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...

Okay so maybe my oatmeal is not perfect, but darn near close. The major downside to preparing and serving oatmeal is getting your audience sold on it. Usually the first thing that comes to mind with this breakfast food is a bland mushy substance that is barely fit for a horse. Beware, there are ways to dress up your oatmeal and get your morning diners excited about your offering. One way to turn noses and taste buds back to your oatmeal is to prepare it correctly. The perfect oatmeal will not be too soupy or too pasty. Keep it covered until your breakfast crew is seated at the table. Keeping the oatmeal uncovered prior to table service will reap only a cold lifeless bowl of oats that will be a very tough sell on anyone. Here is the key to fun breakfast of oatmeal. Introduce a variety of toppings for everyone to use on their hot bowl of oats. Our family favorite includes a topping of sautéed cinnamon apples with a little butter and milk. Don’t stop there. Offer toppings such as raisins,...

As the weekend ended we all developed a craving for a good hearty soup for a cold winter’s day. (I was actually craving with a little southwestern flavor, so decided to make a chicken tortilla soup. The recipe is wide open for adjustments when it comes to spiciness and finishing garnishes. My garnishes include cilantro and monterrey jack cheese. I did not use spicy peppers (jalapeno or Serrano) in my recipe below since the rest of my crew has a low tolerance for this sort of heat. If you have no limitations, I recommend adding two diced jalepenos during the sauté stage of the soup preparation. Serve with warmed tortillas or fresh baked bread. Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 1 medium onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 cans (14.5 ounce)diced tomatoes and green chilies 1 can (14.5 ounce) chicken broth 1 small can (8.5 ounce) whole kernel corn 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 bunch, cilantro chopped 1 teaspoon chili powder 2 cups water 1...

During the Christmas and New Year holiday, I enjoy of good cup of cheer or would I would deem a festive and easy to make holiday punch. The holiday punch is ideal for the family or gathering of friends as it satisfies many thirsty guests and keeps you beer, wine, and liquor stop from being depleted in just one evening. For this reason alone you may consider preparing an adult only and children’s punch. There are so many punch recipes out there that are very tasty. My recipe is fairly simple and quite familiar to most. It involves the usual fruit juices, carbonation, and occasionally a little kick (that is if the guests are all adults). It is pretty difficult to mess up a punch, but there are few pointers to consider when preparing this holiday refresher. First, do not dump ice cubes into the punch bowl. There are better ways to keep your delicious punch cold such as use of an ice ring. Finally, avoid adding carbonation to your punch too early in the process. I would recommend ...

As Christmas week draws in, I felt the urge to bake some kolacky for the family. I went with the strawberry cream cheese variety this weekend. This kolacky recipe is similar to the other kolacky recipe on this site as the dough consists of simply cream cheese, butter, and flour producing a light flaky puff pastry when baked. The pastry will end up light in color (almost white)when baked. I do not mind the light cream cheese flour tone so I do not add anything to create a golden or yellowing effect such as egg or extra vanilla. Give this recipe a try and remember to pinch the edges shut to avoid the pastry from unraveling. If strawberry cream cheese does not sound like the filling of your choice, you can opt for just about any fruit or nut based pie filling or jam whether apricot, plum, poppy seed or almond. Merry Christmas to all. Strawberry Cream Cheese Kolacky Kolacky Dough 1 cup all purpose flour 3/8 cup cream cheese 1 stick butter Kolacky Filling 1 small jar strawberry jam 4 ounces...