Kaiserschmarrn - Our Austrian favorite!

On the way home from picking up our Austrian exchange students, Danielle asked a barrage of questions of them, one of which was, "What is your favorite food?" Marcus replied "pizza". Florian though, replied "Kaiserschmarrn", and set us all giggling and asking "what?!"

We later did some research and found that Kaiserschmarrn (or The Emperor's Mishmash) is a kind of scrambled pancake, caramelized and served with plum preserves. Its not very hard to make, and it is always a crowd favorite around here. We change things up a bit for simplicity, so this is an Americanized version.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
pinch salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
jam, jelly or preserves (optional)

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugar until well-mixed. Blend in flour in small amounts, until it is a smooth batter.

Heat a medium to large skillet to medium heat. Spray skillet with cooking spray. Pour 1/2 cup batter in to skillet and cook 5-6 minutes or until the pancake has set and the bottom is golden brown, usually about 4 or 5 minutes. Turn and cook 3 minutes more, or until this side is also golden brown. Remove to a plate and allow to cool while you cook more pancakes.

As pancakes cool, cut or tear them into bite sized pieces. Drop pieces into a large nonstick pot. When all pancake are cut and torn, stir in raisins, melted butter and powdered sugar. Heat on medium, stirring constantly, until hot and well mixed.

Serve topped with additional powdered sugar, and jam of your choice if desired. This recipe serves about 4.

In case you're wondering, the true Austrian version includes soaking the raisins in rum for half an hour and cooking them in the pancakes. And then it is served with Plum preserves.

Chicken Mozzarella

Easy Italian favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 (14.5 oz) can pasta-ready chunk tomatoes w/ olive oil, garlic & spices
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese

Directions
Dip chicken breast halves in egg and dredge in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden brown. Drain. Pour tomatoes with juice over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Cover; cook for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is tender and no longer pink inside. Place cheese slices over chickenand tomatoes. Cover. Cook 1-2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Serve over rice or pasta. A side of steamed spinach makes a nice veggie addition.

Ham & Cheese Oven Omelet

This is a great dish for a brunch. I'm going to try it with bacon instead of ham, since my sweetie prefers the crispy stuff!

Ingredients:

• 8 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 3 oz smoked sliced ham, beef or corned beef (maybe bacon, I'll let Sweetie decide if it works!)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Directions:
Beat eggs, milk and salt in medium bowl. Stir in other ingredients. Pour into greased 8x8 dish. Cook uncovered in 325 degree oven until omelet is set and top is golden brown.

Old Fashioned Beef Stew

Just found Stew meat on sale at my local supermarket, so I think it's a good time to prepare this classic winter favorite!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Stew meat, cubed
• 2 Tbsp Flour
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 cups sliced carrots
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup green beans
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp cold water

Directions:
Coat beef with flour. Heat oil over med-high heat. Add beef, saute until browned, about 6 minutes. Place on a plate. Add onions to pot. Saute for 6 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. return beef to pot. Stir in tomato paste & broth. Add enough water to just cover, boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer until beef is tender, about 60-90 minutes. Add veggies; cover partially;simmer for 15 minutes. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water; stir into stew. Increase heat and boil uncovered for 1 minute.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Similar to the dish at Chevy's by the same name, this spicy soup will clear out clogged nasal passages in a snap!

Ingredients:

• 4 (small) corn tortillas
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 12 oz.), cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cans (about 28-30 oz) chicken broth
• 1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, undrained
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup shredded mexican blend shredded cheese

 Preheat oven to 400. Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch strips. lay out flat on baking stone. Bake 7-8 minutes or until crispy.  In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken chunks and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add onion and garlic, chili powder and cumin. cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and chilies. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Serve Soup over tortilla strips, topped with cilantro. sprinkle cheese evenly between bowls.

Makes 4 servings

Honey Walnut...Chicken

I usually see this dish prepared with Batter-dipped, Fried Shrimp, but since I'm not a big fan of shrimp, I made my own recipe for a similar dish. It's not as amazingly sinful as the entree from my favorite local Chinese place, but it's a bit healthier and every bit as tasty.

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup mayonnaise
•  4 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3/4 cup candied walnuts
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small chunks 

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine mayo, honey and sweetened condensed milk. set aside. In a non-stick skillet or lightly oiled saucepan, stir-fry chicken pieces until no longer pink.  I usually cook them for 7-9 , minutes on medium high heat, and then cover, reduce heat to low and allow to cook through (about 5 more minutes). Combine with Candied walnuts and cooked chicken and serve over steamed rice topped with a handful of shredded lettuce.

Barbecue Pork Sandwiches

Here's a simple crockpot recipe for pulled pork sandwiches. Perfect for winter days like we've been having recently. You'll LOVE how yummy the house will smell when these are cooking.

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. Boneless Pork Top Loin
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 can cola (can be diet if desired)
• 1 cup barbecue sauce

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook covered, on high for 5-6 hours, or until meat is very tender. Shred pork with two forks. Serve on rolls. These are great served with potato skins for a football party.