Ethiopian Cabbage Stew May 8, 2008

Ingredients
3 Large Onions (Chopped)
3 Large Carrots (Diced)
1/2 White Cabbage (Shredded)
1/4 C. Spiced Butter (recipe on this blog)
2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
1/2 t. Ground Ginger
1/2 t. Turmeric
1/2 t. Curry Powder
1/2 t. Black Pepper
1 t. Salt
4 C. Water

Method
1. Saute onions, garlic and carrots in oil. Add cabbage, water and spices. Cook on low until soft, about 20-30 minutes

Notes: This is a nice mild Ethiopian dish to serve along side the spicier dishes. It’s good to mix with the spicy dishes, and it’s also a nice option for those new to Ethiopian food or vegetarians.

Berbere Sauce May 8, 2008

Ingredients
5 Medium Onions (Chopped Finely)
3 Medium Tomatoes (Chopped)
3 T. Spiced Butter (recipe on this blog)
1 t. Berbere
Salt

Method
1. Melt butter in pan and stir fry onions until translucent. Add tomatoes and cook 2-3 minutes. Add berbere (more or less to taste) and salt.
2. Serve on injera as a side dish to other Ethiopian dishes.

Notes: This is my absolute favorite Ethiopian dish–it makes everything else taste better when you mix them together. I had a hard time making this recipe taste right and actually got sick eating street food in Ethiopia in an attempt to perfect it (I still say that was the tastiest thing I ate in Ethiopia, so I don’t mind that I got sick!).

Cherry Cosmo May 8, 2008

2 oz. Cherry Vodka
1 oz. White Cranberry Juice
3/4 oz. Cointreau
Splash Fresh Lime Juice

Jina’s Cinnamon Pull Apart Bread May 8, 2008

Ingredients
1 Stick Butter (Melted)
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 t. Cinnamon
24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls (Thawed, you can find these in the freezer section)
3 oz. Pkg. Vanilla Pudding Mix
1 C. Walnuts

Method
1. Spray pan. Melt butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Arrange rolls in pan and sprinkle with vanilla pudding mix. Dump liquid mixture over rolls. Add walnuts.
2. Cover with foil and place on cookie sheet overnight on counter.
3. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Notes: This recipe comes from Kim’s friend Jina. It’s really easy and very tasty! It works well for a brunch or when you have company because it’s all prepped the night before.

Einstein’s Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake May 8, 2008

Ingredients
2 C. Flour
1 1/2 t. Baking Powder
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
1 1/4 C. Sugar
1 t. Cinnamon
1 Stick Butter (Room Temp)
2 Eggs (Room Temp)
1 C. Sour Cream
1 t. Vanilla Extract
1 C. Chocolate Chips

Topping:
4 T. Butter
1/4 C. Flour
1/4 C. Brown Sugar
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 C. sugar and cinnamon.
2. Beat together butter and remaining 1 C. sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in sour cream and vanilla. Fold into the flour mixture until just combined. Add cinnamon sugar mixture and chocolate chips. Spread into pan.
3. Mix together butter, brown sugar and flour for topping. Crumble over top of batter. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 30-35 minutes

Notes: The chocolate chip coffee cake from Einstein’s Bagels is very yummy and while pregnant I was really craving it, so I searched around for some recipes that seemed like they’d be close. We added the streusel and chocolate chip topping and it was perfect! Great as a breakfast or a dessert.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Creamy Vanilla Icing May 8, 2008

Ingredients
3 1/2 C. Flour
3/4 C. Butter (Softened)
2 1/2 C. Sugar
3 Eggs (Room Temp)
6 T. Red Food Coloring
3 T. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 1/2 t. Vanilla Extract
1 1/2 t. Salt
1 1/2 C. Buttermilk
1 1/2 t. Cider Vinegar
1 1/2 . Baking Soda

Icing:
6 T. Flour
2 C. Milk
2 C. Butter (Softened)
2 C. Sugar
2 t. Vanilla Extract

