Lemonade

Lemonade is super simple to make and the girls love helping to squeeze the lemons for their juice (and then licking the squeezed lemons afterwards!).  Clara begs me to buy a bag of lemons practically every time we go to Costco, but this is the best when we get lemons for free from a friend with a tree.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice
8 cups water (adjust to taste but this is a good starting point, especially if you plan to add ice)
2-­3 extra lemons, sliced

DIRECTIONS

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and 1 cup of water. Bring to boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until completely chilled. Remove seeds from lemon juice, but leave pulp. In pitcher, stir together chilled syrup, lemon juice and remaining 7 cups water. Add sliced lemons to pitcher for presentation.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

This delicious and filling soup is perfect for colder weather and rainy days, plus it is made in the crock pot which is perfect for days when I know I will have a lot going on.  There is a little prep work with cooking the bacon, chopping and sauteeing the onions, and prepping the potatoes, but it comes together quickly in the morning and then you don't have to worry about it until it is basically done 5 or 6 hours later.

INGREDIENTS

10 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 lbs Russet potatoes (about 6  medium or 4-5 of the really large ones), peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 oz), plus more for serving
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream OR plain greek yogurt
Additional salt and pepper, to taste
Sliced scallions, minced

DIRECTIONS

In a large pan over medium heat, cook the bacon 5 to 7 minutes, until crispy, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate until serving.  Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.

Add the chopped onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened and slightly browned, about 8 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme, and season with salt and pepper.  Cook an additional minute or so, until fragrant.  Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.  Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the mixture begins to thicken, about 1-2 minutes, then transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir in the remaining 3 cups of  broth, potatoes, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 4 to 6 hours on low.  

Transfer 3 cups of cooked potatoes to a medium bowl with the cream and mash until smooth using a potato masher.  Return the potatoes to the slow cooker, along with the shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Stir to combine and let the soup sit until heated all the way through, about 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, microwave the bacon for about 30 seconds, just until it is reheated and crispy.  Season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste.  Ladle soup into individual bowls and top with bacon, shredded cheese, and scallions, then serve.

Recipe slightly adapted from Pink Parsley.; originally from Slow Cooker Revolution (the America's Test Kitchen book of crockpot recipes).

Knoephla

Many of the descendants of the people in North Dakota are Germans who left Germany and settled in Russia. They were eventually driven out of Russia and settled in the midwest region of the United States. So they call the food German, but a native German may not have ever heard of the dishes they serve. We have really enjoyed tasting the different German foods and learning to make some of them. This is our favorite. 


4-5 Carrots, sliced  
1 Onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
½ stick Butter
1 Tbsp Lowry's Seasoning Salt, basically to taste, not sure exact measurment
3 cups Flour  
1 cup Warm Water
1 Tbsp Salt  
1 Egg 
4 cups Chicken Broth
2 cups Heavy Cream, or more

*I have had knoephla with diced potatoes, so those could be added also.

Cut up vegetables.

Sauté onion, carrots, and celery in butter with Lowry's seasoning salt.

Mix dough ingredients in kitchen aid with dough hook. 

 Boil water.  Cut dough into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes.  

Drain knoephla and put back in pan, add veggie mixture, chicken broth and cream.  Season to taste with seasoning salt. Simmer 1 hour.

Enjoy!

Buttermilk Syrup

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda

Bring butter, sugar and buttermilk to a boil. Add vanilla and baking soda.

*Syrup tends to boil over when baking soda is added. Remove from heat or turn heat down while adding baking soda.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cocoa
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
powdered sugar


In a large mixer bowl combine sugar and oil. add cocoa; blend well. beat in eggs and vanilla. combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. add to cocoa mixture, blending well. chill at least 6 hours in the refrigerator {or 1 hour in the freezer} to allow dough to firm up. if you don't allow it to chill it's a sticky mess. heat oven to 350 degrees. shape dough into 1 inch balls and roll into confectioners' sugar. place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. bake 12 to 14 minutes or until almost no indentation remains when touching. remove from cookie sheet; cool on wire rack.

Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

I had never actually roasted beets before making this salad, which came about when I randomly picked up beets at the grocery store with no idea what I wanted to do with them.  But when I got home, I started thinking about how when we go to nice restaurants, I will often order a beet salad because they are so delicious.  And it turns out they are incredibly easy as well!  In all honesty, the girls rebelled and made gagging noises over the beets and goat cheese, which is not the norm for my good little eaters.  But Paul said it is the best salad he has had in a long, long time.  We both loved it and ate it with just simple scones (the fried Utah-style scones) as our dinner and it was delicious.

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE, PINE NUTS & HONEY-DIJON VINAIGRETTE

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

For the Beets

1 bunch medium beets (about 3)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

For the Salad

10 ounces mixed greens
4 ounces goat cheese (I like chive & onion goat cheese for this salad)
1/2 cup pine nuts (or coarsely chopped walnuts)

For the Vinaigrette

2 Tablespoons honey
1 1/2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 Tablespoons vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Beets

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Wash beets well and trim stems off.  Place beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil.  Wrap foil loosely around beets and seal to form a neat packet, then place in the oven and roast for about 1 hour or until tender.  Test for doneness by piercing the largest beet with a knife.  It will enter easily when beets are done.  Remove beets from oven and let them sit until cool enough to handle.  Use a paring knife to peel the skin, then cut into 1/2-inch dice.  If you do your work over the foil on top of a cutting board, it should be pretty easy clean-up without getting the beet juice (which stains!) everywhere.  Set aside.

For the Vinaigrette

Add all vinaigrette ingredients to a jar, seal with a lid, and shake vigorously to blend.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

For the Salad

Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine.  Divide greens onto plates, then sprinkle with beets, pine nuts and goat cheese.  Serve immediately with remaining additional vinaigrette on the side.

Recipe lightly adapted from Once Upon A Chef.