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< Back Homemade Chocolate Milk Prep Time: 2 Minutes Cook Time: N/A Serves: 6 Level: Beginner About the Recipe This recipe will have affiliate links, at no cost to you. I earn a commission if you purchase from the link! In order to save money, I decided to figure out how to make my own chocolate milk with cocoa powder. This DIY chocolate milk recipe ended up being a lot easier than I thought, and it might even be better than Nesquik! Ingredients 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder (I prefer the Hershey brand , but any brand will do!) 1/2 cup Sugar Pinch of Salt Jar (I really like the jam jars ) or another storage container Preparation How to Make Chocolate Milk with Cocoa Powder Chocolate milk is almost every young child’s favorite drink. I’ll admit it, it is still one of mine! However, the already made Nesquik powder at the store can get kind of pricey if you are having to buy it regularly. It also comes in such huge containers that my kids think they have an endless supply. In order to save money , I decided to figure out how to make my own chocolate milk with cocoa powder. This DIY chocolate milk recipe ended up being a lot easier than I thought, and it might even be better than Nesquik! What I really like about this recipe is that my kids don’t mind helping me make it. Even better, the ingredients include things I ALWAYS have on hand . This new DIY is great for everyone! Instructions Grab the 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and your 1/2 cup of sugar and mix them up. Add a pinch of salt and you’re ready for some cold chocolate milk. It’s that simple. TIP: To avoid the cloud of cocoa powder I just dumped the powder, sugar, and salt into the jar, shut the lid, and shook it up! That easy! I have tried making chocolate milk before with cocoa powder and it just did not work. Like at all. Big dust poofs of cocoa powder just floating around in my milk. It was gross. I know what you are thinking. “How on earth are you going to get the cocoa powder to dissolve in a cold cup of milk?” After a few trials and errors, I finally found the perfect solution: Mix 2 Tablespoons of warm water with 2 Tablespoons of your homemade chocolate milk Stir until the sugar and cocoa have dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold milk and you’re done! Enjoy Your Homemade Chocolate Milk! Grab some cookies, a good book, and enjoy the fruits of your super easy labor… er, I mean, pour the kids a glass. One more added bonus of this homemade chocolate milk is that it’s gluten-free! Can this get any better? Give this chocolate milk recipe a try and let me know what you think! If you think it’s better than Nesquik, I want to hear about it! INSTRUCTIONS Mix all items together in a storage container. Dissolve 2 Tablespoons of the mix into 2 Tablespoons of warm water. Add 1 Cup of cold milk. Enjoy. Previous Next

< Back Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Serves: 4 - 6 serving(s) Level: Beginner About the Recipe Time to raid the fridge! Ingredients 1 pie crust (1/2 of Perfect Pie Crust recipe) 1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup) 1/2 c. finely diced onion 1/2 c. finely diced carrot 1/2 c. finely diced celery 2 c. leftover turkey, light and dark, diced or shredded (or both!) 1/4 c. flour 2 c. low-sodium chicken or turkey broth, plus more if needed 1/4 c. white wine (optional) 3/4 c. heavy cream 1 c. frozen peas (optional) 2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped Salt and pepper to taste Preparation Even if you've planned your Thanksgiving menu perfectly, you'll probably still have leftovers once the big meal is over. If you're looking for something to do with your extra turkey, here’s the recipe for my delicious pot pie. You can make it with chicken or turkey… whatever’s in your fridge. You may even have leftover onion and celery from the Thanksgiving stuffing—even better! Just make sure to pair it with leftover Thanksgiving desserts—if there are any! What is turkey pot pie made of? It's just like chicken pot pie, but with turkey! The filling is made with vegetables like onion, carrot, celery, and green peas. It becomes creamy thanks to some butter, flour, broth, and heavy cream. I sometimes like to add a splash of wine to the filling, but you can leave it out if your family is like mine and doesn't like the taste. For the turkey, you can use dark meat or light meat, and can shred or dice it. It's up to you. The top is just a simple pie crust! Any crust works: Use store-bought or frozen puff pastry, or dive into the depths of your freezer to find the homemade crust from that Thanksgiving pie you never got around to baking. What's the best way to reheat turkey pot pie? You can cover the whole dish with foil and reheat the pot pie in a 350ºF oven. Depending on how much is left, it could take 10 to 20 minutes. Just be sure not to place your dish into the oven directly from the fridge. It could shatter, and who wants to clean up shards of glass and turkey from the bottom of an oven until the end of time? Not me. Go ahead and stick the dish in the oven while it preheats or let it hang out on the counter for 15 minutes or so before you put it in the oven. How long does turkey pot pie last in the fridge? It'll stay good for about 3 days. Make sure to wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap or place the pot pie in an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible. Directions 1 Preheat the oven to 400ºF. 2 Melt butter in a skillet or dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until translucent (a couple of minutes.) 3 Add turkey and stir. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir. Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. 4 Pour in chicken or turkey broth, stirring constantly. Splash in wine (you can leave this out if you’d like.) Pour in cream. (May add frozen peas at this point if you’d like.) 5 Bring to a slow boil and allow the mixture to cook and thicken for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not underseason), and fresh or dried thyme to taste. Do one final taste at the end and add what it needs. 6 Pour mixture into a casserole dish or deep pie pan. 7 Roll out the crust so that it’s about 1 inch larger than the pan you’re using. 8 Place the crust on top of the pot pie mixture, and press the crust into the sides of the dish. Cut vents in the top of the crust. 9 Bake for 30-40 minutes or until very golden and bubbly and the crust is done. 10 Allow to cool for a little bit before serving. 11 Serve with a large spoon. Previous Next

