Cranberry-hazelnut Upside-down Pie

This is my favorite upside-down pie. I made it today with my daughter (so, next time she can make it all by herself :) )

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Spread 1/3oz of butter on the bottom of the 9" baking pan (I used a round silicone form).
Combine 1 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of nuts (hazelnuts are the best :) ) Spread these ingredients into a single layer.

For batter:
Mix 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2/3 cups of flour, 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 4 Tbsp of sour cream, 1 tsp of vanilla.
Pour the batter onto the baking pan covering the berries with nuts.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is golden brown.

Cool pie in pan for 5 minutes. Place serving plate over pie, and carefully flip to invert.
Allow to cool for 1 hour.

 

 

Russian "Korean carrot" salad

Russian "Korean carrot" salad is a marinated salad with fresh carrot as the main ingredient. The dressing is a simple vinaigrette spiked with the mandatory fresh garlic and paprika.

 You will need about 1 pound of carrots, cleaned and peeled, the longer the better. Use a mandoline to slice them into thin, spaghetti-like strands. Place in a large bowl. Add 2-3 Tbs of salt, mix and leave the carrots alone for 10-15 minutes... Rinse the carrots very well and squeeze the liquid. 

Add 3 minced garlic cloves and 3 Tbs of vinegar to the carrots, mix well.

Heat the pan and add 4-5 Tbs of olive oil. Add 1 Tbs of paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add half of onion and cook until the onion is soft and translucent (4-5 minutes). When the onion is done, pour the oil through the strainer into the carrots and mix well. You can also add some coriander seeds.
Refrigerate 4-5 hours; preferably overnight.

Homemade Quick Potato Chips

Check this out Quick Potato Chips

Honey-Lemon-Ginger in a Jar

You can make this immunity boosting, body soothing concoction ahead of time and store in the fridge. Keeps for months when refrigerated.
You will need:
3 lemons
1 ginger root
3 tb.spoons of honey

Peel the lemons. I even remove the side "skin" of the lemon segments (and seeds)

Peel ginger root, slice it. Add lemons, ginger and honey into the food processor (blender)

Keep the mixture in a jar refrigerated.

Take 1 teaspoon in the morning and before bad. Also, you can add this honey lemon ginger mixture to your tea.

Double Baked Potato Boats with Bacon

Last night I  made twice baked potato with bacon, cheese and herbs for dinner.
That was yummy!

 You will need: 3 large potatoes, 6 slices of bacon, 1/4 cup of warm milk, 3/4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, green onion chopped, 2 tbs. of fresh chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper.

* Preheat the oven to 375 F
* Place washed potatoes in microwave and bake for about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool enough to handle.
* While cooking potatoes, cook the bacon until crisp. Chop 4 1/2 slices, leave 1 1/2 slices aside.
* Cut off the top 1/2" of the potatoes lengthwise, scoop the flesh leaving the 1/4" thick "boat".

* Mash the potato flesh. add cheese, green onion, parsley, chopped bacon, salt, pepper.

* Fill the skins with the filling 
* Brush the outside of the skins with the bacon drippings. Place the potato "boats" onto the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

* Season the salt and pepper, top with onion and the halved bacon strips.

 See another good potato recipe at my daughter's blog here

Cabbage Salad

I just love this cabbage salad. It's so fresh, crunchy and has about 20 kcal in 100g!

You will need:
1 green cabbage
2 carrots
1 tsp of dill seeds 
15-20 peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
2 Tbsp of salt
3 Tbsp of vinegar (I use white rice vinegar, but regular vinegar will work too)

Prepare a pickle. Boil 1 liter of water, add bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. Boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool. When the liquid is cool (or at least warm), add 3 Tbsp of vinegar. 

Okroshka - Russian Summer Soup

Okróshka (Russian: окрошка) is a Russian cold soup. The name probably originates from "kroshit'" (крошить), which means to crumble into small pieces.
It’s very refreshing to have chilled soup on a hot summer day. 
Okroshka is always served cold.

I used 3 cooked potatoes, 3 hard boiled eggs, 1 cucumber, radishes, finely chopped green onions, Italian parsley, dill, celery, cilantro, and a cooked meat ( you can use beef or ham.)
Cut all the ingredients into small pieces. Add salt.  Okroshka is usually garnished with sour cream.

This classic Russian cold soup is traditionally made with kvass, a fermented wheat drink, but can also be made with diluted kefir, vinegar, or mineral water.

Frozen Lemon Juice

We got lots of lemons!

But they (lemons) do not last forever. So, to preserve them making lemon juice . Squeeze lemons, filter through the strainer and pour into ice-cube tray.

When juice is frozen, place the cubes into the zip-bag and place it in the freezer.

Of course, you can make lemonade too!

Russian Holodets

Last week I made holodets for small Russia party. Holodets (холодец)--it's one of Russian foods that Americans very frequently dislike :). It is a meat jelly with meat cuts and spices inside.

This dish’s name “holodets” is from the Russian word “holod”, i.e., “cold”- the final preparation step is to cool in a refrigerator for a few hours.

  Holodets Ingredients

• 2 lbs pig, cow or chicken feet (or use chicken legs as an alternative)

• 1 lb boneless meat (any kind of meat, for example chicken thighs)

• Water

• 1 onion, peeled
• 2 carrots

• 2 tsp salt

• 1/8 tsp pepper

• 2 bay leaves
• 2 gloves of garlic

How To Make Russian Holodets

• Put all the meat, whole onion, carrots, salt and pepper in a large pot ( I use pressure cooker) . Add enough water to completely cover the meat plus an extra inch of water on top of the meat.

