Rock & Roll Cafe

Crispy Potatoes!

2023-01-06T00:53:00.002-08:00

These potatoes aresuper crunchy. You have to try them out.

Fried Cabbage Fritters

2023-01-04T11:55:00.002-08:00

Howdy food lovers!

Shred one head cabbage

Cook in water until soft ( boil about 10 minutes), drain and dry well.

Saute 2 onions and 4 cloves of garlic in olive oil over a medium heat.

Beat together 3 large eggs and add to dry cabbage along with 4 T of flour, some salt, pepper and even a bit of red pepper if you like.

Mix well. Mixture will be similar to potato pancake mixture.

Heat some oil in a pan.

Drop the cabbage mix by heaping spoonful into the oil and fry until crispy golden brown on both sides.

photos from YouTube

In bowl, mix sour cream with dill , 1 grated large cucumber and a pinch of red pepper. You can also use yogurt instead of sour cream.

Mustard sauce is also good with these.

It seems that cabbage is good for digestion and your stomach.

Swedish Meatballs.

2022-12-03T13:26:00.001-08:00

These are great for dinner, or increase the recipe for parties, canapes etc. You can make them in a crock pot if you like.

This recipe comes from Campbell's and its one of the best you will ever try. There are others but they take longer. This one is easy and simple and perfect for a busy family.

1 pound ground turkey or ground beef. Beef really gives more flavor.

1 small finely chopped onion

dash of garlic

1 egg

1/2 cup plain panko

1 small onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, dash of allspice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter to cook the meatballs in.. which gives more flavor

3/4 cup Beef Broth

1 can Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 tablespoons sour cream

mix the turkey, egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and nutmeg in a large bowl. Shape the turkey mixture firmly into about 20 meatballs.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook until well browned on all sides (make sure the skillet and oil are hot before adding the meatballs to prevent sticking). Pour off any fat.

Add the broth to the skillet and heat to a boil, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the soup and sour cream. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Season to taste. Serve the meatballs and sauce over the noodles. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Italian Meatballs.

2022-12-02T00:56:00.002-08:00

I have used this recipe for many years and it always turns out nice. It is really nice on an Italian roll as a sandwich but equally good as appetizer or in spaghetti sauce over pasta.

photo from the web.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 finely chopped small onion

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup Italian flavor bread crumbs or whatever you like.

1/4 cup milk or cream for better meatballs.

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup of Parmesan or Romano Cheese. (Yes Virginia there are non dairy versions of those cheeses)

Mix all together in a bowl and roll into balls that are about an inch and a half in size. Place them on a greased aluminum covered pan and bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes. You just want them to lose the pink color of the meat.

They are delicious in any kind of sauce you choose to make and very good as a dinner with plain brown meat gravy with mashed potatoes and a vegetable.

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake.. Belladonna Took Baggins

2020-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

From JRR Tolkiens books

Belladonna Baggins Very Elegant Lemon Cake

1 box of lemon cake mix... follow the directions but add 2 Tablespoons of poppy seeds to it.

Prepare a bundt cake form and pour the mixture into it after oiling and flouring.

Bake at the time and temperature on the package.

Serve with lemon frosting or sprinkle on confectioner's sugar.

Lemon Frosting

1 cup of butter
5 cups of powdered (Confectioner's ) sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of lemon zest ( grated lemon peel)
yellow food coloring ...but you don't need it.
Mix the sugar with the butter until completely mixed.
Add the lemon juice and zest and mix it in.
If you need to stiffen up the frosting you can add more sugar as you need it stirring in until you get the right consistency.

Frost the cake when it is cool and sprinkle with more Poppy Seeds.

Cuban Black Bean Soup 2

2018-11-11T16:34:00.003-08:00

Cuban Black Bean Soup

3 15oz cans of black beans. I use Rienzi as they are very low sodium and better for you (other brands are over 400 mg sodium, Rienzi about 30) Lower your sodium, help your heart and blood pressure!
3 cups of low sodium chicken broth or use your own or veggie broth even.
4 garlic cloves chopped
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon of Cumin
1 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
2 big stalks of celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 medium tomatoes chopped
mince a large.. really large!.. yellow onion
chopped red bell pepper
chopped yellow bell pepper
chopped green bell pepper
tsp of salt (less or more as you like)
1 orange, juiced up and add the pulp too
avocado sliced
cilantro leaves
Lime or lemon wedges

Rinse off your beans a bit
Add to pot
add bay leaves and the orange, sliced in half.
Add rest of ingredients and cook for about an hour, stir occasionally.
When the soup is cooked to your liking remove the orange and squeeze in the juice from the orange.
If you like chunky soup, leave as is and serve with avacado slices, sour cream, additional onions or tortilla strips and chopped cilantro.
Serve with lime slices to be squeezed as wanted over the individual bowls of soup.
If you like it more creamy you can use a hand blender to cream the soup.

