Chicken Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb farfalle pasta

2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Cherry tomatoes

Kalamata olives

Spinach

Pesto

Goat or feta cheese

Red pepper flakes

Basil for garnish

Begin by baking the chicken breasts in the oven at 375° for about 45 minutes.

While the chicken breasts bake, cook the pasta. Add a few pinches

of salt once the water is boiling to flavor your pasta. 

In the meantime, chop up the tomatoes and olives into bite-sized pieces. 

You can use how every many tomatoes and olives you would like in this recipe.

Wash about two handfuls of spinach.

Once the chicken has finished cooking, shred it by using two forks, and set aside.

Heat up some olive oil in a large pan, and add in the red pepper flakes, tomatoes, olives, 

spinach, and shredded chicken until warm and the spinach has wilted.

Add the cooked pasta into the pan along with two spoonfuls of pesto, and 

mix well until combined. 

Add the goat or feta cheese on top of the pasta, and garnish with some basil.

Enjoy!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 package active dry yeast

4 cups flour

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Vegetable oil, for pan

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Pretzel salt

Combine the water, sugar, and salt in a bowl, and sprinkle the yeast on top.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam.

Add the flour and butter and mix until combined. 

Knead the dough until it's smooth and begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl, and oil it well with vegetable oil.

Return the dough to the bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.

Let the dough sit in a warm place for ~1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper, and 

lightly brush them with vegetable oil.

Bring 10 cups of water and baking soda to a rolling boil in a saucepan.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface, and

divide into 8 equal pieces.

Roll out each piece of dough into a 24-inch rope.

Make a U-shape with the rope, cross the ends over each other two times, and 

fold them back onto the curved portion of the dough to make the pretzel shape.

Place onto the parchment-lined sheet pan.

Place the pretzels into the boiling water, one by one, for 30 seconds.

Remove them from the water using a large flat spatula.

Return them to the sheet pan, brush the top of each pretzel with the

egg yolk and water mixture, and sprinkle with pretzel salt.

Bake until dark golden brown in color, ~12 to 14 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes, and enjoy!

Goveda Corba (Bosnian Beef Stew)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef

5 garlic cloves

1 onion

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 cups beef broth

2 cups water

1 cup tomato sauce

4-5 potatoes

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup heavy cream

3 tablespoons chopped dill

Preheat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, and add a drizzle of olive oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the cubed beef.

Season the beef with a few pinches of salt and brown the meat.

Add in the minced garlic and diced onion. Saute until onion is soft and translucent.

Then, add the seasonings: salt, black pepper, paprika, and cumin,

Cook the mixture for a few more minutes, then pour in the tomato sauce, beef broth, and water.

Bring the liquids to a simmer, close the pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the

heat to low, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.

Once the beef has reached the desired level of tenderness, remove it into a 

small bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the cubed potatoes.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook covered for 25 minutes or 

until the potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the cornstarch slurry.

Combine the cornstarch and heavy cream until smooth. 

Once the potatoes are cooked, add the slurry into the sauce, and return the beef to the mixture.

Stir and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.

Serve with chopped dill and a dollop of sour cream.

Pavlova

For the Meringue:

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 cups superfine sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

A few drops of vanilla extract

For the Topping:

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered

1/2 teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract

1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons superfine sugar

2 cups heavy cream

Preparation:

To prepare meringue, heat oven to 350°.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw a circle on the

paper using an 8 or 9 inch cake pan as a guide.

Flip the parchment paper over so the pencil marking is face down (this ensures

that the pencil won't transfer to the meringue).

In bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and salt. 

Begin beating at low speed, slowly increasing to high. 

Continue until satiny peaks begin to form; gradually beat in sugar 

a tablespoon at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny.

Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and vanilla, and fold gently. 

Mound onto parchment within circle, and shape into a disk, flattening

top and smoothing sides. 

Place in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 300°. 

Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Turn off heat, and allow meringue to cool completely in oven.

To prepare topping, in a mixing bowl, combine strawberries, vanilla, 

balsamic vinegar, and sugar. 

Cover with plastic wrap. 

Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

To serve, carefully peel off parchment and place meringue on a platter or cake stand. 

Gently crack the top with the back of a soup spoon to make a shallow nest

for the whipped cream and berries.

Whip cream until it is thick enough to hold peaks, and spoon it evenly 

over meringue. 

Cover cream with strawberries, allowing a small amount of their liquid 

to dribble onto cream.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Grah (Bosnian Bean Stew)

Ingredients

• 3 cups dried beans
• 4 cups water
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 cup smoked beef (cubed)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vegeta (Bosnian all-purpose seasoning)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 bay leaf (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp paprika

Soak the beans overnight to reduce the cooking time, rinse, and place in large cooking pot with water until boiling. If you didn't soak the beans, place them in a cooking pot, add water, and let them boil for several minutes. 

Once the beans have come to a boil, finely chop the onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Add these to the beans, and reduce the temperature to medium. Cover the pot slightly and allow the stew to cook for about an hour. Add water every few minutes to ensure that the water level is kept constant.

After an hour, add all the spices and cubed meat to the beans. Cook for another hour. You will know that the grah is finished cooking once the beans are soft and creamy. 

Next, add the tomato paste and allow this to incorporate into the stew.

To make the roux, mince garlic cloves and add them to a small oiled frying pan. Cook the garlic until fragrant. At this stage, it is very easy to burn the garlic so make sure to keep an eye on it and stir constantly. Add the flour and begin mixing until all the crumbs disappear. Finally, add the paprika and mix well. Add the roux to the stew, and allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• Dough
• 1/4 oz package yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup scalded milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour
• Filling
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup raisins, walnuts, or pecans, optional
• Glaze
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.

In a large bowl mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add the yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until the dough is easy to handle. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the dough in a well-greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until it has doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread butter all over the dough. Mix the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the buttered dough. Also, sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll up the dough and pinch the edge together to seal. Cut the dough into 12 to 15 slices.

Coat the bottom of the baking pan with butter and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let them rise until the dough has doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

Meanwhile, mix the butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar in a small bowl. Spread over the slightly cooled rolls.

Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

     These chocolate chip cookie bars are so rich and gooey. The browned butter gives them an extra unexpected flavor, and the chocolate chips melt in your mouth. I highly recommend this recipe if you want to try a new spin on chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp corn starch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 7 oz chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add the butter to a small saucepan and melt over medium heat. Whisk the butter continuously until it starts to develop a nutty smell and turn light brown. Remove from heat immediately and set aside to cool. Make sure not to burn the butter.

Beat the butter and sugars together until well combined. Add in the egg and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Add to the butter mixture until well combined. The dough may become a little difficult to mix with with a mixer, and I recommend using your hands to lightly knead it at this stage. Finally, incorporate the chocolate chips.

Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, and press the dough into the pan. 

Bake for 15 minutes for gooey bars. Bake a few minutes longer for firmer bars.

Allow to cool for about 30 minutes before cutting.