Potato, Jalapeno, and Cheddar Perogies

Perogies are one of my favourite foods. They make me nostalgic for when I was a kid and our family would make sausage and perogies in mass quantities. They are versatile because you can put anything you want in them.
One of my best friends had a garden on his patio this summer and he has been dropping of baggies of herbs and veggies periodically over the summer. He recently dropped off a bag of home grown jalapeno peppers. I was shocked that you could grow them in Calgary and am always amazed when someone can spend time growing something. I have no problem cooking all day because I know that I am going to stuff my face at the end of it but gardening is so delayed that I couldn't handle spending time waiting months to enjoy something.
These were so good we ended up making perogies again this week. I used the dough recipe from a previous post and made 2.5 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 2 russet potatos
• 3 jalapeno peppers (Seeds removed)
• 3 cups cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Peel the potatos then cube and boil them until soft.
2. Melt the butter in the microwave.
3. In a food processor puree the jalapenos, butter and garlic.
4. In a stand mixer combine all the ingredients until mixed well.
5. Cool for 45 min in the fridge so that it hold together when filling the dough.

 

Hoisin Beef Short Ribs

This recipe is a mishmash of a bunch of different food inspirations and can generically be labelled as an "Asian" meat that will be tasty in almost anything. I decided to make beef short ribs because Jess and I were reminiscing about these steamed buns we used to get in New Zealand for a buck at this International Cafeteria near our apartment.
I don't have a steamer so I decided to bake the buns using the recipe for Chinese Cocktail Buns I used a while ago. I had extra meat while I was cooking and ended up making some Banh Mi subs that were amazing. After making the Banh Mi I had an even better idea and cut the buns in half and stuffed in the carrots, cilantro, cucumber, and other sandwich fixins to make mini Banh Mi subs. I didn't get a photo because we had company over but they were fun little snacks to fill up on.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb boneless beef short ribs 
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium carrots
• 2 ribs celery
• 1 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 cup beef stock
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 cups water
• Salt and pepper
   

Directions:

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high (I used the liner to our slow cooker). Sear the ribs 2-3 minutes per side.
2. Add  the onion, carrots, and celery until soft and a bit browned, 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. De-glaze the pan with the beef stock.
5. Add the hoisin, orange juice, brown sugar, and water. Bring to a simmer.
6. Cook in the slow cooker for 4 hours, stirring every hour.
7. Remove the ribs and chop to serve.

Sweet as...

Vector Crunch French Toast

I am sorry for being absent on the blog but I've been busy since our little baby Jack was born. To get back in the swing of things I figured I would start out with something simple with ingredients that most people would have in their kitchen. I crusted French toast with cereal and it was the perfect way to take a fairly pedestrian breakfast and make it a memorable one.

Ingredients:

• some form of sliced bread
• 3 eggs
• splash of milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups crushed cereal (I used Vector)
• syrup and jam to top it

Directions:

1. I only had two cups of cereal so I just took the bag out of the box and smashed it up on the counter.
2. In a bowl mix up the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon.
3. Dunk the bread in the wet mix then coat it in the cereal crumbs.
4. Brown the bread in a buttered skillet then top with syrup and jam.