Gurkensalat, Cucumber Salad

2018-06-29T16:47:00.000-07:00

Gurkensalat
2 big cucumbers, sliced and drained
Vidalia onion sliced very thinly or red onion sliced thinly.
1/2 tsp of salt to pull out moisture
(1/2 tsp of mustard if you wish.. but I don't use it)
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 T. of white vinegar
1 tsp of dried dill weed
1 tsp of dried parsley
1 tsp of paprika

Remove as much of the water from the cukes as you can. Some use salt to do that and let stand for 30 minutes to drain them out.
Squeeze out the moisture a bit.

Mix the sour cream , vinegar and spices into a small bowl and fold in the cucumber and onion slces.
You need to refrrigerate over night to marinate the flavors.
Sprinkle with a wee bit of paprika and serve.

Philadelphia Style Soft Pretzels

2018-04-27T12:09:00.003-07:00

Philly soft pretzels are a hit all over the country.

They are very easy to make and delicious.
Hint: you can buy frozen bread dough, thaw it and use that instead of making your own bread dough.

Here is the recipe I have used. I used to make them by the dozens for the kids every week. I also use this for pizza dough.
Also if you don't shape them into pretzels, they are bagels.
I won't swear to it, but I think I used to use this recipe for Elephant Ears also. You just deep fry the dough in Elephant ear shapes, then dip in powdered sugar as a dessert.

5 cups of flour

1 tsp of sugar

4 tsp of active yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil

4 cups hot water

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup of warm (110F) water to dissolve the yeast

1/2 cup of baking soda.

Coarse salt or Kosher salt.

dissolve the yeast and one teaspoon of sugar in the 1 and 1/4 cups of warm water and let stand until it is creamy. This might take 10 mins.

In another bowl, mix your flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and the salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour and add in the oil and yeast mixture.

Form this into a bread dough.

You can add water if its too dry by Tablespoon fulls of water. Be careful.

Knead the dough for about 8 minutes or so and form into a ball. Coat lightly with oil and then wrap the bowl over with Plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

This takes about an hour.

In a bowl, dissolve your baking soda in 4 cups of hot water and set that aside.

Turn the risen flour onto a floured boards and divide up to form your pretzels. Roll pieces into ropes and twist into pretzel shape. (this can be confusing sometimes but, you will get the hang of it).
Now dip each pretzel into the baking soda water..this helps keep inside soft, outside crispy.
Place on a greased baking sheet.

You can sprinkle it with coarse salt or not as you like.

Bake in preheated 450F oven about 8 mins.

They should be golden brown outside.

In Philly they are eaten with mustard on them!

You can put anything on top before you bake them.

Poppy seeds, Sesame seeds, kosher salt dried onion, Caraway seeds.. whatever you like.

Super Easy Chocolate Mousse PIe

2017-10-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

All you need is a pre-made cookie crust and you are good to go.
The best part is it is pretty darn good and you can dress it up for company.
Children love it too.

Ingredients:

photo from Pillsbury

1 pkg Jell-O instant Chocolate Instant pudding mix
1 1/2 cups ice cold milk
1 1/2 cups of Cool Whip.
1 oreo pie crust.. ready made.

Here is how:

Mix the pudding with the milk and 1 cup of Cool Whip for about 2 minutes.
It will thicken.
Add to pie crust.. chill and serve with Whipped Cream and Chocolate sprinkles on top!

