Birchermuesli

I have no idea how to pronounce the name of this dish. As usual, not a KGerbers original (this recipe is from the Movenpick restaurant chain), but it's a great brunch dish all the same and it tastes very fresh!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup 18 percent cream

2/3 cup sugar

1 small apple, peeled and grated (I use granny smith, but any will do)

1 1/2 cups fresh fruit (I use strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries)

1/2 cup whipping cream whipped

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (or vanilla flavored is good)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine oats, water, lemon juice, cream and sugar. Stir in the apple.
Slice fruit, if required depending on what kind you choose, and add to the oat mixture.
Stir in the whipped cream and yogurt. Makes 4 servings.

Jewish -style Brown Sugar Brisket (a.k.a. Brain Tumor Brisket)

To start, lay the fatty side down and sprinkle the top liberally with garlic powder
Brisket in the slow cooker with garlic powder, brown sugar, and onion soup mix
All done! Yummy meaty caramelized goodness!
Makes great left-overs and sandwiches for days!!


A little background on this one... When I was 14 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I had the tumor surgically removed in May of 1999. The surgery went well and I fully recovered. However, during my recovery it was necessary for me to take steroids to keep the swelling done. As a side effect steroids are known for increasing ones appetite. Just to give you an idea of how much my appetite was increased post surgery I will tell you that I went from 107 lbs to 127 lbs in less than a month. I ate everything in sight! (Once I was able to eat solid foods again - that is.) One of my fondest memories of this otherwise traumatic period of my life was this DELICIOUS brisket dish that my neighbor, Mrs. Zion, brought over to our house. I finished the entire brisket in two days flat ON MY OWN. It just melts in your mouth when cooked properly. Mmmmmmm.......

Ingredients

About a 4lb cut of brisket. (A notoriously tough and fatty cut of meat, it needs to be cooked nearly to death to be tender. It is very worth it though and usually much less expensive than other cuts of meat because of the toughness.)

1 Lipton's onion soup package

light brown sugar (enough to pack on to the brisket at about 1/4 inch thick or less) I used about 2/3 cup to 1 cup depending how large the surface of the meat is

garlic powder (this is also an eyeball measurement but you want enough to cover the surface of the meat. You are going to pound in in.

Instructions

1. lay your brisket cut fatty side down. On the non- fatty side take a sharp knife and ... stab it all over the surface a few times. (I was trying to think of a more professional term but you really do stab!) This is to allow the seasoning to seep into the meat while it is cooking. After a few good stabs :) sprinkle a liberal amount of garlic powder onto the surface and pound it into the meat with your hands. This can get a little messy

2. Next take your brown sugar and pack it onto the meat until you have a nice layer about 1/4 inch or so all over the surface.

3. Sprinkle onion soup mix over the meat mixture. Go ahead a use the whole package. Live a little.

4.Now place the brisket in to a large slow cooker or..... if you don't have a slow cooker don't panic! Seal the meat up really well in aluminum foil and place in a large glass baking dish. Put a little bit of water into the bottom of the baking dish to keep the meat from cooking to quickly. About a 1/4 of water or so. You can put a little bit of water in the slow cooker if you want but you don't need very much. The meat had it's own juices and the fat is going to cook off too. I wouldn't add more than a 1/4 inch to the slow cooker either. If you are cooking it in the oven you want your oven at 200 or 250 degrees (depending on how strong your oven is) and you will cook it for at least 8 hrs. In the slow cooker it cooks for about 6-8 hrs on high. Ours was done in 6 hrs.

5. To serve, just cut off the undesirable fat (there may be quite a bit) and serve with mashed potatoes, greens, rice, or whatever you like!

Mom's Spanokopita a.k.a. Cheese Triangles

I am on a roll tonight!! That's what happens when you get stuck at the airport because your flight has been delayed for 3 1/2 hours because, after the weather delay, and the air traffic ground stop, the ramp crew in LaGuardia put the passenger baggage on the wrong plane and they're now having to taxi the plane back to the gate to fix the error. Nice job LaGuardia.

This next dish was, without a doubt, my favorite dish growing up.

