - LOL!!  (I do serve him something else besides Cherrios!!).  I was thinking the other day, a nice coffee cake would be great for breakfast.  Scanning my vast supply of cookbooks, I came to Paula's Southern Cooking Bible and I found this recipe.  Yes, it did require a quick run to the grocery store!

The beauty of the recipe is that it is oh so easy to make.  You can whip this up in a matter of minutes! 

I did add the icing to the coffee cake because I thought it looked rather dry coming out of the oven - I think it did help make the coffee cake taste better!

Anyway, on to the recipe . . .

Ultimate Coffee Cake by Paula Deen

Ingredients

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Press the dough from the first can of crescent rolls onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sugar, vanilla, and the egg yolk together until soft and no lumps.

Spread the mixture over the dough.

Top with the dough from the second can of crescent rolls.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with a whisk until "frothy" and brush on top of the cake.

Sprinkle the cake with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the pecans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean.

**I combined 2/3 cup of powdered sugar and enough milk to make a icy glaze and drizzled it over the hot cake.  This is not in Paula's recipe.  This is optional.

Let cool on a rack.  Serve warm.

Verdict: 

OH MY!!  Was this every good!!  My husband loved it also.  I can see this becoming a family favorite very quickly!! 

Ultimate Coffee Cake by Paula Deen

Ingredients

2 cans (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg, separated
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Press the dough from the first can of crescent rolls onto the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch baking dish.

Using your electric mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the cream cheese, 3/4 cup of sugar, vanilla, and the egg yolk together until soft and no lumps.

Spread the mixture over the dough.

Top with the dough from the second can of crescent rolls.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg white with a whisk until "frothy" and brush on top of the cake.

Sprinkle the cake with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the pecans.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean.

**I combined 2/3 cup of powdered sugar and enough milk to make a icy glaze and drizzled it over the hot cake.  This is not in Paula's recipe.  This is optional.

Let cool on a rack.  Serve warm.

ENJOY!!!

German Potato Soup

I love the Fall!  I love all the colors - the golds, the burnt oranges, and the tans.  I love getting out my big comfy sweaters, walking through the leaves and listening to the rustling sound.  And I love because this is great soup and chili weather!!  There are so many wonderful soup recipes out there!!  So many soups, so little time - LOL!!

I found this recipe on the Just A Pinch website posted by a Cindy Rowe.  Thank you Cindy for such a wonderful recipe!!!  As always, I did have to improvise a bit . . . I didn't have the smoked sausage, so I used polish kielbasa instead.  The sauerkraut I used had caraway seeds in it, not sure if that made that BIG of a difference.  Also, I used red potatoes with the skin on - she used fingerlings potatoes.

The recipe . . .

German Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb smoked sausage - halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices (see note above about substitution)
4 cups potatoes (again see note above about substitution)
1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 large celery stalks, chopped
2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (see note above)
3 cans of chicken broth (14 oz each)
2 T stone ground mustard
2 large bay leaves
pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  In a crockpot combine the sausage, vegetables and seasonings.  Pour the broth over all.

2.  Cover and cook at low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or a high setting for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

I wish you could smell how wonderful this makes my house smell!!  I love meals like this - you spend about 10 minutes chopping vegetables and then you let the crockpot do its thing!!  Seven or eight hours later, you have a delicious meal!!  It just doesn't get any better than this!

German Potato Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb smoked sausage - halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices (see note above about substitution)
4 cups potatoes cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper
3/4 cup chopped red onion
2 large celery stalks, chopped
2 cups sauerkraut, rinsed and drained (see note above)
3 cans of chicken broth (14 oz each)
2 T stone ground mustard
2 large bay leaves
pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  In a crockpot combine the sausage, vegetables and seasonings.  Pour the broth over all.

2.  Cover and cook at low heat setting for 7  to 8 hours or a high setting for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

 VERDICT:

Oh yes, this is definitely a keeper recipe!!  I served this with grilled cheese sandwiches.  My husband loved it!!  And so did I!

ENJOY!!

