When it turned lunch time, we were able to venture off from the group to find something to eat. I was looking forward to making a pit stop at a McDonald’s for a large bag of crispy, golden fries and a soda; all of that walking made my stomach feel as if it were eating itself. I was surprised when the girls stopped at a local grocery store for lunch instead of a fast food restaurant. As Charlotte, Anne-Sophie’s 16-year-old sister, sat on a bench and munched on a green bell pepper, something I’ve never seen before, Anne-Sophie explained that it is typical for the French to eat small meals, almost like snacks, throughout the day.

The French way of eating smaller meals throughout the day eventually made sense to me. If we don’t eat so much, we are less likely to overindulge at meals. Skeptical at first, I have found that the French way is beneficial to the body and relationships I have with others by giving my body more time digest and giving myself more time to indulge in conversation with those around me. I feel healthier and calmer since meals are not so large and rushed.

One signature French meal that has become my favorite, and can be very filling after eating very little, is crepes. The great thing about crepes is that you are able to get creative with what goes into it. A crepe is usually described as a thin pancake; it’s as thin as a tortilla and is eventually folded, not wrapped like a tortilla, to hold its contents inside. You can add anything like chicken, fresh vegetables or fruit, turkey, cheese, or even peanut butter and jelly. My ultimate favorite crepe is the Nutella crepe.

Crepe avec Nutella (recipe taken from allrecipes.com)

• 1 cup flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of milk
• ½ cup of water
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter

-          Whisk the flour and eggs together in a large mixing bowl. While stirring, slowly add in the milk and water. Next, add the salt and butter. Whisk until the batter appears smooth in texture.

-          Lightly oil your griddle or frying pan and set to medium high heat. Pour ¼ cup of your batter onto the surface. Continue tilting the griddle/pan in a circular motion so the batter spreads evenly.

-          It should take 2 minutes for the bottom of the crepe to turn light brown. Flip the crepe with a spatula and let it cook for another 2 minutes.

-          Once the crepe is done cooking, let it cool on a plate for a minute. Now it’s time to spread the Nutella evenly on one side of the crepe. (You can add slices of banana, strawberries, or powdered sugar on top of the Nutella if you wish.) Finally, fold the crepe in half and in half again. You can eat your Nutella crepe with your hands or silverware.

-          Serves four

Fresh crepes are great for any meal; they are great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or desert.   It is easy to see why the French value a simple crepe. A crepe is certainly a smaller meal than a steak with a side of whipped mashed potatoes and steaming green beans and, in my opinion, just as filling. Smaller portions give time for our bodies to digest both our food and conversations we have with those around us. Over a light breakfast, Anne-Sophie explained, in her thick French accent, the importance of each meal in France. “We value good food that is good for our health. We eat smaller portions because it is good for our bodies and the relationships we have with each other. My family eats three meals a day together and we are always talking and building our relationships that we have with one another.”

- Jillian Bunting

                She would bribe us to eat something, that’s how she got a five year old to eat their dinner. “You don’t get dessert if you don’t eat your dinner.” Sure mom, whatever you say. Well, she’d win almost every time with that one liner. I’d give in and eat what was on my plate, only if we weren’t at my gram’s because more than likely we had ice cream before mom and dad came over for dinner.

                The dish my gram would make that I didn’t like when I was little was halupkies. I don’t remember mom making them until I got older, I don’t know why that is, but when I was younger I didn’t exactly care.  They looked like aliens in a pot because they were long tube like things that were about to explode. Mom would cut one open, to let it cool, and set it in front of me. I put my hands in my lap and looked at her as if to ask if she really expected me to eat that. There was no way she was serious. Oh, but she was and I wasn’t allowed to leave until I ate the whole thing or sometimes half of it.

                So I grabbed my fork from the side of my plate and started poking at the thing sitting in front of me. I was worried it was going to move and attack me while I sat at the dinner table. I was always upset when they put the dog in another room because Teddy always helped me with my food from under the table. If I didn’t want something, I’d give it to him when nobody was looking.

                “Don’t play with your food, just eat it.” I bet I know that voice.

                I wouldn’t play with it if I wanted it, this time I just didn’t want it. The meat and rice mixed with green flakes resting inside rolled up cabbage wasn’t appealing at five years old. The fact that it was covered in tomato something or other didn’t help much either.

