Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Spinach Ricotta Pierogies

Posted on August 5, 2019 by Cindy Kerschner

Spinach Ricotta Pierogies use fresh spinach, onions and potatoes, add ricotta. Wrap it all up in homemade dough. A tasty side, lightly fried!

Welcome to another fun Festive Foodies Event!

This week is dedicated to recipes using ingredients found at a local farmer’s market. This can include, meats, fruits, vegetables, honey, syrups, jams, nuts, herbs, spices, etc.

Thanks Ellen from Family Around the Table and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting our Farmer’s Market Event!

Farm stands and farmer’s markets are a big part of summer in my area. You get fresh picked salad lettuce, corn on the cob, berries, cukes, peaches, cherries, all so good.

People set up roadside stands to sell extra zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. These are usually simple tables with a box with a slit in the top. The honor system applies here. Some backyard farmers price their wares. Three zucchini for a dollar. A watermelon for $2.50.

Other stands ask for donations. Late in the season, you start to see free signs here and there. Better eaten than wasted.

Sometimes I get a good deal on potatoes and onions. Those two are the base for good pierogies.
I’m a big fan of pierogies. I love these little “dough pockets” stuffed with potatoes and American cheese, or sauerkraut and onions. I even make them with Certified Angus Beef® brand beef and peppers.
Cheese Steak Pierogies

But this post is about farm markets and stands. Back to the veggies. I’m thinking I’ll stick with the basic potato, onion and cheese. Spinach is plentiful right now, so in it goes.

Since spinach and ricotta are a perfect pair, bye, bye American cheese.

Of course these pierogies need homemade dough. A simple flour, egg, salt and water works perfectly.

I recommend you rest the dough for about 10 minutes before you roll it out.

I use a 3-inch rock glass to cut the circles. You can use a doughnut cutter, cookie cutter or inverted measuring cup. Whatever works for you.

A rounded teaspoon of filling is all you need. Too much filling leaks out.

Fill Spinach pierogies

All sealed. Time to blanch in boiling water. Normally you’ll hear pierogies are done when Cook them for about 3 minutes AFTER they float.

Spinach-Pierogies-drop.

Fry these dough pockets in butter and oil with caramelized onions for added flavor.

Spinach-Ricotta-Pierogies

Spinach Ricotta Pierogies

Print Recipe

Notes

Ingredients

For frying

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

filling

1 medium potato, skin on

1/4 cup diced onion

2 tablespoons ricotta cheese

dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

1 large egg

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons water, divided

1 teaspoon table salt for boiling water bath

Filling

Cover potato, skin on, with water in a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook until fork tender but not mushy about (10 to 15 minutes). Remove potato, cool until easy to handle then peel. Place peeled potato in a small bowl and mash with a fork.

While potato cooks, sauté spinach and onions in 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a small fry pan over medium heat for about 2 minutes until spinach wilts and onions turn translucent.

Mix together potato, spinach mixture and ricotta cheese. Set aside.

Dough

Place 1 cup flour on cutting board. Make a well in the center. Add salt, egg and 1 tablespoon water at a time. Knead into soft dough. Adjust water and flour as needed from reserve. Form into a ball. Cover with damp towel and rest 10 minutes.

Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into nine 3-inch rounds. Set aside.

Add 1 rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Wet the edges with a wet fingertip. Fold over filling and gently seal edges with a fork.

Bring 2 quarts water and table salt to a boil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Gently drop in pierogies, one at a time with a slotted spoon. Stir. When water returns to a boil, reduce heat and cook about 6 minutes total. Pierogies will float after about 3 minutes. Continue cooking another 3 minutes to cook dough more thoroughly. Move cooked pierogies to a plate. Fry or refrigerate, covered, for later use. Pierogies can be eaten as is, deep fried or pan fried.

To pan fry:

Fry pierogies in butter and oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat until crisp and browned. Serve with caramelized onions and sour cream if desired.

Enjoy these great recipes inspired from visits to our local farm stands and farmer’s markets.

Monday’s Farmer’s Market Week Recipes

Baba Ganoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip) by Books n’Cooks
Banana Spice Waffles with Peanut Butter Syrup by Family Around the Table
Black Bean and Corn Salad by Palatable Pastime
Blaukraut by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins by Tip Garden
Bruschetta Chicken Tacos by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Dandelion Jelly by Daily Dish Recipes
Farmers Market Chicken Pasta Salad by The Redhead Baker
Herb Salad with Lemons by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Herb Vegetable Orzo Salad by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Lamb Burger with Purslane Aioli by The Spiffy Cookie
Lemon Garlic Scape White Bean Dip by Savory Moments
Lemony Summer Roasted Green Beans by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Mexican Street Corn by Our Good Life
Open-Faced Tomato Sandwiches by Cookaholic Wife
Southern Corn Relish by The Freshman Cook
Spinach Ricotta Pierogies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Posted in #FestiveFoodies, appetizer, brunch, comfort food, garden, potatoes, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian, What's For Dinner? | Tagged pierogi, pierogies | 17 Comments

Grilled Porterhouse and Grilling 101 recap #BestAngusBeef

Posted on July 29, 2019 by Cindy Kerschner

This post is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef® Brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Grilling steaks like this Porterhouse is easy in a few simple steps. I share the hows and whys in today’s post.

