Czech Foods Recipes

Many eastern European pastries are based on a variety of fillings which include fruits, cheeses and nuts. One of the fillings that truly stand out with Czech and Polish baked goods are poppy seeds. As a young child I did not immediately succumb to the taste of poppy seeds when I had the pick of kolacky filled with tasty fruits such as apricot, plum and raspberry. My young taste buds at the time had no desire for any cookie or slice of coffee cake containing this thin black paste containing seeds. Our poppy seed consumers in the home were mainly mom and dad. My spat with poppy seeds did not stop there. While attending college I worked part time in a hospital kitchen. Our particular kitchen (or hospitality) unit prepared the meals for the patients temporarily residing in the substance abuse wing. Working in an institutional kitchen, I actually learned a great deal of cooking and quickly realized hospital foods could actually be quite tasty given the right menus, management and a respecta

There are items that every kitchen cabinet/pantry must always have on hand to get you through lean times or times when you cannot make it to the store for a day or few days. This rule is even more important for those that live in rural areas for which they may endure volatile weather during the different seasons that make a trek to the grocer an impossible task. Hear me out now. These are my personal “must haves”. You may have a list of your own that is close to this or entirely different. We all have our favorites. Must have dry goods 1. Flour – Flour makes breads, dumplings, sauces, and thickens. You have a very common basic ingredient here that you should always keep a large canister of flour on hand. Just make sure you rotate your flour so you do not have any old stuff on hand. Also keep it tightly sealed if not in the original packaging. 2. Sugar – Another baking staple. I would make sure you have plenty of white and brown sugar on hand to satisfy your baking needs. Having little

I felt compelled to post a recipe created and prepared from my wife last week. She concocted this meal digging through the freezer, dry goods storage, and the spice shelf. Always try to keep an emergency store of frozen chicken and vegetables handy so you can usually avoid a last minute trip to the store or when you don’t feel up to making the trek. Having a few frozen chicken breasts on site will make meals a snap with the aid of bread crumbs, cheeses, and a assortment of herbs and spices. She quickly prepared this Mediterranean style stuffed chicken breasts that earned rave reviews from the family. I really enjoyed the flavor and moisture of the stuffing as I think it needed no sauce or gravy. Your cooking time may vary or be a little longer that what worked for us below. Our 1970’s electric oven seems to cook many items faster than what is shown in many recipes. Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken Breasts 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless 4 ounces cream cheese ¼ package fro