• Bring water to a boil and skim off the foam.

• Reduce heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 3 hours.

• Add the bay leaves and simmer for 20 minutes.

• Discard the onion, carrots, and bay leaves.

• Pull the meat away from the bones and discard the bones.
• Add two gloves of fresh minced garlic 

• Chop all the meat and put on the bottom of an 8×12 dish (or any size of dishes you want).

• Refrigerate the dish with Holodets overnight.

• Cut Holodets into squares and serve with horseradish or mustard.

 Приятного аппетита!

Buckwheat Kasha with Meat

The National cuisine week has ended and I am so excited to try some new recipes.

Last week  I decided to try one of them, with buckwheat. Originally, it was published on JaneBoFelt blog, and she used white mushrooms (Boletus edulis) for her dish. My family (especially my husband) loves meat, so I made my buckwheat kasha.

I used:
1 medium size onion
2 medium carrots
1lb of pork (cubed)
1 cup of buckwheat grains
2 cups of water
2 TBS of vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt

1. Chop onion and carrots. Slightly fry them with 1 tbs of oil on the frying pan.

2. Replace carrots with onion in a warm dish. Set aside.
Add 1 tbs of oil to the same frying pan, add cubed meat and cook it for 2-3 minutes on each side.

 3. Add buckwheat grains, salt, and water.

 4. Cover the pan, bring to the boil, and cook on the low heat for  20-25 minutes, till the buckwheat absorbs the water.
 

Enjoy the healthy meal!

Salted Salmon

One of my favorite Russian cold collations is salted fish. Actually, Russians eat dried salted fish (any kind of river fish) with beer, salted herring, mackerel, and so on. Here, in America, I make my own salter salmon.
It's easy to make and it tastes great!
All you need is: fresh salmon fillet, salt, sugar, and spices.
Wash salmon fillet, dry it with paper towel. Remove any fish bones.
Mix salt and sugar (3:1)  in a bowl.
Rub  salt mix generously on both sides of the fish, using more on the thicker end of the fillet. Add cloves, paper corns, bay leaves.
Wrap the salmon with plastic wrap, sealing the edges securely, then wrap it in a second layer of plastic wrap because fish can "spring a leak."
Place fish in the refrigerator for 3 days.
After that, remove the wrap, bay leaves, cloves, paper corns. Slice fish thinly and serve as is.
Also, you can sprinkle salmon with a little of  oil (sunflower seed oil is my favorite) and onion rings. 

PS. My mouth is watering while I am typing this recipe :) 

Vegetable Turkey

This recipe is not new, but maybe some people have not seen or tried it before.


A dip has to be prepared a couple of days or at least an hour in advance.
For the dip you will need:
~ 400 grams of cream cheese
~ 4 table spoons of sour cream
½ cup of finely chopped parsley
1/4 tea spoon of black or white grinded pepper
2 tea spoons of grinned lemon zest

Oatmeal walnut cherry cookies

Do you and your family love cookies? My family does!

Today I want to share a recipe of the "bestest" cookies ever- Oatmeal walnut cherry cookies!

To make 5 dozens you will need:

1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packaged brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cherries (or cranberries) 

Home-made Russian cottage cheese - Tvotog

Yes, exactly, Russian tvorog, not cottage cheese:) Tvorog is used in many Russian recipes and it is remarkably easy to make.

It is much drier than cottage cheese or similar alternatives like ricotta or quark.

Here is what you will need to make tvorog:

• Plain, unflavored buttermilk or kefir (make sure the fat content is at least 1.5% )- 1 part
• Whole milk- 2 parts
• Cheesecloth
• Colander

Pour milk and the buttermilk or kefir into the big bowl. Mix them , cover with some cloth and let the mixture stand for 10 hours (or overnight). 

Mix the mixture again, place in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until  the buttermilk/kefir should separate, with nearly-clear liquid (whey) and a thick white mass (curds). When this happens, remove the bowl and let it cool. Line the colander with two layers of cheese cloth and set it over the sink or, if you want to capture and use the whey, over a large bowl. Pour the contents of the pot into the colander and let the whey drain; do not squeeze the curds.

Leftover whey can also be chilled in the fridge and consumed as a beverage. I use whey instead of milk or water to make pancakes. In Russia, whey is prized for its health properties.

Borsch Recipe

Do you like soup? What kind of soup is your favorite? 

Ours is borsch. My daughter can eat borsch for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:). 

Borscht (борщ) is a soup of Ukrainian  origin that is popular in many Eastern and Central European countries. In most of these countries, it is made with beetroot as the main ingredient, giving it a deep reddish-purple color.

There are many variations how to make it. Here I want to share my recipe. 

 Ingredients:

• 1 lb of meat (pork or beef)
• 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the meat, and cover the pot. Return to a boil.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stew the beets with a cup of bouillon from the pot and 2 Tablespoons of vinegar for about 15 minutes. Add tomato paste. 
3. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage.
4. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots, and cook until tender (10”).
5. Transfer beets and onion with carrot to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
6. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley (or dill).

Pancakes

Today is the last day of Maslenitsa (Ма́сленица) also known as Butter Week or Pancake week, a Russian religious and folk holiday. In Slavic mythology, Maslenitsa is a sun festival, celebrating the imminent end of the winter.
My mom was making pancakes for my father all week :)  I made thin pancakes only today, for breakfast.

 

Best Candy Ever

Today I made best candy ever! No kidding :) 

I am typing this and my mouth waters.

 It's easy to make this delicious dessert.