Spinach Empanadas

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Pastry
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Filling
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 tbs bacon drippings
1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 egg, beaten

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter till smooth.
(Use a stand mixer, since the mixture is heavy.) Gradually add in the
flour and salt. Lightly knead the dough by hand. Cover with plastic
wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

In a medium skillet, cook the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings
until the onion is tender but not brown. Mix in the bacon, spinach,
cottage cheese, pepper, and nutmeg; let the mixture cool.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface
to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut 3-inch circles in the pastry, place
1 teaspoon of the filling in each circle, just to one side of the
center. Moisten the edge of the circle with the egg, fold the dough
in half over the filling to make a semicircular empanada. Seal the
edges with fork tines, and poke the top of each pastry with a fork
to make a vent. Put the empanadas on an ungreased cookie sheet, brush
their tops with egg, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.

Makes 60 empanadas.

Mexican Pork Chops and Beans

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1 Reynold's Oven cooking bag, large size
2 tbsp flour
1 cup thick and chunky salsa
2 tbsp lime juice
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick, fat trimmed
1 can (16 oz.) light red kidney beans, drained
2 med. green, yellow, orange, or red sweet peppers, cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shake flour in cooking bag; place in
13x9x2-inch baking pan. Add salsa, lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder
to bag. Squeeze bag to blend ingredients. Place pork chops in bag. Spoon
bans and peppers around pork chops. Close bag with nylon tie; cut 6 half-inch
slits in top. Bake until pork chops are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Let stand
in bag 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Cajun Shrimp

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Cajun Shrimp(2 servings)

1 lb. shrimp(3-4 inch w/out heads)
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red chile pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/8 tsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beer(room temperature)

Shell, de-vein, and rinse shrimp. Grind seasonings in mortar and pestle.
In large skillet over high heat, melt butter, add garlic, seasonings, and
worcestershire sauce. When bubbly, add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes, stirring
and shaking the skillet. Add beer and cook 3 minutes. Remove shrimp and
reduce sauce, adjusting seasoning. Serve shrimp over rice with sauce
spooned over the top.

RIWWEL-SUPPE (Streusel Soup)

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Ingredients:
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1 l milk
100g flour
1-2 eggs
salt

Instructions:
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Knead eggs, flour and salt to crumbs. Put them in the boiling milk and
cook for about 10 minutes. Season to taste. The soup is served with
boiled potatoes in their skins. (Be sure to peel them before you eat
them!) Riwwel-Suppe is a supper dish from the Odenwald.

GEROESTETE GRIESSSUPPE (Roasted Groats Soup)

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Ingredients:
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3-4 tblsp groats (or semolina, or farina)
1 tblsp butter
1 1/2 l beef broth
1 egg
salt, parsley

Instructions:
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Roast the groats in the butter until they are of light yellowish colour.
Pour the beef broth over the groats and leave for 15 minutes. Season
with salt to taste, stir in the egg and garnish with minced parsley.

Sometimes roasted, diced white bread is served with the soup.

FRANZOESISCH SUPP / QUER DURCH DE GARTE

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Ingredients:
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1.5 l beef broth or water
1 kohlrabi (turnip-cabbage), peeled and diced
4 carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 celery, peeled and diced
1 leek, diced
1/2 cauliflower
350g fresh, green beans (broken in pieces)
2 tomatos, skinned and diced
80g onions, diced
80g dried meat, diced
50g lard
parsley, salt, freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
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Melt lard in a large pan, add the dried meat and cook until the meat is
glassy. Add diced onions and steam for a while. Add the prepared
vegetables except the tomatos and pour 1.5 l beef broth or water over
it. Boil at low heat.

When everything is done, add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper
and garnish with parsley.

You can add boiled meat that is cut in small pieces. In some areas the
soup is served together with freshly made waffles.