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease and lightly flour cake pans.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. In a small bowl, whisk together red food coloring, cocoa and vanilla. Add to the batter and beat well.
3. Stir the salt into the buttermilk, then add to the batter in 3 parts, alternating with flour. In a small bowl, stir together vinegar with baking soda. Add to batter and mix well.
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let layers cool in pans for 1 hour. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.
5. For Icing–in medium size saucepan, whisk flour into milk until smooth. Place over medium heat and, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture becomes very thick and begins to bubble, 10-15 minutes. Cover with waxed paper placed directly on the surface and cool to room temp, about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the butter for 3 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat well. Add the cooled milk mixture and continue beating on medium high for 5 minutes until very smooth and noticeably whiter in color. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes (no less and no longer–set a timer!). Use immediately.

Notes: We make these for Easter! They’re delicious!

Kim’s Summer Salad May 7, 2008

Ingredients
10 oz. Spinach
1 Qt. Strawberries
1 Pint Blueberries
1/2 lb. Bacon (Cooked and Crumbled–omit or put on side if making for a vegetarian)

Dressing:
2 T. Sesame Seeds
1 T. Poppy Seeds
1/4 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Olive Oil
1/4 C. Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 t. Paprika
1/4 t. Worcestshire Sauce
1 T. Red Onion (Minced)

Method
1. Combine dressing ingredients in lidded jar and shake. Refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
2. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and serve.

Notes: I first had this salad at a Kowalski family dinner where Marc’s girlfriend Kim brought it. It was amazing and I couldn’t stop eating it! I asked her for the recipe and she verbally gave it to me, but I was missing some of the ingredients. After some searching around on the internet, I found enough similar recipes to tweak and recreate hers. This is great for a BBQ or just in the early Spring when the strawberries first come out and you want to pretend it’s not snowing in Colorado

Kielbasa Potato Salad March 16, 2008

Ingredients
9 Potatoes (cut into 1 inch chunks)
8 oz. Kielbasa (cooked and cut)
1 C. Celery
1/2 C. Red Onion (Sliced)

Dressing:
1/2 C. Light Mayo
1/2 C. Reduced Fat Sour Cream
1/4 C. Water
2 T. Dijon Mustard
1 t. Salt
1/2 t. Pepper

Method
1. Boil potatoes and combine in bowl with kielbasa, celery and onion.
2. Mix dressing ingredients and combine with potatoes. Cover and chill

Notes: This recipe is excellent–I’ve had people who tell me they HATE potato salad request seconds of this. It’s great for a BBQ.

Gorgonzola Burgers March 16, 2008

Ingredients
1-8 oz. Pkg. Cream Cheese (softened)
1/3 Lb. Gorgonzola Cheese (crumbled)
3 Lbs. Ground Beef
Salt and Pepper

Method
1. Combine cream cheese and gorgonzola. Season beef with salt and pepper.
2. Form patties very thin. Top with cheese mixture, then another thin patty. Grill to desired doneness.

Laura’s Crockpot Chalupas March 16, 2008

Ingredients
Ground Beef, Pork Shoulder Roast or Chicken Breasts
1-2 Cans Pinto Beans and Liquid
1-2 Cans Diced Green Chilies
Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Onion and Cumin

Method
1. Combine all in a crock pot and cook on low all day or high 4-5 hours.
2. Serve over nachos, in bowl like chile, dress like tacos or burritos, etc.

Notes: This recipe comes from Laura who was adopting from Ethiopia at the same time as us. We were all trying to find new recipes that would make a bunch of food for freezing so we’d have meals ready to go when we came home from Ethiopia with our kids. Laura said she catered her own wedding using this recipe and that everyone loved it, so I had to give it a try. It’s amazing!! Don’t let the simplicity fool you–this makes the meat taste exactly like it does in your favorite Mexican restaurant. We usually make it with Pork, then turn it into burritos, enchiladas, tortilla soup, etc.