Happy 203rd post to me!
I've been having so much fun blogging. Even if it was just my mom reading, I'd probably still blog... but I'm glad it's not just her because I've met a lot of other fun people in bloggyland (er, I hate the word blogosphere, but I'm not sure bloggyland is any better, what do you think?).
To celebrate, I'm going to do another giveaway, aren't you so excited?! I know it's always fun to get a little taste of life in another country, so I've decided to give away a little "Poffertjes Package."
Poffertjes look like wee little pancakes, but they're fluffier (and teenier) than regular pancakes. Traditionally, they're served with butter and powdered sugar, but I like to put cinnamon on mine too. They're also quite good with strawberry freezer jam.
So now I suspect you're rather anxious to see the goods!
Here's what you'll win-
A poffertjes pan -- As much as I searched, I couldn't find one of these suitable for an electric stove, so this will only work with a gas stove, sorry. I expect if you've got a little gas camp stove it would work fine there too.
Poffertjes Mix -- I'll even translate the instructions for you!
A squeezie bottle -- Now, I know this sounds a bit odd, but if you pour the batter into the squeezie bottle it's about 7000% easier to make these things. You can just squeeze a bit into the individual dips in the pan.
A SUPER SECRET PRESENT -- This is code for "I know what I want to put in here, but I need to be sure I can get a hold of it before I can commit."
Now what do you need to do to win this? Leave me a comment and tell me about a food that is common to your region (or a comfort food you remember from when you were little). If you leave a recipe for your yummy food then I'll add your name to the hat twice.
Giveaway is open to anyone who lives on planet earth (maybe I should limit this to people though, I'm not sure how safe it is to have a cat cooking poffertjes). Instead of using a random number generator, I'll toss everyone's name into a hat and have
23 comments:
Oooh! I love being cultured! By the way, I like bloggyland a lot better. It sounds more fun, and I am all about having fun. Can I leave you a link to a recipe? It is my rendition of my grandmother's rhubarb pie. I l.o.v.e it! I would eat it for every meal if only I could find enough rhubarb. I would leave you with the best flakiest pie crust ever recipe as well, but you just said you hate rolling it out, so I will let you use your fun no roll pie crust recipe, and leave you with the link to the yummiest pie ever.
http://girltimes.blogspot.com/2009/05/rhubarb-pie.html
Man, now I have to go and find some rhubarb because I am having serious cravings. Thanks Mub! :)
Your little "pancakes" remind me of Beignets. They are so good and Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans sells the best. Their coffee is really good as well, when I actually drank coffee that is LOL. Which has been at least 16-17 years ago. Anyway here in the south we have foods that make your mouth water just to hear the name. Fried pastries called beignets, red beans and rice, crawfish, etouffe, gumbo, po boys, shrimp from the gulf as well as oysters, and many other kinds of seafood. We have festivals all year round it seems Marti Gras, Jazz, St Patty's day, Shrimp season, Oyster season, crayfish season. Yes food is a very big deal here and the spicer the better sometimes.
Erika
I love your blog!
Ooh - those look interesting! I am sure my kids would love them as one of their favorite foods is pancakes. I don't think I'd ever had pancakes with maple syrup before moving to New England. Yumm! I guess I would have to say that's my favorite 'local' food. Recipe: collect as much maple sap as you can and boil it until 90% of it has gone ;-) Do not attempt this in your kitchen unless you wish to lose all your wallpaper/ generally destroy the kitchen with humidity! there's a reason they have special 'sugar houses'!
You asked for recipes - here's one that uses maple syrup (or honey if you can't find maple syrup.)
Ooo I would heart one of those! Typically comfort food for me usually means chicken fried steak (or steak fingers) with mashed potatoes and white gravy. I have the recipe on my blog at http://boilthewater.wordpress.com/2009/04/26/steak-fingers/
I'll go ahead and post the recipe for you here, too!
Cube steak (tenderized round steak)
Flour
Salt
Pepper
2 eggs beaten
2-3 tablespoons water
1 - 2 boxes of cracker meal, or 2 -3 sleeves saltine crackers crushed
Canola or vegetable oil for frying
Cut the cube steak into 1 inch strips. Season the flour with salt and pepper to taste. Add the water to the beaten eggs and stir. Set up a "dredging station" with your seasoned flour, eggs and cracker meal each in a separate dish. Dredge each strip through the flour, eggs and cracker meal and fry in hot oil until crispy and browned.
Well, I am in the south (near Louisiana) so my favorite in this area is boiled crawfish, closely followed by gumbo. Since I wasn't raised in this area, I don't have a go to recipe yet for gumbo and hubby always cooks the crawfish.
But I was partially raised in West Texas and so if I am thinking back to that area, I think more of Mexican Cornbread. This is a cornbread that also uses ground beef, corn and onions to make a meal. Yum! This is also gluten-free but this is the way my Grandmother made it. It isn't one of those gluten-free that uses weird stuff.