                So I looked at my mom again and then back at my plate, instead of stabbing it some more, I moved the cabbage to the side of my plate and stuck my fork into the guts of the halupkie. I would eat the insides, they weren’t any different from spaghetti in a way, and it was just rice with meat not meatballs.

                After years everything changed, I like cabbage and I don’t know why. It’s versatile and in so many ways it’s like spinach because it soaks up the flavors of everything around it; and the extra crunch surrounding the soft guts makes the halupkie that much more intriguing. The thought that it looks like an alien is still there, but the overwhelming taste of something so reminiscent overtakes the thoughts of aliens jumping out of the pot. And when we eat them with salt and pepper on top, they look like freckled aliens.

                But, when I told my mom I needed a recipe for a school project, she gave me the funniest look I think I have ever seen—I’ve gotten pretty odd looks from her before. She just said, “Um, no I don’t have a recipe.” Oh, crap was my first thought, and then she said, “I’m sure I can find one in one of my cookbooks.” Okay mom that might take two hours to do because the amount of cookbooks she has is ridiculous, and by ridiculous I mean about twenty on one three foot shelf in the closet.

                Well, she grabbed a cookbook she thought might have a recipe in it, and luckily the two hours was cut down to two minutes. She opened the book to where it said halupkies and she laughed. Oh boy, that can’t be good. She tells me the recipe that says halupkies has sauerkraut in it and she’s never put sauerkraut in halupkies. If she had, I really wouldn’t have eaten them when I was little, partly because sauerkraut is sour and strong and I disliked it when I was little. Like halupkies, sauerkraut took time for me to like. That I might like now because it’s part of a Pennsylvania Deutsch tradition for the New Years and bringing good luck for that year.

                Cooking halupkies for the family is entertaining and finding a recipe was captivating because we had a cookbook (Favorite Recipes Lehigh Furnace Union Sunday School) from way before I was born. The covers were falling off and the pages were covered in chocolate, table syrup, tomato soup (maybe) and a whole bunch of other things. So we looked at the index and found stuffed cabbage rolls, well they’re just about the same thing as halupkies just different names and a few different ingredients.

STUFFED CABBAGE ROLLS                            Adapted from Mrs. William Kistler (add title of cookbook)

1 lb. ground meat                                            2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce or

1 can tomato soup and 1 can tomato sauce

2 tsp. salt                                                             12 cabbage leaves

½ tsp. pepper                                                    ¾ c. cooked rice                                                              

1 small onion

Combine ingredients: meat, salt, pepper, rice, onion and 1 can tomato sauce. Soak cabbage leaves in boiling water for 4 minutes; drain. Place mixture on leaf. Roll up slowly. Brown the cabbage rolls at lowest temperature. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over rolls. Simmer, covered, 1-1 ½ hours. The tomato soup on top can be altered to taste.

                Cooking is one thing my mom and I have in common and making these together is a whole different experience in itself. If I’m not making a mess, mom is because of rolling the guts into balls. However, they fall apart easily when trying to eat them and this is where the rest of the mess comes in. Don’t wear a white shirt or fancy clothes while eating these, just a suggestion because I know I always wind up wearing a little and tomato soup with white or nice clothes is a disaster.

Tara Rohrbach

About four years ago, in late spring, I met a young woman. Her name was Agata, and we began seeing each other just a few days after meeting . It was an enlightening era that still holds some of my happiest memories. We spent almost all of our time together, as exams and homework faded into sun and sand. Agata was a beach bum and made it her mission to make me one too. At the time, she didn’t realize what a steep mountain climb this would become. As the summer progressed, we found a happy compromise; sitting in the park, eating sunflower seeds. She could enjoy the warm weather and I didn’t have to venture on to the scorching dunes of those menacing beaches.

One morning, while sitting in park we came up with a great idea for a seasonal pastime. We decided to put those sunflower seeds to good use. After finding a prime spot in her back yard, we put spade to dirt, made a little hole, and planted some seeds. Through the rest of the summer, we took care of our sunflower, watering it and making sure her dog kept away when the buds began to sprout. After just two weeks our sunflower was beginning to look like something. By July, it had blossomed into some formidable foliage. But all good things must come to an end. The sunflower began to droop in late August, the weight of its crown rushing downwards. We decided to salvage what we could from the sunflower, collecting its seeds in a tin can.  I wondered what we could do with them, suggesting we plant them around town and see what happened, but Agata had a better idea; Eat them. 

