A Nickal Family Recipe

If you were to ask me to think about a recipe that has been passed down in our family, I would have to think pretty hard because there aren't many, but our family's favorite is probably this one. My family came to America from Germany, through Ellis Island. Out of that heritage, and the need to feed a large family during the depression era, this recipe was born. 

Can you tell this thing has been around a while?
I transferred the recipe to a recipe card last weekend.

We all love this recipe but it can be labor intensive, so we only have it once or twice a year. It's so yummy though that I had to share.

Cabbage Bread
Ingredients
1 lg. head cabbage
2 lbs. ground beef
2 lg. onions, chopped
1 lb. carrots

2 boxes hot roll mix -or- 3 loaves of frozen bread dough

First saute the ground beef. Then add the onion and cabbage. Saute until soft, stirring often.

Add the carrots, saute another 10 minutes or so, until soft.

The original recipe did not call for carrots, but they add more flavor and nutrients to the dish.

Here is another place that we deviate with the recipe. I'm sure the original original called for a homemade bread dough. In the recipe that was handed down from my Aunt, she uses 2 boxes of Pillsbury hot roll mix, that still has to be mixed up, left to rise, punched down and then left to rise a few more times until it is ready. 

My mom used a ready made frozen bread dough this time around to see how it would come out. It was so much easier and just as delicious! She used 3 loaves. She took it out of the freezer the night before, and let it thaw in the fridge overnight. The next morning she took them out of the fridge and set them in the sun, covered in plastic wrap, so they could rise. You will want to make sure the plastic wrap is pressed right down on the dough or else it will get a crust on it, which we don't want because we are going to split up the dough. The dough will about double in size.

Once we were ready to make the rolls, my mom took each risen loaf and rolled it out to about 3/4" thick. Then cut the dough into 6 equal squares.

In each square she placed about 2 big spoons on filling,

Then bring opposite corners together, and make sure to pinch the seams tight!

The cabbage breads were then placed seam side down on greased cookie sheets. Make sure you leave a bit of room here because they have to rise again.

I sprayed the top of the loaves with cooking spray, then covered with plastic wrap and a towel to allow to rise. Once they were about double in size they were ready for the oven. 

These go into a preheated oven @ 375. Bake for about 20-30 minutes until golden.

Then eat! We like them with ketchup, I don't know if that's weird or not? :)

It's Not Time For Dinner Yet, But I'm So Hungry!

Since Jeffry doesn't get out of work until later (usually 10 o'clock), we don't eat dinner until later. It's totally worth it to me to be able to eat together, but it does pose a problem around 7:30/8 o'clock. Because by then I. AM. STARVING!

It's a problem because I know that I am going to be eating a full meal soon, but I still need to eat something. Normally I'm craving something terrible like nachos, but what I really need is something healthy.

Yesterday I made this salad recipe from Real Simple. Kale Salad with Sweet Potatoes and Apples. It was a great choice because I felt really good about getting my greens in, and the sweet potato and apple are high in fiber and nutrients also. It was easy to make too.

Another staple lately has been green smoothies. You may have seen this pic on my Instagram yesterday:

I shared one of my favorite green smoothie recipe a couple weeks ago. Since then I learned a great tip! To avoid leafy chunks, blend your greens and liquids before you add the rest of the ingredients. I've been doing it ever since!

Lately, along with my green smoothie, I have been having a string cheese just for a little more protein. I was given a chance to try Sargento, and I chose the sharp cheddar jack flavor. So yummy! I mean who doesn't love cheese?

Look at all that protein and calcium! Great for me, since I don't ever drink milk. And under 100 calories.

They also gave me this cute insulated carrying case so that I can bring my string cheese snack to work!

August Julibox

This post is quite a bit overdue, but I still wanted to tell you all about the newest subscription box service that I signed up for. I thought it would be fun to try out Julibox for a couple of months and see how I liked it. Julibox is a curated cocktail subscription. They send you everything you need to make 2 different cocktails (enough for 2 each) minus anything from the grocery store like lemons or limes. 

This is what August's box looked like when it came:

The August cocktails were a traditional Mai Tai, and something called Between the Sheets. The Mai Tai was apparently so yummy that I forgot to take any pictures at all! 

action shot....

The Between the Sheets was VERY strong. But if you like stiffer drinks like Manhattans or Martinis, you would like this! Here's the recipe:

I need to get myself some martini glasses

Here;s a sneak peek of September's box. Stay tuned!

Easy Chicken Cacciatore

Since it's Monday I thought I would share an easy dinner with you all. This recipe is a big hit in our house. It's so yummy and one of my favorites to make. 

Here is what you need:

Chicken breast

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

4 oz. Pancetta or 4 slices of Bacon

1 onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 cubanelle pepper, sliced (sometimes these are called Italian peppers. They are worth it they are so yummy!)

1 red or green bell pepper

1 small fresno chile or jalapeno, thinly sliced or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 cup dry red wine

1 32-ounce can fire-roasted crushed or stewed tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock

And the step by step:

Heat the olive oil. S&P the chicken on both sides, and brown in the pan. Remove and set aside.

Render out the bacon or pancetta. Once brown, remove and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.

Add the bell pepper, hot pepper and Italian pepper. Sautee for about 2 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic, salt and pepper. Sautee another 3 minutes.

