“Mraaaoooowwww.” Kitty Cat shrieked. I flew backwards, arms in the air, desperately trying to keep the tray of Koblaneskys upright. The steaming buns, filled with spicy keilbasa, slid from one side of the tray to the other. Tripped up on his “always in the way” tail, I lunged and twisted, straining my back – not so much to avoid falling, as to avoid dropping the food. “Please, no, please no…” I prayed. I landed up against the counter, with the tray barely balanced. “Keiiiiiith!!!” I growled “I don’t. want. this. cat. in the kitchen.” I set the tray down and pushed the hair out of my eyes. “I told you.” Mr Picky whispered to the cat, scooping him up. “Out you go!” he said and delivered him to the cold winter day. I straightened up and glanced at the clock. Fifteen more minutes. Time to wrap things up. I spun on my heels and grabbed a few serving pieces. Pretty dishes clinked and clanked as I layered them on the table, making a festive “help yourself” arrangement. …
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Makes 2 Dozen This mildly sweet prune filling can easily be modified to suit your tastes – add more spices, thin it out with extra water… the options are endless. Ingredients: 12 oz prunes (or dried apricots) 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste) 1 batch Refrigerator Dough for Kolaches & Klobasneks Method: Roll up your sleeves and grab a 12 oz bag of prunes… Hello Mr. & Mrs. Newman! NOTE: If you don’t like the word prune, feel free to say “dried plums” – this always makes Mr Picky feel better. Otherwise he claims I’m trying to serve him “old lady” food. Place your “old lady” prunes, or hip “dried plums” in a small pot with water Cinnamon… And snow white sugar… Simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, empty the dishwasher or write a thank you note. The prunes will get soft and start breaking apart. Help them along by pureeing with an immersion blender… Taste the puree and decide – more sugar? cinnamon? water? Adjust and then …
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Serves 6 NOTE: Exact portion sizes depend on the dimensions you choose for the sausage. If you like Pigs in a Blanket, you’ll love this authentic snack from the Czech Republic. Be sure to use high quality sausage and you’ll be on cloud 9 in no time. Ingredients: 2 kielbasa sausages (about a pound each) 1 Refrigerator Dough for Czech Desserts & Snacks Method: Gather the Kielbasa – if you are using all the dough, you will probably need two packages like this one… This brand is a tad bit spicy and so goooood. Cut the sausage into desired portion sizes – I made mine about 2″ long and cut them in half since they were so wide. My goal was to make “finger food” for a party. If you’d rather serve these for a meal, cut them into 5″ portions and don’t slit them in half. Working with half the dough at a time, roll it out thinly. Cut into rectangles large enough to wrap around your sausage. Mr Picky tells me your life …
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Serves 6-8 One bowl of this soup takes the bite out of winter. Thick, creamy, and vegetarian, you’ll be amazed at how well the flavors meld. Special thanks to Clifford A. Wright who shared a version of this recipe in his book, The Best Soups in the World. As he states in the recipe introduction: As they spoon some soup, your guests won’t be able to put their finger on what they like so much… Ingredients: 2 lbs potatoes *I used Yukon Gold, peeled & diced 2 1/2 quarts water 1 tsp lightly cracked caraway seeds salt 1 cup sour cream 1 cup flour a handful of chopped dill 4 sweet gherkins, chopped Method: In a large pot, add water to cubed potatoes… splish, splash, splosh… Then, if you’re in the mood, lightly crack caraway seeds in a mortar in pestle to release their aroma. Add the caraway seeds and some salt to the potatoes. Bring to a boil… NOTE: This could take a while with so many ingredients. Just keep an eye on it. …
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Makes 1 large batch of dough for… – 2 dozen Sweet Prune Buns/Kolaches (Slivkové Koláče) – a dozen Spicy Kielbasa Buns/Klobasneks/Klobasnikis (Klobásové Buchty) Refrigerator Dough takes the stress out of party prep work. This Czech recipe is slightly sweet and tender. According to LaVina Vanorny-Barcus, in My Czech Heritage Cookbook, there are four ways to shape this dough. The first three are for sweets, the last one is for savory, or Klobasneks. 1. Cut a square; add filling in the center, then bring the four corners together over the top of filling. Pinch to seal. Let rise and bake. 2. Cut a rectangle; spread with filling, then roll up like a cinnamon roll. Cut log into discs. Take discs and pinch the two sides to hide the filling. Bake. 3. Make small balls with dough. Let rise, then press the center down with thumb or fingers until it looks a bit like a doughnut. Fill indentation with filling, let rise again, and bake. 4. Cut a rectangle – spread with meat filling. Roll up and …
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I walk around all winter long with a frozen nose. In fact, Mr. Picky tells me my nose is a lot like a dog’s nose, minus the moisture. I also wear socks to bed year round. Even with thermal socks, Mr Picky lets out a blood curdling scream when our toes touch. What can I say – my circulation is poor. And, yet… all this changed with our Czech Republic Global Table. My ice cube toes and nose are no longer. Hurrah! Fun, festive, and hot – these dishes will really thaw you out. Thank you, Czech Republic… my husband is forever grateful. Czech Potato & Pickle Soup (Polévka okurková) [Recipe] Based on a soup from Monrovia, this creamy potato soup is seasoned with dill, caraway, and a bit of chopped up gherkins. Refrigerator Dough for Czech Desserts & Snacks [Recipe] Take the pressure off entertaining: make this mildly sweet, tender dough the night before. Spicy Kielbasa Buns/Klobasneks/Klobasnikis (Klobásové Buchty) [Recipe] The Czech Republic’s answer to Pigs in a Blanket. Yum. Sweet Prune Buns/Kolaches (Slivkové Koláče) [Recipe] Load a tray …
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There’s only one reason to go outside when temperatures drop below freezing: to enjoy the thrill of hot food thawing you out when you come home. Otherwise, I vote for staying in bed all day, snuggled under a comforter, watching chick flicks… or dude flicks (do they even make those?). Thankfully, the Czech Republic has many wonderful foods for bitterly cold winter days. This means that I’ll be able to leave the house this week. Hurrah! The Czech Republic is in eastern Europe where summers are hot and winters are c-c-c-cold. The nation consumes dishes loaded with all manner of potatoes and cabbage, as well as stews and roasts. Think rugged, down-home cooking. Typical of many eastern European countries, the Czech Republic uses sour cream as a thickener, dipper, topper.. you name it, sour cream is in it. They also enjoy caraway seed and dill as principal seasoning agents. You won’t believe it (I almost don’t believe it), but I dug up a dish that includes more than half of these ingredients: Potato & Pickle Soup …
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