Russian Teacakes

Today, while having a conversation with my sister, I remembered a special treat that my mom used to make whenever she held Tupperware parties. They were the tastiest things, and I always made to sure to get my share. Of course then my mother would tell me I'd better stop, or there wouldn't be any left for the guests!

As I learned today, the tasty treats I remembered are called Russian Teacakes and they are actually quite simple to make. I found the following recipe on AllRecipes.com.

Difficulty Level: Easy

You will need:

1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for rolling the cakes in)

To begin with, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, soften the butter and combine it with the 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the flour, pecans and salt to the mixture. When everything is mixed, it should be fairly easy to manipulate with your hands. Roll the dough into little balls and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Now's the fun part! When the cookies come out, go ahead and drop them each into a little bowl of the remaining powdered sugar. Let them cool for a few minutes, then roll them around in the sugar. Done!

For my first attempt at making them, the teacakes turned out surprisingly well and were just as delicious as I remembered. Try them out and see for yourself!

Enjoy!

P.S. This recipe yields about 2 dozen teacakes. Next time, I will probably double-up on the measurements to make them last longer!

A Little Piece of the South: Candied Pecans

Recently, I visited my sister in Charleston, SC and had one of the tastiest treats I've had in quite some time: candied pecans. She took me to several little candy shops where smiling faces hand you candy samples, hoping to lure you in. Let me tell you, it worked. She and I stocked up on several flavors of nuts as well as pralines, which were all quickly devoured in..well, let's not focus on minor details.

Anyway, I felt a craving for this particular treat today and did a google search to find this quick and tasty recipe.

Difficulty Level: Easy

You will need is:

1 egg white
1/2 cup brown sugar (I used white)
1 "dash" vanilla (I unashamedly used quite a good deal more than a dash)
4 cups pecans

To begin, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Use wax paper or foil to line a large cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix together the egg white with the sugar. Add vanilla. When the mixture is nice and smooth, mix in the pecans. Pour onto the lined baking sheet and stick in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

While I'm being honest about the vanilla, I will admit I used a bit more sugar than was instructed. The result, however, was a truly awesome bin of pecans. Warning: they're highly addicting.

Chicken Paprikash with Spaetzle

Feeling particularly Germany recently, I decided to dive into my heritage and cook something a little Deutsch. I did a search and picked one of the simplest, yet still exotic looking German recipes on Food.com: chicken paprikash with a side of spaetzle.

For the record, since I'm sure you're racking your brain trying to figure it out, "spaetzle" is pronounced "shpet-suhl" and is a strange-looking noodle or dumpling. Paprikash gets its name from "paprika," one of its ingredients and is a flavorful sauce that can be cooked with pretty much any sort of meat, or eggplant, if you prefer to go vegetarian. However, most of the recipes I saw were either chicken or pork. Side note: looking through these recipes, I noticed how prominent both pork and potatoes are in German cuisine.

Difficulty Level: Hard

To cook the spaetzle you will need the following:

1 colander with medium-sized holes
1 food processor or blender

3/4 cup milk
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
sage

To begin, you will need to boil a pot of water; half of a large pot will do. While the water is heating, blend together the eggs, milk and nutmeg. Once you get a nice, pretty color you want to add the flour and salt, beating the mixture until smooth.

Next comes the tricky part. Once the water is boiling, hold the colander above the pot and begin adding the mixture. If the holes are big enough, the dough should begin falling through them and into the water. This took awhile for me, but I continued to add the dough until eventually the weight forced it through. As a result, my spaetzle pieces were fairly big. No matter; they can be chopped up afterward. Reduce heat and let cook.

The recipe I used didn't specify a cook time, however it said that it would be done when the noodles began to float to the surface. I'd estimate the cook time to be about 8 minutes. As the noodles are almost finished, heat the 1/2 cup of butter and a generous amount of sage in a frying pan. Transfer the spaetzle from the boiling water to the frying pan and heat through.

Now on to the chicken paprikash...you will need:

chicken (however much you need; I used about a pound)
1 onion
1 1/2 tbs butter or shortening
1/2 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp flour
1 cup sour cream (for a healthier version, I used plain greek yogurt)

While you're cooking the spaetzle, you'll want to cook your chicken. I decided to grill mine, though I suppose you could throw it in the oven as well. Once the chicken is cooked, dice it up and set aside. Chop the onion and throw it in a frying pan until brown. Add chicken, paprika and salt. Things should begin to cook very quickly now. You will add the water and flour next, finishing with the sour cream, or yogurt.

There you go! I think it turned out pretty well, if I do say so. If you're feeling a little European and don't have any fancy bread or cheeses, opt for a fun little German adventure and try out spaetzle and paprikash!