Author: homeflight

Chocolate Walnut Meringue Cookies (Pusinky s vlašskými ořechy)

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Chocolate Walnut Meringues
On salad plate. Make smaller for Christmas platter, but be consistent with size.

Czech Christmas Cookie #7

A nutty meringue cookie with a hint of chocolate flavor. This cookie can last for weeks. Because of that, during WWII, my Czech mother-in-law sent a large batch of these cookies to Jewish friends that sadly were taken to a concentration camp. These were a favorite of my husband’s father. My mother-in-law spread the batter in a pan, then cut them into squares. I prefer to bake them in individual traditional small rounds. I think they’re prettier that way. As with many others, these taste even better as they age.

Do follow the recipe exactly as written. Definitely use walnuts and real confectioner’s sugar. I tried other nuts with less success. Low/no calorie confectioner’s sugar substitutes made the recipe fail.

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Rum Balls with Rum Soaked Dried Cherries inside (Rumové Kuličky)

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Rum ballsCzech Christmas Cookie #6

Rum, chocolate, walnut balls with the delight of rum-soaked dried cherries in their centers, pack a delicious flavor punch. No wheat flour needed. They even improve with age, but I tend to eat up the first batch quickly. They are traditionally rolled in unsweetened cocoa, which gives them a nice flavor bite, but you can get even more creative, as I did for the photo above (cocoa, finely grated coconut, finely chopped/ground nuts, and multi-color nonpareils). Continue reading →

Bear Paw Cookies (Pracny or Medvědí Tlapky)

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Czech Christmas Cookie #5

Pracny (or Medvědí Tlapky) are very traditional Czech nut and spice cookies baked in special cookie molds, some looking like bear paws. The following recipe has a light amount of spices. Other recipes include more. Feel free to increase the ground cinnamon and clove amounts a bit, according to your taste. Too much clove can get overwhelming, though. This is an eggless recipe. Traditional molds for pracny can be found online. I purchased mine at https://www.slovczechvar.com/?cat=26&scat=88, which is an online store in the US.

I have only ever used smooth flour for this recipe. Unbleached pastry flour (see below) should be an equivalent. I’m not sure how they would turn out using all-purpose flour. Continue reading →

Moroccan Cookies (Marokánky)

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Marakanky with craisins detailed
The above pictured Moroccan cookies (on salad plate) were made with candied orange peel, Craisins, sliced almonds and chopped walnuts. My favorite combo.

Featured in Taste of Home

Czech Christmas Cookie #4

A crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside cookie with the delights of fruit and nuts, and bittersweet chocolate on the bottom. The batter is prepared in a saucepan, cooled then baked, and later dipped in chocolate. The original recipe calls for candied orange peel with nuts, but other dried fruit (or a combination) could be used. The combination of candied orange peel and dried cranberries (i.e. Craisins), with the nuts, is especially nice for the holidays. I highly suggest using candied orange peel. It gives the cookie its signature lovely flavor. I have found it in gourmet shops, but usually order it online. US ingredient equivalents/substitutions are provided, where necessary. I suggest weighing the fruit and nuts. Continue reading →

Linzer Tart Cookies (Linecké Koláčky)

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Czech Christmas Cookie #3

There are no nuts in these buttery Linzer Tart cookies (Linecké koláčky)! They have a lovely hint of lemon and a burst of delicious jelly/preserves goodness. I love these so much with raspberry or red currant preserves, although other fruit flavors would work, too. I buy the highest quality preserves available. These are less crunchy and more melt-in-your mouth than other Linzer cookies. They hold up well. I sometimes make a double batch because these are my personal favorite Christmas cookies. Continue reading →

Vanilla Crescent Cookies (Vanilkové rohlíčky)

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Vanilla crescent cookies CWCzech Christmas Cookie #2

My Czech mother-in-law’s vanilla crescent cookies (vanilkové rohlíčky) are the most melt-in-your-mouth version I’ve ever tried. This popular buttery vanilla and nut cookie is enjoyed throughout much of Central Europe. These taste great the first day, and even better as they age. I always make plenty! They are my husband’s favorite cookie. My mother-in-law used roasted hazelnuts, which is also my usual choice, but other types of nuts could also be used. The pictured cookies are smaller than they may appear. I consider them a two-bite cookie, while my husband eats them in one.

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Ischl Torte Cookies (Išlské dortíčky)

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Ischl torte cookies finishedCzech Christmas Cookie #1

These sandwich cookies are a buttery, chocolaty, nutty delight with a delicious jelly/preserves and rum-hazelnut filling. They are almost like a mini fancy torte. The original recipe was created in 1849 in the spa town of Bad Ischl, in Austria, as a treat for the Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. If using Czech/Slovak flour, go by all ingredient amounts in grams and the Celsius oven temperature. Otherwise, use the American measurements. Continue reading →

Czech-Style Potato Salad

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Czech-Style Potato Salad (2)
There is actually a lot more potato salad in the bowl than it appears. Around 3 quarts.

Happy Independence Day to my fellow Americans! I hope everyone has good weather and will perhaps enjoy the delights of a BBQ.  I’m going to my dad’s house today, where my brother will surely be the grill master. We will have simple barbecue fare, like good ole’ Loeffler’s hot dogs, hamburgers, and pork roll (a New Jersey specialty). I was asked to bring potato salad. Continue reading →

Cooking, Czech relatedbarbecues, Christmas Eve, Cooking, Czech, Czech cuisine, Czech Republic, food, potato salad, potatoes, recipes, side dishes, tips

Beef Stroganoff – Diet-friendly version, but only the cook may know it

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Beef Stroganoff Light version
Beef Stroganoff served with egg noodles

In my household, Beef Stroganoff is both a comfort food, and yet more than worthy of serving to guests, including my diet-friendly version. I had never eaten or made this dish until about 15 years ago. My first version was loosely based on one considered fully “Core” for Weight Watcher’s former Core Plan, now the Simply Filling Plan. I’ve since reworked this recipe from its simpler version, to one that wows both my husband and I. Continue reading →

Cooking, Cooking Lightbeef, Beef Stroganoff, Cooking, Cooking Light, diet, low calorie, main courses, mushrooms, recipes, Weight Watchers

The American food industry thinks we are stupid, inattentive, or complacent

homeflight
Yogurts cropped
The gradually decreasing size of yogurt containers

After a rather stressful appointment today, I decided to pick up a few things from the grocery store. The main items on my list were granulated sugar and pure almond extract. Both items happen to almost always be in the same aisle, the baking aisle, so I went there first before getting side tracked and buying more than I wanted to. The store had zero pure almond extract. They only had the imitation crap. That pissed me off! I refused to buy that. Then what was worse, when I went to pick up a bag (meaning one, 5-lb bag) of granulated sugar, I almost had a fit. I could tell in a millisecond that they were smaller. All of the bags (all brands) were suddenly 4-lb bags! Continue reading →

CookingAmerican food industry, baking, consumer awareness, consumer knowledge, Cooking, food industry, food product containers, groceries, pricing, recipes, sugar