Family Cooking

If you like potato salad, or are tired of the same old thing, you should try German potato salad. It has a bite that normal potato salads just don’t have, and is usually served warm. Here are 3 of my favorite German potato salad recipes for you to try.

German Potato Salad I

Ingredients:

2 or 3 pounds potatoes, cut in 1 inch pieces
1/2 pound bacon
1 small onion, chopped
4 medium sweet pickles, chopped fine
4 boiled eggs, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons vinegar (apple cider vinegar works best)

Preparation:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1″ pieces. Cook in boiling water until done. Drain.

2. While potatoes are boiling, chop eggs, pickles and onions. Add salt, pepper, celery seed, sugar and vinegar. Mix well.

3. Slice bacon into small pieces and cook until well done, or slightly crisp. Drain off most of the fat.

4. Add potatoes and bacon to egg mixture. Mix gently to coat potatoes, being sure not to crush them. Serve warm or cold.

German Potato Salad II

Ingredients:

5 medium potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs, sliced
4 slices bacon
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1/3 cup potato water

Preparation

1. Peel potatoes and slice in 1/4″ thick slices. Cook in boiling water until done, but not soft. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the water.

2. Slice eggs and dice onion. Set aside.

3. Cut bacon into small pieces. In a large pan, cook bacon until done. Remove bacon, leaving drippings in pan.

4. To the drippings, add the flour, stirring well. Add salt, vinegar, sugar and potato water. Stir well and cook until slightly thickened.

5. Add potatoes, eggs, onion and bacon to thickened sauce. Mix until potatoes are covered in sauce. Serve warm.

Hot German Potato Salad

Ingredients:

9 medium potatoes, cut in 3/4 inch pieces
6 slices bacon, sliced small
1 medium onion, chopped onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2/3 cup potato water
1/3 cup vinegar

Preparation:

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 3/4″ pieces. Cook in boiling water until done. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup water.

2. In a large skillet or pan, fry bacon that has been cut into small pieces until crisp. Remove bacon from pan.

3. Cook chopped onion in bacon drippings until tender and golden brown. Stir in flour, sugar, salt, celery seed, and pepper. Cook over low heat and stir until bubbly.

4. Remove from heat and stir in potato water and vinegar. Stir until smooth. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Reduce heat to low.

5. Stir potatoes and bacon into hot mixture, being careful not to smash the potatoes. Heat through, stirring gently to coat potato slices. Serve hot.

According to market-research firm Nielsen, U.S. consumption of pasta related products rose 0.4 percent by volume in 2008.  Kansas City, Missouri based American Italian Pasta said sales of frozen and refrigerated pasta, canned pasta, soup mixes and prepared dinners rose 5 percent in 2008 to $6.4 billion. Pasta consumption is back in favor and once again on  the American dining table.

In years past, the low-carbohydrate diet craze has put a dent in pasta sales. But when the economy tanked last year, struggling consumers began  to stretch their food budgets by returning to the old familiar dinner staples such as mac and cheese, pasta salad, soups, and casseroles. Pasta is simple, cheap and now is made with ingredients such as whole wheat and extra fiber, calcium and omega-3. Pasta can also be an incredible value option for a family as well. For $5 to $10 dollars one can easily feed  a typical family of four.

This pasta recipe is incredibly simple to make and economical to buy ingredients for. It will take at max 6 ingredients. All of these ingredients should already be in your kitchen pantry. In 15 minutes, you can have a healthy, filling, and wallet friendly dinner.   As a bonus, the taste of this  dish is outstanding.  Enjoy with a glass of wine and toast  the resurgence of pasta.

Pasta With Fresh Garden Tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tomatoes, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Pasta of choice

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl combine olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and cheese and mix well.

3. Cook pasta until al dente, about 1-2 minutes. Immediately drain and toss with tomato mixture; serve immediately.

If you’re on a low carbohydrate diet program, then you know how important it is to learn some basic low carb recipes to make your meals more palatable but still as healthy. Low carb recipes allow you to prepare food with low amounts of carbohydrates while retaining all the other nutrients in the meal. The primary challenge in creating low carbohydrate recipes is to look for the right ingredients you can use that have decreased levels of carbohydrates.

