Category Archives: Celebrations

Aunt Theresa’s Crepes

Holidays and Special Foods are a tradition in our family. Pick a holiday or a celebration and I can name a food, recipe or menu we’ve shared as a family. What can I say, we have many home cooks and bakers in our family and we enjoy celebrating and sharing!

I posted about Palacinkas (Slovenian Crepes) before and how our girls and now our grandsons enjoy when they are “scrambled” to make something we’ve always called “bucca.” They top the scrambled palacinka / “bucca” with syrup, usually Log Cabin, and enjoy themselves!

In this recipe, we use the palacinkas / crepes to create a dessert by adding a delightful, sweet filling. My Aunt Theresa introduced her creation at a July 4th picnic at her son Steve’s (my cousin) one year and we loved them. I remember so vividly that she topped them with a homemade strawberry syrup and whipped cream and proudly added them to the dessert table! They were chilled perfectly for a warm July 4th afternoon.

I made them recently, for our July 4th family picnic and topped them with a blueberry syrup. Our syrup was made from blueberries that Bob and our youngest grandson picked from newly planted bushes in our backyard! The recipes for Palacinkas and Blueberry Syrup follow… Enjoy!

Palacinkas / Crepes:

1 cup flour

2 cups milk

2 eggs

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Palacinka Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped

Blueberry Syrup Topping:

1 cup blueberries

1/4 – 1/2 cup sugar (depending on personal preference of sweetness)

Directions for the Crepes:

Combine all the the ingredients for the crepes in a medium size bowl and mix until smooth. Let this batter rest for about 10 – 15 minutes.

Using a small nonstick pan sprayed lightly with some vegetable oil / Pam, add enough batter to coat the entire pan (approximately 1/3 cup) by swirling the batter to make a thin pancake. It is important to make them as thinly as possible. It will take a little practice, but, I assure you it will be worth it!

When you see the edges starting to brown slightly, carefully flip the pancake to lightly brown the other side. Place this crepe onto a dish and continue using the rest of the batter to make additional crepes.

When all of your crepes are finished and cooled they are ready to fill.

Directions for the Filling:

In a medium bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Then, gently fold in the whipped cream until it is all combined.

Directions for the blueberry syrup:

Put the blueberries, sugar and vanilla into a saucepan. Heat this mixture over a low – medium heat until it is all combined and the consistency pleases you. You may want larger berries remaining in your syrup or you may want a smoother, thinner consistency. You may even want to use a handheld blender to blend it at the end.

Assembling Dessert Crepes:

Place a crepe onto a marble / cutting board and add some of the cream cheese filling on one side, end to end and then, roll the crepe and place on a dish. Continue with the rest of the crepes.

When all of the crepes are filled, place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve them, top the chilled, rolled crepe with the blueberry syrup and some homemade whipped cream!

Enjoy!

Halloween Fun… looking back

Happy Halloween week everyone!!
A little Halloween retrospective… enjoy!!
Can’t wait for this year!

Family Recipe: What is a Rosette?

 

Rosette Cookies – A “Generation” Family Recipe*

 

1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg (2 – if a flakier pastry is desired)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour, sifted

oil for frying
Rosette iron
paper towels

Mix the first five ingredients together and then slowly add the flour until the batter is smooth.
Heat enough oil (in a wide pan) to be able to deep fry.

For each rosette follow these instructions:
Dip “batterless” (rosette) iron into the hot oil until the iron is hot.
Dab the iron onto a paper towel – then dip into the batter.
Make certain you — do not — go over the top of the iron! It will run the entire batter.
Dip the “battered” iron into the hot oil — the batter will loosen itself – if you need to, nudge it off with a fork.

When it looks light brown… Turn the Rosette cookie to brown the other side.
When that side is light brown…. remove and drain on paper towels until cool.

Sprinkle with confectioners’ / powdered sugar.
Serve! and Enjoy!

We always know when people sample our cookies…….. by the powdered sugar on their shirts! 🙂 Enjoy!

*This family “generation” recipe was submitted to a local cookbook:

1992 – Ethnic Recipes, Traditions and Customs — St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church – Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Compiled by Mary Ann Lipsky
Illustrations and Narrative by Janet Kovalchick (a local artist and dear friend)
Small Drawings Assistant – Robin Gwen Lipsky (age 18)

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