Spanokopita a.k.a. Cheese Triangles (with or without spinach)

1 pound feta (I usually use 8 oz)
1 pint cottage cheese about 8 oz.
1/4 cup parmesean cheese
4oz. cream cheese or half a pkg.
4 eggs
2 tbs cream of wheat or farina to thicken (optional, but I do it)

salt and pepper to taste (just a little as the cheeses are salty)

For spinach, use 10 oz pkg of frozen spinch extremely well drained and squished
10 green onions chopped finely (I don't add these because I don't like onions, but if you like onions, go nuts)

1 stick of butter or margarine, melted (I do this a little at a time as needed)
1 pkg phyllo dough

Cut filo in strips about 3" wide and fold like a flag (hence, cheese *triangles*) put on baking sheet and bake at 350 until golden about 20 minutes.

The best!

Matt-A-Roni and Cheese

I call this jazzed up Mac and Cheese dish "Matt-a-roni" because I got this recipe from my friend Matt. It is probably my favorite comfort food of all time. Without further ado:

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Argo corn starch

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp pepper2 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp margarine or butter

3 cups cheese-->this is where you get creative – any mix of cheese you want. I mix in Sharp Cheddar, Muenster, and Mozerella. Yarlzberg is also a good choice. I get some extra Mozerella to sprinkle on top during baking.

8 oz Mueller's elbows (cooked & drained)

1. In a medium saucepan combine first 4 ingredients; stir in milk. Add margarine; stirring CONSTANTLY (seriously, don't take your eye off the saucepan as this will burn very quickly!), bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil 30 seconds to one minute.

2. Stir in 1 3/4 cups cheese until melted. Add elbows. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.

3. Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven 25 minutes or until lightly browned.This makes enough for about 4-6 people.

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

We made these for Roommate Thanksgiving this year and they were a huge hit. Again, not an original recipe, but it is from Cooking Light!

A note about the ingredients: I add more of almost EVERYTHING. More salt, more basil, more oregano, more garlic powder, more pepper, more dill. And definitely more sour cream. So much for the healthy factor. Play around with the different combinations of spices until you figure out what you like best.

Ingredients
13 cups cubed red potato (about 4 pounds)

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream

1/4 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon dried basil

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

Preparation:

Cover potatoes in water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender; drain. Place potato in a large bowl. Add sour cream and remaining ingredients; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.

Yield
12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)

Enjoy!

Blueberry Cobbler from the Cobbler Gobbler

I actually can't take credit for this recipe as I found it online, but my friends and I enjoy it so much that I felt it was worth posting:

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (I've tried both and they both taste fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cup white sugar, or to taste (I usually add a LOT less and it still tastes great)
1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pinch ground cinnamon (I add more)

DIRECTIONS:
1.
Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place the blueberries into the baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in the tablespoon of melted butter. Set aside.

2.
In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Rub in the 5 tablespoons butter using your fingers, or cut in with a pastry blender until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. You should have a very thick batter, or very wet dough. You may need to add a splash more milk. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes. (I usually let it rest for closer to an hour)

3.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spoon the batter over the blueberries, leaving only a few small holes for the berries to peek through. Mix together the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over the top.

4.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top is golden brown. A knife inserted into the topping should come out clean - of course there will be blueberry syrup on the knife. Let cool until just warm before serving. This can store in the refrigerator for 2 days.

YUM!

Chicken Parmesan a la Mama May

Browning the chicken in the olive oil, mmm.....
Just out of the oven!
The plated dish! (Cliff and I usually split a half breast as they grow once you have pounded them flat and added the breading.)


This is such an Easy recipe for Chicken Parmesan and it really hits the spot when you are in the mood for Italian! Thank you to Mama May for this recipe and many others :)

Cliff and I are currently a family of two so we usually cut this recipe down to suit our needs. I'll give the measurements we use for the two of us as well. :)

Ingredients

6 med. chicken breast halves, pounded flat (about 1/4 inch) You don't want them toooo flat or they will fall apart on you. * For two people we use two breast halves

1 1/3 c dry bread crumbs. * We 1/3 the recipe on just about everything or eyeball it. We have made our own bread crumbs when we are feeling industrious. Otherwise, we just use "Progresso Italian Style" bread crumbs and they work really well.

1/3 c. grated parmesan cheese. *( I would be lying if I said that I actually 1/3 this part of the recipe for us. I probably use about 1/3 a cup for the two of us........

3 eggs beaten. * 1 for two people

1 tsp. salt I don't usually add too much salt but it's up to you. I'm that way about everything.

Pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil. *(enough to light cover the bottom of your pan will do)

2 c. or more marinara sauce of your choice. * We make our own and use leftover sauce throughout the week. I'll post the recipe for that sauce a little later

6 slices (or grated 3 0z.) mozzarella cheese. * Cliff and I actually put two slices on each halve breast because we loooove cheese. Isn't that what makes chicken parmesan so good??

