Cindy's Linzer Cookies

3/4 lb. sweet butter, softened

1-3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 egg

2 cups flour, sifted

1 cup cornstarch

2 cups walnuts, finely ground

fruit preserves

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and mix well. Sift together the flour and cornstarch, add to creamed mixture and blend. Stir in walnuts. Gather dough into a ball and put in a plastic storage bag. Chill 4-6 hours. Roll out to 1/4" thickness. Using cookie cutter, cut out cookies. (Use smaller similarly-shaped cookie cutter to create windows in half of the cookies.) Chill 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake cookies 10-15 minutes until evenly and lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool. While still slightly warm, spread windowless cookies with preserves. Make sandwiches with remaining cookies. Sift powdered sugar on top.

Grandma Nora's Cranberry Bread

2 cups sifted flour

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 c. butter

1 Tbsp. grated orange peel

1-1/2 cups light raisins

1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries, halved

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter unitl mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange peel, and juice; stir just until mixture is evenly moist. Fold in raisins and cranberries. Spoon into greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. (Be sure to check for doneness with toothpick before removing from the oven.)

Grandma Glo's Hungarian Paprikash

1 medium onion, chopped

4 Tbsp. shortening

1 Tbsp. paprika (or more)

2 tsp. salt (or less)

4-5 lb. chicken, cut up

1/2 pint sour cream

2 Tbsp. flour

1 bell pepper, seeds removed, sliced into rings for garnish (Cindy's addition after seeing how pretty it looks in the picutre.)

In kettle or deep pan, saute onion in shortening. Remove pot from stove. Add paprika. (Some say to put so much in that it almost seems like too much.) Add chicken and salt. Stir around until chicken is coated with paprika. Add water to cover 3/4 of the meat. Simmer slowly until tender., anout 1-1/2 hours. Don't cook too long. Remove from heat. Carefully put chicken on a platter. Add 2 Tbsp. flour to sour cream. Stir until smooth. Stir into drippings until well blended before you return to heat. Replace chicken piece by piece and reheat to boiling point. Don't boil or sour cream will curdle.

Dumplings

3 cups flour

3-4 eggs

1 tsp. salt

About 1.3 cup water

Mix and beat with spoon. Drop by teaspoon into boiling salted water. Cook about ten minutes until dumplings rise to the top. Drain and rinse in cold water. Serve with paprikash.

Auntie Rene used to make this for us up at the cottage; it was soooooo delicious.

Eric's Mae Ploy Masman Curry

Stir fry 50 g Massaman curry paste with 1 Tbsp. soybean oil, then add 1 cup coconut milk.

Add 200 g of meat and another 1/2 cup coconut milk. Heat until boiling.

Add 150 g cubed potatoes, 50 g onion, 15 g chopped peanuts (1 handful, says Eric), 1/2 cup water -- and Eric adds 1 Tbsp peanut butter. Cook until the vegetables soften.

Add 3 tsp. sugar, 1 tsp. tamarind extract. Taste and season as required.

Serve with jasmine rice.

Irish Soda Bread

5 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, room temperature
2 1/2 cups raisins
3 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter heavy ovenproof 10- to 12-inch-diameter skillet with 2- to 2 1/2-inch-high sides. Whisk first 5 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Add butter; using fingertips, rub in until coarse crumbs form. Stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Whisk buttermilk and egg in medium bowl to blend. Add to dough; using wooden spoon, stir just until well incorporated (dough will be very sticky).

Transfer dough to prepared skillet; smooth top, mounding slightly in center. Using small sharp knife dipped into flour, cut 1-inch-deep X in top center of dough. Bake until bread is cooked through and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool bread in skillet 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap tightly in foil; store at room temperature.)

This is really good. Eric, Jim, and Geoff loved it. And it IS good the next day.

I left out the caraway seeds.

Chicken Schnitzel with Mustard Sauce

1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup whole grain mustard
5 slices white bread, torn
3/4 tsp. dried marjoram
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 large eggs
4 chicken cutlets, about 1/8" thick (about 1-1/2 lbs.)
Vegetable oil, for frying
Applesauce

1. Whisk the yogurt and mustard in a bowl until smooth; set aside.
2. Pulse the bread in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a shallow dish and add the marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. In another dish, season the flour with paprika. Beat the eggs in a third dish. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Dredge each cutlet in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the eggs and then in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat both sides. Place on parchment paper until ready to fry.
4. Heat an 1/8 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet (or electric pan) over medium high heat until hot. Add 2 cutlets, gently swirling the skillet so the oil washes over them, and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate and season with salt. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adjusting the heat as needed. Serve the schnitzel with mustard and applesauce, if desired.

This received 5 stars from the cherubs. Schnitzelator required for pounding cutlets.