German Chocolate Cake

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(3 layers)

4 oz german sweet chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk

Melt chocolate in boiling water. Cream butter and sugar until
fluffy, add egg yolks, vanilla, and chocolate. Add dry ingredients
alternately with buttermilk. Fold in egg whites. Pour into
three 9" pans, lined on bottoms with wax paper. Bake at 350 for
30-35 minutes. Frost tops with Coconut Pecan Frosting, leaving
sides unfrosted.


Coconut Pecan Filling and Frosting

1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/3 cup coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all except coconut and pecans in a saucepan. Cook
over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 12 minutes.
When mixture thickens, remove from heat. Stir in coconut
and pecans. Cool until spreadable.

Sauerbraten (Sour roasted beef)

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Use for 4-6 servings:

1kg piece of beef (e.g. from the upper back hip, no usual roast beef!)
1/4 l vinegar from red whine or a mixture 50:50 red whine and vinegar
2 bay leafs
2 tblsp whole black pepper
2 big onions
1 big carrot
200g potatoes
1/4 l bouillon
2 tblsp creme fraiche (or sour cream)
salt, pepper, oil

1. Place meat in a high dish, fill with vinegar (or mixture)
until covered. Add bay leafs and pepper grains and place dish in the
refrigerator. Leave there for 2-3 days, turn meat around at least once.

2. Get meat out of marinade and dry. Spice meat with pepper all around.

3. Cut onions, carrots and potatoes in little cubes.
Heat oil, place meat in it and roast until brown from all sides.
Add onions until brown, too.

4. Salt the meat, add potatoes and carrots, then the bouillon, and, optionally,
some more red whine (esp. if you used only vinegar before).
Add also a little of the marinade (without leafs and pepper).

5. Simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours on low heat in a closed pot, turn once.

6. Get meat out of the pot and keep warm.
Puree the sauce, let reduce a little. Add creme fraiche or sour creme,
add salt and pepper to your taste.

7. Cut meat into slices, serve.

Traditional side dishes are potatoes or Kloesse (dumplings),
and some vegetable like Rotkraut (that is hot red crabbage).

In some areas of germany, they add raisins and sliced apples to the sauce
so that it gets a more sweet-and-sour taste.

Suprise Chocolate Cake

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2 1/4 Cups flour 1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda 1 1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup shortening 3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup cocoa
1 cup beer 2/3 cup sourkrout
(chopped, rinsed, and drained)


1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Add eggs one at a time
3. Add beer
4. Add cocoa
5. Sift together flour, salt, and baking soda and powder.
6. Add to creamed mixture slowly, until all is mixed.
7. fold in sourkrout.
8. Put into a slightly greased 9 by 15 baking pan.
9 Bake for 30 to 45 minutes at 375 degrees F.




1 8 oz. cream cheese softened
1/2 cup confectionery sugar
2 tbsp. cream
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Cream cream cheese
2. Add cream and vanilla
3. Add sugar slowly
4. Spread over top of cake

French Onion Soup

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You start off by making a white stock (fonds blanc)
2 lbs. veal bones
2 chicken carcasses, cut into pieces
1 gal. water
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 celery stalk, sliced
2 leeks, washed well and sliced
6 cracked black peppercorns
4 parsley sprigs
2 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves

Place bones, carcasses, and water in a large stock pot. Bring to a
boil. Reduce heat, skim fat, and add vegetables and herbs. Allow to
simmer for 4-5 hours partly covered, skimming fat as necessary. Strain
well (or just ladle the soup out, leaving the bones, etc. behind).

French onion soup

8 cups fonds blanc
3 cups onion, sliced
2 tbsp. butter
8 tbsp. mixed grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
1 baguette

Melt the butter on low heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion, and
cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are soft and
golden brown. Add the fonds blanc, and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt
and pepper to taste.

In a 375 F oven place 16 1/2-inch slices of bread, cut into ~1-inch
pieces. Bake until golden brown (5-8 mins).

Put the soup into individual serving dishes, top with the croutons and 1
heaping tbsp. cheese each (I find I really need more like 2 tbsp each).
Brown the cheese under a broiler and serve immediately.