Czech Foods Recipes

A common dish served by my grandparents on several occasions was Rajska Omacka which is a Czech tomato gravy served over a generous cut of beef. I have seen several variations of the type of beef cuts served with Rajska in many Czech restaurants throughout the Chicago area. The most common cut of beef is typically sirloin tip or chuck roast. Some of the homemade versions will use any beef cut under the sun, including ground varieties used in such meals as stuffed green peppers and meat loaf. I think a slow cooked pot roast/shoulder cut will work quite well. Simply season a good 2 ½ to 3 pound chuck roast with salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. Top with a splash of vinegar and cook at low setting for about seven to eight hours. The Rajska Sauce recipe is below. Even though this sauce is a combination of sweet and sour flavors (tomato, vinegar, sour cream, and sugar), the final product should end up on the sweeter side, especially as this dish will appeal to many younger diners.

Things are starting to look up for my garden that was started back in May. My lineup consisted of spinach, romaine lettuce, sugar snap peas, tomatoes, broccoli and pickles (baby cucumbers). The fruits of my labor are starting to come to life as I have several pickles almost ready to be picked (canned garlic dills!). In addition, I have picked some sporadic sugar snap peas and harvested a few salads out of my spinach and lettuce row. Tomatoes are still green but will be ready in a few weeks as I have several fruits on every vine.   That all being said, convenience and cost savings are most likely a moot point when I consider the time and effort of preparing the soil, weeding, and (water usage). It was over sixty days ago I started this little veggie plot and have allocated some important time and effort to bringing these vines and stalks to life. Yes, I could probably buy all these items at the local supermarket for dirt cheap, especially the pickles right now. The real value of gardeni

One underappreciated cut of meat that tastes exceptionally well is the flank cut of beef. When it comes to flank steak, I usually think of two meals off the top of my head: Steak Fajitas and London Broil. These two meals can be made with other cuts of steak such as sirloin, but flank steak tastes extremely good when marinated and sliced the right way. The basic London broil technique involves a good soy sauce marinade setting along with scoring the meat and cooking just to the right temperature. London broil can be either “broiled” as the name suggests or grilled. The key is to cook it no further than medium or pink (between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The flank steak will become tough like a round steak if you let the grilling or broiling time get away. Also make sure to cut the meat cross grain into strips to ensure a soft tender bite. Serve this meal with a side of garlic mashed potatoes,   grilled asparagus, and a hearty red wine and you have a meal fit for a King and Queen. B

For the cranberry cake you will need: 1 package white cake mix (+egg whites, oil) 1 1/4 cup cranberry sauce (approx 20 oz. canned) Red food dye For the Orange Buttercream Frosting you will need: 1 1/2 unsalted butter 1/3 cup orange marmalade, bits removed 3 cups powdered sugar 1. Heat up cranberry sauce and run through sieve, careful to keep as many seeds as possible in the sieve to promote a smoother cake texture.  Measure out the amount of cranberry sauce according to how much water is called for in your white cake mix directions. (My cake mix requires 1 1/4 cup water, so this will be replaced with 1 1/4 cup cranberry). Place cranberry sauce in the freezer if still warm. 2. Line approximately 22 muffin tins with cupcake liners and preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on cake mix. 3. Prepare cake mix according to package, substituting the water for strained cranberry sauce.  Add in a few drops of red food dye for extra color. 4. Bake according to mix directions. UNTESTED ALTE

Oh this big 'ol basil plant of mine, what more can I do with you? Pesto, caprese, pasta - oh so passé. This summer has seen a number of novel uses of basil pop up in my kitchen. I'm working on a dessert post featuring a basil syrup, but until I manage to finish that, here we have a quick post-work snack. Or brekkie when I've got 15 minutes to spare. Basil. Peaches. Brie Cheese. Tortilla. Delish. What's more, is it's just one more justification for that electric grill machine hanging out on the counter. And for quesadillas you don't even need to coat the grill with oil. Which means if you were strategic enough in your cheese placement and it doesn't ooze out, no cleaning the thing afterwords! And since this month's Monthly Mingle theme is stone fruit, I'll send this post over to Sips and Spoonfuls . Looking forward to checking out all those fruity recipes soon! Continue to Recipe... Recipe: Peach and Brie Quesadillas Adapted from Cooking Light Jun

Summertime cookouts involve a host of great grilled sausages, burgers, and hot dogs. I like a good dog now and then as long as I have the right condiments on standby to top away this grilled treat. I will leave mustards and ketchup (or catsup) out of this post as people seem to get carried away about whether ketchup should even be near the presence of a hot dog. The real essence of hot dog toppers aside from the heat of the occasional sport pepper, is the pickle relish. I have a great relish recipe from my grandmother that goes well on hot dogs, and even Polish or Italian sausage. This recipe yields five pints and requires clean and sterilized jars. Homemade Hot Dog Relish Recipe GRIND: 5 cups pickling cucumbers 2 cups red or green peppers 2 red hot peppers 3 cups of celery 3 cups of onion 1.        Let stand overnight in ¾ cup of salt and 1 ½ quart of water. 2.        Drain. Add the following and bring to a boil: 1 quart white vinegar 3 cups sugar 2 tablespoons celery seed 1.        A

Tasty Dessert Recipe Using Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls This is a cheater recipe that I would like to share the blogosphere. The credit goes to Kraft foods in conjunction with a nice twist offered up by the wife. The ability to use roll out instant pastry is not exactly newsworthy to most kitchen creators. Time gets away from most of us leaving even an instant pastry option better than having no pastry at all. Our cooking magazine collection includes a fair share of Kraft foods magazines which of course tout recipes using their own products. Some recipes are keepers and some being not so good. This berry cheese recipe below is a hybrid of the Kraft basic recipe with some clever alterations to the cheese filling made by my significant other. This recipe will work with just about any berry be it fresh or frozen. I would say the raspberry is probably my favorite, but this will work with blueberry, blackberry, and even strawberry. This makes a great continental breakfast or when havi