Zwiebelkuchen or German Onion and Bacon Pie

For Oktoberfest, I spent several days looking up German recipes on the Internet.  This is one of the many recipes I found.  I know Oktoberfest is over, but the recipe sounded interesting.  I found this recipe on the web site www.Tablespoon.com, it didn't say who posted the recipe - at least, I couldn't find a name.

The hardest part is chopping up 2 1/4 pounds of onions!!  Yes, your eyes will be watering by the time you get to that last 1/4 pound.  I am sure you could do that in a food processor.  I have an old processor that pretty much mutilates any veggie I put in there, so it was just easier to chop by hand.

You will need a 9 inch springform pan.  You can get a set at Walmart for only $9.99 - it comes with a 8 inch, 9 inch and a 10 inch pan - that is where I got mine.   Anyway, onto the recipe . . .

German Onion and Bacon Pie (Zwiebelkuchen)

Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury pie crust
2 T butter (I used unsalted butter - don't think it makes a difference if you use salted butter)
2 1/4 pounds onions, finely chopped
5 or 6 thick cut bacon, finely chopped ** (excuse me - there is no way that you can "finely chop" raw bacon!! - I just cut it into small pieces)
1 1/2 cup sour cream (not the non-fat variety)
4 large eggs
2 T all-purpose flour
caraway seeds for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until slightly crisp.   Drain the bacon fat.

Add the onions and butter (on top of the bacon) and cook until the onions are a light golden brown.  Take off burner and let cool.

Combine the sour cream, eggs and flour.  Mix thoroughly.  I used a whisk to do this - worked great!!

On a slightly floured surface, roll out the Pillsbury crust with your rolling pan to make it large enough to fit the springform pan and extend up the sides.

(Note: I rolled the pie crust a little to big, so I had to fold the edges over a bit)

After the onion/bacon mixture has cooled, add it to the filling mixture - stir to combine.

Pour the filling into the springform pan and sprinkle the caraway seeds on top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the pie is golden brown on top and the filling is firm.

 



Verdict:

 

Oh yes, this is a winner!!  My expert (i.e., my husband) loved it!!  I was afraid the onions would be overpowering but by cooking them, you "tame" the flavor.  It was really good.  This is definitely a keeper recipe.  

German Onion and Bacon Pie (Zwiebelkuchen)

Ingredients

1 package Pillsbury pie crust
2 T butter (I used unsalted butter - don't think it makes a difference if you use salted butter)
2 1/4 pounds onions, finely chopped
5 or 6 thick cut bacon, finely chopped ** (excuse me - there is no way that you can "finely chop" raw bacon!! - I just cut it into small pieces)
1 1/2 cup sour cream (not the non-fat variety)
4 large eggs
2 T all-purpose flour
caraway seeds for sprinkling

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400

Grease a 9 inch springform pan.

In a skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until slightly crisp.   Drain the bacon fat.

Add the onions and butter (on top of the bacon) and cook until the onions are a light golden brown.  Take off burner and let cool.

Combine the sour cream, eggs and flour.  Mix thoroughly.  I used a whisk to do this - worked great!!

On a slightly floured surface, roll out the Pillsbury crust with your rolling pan to make it large enough to fit the springform pan and extend up the sides.

After the onion/bacon mixture has cooled, add it to the filling mixture - stir to combine.

Pour the filling into the springform pan and sprinkle the caraway seeds on top.

Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the pie is golden brown on top and the filling is firm.

Enjoy!!!

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

I found this recipe in the book, The Book of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian. What a perfect recipe for fall  particularly with the abundance of pumpkins EVERYWHERE!!  Though you probably want to use one of the "pie pumpkins" for this recipe.

The hardest part of this recipe is "dismantling" the pumpkin - removing the seeds, removing the skin and chopping it up into small pieces.  Fortunately, the rest of the recipe is pretty easy!  The only ingredients that you might need to buy (besides the pumpkin) is plain yogurt and half and half.  

Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 T Butter
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
2 lbs pumpkin, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1 quart chicken broth (or 2 cans of chicken broth)
1 bay leaf
1/2 t dried thyme
1 cup half and half (I didn't have it - so I used milk instead)
1 cup plain yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup dry sherry or dry vermouth
1/4 c chopped chives (optional)

In a stock pot, melt the butter and add the onions.   Saute the onions until a golden brown.

Add the pumpkin, chicken broth, bay leaf and thyme.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.

Remove the bay leaf.  Puree the pumpkin mixture in a blender.

Pour the pumpkin puree back into the stock pot, add the yogurt and half and half (or milk in my case).  Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in the sherry or vermouth.

Ladle into individual bowls and top with chopped chives if you wish.

Verdict

Both my husband and I thought this was way too watery.  It tasted good but we both prefer a "thicker" soup.  I think next time, if I make it, I might eliminate the half and half/milk.  Will I make this again - maybe. 

Oktoberfest Lager Stew

Everyone is German in October like everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day - LOL!  And if you go into the grocery store these days, everywhere you look you see sauerkraut, German beer and all sorts of brats. 

Since both my husband and I have German ancestors, this is a great month for us!  I found this recipe on Pinterest on the Cozy Apron website.  It sounded interesting and, as luck would have it, I had almost all of the ingredients!  So this was meant to be!!

It is a very easy recipe to make up - the hardest part is doing all the chopping of the vegetables and sausage.

Oktoberfest Lager Stew

Ingredients

1 T Olive Oil
1 14 ounce package smoked beef sausage or polish kielbasa sausage (your choice) cut into bite size pieces
1 large onion, sliced into thin semi-circle slices
1/2 head small cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 t black pepper
1/4 t ground caraway seeds (I didn't have that, so I omitted it)
pinch of salt
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup German-style lager beer (Oktoberfest variety) - I let my husband buy that - he is the "beer expert"!
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces
2 1/2 cups hot chicken stock
1 1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T parsley, chopped (I didn't have that either, so I omitted that)

Directions:

Using a stock pot, heat the olive oil.

Add the sliced smoked sausage and sauté until brown - roughly 4 to 5 minutes.  Be careful not to let them burn!
Add the onions and sauté for another 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the sliced cabbage and cook until the cabbage begins to soften.

Once the cabbage has softened, add the pepper, ground caraway seeds, salt and garlic.
Add the one cup of beer.  Allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 5 minutes or more.
Add the cubed potatoes and the hot chicken stock.

Bring the stew to a boil, place a lid slightly askew to allow a little bit of steam to escape, and reduce the heat to let it simmer for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, turn off the heat, add the apple cider vinegar and parsley.

Verdict:

OH MY!!  This was good!  Definitely a keeper recipe.  I think this would be great with rye bread or a hearty roll smothered with butter.  My husband loved it. 

Raisin-Oatmeal Pie

My husband absolutely loves oatmeal raisin cookies.  So when I found this recipe in my new cookbook, The Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen I knew I had to make him this pie!

The best thing about this recipe it is so easy to make!!  You can whip this up in a matter of minutes.  One of the interesting things (at least to me) was that you make the crust right in the pie pan - no mess or fuss - how cool is that!!

Raisin-Oatmeal Pie by Francine Bryson

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 T milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Filling

3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cup raisins

Preheat the oven to 325F
To make the crust, mix the flour and sugar in the pie pan.  Add the milk and oil.

Mix well with a fork.  Using your hands, press the dough out and up the sides of the pie pan.

To make the filling, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, sugar and butter - mix with a whisk.

Add the oats, cinnamon and raisins. 
Set the pie pan on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the pie crust.

The instructions say to bake for 45 to 50 minutes.  My pie wasn't completely done after 50 minutes, so I baked it an additional 10 minutes which seemed to work.

I wish you could smell how delicious my house smelled while this was baking - heavenly!!!

Verdict:

This sort of reminded me of a pecan pie - at least, the consistency did.  What did my oatmeal cookie loving husband think???  He LOVED it!!  We knocked this one out of the ball park!! Definitely a keeper recipe.  Yep, we are going to make this one again!