Potato Vareniki -Russian, Volga Russian-German Potato Dumplings

Potato Vareniki 

-Russian,Volga Russian-German Potato Dumplings

Note: this recipe fed the whole family - a large sitting and was a family event when Grandma would make it.

Filling:

2-3 pounds potatoes, boiled (save water from cooked potatoes- set aside to boil the dumpling in) (I make this using about 10-12 med. potatoes)

2 sm. yellow onions chopped small

1 jar saurkraut, drained and rinsed. (Large quart jar- homemade saurkraut is best!)

1 stick butter

Salt and pepper

Dough:

2/3 cups whole milk

2 large eggs

2 cups warm water

1 1/2 tsp salt

about 6 cups whole wheat flour

1 stick real butter (to serve at end)

To cook:

Filling: Peel and wash potatoes, cut into chunks and boil until soft and mashable. Put into Large mixing bowl and mash. set aside. In fry pan: Saute onion and drained saurkraut in butter until tenderand slightly browned, add this to the mashed potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Dough: Mix together: 2/3 cup milk, 2 cups warm water, 2 eggs and 1  1/2 tsp salt until well blended.

Begin adding flour 1 cup at a time until mixed well and no longer sticks to bowl. Rest dough 15 minutes. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough on a floured board to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut dough into small squares and place a spoonful of potato mixture in the center of each square. Fold dough, pinch ends to form a triangle. Pinch well as they will boil apart if left open.

To Cook:

When all are made, and pinched tight, put into boiling potato water and boil for about 8-10 minutes. (They will act very much like a ravioli when done, floating only at top) Best to boil 4-5 at a time and pull when done. When all are cooked, drain, and serve with the remaining real butter melted, and drizzled over top. Grandma served this with pork chops or German sausage.

Amazingly Simple Banana Nut Bread

Simple Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup real butter (1stick)
1 cup organic cane sugar (or 3/4 c raw honey )
2 eggs
1 tsp. organic vanilla extract
3 over ripe bananas mashed
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

use real butter and grease inside of bread loaf pan.set aside
heat oven to 325F. In a mixing bowl cream butter, sugar, and 2 eggs until creamy. add vanilla and mashed bananas. Stir in rest of ingredients until fully incorporated. Pour into bread pan and bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes, or until butter knife inserted in middle comes out clean.

When done, invert pan onto bread board or wire rack, to drop out loaf, set upright and let cool before cutting.

So easy your mom would be proud! Mixes in just a few minutes, I just use one bowl; and it took me all of 10 minutes to pull ingredients, and mix and pour into pan to bake. Set a timer! You don't want to forget this

wonderful comfort food! Makes 2 mini loaves, if you want one for yourself and one to share!
Also: extremely good additions would be a diced tiny apple, 1/2 c applesauce, and 1/2 cup raisins.

Homemade Banana Wafer Pudding

Ever have a favorite it seemed you just could not make without store bought stuff? I have.

Banana Pudding- remember mom layering Nilla wafers with jello pudding and chunks of banana? It'd never sit long in the fridge. It's a can't do without when the weather get's warm home comfort food for me.
So I figured it out.
3 stages.

Make Homemade Vanilla wafers
1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup unrefined cane sugar or palm sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
cream together until smooth. Sift in:
3 cups flour (I use whole wheat but you can use almond flour nice!)
3tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp milk.
Mix well! No lumps. Refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled through. Roll out very thin and use a cookie cutter or a juice glass inverted to cut. Bake on greased cookie sheet or lined with parchment paper- at 350F for 6-8 minutes. Cool.

Make Homemade Vanilla Pudding.(I make this while cookie dough is chillin in the fridge.)

2 cups milk
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar or palm sugar
3 tbsp. cornstarch or tapioca starch
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
In medium saucepan,  heat milk on med heat until begins to bubble at edges. Don't let it completely boil. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve. I used a whisk.  Stir constantly until mixture thickens like thick gravy.  Don't let it boil.   Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Set into refrigerator about 1 hour to cool. if you do not like the "skin" that forms on cooked pudding, cover with a piece of plastic wrap before refrigerating. 

Then  I started the cookies which had cooled in their dough and baked them not worrying about the pudding. It's chillin! Yay! :)

Once both are made and cooled;  it's just a matter of slicing a banana and layering into a bowl, cookies, pudding banana- cookies pudding banana- and yay! Homemade banana wafer pudding. No boxes. A comfort food you can be proud of!!!!!! Serve as desert.

Beerocks the Way Grandma Made

Certain recipes I remember my Grandma Schmidt making were always a family event.  They did not need a holiday to occur, they just needed Grandma to be in a mood to create. 
Mollie Schmidt, my Great Grandmother, loved to cook.
Her recipes were unique to the Volga Russia-German Heritage. This is one of my favorites.

Beerocks 
Ingredients
3 loaves bread dough  (frozen bread dough is available at any supermarket. or make any regular bread yeast dough to put the filling in.)

4 pounds Beef chuck roast, cooked; shredded, grind or chop after it is cooked. (Use food processor to make it easy!)
1 head cabbage, shredded
2 yellow onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped,  Salt & Pepper, to taste
Preparation
In a large skillet, salt and pepper the roast on both sides.   Brown off roast on both sides. Add water to cover and cook roast on stove top or a 350º oven until roast is well cooked. Set aside and cool. When cool, shred the beef and remove all fat.
In another large skillet, saute the onions and garlic until onion is almost golden brown.
Add the shredded cabbage and cook until limp.
Add salt, pepper and shredded beef to the cabbage mixture and let stand until cool.

Assembly: Cut the bread dough loaves into 4 sections each and let rise.
Roll out each section into an 8 inch square. Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling onto the square and roll up, folding the sides in so no filling will escape from the roll. Set the Beerocks aside to rise again.
Place the beerocks on a greased baking sheet, or parchment paper lined sheet, and cook in a 350° oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Serve hot.

Note:
This easily makes 3 dozen. For our family of four- that can go a long way! But I love that they are wholesome and healthy alternates to today's hot pockets. The best part is they are Real Food minus the laden chemicals of supermarket fast food!
To keep: bake, cool completely, wrap in individually-either in plastic wrap or parchment paper, and store in Ziplock bags in the freezer.  I put 4 to a gallon freezer bag for future quick dinners for us.  They never last long. To reheat, set on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Or you can microwave it if you use a microwave.
This makes so much, it ends up being a frugal, healthy recipe! If needed budget wise or you cannot find roast on sale, this recipe does work with 4 lbs of hamburger fried and minced fine- less traditional- but still delicious!   I hope you enjoy!





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