Czech Foods Recipes

Hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving weekend. The weather was agreeable in Chicago and actually managed a day of golf with a high temperature hitting 50 degrees. I also endured my usual routine of overeating the last few days. It is difficult to stay away from the temptation to snack with the abundance of turkey, stuffing, and dessert leftovers in the fridge. There was way too much food still on hand even after sending home several guests with doggie bags of turkey and trimmings. What has been left of the turkey has now been frozen to resurface as a tettrazini or pot pie later in the December month. Moving away from turkey and poultry for the next few days, I will be preparing a Czech meat loaf recipe that will be a nice break from turkey. The recipe is as follows. I do embellish the recipe as I add my condiment kick of catsup and mustard as they do lend a umph to the meat loaf flavor. Meat loaf is truly a "free for all" for which you can use your own imagi...

Another weekend has come and gone with decent temperatures once again for what is usually a cold rainy November. There was not anything exciting prepared for our weekend dinners as we chowed down on Portillos charbroiled burgers on Saturday and grilled chicken caesar salad on Sunday. I did manage to do a little work in the kitchen Sunday morning as I baked some scones for the weekday breakfast rush. Scones or drop biscuits are pretty easy to assemble as they require less dough manipulation than when preparing full scale biscuits. I like this blueberry scone recipe as it is a tasty breakfast treat that can also be enjoyed with an afternoon cup of tea or coffee. Make sure to adequately mix or (sift if necessary) your dry ingredients to avoid too much concentration of leavening agents (baking powder) in one spot. This is always possible if you have baking powder that has clumps. This scone recipe is a winner as the final product is a moist cakelike tender golden muffin and w...

Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a great time of the year to gather with friends and family over a delicious meal and engage in fun conversation and post meal games. Another good part of the meal is the tasty leftovers that carryover into the long weekend. A good bird does not go out successfully without the aid of a great stuffing. There are so many different stuffing recipes out there regardless of which corner of the globe or country you reside. I have seen a variety of Nadivka or Czech bread stuffing recipes as well. I always stick to my traditional recipe as it has never failed me. This recipe is a standard recipe that I use every year. Some people will use this version and add such items as sausage, mushrooms, or even poultry liver. I usually skip the extras and prepare as is. I look forward to this stuffing every year as it is even delicious cold from the refrigerator the next day. I prefer a moist dressing so I opt for the fresh soft bread. If ...

We did not do too much cooking over the weekend as a result of catching up on errands in the extremely mild temperatures. Saturday was all about kids soccer games and raking the yard. I even used the patio fire pit which is always a good way to burn up extra yard debris. The Saturday sort of got away from us as I did not really have time to prepare something fun for dinner such as chops, ribs, or a roast. Our minds were set on going out to eat as we all had cheeseburgers on our minds. I had read a review in the local paper about Chicago area burgers that ranked well. Most of the prize winning burgers mentioned in the Chicago paper were located at bar and grill joints in the city and we did not have the time or the patience to make that long of a drive. I also don’t think a bar would be the appropriate venue to bring in a six month old baby. We opted for plan B, which was a visit to a nearby Red Robin. Red Robin has gained the reputation as being a decent burger joint, so I had to find ...

With the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching, there exists the anxiety of putting together a plan to host the holiday with friends and family. The stress level can be kept to a minimum by taking the right steps. A good plan involves carefully knowing your audiences preferences and following these cost cutting tips for Thanksgiving dinner. 1. Watch for sales (If the deals on frozen or canned items are too good to pass up, then buy immediately. I am already seeing tons of specials located at the supermarket end caps that feature yams, marshmallows, pumpkin pie essentials, and even soda. 2. Switch ready made for homemade (pies and gravies). You can usually trim down the cost of your desserts by making the pumpkin pie from scratch. Be aware that the cost could go up significantly if you do not have the essential spices on hand. 3. Shop with a set list. If you go in to the store without a list, you will most likely buy items that you did not originally intend on acquiring. 4. Accept pot l...

Bublanina is a Czech cake often referred to as bubble cake as it is spongy and engulfs the seasonal fruit topping. The most common topping choices include berries, apples, cherries, plums, and apricots. If fresh fruit is tough to come by, pie filling or compote will suffice. I recall many nights of my childhood in which my parents would host a night of playing cards with friends, aunts, and grand parents for which there would be a large dessert table offering kolacky, poppy seed cake, and a few different bublanina (coffee cakes). The coffee was always prepared in the larger than life plug in percolator and would be consumed rather quickly. How retro is that? My brothers and I could not wait until we could raid the dessert offerings leaving a trail of powdered sugar on our way out of the kitchen. As this dessert is categorized as a sponge cake, it is more of a coffee cake in my opinion so don’t be shy to try this recipe out for breakfast. As I mentioned, the choice of fruit topping for ...

I have spent years carving pumpkins for myself and now enjoy the fall ritual with my children. The process is well established. Every October I visit the farmer’s market or (store display) and pick out a few winners. Once the pumpkins get home, I spread the newspaper out across the kitchen table and begin carving with the family. In the years past, I would usually retain the seeds for a roasted tasty snack. I don’t do this so much anymore as the seeds are well intermingled with the gooey pulp which all gets thrown away in one swoop. Pumpkins are more to me than just the once a year jack o lantern. This tasty fruit proves an excellent ingredient for pies, breads, and soups every fall and winter. I took the liberty of purchasing a smaller pie pumpkin with the goal of baking a pumpkin bread from scratch starting with the fruit in it pure unprocessed form. I usually cheat every year and opt for the Libby’s canned pumpkin. There is nothing wrong with taking the short cut as it proves to...