We charged into her kitchen and eagerly sought ingredients for whatever concoction we could muster up. We found some fresh red strawberries and creamy yogurt. A few more minutes of searching awarded us with some chewy raisins and crisp lettuce. Agata and I decided to make a salad together in honor of our fallen flower. The preparation was quick and easy. We threw the strawberries and raisins into the yogurt and stirred heartily, working them deep into the slippery mixture. Next, we placed the bowl into the fridge for about an hour to make it cool and refreshing. After a short wait, we poured the yogurt mix onto our lettuce and generously sprinkled sunflower seeds all over the salad. We had made something, but would either party be courageous enough to try it? Yes! The flavor was surprisingly light, not too over-powering but still infused with sweet strawberry. The yogurt absorbed the fruit flavor, amplifying every taste. Riddled with sunflower seeds, the salad had a surprising crunch, which, although not adding much to taste, certainly made it more interesting to eat. Even though the salad had an invigorating zest, the real reward came in the form of texture; chewy raisins contrasted crunchy lettuce while smooth strawberries played off of the crackling seeds. We took our new salad out into Agata’s yard and ate to our hearts’ content. 

I have recently experimented with reproducing this salad. This time around I added a few extra ingredients to expand on the first edition. Apple slices and grapes seemed like great choices as they complement the strawberries well and add more fruit to the mix. Melons and cantaloupe make great additions as well. Get creative with the fruit!  I also toyed with another key ingredient; salsa. This new element can add a spicy kick to the salad, changing the entire feel of the dish. However, a word of warning comes with this new addition. Try to use either the salsa or the yogurt. These two fixings are not friends and may induce stomach aches if combined. As an added note, the salsa route may also allow for the use of baked or grilled fruit; warm and delicious additions to an already tasty salad. 

Today summer is different. It no longer conjures up images of arid sands and hot days, but rather reminds me of sunflowers, salads, and friends. Even though autumn and winter still hold my favor, I have found summer much more fulfilling after meeting Agata. She helped me to see the beauty in a lot of things and taught me to enjoy a new time of year. When I look back, I’m grateful for the time we spent together and the memories we forged with our sunflower seeds. I’d like to invite you to try this sunflower salad. It is a delicious way to usher in the summer; perfectly refreshing for the warmer weather to come. 

“Sunflower Salad”

2 cups of sliced fresh strawberries

1 cup melon, diced

1 medium apple, diced

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup strawberry yogurt OR 1/2 cup salsa

4 tablespoons sunflower seeds

Lettuce leaves

Directions: In a large bowl, combine strawberries, apple, grapes, melon and raisins. Stir in the yogurt or salsa. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Add sunflower seeds and toss; serve on lettuce if desired.

-Alex Major

My dad was the one who started the whole project. His interest in making beer started when a brews supply shop opened close to our house. In search of a new hobby we went in the shop, and bought a cheap starters kit that gave us everything we needed to make our own beer. The kit was Munton’s Gold Highland Heavy Ale and came with the malt that already had the hops brewed in, and a packet of dry yeast. Along with the kit, there was a little brewer’s instruction book that my dad and I choose not to read because it was too long. We wanted instant results so we used a ten step paper that the clerk gave us to save time.

The thing that stuck out the most to me was the potent smell of the malts and hops boiling. It smelled like someone lit a tire on fire right there in the kitchen. It was such a strong smell that the kitchen held its foul smell for several days. Like cooking or creating anything making beer consists of the process of creation and the result of the creation.

The process was difficult because it required a lot of attention and care. Also, you have to keep everything clean, measuring the water to malt ratio just right, and maintaining the perfect temperature for the beer. According to the ten step-sheet I got, beer requires a constant temperature of about 75 degrees; if it goes below 60 degrees the yeast does not ferment, and if it goes above 80 degrees it kills the yeast. Since my parents do not believe in using the heat until you can see your breath, so I put a little space heater on it to keep it above 70 degrees. I had to continuously keep checking the temperature to make sure the space heater did not heat the batch up passed 80 degrees. To keep a consistent temperate the best place to put the beer while it ferments is in the basement because most basements keep the same temperature year round. Plus since homemade beer does not have preservatives you want to keep it out of contact with any light because it could spoil the taste of the beer.

