Tomato Salsa (for canning)

This is a less spicy recipe that does not use much cilantro. Adjust the seasonings and peppers to create a spicier salsa if preferred. Just remember that the total of all the combined peppers should be between 4-5 cups, no matter what type used. Also, if desired, add a little hot sauce or extra ground chipotle to spice it up a little more.

Depending on the tomatoes used, this can be a very sweet salsa. Add a little additional vinegar if too sweet. Lastly, feel free to use lemon or lime juice instead of the apple cider vinegar for variety.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 4th is National chocolate chip cookie day.

For some reason, I did not bring a chocoate chip cookie recipe when we moved to Slovakia.  My friend, Joan Britton, gave me this recipe and told me the dough was really thick (her recipe called for one egg), but was the best recipe.  I could not find chocolate chips there, so I just cut up chocolate bars.

We took them to work to share and I often left out the chocolate for our friend who was allergic to it.  The cookies are still very good without chocolate!

When we moved overseas again, the eggs were smaller and we discovered two eggs worked very well.  We also could not find brown sugar, so we started using molasses instead.  Even though we can get brown sugar here, we prefer being able to adjust the molasses to our own personal tastes.

Chocolate Cake with Zucchini and Chocolate Chips

This is a moist, light chocolate cake. It is simple to make and tastes great plain or with whipped cream on top. While we usually serve it for dessert, the kids often ask for it for breakfast also.

The zucchini is well hidden in the cake and is a great way to use up some extra zucchini from your garden. We have been enjoying this recipe since Mom M. discovered it 2012.

Lady Fingers (Savoiardi)

I do not think I ever had a ladyfinger cookie until Mark was teething. We could not find “normal” teething biscuits, so we bought ladyfingers instead. They were also good with tea.

Years later, I discovered they were also a main ingredient in tiramisu. They are available at stores, but not often easy to find. So we learned how to make our own.

Pizza

This is probably the best recipe for pizza that we have found. It is also very easy. Years ago, Andrea wrote the recipe down from memory. For the longest time we just mixed everything and used the dough immediately, but Andrea learned in culinary class to let the dough sit overnight and the crust is much better.

Chocolate Chip, Cherry, Walnut Bagels

While living in Slovakia, Allan was gone many nights. Often I would go to the office with him, play on the computer a little and just be lazy while he worked in the other room. I found a few bagel recipes that were good, but this is my favorite.

Bagels (New York Style)

Mark decided to surprise us with bagels. He and Megan made them with shredded white cheddar cheese and they were wonderful.

Blondies

These are just a very simple chocolate chip bar cookie.

Grandma Bea’s Sauerkraut Pierogi

My mom taught my siblings and me how to make pierogi when we were very little. I can only remember making cheese pierogi and there were no measurements for the filling. “Add potato flakes to cottage cheese until the cottage cheese is dry. Let sit a few minutes and season with salt and pepper.”

Grandma had many different ways to make pierogi, but sauerkraut is probably my favorite. After making, warm up pierogi in a heavy pan with butter and sau·téd onions. If desired, add sour cream before serving. This makes a great meal, but is best when served with green vegetables or salad.

Pekoura

Many years ago, we had a friend visit.  Morsal taught Mark how to make Pekoura.  These coated potato slices are wonderful.  You can serve as is, but they are best with plain yogurt or yogurt with cilantro added to it.