I am going to follow Amy's lead and just post a link http://chaos-in-the-kitchen.blogspot.com/2009/01/absolutely-yummy-gluten-free-cornbread.html
Looks interesting. Can't say that I have ever tried these (or even heard of them!)
I have never liked blogospehere either. My husband laughs at me and "Bloggerland" and "e-friends". I've met some very cool people who are now my "e-friends" and am so glad I blog.
Over two hundred posts is quite an accomplishment! Yay for you!
Here is my Chicken Pie (as my daughter call it) recipe. It is a wonderful comfort food :)
http://nemeceks.blogspot.com/2009/01/oh-my-goodnessdeliciousness.html
tornem(at)yahoo.com
I am from North Carolina and the food that that area is most known for would be Pulled Pork Barbeque. Yummy!!! We live in Texas now, so whenever we get back to NC, one of the first things we have to do is go get some barbeque.
jedoggett@embarqmail.com
what a fun idea! my friend makes these...and raves how yummy they are. my comfort food is oatmeal with brown sugar & milk...mmmmmmm!
I love your fun giveaways right now my fav treat is pocicles and sense I hate going to the store when its all hot out side I make kool-aid pops... I use ice cube trays and tooth picks and just pain old kool-aid.... see a recipe even I could do... but I use 2/3cups sugar cause a full cup is way too much....
What an interesting giveaway! In Michigan, particularly the northern region, Pasties are a much loved mealtime food of the past. Rutabagas being a main ingredient, along with beef, and any vegetables on hand, all crimped inside of a half round pastry crust. Very yummy, and just as economical today as way back when!!!
Thanks for stoping by my neck of the woods! Freezer space was an issue for me, but now I have a chest freezer and LOVE it! It is my best friend when it comes to sales/cooking ahead/grocery budget in general.
In Wisconsin we really like cheese curds. No recipe for it, as you just buy them and enjoy. They are so great when they are fresh and squeaky!
A simple yummy recipe (so I can enter twice, I think we'd adore these yummy looking things) would be for salsa sour cream chicken.
Throw a couple chicken breasts in a crock pot and season with taco seasoning of choice. Put about a cup of salsa over if using 3-4 pieces of chicken. Let cook all day. Get creative...I typically throw in some frozen corn and some black beans at some point. When the chicken is done pull it out and stir in some sour cream. If you'd like to thicken the sauce (we do) add some corn starch to the sour cream before stirring it in. Let it cook a little longer and put the chicken back in. Serve over rice. Top with cilantro if you have it.
Easy peasy and so yummy. Can do anything you like with it and it always comes out good!
Heather
After mass on Sunday my Dad would whip up Spaghetti carbonara from scratch...that was soooo good! I have never learned to make it, but when my Dad asks me what I want to eat i always shout : SPAGHETTI CARBONARA!!!
Here's my recipe for a super easy meal and delicious! Sticky Hoisin Chicken
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) each hoisin sauce and barbecue sauce
•2 tbsp (30 mL) soy sauce
•1 tsp (5 mL) each garlic powder and ground ginger
•4 bone-in chicken legs (with thighs attached) or skinless, bone-in breasts
•1 green onion, chopped (optional)
1.Preheat oven to 425F (220C). Line a baking dish large enough to hold chicken with foil, if you wish (for easier cleanup). Spray foil with oil. In a small bowl, stir hoisin and barbecue sauce with soy, garlic and ginger. Pull off chicken skin and discard. Coat both sides of chicken with sauce and place meaty side down, on foil.
2.Bake, uncovered, in centre of oven for 20 min. Turn chicken over and spoon pan juices overtop. Continue baking, occasionally basting with sauce from baking dish, until chicken feels springy when pressed, 20 to 25 min. Sprinkle with green onion, if you like. Great with mashed potatoes and baby bok choy.
Works great with cubed firm tofu too!
I too love bloggyland better than the other.Somehow, blogosphere sounds too ultra something.... and oh yes, will you enter me please. The little pastries sound delicious... and I would love to try them.
One of my favorites recipes is a Meatloaf recipe passed to me by my Texas father-in-law, and it's wonderful..(we think so). :)
For each pound of ground round or ground chuck, use 1 envelope of Lipton's Dry Onion Soup Mix..and 1 small can evaporated milk. Mix together, add to a medium loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees 45 to 55 minutes. For the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the topping...which consists of equal parts catsup and white Karo syrup. Mix together and add to top of meatloaf during last 15 minutes. This glaze is just wonderful on meatloaf..
I've moved from Texas to live with my husband in Australia, and one thing I miss is my mother's Hummingbird Cake! I make it sometimes for my family here, but there's nothing like my mom's!!
