Nalesniki (Aka Crepes)

Crepes are common throughout Europe, and if you've never had them you simply must give them a try. They are super easy, you need no more than a few basic ingredients and a frying pan, and the possibilities of what to stuff inside--endless!

Yesterday I whipped up some breakfast crepes for dinner, then experimented with a chocolate crepe version of my own.





Ingredients:
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 Tbsp. oil
1/2 c. flour


1. Mix the egg, milk, and oil together, then add the flour. Whisk until there are no lumps in the batter. It will be very liquidy, but you want the batter to spread very easily in the pan.

2. Heat a frying pan over medium heat, then lightly brush with paper towel dipped in oil. Ladle some batter into the pan and gently but quickly roll the batter around so that it covers the bottom of the pan. If it gets up the sides of the pan the edges might stick and make it hard to flip.

3. Wait about 2 minutes or until the edges start to brown, then flip and cook about 1-2 mins. more. Store on an upside down dinner plate until ready to serve.


*Makes 4 crepes.
**My pan is not Teflon so if you use a non-stick pan, you may not need to oil it prior to adding the batter.

Chocolate crepe variation:

Add 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder and 1-2 Tbsp. sugar to batter. If necessary add the tiniest amount of milk if batter is too thick to spread nicely.


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Nalesniki (the Polish word for crepe) for my husband's family usually includes unsalted, farmer's cheese, (which is kind of like ricotta) mixed with egg, sugar and yellow raisins, or a mushroom/sauerkraut mixture.


Other filling possibilities: sour cream and your favorite jam, Nutella (or chocolate sauce) and vanilla ice cream, scrambled eggs with your favorite omelet ingredients. Sweet or savory, crepes are sure to please!


How to serve is a matter of personal preference. Spread the filling thin and fold in half twice, or fold in two sides and roll it. (I think condiments are nice if you're serving eggs, and you can't go wrong with some whipped cream and/or chocolate sauce for the dessert varieties.)


Smacznego!

Bookish...I Don't Mind The Term

All of the recent snow has provided more time for reading. Do you hear me complaining?

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My ratings and reviews:

* (1 star) It was okay. If not my cup of tea, maybe it's yours.
** (2 stars) Good. One to borrow from a friend or the library.
*** (3 stars) Very good. Well-written. Definately worth your time.
**** (4 stars) Excellent. On all levels. One for your personal library.

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SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME by Ron Hall and Denver Moore
***
A great, faith-inspiring, truelife story of two men literally from two different worlds, and the woman who encouraged their friendship. It challenged my worldview, and caused me to consider my thoughts/attitudes/responses towards those who are homeless--and why I have next to no contact with them.






WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen
**
I really liked vast portions of this book, but a few dicey scenes left a bad taste in my mouth, hence the 2 stars. Overall, it educated me as to what life aboard a traveling circus during the Great Depression era might have been like, and was an engaging story. Jacob Jankowski flashes back and forth between his present day existence as a 90 something year old living in a nursing home and his memories as a youth, riding the rails as a vet for the circus.





MY LIFE IN FRANCE by Julia Child
***
Loved this book! We had recently enjoyed the film JULIE & JULIA (yes, even Pete liked it!) which is about a 30 yr. old woman named Julie who decides she is going to cook her way through Julia Child's THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING cookbook in a years time, AND Julia Child's story at the same time. (Meryl Streep is pure genius as Child!) Anyway, I already was interested in learning Julia's story firsthand, and so this memoir of her life and love of la belle France was like a fine meal.




ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN by Mahbod Seraji
***
Like KITE RUNNER by Khaled Hosseini, (but set in Iran instead of Afghanistan) this coming-of-age story is about two teenage friends, Pasha and Ahmed, hanging out on the rooftop terrace dreaming about life, love and what the future holds. What makes this story different is that it is 1973, and Iran is under the harsh reign of the shah. Their idyllic summer comes to an abrupt end when a close friend is abducted by the not-so-secret police, and further acts of transgression lead to tragic results. Seraji writes an emotional and thought-provoking portrait of Persian culture and life during this period of Iran's history.


JUST JANE by Nancy Moser
****
A thoroughly delightful novel in which the real Jane Austen is fictionalized. I have the film MISS AUSTEN REGRETS put out by Masterpiece Theatre included on another Austen DVD, and Olivia Williams plays the part of Jane. Her face and voice have taken on another life form as I've read this book. While the book deals mainly with her life prior to being published and the film her later life, they are both simply wonderful.

LOVE-ly Weekend Albeit Low-Key

Pete and I don't do too much with this holiday. Granted, we usually play it simple for all holidays. Being together, enjoying good food, and relaxing are prioritized...that's the way we both like it.

Saturday morning we were all going to head into the center of Lancaster to wander around Central Market for a bit, but Adam was rubbing his eyes already at 9:30 so I stayed home so he could take a morning snooze. (He hasn't completely phased out of his two naps-a-day yet.)

While I got some housework accomplished, Pete and Natalia picked up some loose leaf tea and rye bread. When they arrived back home I was treated to some flowers and a delicious, out-of-this-world doughnut from The Fractured Prune. YUM!

