cwikla! Polish beet relish

This is so simple to make but what a mess!  Originally, we made mom's old recipe from canned (not pickled) beets and added vinegar and the rest to grated beets.   I bought the wrong beets one year and ended up never going back.  You'll need

1 jar 12 -15 oz. Pickled whole beets
Bottled grated horseradish in the cold dairy section
Sugar

You should wear a latex glove to prevent staining but it's not important.  Drain the beets, (save the liquid and throw in a few shelled hard boiled eggs for a few days), shred them into a bowl with a small holed shredder.

The box grater holes are a little big if you want a fine relish but you can use them if you want.


The small one is what I prefer.  Grating the beets instead of shredding makes a real mess so we switched to this method.  Once they're shredded, drain any extra liquid from the bowl, and add anywhere from 1 - 3 tablespoons of the horseradish, squeezing out the liquid.  Start with one since all brands are different as is our tolerance of horseradish!  Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Stir to blend - that's it!!  Great with ham, as a side dish, spread on bread, or with cheese.  I found a brand from Poland named Agrosik and it is wonderful.  Our Ethnic section quit carrying it so I'm back to making it again.

Fried Glazed Donuts

When my Nona came to this country, she had very little, but giving her family treats was important to her.   One "dessert" was stale dry bread torn into pieces and put in bowls along with handfuls of walnuts from their tree.  Warm milk sweetened with sugar was poured over and tossed.  She couldn't afford the fresh pastries that were so different from her Italian goodies, so she bought day old donuts for special occasions and fried them.  Our local hospital coffee shop (now long gone) would throw the stale glazed donuts on their griddle and they were a big seller. It's the only way my family eats glazed donuts.  Unless of course it's the one I consume on the ride home from the store because I'm a pig.

Heat a non-stick pan med-high to high, then smear with the butter stick, or add more if you'd like.  Throw in the glazed donut. 

It will sizzle and the glaze will bubble and start to melt.

Smash that baby down a little with the spatula so it's all touching the pan.

Check the bottom and as soon as it starts to brown, flip it over.  Swirl it in the melting glaze so you don't lose any. 

Let it cool.  We always use a knife to cut it - I get it really crispy.  But if not, it makes it back to the pan for a little more high heat.

Just make sure to pick donuts that have a lot of glaze.  If there is only a little on the bottom side, fry the top side first.

Meat stuffed manicotti

 
1# lean ground beef
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 Tbsp butter
1 box manicotti shells (14)
Sauce

Cook the shells until center of pasta is a little firm, not hard. Drain. I rinse in cool water and then lay out on a linen towel to dry.

Cook spinach as directed, save liquid. Brown ground beef, drain, add 2 Tbsp. butter (I omit), 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. When spinach is cool, squeeze out liquid and add to meat, continue cooking for 3 minutes.

Turn off heat.  Beat 4 eggs in a bowl and add the parmesan. Blend into meat and then fold in mozzarella.  Stuff the manicotti.  Spread you favorite tomato sauce into the glass casserole.

Lay in dish, spoon 1 tsp. spinach liquid over each one (or not).  Pour your favorite spaghetti sauce over shells, but not more than halfway up sides.  Save some sauce to pass around at meal.

Lay a sheet of foil loosely over dish. Remove for last 15 minutes, but check during baking for too much liquid or too thick sauce.  To cover or not depends on the consistency of your sauce.

Bake at 325 - 350 about 40 - 45 minutes.

You can make this filling for shells instead of manicotti and also use as a layer in lasagna.  Filling can be made ahead of time or assembled (without the sauce) and covered a day before baking.  Take out of fridge an hour before.

Cranberry Walnut Salad

This is a really nice dish for holidays but we love it year round.  I've tried adding apples and/or oranges, and apples worked OK, but not the orange with the celery so I use a different recipe for orange/cranberry.   The original is still the best for these flavors.

2 pkg cherry Jello (can be sugar free)
2 cups boiling water

1 cup cold water
2 cups sugar
2 cups chopped fresh cranberries
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped walnuts
Add boiling water to Jello, whisk, add sugar and blend till dissolved.  Add the last cup of water.  Pour into 9x13 glass dish.

 

                                                 

Wash 1 pkg. fresh cranberries.    

Toss into processor and chop into small pieces.

I use the whole bag instead of measuring 2 cups.

Add to Jello

Chop celery fine (by hand or machine) and add the 1 cup or more to Jello. Do the same with the walnuts.

 

Stir to distribute evenly and refrigerate until, best overnight.  Cover with plastic wrap.  You can use one cranberry or one strawberry Jello with one cherry, instead of two cherry.  I usually add more celery and nuts than the recipe calls for.

 

SPINACH GARLIC SOUP

This is a really healthy soup, easy to make, and one of our favorites. 

32 oz Swanson/College Inn fat free chicken broth

1 cup or more shredded or diced carrots
3/4 cup or more chopped onion
8 garlic cloves
Simmer above until carrots are soft.
Add 10 oz bag spinach, simmer until spinach is wilted.
Add 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg, fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. 

Puree batches in processor or blender until smooth.

Cook 1/4 cup butter & 1/4 cup flour for a few minutes to make roux.
(I use 3 Tbsp or less instead of 1/4 cup)

Blend 1 - 2 ladles of spinach soup in roux until smooth.

Add roux mix to pot and whisk in.

Add 1/2 cup fat free milk and 1/2 cup half & half or use all milk if you prefer, or less for stronger flavor.

Heat to serve. 

Sprinkle with your choice - Romano...Parmesan...seasoned croutons
You can add another 14 oz. can of broth if the soup is too thick or too strong, also a teaspoon or so of sugar if spinach is a little bitter.  For freezing, don't add the milk until defrosted and ready to heat.