Bavarian Wiener Supper

I got this recipe from my friend Christina. I work with her husband and always envied him when he was warming up the leftovers from this meal and enjoying them for lunch. It smelled and looked really good as I have always loved sauerkraut, and frankfurters. I finally got the recipe from Christina and have made this dish often. I really enjoy the creamy texture along with the sauerkraut, and you would never know what makes it that way. If you can buy real German frankfurters for this dish it is the best. I use Kosher wieners. I think this dish is delicious and a great family meal, or if the franks arranged in a fancy pattern it would even be good for guests. This recipe makes 5-6 servings.

1 lb (8-10) frankfurters

1-10-1/2 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1-1lb can (2 cups) sauerkraut, drained

4 cups diced cooked potatoes

1/2 cup soft bread crumbs, spread with butter

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Halve 4 franks, reserve. Slice remaining franks 1/4 inch thick. Mix soup with the mayonnaise. Combine sliced franks with half of the soup mixture, the caraway seed, and kraut; spread in an 11x7x1-1/2 inch baking dish. (I used a 9x13 inch) Stir remaining soup mixture into potatoes; arrange around the edge of dish. Combine buttered bread crumbs with paprika; sprinkle over potatoes. Arrange franks in a design. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve with spicy German mustard or mustard of your choice.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

I was ready to make Chicken Picatta the other night, and found that I had no capers. That isn't an ingredient I use often, but I had thought there were some in my cabinet. So plan B was to make the chicken anyway without the capers. It would be lemony. Then at the last minute I chopped some pimento-stuffed green olives and threw them in the pot. It was delicious. This amount made 6 thin pieces of chicken.

3 fresh boneless chicken breasts
all-purpose flour
paprika
white wine
lemon juice
olive oil
butter
chopped onions or shallots
salt & pepper
Pimento-stuffed green olives

Place a chicken breast on your cutting board and slice in half horizontally; you are basically butterflying the breast. Then cut that piece into 2. Heat a large skillet to med-hi and add equal parts olive oil and butter. Dredge the chicken lightly in flour, mixed with paprika, salt and pepper. Place in the pan and brown about 4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan. Turn the heat to medium and add the chopped onions. Saute quickly. Pour in about 3 'glugs' of white wine, and a couple of Tablespoons of lemon juice. Add a little more butter and stir with a wire wisk. The sauce should begin to thicken and bits from the pan will loosen. Taste for seasoning. You may like more lemon vs. wine flavor. When the sauce looks nice add the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Throw the coarsely chopped olives on top of the chicken. Serve.

Mer's Ginger Snap Cookies

When I was growing up my mother would make this recipe once in a great while. It came from my great-grandmother, Mer. She was the strong, matriarch of the family and everyone loved her. She was also a great cook. As children, my brother and I would wait for these cookies to come out of the oven. They harden up a little as they cool, so we would get them while they were warm. We also enjoyed making them into balls and rolling them in sugar. Recently, my mother sent me this recipe. It is on a card, and says the recipe is from 1945. It makes 4 dozen small cookies.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

2 cups sifted flour
1 Tablespoon ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar, extra for rolling the balls
1 unbeaten egg
1/4 cup molasses

Sift dry ingredients. Cream shortening and gradually add sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients with the wet and blend. Form a teaspoon of dough into a small ball. Roll in extra sugar. Place 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes.