Wiener Schnitzel

We spent a wonderful few weeks in Germany, Belgium, Austria and the Czech Republic. Besides Miss F having sausage at nearly every meal, her favorite food was Wiener Schnitzel, but it had to be true Wiener Schnitzel, she wasn't a fan of the Schweine Schniztel at all.  I made a double recipe, with half made of veal and half made of pounded out pork loin.  Miss F was a huge fan.  She especially loves squeezing copious amounts of lemon juice on each piece.  I adapted the recipe from Bon Appetit.  The best Wiener Schnitzel we had on our trip was in Berlin.  If you ever visit, be sure to give Ottenthal a try.

Wiener Schnitzel

1 cup flour
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups fine plain dried breadcrumbs
½ pound veal scaloppine or eye round, cut across the grain into 4 equal pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Line a large baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Whisk flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a wide shallow bowl. Lightly whisk eggs and cream in another wide shallow bowl until the yolks and whites are just streaky. Mix breadcrumbs and 2 teaspoons salt in a third wide shallow bowl. Pound veal slices between sheets of plastic wrap to 1/8"-1/16" thickness, being careful not to tear. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Prop a deep-fry thermometer in a large deep skillet; pour in oil so that bulb is submerged. Heat oil over medium heat to 350°F. Add butter to skillet and adjust heat to maintain 350°F.

Dredge 2 veal slices in flour mixture; shake off excess. Dip in egg. Turn to coat; shake off excess. Dredge in breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere; shake off excess. Transfer slices to skillet. Using a large spoon, carefully baste the top of the veal with the hot oil. Cook until breading puffs and starts to brown, about 1 minute. Turn and cook until browned, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to paper towel-lined sheet. Repeat with remaining veal slices.

Divide veal among plates. Garnish with lemon wedges.

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Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

I first had these at a pool party years ago, same great pool party that I discovered the magic sausage swirls.  I joined a fantasy football league this year, first time ever.  The amazing Confections of a Foodie Bride hosted the draft, complete with her famous margaritas and a nacho bar that was to die for.  I decided to bring these desserts because I could make them a day ahead and they transport easily.  They couldn't be any easier to make and they are completely addictive to eat.  I am glad I had somewhere to take them, or else I might have eaten the whole pan.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

2 cans 8-ounce refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages 8-ounce cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Unroll one can of the dough and place in the bottom of a 9x13 glass baking dish, stretch the dough to cover and press the perforations to seal. Beat together the cream cheese, 1 cup of the sugar and the vanilla. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the top of the crescent rolls in the pan. Unroll the second can of dough and place on top of the cream cheese layer, stretching and pinching the seams to cover the cream cheese completely. Pour the butter over top. Mix the remaining sugar with the cinnamon; sprinkle over the melted butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes, refrigerate and cut into bars when ready to serve.

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Poogan’s Porch Biscuits

I must confess that I have never cooked with shortening before. I have used it to grease the griddle when making pancakes, but that is the only thing I have ever used it for. We spent a week in Beaufort and Charleston, one of the best things I ate was the biscuits at Poogan's Porch.  And I also loved that they had braised short ribs on the kids' menu, which made Miss F quite happy.  I was so excited to try to make them at home, but I was quite nervous to use shortening.  I was nervous for no reason.  These biscuits were perfect, exactly like the ones in the restaurant.  C was a huge fan, which was surprising since he was quite wary of a new biscuit recipe.  Thanks to Katherine Ave for the recipe.

Poogan’s Porch Biscuits

2 cups sifted self-rising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup shortening
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Stir together the flour, baking powder and sugar. Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until coarse crumbs are formed. Stir in the buttermilk until just combined. Pat the dough into a ½ inch thick rectangle on a floured surface. Cut using a biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

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Corn Chowder

I am somewhat obsessed with corn chowder. It has about all my favorite things in it: corn, potatoes, bell peppers and bacon. I saw a recipe that started out by making a corn infused stock on Spoon Fork Bacon.  I used the infused stock from the recipe, but not much else.  I simplified things a bit so that Miss F could help me make it.  She is an excellent corn shucker, except that it always ends up in corn silks in every nook and cranny of the kitchen.  I loved this soup.   This may be my new go to corn chowder, I am not sure I will make it again without making a corn stock.  It was so incredibly simple, but added so much sweet corn flavor to the soup.

Corn Chowder

3 ears corn, kernels removed from cob
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
4 slices bacon, diced
½ medium yellow onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 red potatoes, diced
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream

Place ½ of the corn plus the cobs in a pot with the chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the cobs from the pot and discard. Puree the corn and stock, set aside.

In a large pot, sauté the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the grease from the pan. Add the onion, garlic, poblano, bell pepper, potatoes and remaining corn to the pan. Saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the flour and stir, sautéing for 3 minutes more. Add the stock to the pan, stirring constantly and simmer for 5 minute to thicken. Stir in the oregano, salt and cream. Simmer for 5 minutes more , serve.

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One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

I am not a huge ground meat fan. Everyone else in my family is, so when I saw this recipe on Smells Like Home, I knew it would be a hit. I pawned off most of my meat to Miss F, who was happy to eat it.  C complained that it was too "saucy" but Miss F and I enjoyed it very much.  The one pot pasta trick makes for such an easy clean up.  Why haven't I been making pasta like this all along?  It really makes sense.   I used a jar of Kroger brand marinara, which worked just fine and only cost $1.

One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 pound ground Italian sausage
¼ cup dry white wine
24 ounce jar marinara sauce
4 cups water, divided
16 ounces penne pasta
½ cup cream
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and sausage to the pan. Break up the sausage as it sautés. Cook for 5 minutes until the sausage is browned. Add the wine to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the sauce and 3 cups of the water into the skillet, bring to a simmer and stir in the pasta. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, adding more water if necessary. Stir in the cream and cheese, cook for 2 minutes more. Salt and pepper to taste and cool for 5 minutes before serving.

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Garlic Skillet Bread

Miss F declared this to be the second best bread I've ever baked.  I tried to pin her down as to what the best bread I ever made was, but all she could tell me was that it was "plain bread."  Who knows.  This bread couldn't be any easier.  I have never made bread in an iron skillet before and I am now going to make it in there all the time.  The ingredients are simply stirred together, no mixer or kneading needed.  I can't wait to try other adaptations of this recipe, maybe even a plain bread variety. This recipe was adapted from Apple of My Eye.

Garlic Skillet Bread

2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
4⅓ cups flour
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon garlic salt

In a large bowl, combine the yeast, water and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the salt and flour, ½ cup at a time. Cover the dough and let rise for 1 hour. Grease two 8” skillets. Divide the dough in 2 equal pieces, form each into a ball and place one in each of the skillets. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes more. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with the garlic salt. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

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New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

Miss F and I spent a week straight eating shrimp while we were on vacation in South Carolina. At one meal, she had over 20 shrimp!  I first tried this dish at Chimes in Baton Rouge.  It was so amazing.  Buttery shrimp with the perfect amount of spice with a nice brightness from the lemon juice.  I served it over rice, but it would be equally delicious with some crusty bread.  This recipe was inspired by Once Upon a Chef.

New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
2 cups cooked rice

In a bowl, stir together the paprika, chili powder, cumin, sugar and salt. Toss the shrimp with the spices and coat evenly. Set aside.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook until they are almost cooked, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the Worcestershire, lemon juice and water; stir well to combine and cook a minute or two more. Serve the shrimp over rice.

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Animal Style Burgers

My family loves In n Out burgers.  Every time we visit California, we make our traditional stop at In n Out on the way to the airport.  Usually this results in some sort of spill in the car, but it is totally worth it.  The sauce is what really makes the burgers.  That and the super fresh ingredients.  Texas finally has In n Out, but the closest one is a three hour drive, so I don't get to have them as much as I would like.  This is a recipe from Food Network and my only issue with it was that it made the patties a little too thick for doubling up.  I changed the recipe to halve the meat, which should produce a patty more comparable in size to what In n Out serves.

Animal Style Burgers

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
2 large onions, finely chopped
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
½ teaspoon white vinegar
1 pound ground beef chuck
4 hamburger buns, split
¼ cup sliced dill pickles
8 lettuce leaves
4 to 8 thin slices tomato
Freshly ground pepper
¼ cup yellow mustard
8 slices American cheese

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft, about 30 minutes. (If the onions brown too quickly, reduce the heat to low.) Uncover, increase the heat to medium high and continue to cook, stirring often, until caramelized, about 8 more minutes. Add ½ cup water to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer, stirring, until the water evaporates, about 2 more minutes; transfer to a bowl and set aside.

Mix the mayonnaise, ketchup, relish and vinegar in a bowl; set aside. Shape the beef into 8 patties, about 4 inches wide and ½ inch thick.

Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat; lightly brush with vegetable oil. Toast the buns on the griddle, split-side down. Spread each toasted bun bottom with about 1 tablespoon of the mayonnaise mixture, then top with a few pickles, some lettuce, 1 or 2 slices tomato and another dollop of the mayonnaise mixture; set aside.

Season both sides of the patties with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, put the patties on the griddle and cook 3 minutes. Spread about 1 ½ teaspoons mustard on the uncooked side of each patty, then flip and top each with 1 slice cheese; continue cooking about 2 more minutes for medium doneness. Top 4 of the patties with caramelized onions, then cover with the remaining patties, cheese-side up. Sandwich the double patties on the buns.

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