Kansas Style Bierrocks

Bierrocks, Runzas, krautburger, fleischliche, stuffed rolls, what ever you call them, this is a true midwest comfort food. With the weather teasing spring but keeping temperatures chilly, it was time for a warm, comforting supper. This recipe by Mariam Rubin, a food journalist for the Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette, combines an easy dough with a savory midwest favorite.  Ms. Rubin had visited Kansas and the Kansas Wheat Commission to learn about wheat and flour and discovered our Kansas and Nebraska favorite. Her recipe adds some whole wheat flour and features a Kansas Wheat Commission dough recipe. There's also a neat trick for rolling out the dough so it doesn't stick to the surface!

HOT POCKETS – KANSAS BIERROCKS

Bierrocks:

For the Dough:

1 package active dry yeast

1 cup lukewarm water (105° - 115°)

4 tablespoons butter cut up and softened

2 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon fine table salt

2 – 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

For the Filling:

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef

2 cups finely shredded cabbage

½ cup finely chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)

1 teaspoon kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon fine table salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Hot pepper sauce, to taste

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand 3 - 5 minutes until frothy.

Stir in butter, sugar and salt. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour and beat at medium speed until smooth. At low speed, beat in whole-wheat flour and as much remaining white flour until dough comes together in a ball.

Knead with dough hook or by hand, adding additional flour, as needed, 6 – 8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover dough in bowl and let rest 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Crumble in beef and cook until the pink color is gone. Mix in cabbage, onion, garlic (if using), salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until vegetables are tender. Drain well and cool slightly. Taste, adding salt and pepper, plus hot sauce, as needed. The mixture shouldn’t be spicy, just well-seasoned.

Punch dough down. Cover and let rest 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°. Grease a heavy baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Lightly grease counter or a large plastic cutting board with shortening or cooking spray. Stretch and roll the dough to a 12-by-8-inch rectangle. Cut into six 4-inch squares.

Place ½ cup filling on each square. Pick up the corners of each square and pinch together. Pinch each diagonal seam so square is sealed well, making a fat bun. Place seam-side down on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes, or until well browned on top and on sides. Serve warm or freeze and reheat.

 

Here are the steps for wrapping the meat mixture.
Notice the oiled plastic cutting sheet - it kept the dough
 from sticking to the surface it was rolled on.
1. Roll out, cut into squares
2. Add meat mixture
3. Pinch corners together
4. Seal edges

Turn the sealed edges down for baking

This was a good comfort meal for a cool evening with bierrocks, fried potatoes and onions,
and salad with ranch dressing. 

Who Has Seen the Wind?

The poet who wrote "Who has seen the wind?" didn't live in Kansas! Last week we saw the wind. We saw it in the dust that rolled across the yard. We saw it as the weak and dead limbs fell from trees. We saw it as the dry grasses bent over in the landscape. And we saw it as the fire from a careless cigarette tossed out on the highway one mile away roared toward us.
Prairie fires are one of the dangers of living here. A controlled burn in the spring makes the grass grow green and lush to feed the cattle we raise on our ranch, but when the wind blows and the land is dry we fear the fire.
Last week the section south of us burned on a windy day when the wind howled from the south. Fourteen fire trucks from three towns and their volunteers were our heroes. Neighbors and family on four wheelers and pickups worked at the edges. The biggest truck, unable to maneuver the pastures, sit in our driveway, making us feel safer for our house.

When things like this happen, "thank you" is never enough. But sometimes little things can add to the "thank you". We took cake to the firemen sitting in our driveway and got a tour of the big red fire truck.

A firetruck in Nana's driveway is pretty exciting! 

Wearing o’ Green Cake

(flavors of pudding and gelatin could be varied for different colors/holidays)

Ingredients:

1 package white cake mix (regular size)

1 package lime gelatin

¾ cup boiling water

¼  cup cold water

Topping:

1 cup cold milk

1 package (3.4 oz) instant vanilla (or pistachio) pudding mix

½ - 1 carton frozen whipped topping, thawed

green sprinkles

Directions:

1.     prepare and bake cake according to package directions, using a greased 13x9-inch baking dish. Cook on a wire rack 1 hour. In a small bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in cold water and set aside.