Once veggies are a little soft but still a bit al dente, stir in the tomato paste. Let that warm up for a minute, and deglaze the pan with the red wine, making sure to scrap all the yummy bits of the sides and bottom.

Add the tomatoes and chicken stock.

Add the chicken and pancetta/bacon back in.

Cover and let it hang out for about 25 minutes, or until you're ready to eat!

I like to serve this with egg noodles, and bread for soaking up all those yummy juices. I really like these ones from Pepperidge Farms because I can cook however many I need, and throw the rest back in the freezer.

And then we eat!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! So easy and so good. Try it!

Tropical Green Smoothie

Green smoothies seems to be all the rage, and the other day I whipped one up with stuff I had on hand, so I thought I would share. Its a little random, but super yummy, and packed with the nutrients you need after a workout. Its a great snack with some steamed veggies to hold me over until Jeffry gets home.

Tropical Green Smoothie

1 c. Frozen Pineapple

1 pkg. Dole dark chocolate covered banana slices

1/4 Avocado, diced

1 c. (or so) Spinach

1 c. Trop50 Orange Juice

1 tsp. Lemon Juice

Pack in all into your blender or  Magic Bullet and whiz away!

I use these because they're pre-measured and only cost $2

I told you I just used what I had laying around.
You could use plain frozen bananas too of course. But this was what I had.

The nutrient count couldn't be better either. The whole thing is about 250 calories, perfect for a snack, and contains loads of Vitamins like A & C, iron, potassium (which helps with muscle cramping!) fiber, protein and good fats from the avocado. You could even use more avocado but I don't like to taste it. And I also don't like the slimy texture it gives if you use too much. Experiment! Use what you have! This would be good with all types for fruit and greens. Berries.... mangoes.... yum!

Red, Red Wine

Disclaimer: if you don't believe in hunting, you'd better turn away now. Maybe watch this video instead.

Recently I was contacted by BzzAgent, and offered a free bottle of wine to review. Hello, I'm not going to turn down free wine!! The wine was from Concannon Vineyard, and I could choose any variety from their Select or Conservancy tier. I chose the Cabernet Sauvignon from their select tier. I'm a red wine drinker through and through, even in the summer. Yummmm!

This picture makes me want a glass right now. Which made me think of this E-card I saw the other day:

appropriate. right?

This wine is soooo good. A really nice, full bodied flavor. And nice and dry, just like I like it. I don't like my wine to taste too much like juice. 

So that night, while drinking my first glass, I was brainstorming what I wanted to make for dinner to have with it. The flavor is so dark and woodsy, it reminded me of Fall. Sidebar: I have been thinking about Fall an awful lot lately. On one hand, it freaks me out because I don't want summer to be over yet, but on the other hand I am super excited because Fall is my hands-down favorite season! I am so torn!

Anyway, back on track. Thinking about Fall reminded me that we had a freezer full of venison, thanks to this little guy: 

RIP Bambi

I just knew that a yummy venison loin would go so great with the spicy, woodsy Cab Sav. Here's how I made it: This would be a great marinade for beef too, or any other type of game.

Combine in a resealable container such as a Ziploc bag or a Tupperware:

these measurements are really more like guestimates

1/2 cup worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tbsp. honey, molasses or agave

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 cloves minced garlic

onion powder

Salt & pepper

paprika

cayenne pepper

chili powder

lots of rosemary

thyme

I mixed that all up, threw in the venison and let it sit in the fridge for a good 4 hours or so.

Once Jeffry got home, I preheated the broiler and threw that puppy on. This would be really yummy grilled too, but our hose that connects the propane tank to the grill was chewed by something and we have yet to get a new one. So broiling it is. I love broiling meat over pan frying. It's super simple and meat always comes out super juicy and the perfect temp. This loin was on the smaller side, so it was broiled for about 8 minutes on 1 side and 5 on the other.

I mean, c'mon. Check out that perfect medium.
*toot toot*

Once any kind of meat is cooked, but before you slice it, it's got to rest to let the juices redistribute. So while the meat was resting, I steamed some broccoli, and made these potatoes. I will definately be making these again they were perfect! Crispy and buttery on top, and soft yummy potato underneath. I am craving one right now.

And there you have it! Yummy dinner of venison backstrap, complete with Concannon Select Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon. Okay, and now I'm hungry.....

Classic Pub Food

Last week it was super rainy and depressing. (I thought seasonal depression could only happen in the winter!) So I was really wanting to put a pot of soup on the stove. One of my all time favorites is french onion soup. I have never made it, but saw a recipe made one on the Martha Stewart show and it looked pretty simple. This recipe is even vegetarian, as it doesn't have any beef broth in it! Here is the recipe I used for French Onion soup. There's even a really helpful video.

Here's what the prep looked like. A dutch oven full of nothing but onions, and a cookie sheet of croutons!

Once we got to this step, it was a waiting game. The onions just hung out on med-low for hours, and needed a stir every so often. They probably could have even cooked longer than they did, but Jeffry was home and I was starving!

So this happened...

And then this happened.... 

What goes better with a steaming bowl of french onion soup than a patty melt?! These ones are super simple. Marble rye, swiss cheese, and a hamburger patty with salt and lots of cracked pepper. Oh and a smear of grainy mustard. Patty melts are usually made with caramelized onions, but I thought we were getting enough of those in our soup.

And the finished product:

All it needed was a frost Guinness!

Man this post is making my hungry! Now to decide what to make tonight.....!