I recently spent a few days with a group of Certified Angus Beef® Brand bloggers in Cleveland and at the Certified Angus Beef® Brand Culinary Center in Wooster, Ohio. There we learned first hand new grilling techniques from their amazing chefs.
We also got to experience some regional chefs’ takes on how they transform Certified Angus Beef® Brand beef into delicious meals. My next post will cover Chef Brett Sawyer, from Plum, Chef Matt Mytro from Flour and Chef Jeremy Umansky from Larder Delicatessen.
2019 group at plum

First up was Chef Michael Ollier. Chef Michael showed us marbling 101 and we got to sample each cut to taste the difference in texture and flavor. cab chef michael cab grades
taste
Certified Angus Beef® Brand stood out as the most tender and juicy samples. It really is a cut above the rest!

We got to spend some time in the meat lab with Meat Scientist, Diana Clark and Chef Gavin Pinto.

We learned about different cuts and how to ask our butchers for cuts like this short rib. Diana showed us how to turn it into a beautiful presentation.
rib

Next we were outside with Chef Michael to learn new grilling techniques!

grill class
We took a hand at skewering the cap steak.
skewer
Grill it up!

Mine turned out pretty good!
cooked cap

Here we also learned that this porterhouse steak is made up of a tenderloin or filet and a loin strip better known as a NY strip. Together this cut serves the best of both worlds.
Choose a porterhouse which has a “golf ball size” filet for the best quality.

Chef Michael also explained that it takes a gentle touch to use rubs as steak seasoning. Grinding dry spices into the meat forms a paste that just does not do a good steak justice.
To season with a dry rub, lightly coat your steak in vegetable oil and sprinkle on the seasoning mix. You can gently pat it onto the steak.
We got Spices 101 from Chef Tony Biggs. When it comes to spice knowledge, Chef Tony is the “Mad Scientist” of blending.

We got to create mixes to take along with us.
mix spices
Here’s two recipes for delicious dry rubs:
From Certified Angus Beef® Brand, Santa Maria Rub:
3 tablespoon coarse Kosher Salt
3 tablespoons cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar or granulated honey
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
The following recipe was provided by Debbie Lyons-Blythe, rancher and blogger of KidsCowsandGrass.com
The Best Meat Seasoning Recipe:
4 tablespoons seasoning salt
1/2 tablespoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 3/4 teaspoons mesquite-flavored seasoning mix
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar

I used the Santa Maria Rub for this porterhouse. I lightly rubbed both sides of the steak with vegetable oil. Next I sprinkled on the Santa Maria rub, about a teaspoon per side, and gently patted to coat the steak.
Next, I seared the steak on a heated, lightly greased grill over medium-high heat for about 6 minutes per side for medium rare. You can turn your steak while on side one to face the opposite way to get those cool diamond marks. Learn more about grilling diamond marks here.
Remove steak from pan and allow to rest on cutting board, tented with foil for about 5 minutes to redistribute the juices.
Put it all together and you get a well seasoned, perfectly cooked steak every time!
porterhouse cooked
Whichever cut you choose, remember to make it Certified Angus Beef ^® brand. I get the best selection at Weis Markets.

I choose Certified Angus Beef® Brand because of these reasons.

Most importantly, Certified Angus Beef ^® brand supports local farmers and ranchers in small communities across the country. It has a tradition of excellence spanning over 40 years. The brand offers amazing flavor in every bite.

The Certified Angus Beef ^® brand is the world’s first brand of beef, established in 1978.
Premium Certified Angus Beef ^® brand steaks, roasts, ground beef and deli meats are available around the world at only the best grocery stores and steakhouses.
High quality is important. The Certified Angus Beef ^® brand is more selective than USDA Choice and Prime. Each cut must meet 10 exacting standards for quality. It’s beef of unrivaled flavor, juiciness and tenderness.
Marbling is key. Certified Angus Beef ^® brand is known for its marbling – the little white flecks of flavor that ensure the tastiest, most tender and juiciest cuts of beef.
Their family ranchers raise not just “Angus” beef, but the #BestAngusBeef .

cowboys

Not sure where to find Certified Angus Beef ® brand? Find restaurants or grocers in your area: certifiedangusbeef.com/buy/

Follow Certified Angus Beef® brand on social media for news, contests, recipes and more including live Facebook events!
Facebook: Facebook
Pinterest: Pinterest
Instagram: Instagram

Join the conversation with other beef and recipe enthusiasts, and get great tips and tricks in the Certified Angus Beef ® Kitchen Facebook group. See you there!