< Back Carrot Cake Your grandmas classic carrot cake. Previous Next

< Back Natural Vitamin C Immune Booster Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: -0- Serves: 16 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 6 cups of water 2 whole oranges 1 whole grapefruit 2 whole lemons 2 whole limes As much raw honey as your heart desires As much raw ginger as your heart desires Dawn likes the spiciness of the ginger and I don’t, so I would start with a small piece first, and then add more if it isn’t strong enough for you. Preparation Wash and remove stickers from the fruits. Cut each fruit into four pieces, keep the RINDS on. You can take the seeds out if you want, but I usually don’t. But the rinds are important, there is a ton of nutrition, fiber and value in the oils. Put the lemons, lime, honey and ginger in first, then pack the oranges and grapefruit next. Add water Then blend, blend, blend! You will want to blend it until it looks like a smoothie! Drink Mix There will be enough to fill 2 quart jars and a pint jar. I like to keep one quart jar in my fridge, then freeze the rest in ziplock bags for later. You now have several options! For 1 quart of water, put 3 tablespoons of the mix at the bottom of the cup, put ice on top (we like crushed ice) then you can add regular water or sparkling water! Get a straw, mix it up and enjoy! *Tip: One thing I did learn is if you put the smoothie mix on top of the ice then add sparkling water it will have a chemical reaction and bubble over, so definitely put it on the bottom! We LOVE our SodaStream sparkling water! It makes it taste like an orange-squirt! But it is all natural ingredients! Previous Next

< Back Food Quantities for Large Groups Are you hosting the family reunion this year and need to know how much food you need? We got your back! Power in Numbers Programs Locations Volunteers Project Gallery Previous Next

