German Sweet and Sour Green Beans

Ingredients:

2 strips bacon

1 C. chopped onion

1 T. flour

1/2 C. green bean liquid

1/4 C. water

2 T.  apple cider vinegar

4 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 large can green beans

Directions:

Brown bacon.  Remove.  Sauté onion in bacon grease until tender.  Stir in flour.  Add remaining ingredients.  Crumble bacon on top before serving.

Green Bean Casserole

Cook and drain 2 cans green beans or 16 oz. frozen green beans.  Stir in one can cream of mushroom soup.  Place in casserole dish.  Sprinkle one small can French fried onions on top.  Bake at 350 degrees until onion rings are browned.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Cook 16 oz. frozen broccoli according to package directions, drain.

Spray inside of 2-qt. casserole dish with Pam and then put broccoli into dish.

Stir in 1/2 stick butter, cut-up, and 8 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cubed.

Topping:

Melt 1/2 stick butter.  Add 1/4 lb. crushed Town House or Ritz crackers to melted butter and mix. Place on top of broccoli.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, uncovered.

Swedish Meatballs with Lingonberry Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, dried out
• 3/4 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, toasted and ground
• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound ground pork
• 1 large egg
• 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
• 1 handful fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 11/2 cups chicken broth
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup lingonberry or red currant jam, plus more for serving

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the milk; stir with a fork and let stand for 5 minutes. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet and let it melt over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and caraway; season with salt and pepper. Saute until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Put the ground beef and pork in a large bowl. Add the sweated shallot mixture, egg, parsley, and dill; season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the milk out of the soaked bread crumbs, add the bread to the meat mixture, and mix well using your hands. Pinch off about 1/2 cup worth of the meat mixture and roll it around in your moistened hands to shape it into a cue ball-sized meatball. Continue forming the meatballs and putting them on a platter; there should be about 20 meatballs.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat. When the foam starts to subside, add the meatballs in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan. Saute the meatballs until well-browned on all sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove the meatballs to a platter lined with paper towels as they are done.

Discard most of the fat from the skillet and return it to the heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and swirl it around to coat the pan. Sprinkle in the flour, and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve into the fat. Pour in the chicken broth, and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer and stir until the liquid is reduced and a sauce starts to form; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and stir in the sour cream. Return the meatballs to the sauce and stir in 1/4 cup of the lingonberry jam until combined. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly and the meatballs are heated through, about 15 to 20 minutes. Shower with chopped parsley and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve the Swedish meatballs with additional lingonberry jam on the side.

Zwieback Teething Biscuits

The word "zwieback" is German in origin and means "twice baked" - which describes these crunchy teething biscuits (or rusks) perfectly. 

Zwieback Toast
1 package active dried yeast
4 fl oz (1/2 cup) milk
2 oz (1/4 cup) sugar
2 oz (1/4 cup) butter
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs (unbeaten)
12 oz (3 cups) flour

Gently warm the milk until tepid and add the yeast. Set aside for 5 mins, to allow the yeast to activate.
Melt the butter and add to the mixture, along with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Add enough of the flour to form a dough, then knead well until the dough is smooth - you may need to add extra flour as you knead.
Set the dough aside and leave it to rise.
Once it has doubled in size (around 1 hr later), divide it into 3 equal pieces and form into "rolls".
Place on an ungreased baking/cookie sheet and allow to rise again (around 30 mins).
Bake for 20 mins at 400 deg F, 200 deg C, then cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 200 deg F, 100 deg C and slice the rolls into 1/2" slices.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 15 mins, until the zwieback toast is dry and hard.