The rest of our weekend was pretty typical. I like to make somethings special for our Valentine's dinner. In past years I've stuck to some of our favorites like Chicken Parmesana or Marsala. This year I pulled out the steak (and Pete was gracious enough to shovel out our grill).

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad, Mashed Potatoes w/Herbed Goat Cheese, and melt in your mouth Buttered Rosemary Rolls courtesy of The Pioneer Woman rounded out the rest of our meal.

The dinnertime ambiance wasn't quite Valentinish with the kiddos and all, but we hope to have a date night soon.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend with those who are special to you!

Chicken Pie

This is a recipe that I've created--the culmination of multiple "pot pie" experiments. I'm still deliberating the crust component, and plan to try drop biscuits on top the next time I make it.

However, we already enjoy it in the form described below. I like it because it's one of those recipes that you can pre-cook all of the ingredients ahead of time. Then, all that remains is a quick assemble and pop it in the oven.


Chicken Pie


2 c. chicken, cooked and chopped
1 c. corn
1/2 c. carrots, small-diced and cooked
1 large potato, medium-diced and cooked
1/2 c. sweet baby peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried basil
dash of garlic powder
1/2 c. shredded cheese of your choice (I use a white, good-melting cheese that is medium in flavor)
2 refrigerated pie crusts (or just use 1 on top)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix cream of chicken soup, milk, and seasonings. Then add chicken, potatoes, corn, carrots and peas and gently mix.
3. Prepare bottom crust (if using 2) in a lightly greased 2 qt. round oven-safe dish. Add the chicken mixture, then sprinkle cheese on top. Finish with remaining crust and cut a few slits in the top.
4. Bake for 50-60 mins. (You can lower the temp. to 325 for the last 15-20 mins. so the crust doesn't get too dark.)


Enjoy!

Snow, Shovel, Blowing Wind, Shovel, Repeat...

When I think of my childhood and winter, THIS is what I remember! Somehow our winters grew tame (ish) in the last 2 decades. Okay it's three but who is counting?!

Snow you could sink in up to your knees. Being able to tunnel through the piles without first building a huge mound. A fluffy, glittering wilderness.

We've all been enjoying the snow around here, talking with our neighbors as we shovel out, and taking walks.

Adam, sporting his high-tech "boots".

Discovering this tunneled trail made me want to watch COOL RUNNINGS and buy a toboggan.

I just had to throw her in. :-)

Back inside and reading books.


It's so hard not to nibble on these cheeks. I'm afraid I am without restraint, my son.

From The Mouths of Babes

Immediately following my recent post of Natalia's funny sayings, she provided some more.

Here they are:

With the especially cold, wintery weather we've been having, Pete has been letting the car warm up before we all head out of the house. This has distressed Natalia for some reason. She keeps saying, "Daddy! Is the car running? We have to hurry before it gets away!"


My youngest brother Ryan and his girlfriend Sarah were visiting recently and had belated Christmas gifts for their nieces and nephews. Natalia and her cousin Morgan got matching pink purses, chapstick, cell phones, keys, and a wallet, complete with paper money in it. HOW COOL!

Natalia told me that her money came from California and that we needed to go there so she could use it to buy something. Apparently that state accepts fake currency. Who knew?!


The other day, when a certain young lady was supposed to be resting/napping, I heard her crying. I quickly went upstairs to see what was wrong, hoping she wouldn't wake Adam in the process, and just as I suspected she was circumventing another excuse not to remain in her room. She had big tears rolling down her cheeks as she cried, "Mommy, I don't want to eat Wilburt! I don't want to eat Wilburt!" (We will be getting a pig from our neighbor soon and she likes to feed the pigs corn when she and daddy go to buy eggs. That and she's watched Charlotte's Web recently and calls Wilbur the pig, Wilburt.) I couldn't help but laugh as she then began to giggle. (STINKER!)

FYI: that night we had sausage for dinner and there were no protestations to pork.


Natalia discovered a ten dollar bill lying on the kitchen counter the other night.

N: "Daddy, is this yours?" (as she is about to walk over and hand it to him)
Pete: "No."
N: "But it's got your picture on it."
Pete: "No, that Hamilton."
N: "Well then we should give it to him."


Natalia was coloring one day when she said to me, "Mom, Jesus is coloring a picture of me to hang on his wall so he can remember me."

Almond Crusted Tilapia

I don't normally like fish. In fact I usually steer clear of it. However, every now and then I do partake, provided it is a very mild-flavored fish and its fishyness is cloaked by spices or a sauce.

I've been looking for more ways to stretch out our meat consumption throughout the week.

We all really enjoyed this dish, coupled with mashed potatoes and veggies. In my opinion, you really need that little splash of lemon juice over top.

Enjoy!

Almond-Crusted Tilapia
(slightly modified from allrecipes.com)

flour, for dusting
1 egg
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. ground almonds
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. butter
4 tilapia fillets, thawed
lemon wedges for garnishing

1. Dust tilapia in flour, then coat in egg/spice mixture, then bread in almond and parmesan mixture.
2. Heat skillet (medium to medium high), add butter and as soon as it is melted place fillets in pan. Cook about 4 minutes on each side. (You don't want the butter to brown before you start to cook the fish so make sure everything is ready to go before you put the butter in the hot pan.)
3. Serve immediately with lemons to squeeze over top.