Here's the recipe:
1 cup pecans
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 c applesauce (chunky)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 - 8 ounce can crushed pineapple in JUICE (not syrup), do not drain
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium sized bananas)
Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound box confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray two - 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped pecans. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.
Oooo poffertjes! I'm so addicted. I would love to try and make my own, not just the ones from the AH!
I just made my first abelskivers this summer. I have seen them over the years and finally found a thrift store (DI) cast iron pan for less than two dollars. I was in heaven. It is the specialty pan that makes each of these items the way they are.
Norwegians have several specialty pans, as do most other cultures. I don't have many specialty pans, but am always on the look out for them.
Food, comfort food? Which one? All food is comfort food to me, I am a Food-a-holic, as you have most certainly already concluded!
One of the foods I always go to is the Mac & Cheese that my mom made us when we were little.
In a saucepan, boil your macaroni, drain the water off. Pour milk in to cover the cooked macaroni. Add grated cheese and stir. Let simmer until the milk is hot. Ladle into bowls and enjoy.
The best part of this concoction, is the cheesy milk. I love to drink it separately. I have been known to melt cheese into warm/hot milk and drink it on cold evenings. Not as good as Hot Chocolate, but good in it's own way.
Thanks for sharing this Poffertjes, "new to me" food.
Shari
aebleskivers are a tradition in our house! They are a danish ball shaped doughnut that are usually filled with jam or chocolate and sprinkled with powdered sugar! They are absolutely delicious! You have to have a special pan for these as well!
This is the recipe I always use and I love it!
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm milk
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
3 eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted, plus additional for buttering the pan
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Juice and zest of one-half lemon
1 3/4 cups flour
Powdered sugar
Tart berry jam
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk and yeast; set aside until the mixture begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs and sugar until combined, then add the butter, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Finally, add the flour and whisk until the batter is smooth.
2. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the batter is at least doubled in size, about 30 minutes. The batter will be thick and slightly sticky.
3. Heat the aebleskiver pan over medium heat, then brush each mold lightly with melted butter. When the butter just begins to brown, pour the batter so each mold is filled almost to the rim. (Start with the middle mold as it receives the least amount of heat and remember the sequence in which you fill each mold in the pan, as the aebleskivers will need to be turned in that order.)
4. When a solid crust has formed on the bottom of each mold, reduce the heat slightly and use a skewer to loosen and turn each aebleskiver by one-third. As the crust continues to form, turn each by one-third again. Finally, turn each mold again so the entire crust is formed. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the interior of each aebleskiver is cooked through. A toothpick or skewer inserted should come out clean.
5. Use a skewer to remove the aebleskivers from the pan. Plate in arrangements of three; sprinkle with powdered sugar and top with tart berry jam. Serve immediately.
CherryBlossomsDesign at hotmail
Those look DELICIOUS!!
A food that brings back fond memories is Homemade Caramel Corn. I wrote a post about it here: http://www.halfpastkissintime.com/2009/04/another-sweet-memory.html
And here is the RECIPE!! http://mrs4444cooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/caramel-popcorn.html
Thanks for sponsoring this! :)
Bread pudding -- my mother made this amazing bread pudding. I found a recipe about 10 years ago that is even better. Chocolate bread pudding.
Chocolate Bread Pudding
1-pound loaf French or Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 15 cups)
3 cups milk
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup coffee-flavored liqueur
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp pure almond extract
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
6 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Place the bread in the baking dish.
In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, cream, and liqueur.
In another bowl, combine the granulated and brown sugars with the cocoa powder and mix well. Add this to the milk mixture and whisk to combine.
Add the vanilla and almond extracts and the cinnamon to the beaten eggs. Combine the egg mixture with the milk mixture and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the mixture evenly over the bread cubes; let stand, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes, or until the bread has absorbed most of the milk mixture. Bake the pudding for 1 hour, or until set; a knife inserted into the center of the pudding should come out clean. Serving the pudding warm, or refrigerate it and serve chilled.
Personally -- I like it warm with ice cream. You know, because it's so low cal to begin with...
When most people think of Maine, they think of Maine Lobster. However, I am not a huge fan of Lobster. I can take it or leave it. What I love is Steamed Clams (or steamers as we call them). I have been craving these lately.
The recipe: One pound of Clams in shell
Put in pan with about 1 cup of white wine and some fresh garlic (I use about 2 bulbs). Cover and bring to a boil. My mother always used to say they had to "boil over" three times to be done. I boil 5 - 7 minutes until the clam shells open up.
You can dip the clams in melted butter but I actually prefer a apple cider vinegar or a mixture of apple cider vinegar and melted butter. You may want to put some of the left over broth in a small bowl to "wash" the clams in before you dip them in the butter or vinegar.
Enjoy.
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