< Back Fresh Silk Pie Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Minutes Serves: 8 Slices Level: Beginner Ingredients Fo r the Chocolate layer: ½ box refrigerated pie crust for one pie 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate 100% cacoa 1 cup unsalted butter 1 ½ cup granulated sugar 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 4 large eggs pasteurized For the garnish: 1 cup heavy whipping cream ⅔ cup powdered sugar 1 cup milk chocolate chips Preparation The Perfect Chocolate Pie Recipe Growing up we always had French Silk Pie at holiday get togethers. It usually came from Bakers Square (anyone remember this restaurant?)! That fudgy, creamy chocolate pie is still to this day one of my favorites! Most Thanksgivings we still serve a French Silk Pie along with the traditional pumpkin pie and pecan pie desserts! If you prefer a homemade pie crust, you can totally go that route! I did go the extra steps and make a homemade whipped cream to top this pie (but Cool Whip would work too if you prefer). How to make French Silk Pie There is one thing to remember when making this pie. All chocolate is NOT created equal. Do not lick your fingers after melting the baking chocolate…it’s very bitter, haha! STEP 1: Prepare a baked pie crust in a deep pie plate according to package directions (for a single baked pie shell). Allow the pie crust to cool completely. STEP 2: In a small microwave bowl, melt unsweetened baking chocolate on high heat for one minute. Stir and heat again in 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. STEP 3: In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Slowly drizzle in the cooled chocolate and beat the mixture on medium speed. Add in vanilla extract. Because this recipe uses RAW EGGS, make sure you purchase the pasteurized eggs. These are found in most large grocery stores and safe for your family! STEP 4: Add eggs, one at a time, beating with the whisk attachment on high speed for about 5 minutes after each egg. DO NOT RUSH. This is what creates a light and fluffy texture to your pie! Once all the eggs have been added (about 20 minutes later, this is why you MUST have a KitchenAid stand mixer or handheld mixer), pour this into your prepared pie pan! STEP 5: For the garnish, beat the heavy cream for 3 minutes until it begins to form stiff peaks. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy! Spread over the top of the pie. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate pie for at least two hours (or overnight). How to make Chocolate Curls An easy trick for making chocolate curls (if you don’t want to scrape the curls into pretty pieces) is to spread your melted chocolate for the topping onto a piece of parchment paper, very thin! Then roll that parchment paper into a tight “tube” and place in refrigerator. When you are ready to garnish your pie, remove the chocolate from the refrigerator and unroll your parchment. The chocolate will break off into pieces, giving you the perfect chocolate chunk garnish without having to do any extra work! Want to skip it? Just add mini chocolate chips instead. For a creamy chocolate treat, without all the work, try a homemade chocolate pudding recipe! ENJOY! Instructions Prepare pie crust according to package directions (for a single crust pie). Allow pie crust to cool. In a small microwave bowl, melt baking chocolate on high heat for one minute. Stir and heat again in 15 second intervals until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes). Slowly drizzle in the cooled chocolate and continue beating on medium speed. Add in vanilla extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating for about 5 minutes after each egg. DO NOT RUSH. This is what creates a light and fluffy texture to your pie! Once all the eggs have been added (about 20 minutes later, this is why you MUST have a KitchenAid stand mixer ), pour this into your prepared pie crust shell! For the garnish, beat the heavy cream for 3 minutes until it begins to form stiff peaks. Slowly add in the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy! Spread over the top of the pie. Refrigerate pie for at least two hours (or overnight). For the chocolate curls (or pieces), melt chocolate chips in a microwave dish for one minute. Stir until smooth, heating by additional 15 second increments until fully melted. Spread over a large piece of parchment paper, until very VERY thin. Roll parchment paper up into a tube shape (like a paper towel tube). Refrigerate until ready to add the garnish, at least 30 minutes. Unroll parchment paper and the pieces will break off into shards. Place on top of pie when ready to serve. ENJOY! Previous Next

< Back Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 8-10 Minutes Serves: 12 Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Preparation Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely Previous Next

