Quick Quiche.

Today was a busy day. I left for Cedar Rapids at 7:30 am for a meeting and returned home at 6:30 pm. I had to pick up Katy at 7:30 pm from dance clinic and Andy was late leaving work, making our original plan of Chicken Cordon Blu impossible to deliver on. He also had to pick up swimmers at 7:15 am so I transformed our plan into a quick and savory French meal... Quiche!

A tidbit of history... although the French have caimed this to be of their cuisine, it actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, which the French later renamed Lorraine.  The word 'quiche' is from the German 'kuchen', meaning cake.

I made two flavors. The first was a mix of ham and bacon, the second was spinach and green onions. And savory they were. The girls loved the ham and bacon Quiche, though keeping Katy out of the ratings. She doesn't like egg and cheese mixed with her ham...gees mom. So she had ham and pickles for dinner. I laugh because this is HER country and all she's waiting for is French Fries:)

Ham & Bacon Quiche
1 frozen pie crust (pet ritz)
3 eggs
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 1/4 cups swiss cheese
Ham and cooked bacon (to your liking)

Pre-cook the crust for 10 minutes, poking with a fork
Pour ingredients into pie shell
Bake 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (pending oven type)

Spinach Quiche
1 frozen pie crust (pet ritz)
3 eggs
1/2 pint whipping cream
1 1/4 cups swiss cheese
1 pkg. chopped spinach, thawed
Green onions, sauteed in butter (or bacon grease from the above quiche prep)
Pepper
Garlic powder

Pre-cook the crust for 10 minutes, poking with a fork 

Pour ingredients into pie shell

Bake 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (pending oven type)

Beef Bourguignon

French Cuisine.

Our first night in France welcomed us with the traditional Beef Bourguignon, a well known French beef stew. The dish originates from the Bourgogne region which is east of present-day France.  Mastering the Art of French Cooking describes the dish, Sauté de Boeuf à la Bourguignonne, as "certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man." The Gillaspey girls say, "it is very good, but not the mushrooms"...

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

3 tablespoons flour

Kosher salt and pepper

3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

3 large carrots, peeled and sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

6 strips cooked bacon, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces

10 ounces beef broth

2 cups red or Burgundy wine

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 sprigs fresh thyme, stemmed

1 bay leaf

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced (add in the last 30 minutes-can saute or toss in)

2 large potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional if not using noodles)

Directions

1. Coat beef in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Sear beef in a skillet on stovetop (optional).
2. Place meat in Crock-Pot® slow cooker and add remaining ingredients through bay leaf.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 8–10 hours or on High for 5–7 hours, or until meat is tender.
4. Serve over whole wheat noodles.

We enjoyed a glass of Domaine Chene Bourgogne Pinot Noir with our meal from the burgundy region. The French have it right with their burgundy wine. A perfect complement to the meal on this cold winters night.

Katy is upset that we started her country a day late, just like in Japan. She soon got over it and is very excited to have French Fries this week.  She really has NO idea what French food is. Just that it sounds so Fancy....

Feeding the Homeless.

Tonight wasn't a typical Super Bowl Sunday night for us. 1st, we weren't really rooting for a team so the game wasn't the focal point. And 2nd, we volunteered to feed the homeless tonight. Who would have thought the 1st Sunday in February would have been Super Bowl Sunday when we signed up for it on October!


Oh well, it spiced up our night since the teams weren't driving the night. We had two other families volunteer with us and our kids helped serve. We split up duties and made pasta, salad, garlic bread, fruit and cookies for 70 people.  The organization is the Catholic Worker house in the heart of Des Moines. They serve meals for the homeless and rely on volunteers and donations to keep their program running. Hannah and her friend Chloe received Silver Cord hours and we all felt great that we were a little part in helping the homeless population in Des Moines. 


So, though we paused tonight between countries, it was a moment that took us away from our busy lives to give back....Happy Is.


Catholic Workers live a simple lifestyle in community, serve the poor, and resist war and social injustice. Most are grounded in the Gospel, prayer, and the Catholic faith. Each Catholic Worker house is independent and there is no "Catholic Worker headquarters".

Fancy Is.

The news tonight from Katy is that we are on our way to France for our next culinary adventure. I was curious why she chose France and this is her reply:

"because it's beautiful and I want to travel and explore and try different foods" It sounds elegant and fancy and I bet their foods are good"..."like french fries and stuff...)" "what foods do they have?"

Hello France! We will be answering Katy's question throughout the week on what France serves.

Update on soccer: lost 1st game, won second game. Elie scored a goal!   8:15 am game tomorrow...goodnight, moon.

Sturgis Falls.

We've settled in Cedar Falls, Iowa for the weekend, gearing up for a big soccer weekend of winning! While here, I thought I would look up a little history about this place since I have no meal to report.... unless you call the $5 hot and ready cheese pizza we purchased at Hy-Vee as we were heading out of town a meal we should report! I will say, it was tasty and cheap, even better. We even smuggled a box of Peanut Butter Patties or what I still refer as Tag-alongs from the girl scouts. Heaven, really.

