Czech Foods Recipes

Have you had a Spotted Cow Ale? Last Sunday we went over to the in laws house for a family Mother’s Day cookout. The food and company were good as usual and much to my surprise, I was offered Spotted Cow ale. The beer has become very popular to the Wisconsin natives as it is brewed in the small town of New Glarus. The beer is served at several taps throughout the cheese state and has become popular among many of us in the neighboring states that make the occasional trek across the state line. I had my first experience with Spotted Cow along with many other New Glarus beers last summer on a day trip to this fun little Swiss town in Wisconsin. I saw several cars driving up a gravel road to this hilltop brewery. My curiosity got the better of me and returned home with a variety pack of New Glarus ales. What makes Spotted Cow Ale so good? The answer is in the first taste. The beer is considered light for an ale as it has a fruity smooth taste with no hoppy aftertaste that one will find in ...

Well, my garden is about 75% planted as I have my rows of romaine, spinach, and cabbage planted. I have also added a few tomato plants and peppers. The only items that remain to be planted are the watermelon and sugar snap pea seedlings. Mother Nature has been cooperative with the right doses of rain and sun and my rabbit fencing seems to be keeping my new planted vegetables safe. Now, on to my latest kitchen endeavor; making granola bars from scratch. I enjoy a good granola bar as a mid morning or mid afternoon snack when the old sugar levels get low and I need a “pick me up”. I usually consume the processed commercial Nature’s Valley granola or the Quaker Oats variety. They are good but are so processed and a bit “not so fresh”. I have a pretty good homemade granola bar recipe I will share on this blog. Making your own granola bars is a breeze and the sky is the limit when it comes to ingredients. The common ingredients in all granola mixtures is the toasted oats , nuts, wheat germ, ...

I am a big fan of sweet doughs that often resemble donuts and seem very airy. You know, the kind of baked or fried dough that springs back when you press down on it. These doughs are typical of the dunkin donuts long john or boston cream donut or jelly bismarck. I also associate this dough with the infamous polish paczki. My mom used to make what she called Shishky (Slovak) or what is considered Vdolky. The dough started out as flat rounds then raised quite a bit when exposed to heat, often producing almost a partially flattened tennis ball or baseball shape. She would finish them off with putting a little prune or raspberry filling on top with a dollop of whipped cream or dusting of confectioners sugar. Some people like to take the finish batch of Vdolky and shake them up in a paper back with cinnamon sugar. They are really tasty especially if you eat one while it is still relatively warm. Go ahead and make mom some Czech donuts for Mother’s Day. Czech Donuts - Shishky (Vdolky) 1 pack...