The batch of beer sat in my cool dark basement for under a mouth which is roughly enough time for the yeast to turn the sugars into alcohol and let the waste into products rest at the bottom of the brew bucket. When I opened up the beer bucket for the first time in a month I was taken aback by the potent smell of alcohol and the thick form-like mold that grew on top of the beer. My dad and I then siphoned the beer out into another pale to separate the beer form the scum that lingered on the top and bottom. This step is a must no one wants to drink a beer that has mold still floating around in it, so you can either siphon it or dump it through a strainer.

After bottling and then carbonating for two weeks, the beer was ready to drink. So, I cracked open the first beer to smell it, and it had the same foul smell as the malts boiling. I took a cautious swig from the bottle, and it had a harsh taste to it. It still tasted like beer in the sense that it was bubbly and bitter, but it had an aggressive gritty taste. It tasted like the beer had been brewed in the crack of Scottish man’s arse. So, basically it was not the most pleasant thing to drink, but that least I was not gagging with each sip.

Any brewer can tell you that the most important part of making homemade beer is sanitation. Sanitation is the hardest part of brewing because it is very easy to contaminate a batch. If any of the equipment is not properly sanitized than the beer will have funk taste to it. It is so easy contaminate that any contact the beer has with anything that is not sanitized it could ruin the entire batch. Any little slip or mistake could ruin the batch and make all your efforts will go in vein. I think that when my dad and I brewed that batch we were a little careless on sanitation because we tested the temperature of it with our fingers and a lot of our equipment was not properly sanitized.

Now we just finished our fourth batch and it was a complete success. The beer we made actually tasted like a beer someone would want to drink. So, through trial and error we finally made something of quality. We learned from our mistakes and put more effort into making sure that everything that comes in contact with the beer is sanitized.

The experience of making homebrewed beer is great. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys create and then getting drunk off it. Although it may take a couple failed attempts to master, it is very cool to drinking a beer that you know you brewed. If you like strong beer than this heavy Scottish Ale may be for you. The recipe I have listed here is a heavy Scottish Ale that is similar to the first batch my dad and I made.

Recipe is from- http://www.brew-monkey.com/recipes/html/smittysscotch.htm

According to the ten step cheat sheet I got at the brew’s store the first thing you have to do is boil the malts in a pot with a roughly about a gallon of water. Wait to add the malt till after the water is boiling, it cleans the water of unwanted minerals. Boil the malts in the water for about forty minutes, but be sure to watch the pot carefully because the malts are quick to boil over. Trust me it will boil over too, I find out the hard way when I did not heed the warning that was in the ten step-sheet. My poor mother’s kitchen, it was ruined by the lingering burned rubber smell and by the sticky coat of malts on her stove.

After the malts and hops boil in the water for a while take the pot off the stove and let it cool down to less than 80 degrees. Then pour it into a fermenting bucket, which you can purchase at any homemade beer supplier or online, and let it ferment for about two to three weeks. When it’s done fermenting and the sediment of scum has settled to the bottom of the batch then it is time to bottle the beer. Siphon the beer out of the fermenting bucket or filter it through a clean rag to avoid getting scum in the beer you will be drinking. Then add priming sugar, which is basically corn sugar, to give it carbonation and then cap it. After three weeks the beer will be completely carbonated and ready to enjoy. It’s that simple or so it seems.

-Jordan Eckenrode

When I want to hang out and talk with my friends, the first thing that usually comes to mind is going out for a bite to eat. Sitting at a table and having something to eat always makes me feel a little bit more secure and I notice my friends also seem a lot more relaxed and talkative. I love sitting around at a McDonald’s and talking with my friends instead of just sitting around a television and game console.  Most of my friends during high school I met sitting around lunch tables talking, eating, and in some cases stealing each others snacks and food.

I’ve always seen his type of relaxation work, even in other countries. Over the summer, my friends, Zac, John, and I were part of a sister city exchange to Tondabayashi, Japan, where we with stayed with host families.  When we first met our host families, commission members, and students involved with the commission at the welcome party, my friends and I were nervous. We were all wondering what are families would be like and what were we going to talk about?  However, once we all gathered around are respective tables, I noticed the tension in the room instantly dissipate as people began conversing and eating a mix of traditional Japanese food like sushi and rice and some American foods like hamburgers. As I sat there, eyeing the sushi with looks of suspicion, I’ve never been a fan of fish in general, I noticed that around me, the air was alive with talking and laughter around this wonderful food that was prepared for us. The night continued with fun and games in that small banquet room  I saw my friends conversing and laughing with their host families introducing themselves with smiles, handshakes, and bows. This definitely made us all comfortable for the days to follow.