Strawberry Champagne Cake

2017-06-07T13:12:00.001-07:00

recipe from Good Housekeeping

Ingredients:

1 package of a 2-layer-size white cake mix
Champagne or sparkling wine

1 16 ounce can vanilla frosting
Few drops red food coloring
Sliced or whole fresh strawberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour two 8x1-1/2-inch round cake pans; set aside.
Prepare cake mix according to package directions, except replace the water with an equal amount of champagne. Pour batter into prepared pans, spreading evenly. Bake according to package directions. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on racks.
Tint frosting with food coloring to make a light pink. Place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a serving plate. Spread with about 1/2 cup of the tinted frosting. Place remaining cake layer, rounded side up, on top. Frost top and side of cake with remaining frosting. Garnish with strawberries.

Hamburger Joe Hamburgers with Cole slaw

2017-05-29T16:00:00.000-07:00

If you like Turkey Joes (turkey sandwiches with coleslaw on them), you will also probably like Hamburger Joes which are popular at the Rock & Roll Cafe.

Here is the recipe for our great hamburgers:

1 lb of lean ground beef
1 egg whisked
1 tsp of Worchestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp Dijon mustard.
1 small grated sweet yellow or Vidalia onion
Mix all ingredients with the ground beef and form into patties that are 3/4 inch thick.
Depress the center of each burger with a spoon to prevent them from puffing up too much during frying.
Cook until no longer pink.. about 6 to 8 mins per side but check for done by seeing what color the juice runs when you press on the burger. Clear is well done.

Serve on a toasted bun and pile the burger with plenty of coleslaw

Rock & Roll Coleslaw:

1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
2 T of white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
1 Tablespoon of vinegar
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/4 tsp of salt or celery salt if you like
Add all ingredients in bowl and whisk well.

Shred 1 small head of cabbage and 2 large carrots and mix in the mayo sauce.
Pile coleslaw onto the burger
Offer ketchup, mustard, etc and tomato for the burgers and serve with french fries and pickle on the side.

Slovak Segedinsky Goulash

2017-05-28T14:28:00.002-07:00

Slovakian Sauerkraut Stew

3 T of olive or vegetable oil (the original recipe calls for lard )

1.5 lbs of beef cut up into 1 inch pieces
1 bay leaf 2 pounds of sauerkraut well drained and rinsed and chopped up coarsely.
1 cup of heavy cream
1 and 1/4 cup of bone broth or plain water, but bone broth will add good flavor.
You can now buy it in the supermarket where the packaged broths are sold.
salt, pepper to taste
1 tsp of Caraway seed
2 big sweet yellow onions chopped up.
2 Tablespoons of Paprika

saute the onion in the oil over a slow heat. Soften them up nicely.
Add the beef chunks, caraway and bay leaf and brown the meat. Now add the paprika and pour in the water quicly as paprika can burn very fast!
Cook until the beef is done.
Add the coarsely chopped sauerkraut. You chop it since you don't want long strings of it in the stew.
Simmer about 30 minutes.
Serve in a bowl with dollops of sour cream.
Have it with crusty hot bread and butter and a salad or vegetable on the side.

Chilly Weather Veggie Soup

2016-09-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

V
egetable Soup:

1 can of garbanzo or red kidney beans
8 sliced carrots
2 large Vidalia or Sweet Yellow Onions, chopped up
4 large celery ribs chopped
2-3 cups of chopped green cabbage
2 cups of chopped green beans
2 cups of peas
1 cup of sweet corn
1 big cans of Italian tomatoes.. chop them up.
Chicken or Beef broth to make the liquid part of the soup but about 4 to 6 cups worth.
6 to 8 baby potatoes cut into halves or you can also add some cooked pasta instead of the potatoes.for a very filling meal.
1 bay leaf, some pepper, some dried basil.
1 tsp of thyme and 1 tsp marjoram though you won't miss them if you don't add them.
If you like add a big beef bone for more nurition and flavor or add a pound of cut up beef.

Everything into a big pot and cook on medium heat until done.
That's all there is to it.
Adjust the heat to keep it from burning and stir often.

Long Island Iced Tea

2016-08-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

For most of us iced tea is just tea with lots of ice, some lemon and maybe a sprig of mint.
For the rest of you:

Old Fashioned Ice Cream

2016-07-24T12:42:00.001-07:00

I made a graphic for this recipe.

I am not sure where the recipe came from but I've had it a while.
Enjoy.

