makovnjača - Poppy Seed Rolls

Woot Woot we found bulk poppy seed at the localish Serbian market so it is time to make poppy seed rolls.  I went looking for the right Balkan recipe and found a gem that turned out wonderful.  See the recipe on Otilia's yourtube video. 

I loved the bread so much I am trying it as a loaf today.

3 1/3 cup Flour
2 egg yolks
2.5 teaspoons yeast
pinch of salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 stick plus 3 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup warm milk (I think I tend to end up using closer to a cup of milk to get the dough right)

mix, mix, mix in a kitchenaid.  let rest to double in size.  use dough as you wish :/

okay, so these directions kind of suck but I know what I am talking about and the link to Otilia's directions are the best.

~Menu~

this weeks menu is....

• Wedge salad 
• Chicken Piccata
• Chicken Enchiladas 
• Beef & Broccoli
• Bean Soup

Also making some homemade bread and pocket sandwiches 

Some menu items for the last few weeks

• Chili
• Chicken Curry
• Asparagus Soup
• Stuffed Peppers 
• Pot Roast
• Chicken Paprikash
• Fish Tacos
• Roasted Salmon with roasted Potatoes and Asparagus 

Pavlova

Over this holiday season my sister-in-law (SIL)  and niece came to visit.  While here my SIL  made Russian salad with homemade mayo, which left me with a lot of egg white.  I found Povlova as one of the things I could make to use up the egg whites.

The kicker was, I had never had this dish before so I was unsure as to what the end product should be like.  I looked up several recipes and videos online and ultimately followed a Martha Stewart recipe and a Simply Recipes post.

I did mix the cornstarch with the sugar before adding it to the egg whites.  Once the whites where at a stiff peak I folded in a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of lemon juice.

This dish was unbelievably easy and delicious.  I think that I will try reducing the sugar from   1.5 cups to only 1 cup to reduce the sweetness a little.

Nick Stellino's Pasta Alla Russa

The kids and I like to watch Create TV on PBS and my son, after catching a 13 pound lake trout that we smoked, thought that this dish looked good.  We tried this dish tonight and while my son really liked it the rest of us just kind of tolerated it because the flavor was so strong.  I like my smoked fish on cracker, but this was worth a try and if you are a person who likes a lot of the smoked fish flavor this is a good recipe to try.

Bow tie pasta in boiling water to el dente. 

 I the mean time...

Saute together

Butter

Add finely chopped shallots

Minced garlic

Smoked fish

Vodka

Clam juice or chicken stock & Tomato sauce

Salt & Pepper

Cream

Cook sauce down a little

Add el dente pasta & a few peas.

cook to done

Top with Parmesan cheese 

Serve

Our home smoked Lake Trout

Recent Meals

I do like to keep an account of meals that I have made for future inspiration for those weeks I just can't think of anything to make.

• Eggplant Parmesan - Used Eggplant from the garden

• Swiss Steak -   Family says this a make again

• Chicken Curry - because everyone likes this one 

• Sweet and Sour Chicken

• White Bean Soup

• Potato Soup

• Seared Coho - My son and I cough this fish ourselves on lake Huron.  It was wonderful along with some rice and roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon.

• Stuffed Peppers - Daughter's favorite so I thought her how to make them.