We continued to spend time and share meals with our respective host families and students involved with the commission, we all became a lot closer and felt more relaxed. I like to think that at that party, with that meal, is what started the following days of fun and laughter. Even when we all changed host, we continued to meet and connect with our host families during respective meal times. At my second host families house, I remember having shabu-shabu with my host family. Sitting around the pot of boiling water, cooking the food, eating, and talking with my new host family, really helped me open up and connect with them.

These experiences solidified my idea that food is a great ice breaker and can cross even cultural boundaries. Food has not only been present when I’m meeting people, but also when I’m gathering with my friends and family. Food has always been present at family gatherings for the happy times, the sad times, or even just to gather for no reason what so ever. Food has always been present at not only weddings, reunions, birth, holidays, and those other happy times in my family’s history, but also for the sadness that we have encountered.

So as long as I am gathering with my friends and family, I will always have food and snacks waiting for them to lighten up the moods of my guests. When I go on a date, or when I am working and need to meet with a client, I will take them out to lunch or dinner, to make them more comfortable so we can communicate without any tension. I want my guests to feel comfortable so that I can have conversations with them and be able to fill empty stomachs as well.

How to Cook Shabu Shabu

On a portable range, place a medium-sized pot (1/2 gallon should do). Place a couple of slices of kombu (a type of kelp) and cover with cold water. Gently bring the water to a boil and remove the kombu just before it actually starts to boil. When the water is boiling very, very gently, you’re set.

On your table you should have: (for 4 people)

Ingredients:

1 lb very thinly sliced beef (sirloin), preferably grain-fed.
Beer-fed Kobe beef is the best. And I mean VERY THIN (less than 1/16 inch)
8 shiitake mushrooms
1/2 lb enoki mushrooms
1/2 lb shimeji mushrooms
1/2 lb shirataki
1 lb chinese cabbage
1/2 lb watercress, to substitute for spring chrysanthemum leaves
1 lb tofu, cut in 1 in. cubes, pressed and drained
any other ingredients you want to use any kind of thin strips of meat and vegetables will do very nicely

Simply take one of the items, swish it around in the hot water from a few seconds for beef to a few minutes for vegetables. Serve with hot steamed rice. It’s a very simple way of cooking that can be a fun and interesting way of eating dinner.

Every birthday party, this cake makes an appearance. Toots comes into the house with her off-white Tupperware container and the family knows it’s her cake. She puts it in the center of the table and after everyone is finished with their meal; the cake is cut and served until it’s gone. The cake’s chocolate icing is half homemade and half store bought; if that makes any sense. I always wondered why this icing was so delicious. However, I have asked everyone in my family how to make it and they don’t really know. I just recently talked to my Uncle Ralph who is in his 30’s and said, “Egg Whites? Cream Cheese? I don’t know, why are you asking me? How should I know? She doesn’t tell anyone.” Even her own son doesn’t know but my recipe will try to match Toots’ creation; let’s hope.

There are many memories with this cake but one that I get reminded of every once in a while. I have two older cousins who are just like my sisters. Therefore, they tortured me when I was younger. Let’s go back to Poppy’s birthday when I thirteen years old. Kelsey and Lindsay were fifteen and thought they would trick me into doing something to the cake. “Sarah, write your name in the cake it would be funny”. Kelsey said smiling. Lindsay chimed in and said, “Sar, write your name first and we’ll go after”. They didn’t go after. They let me write my name in the cake so they could laugh at me until this day. I didn’t get in trouble but I was mocked for it. Good cousins, right?

One of the best memories has to do with being in the cozy Levittown home while Toots was making the cake. About a year ago, my grandparents celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary. They’re so in love. Pop was sitting in his chair as usual and Toots was making her cake in the kitchen while I sat and chatted with Pop. All of the sudden, Toots says, “Oh, Oh, Oh! No!” I got up to see what had happened and Toots said something that has never happened, “I cooked the cake too long, Sar.” I was shocked and so was Poppy. “Linda, you’ve been baking this damn cake for fifty years and this is first time you’ve ever messed up!” She’s known for the cake and not cooking it to perfection was pretty funny actually. Toots snapped back with, “Chuck! I know how to make this cake! It was only one time. Don’t make me feel worse than I already do.” Toots and Poppy bickered back and forth at each other, . I sat there and admired the little fight they had, if you can even call it that.

I almost forgot the most important ingredient though! Rainbow Jimmies, or sprinkles, are added to the top of the cake. However, one time Jimmies were missing. Confusion struck my cousin Kelsey and I. “Where are the Jimmies?” we both whispered to my Uncle Ralph when it was time to sing Happy Birthday. “I don’t know, it looks different or something”, Uncle Ralph answered. We confronted Toots’ and she realized she forgot them and said, “I knew it looked different, girls.”Kelsey and I both laughed but the cake still tasted delicious and the family laughed because of Toots forgetfulness. Just that little slip confused us!

The cake is part of every birthday party we have and there are a lot of celebrations because there are many Mazenko’s. We’re loud, sarcastic and love food. So anything that is deliciously made by Toots, we indulge. Her cake is a part of our family tradition. It is expected for Toots to bring to a party. A birthday party feels incomplete without the vanilla cake with chocolate peanut butter icing and rainbow jimmies. I guess we ask a lot of her.

Ingredients for the Vanilla Cake

1 cup white sugar

½  cup butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 ½  cups all-purpose flour

1 ¾  teaspoons baking powder

½  cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×9 inch pan

In a medium bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder, add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Finally stir in the milk until batter is smooth. Pour or spoon batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven. Cake is done when it springs back to the touch.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Icing

Empty a container of Chocolate Betty Crocker Chocolate Icing into a medium mixing bowl

Add ½ a cup of Coolwhip

½ a cup of peanut butter

Mix the Ingredients together until a creamy easy spread is created. Spread all over the cake for a thick layer of icing. Let the icing sit for about an hour and then share with friends and family. Or indulge by yourself if you’re in the mood!

Adapted from allrecipes.com

-Sarah Mazenko

So when my parents went about opening a Scottish pub, I jumped in feet first with them, seeing it as a chance to celebrate my heritage.

Working at Braveheart Highland Pub and Lowland Bar, but to my family and friends it’s simply just “the pub”, opened my eyes to all cultures and people.  I loved it, even though I was a shy girl. Working with customers of every dimension brought me out of my shell, and I truly discovered who I am.  Pride filled my bones every time someone asked a question and I got to answer with, “Well, my parents are the owners.” I had found my niche, working at a restaurant, around food I could describe easily.

Some of Braveheart Staff in Traditional Kilts

I must have been pretty naive then, because I expected that the customers knew exactly what the foods were. Once I started serving, I learned how ignorant Americans can be sometimes of other cultures. I’m not claiming to be a food aficionado, but I do try to be open to most new things. Now, the majority of patrons that come to our pub learn about the Scottish cuisine, and come back frequently. They can tell the difference between the hard shell of a meat pie and the flakiness of a Bridie, or know immediately that fish and chips is a portion big enough to feed a small country.

When customers request my favorite dish, and a description,  my senses tingle as I tempt them with the description of a Bridie. A puff pastry shell that is baked around juicy beef sirloin, engulfed in onion gravy, and a few carrots baked in for flavor. The shell is flaky, and literally melts in your mouth. Many customers return, constantly requesting the Bridies. I have had multiple patrons order “birdies” instead of “Bridies”. I always hope they aren’t disappointed when meat stuffed puff pastries arrive, instead of winged creatures. But the reaction from a Bridies “virgin” is priceless. Eyes open wide, and forks can’t cut fast enough to get more delicious pieces into the customer’s mouth. It’s my favorite part of serving–introducing people to new, mouthwatering foods. Every time a customer orders one, I hurry to put the order in, just so I can smell the sweet succulent food smothered in gravy.

You’re going to have to trust me, the smell of the Bridies alone is enough to have you salivating like Pavlov’s dog. The Bridies really opened my eyes to Scottish foods. Becoming so in love with the Bridies, I wanted to learn how to make them myself. The only problem is that I am not the world’s greatest cook. I took the recipe we used at the pub, and I dumbed it down a little. The taste is still as delicious as ever, and it’s a fun meal to make and enjoy.

Traditional Scottish Bridies as they are served at Braveheart

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Bridie: This Bridie recipe is from Braveheart Highland Pub, which was adapted from “Favourite Scottish Recipes” compiled by Johanna Mathie.

1 pound of piecrust pastry (can be found frozen in grocery store)

12 oz. beef sirloin or beef tips

Onion gravy

2 carrots

1 medium onion, finely chopped

Salt

Pepper

One egg, beaten

Onion Gravy (if you’re feeling adventurous enough to make it from scratch): The onion gravy recipe is also from Braveheart, and is also seen at Britishfood.com.

2 medium onions

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 box of beef stock

4 tbsp of corn starch/corn flour

4 tbsp water

Directions:

Bridies:

Set oven to 350 F

Chop the meat into bit size pieces

Place meat in bowl with chopped onion, carrots, salt, and pepper

Cut the pastry into 3 pieces

Roll out each piece to about 1/4 inch thick

Spoon filling onto one half of each slice of pastry

Pour gravy on top (be sure not to over fill the pastry!)

Dampen edges of pastry with the beaten egg

Fold into semi-circles, and pinch the edges together

Place on a plain baking sheet

Brush the rest of the egg over the bridies

Make a hole on top of each one

Bake for an hour and 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

Onion Gravy:

1.Melt the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat

Add onion and cover with a lid

Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender and translucent

Add sugar and balsamic, stir well

Cover and cook for another 5 minutes

Add stock and boil uncovered for 5 minutes

Separately, mix the corn starch with water into a thin paste

Pour a cup of the gravy into the starch mix, stir well

Mix the starch mixture with the rest of the gravy

Boil for 10 minutes, or until gravy is at a thick consistency that you like

Keep warm until serving

–Gabriella Lee

Spelt is an old grain that supposedly is better than wheat, especially for people who have gluten allergies. Using sprouted spelt in recipes makes the food heartier and also more crumbly unfortunately. My grandma had decided to try using sprouted spelt in the cookies and the brownies. Despite the crumbly texture they tasted delicious, as did most of my grandma’s recipes.

I’m personally a fan of chewy, smooth cookies but recently I’ve been a little more adventurous and since I was feeling adventurous I decided to look for a recipe that contained spelt.  After a quick search online I found what I was looking for. One look at the picture and the short ingredient list and I was sold.

I decided on the peanut butter chocolate chip spelt cookies. I used to make cookies all the time when I was a kid. I loved mixing the ingredients together until the batter had turned a soft butterscotch color, and I also loved the wait as the cookies began to rise and spread out on the cookie sheet and the house began to fill with the warm scent of melted chocolate and sugar.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the spelt recipe I discovered. It called for spelt flour rather than sprouted spelt grains so it seemed less likely to be a crumbly mess. What was also surprising about this recipe was that sugar was not on the ingredient list. The refined sugar is replaced with maple syrup so don’t worry these cookies aren’t just cardboard imitations with the word “healthy” tacked on to make them sound more appealing. They’re plenty sweet with the maple syrup.

As I was mixing the batter I was reminded of the time my grandma and I had made caramel peanut butter popcorn for Christmas when I was younger. We had removed the caramel mixture from the stove when we got distracted because the candy thermometer was giving a weird reading. As we tried to figure out how to fix the dysfunctional meter the caramel slowly hardened. By the time we remembered that we’d taken the mixture off the heat we had this mass of unpourable cement-like mess. Needless to say we needed to melt it again. I have to say the cookie batter for this recipe has a very similar texture and trying to mix it with a plastic spatula is fruitless effort. (You might break the spatula). I tried using a metal spoon and that seemed to work okay, but as I think back it might have been easier just to use my hands to mush in the chocolate chips.

After scooping out little spheres of peanut butter and chocolate chips and spreading them out on the cookie dish I anxiously awaited the time I could test this new creation. Fifteen minutes passed and the scent of melting chocolate and peanut butter drifted through the kitchen. Although the cookies turned out to be the crunchy kind of cookie as opposed to the soft gooey cookie, the mixture of chocolate and peanut butter blended so smoothly that it didn’t matter. As soon as I sank my teeth into the freshly baked cookies I knew I’d found success.

Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies

*Recipe taken from the Vegetarian Times

Ingredient List

Makes 24 cookies

1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter

2 1/4 cups spelt flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips, such as Sunspire

(I used regular chocolate chips because I’m not vegan).

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper. Spoon peanut butter into microwave-safe bowl, and heat on high power 30 to 45 seconds, or until melted, stirring once or twice.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Stir in peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla until blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop 2 Tbs. dough for each cookie onto prepared baking sheet, and flatten slightly. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Amanda Shrawder

To better describe the sensations I felt when eating this cheese steak, the sub was decorated with marinara sauce, onions, and sweet peppers. The soft, white bread held in the penetrating the heat coming from the meat and cheese just enough to avoid any sogginess. These essentials proved there was care and time put aside to make this sandwich. The golden French fries were fried perfectly, with the salt scattered all around to make them glisten. They pretty much neutralized the dominating greasy taste the cheese steak was offering with every bite. The sub was perfectly formed, like the shape of my actual stomach, so eating the whole thing fell together like a puzzle piece, with the fries covering any empty holes of hunger I might’ve had afterwards.

I wanted to share my experiences of my attempt at making a cheese steak, while also pointing out any mistakes along the way. So few days later, I gathered up my confidence and my poor cooking skills to try and make my own cheese steak sub. The way I looked at it, I could easily grab a box of Steak Umms for the steak meat, provolone cheese, onions, peppers and some fresh, thick bread so the grease from the meat doesn’t easily seep through it. The box of Steak Umms came with 12 sheets of steak meat, so I have a comfortable amount of opportunities to get this cheese steak done right. Worst case scenario, I’ll drown my tongue with all six beer bottles before devouring my failed cheese steak project. The meat from the box comes cut in thin sheets that are about 2 ½ inches long and 5 inches wide, so it was a breeze to just throw the sheets of steak meat on the pan. I had three of them cooking, after 45-50 seconds; I flipped them all over to the other side and let them cook for another 30 seconds before cutting the sheet down into chipped pieces. So far everything seemed like it was working well.

I’m not going to lie; I felt like an 11-year old struggling to heat up a Hot-Pocket. The level of simplicity behind making a cheese steak sub isn’t rocket science; I guess it varies within what standards people may hold behind their taste buds. Me, being three beer bottles deep with the meat already cooked, my confidence was soaring. I went on to cut up peppers and onions into little pieces and let them fry on the pan. That’s when my common sense screamed at me; I should’ve cooked the onions and peppers together with the meat –oh well. I opened the bread nice and wide, tucked in all the meat before spreading the onions and peppers over the meat. The rest seemed easy; I neatly placed three slices of provolone cheese overlapping each other on top of the meat, and placed the whole sub in the microwave for a few seconds until I saw the cheese melt and boil. The marinara sauce was purchased separately also, I poured a small amount in a cup and heated the sauce for about a minute in the microwave before pouring it onto the sub. After following all of these steps, I can easily say I would recommend any non-cooks to make the attempt at a homemade cheese steak.

Recipe:

-          A box of Steak-Umms. (Cook 1-4 sheets of meat, 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan before cooking)

-          Deli-sliced provolone cheese (I recommend using 2-4 slices of cheese, layered on one side of the bread with the meat on the other side.)

-          Marinara sauce (Place in microwave to heat for about 30-45 seconds on HIGH.)

-          Diced onions (Begin cooking 1-2 minutes before cooking meat)

-          Diced peppers (Begin cooking 1-2 minutes before cooking meat)

-          Amoroso’s Hearth Baked Italian Bread

Now it was time for the verdict. Overall, the cheese steak sub didn’t look too bad, but considering I can’t taste with my eyes, I gave the sub a monstrous bite and let the greasy meat, peppers, onions completely annihilate my taste buds—the sub had intense flavor, I was impressed.  The task of making your own cheese steak wasn’t so bad; I actually found pleasure in creating it. This was because I was able to determine how much meat, cheese, etc. I wanted inside my sub. It’s obvious I’m not any good at cooking, unless it’s grilled-cheese sandwiches or eggs. The process of making the sub was almost just as fun as eating because it was easy to make while being really tasty. It certainly won’t be the last time I head into the kitchen for another.

-Daniel Ramos

Pop-Pop’s Infamous French Toast

3 Eggs
1 Tablespoon of Vanilla
1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon
White Bread {as many slices as wanted}
Pinch of Salt and Pepper to Season

Crack and whip three eggs into medium-sized bowl.
Add vanilla
Add cinnamon
Stir around until thickened
Coat both sides of bread in mixture and lay in pan to cook
Cook until both sides are nice golden brown
Add butter, syrup, powdered sugar, fruit toppings to flavor
Serves 3 pieces to 3 people

Kate A.