< Back Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours Serves: 10 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3 pounds beef shank (1.4 kg, cut into 2-inch chunks) 2 tablespoons oil A 2-inch piece of ginger (smashed) 6 cloves garlic (smashed) 3 scallions (cut into 2-inch segments) 1 onion (cut into wedges) 1 tomato (cut into wedges) 4 dried chilies (ripped in half) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 tablespoons spicy bean paste douban jiang 2 teaspoons sugar 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup Shaoxing wine 8 cups water (to make the soup broth) 1 Chinese aromatic herb packet (lu bao––do yourself a favor and hunt down the pre-packaged version; if you can’t access it though, see below for ingredients to create your own spice sachet) 32 ounces fresh wheat (white) noodles (900g) A small handful of bok choy for each serving Cilantro (finely chopped) Scallions (finely chopped) Pickled mustard greens (to taste, also known as snow vegetable or 雪菜; note this is different from Cantonese haam choy) TO CREATE YOUR OWN SPICE SACHET, TIE UP THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS IN CHEESECLOTH: 4 star anise 1 Chinese cinnamon stick 3 bay leaves 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon coriander seeds 2 tablespoons Sichuan peppercorns ¼ teaspoon five spice powder ¼ teaspoon black pepper Preparation WHAT IS TAIWANESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP? First, let’s talk about what Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup is. It’s delicious. Tender beef, a rich and slightly spicy broth, fresh noodles, a little bok choy, and that absolutely necessary fistful of Chinese pickled mustard greens along with fresh scallions and cilantro. The result is a perfectly orchestrated bowl of spicy, savory, fresh, salty deliciousness. Go on, drool on your keyboard. It happens. A SEEMINGLY COMPLICATED RECIPE… BUT. Despite my love for Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup and how simple and iconic it is, recipes always seemed incredibly complicated and intimidating to me. Making the broth, figuring out the balance of infinite spices, getting that tender beef…where do you start? It was just one of those foods where, when I wanted it, I went out and paid someone else to make it, or convinced myself that I was actually craving something else. …SIMPLIFIED WITH AN INSTANT POT PRESSURE COOKER Enter the INSTANT POT. We have many friends and Woks of Life readers who have remarked upon the magic capable of the Instant Pot . We also know many who are somewhat quizzical about this trendy kitchen gadget. A friend of mine finally convinced me to buy one, and I thought no better way to test it out than with a traditional pressure cooker performance test: braised beef, specifically…Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. Well, long story short, it works! Getting beef to tender perfection for beef noodle soup has been a culinary challenge that has long plagued me. Add the need to make a rich and delicious broth to the equation, and I’m pretty ready to crawl away and boil up a pack of instant ramen instead. We’ve heard stories about what the Instant Pot is capable of doing, but never quite believed in them until making this Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup. The active time of getting all the ingredients into the Instant Pot breezed by. Add water, close the lid, and walk away. No sweating over whether or not your beef is tenderizing or your soup is boiling down to nothing. When we opened up the lid, the result was a rich, dark broth, and beef shank that practically fell apart when you picked it up with your chopsticks . WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS SOUP So, I know you’re asking—what’s the right cut of beef for this soup, AND do you need bones to make the broth? If you ask my mom, my dad, and my sister about the best cut of beef for noodle soup, they will undoubtedly tell you to look for a fatty cut of beef chuck. The trouble with beef chuck is that it can be tough to find a piece that’s marbled enough to yield consistently good results. (There was a very heated phone call in the middle of our Chinese grocery store, during which we all debated the merits of various cuts of beef. If only y’all knew the number of family squabbles we’ve endured for this blog…) For me, it’s all about the beef shank. It’s fatty and has the added bonus of delicious tendon shot through it. Problem? It takes a long time to tenderize on the stovetop. At least 3 hours of low simmering! But with an Instant Pot pressure cooker? GET AFTER IT. The best part? NO BONES NEEDED. The nature of this recipe is that the beef infuses the broth with plenty of flavor, and the spices and sauces round it all out. No need for hard-to-find bones. Just saved you an annoying conversation with your local meat department! Our minds are already racing with more ways to make Asian favorites and Chinese classics with the Instant Pot . TAIWANESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS Boil enough water in a pot to boil all of your beef. Once the water is boiling, add the beef. Let it come back up to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Strain in a colander and rinse thoroughly with fresh water to remove any impurities. Next, in your instant pot, turn on the saute setting. Add the oil, crushed ginger, garlic, scallions, and onions in that order. Stir to lightly caramelize. Let the onion turn translucent. Add the tomato and dried chilies. Next, add the meat to the pot. Then add the tomato paste, spicy bean paste (AKA doubanjiang), sugar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine. Mix thoroughly. Pour 8 cups of water into the instant pot. Add the Chinese aromatic herbs packet (lu bao). The instant pot should be filled to the 10-cup line; it shouldn’t be more than ⅔ of the way full per safety instructions. Our instant pot is the largest size (8 quarts); if yours is smaller, you can halve the recipe accordingly. Close the lid of the instant pot, and make sure you have your vent set so it is not venting. Cook for 100 minutes on the Meat/Stew setting. If you don’t have an instant pot, you can use a regular pot on the stove, but instead, cook the soup on a low simmer for 3 hours. When the instant pot timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve (wear an oven mitt, so you don’t scald yourself!). Boil some noodles per package instructions. (Note: if you’re feeling up to the challenge, you can also make your own fresh noodles using our Chinese handmade noodle recipe.) And in the last minute or two of the noodles cooking, throw your bok choy in and blanch until just tender. Serve each bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup with a serving of noodles, a few stalks of bok choy, and generous sprinklings of finely minced cilantro, scallions, and Chinese pickled mustard greens (also known as snow vegetable or 雪菜; note this is different from the Cantonese variety). Pro tip, buy the pre-seasoned spicy mustard greens and you can use them straight out of the package. If you are using the non-spicy version (from a can, for example), chop and saute with a little oil, a few chopped dried red chilies, and a pinch of sugar. INSTRUCTIONS Boil enough water in a pot to boil all of your beef. Once the water is boiling, add the beef. Let it come back up to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Strain in a colander and rinse thoroughly with fresh water to remove any impurities. Next, in your instant pot, turn on the saute setting. Add the oil, crushed ginger, garlic, scallions, and onions in that order. Stir to lightly caramelize. Let the onion turn translucent. Add the tomato and dried chilies. Next, add the meat to the pot. Then add the tomato paste, spicy bean paste, sugar, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine, and mix thoroughly. Pour 8 cups of water into the instant pot. Add the spice packet. The instant pot should be filled to the 10-cup line; it shouldn’t be more than ⅔ of the way full per safety instructions. Our instant pot is the largest size (8 quarts); if yours is smaller, you can halve the recipe accordingly. Close the lid of the instant pot, and make sure you have your vent set so it is not venting. Cook for 100 minutes on the Meat/Stew setting. If you don’t have an instant pot, you can use a regular pot on the stove, but instead, cook the soup on a low simmer for 3-4 hours. When the instant pot timer is up, carefully release the pressure valve (wear an oven mitt, so you don’t scald yourself!). Boil some noodles per package instructions, and in the last minute or two of the noodles cooking, throw your bok choy in and blanch until just tender. Serve each bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup with a serving of noodles, a few stalks of bok choy, and generous sprinklings of finely minced cilantro, scallions, and Chinese pickled mustard greens. Pro tip, buy the pre-seasoned spicy mustard greens and you can use them straight out of the package. If you are using the non-spicy version (from a can, for example), chop and saute with a little oil, a few chopped dried red chilies, and a pinch of sugar. Previous Next