Instructions

1. Combine the bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese on a large plate.

2. Combine the egg(s) salt and pepper and any additional spices (i.e. cayenne pepper...) on another plate OR a pie plate works GREAT! (Thanks Stephanie!)

3. Dip pounded chicken breasts into egg mixture and then into the bread and cheese mixture, coating well.

4. Brown chicken in olive oil in skillet. (Golden brown on each side) This will almost cook the chicken all the way through because it is pounded so flat.

5. Put chicken in baking dish, pour sauce over chicken (Just a little, I usually put a little sauce on the bottom of the dish too.) Put mozzarella cheese on top (I usually sprinkle some extra parmesan cheese on the chicken before the mozzarella too.)

6. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes (or until the cheese just barely starts to bubble up and turn a little brown)

3.

Chicken in a Cashew Nut Sauce

Stephanie enjoying our delicious Indian cuisine! (She also contributed the homemade strawberry lemonade)
Soooooo good!

This is one of my favorite Indian dishes to make. It is very simple and very mild in comparison to a lot of the other dishes we make. It comes from a book that my mom gave me when I got married called "Healthy Indian Cooking." You will need a food processor or a good blender in order to make this dish.

Ingredients

2 med. onions

2 tbsp tomato puree - (honestly I just use 1/2 a tomato as it all get's pureed anyway)

1/3 cup cashews plus more for serving later.

1 1/2 tsp garam masala (This can be found at Publix. McCormick makes it. This is a wonderful spice blend and much easier to buy than to make yourself. I actually like to add more like 2 tsp, but follow the recipe as it is the first time and see what you like.

1 tsp garlic pulp

1 tsp chili powder (this is NOT very much. I actually double this amount and it is still very mild)

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

t tbsp natural low fat yogurt (I just use regular plain yogurt)

2 tbsp oil

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) (Coriander usually refers to the seed as in ground coriander/powder)

1 tbsp sultanas (golden raisins)

1 lb boneless , skinless chicken cubed

2 1/2 cups button mushrooms or regular mushrooms cut in half

Instructions

1. Cut the onions in quarters and place in the food processor. Pulse for about 1 min.
2. At the tomato, cashews, garam masala, garlic, chili powder, lemon juice, turmeric, salt, and yogurt, and process for another 1 1/2 minutes.
3. In a heavy-based sauce pan, heat the oil, then lower the heat to medium and pour in the spice/oinion mixture from the food processor. Fry for 2 min. and lower the heat if necessary.
4. Next, add half of the chopped cilantro, the sultanas and the chicken cubes and fry for another minute.
5. Add the mushrooms, pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Cover the saucepan and lower the heat a little and simmer for about 10 min.
6. After 10 minutes check to see that the chicken is cooked all the way through and that the sauce is thick. Cook a little longer if you need to. Serve with the remaining cilantro with plain basmati rice!

Background on Curry

Here is a condensed version of my treatise on curry:

Cliff and I LOVE Indian food. It's one of my favorite things in the world! I love the unusual and unique combinations of spices and flavors and garlic naan pretty much equals heaven on earth in my book. Having said that - I get really frustrated when my friends tell me that they don't like Indian cooking because they don't like curry. This is like saying.... you don't like sauce. What kind of sauce? Marinara sauce? Cheese sauce, Barbecue? Alfredo sauce or Mexican Mole? Saying that you don't like sauce can be pretty vague. Curries work the same way. A lot of people think of yellow curry powder when they think of Indian curries and this preconceived notion doesn't even scratch the tip of the iceberg! At the risk of sounding rather lecture -y I want to give you a little background info on curries and the infamous yellow curry powder and hopefully encourage some of you that have been hesitant to try Indian cuisine to get out there and DO IT! :)
The term curry comes from the Tamil (southern India) word "Kari" and means "spiced stew." The term is now broadly used to refer to any spiced sauce. The yellow curry that most of us are familiar with is actually an approximation of Indian spices brought back from India by the British (they wanted to bring a little flavor back home from the colony) that relies heavily on turmeric. There is no "curry powder" in India as each region has their own mix/blend of spices. Some of these different curries are: Vindaloo, Korma, Dopiazza, Madras, Jalfrezi, Dhansak, etc. Some of these are very spicy and others like kormas are generally mild. They can be slightly sweet, very very hot, or even a little tangy! There are also different curries all over southeast Asia in places like Thailand and Japan and even in the Caribbean! Ok - I'll stop there because I'm sure you get the idea. I don't want you guys to read this entry, decide I'm a bore, and never return! I would just like to share my love of this country's food with anyone and everyone. I just want to stress that if you have tried a curry in the past that wasn't to your taste or fancy - give it another try! I firmly believe that there is a curry for everyone :)

MY Sour Cream Enchiladas

I know everyone and their mother has a sour cream enchiladas recipe but I want to post mine anyway. This is my husbands favorite dish that I make. I do, however, need to give a shout out to the Mama G for the basis of this recipe. Love you Mama G! Enjoy!

