Serves 6-8 I could confetti dozens (hundreds!) of newlyweds with all the rice we’ve made for our Adventures around the world. While they’ve all been incredible, I’m here to tell you that Rainbow Rice takes the cake for beauty, novelty, and fun factor. Want your own festival on a plate? Here are 5 important tips to making perfect Rainbow Rice: Only use one or two colors to dye the rice. Any more becomes a bit… chaotic. Make a theme out of it – pink for a baby shower, red and green for Christmas, orange and red for Thanksgiving, etc. Only dye a little bit of rice (maybe 1/4 cup of cooked rice per color) so that the dominant color is white. Use a lot of dye for a more dramatic effect. To avoid color bleeding: let the dyed rice air out and finish steaming before mixing with the other rice. It helps to dye the rice from the top of the pot, which is naturally drier than the rice at the bottom of the pot. …
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Makes about 30 small meatballs I’m not usually a fan of meatballs, but these Frikadellers are Frikamazing. I added a slice of rye bread to give it a little something special. If you’re making them for a party, hold them in a warm oven for a few minutes, until ready to serve. Thanks to Stephanie Holguin for letting me adapt her recipe (she got it from a real live Danish person, hurrah!). I went a little over the top by adding heavy cream and using rye bread instead of plain sandwich bread. NOTE: I’ve since been told that, while it tastes really yummy, garlic isn’t the most authentic. A little finely chopped onion would be a more traditional choice. It’s up to you! Ingredients: 1/2 lb beef 1/2 lb pork 2/3 cup flour 1/2 cup of milk 1/4 cup heavy cream 1 ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp of pepper 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 slice rye bread Method: Add the meat to a large bowl… Season with plenty of salt and pepper… And a happy …
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Makes 12 canapés Throughout Scandinavia the smørrebrød, or open faced sandwich is the pretty way to eat lunch. I’ve turned them into dainty finger food, perfect for parties. Yum! Ingredients: 12 slices of dark rye bread or pumpernickel softened butter 1 package of smoked salmon 1/2 a cucumber, halved & sliced thinly thinly sliced red onion, to taste 1 lemon a few sprigs of fresh dill Method: Slice up all your ingredients so they are ready to go. Then, lay out the bread like a little chess board. I used pumpernickel because the petite 2″x2″ size is way too cute. Next butter up the bread. This keeps the bread from getting soggy. Then, lay thinly sliced cucumber halves on top of the bread. The thinner they are, the easier they’ll lay down. Next, up? Smoked salmon (one of my favorite ingredients). Folding each piece in half makes for a pretty presentation. And then? Sliced red onion. Again, thin is the name of the game here. Just look at the vibrant colors of this smørresbrød… you are making …
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Makes 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) Bottoms up! The orange peel brightens up this warm holiday drink, while cinnamon gives it familiar festive flavor. NOTE: If you’re making this for a potluck, just keep it warm in a crock pot! Ingredients: 1 cup water 3 slices fresh ginger the peel of one orange 3 cardamom pods 5 cloves 2-4 cinnamon sticks 1 bottle red wine (750 ml) 1/2 bottle port (375 ml) 1/4 cup sugar Garnish, for each glass: Raisins (to taste) Almonds, skinned (to taste) Method: Put on some holiday music or… even better… take a moment to dance around the tree, just like the Danish (wow, they actually use real candles on their tree – so beautiful and … daring!). When you’re sufficiently filled with cheer, coat the bottom of a pot with spices and the orange peel. Mr. Picky says “When in doubt, add more cinnamon.” Splash in the water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes to let the spices release their flavor into the water. Then, let the sugar …
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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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Serves 4 This simple layered casserole is vegan, rich, and addictive. The vegetables cook down into a soft casserole, but can be uncovered half way through cooking to reduce the effects of steaming. Ingredients: 1 zucchini 1 small eggplant 1 potato 1/4 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp oregano 1/4 cup olive oil 2/3 cup tomato sauce 1 1/2 quart casserole Method: Preheat the oven to 375F. Meanwhile, slice all the veggies into thin discs. Resist the urge to see if they’ll fly, like frisbees, across your kitchen. Drop some liquid sunshine (olive oil) into a 1 1/2 quart casserole (you can scale this up pretty easily, if you need to feed more people). Layer on some potatoes… Gather the salt, pepper, and oregano together… And sprinkle the blend onto each layer… Add on the eggplant… and more olive oil. Embrace the oil – this is supposed to be a luxuriously rich dish. Next up, zucchini. And half your tomato sauce. Keep piling everything on in layers… with spices and oil each time… Ending …
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Serves 2-4 This completely fuss-free roast lamb dish, Ofto Kleftiko, maximizes the rich, succulent flavor of lamb and is so tender it literally falls of the bone. A great dish for holidays, festivals, or even pot luck dinners. Serve one shank per person, unless appetites are small. Ingredients: 2 lamb shanks, about one pound each 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground coriander 4 bay leaves salt pepper olive oil Method: Get the oven nice and toasty – set it to 375F. Meanwhile, drizzle lamb with olive oil… (a.k.a. liquid gold) Sprinkle with heaps of salt and pepper… Then, divide the cinnamon and ground coriander seed equally amongst the lamb shanks. If you’re feeling kind of crazy, you might add a bit more cinnamon. Take off your rings, roll up your sleeves, and rub the spices into the meat. Make sure to also coat the ends and bottom of the lamb. Place both lamb shanks on top of a bay leaf, on their own large square of aluminum foil. Add another bay leaf on top and …
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Serves 4 Sweet and spiked with cinnamon, Firikia Glyko is wonderful warm with vanilla ice cream, or cold with nothing more than a spoon and a smile. (Ice cream is my addition and, while not super authentic, is extra lip smacking) Ingredients: 4 small, firm apples (I used honey-crisp) 2 cups sugar 2 cups water 2 sticks cinnamon 4 whole cloves 1/4 cup brandy (optional) Method: Put on a frilly apron and a pair of fuzzy slippers. Add sugar and cinnamon sticks to a medium pot. Splash in some water and bring to a gentle simmer. The cinnamon will start to perfume your house in the most magical, grandmotherly way. Meanwhile, peel 4 small apples… Remove the bottom with a paring knife. And replace it with one whole clove. Carefully place in the hot syrup and simmer gently for about 45 minutes. Be careful not to boil or the apples will cook too quickly and fall apart. Add the brandy in the last five minutes of cooking – or, like me, you can completely forget …
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