< Back Buffalo Potato Wedges Prep Time: 25-35 minutes Cook Time: 25-35 minutes Serves: 4 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted (it is better with butter) 1 teaspoon vinegar, cider or white 4 teaspoons red pepper sauce, to taste ½ teaspoon salt 4 medium russet potatoes, unpeeled (about 1 ¼ lbs.) 1 cup favorite blue cheese dressing (this is not optional, cannot be substituted) Preparation Pre-heat coals or gas grill to medium. Mix butter, vinegar, red pepper sauce, and salt in a shallow dish. Cut each potato lengthwise into 4-6 wedges; pat dry with paper towels. Dredge potato wedges in butter mixture. Reserve any remaining butter mixture for basting. Grill potatoes 4-6 inches from medium heat, about 25-35 minutes, brushing occasionally with butter mixture and turning once or twice until tender. Serve hot and dip potatoes in blue cheese dressing. Oh my! Grilling perfection! Previous Next

< Back Easy Lemon Tarts Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Serves: 24 Level: Beginner Ingredients 1 16-ounce package sugar cookie dough (I used the Pillsbury break apart kind, but you can also use the roll) OR 1 recipe of your favorite prepared sugar cookie dough. 1 about 8-10 ounces jar lemon curd Fresh fruit for topping optional. Preparation 3 ingredient Lemon Tarts Literally these tarts have 2 ingredients, 3 if you include the fruit. (I seem to be on a 2 ingredient kick the last few days. First, waffles then dip. Go figure!) The tart shell is made from sugar cookie dough. I used the Pillsbury break-n-bake sugar cookie dough, the kind that comes in a rectangular package. It made it super easy to just break off a square, roll it into a ball, and press it into my mini muffin pan. You can also use a roll of sugar cookie dough and scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough instead. Now, if you don’t have any sugar cookie dough in your refrigerator and you want these Lemon Tarts RIGHT NOW (which I understand) you can totally make the tarts from scratch. I suggest using a sugar cookie recipe and scooping 1 tablespoon sized balls of dough. (You’ll probably end up with more than 24 tarts, so get more lemon curd or just make cookies with any leftovers.) I used the prepared cookie dough because, as I mentioned last week, I’m super lazy. No mixing, no clean up. That’s my kind of recipe. How to make Lemon Tarts from cookies The second ingredient in these tarts is the lemon, obviously. The best way to use up lemons, In my opinion? Make lemon curd. I can eat that stuff with a spoon, no joke. Once the tart shells are baked and cooled, you scoop a healthy scoop of lemon curd into the center. You can use a jarred lemon curd (most grocery stores have it with the jams and jellies) or you can make your own. I used a lime curd recipe and substituted lemon zest and lemon juice. It works perfectly. The third ingredient (I know, I’m asking a lot…three ingredients…jeesh) is fruit. Top each tart with a raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, or a cut strawberry. This is optional but adds some pretty color. If you’re serving these at a party they’ll practically jump off the plate. If you’re not into fruit, you can sprinkle them with some powdered sugar instead. Or just do what I did… Top some with your favorite berries, and wah-lah there you have it Easy Lemon Tarts! Instructions 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin pans with cooking spray that has flour in it. 2. If using the break apart sugar cookie dough, break apart each square, roll into a ball, and press into the bottom and up the sides of each cavity of the mini muffin pan. If using a roll of cookie dough, use 1 tablespoon sized balls and do the same. (Same goes if you’re using scratch cookie dough.) 3. Bake cookie tarts for about 10 minutes, until they just start to turn golden around the edges. Cool, then remove from the pans carefully. They should pop out if you’ve sprayed the pan well, but using a butter knife to pop them out might help. 4. Fill cooled cookies with lemon curd and top with a raspberry, blueberry, or strawberry. Store loosely covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Previous Next