*There are a LOT of variations on this recipe. It is very easy to customize, so other than the sour cream and the cream of chicken soup, you can make this however your little heart desires!

Ingredients

*2 Chicken breasts (bonless, skinless, etc.) cooked and cubed. (I just boil them and then cut 'em up.
*1 can reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup (that's a mouthful!)

*3/4 to 1 cup of sour cream - I just eyeball it.

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese - generally I use a mexican 4 cheese mix but cheddar works fine and if you have picky eaters like my dad who won't eat melted yellow cheese...*sigh*... then Monterrey Jack cheese works great and tastes wonderful. Like I said, this recipe is very flexible and forgiving so go with your gut and do what you like!

1 small to med. onion finely diced

6-8 tortillas - depending on how full you fill them and whether you want to use two baking dishes

1 can red enchilada sauce (optional) I like to add about 1/3 cup to the sour cream and chicken soup and then drizzle a little on top of the rolled tortillas.

salt/ pepper to taste

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Optional spices to taste - red pepper, chili powder, oregano, cumin. I sprinkle a little or a lot of these into the sauce mixture. (Cliff and I like things to have a little kick)

Whew! Ok I think I covered the basics. I used to put corn and beans in them too but now I just serve those on the side. Like I said, make this your own!

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13" baking dish (I like to use a glass baking dish.) I usually have enough chicken and sauce left over to make two more enchiladas so I usually end up using a smaller baking dish as well to cook the last two or three.

2. Stir soup and sour cream in a large bowl a long with onions, garlic, enchilada sauce and any additional spices you choose.

3. take a few large spoonfuls of sauce and spread around the bottom of the baking dish. Start making your enchiladas by spreading one out in the dish and taking a generous spoonful of sauce and spreading it in the tortilla. Add a small handful of chicken and then sprinkle some cheese. I sometimes drizzle a little extra red enchilada sauce inside too. Roll up the tortilla with the seam down. Repeat until the one or two baking dishes are full.

4. Take remaining sauce (sour cream/soup) and spread it all over the rolled tortillas. Then Drizzle any additional red enchilada sauce and lastly sprinkle with remaining cheese!

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes. After 30 min. remove the foil and back an additional 5-7 minutes or until edges of tortillas are just slightly browned. YUM!

* Yet another variation that I sometimes like is green enchilada sauce or salsa verde instead of red enchilada sauce. This is really good too. Just something different.

Also, if I have a lot of extra red enchilada sauce left over I like to use it to cook rice. I will add it to the water I am cooking my rice in along with some spices and make spanish rice!

I hope this made sense. I don't usually use exact measurements when I cook unless I am trying something for the first time or I'm baking.....

Caribbean Crunch Shortbread Cookies

Close up
A few more....


My mom gave me a cookbook entitled "Baking (Made Simple)" last Christmas and I had yet to use it before this past weekend. I was in the mood for something sweet and decided to check it out. I'm not a huge chocolate person but I do like shortbread and I LOVE dried fruit so I thought this recipe might be good. Turns out that it wasn't good. It was AWESOME! Super easy too. Here's how it breaks down....

Ingredients
1 cup butter (two sticks) softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (I actually forgot to put this in and they tasted just fine - so it's up to you)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup diced dried tropical fruit mix, (I used Welches tropical mix with mango, pineapple, and papaya)

Instructions
1. Cream butter and sugars and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer.
2. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in dried fruit.
3. Shape the dough into a 14 inch log and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about an hour.
4. Preheat the over to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Cut the log into 1/2 inch slices (this is a little tricky with the fruit so I had to reshape some of my cookies - they turn out just fine.) Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and back for 20-25 minutes or until set and lightly browned. My oven took 25 min exactly. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 26 to 28 cookies


I tried them out on my Sunday School class today (8 year-olds) and they weren't too crazy about them because of the dried fruit - but all of the their mothers and the other teachers loved them! Hope you like them too!