Jack Kennedy's Fettucine

2016-06-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

I have no idea where I got this recipe but I know I've had it for a long while now.
A favorite of President John F. Kennedy

1 tablespoon butter
1 lb fettuccine pasta
1/3 cup onion
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup whipping cream
a cup of sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/3 cup finest parmesan cheese

Here are the directions:

1 Parmigiano reggiano cheese finely grated.
2 cook fettucine for 8 to 10 minutes al dente. Drain well.
3 Now, in another pan melt butter on medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until softened and transparent.
4 Stir in chicken stock and bring to a boil; simmer for 5 minutes . You want to reduced it slightly.
5 Whisk in the cream and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
6 Add cooked noodles and sour cream; toss to combine well.
7 Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8 Transfer to a deep platter. Sprinkle the chopped chives over the top and sprinkle with a ton of cheese.

Emigrant Stew

2016-05-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

As people began to emigrate westward, they took family staple recipes and adapted them to life on the trail in a covered wagon.

They brought along salt pork and bacon for the trip. Salted fish if they had it . Pickles for vitamin C, plenty of coffee, some tea and makings for flour biscuits.

One recipe was made with hunted meat,usually buffalo or deer but you can use beef.
Beef was not found on the pioneer trail menu.
But once they settled down and cattle flourished, this recipe was adapted for beef.

Try buffalo though. It is good for you. Low in cholesterol and fat.

Emigrant Stew
Cubed beef, about 3 lbs.
Chopped onion 1 cup
1 cup chopped turnip
2 cups of canned tomatoes. Include the juice
Potatoes, peeled or not as you prefer. 4 to 5 medium sized
2 cups chopped up celery
Lots of chopped carrot.. as much as you like
couple of garlic cloves

4 cups of water or beef broth
pepper, salt to taste
1 tsp of Coleman's English mustard.
Dredge meat in 2 T. of flour.
Brown in a pan with a T of olive or shortening and add to Dutch oven or crock pot.
Add rest of ingredient and cook 4 to 6 hours in crock pot or 2 hours on low in Dutch oven.

If you like things spicier, you can add a bit of ketchup and worchestershire sauce to the mix. Be careful and taste as you go!

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

2016-04-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I found this recipe a long time ago and it is a family favorite because it is delicious and the kind of meal you want to eat a lot of.

broccoli florets (you can use frozenand you want to use the equivalent of half a head of fresh)
cauliflower florets equivalent of about half a small head of cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
black pepper
1 pint of cherry tomatoes sliced in half
8 ounces of pasta shells or elbow macaroni
1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 cup of cheddar cheese
kosher salt to taste

Prepare your pasta and drain well.
Toss the broccoli, cauliflower and tomato slices with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes or until they are roasted and tender.
Now heat the remaining olive oil in a sauce pan and heat. Add the flour and whisk together well for half a minute then slowly add the milk whisking as you go to blend completely.
Allow the sauce to thicken.

Remove from heat and stir in your cheese. The sharper the cheese the more flavorful the dish.
Add to this your vegetables and pasta and place all in a baking dish.
Cover top with more cheese (and you can add a blend of cheeses too) and bake at 425F for about 5-6 minutes or until golden on top.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2016-01-14T03:44:00.001-08:00

It is so much better to make things from scratch.

Homemade taco seasoning

They are lower in sodium, more heart healthy for that reason alone, and have far less artificial ingredients.
I make my own taco seasoning and use it for tacos, taco salads, etc.
It is very low in sodium when compared to the commercial ready made brands that have a huge amount of sodium in them.
Even better there is no MSG in this recipe!

Here is my recipe for the seasoning.
Maybe you will find it useful.

2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon of Onion Powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Paprika(any kind will do according to your taste)
1/2 Teaspoon of Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon of Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon of Oregano
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 pinch of Cayenne pepper
salt to taste (I do not add salt)
Pinch of red pepper flakes if you like it hotter.
Mix all this well and store in an airtight container.

It takes about 2 T. of this mix to a pound of cooked ground turkey or well drained ground beef but add to taste please so you don't over do or under do it.
You then add a small amount of water ( about a third of a cup) to mix it all in and return to cooking until most of the water is absorbed.

I mix the turkey mixture with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, non dairy cheese subsitute, non dairy sour cream and chopped onions.
My family like it a lot.

Russian Tea Cakes

2014-12-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Sometimes called Wedding Cookies, Butterballs... take your pick. They are delicious by any name.

