Sunday, February 15, 2009

Cabbage Rolls


Yum! Warm and comforting--stuffed cabbage rolls: a mixture of beef, rice, onions, tomato paste, and allspice rolled into steamed cabbage leaves and simmered in tomato sauce. So easy and fun to put together and so satisfying! Thanks to the wonderful blog, Smitten Kitchen, for the idea to make these again. My husband's mom makes a variation of these "piggies," as she calls them, in the winter and lets them stew all day in the crock pot. Enjoy! Continue for recipe.



Cabbage Rolls

1 head of cabbage
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup uncooked rice
1/2 onion
2-3 T tomato paste
pinch of allspice
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper
your favorite tomato sauce

Steam cabbage in boiling water until leaves are soft.
Saute diced onion in large saucepan until translucent.
Mix beef, rice, onion, tomato paste and spices in bowl (you can dice and add some of the leftover cabbage to this mixture.)
Remove cabbage leaves and cut out center vein.
Place a dollop of beef mixture in the cabbage leaf and roll like a burrito. (You should get 2 rolls per leaf.)
Place rolls in saucepan that you cooked the onions in. Cover with tomato sauce.
Simmer gently for about 1 hour.

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Chocolate Yogurt Cake


Ok, really?!?!? Another yogurt cake variation?! I just can't help myself! :) They're too easy--perfect for a spur-of-the-moment weeknight treat when I don't have time to fuss around. No mixer! This is practically the only cake that I've made since the birth of my daughter. So simple! Finish with a dusting of powdered sugar or a scoop of ice cream. For a deeper chocolate flavor, melt some bittersweet chocolate and mix into the batter. Yum! Continue for recipe.

Chocolate Yogurt Cake

1/3 cup cocoa
2/3 + 1/2 cup flour
2 t baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/3-1/2 cup oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9x2 round cake pan (or use a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan).
Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In another bowl, mix the sugar, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Add the oil, and stir until smooth.
Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

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Souper Soup/Goolash

My mom makes this "kitchen sink" type soup often. It's a great way to use ingredients in your pantry and yields a very hearty and satisfying meal. Pair with a green salad and you have a nice wintertime meal--with plenty of leftovers that are even better on the second day. Thanks mom! Continue for recipe.

Souper Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1.5 celery stalks, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
2-3 potatoes, chopped
1 can pinto or red beans (I usually leave this out)
1 can green beans
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 qt. water
3-5 beef bouillon cubes
1-1.5 cup noodles (I like spiral noodles)
parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat, onion, garlic, and celery together. Drain. Add rest of ingredients, except noodles. Cover and simmer until potatoes are nearly soft -- about one hour. Add noodles and cook until done -- approxiumately 20 more minutes. Even better on day two!

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