So back to Cedar Falls... it was actually founded by a settler named William Sturgis in 1845 and was named Sturgis Falls until 1850 when it was bought out and renamed Cedar Falls.  The first residents of Iowa, including the Cedar Valley, were primarily Scandinavians, Slovaks, Hispanic, German and Greek immigrants. They were attracted to the area because of timber, prairie for farming, and the Cedar River for its drinking, transportation and power potential. They are home of the University of Northern Iowa so we are in a college town!

Katy enjoyed the evening swimming like a fish in the pool. She and a little friend in the pool created a teacup dance routine that was very cute. We just needed music for them! Elie roamed the halls with her team and stayed out of trouble. I can't report on the teenager who is home with Andy...curfew is 11:30 so she isn't even home yet. How weird, not to be home right now.

I will be interviewing Katy on what country she will be choosing for next weeks culinary adventure. Should be interesting.

Relaxing in Cedar Falls. Happy Is.

Rakott Krumpli Sonkaval

Elevating the Spirit.
Our week in Hungary is ending early, due to a soccer tournament that takes us to Cedar Falls, Iowa. So, our last meal in Hungary tonight was a recipe given to me from a parent of a player on our soccer team whose husband is from Hungary. It's a family favorite that they love and it's kid friendly, bonus. Thanks Misty!

This recipe for Hungarian potato-ham casserole or "rakott krumpli sonkaval (RRAH-koht KRROOM-plee SHOHN-kaw-vahl), where rakott literally means "pleated" and refers to the layers in this dish, and krumpli means "potatoes," is layered with leftover ham, potatoes and hard-boiled eggs.  The outcome was delicious. Elie was fine with it. Hannah thought it was too bland and didn't like the potatoes and Katy refused to eat because she doesn't like potatoes or eggs or saucy things. (no worries, mom... she had cold noodles with caesar dressing, her staple food!) Andy and I gobbled up our last comfort meal for the week. 

Rakott Krumpli Sonkaval
Prep Time: 45 minutes • Cook time 45 minutes 
Ingredients:
3 pounds potato cooked in their jackets in salted water until just tender
1 pound cubed ham
1 stick melted butter
6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon sweet or hot Hungarian paprika

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Butter a deep baking dish and lay down 1/3 of the potatoes. Salt and pepper them and brush with some of the melted butter. Cover with 1/2 the ham, another 1/3 potatoes, salt, pepper and butter. Arrange egg slices on top of that followed by remaining ham and remaining potatoes, salt, pepper and remaining butter. 

2.  Mix together sour cream, milk and paprika. Pour over top of casserole, spreading to the ends. Place casserole dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake about 30-45 minutes or until heated through, potatoes are tender and top is golden. If top is not browning, broil for a few minutes. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Try this for breakfast the next day.

As we end our journey in this country, I found a few words in my history search to describe what food means to this country that I thought was fitting to share ... "Hungarians do not take anything lightly, least of all food. The romantic, volatile, and soulful Hungarian uses food the way most other people use psychology, politics, literature, material acquisitions, and even medicine. Food is the prelude to a mood, the buffer for difficult situations, and the solace – even the cure – for adversity. Food elevates the spirit, food promotes confidence, food is a comforting symbol of success and status. But most important of all, in the Hungarian mind, food, love, and music are inextricably interwoven with one's very existence".

Happy Is...Hungarian Cuisine. Hope you enjoyed it!

The Power of Paprika.

It's Wednesday, normal night of taxi duty. Two trips to Church, two drop-offs at swimming and finally one last pickup. So, leftovers seemed very appropriate. I mean, how can you let Goulash and Paprikash go to waste!


Since I have no new food to report, I decided to share a little secret about the spice, Paprika. You may even decide to go out and pick up a bottle after reading the amazing things this orange spice does for the human body...


PAPRIKA
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried bell peppers or chili peppers (fruits of Capsicum annuum).  Hungary is a major source of paprika and thus, is most commonly used.

Health Boost:
 contains capsaicin, whose anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects may lower the risk of cancer.The carotenoid contents of paprika may help guard the body from certain type of cancers. Paprika contains zeaxanthin,cryptocanthin and beta-carotene. Studies show that these carotenoids are very good at helping lower the risk of lung and cervical cancer.



Blood Purifier:
paprika is rich in iron and potassium, which are very helpful compounds in term of purifying the blood, helping hemoglobin production as well.



A Powerful Antioxidant:
paprika is well known for its high amount of vitamin C,more than nine times the content of tomatoes and seven times more than oranges. This in turn makes paprika good in strengthening the immune system. Also act like anti-ageing agent.




Other Heath Benefits of Paprika are: paprika is also known to speed up the body's metabolism. The thermogenic effect of capsaicin in paprika can cause your body to burn extra calories after 20 minutes of consumption.Clears mucus from the nose and lungs and aids in congestion. The antibacterial properties of paprika can kill bacteria in the stomach and therefore, prevent or treat stomach ulcer.


This is a spice you should really get to know! Happy is PAPRIKA...

A Paprika street vendor in Budapest, Hungary