2.     With a meat fork or wooden skewer, poke holes about 2 inches apart into cooled cake. Slowly pour gelatin over cake. Cover and refrigerate.

3.     In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix 2 minutes (mixture will be thick). Fold in whipped topping. Spread over cake. Decorate with sprinkles. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

Yield: 12-15 servings.

The baked cake with holes and lime gelatin poured in.
Not too attractive looking at this stage! 

The whipped topping frosting adds to the appearance
and the taste! 

tunnels of green gelatin

The Charm of St. Patrick's Day

Our luck was good on Saturday for St. Patty's Day. A sunny day, less wind, and a family gathering to celebrate birthdays and a baptism. This brunch menu worked well for preparing ahead of time and easy to serve. Cinnamon rolls were made the evening before (favorite recipe on Nov. 17, 2017 blog). The fruit salad, greek yogurt, and breakfast casserole in a slow cooker were easy to assemble earlier in the morning. And the sausage cooked in the kitchen grill while the coffee perked.

Fruit salad is always a tasty and nutritious part of a brunch. I like to use a bag of mixed frozen fruit (Sam's Club has Dole frozen fruit in 5 bag packages). If the fruit pieces are large, rough chop them. I added frozen blueberries and a few more frozen strawberries (from the frozen fruit boxes our UMW sells as a fund raiser) and fresh fruit of bananas and kiwi. The dressing is a mixture of agave syrup (or you could use honey), lemon juice (that helps keep the fruit from browning also), and crystalized ginger. You could also add poppy seeds.

BREAKFAST CASSEROLE (SLOW COOKER)     

Ingredients:

15-18 oz frozen hash brown potatoes (thawed)

12 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon ground mustard

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

3-4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 (12-oz) packaged shredded cheese

Directions:

1.     Spray the crock of a slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread hash browns to cover the bottom of the crock.

2.     Whisk eggs, milk, mustard, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl.

3.     Spread crumbled bacon over hash brown and spread cheese over bacon. Pour egg mixture over cheese.

4.     Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.

(adapted from AllRecipes)

recipe on Nov. 18, 2017 blog

In honor of Chocolate Chip Cookies

These bar cookies have a butterscotch flavor,
good for St. Patrick's Day. 

I read that this week is Chocolate Chip Cookie Week. Then I did some research and found that there are also two days, one on May and one in August, that are dedicated as Chocolate Chip Cookie Day. It really doesn't matter, every week is Chocolate Chip Cookie week at our house! Definitely a favorite, and we need little excuse to mix up a batch. 
But for this week I tried a new recipe. I've used the same recipe for drop chocolate chip cookies for years, it contains instant pudding mix which seems to add a good flavor and keep the cookies soft. And we like the oatmeal chewiness of that recipe. (See side bar for that). This version is a bar cookie, great for a quick mix and bake. This original recipe is from King Arthur flour, I reduced the amount of brown sugar and chocolate chips which does cut the calories a little bit. 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

⅔ cup unsalted butter

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 large eggs

2 ¼ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon espresso powder, optional

2 ¾ cups all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour (I use half all-purpose/half whole wheat)

1 cup chocolate chips (original recipe says 3 cups)

Directions:

1.     Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease a 9”x13” pan.

2.     Slightly soften butter and cream with brown sugar. Add salt, vanilla, and stir to combine.

3.     Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

4.     Combine baking powder, espresso powder, and flour. Add to creamed  mixture and stir to combine.

5.     Add chocolate chips and stir in.

6.     Scoop batter into prepared pan, spreading it to the edges. It is very thick. Smooth the top with a moistened spatula.

7.     Bake the bars for 30-32 minutes, until they’ve risen and the top is shiny and golden. Let the bars cool completely before cutting and store in an airtight container.