Many people have the wrong notion that going on a low carbohydrate diet plan will stop them from eating delicious food, specifically desserts. This does not have to be the case. Here are two low carbohydrate recipes (one meal and one dessert) you can try.

Roast Beef
This recipe has only 5 grams of carbohydrates. Use a 2-pound roast, making sure you trim the fat. Rub a mixture of ¼ cup of mustard and ¼ teaspoon of black pepper onto the beef. Place the beef in a preheated oven and cook it to 155 degrees. Cover the beef with foil and allow to stand for approximately 15 minutes.

Next, prepare the sauce by mixing 2 cups of mushroom, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion, beef broth, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and ¼ cup of water. Boil the mixture and let simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Combine ½ cup of milk and mustard, and stir this in 3 tablespoons of flour. Add this mixture to the sauce and cook until it is thick. Slice the beef and pour the sauce over it, and you’re done!

Oatmeal Brownies
For dessert, you can use this simple recipe, which contains only 18 grams of carbohydrates. First, stir together in ¾ cup of melted butter the following: 2 ½ cups of oats, ¾ cup of flour, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and ½ cup of brown sugar. Bake this in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes, and allow to cool after.

Next, combine together 1 pack of brownie mix and chocolate syrup, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of oil and 1/3 cup of water, then add ½ cup of nuts. Spread this over the baked oat crust, and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Finally, cut it into brownie squares and serve!

There are many other low carb recipes that are easy to do. If you want to learn more, all you have to do is go to your local bookstore and buy recipe books specifically containing low carb recipes, or search the internet for these recipes. You will surely find a number of these that you will want to try out and enjoy!

Welcome to this short tutorial. I am going to show you how to cook this delicious vegetable cream soup using simple ingredients. You might want to add some cream (or milk for a healthier recipe) to provide a more liquid, creamier texture to your soup. The method is traditional, so you should not have any problem preparing this recipe if you are used to cook vegetable creams.

What you will need:

- a large cooking pot
- a blender
- 2 1/2 cups sliced carrot (peeled)
- 1 1/2 cup sliced courgette
- 1 cup diced potato
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 pear, sliced
- Salt & Pepper to taste

Method:

Using the cooking pot, melt butter over medium heat for a minute or two, until it starts to bubble. Then cook the vegetables (and pear) for 8-10 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste, then reduce heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes, until you are able to split carrot slices easily with a fork. Process all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. You will have to repeat this step several times, so I suggest you transfer the processed mixture in a separate bowl. When it’s done, transfer the soup back to the cooking pot, over low heat, and serve at desired temperature.

As I said above, you might want to add some milk, cream or even plain yogurt, depending on how thick you want the soup to be. If you want a more liquid soup, without having to use a dairy product, add an additional cup of vegetable broth. Remember to adjust salt & pepper accordingly.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
2/3 cup dried currants
1 egg whites
1 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
Dash salt
oven 375 degree

Method:
- In a large mixer bowl combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the yeast and cinnamon.
- In a saucepan heat milk, oil, granulated sugar, and 3/4 teaspoon salt just till warm (115 degree to 120 degree); stir constantly.
- Add to the flour mixture; add eggs.
- Beat at low speed of electric mixer 1/2 minute, scraping sides of bowl constantly.
- Beat 3 minutes at high speed.
- Stir in currants and as much of the remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes total).
- Shape into a ball.
- Place in a lightly greased bowl; turn once to grease surface.
- Cover; let rise in warm place till double (about 1 1/2 hours.)
- Punch down; turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Cover; let rest 10 minutes.
- Divide dough into 18 pieces; form each piece into a smooth ball.
- Place on a greased baking sheet 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Cover; let rise till nearly double (30 to 45 minutes).
- With a sharp knife cut a shallow cross in each; brush tops with some of the slightly beaten egg white (reserve remaining egg white).
- Bake in a 375 degree oven 12 to 15 minutes or till golden.
- Cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, combine powdered sugar, vanilla, dash salt, and the reserved portion of beaten egg white.
- Add additional milk, if necessary, to make of piping consistency.
- Pipe crosses on tops of buns.
- Makes 18.