sweet kitchen

If the Czech traditional kitchen had muffins in its repertoire, what would they look like? Well, it has to have raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla and apples….that’s kind of like the all-famous Apple Strudel! Nothing really new under the sun but if you put it in a muffin form it adds a bit of novelty to it. I also spiced it up by using molasses instead of sugar to create a bit richer taste.

So what do you think? Is it going to make it among other Czech ‘buchtas‘?

CZ: Kdyby ceska kuchyne mela ve svem repertoaru muffiny (nebo spis mafiiiiny), jake by asi bylo jeho slozeni? Mno, tak by tam musely byt samozrejme rozinky, vlaske orechy, vanilka, troska skorice a take jablicka…tedy takovy jablkovy zavin v mufinove podobe. Tedy je to neco trosku jineho, jeste kdyz ho navic posypete drobenkou. Ja jsem k tomu jeste pouzila molasses (melasa syrup??) misto cukru, aby to melo trosku netradicni a trosku obsahlejsi chut.

Tak co myslite, prezil by cesky mafiiiin mezi ostatnimi ceskymi buchtami??>

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Costco is now selling plums but the problem is that it sells about 200 of them in a box so you have to consume them quickly before they go bad. One way to get rid of them is to make a delicious Czech plum cake. It is very easy and makes a great and unique entertainment food since most Americans don’t know such cake.

 

 

 

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ATTENTION to all fellow Czechs and Slovaks (or anyone who likes  good chocolate): You will be happy to know that Target now carries Milka – the best German chocolate ever. Unfortunately, it carries only one type, which is the ‘boring’ milk chocolate Milka. My all-time favorite is yogurt Milka, which still has not made it to the US.

I took that picture in Target so that you know I am not making things up ;)

CZ: POZOR, DULEZITE HLASENI! Target nyni prodava cokoladu Milku. OPAKUJI: Target nyni prodava cokoladu Milku!!!! Je to sice jen ‘nudna’ mlecna cokolada, ale snad nam brzy dovezou zajimavejsi prichute, jako je napriklad jogurtova Milka – moje oblibena!!

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Having two kids makes me feel like I have a hundred of them: so much to do and so little time! Which brings me to this recipe. Many times I find myself craving poppy-seed kolache but there are none. Certainly not in the store and I don’t have a whole day to bake them myself.  But I think I found a workable solution to fill my cravings! I buy  puff pastry sheets (Pepperidge Farms brand) in the store, make little pockets out of them and fill them with poppy-seed filling which is very easy to make. That way I have an imitation of traditional Czech kolache (which ends up looking like a poppy-seed turnover) in no time! Well, more like in 2o minutes…. [click to continue…]

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I thought I would translate yet another delicious Czech Christmas cookie recipe but after searching the internet for a bit I realized I don’t have to. I don’t have to translate anything or convert the European measurements because it has already been done! Barbara Rolek, who is apparently a well-known food editor, food writer and restaurant critic for daily newspapers and magazines, has done it all for us. Since her parents were Polish I bet the Czech food is close to her heart (as it is on the map) and that is why she searched for our bear paws. Or maybe the recipe has been with the Polish culture for quite some time? Either way, thank you Barbara for this recipe!

When I was a child, Christmas cookies were my grandma’s specialty. [click to continue…]

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Just like you heard me complain about cherries I would like to raise another important fruit issue: currants and gooseberries. Whatever has happened to them? Did they commit some horrible crime to the American people that most of them don’t even know what they are?

I happened to come across a little tiny box of some very tiny gooseberries in the grocery store the other day and since they were on sale I put them in my basket. Unfortunately, they were completely tasteless – nothing like what I was used to in the Czech Republic. You see, the Czechs grow up on currants and gooseberries. They hang over every fence and grow in almost every garden. They are easy to take care of and are also very nutritious. In fact, they are so sour at times, that one could probably overdose on vitamin C from them!

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livance google image/smagpictures.comMartin’s yogurt breakfast pancakes – Czech style

Martin was born in Prague and since 1978 he has been living in the US. He married an American lady named Kathleen (who is also the co-creator of this magical recipe) and have 2 wonderful kids together. His blog called O Americe” (“About America”) is written strictly in Czech. Why?  Martin gets to express himself in his native language, and  his non-English speaking Czech friends and family  can learn more about the American ways. Through his blog he found a  virtual way how to connect with his unforgettable motherland.

For those of you who would like a less fattening version of my recipe on livance (pancakes) here is Martin’s healthy version:
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img_2792Now that Thanksgiving is out of the way (still have a bellyache by the way) let’s talk CHRISTMAS!!! My Czech friend Martina agreed to some truly delicious guest post…

Ted kdyz je Dikuvzdani jiz za nami (porad mam z neho jeste precpane bricho), muzeme se zacit bavit o VANOCICH!! Moje kamaradka Martina (ceska) nam popisuje sve vanoce…plus vyborny recept.

CZECH COOKIE BAKING AND HOW CHRISTMAS IS THE TIME OF PEACE ;0)

- by Martina

When I think about a Christmas time back in Czech – when I was just a little girl – my mind pictures the classroom environment just before the winter break. The blackboard was written all over with notes for our teacher not to test us anymore since we had to be helping our moms with Christmas baking and had no time for studying. That’s right, we had to help with  baking of the cookies, gluing them together with filling and decorating them. The note would usually sound something like this: “Christmas is the time for peace and not for testing; if we get an ‘F’, your fish will not taste the same’ (it rhymes in Czech)”. And to our surprise, the teachers took the note to their hearts and left us alone. Probably they were really afraid that their carp will not taste that good. It worked every year. [click to continue…]

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skubanky google image Skubanky is a traditional main course in the Czech Republic, but since it tastes sweet, Skubanky fits more into the dessert category if served in other countries. In the Western part of the Czech Republic it is also called kucmoch, however in both cases it is a simple meal out of boiled potatoes, little bit of flour, sugar and a lots of butter. CZ: Je na case uvarit si skubanky! Od te doby, co jsem je naposledy jedla uplynulo asi 100 let, tak jsem si rekla, ze je na case, aby si me chutove bunky trosku zavzpominaly. Me skubanky (nebo-li kucmoch) dopadli trosku ridce, ale stejne jsem si na nich pochutnala. Ingredients

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  • 2 lbs of potatoes (about 16 medium-sized potatoes; If you make a circle with the thumb and the index finger and let about 2 inch space between the tips, that is a medium potato)

- use Russet potatoes as they have the largest amount of potato starch in them

  • 7 oz (1 cup) of all-purpose flour (Wondra flour works even better)
  • 1 stick of melted butter
  • ground poppy seeds (0r cinnamon) and sugar for dusting the škubánky

No. of servings: 4 [click to continue…]

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Livanec /www.czechmatediary imageLivance could be described as something in between the French crepes and American pancakes, except livance are not as boring as the American pancakes and not as fufu as crepes – they are just right. For those who are not familiar with them, livance are small, slightly sweetened spongy cakes which are usually served with sweet toppings. Although the recipe itself is very simple you can let your imagination run wild when it comes to these toppings. The traditional decorations are any kind of jam, whipped cream and fruit on top….very Jenny Craig style :0)

Ingredients (makes about 10 livance):

  • 2 cups of sour cream
  • 1 cup of all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tbs sugar
  • 2 Tsp of baking powder
  • 1/4 Tsp of salt
  • 3 eggs
  • oil for frying
  • Topping material: strawberry jam, whipped cream, fruit (blueberries, strawberries..); nutella…….anything! [click to continue…]

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