Best Family Favorite Czech Recipes

Some of the most versatile instant dessert mixes include the quick bread mixes, instant pudding mixes and of course the cake mixes whether yellow, chocolate, or white. There are times when it is best to go with the homemade route when preparing the basic cake or brownies and avoid the hydrogenated fats present in the premade cake mixes. I am not implying that using butter is safe (as there are plenty of saturated fats with this type of shortening). Nothing is as good as going from scratch when it comes to nutrition; though I find that the store bought mixes all carry a consistently decent flavor that can be difficult to replicate for the novice home baker such as myself when going about cake baking using nothing but old school ingredients. (Besides….my specialties are sauces, meats and grilling). Maybe it is the consistency of a Duncan Hines yellow cupcake or Pillsbury devil’s food cakes slice that triggers fond memories of childhood birthday parties and summer picnics. My own feebl

At one time or another one is going to be faced with a decent amount of milk that is going to go to waste if not used up very quickly. The reasons for excess milk are numerous. One reason may be leaving town for a few days or purchasing too much due to entertaining other guests.   Perhaps the neighbor is on their way out of town and left you with practically a full gallon of 2% to next to the one in the refrigerator. There are numerous ways to make use of this extra milk without letting it go sour. Keep in mind that the date on milk cartons is typically the “end of sale” date. As long as the grocery store is using adequate refrigeration, there is no reason why the milk should not last an additional four to seven days in your refrigerator past the sale expiration date. That being said let your nose and taste buds be the judge as if it smells or tastes funky, you know what to do. Here are several ways to buy extra time for that milk about to expire. Using up extra milk at the breakfas

A common dish served by my grandparents on several occasions was Rajska Omacka which is a Czech tomato gravy served over a generous cut of beef. I have seen several variations of the type of beef cuts served with Rajska in many Czech restaurants throughout the Chicago area. The most common cut of beef is typically sirloin tip or chuck roast. Some of the homemade versions will use any beef cut under the sun, including ground varieties used in such meals as stuffed green peppers and meat loaf. I think a slow cooked pot roast/shoulder cut will work quite well. Simply season a good 2 ½ to 3 pound chuck roast with salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. Top with a splash of vinegar and cook at low setting for about seven to eight hours. The Rajska Sauce recipe is below. Even though this sauce is a combination of sweet and sour flavors (tomato, vinegar, sour cream, and sugar), the final product should end up on the sweeter side, especially as this dish will appeal to many younger diners.

One underappreciated cut of meat that tastes exceptionally well is the flank cut of beef. When it comes to flank steak, I usually think of two meals off the top of my head: Steak Fajitas and London Broil. These two meals can be made with other cuts of steak such as sirloin, but flank steak tastes extremely good when marinated and sliced the right way. The basic London broil technique involves a good soy sauce marinade setting along with scoring the meat and cooking just to the right temperature. London broil can be either “broiled” as the name suggests or grilled. The key is to cook it no further than medium or pink (between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit). The flank steak will become tough like a round steak if you let the grilling or broiling time get away. Also make sure to cut the meat cross grain into strips to ensure a soft tender bite. Serve this meal with a side of garlic mashed potatoes,   grilled asparagus, and a hearty red wine and you have a meal fit for a King and Queen. B

Owning a deep fryer means the sky is the limit to the amount of different tasty items one can fry up. The process of deep frying can be quite cumbersome given the mess and the ability to only get a few turns out of one batch of cooking oil. Eventually the used oil has to get discarded and you have to start all over again. This leads me to the worst part of the deep frying process, the cleanup. I currently use a cool daddy deep fryer by Presto. My favorite frying items include fried chicken (Paula Den recipe), buffalo wings, donuts (paczki), and occasional fried potatoes. There are many copy cat oven baked substitute recipes for these items that simply do not measure up the deep fried method. I have no reservations cooking with oil with regards to the odor, the grease, or the heat. I actually have a deep fry table in my garage set up for special frying occurrences. My hang up with deep frying is all in the cleaning. Removing the Used Oil in Deep Frying Once the oil has been pushe

Things are starting to heat up as summer draws near. Warmer temps once again mean using the oven less and opting for the stove and outdoor grill. Before it gets too hot, I need to enjoy a few more heavy Czech meals until the autumn season brings forth cooler temperatures. One dish that comes to mind is Czech Gulas also known as goulash, or gulash. Gulas is a stew meat dish that has effectively worked its way around eastern and central Europe with slight variations found across every country. I have seen Gulas on Czech and Polish menus at restaurants in the States that bear distinguishable differences. The main variances have been in the thickness of the sauce as well as the color.   Some goulash will appear more “paprika red” while others appear more brown like Stroganoff.   Goulash also can be served over a variety of side dishes whether it is egg noodles, boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, or dumplings (knedliky). I prefer this dish over egg noodles, but will never pass up the opportu

Throughout the chaos of baking, salad preparation, or any kind of preparation with produce, it will not be surprising to realize kitchen counters can become quite messy. This unfortunate realization hits even harder when one such as myself has white laminated countertops in the kitchen. In my case, that is a dangerous combination whenever I prepare berries, gelatins, or even make the kids a pitcher of kool –aid as was the case last weekend assembling a fruit salad for my youngest son’s birthday party. Simply attacking the countertops with hot dish detergent water on a washcloth will not be enough to successfully remove the stains. There are several alternatives to restoring a white counter that has become stained from berries or any other strong dyed food. 1.        Mr. Clean Magic Eraser – This has to be one of the best things to hit households since sliced bread. After they dye has contaminated the surface, do you best to dab the moist stain with folded over paper towel, being caref