Posted in #bestangusbeef, #steakholder, #SundaySupper, beef, comfort food, steak, What's For Dinner? | 6 Comments

Nutty Buddy Sundaes #OurFamilyTable

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Cindy Kerschner

Nutty Buddy Sundaes serves vanilla ice cream, in a waffle bowl topped with a homemade hard candy shell. Topped off with a bit of whipped cream and a cherry. A old-fashioned ice cream treat to make at home.

Nutty Buddy Sundae

Welcome to another addition of from Our Family Table. This week, we’re talking ice cream!
No churn, hand churn, gelato; how do you keep cool with ice cream during the heat of summer? What toppings and sauces do you make for your ice cream friendly family?

Thanks Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures for hosting our ice cream social! 🙂

If you’ve never had a Nutty Buddy Ice Cream Cone, it was vanilla ice cream packed inside a sugar wafer cone, topped with a hard chocolate shell and loaded with chopped peanuts. The secret was that hard chocolate shell you could bite into.

The original cones disappeared from stores years ago. Now you can find a similar cone called drumsticks but that crunchy dark chocolate isn’t the same.
I bought sugar waffle bowls to make this into sundae. Maybe I just wanted some whipped cream and a cherry! 😉

If you can’t find waffle cone bowls, make it as an ice cream cone or break waffle cones as the base. It doesn’t matter, it’s all good!
Nutty Buddy Sundae My version of this classic treat uses dark chocolate chips and coconut oil to make that crunchy chocolate shell.

As a side note, different brands of coconut oil will yield different textures in the shell. You can easily adjust the thickness by remelting the mixture with more oil or chocolate chips!

Nutty Buddy Sundae

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Notes

Ingredients:

1 sugar wafer bowl or cone

1 to 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts

1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons coconut oil

whipped cream and cherry optional

Instructions:

Fill bowl with desired amount of ice cream. Sprinkle with peanuts. Place back in freezer until ready to add shell topping.

Combine chips and oil in a microwave safe bowl. Melt 20 seconds at a time, stir, until thin enough to pour over ice cream.

Pour over ice cream. Allow to harden, (a few seconds to a half a minute). Place back in freezer if necessary to harden. Top with whipped cream and cherry if desired.

Enjoy all these cool ice cream treats from Our Family Table!

I Scream for Ice Cream Recipes

Blue Moon Ice Cream by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Cardamom Saffron Pistachio Yogurt Pudding Pops by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream with Macadamia Nuts by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Gluten-Free Ice Cream Sandwich by Art of Natural Living
Nutty Buddy Sundaes by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Watermelon Ice Cream Slices by A Day in the Life on the Farm

We share Recipes From Our Dinner Table! Join our group and share your recipes, too! While you’re at it, join our Pinterest board, too!

Posted in #OurFamilyTable, dessert, ice cream, What's For Dinner? | 19 Comments

Lemon Lime Cheesecake #SummerDessertWeek #KitchenCreativity

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Cindy Kerschner

“This post and recipe was created for #SummerDessertWeek! I was sent samples by some of the sponsor companies but as always opinions are 100% mine.”
Welcome to Day Two of our #SummerDessertWeek recipe and giveaway party!
My recipe for today is…
Lemon Lime Cheesecake!

Lemon Lime Cheesecake serves New York style cheesecake topped with lemon curd and citrus slices for fun, dessert.

Connect with these wonderful brands that made today’s recipe possible!

Dixie Crystals

Website: http://www.dixiecrystals.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/DixieCrystalsSugar/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/DixieCrystals @DixieCrystals
Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.com/dixiecrystals/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/dixie_crystals @Dixie_Crystals

Adam’s Extract

Website: http://www.adamsextract.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdamsExtractandSpice
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AdamsExtract @AdamsExtract
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/adams1888/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/adams1888 @Adams1888

Meyer/Anolon #kitchencreativity

https://www.anolon.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/anolon
Twitter: http://twitter.com/anolon @anolon
Instagram: http://instagram.com/anolon @Anolon

Lemon Lime Cheesecake

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe

Notes

crust

6 Tablespoons sugar

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

filling

24 ounces regular cream cheese

1 1/2 cups regular sour cream

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon lemon flavoring

1 teaspoon lime juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

Instructions

crust

Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together sugar and crumbs. Stir in melted butter,

Press into prepared 10-inch springform pan. Bake for about 10 minutes until set and firm. Cool.

filling

Cream together cheese, sugar, flour and sour cream until smooth.

add vanilla and lemon and lime along with egg yolk.

