Salad....The Bulgarian Way

Have you ever met someone and they say their name and you say "What was that?" and then they say it again and you say "oh, ok" because you still have no idea what their name is but you don't want to be rude and ask again? My friend Krassimira is like that, and the above is pretty much how our first conversation went. I would listen closely every time she would tell other people what her name was until I had it down.

Now, keep in mind that I did not have the luxury of having it written down in front of me and she does have a slight accent. However, we got over my lack of knowing what her name was for the first few months of meeting one another and now are great friends.

Our families decided to go on a quick overnight campout and we were discussing the menu when she came out and said she was going to bring a salad. I am proud to say that I managed to keep a straight face. I then went home and told my husband and we both had a good laugh about bringing a salad camping.

So, there we were, surrounded by all of the normal camping fare; chips, soda, hot dogs, chilli, smores, and then there was the.... salad. And after the first bite, all I wanted to eat was the flippin' salad!!! (by the way, that did not prevent me from having one or two or seven smores)

This is apparently the salad that graces every table at any kind of dinner in Bulgaria. It is so easy but SOOOO good. She eyeballs everything which I yelled at her about, but I found as I made it that eyeballing isn't too bad.

Cucumber, Tomato, and Feta Salad(I don't think this is the name, I just made it up)

One European cucumber, peeled and cubed (this means seedless- the one I got was from Canada)

3-4 Grape vine tomatoes, cut into medium sized cubes (this can be any juicy tomato, but just not Roma)

1 bunch of green onions, cleaned and diced

package of feta cheese (she uses Bulgarian sheep's milk and yeah, I couldn't find that so I used just regular feta)

extra virgin olive oil

red wine vinegar

kosher salt to taste

Combine cucumber and tomato and onion. Add olive oil. I drizzled and counted to 5. Really, just however much you want. Add red wine vinegar, again to taste. I used like 12 splashes. Add salt to taste as well. Put in crumbled feta and mix well. Serve.

Wow, there were a lot of parentheses in this post!

Strawberry Bruschetta

Strawberries, Strawberries, everywhere! I know I just posted a strawberry recipe, but really, what says summer more than fresh, vibrant, juicy berries? Case in point, I went to a baby shower recently and almost every dish contained strawberries. Many people brought things and I guess strawberries were on everyone's minds.

I first had this recipe at Kelly's wedding shower. There was a great spread, including this recipe from Pampered Chef. I felt bad because when I made it this time, it was so hot outside that just bringing it from the car to the shower made the cream cheese mixture totally melt. Oh well, it still tasted pretty good. The picture just isn't the greatest. And I was in a huge rush so when I sprinkled the powdered sugar on the top right before walking out the door, it was totally clumped together. I know, excuses, excuses......

Strawberry Bruschetta

By Pampered Chef

20 slices French bread, cut 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 lemon
1 container (8 ounces) cream cheese spread
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
Additional powdered sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush butter over bread slices. Combine granulated sugar and cinnamon.  Sprinkle evenly over bread slices. Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown; remove and place onto cooling rack.  If you have a stone, you can use that to bake the bread.  Otherwise, just use a regular cookie sheet.

Meanwhile, zest lemon to measure 1 teaspoon zest. Juice lemon to get 2 teaspoons. In small bowl, whisk cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon zest and juice until smooth using whisk. Hull strawberries; coarsely chop.

Scoop cream cheese mixture over bread slices; spread evenly. Top with strawberries. Sprinkle bruschetta with almonds and powdered sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.

Strawberry Pie

Whenever I see strawberries, I am immediately transported back to my youth. The youth that was filled with the four letter word that was gardening. Ok, so it really isn't a four letter word, literally or metaphorically speaking. But when you are young and it is sweltering outside, and there beside you is a sparkling cool pool in which you are not allowed in until you have finished weeding the strawberry patch, it sure seems like it.

Now, I wish I had a strawberry patch to weed in, and yes, I would even implement the same strategy to get my kids to do their fair share of the work. Funny how things change, huh?

There are so many great recipes with strawberries. However, my mom's simple but absolutely yummy strawberry pie is among my favorites. I think it is the cream cheese addition that really puts it over the top. Whenever it is just becoming summer, I have a craving for strawberry pie and weirdly enough, weeding.

Strawberry Pie

1 pie crust (homemade or store bought)

1 cup of sugar, divided

1/2 c water

1 2 lb. carton of strawberries (I usually use a 2 lb one, plus several of another carton)

3 tbs of cornstarch

4 oz. cream cheese ( I usually add a little more, but I like my cream cheese!)

Begin by cooking your crust so it has ample time to cool.

Then go on to cutting up strawberries and placing in pan, keeping 15 -20 for the top. With hands, mush strawberries. Add water and a 1/2 cup of sugar.

