German Cucumber Salad

Another recipe introduced to me by my aunt! It's so simple but so good. She only uses cucumber, vinegar, sugar, and sour cream. I went with a slightly enhanced version here 

German Cucumber Salad

from Plated Cravings

Ingredients:

2 English cucumbers

1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbs white vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1 Tbs fresh dill

1 tsp salt

black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. With a mandolin, slice cucumbers thinly. Place in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, whisk all other ingredients to combine. Pour sour cream mixture over cucumbers and stir to combine.

3. Chill salad 4 hours to overnight before serving.

4. Serve with a slotted spoon.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots

This recipe is very flexible and forgiving. If you want to have more of a soup, then dice the carrots, onions, and potatoes small and server with the boiling broth.

There's also a horseradish sauce recipe in the Taste of Home link that uses the boiling broth as a component. I did not have success with it, and thus did not include here.

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Potatoes and Carrots
blend of Taste of Home and Alton Brown

Ingredients:
2-4 lbs corned beef brisket, with all-spice packet
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. black pepper, coarsely ground
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. kosher salt
1-2 lb carrots, scrubbed and cut into 2-3" lengths
1 lb onion, diced large (1 med. onion)
2-4 lbs. small potatoes, scrubbed
1 head cabbage, chopped as desired

Mustard Sauce (optional):
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp. sugar

Instructions:
1. In a 6 qt. stock pot or dutch oven, place your brisket, spice packet, brown sugar, pepper, bay leaves, and salt. Add enough water to cover the brisket by 1 inch.
2. Bring pot to a boil on high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2-2.5 hours.
3. Add carrots, onions, and potatoes. Cook for 30-40 minutes or until carrots and potatoes are fork-tender.
4. Add cabbage to pot, and cook until cabbage is soft, around 15 minutes. If pot is full, remove carrots and potatoes before adding cabbage.
5. In the meantime, make the mustard sauce if desired.
6. Drain liquid from pot. Let brisket rest 5-10 minutes before slicing across the grain. Enjoy!

EveryPlate Zesty Pork Tacos

Review:
     This is the second recipe from EveryPlate I have made. These pork tacos were tasty, though they didn't blow me away. The recipe was much quicker than the Tuscan chicken pasta. From start to end photo, it took me 36 minutes so dead-on for estimated time.
     Some of the terminology and instructions on the recipe cards I again found confusing, so I have translated them into how I would do my own recipe post here. I could definitely see myself making these again, but adding some actual hot spice as there was none whatsoever. Due to the poor quality of the lime, I did not have enough lime zest for the  lime creme step and just used straight sour cream. I recommend doing the step as it would probably help make these tacos pop.
    I took the second portion of these to work the next day, and neither the tomato salsa nor the radishes held up and it had a bad odor. I think this was partially due to the poor quality of the tomatoes and the radishes. See picture of how smushed the tomato was, and note the rot on the red onion in the ingredients picture below as well as the very blemished skin on half of the lime.

Estimated cook time: 35 minutes
Actual cook time: 36 minutes

Zesty Pork Tacos
from EveryPlate

Ingredients:
- 10 oz. ground pork
- 6 tortillas
- 3 radishes
- 1 roma tomato
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion
- 7 g. Fajita spice
- 2 oz. sour cream
- 1 lime
- salt, pepper, sugar

Instructions:
1. Small dice tomato. Peel and thinly slice red onion. Finely chop enough red onion to get 2 Tbs. minced.
2. Thinly slice radishes. Zest lime for 1 tsp. lime zest, then quarter lime. Mince garlic.
3. In a small bowl, combine tomato, chopped onion, half of the lime zest, and half of the juice from the lime, salt, and pepper.
4. In another small bowl combine raddish slices, rest of the lime juice, a large pinch of both salt and sugar.
5. Heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add pork and Fajita seasoning to pan, separating pork until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, 1 Tbs. water, and remaining lime zest. Wrap tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds until supple.
8. Add pork, tomato salad, and raddish pickle to a tortilla. Tip with lime creme.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread

I found this recipe easy, delicious, and not at all too sweet! And of course, it features one of my favorite ingredients: SQUASH. I highly recommend using homemade pumpkin puree: Just slice a pie pumpkin in half, scoop out seeds, and place cut-side down on a lined baking pan. Bake at 350 for an hour. Scoop out inside, mash or process until smooth et voila!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread
from Homemade Hooplah

Ingredients:
cheesecake filling
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs flour
- 1 large egg

pumpkin bread
- 1 2/3 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 Tbs. pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg

Instructions:
cheesecake filling
1. In a large bowl, whisk all cheesecake filling ingredients together until smooth.

pumpkin bread
1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Butter a 9"x5" bread pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, pumpkin spice mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
3. In another large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, vanilla extract, and egg until smooth.
4. Pour sifted dry ingredients into wet. Using a spatula, gently fold together until dry ingredients are just combined.

assembly
1. Pour 1/2 of the pumpkin batter into the prepared pan. Smooth out with a spatula.
2. Pour cheesecake filling into pan. Smooth out with a spatula, trying not to touch cheesecake filling to the edge.
3. Pour remaining pumpkin batter on top and smooth out. You can swirl with cheesecake layer if desired.
4. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.