Salmon Patties

2013-12-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like fried Salmon Patties for lunch or supper. They are good any time of year and are even good in a sandwich the next day.
Here is a recipe I use:

1 large can of Pink Salmon (usually 14.75 oz)
2 large eggs
some chopped parsley or about 2T of dried parsley
1 to 1 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs, flavored or not is your choice.
Pepper to taste ( you can use Lemon pepper if you like)
a dash of garlic powder if you do not use flavored bread crumbs.

Mix all up in a bowl and then shape into round balls. Then flatten into hamburger shaped patties.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil or butter and brown the patties nicely on both sides.
You can drain them on paper towelsl

They are delicious with tartar sauce, seafood sauce (ketchup and horseradish), mayonnaise, or lemon juice.
Serve with french fries, or boiled tiny new potatoes with parsley and butter.

Keftes de Prasa---Leek Fritters

2013-09-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am referring you to the recipe on THIS BLOG because it is one of the best I have found for these delights.
This is one of my favorite foods and I hope you will like them as much as I do.
Leeks have a wonderful, gentle flavor and they are so good for you too.
Skip over to Baleboosteh and see her lovely recipe.

Navajo Fry Bread

2013-08-29T22:56:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite bread. I make it almost daily and have for years and years.

3 cups of flour
1 and 1/2 cup of very warm, almost hot water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2Tablespoons of shortening
3 tablespoons of powdered milk (I usually don't use milk in these at all)
3 Teaspoons of baking powder.
Oil to fry with
Extra flour for handling the dough.

To Prepare:

Sift the flour, salt, powdered milk(if you use it), and baking powder into a large bowl.
cut in shortening and mix to a pea like consistency
Pour the water over the flour mixture
Stir the dough with a fork to form a ball.
Flour your hands and mix the bread with them and then form a ball. (Don't knead it like regular bread or it will get heavy.)
Form circles with your hands about 5 inches round.
In a deep heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to about 350 degrees F.
Fry on both sides until golden brown and bubbled up.

Top with butter and powdered sugar if you like or serve like a taco with ground beef, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce,etc. You can place any sandwich ingredients, even melted cheese on top and fold into a taco like shape or just eat as a dessert with the sugar.

War Cake

2013-08-20T20:27:00.001-07:00

This was a recipe popular during WWII when rationing made sugar and other ingredients hard to come by.

It is easy to make, easy to adjust and alter to your own tastes.
Best of all it is great with or without frosting.
It is even good toasted with butter!

In a saucepan mix the following:

1/3 cup shortening (housewives used a lot of lard in those times.)
2 tsp of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of cloves
1 1/4 cups of water
1 cup of brown sugar
2 cups of raisins (Optional if you don't like them)
Boil these together for about 3 minutes then cool.
Now add 1 tsp of baking soda that you have dissolved in 2 tsp of water.
Now you can add 1 cup of chopped walnuts of pecans if you like.

Mix 1 tsp of dry baking soda into 2 cups of sifted flour.
Mix with the wet ingredients and pour into a greased and floured 8 inch square pan and bake for 50 minutes at 325F.
It is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

To fancy it up a bit, place a doily over the cooled cake and sift confectioners(powdered) sugar over the top to form a pretty pattern!
Enjoy

Crock Pot Roast

2013-07-30T13:25:00.001-07:00

8 medium carrots, cut up
1-2 stalks celery cut up
2 medium onions, cut up as you prefer
salt and ground pepper and Italian seasoning.
1 beef chuck roast (3 pounds), trim off any excess fat
1/2 cup of red wine
1 large bay leaf
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cut up cloves of garlic

In a heavy pan, place about 2 T of olive oil. Heat the oil enough to sear the meat when added. Salt and pepper the clean roast and coat with the seasoning and then brown it all over in the pan. A browned roast makes better gravy. Once it is completely browned, remove it to a plate and add the onions and brown them as well. Place vegetables, roast and wine in your crock pot and cook low for 8 to 10 hours or until the meat is very tender. Keep checking that liquid is sufficient for gravy. Serve with potatoes or rice and a green vegetable. You can thicken the gravy if you need to, but usually it will be fine as is.

You can cook your potatoes in the pot as well. Add them half way through.