Hungarian Spring Pea Soup (Zöldborsóleves)

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Springtime in Hungary? This soup appears often - a broth filled with delicate flavours, fresh sweet peas, and the texture of little dumplings (csipetke or nokedli).

Lovely with spring peas, it is just as tasty with frozen peas.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp/Crumble

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I’m sure there’s some technical difference between a crisp and a crumble, but right now I don’t care.

All I know is that I can’t stop making/eating this. It’s similar to the crumble recipe already on this blog, but uses a bit less fruit and somehow feels faster.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Pulled BBQ Chicken

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I find “pulling” pork to be a bit difficult/ tedious. Pulling chicken is easy. I like using the more tasty thigh meat.

The only thing you may not have on hand to make this is the bottle of liquid smoke, but it’s easy to find at most grocer’s. Serve these on the brioche-type buns. You can make this the day ahead!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Corn and Bacon Pasta

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Need comfort food during COVID-19? Last year I broadened my interest from corn on the cob, to corn “off the cob” - as in cutting kernels off fresh corn cobs. Mind you, frozen corn is terrific - making this a year-round comfort food! And then there’s BACON. And cream! Enough said!

This is meant to be eaten warm, though it’s still good at room temperature.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Hungarian Goulash

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I get daily newsletters from the wonderful Saveur and their team always impresses especially with East European recipes. I could not ignore this recipe and have already made it more than once - with a few tweaks.

This is a beef goulash which is technically more traditional since the origins of the dish are linked to the “cowboys” herding cattle. In Hungary, goulash is a soup - period. No debate.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Cannoli "Bread"

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This fabulous treat is based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen who was inspired to make it when faced with leftover ricotta.

I too love to make things with ricotta, plus for a review of local bakeries I’d been eating a lot of cannoli. I was hooked! Made it and love it!! The recipe also uses olive oil which is considered healthier than butter.

Is it a “cake” or “bread. Read more…

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Miso Honey Butter Corn

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I had discovered the wonders of miso and now was on the lookout for how else to use it.

I’ve lost count of how often I have made this addictive recipe - even with frozen corn now that the corn harvest has ended. If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can pull this together quickly as a side or a snack.

Great warm or at room temperature.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Orzo Salad with Orange and Fennel

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Orzo is great in salads and this pretty combo is always a hit with family and guests. You may like fennel but are not sure how to use it. If you’ve never had fennel, try this salad where it adds a pleasant crunch.

This can be served at room temperature or chilled so it’s also good for potlucks or picnics.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Hungarian Cucumber Salad (Uborka Saláta)

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This Hungarian cucumber salad is iconic. It will appear without fail at any home-cooked feast.

With a tangy - sweet flavour, it's a great accompaniment to any kind of breaded meat (think schnitzel or fried chicken), and the perfect side for Chicken Paprikas. I was not fond of it as a child since I hated cucumber seeds, but these days most of us use "English Cucumbers" which are almost seedless.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question.

Zserbó Szelet | Gerbaud Slice

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For years, this appeared every Xmas, made by my mother-in-law. Once she stopped baking, it was missed, so I made it my business to figure it out. Maybe one day someone else in the family will join me in carrying on the tradition.

There’s quite a story about this 125 year old confection. If you have ever been to Budapest, you undoubtedly went to the famous Cafe Gerbeaud. This is one of their signature desserts.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Carrot Kohlrabi Sauté

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I love the look of coloured heirloom carrots. Clearly, they can be cooked in any way, but I needed a stove-top method.

This is a simple recipe with respect to instructions and is ready to serve in about 10 minutes. Cutting the vegetables into matchsticks can be a bit time-consuming but can be done ahead of time.

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Cardamom Delicata Squash

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I’d be happy to eat squash every day. There are so many varieties and variations, You can get fancy, but there’s nothing wrong with a quick toss in oil, some salt/pepper and an oven bake.

This recipe is a tiny bit more interesting, and includes cardamom. It also works best with Delicata Squash - which has an edible skin - translation - no need to peel the squash!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

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I’m posting this just after peak zucchini season, but zucchini are available all year so you can make this great veggie side dish anytime!

I have to admit that the prep is a wee bit fiddly. You have to slice the zucchini thinly and then coat each in crumbs. Just go into Zen mode and you’ll be a half hour away from a heavenly treat.

I have now made them several times, so will share the variations and what worked for me!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Pork and Cabbage Dumplings

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It’s harvest season and cabbages are appearing. While that veggie is tremendously versatile, there are moments when "cabbage” + “pasta” come to mind. (It’s a Hungarian “thing”.)

No surprise that this combo also appears in far east cuisine in the form of dumplings. We enjoy dumplings, though do not often get to restaurants that excel at making them. Truth is it can be fun to make them at home and it’s surprisingly easy!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Shrimp Rolls

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Summer days and dreams of Shrimp Rolls. 

As if they were a super special treat.

Fact is - they are so crazy easy, you could have them every day - which is Mr. KB's advice - and wish!

Though Lobster Rolls may come to mind first, they are more costly. These rolls made with salad shrimp are economical and are just as satisfying!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Zaleti

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I am always, always distracted by Italian Cookies. How have I not known about Zaleti? 

Variously referred to as Zaeti, Zaleti, Xaleti, and Xaeti, these cookies are considered Venetian and were popular in poor families who tended to have the ingredients - cornmeal being the main one. In fact the cookie name is linked to their word for "yellow" - the colour of cornmeal.

Zaleti are not too sweet. They have great texture from the cornmeal - and they're Italian! Bet you can't eat just one!

Click here for the recipe page, which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Cool Slaw

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This recipe is over 40 years old, from the groundbreaking book "Recipes for a Small Planet" - a plea for the adoption of environmental vegetarianism.

It was aimed at teens - and the dressing is almost like a smoothie!

Click here for the recipe page (which is technically for Party Plum Cake), which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Sour Cherry Party Cake

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This is not a new recipe. Once I realized that this great cake could be the base for almost any fruit, the sky was the limit.

A fellow blogger just posted that the BC cherry crop is rolling in, but not yet here in Niagara. Instead I used frozen tart cherries from a local farm to make this treat that looks and tastes fab!

The recipe is directly from ‘More Food That Really Schmecks’ by Edna Staebler, 1979. This is an absolute favourite in the KB kitchen. 

Click here for the recipe page (which is technically for Party Plum Cake), which links back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question. 

Creamy Coleslaw

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If you Google "coleslaw" you'll get 17 million recipes. "Creamy coleslaw" refines the search results to only 1.25 million.

So why should I share a coleslaw recipe?

Because one goal of this blog is to record family favourites, and this is the coleslaw I used to make.

Click here for the recipe, and link back here if you wish to leave a Comment or ask a Question or add a LIKE!