Bierocks

Ingredients

• For the Filling:
• 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage
• 1/2 pound ground beef (or venison or antelope or ??)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• sea salt & pepper to taste
• 3-4 Tablespoons coconut oil, bacon grease, or tallow
• For the Dough:
• 4 1/3 cups flour (you can use whole wheat, unbleached all-purpose, or a mixture of the two-but the more whole wheat flour you use, the drier the finished product will be)
• 2 1/4 t. dry active yeast
• 1 cup milk or whey
• 1/4 cup sucanat (or granulated sweetener of choice)
• 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs

1. To make the filling: Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet
2. Add in the additional oil, peppers and garlic and sauté until tender
3. Add cabbage and allow to soften and turn golden brown
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then set the filling aside to cool- you can even prepare it ahead of time and refrigerate until dough is ready
5. To make dough: In mixing bowl, combine the yeast and 2 cups flour
6. In medium saucepan, heat milk, sucanat, butter, and salt to about 110-115 degrees until butter is just melted (too hot will kill yeast)
7. Add warm liquid mixture to flour and yeast, add eggs
8. Beat on low speed 30 seconds, beat on high 3 minutes
9. Stir in rest of flour and knead 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic
10. Allow dough to rise for an hour in a warm place
11. Punch down and roll out on a clean counter top to create a rectangle shape that's about 1/4 inch thick
12. Cut dough into 4"x4" squares
13. Add large spoonful of filling to each square (I flatten the individual squares a bit more before adding filling)
14. Bring up the four corners of wrapper and pinch together
15. Place balls seam-side down on a baking stone or tray and allow to rise 30 minutes
16. Bake at 375 F degrees 30 minutes or until golden brown
17. Serve warm with a generous dollop of sour cream on the side

Brownie cookies

From the pioneer woman

Ingredients

• 2 ounces, weight Baking Chocolate (unsweetened Or Bittersweet) 
• 2 sticks Softened Butter 
• 2 cups Sugar 
• 3 whole Large Eggs 
• 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract 
• 2-1/4 cups Flour 
• 1/4 cup Cocoa Powder 
• 1 Tablespoon (additional) Cocoa Powder 
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt 
• Powdered Sugar, For Dusting 

Preparation Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stir, and let it cool.

Mix the butter and sugar together until totally combined. With the mixer on low, slowly drizzle in the cooled chocolate. Scrape the bowl and mix again. Mix in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Scrape the bowl once more and mix.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Stir it together, then add it in scoops to the mixing bowl with the mixer on low. Scrape the bowl once and mix one final time until all combined.

Scoop generous tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with a baking mat or parchment, then bake them for 11 minutes until poufy and set. Remove them from the oven, let them sit on the pan for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove them to a baking rack to cool completely. Once cool, sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Spicy Marinated Summer Vegetables

SPICY MARINATED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Author: McKenzie at Girl Loves Glam

Recipe type: Side Dish

Spicy, marinated vegetables that are full of flavor and perfect for any occasion.

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ c Oil
• ¾ c Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Sugar
• 1 tsp Tabasco Sauce
• 1 Head Broccoli
• 1 Head Cauliflower
• 1 can Olives
• ¼ Red Onion
• 1 Green Pepper
• 1 Yellow Pepper
• 1 Red Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop up all vegetables and place in a large bowl. Put the rest of the ingredients on top of the vegetables and stir to coat all of the vegetables. If the bowl has a lid, place the lid on the bowl. If the bowl doesn’t have a lid, put vegetable mixture in a large bag that can be sealed shut. Let vegetables marinate while turning veggies every few hours. For best taste, allow the vegetables 24 hours to marinate.

It is a great side dish that is full of flavor without being packed full of calories too!

Lemon blueberry layer cake

Ingredients:

CAKE

• 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature*
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk
• zest + juice of 3 medium lemons
• 1 and 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or non-thawed frozen 
  
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 8 ounces (224g) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners' sugar
• 1 - 2 Tablespoons (15-30ml) heavy cream*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray three 9x2 inch cake pans with nonstick spray. Set aside.

Make the cake. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until creamy - about 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars and beat on medium-high speed until creamed, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until everything is combined, about 2 full minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

In a large sized bowl, toss together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Beat on low speed for 5 seconds, then add the milk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Remove from the mixer and stir lightly until everything is just combined. Toss the blueberries in 1 Tablespoon of flour and fold into the batter. Batter is extremely thick. Do not overmix at any point.Overmixing will lend a tough, dense textured crumb.

Spoon batter evenly into 3 prepared cake pans. If only using 2 cake pans, your bake time will be longer. Bake the three layers for about 21-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took 21 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting. Using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 Tablespoon cream, vanilla extract, and salt with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add 1 more Tablespoon of cream to thin out, if desired.

Assemble and frost. First, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cake layers to create a flat surface. Place 1 layer on your cake stand. Evenly cover the top with cream cheese frosting. Top with 2nd layer, more frosting, then the third layer. Top with frosting and spread around the sides. The recipe doesn't make a ton of frosting, just enough for a light frost. Top with blueberries or lemon garnish if desired. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes before cutting or else the cake may fall apart as you cut.

Make 1 day in advance if you'd like. Extras keep well in the refrigerator for up to 3days.

Helpful notes:

*This batter will fit into a 9×13 pan. Fill 2/3 full. If there’s extra batter, you can make a few cupcakes. I’m unsure of the baking time since I only typically make it as a layer cake.

*VERY careful not to overmeasure your flour. This will result in a heavy, dense crumb. You want a precise 375g.

*Please use buttermilk in this recipe. See note in post about how to make your own at home. 

*1 medium-size lemon = approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon zest = 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

*Room temperature eggs preferred for even distribution among batter. Simply set into a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before using or set out when you set out your cream cheese/butter for the recipe. 

*Heavy cream with 30% or more milk fat preferred in frosting for creamiest texture. For a less creamy texture, milk would be fine.

Chicken Tortilla soup

4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces 
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans or pinto beans (or one of each) 
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa (heat of your choice)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies 
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can tomato sauce  

Combine all ingredients into crockpot and cook on low for 8-10 hours. To serve, top with sour cream, avocado, tortilla strips or chips, diced green onions, sliced black olives. This is a nice "throw together" dinner that can cook all day and be ready when you are.  If soup is too thick, add a cup of chicken stock.