< Back Dry Rub Spice Mix for Oven or BBQ Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: Serves: Multiple Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 3 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons sweet Hungarian paprika 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 ½ teaspoon granulated garlic 1 teaspoon roasted ground cumin (regular cumin can be substituted) ¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste Makes 5/8 cup. Preparation Mix ingredients together. Store in an airtight container. Previous Next

< Back Polish Potato Dumplings Prep Time: 40 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Serves: 5 Level: Beginner About the Recipe Ingredients 1½ pounds (670 g) potatoes peeled weight 1½ cups less 1tbsp (180 g) flour plus a little for dusting 1 large egg ⅔ teaspoon fine sea salt plus more for boiling the potatoes and dumplings, as per Instructions. Preparation Preparation Peel and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash until smooth and creamy (using a potato masher or ricer). Set aside to cool completely. If after draining your potatoes still seem a little too moist place them back in the pot and cook for about 30 seconds stirring all the time. This should get rid of any excess moisture. Fill a large pot with water, add about 1-1½ teaspoon of coarse sea salt (or ⅔ tsp fine), cover and bring to the boil. In the meantime make the potato dumplings. In a large bowl combine the mashed potatoes with the egg and salt and gradually add the flour, mixing in with the back of a spoon. When you've added all the flour your mixture should be very lumpy. Transfer to a flat surface and form a smooth dough by bringing the mixture together. You don't need to knead very long. The dough should be very soft. Divide the dough into 4-5 parts (easier to work with) and roll each part into a long sausage shape the thickness of a large thumb (dust with a little flour as you roll). Flatten a little and cut at a slight angle into small pieces (about 2 cm/⅔'' thick). Keep your uncooked kopytka dumplings on top of a floured surface making sure they don't touch each other. When the water starts to boil carefully, place the dumplings in the pot, one by one, and gently stir with a wooden spoon to prevent them sticking to the bottom of the pot and each other. Once they all come up to the top, boil them gently for 2 more minutes. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Use the same water to cook all your dumplings. Turn off the heat, lift the dumplings out of the pot using a slotted spoon and place on a large plate. Add a little butter or drizzle of oil to prevent them sticking to one another. Serve immediately. Notes Potatoes: Use Russets, Yukon Gold, Maris Piper or another all-rounder variety. Drain the cooked potatoes well and mash until smooth. Cool completely before making the recipe. You can boil and mash the potatoes in advance and once cooled refrigerate overnight. Dough: Stop kneading once you've formed the dough. This recipe does not require prolonged kneading. You shouldn't need to use more flour than the recommended amount. If, however, after adding all the flour your dough is still a little sticky knead in a little more (approx. 1 tsp). It is important to use a sufficient amount of salt or your dumplings may end up without much flavor. So boil the potatoes in salted water, add salt into the dumpling dough and cook the kopytka themselves in salted water. They won't be too salty! Make it vegan: Use 2 teaspoons of ground flaxseed instead of the egg. Boiling the dumplings: Do not overcrowd the pot. Make the dumplings in batches (in the same water). Best served immediately. The dumplings are very soft to start with and become tougher as they cool. Reheating them (in the microwave or frying pan) will soften them again. Serve with melted butter, oil, fried bacon or onion, meat-based or vegetarian stew. Refrigerate, once cooled, for up to 2 days. Freezing: To freeze uncooked dumplings, arrange on a flour dusted tray and freeze for 3 hours then store in a freezer bag and place back in the freezer for up to 3 months. Preparation time includes the time needed to boil and cool the potatoes. EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED Vegetable peeler , knife and large spoon Potato masher or ricer Large pot with lid and slotted spoon Previous Next