In separate bowl, combine remaining sugar (1/2 c) and cornstarch. I usually use pretty heaping tablespoons, but again, that is just me. I like my pie a little thick.

Pour a little of the strawberry mixture into the sugar and cornstarch. Mix until it forms a paste, then return it to the mixture.

Over medium heat, cook until boiling and mixture thickens.

On cooled crust, spread cream cheese. On top of that, pour boiling mixture. You can refrigerate and then add the strawberries to top or if you are impatient like me, just add them right away. I have found it doesn't make too much of a difference. Refrigerate for a little while, just to settle the pie. You can always add a little whipped cream to make it extra special!

Add a little "Magic" to your Day

I saw these recently on Lick The Bowl Good. They were called "Magic Cookie Bars", and I was craving something sweet. I had everything in my pantry, which is just about the craziest thing ever and thought I would whip some up. Ryan just about passed out from shock from me making dinner and a dessert on a Tuesday night! Really, making dinner is about enough of an oddity! But these were really good and really easy. I called them endless possibility bars because with using the first layers, you could use so many different ingredients. On Lick the Bowl Good, she talked about omitting the nuts and adding dried fruit which I thought sounded good. I think next time I will try white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts only.

Magic Cookie Bars

found on Lick The Bowl Good

1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs

1/2 c butter, melted (one stick)

1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk

2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 c coconut flakes

1 c chopped nuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13 x 9 baking pan with non-stick spray.

Combine butter and graham cracker in bowl and mix together. Press into bottom of baking pan. Pour condensed milk evenly over crust. Layer with chocolate chips, coconut, and nuts. Press down firmly with fork.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned. I just cooled them in the pan, although you are supposed to remove them to a wire rack to cool. Just cut and enjoy!

Sugar Cookies with a Twist

I was watching Dear Food Network and they were featuring holiday cookies. Robin Miller (I think that is her name) did a quick segment with these cookies. I jotted it down and tried them today. The cherries and chocolate go really well together. I didn't put the whole 1/2 c of pistachio in the cookie and I think it is hard to taste them. So I would try the whole amount next time.





1 package of sugar cookie dough
1/2 c dried cherries
1/2 c pistachios (either pulsed a few times in food processor or broken into pieces by other methods, aka a ziploc bag and skillet)
2 bars of white baking chocolate

Roll out cookie dough on a piece of plastic wrap. Add cherries and pistachios and work through the dough. Wrap the dough with plastic and reform into log. Cut off chunks of dough and form into balls (whatever size you want them to be). Place in 350 degree oven for 7-11 minutes. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, microwave chocolate in 15 seconds intervals, stirring after each time. When melted, dip half of cookie into chocolate.

Horseradish-Crusted Filet Mignon

Growing up we only had our steaks one way- marinated in soy sauce and grilled. While this is probably my favorite way still, I have since ventured out and had my steaks prepared many different ways. Ryan and I decided to combine old with the new this time. We still marinated our steaks in soy sauce but we added a horseradish crust. The result was delicious!!

Found on cooking.com
6 tbs salted butter, room temperature
3 to 4 tbs grated fresh horseradish or prepared white horseradish
1/2 c panko (japanese bread crumbs)

Cream butter. Once butter is light and fluffy, add horseradish and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add breadcrumbs and mix until they have incorporated. Use hands to shape butter and breadcrumb mixture into flat disks the diameter of your filets. Place on plate, cover with plastic, refrigerate at least one hour.

Preheat broiler or oven to highest temperature. Place oven rack on the top third of oven. Over medium-high, heat a large, heavy ovenproof frying pan. Season the filets with salt and pepper. Sear filets until dark golden, 2 to 3 minutes on the first side. Turn over and sear other side. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare. Place horseradish breadcrumb topping over each filet and place in broiler until the crust becomes golden.

You can wrap the filets with one piece of bacon, securing the ends with a wooden toothpick. Before searing the filets, sear the bacon by standing the wrapped filets on their sides until the bacon just begins to brown and become crispy, about 30 seconds per side.

Baked Beans

Okay, I have had several different types of baked beans over the years but my mom's recipe is still the best I have ever had. Whenever I bring them to any event, I am always asked for the recipe. They are really versatile as they make a great side dish to an Easter meal as well as at a bbq!

Baked Beans

By Terri Schaeffer

Can of Campbells Pork and Beans (It needs to be Campbells, it is not as good with other brands)
4-6 pieces of bacon
1/2 c white onion
1/2 c ketchup
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp chilli powder (add to taste)

1 tsp ground mustard

Fry bacon in skillet-remove bacon but leave drippings in pan. Saute onion on low until clear. Crumble bacon back in skillet, add beans. Add ketchup, brown sugar, and chilli powder. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
I then usually place in crockpot to warm until bbq or meal. They are so good!