Add additional eggs one at a time just folding in. Do not overmix.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush exposed insides of pan with melted butter. Pour batter into pan, level.

Place in hot water bath and bake on center rack for 10 minutes. Reduce heat and bake an additional 60 minutes.

Turn off oven and allow residual heat to finish baking. This takes about 60 to 70 minutes with the door shut.

Finished cake should look evenly firm yet slightly wet. Cool completely on wire rack before refrigerating.

Allow 6 to 24 hours chill time to set before removing cake from pan.

curd

1/2 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice

1 teaspoon fine lemon zest

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Instructions

curd

Whisk together juice and sugar in a 2-quart saucepan. Whisk in zest and eggs.

Cook over medium-low heat about 1 minute stirring constantly with a spatula. Scrape down sides often.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter.

Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, periodically removing from heat and stirring until curd begins to thicken and slight bubbles form.

Pour finished curd in a bowl and cover the top with plastic wrap, pressing it against the curd so water doesn't form on top. Chill at least one hour.

Top cheesecake with curd. Decorate with lemon and lime slices.

On to the Giveaway!

Welcome to the 3rd Annual #SummerDessertWeek event hosted by Angie from Big Bear’s Wife. This week-long summer time event is filled with some down right amazing sweet recipes from fantastic bloggers and we’ve got some great giveaways from our generous sponsors for y’all too!! We can’t wait to share all of these summer-themed desserts with you and celebrate sweet, sweet summertime all week long!

There are 45 incredible bloggers participating in this year’s #SummerDessertWeek event! Thanks to those bloggers, we have over 168 summer time sweet treat recipes being shared this week! Grab a few recipes to try out and don’t forget to enter the giveaway below!

Scroll down to take a look!

PRIZE #1

Dixie Crystals is giving away one (1)Keurig® K-Select® Coffee Maker

PRIZE #2

Prize #2 — Adam’s Extract is giving away – 1 Gift Pack – including Adams Poundcake Kit, Adams Best, Adams Lemon Extract, Adams Natural Food Color, and Adams Cinnamon Sugar

PRIZE #3

Prize #3 —Wilton is giving away a Wilton Gift Pack – including – Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 13 x 9 -inch Oblong Pan, Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 8-inch Square Cake Pan, Bake and Bring Geometric Print Non-Stick 8-inch Round Cake Pan, Peach Cobbler Candy Melts Candy, Blueberry Lemonade Candy Melts Candy, Orange Crème Candy Melts Candy, Key Lime Pie Decorating Icing Pouch with Tips, Orange Crème Decorating Icing Pouch with Tips, Pop Art Triangle and Solid Cupcake Liners, Geometric Print and Solid Green Cupcake Liners, Balloon Dog Icing Decorations, Assorted Brights and Pastels Sprinkles, Blue Sprinkles Tackle Box, Coral Sprinkles Tackle Box, DIY-Lish Mermaid Kit, DIY-Lish Candy Lollipop Kit and Disposable Decorating Bags with 1M Tips

PRIZE #4

Prize #4 — Sweets & Treats Boutique is giving away 1 (one) baking supply box including an assortment of sprinkles and cupcake liners as well as one of Love From The Oven’s recent cookbooks!

PRIZE #5

Prize #5 — Anolon is giving one (1) winner an Anolon Advanced Graphite 9″ Round Springform Pan & an Anolon Advanced Graphite 9″ Square Springform Pan

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway open to US Residents 18 years or older. All entries will be verified. No PO Boxes Please. Prizes will be sent directly from sponsors to winners, bloggers are not responsible for prizes. This giveaway runs from July 7th – July 14th at 12AMEST. Winners will be selected soon afterward and contacted by e-mail. Winners will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. There are a total of 5 (five) prizes and therefore we will have a total of 5 (five) winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Disclaimer: These posts and recipes are part of the week-long event, #SummerDessertWeek but all opinions are 100% mine! We would like to Thank our amazing sponsors: Dixie Crystals, Adam’s Extract, Wilton, Sweets and Treats Shop and Anolon ! These wonderful sponsors provided the prize packs for our giveaways and also sent samples and products to the #SummerDessertWeek bloggers to use in their recipes.
Check out the amazing #SummerDessertWeek recipes from our bloggers today!

Ice Cream Recipes: