Burek (Ground Beef Pie)

     Burek is a pie (pita) stuffed with ground beef found in cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire. Pita is a popular dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it can be stuffed with a variety of ingredients such as potatoes (krompirusa), cheese (sirnica), and spinach (zeljanica). Although all of these versions of pita are great, burek is my favorite. 

As the saying goes, sve su pite pitice, samo je burek pitac...

Ingredients for the dough (or you can choose to layer phyllo dough):

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups water

Combine all the ingredients and knead until dough begins to form. 

Ingredients for ground beef mixture:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine all these ingredients and mix well until uniform.

To begin, place the dough onto a floured surface, and begin rolling out with a rolling pin. 

Continue to gradually roll out the dough, adding flour over the top to prevent it from sticking.

Once the dough is rolled out as thinly as possibly, without breaking, begin filling it with the ground beef mixture.

Roll the side of the dough over the beef mixture and continue to roll until the beef can't be seen through the dough.

Cut the dough and begin coiling around itself.

Continue repeating this process, and placing the dough coils into an oiled cooking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour. 

Serve warm with some yogurt (kajmak) and sparking water (kisela voda) on the side.

Ricotta Lemon Pancakes

3 tbsp melted butter

2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups buttermilk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Melt the butter in the microwave and allow to cool. 

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients including the melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix thoroughly.

Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan on low to medium heat.

Scoop the batter into the saucepan and flip once bubbles begin to form on top.

These are best served with a dusting of powdered sugar!

Guacamole

• 3 avocados, mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

In a bowl, first mash the avocados. Then, add the rest of the ingredients, and mix well. Serve immediately, or place plastic wrap over it and refrigerate. 

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

     I love eating oatmeal for breakfast, especially with a banana. I discovered this recipe over the weekend, and I think I will be eating this for breakfast for a while.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

     Begin by bringing the water and milk to a boil. Add the oatmeal, reduce the heat to medium, and stir often until the oatmeal begins to thicken (~5-7 min). 

     Take the banana and break into pieces and add to the oatmeal. Mix this together along with the raisins. By now the oatmeal should be ready to remove from the heat and plate.

     Add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and top with some more raisins, and you're ready to enjoy!

Recipe from popsugargirlsguide

Baked Stuffed Peppers (Punjene Paprike)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 yellow onions
• 8-10 oz. ground beef
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 8-9 small bell peppers (gypsy peppers are best)
• 4 oz. tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• Oil

Preheat the oven to 440 F.

Chop one onion, mince one garlic clove, and peel the tomatoes. 

Add the onion, garlic, and tomatoes into a baking pan with 2 tablespoons of oil,

stir, and place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Mince the remaining garlic and onion, and heat up a pot with a little bit of oil.

Add ground beef, and simmer until the meat is halfway done. 

Add seasonings, stir, and remove from heat.

Add rice in a smaller pot with one cup of water. Cook on medium heat until 

rice is halfway done. Combine rice and meat and stir well.

Cut tops of peppers, de-seed, and wash them. 

Stuff peppers with the filling and place in the baking plan.

Separately, mix 2 cups water, tomato sauce and salt. 

Pour over the peppers, add parsley, and place back in the oven. 

Bake about 1 hour, frequently turning the baking pan and the peppers around.

Serve peppers on their own or with mashed potatoes. 

Chocolate Calzone

This decadent pastry is simple, and will satisfy a sweet tooth in no time!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and take the other half of the pizza dough.

Place the dough onto a cutting board and roll it out.

Next, section the dough into sizes you would like your calzones to be.

Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, nutella, or basically anything you would like.

Seal the chocolate into the dough by rolling and pinching the side so that the chocolate doesn't ooze out.

Place in the oven for about 17 minutes.

Cut the calzones and serve while still warm!

Recipe from CookWithApril

Homemade Pizza

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 packet of yeast
• 3 1/4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To begin, place the yeast in a bowl with the warm water. Let the yeast dissolve for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon to submerge any yeast that hasn't dissolved.

In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt, and add the dissolved yeast. Use a mixer with a dough hook to mix the ingredients together. Add the water and olive oil and mix until the dough begins to form.

Once the dough has formed a sprinkle some flour down on a cutting board, and lightly form the dough into a ball. Place a bowl over the dough and allow to rise for about an hour and a half.

After the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and divide the dough in half. Take one half and roll it out with a rolling pin. Save the other half for another pizza or for a delicious chocolate calzone recipe. You can also use your fingers to spread the dough as evenly as possible onto a cooking tray.

Cook the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it is nice and golden brown on the bottom.

Remove it from the oven, turn it over, and spread some olive oil on the top.

Add the marinara, a mixture of cheeses, or anything you would like on your pizza.

Return the pizza back to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted and the color is a little more golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Recipe from CookWithApril