Bierocks Easy Recipe

 

BIEROCKS EASY RECIPE (Main Dishes, Beef)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Package Active Dry Yeast

1/4 Cup Warm Water

1/4 Cup Warm Milk

2 Tablespoons Sugar

3 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

2 to 2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour

1 Beaten Egg

1 Pound Ground Beef

1 Onion

1/2 Teaspoon Galic Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

1 Can Saurkraut

Directions:

Soften the yeast in a medium saucepan with warm water. Combine the milk, sugar, butter, and salt in a separate bowl. Heat and stir until the butter melts. Add about 1 cup of flour and beat well. Add the egg and beat well. Stir in the softened yeast. Stir in enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out and knead on a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic for about 5 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cook the beef, onion, salt, and then drain. Add the sauerkraut. Punch the dough down. Divide the dough. Roll out the dough and put the meat filling in it. Dampen the pastry edges then seal the edges. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Let the bierocks cool a little while and then serve.

My Thoughts:

The first time I had Bierocks I absolutely fell in love with them. They are so delicious! I was at a family member's house when these wonderful beef pastries first touched my palette. Ok, now I sound like a professional blogger, don't I? I remember eating two or three and then the dough swelled in my belly. I was forced to stretch out on the couch and just moan with fullness. You should have seen me. I am sure that you are glad you didn't. It was such a sight.

If you don't mind hearing about my day I will be glad to share with you here. I cleaned up in the kitchen and worked on some laundry. After I finished those chores I visited my mother at her house. It was her birthday on Friday. I was unable to visit her because I went to the local farmer's market with my daughter. She had about seven different cookies for sale. Her newest item was a strawberry crinkle cookie that sold out very well. One customer, in particular, was very interesting. He was almost seven feet tall by my estimation. He sported a full beard that was speckled with gray hairs. He had bright blue eyes and spoke in the deepest voice I think I have ever heard. He was like a giant and I am 5 foot 11 inches. He softly asked my daughter if he could have two of the strawberry crinkle cookies. He slowly handed my daughter the money and took the cookies in his large hand which resembled a bunch of bananas. He gave my daughter a little smile and said "Thank you" as he walked away.

After visiting my mother at her house, my daughter wanted to go for a drive. We made a large circle on the outer paved roads here in the area. Sometimes a drive is a nice thing to do.

More Information On Bierocks:

Bierocks were commonly consumed by European blue-collar workers as a popular staple. Over time German Russian Mennonites brought the beefy dish to the United States when they immigrated in the 1870s. Eventually, bierocks were found popular among those living in the West. Kansas is the state that is most popular for bierocks. You can read more about Why Bierocks Are A Kansas Staple. 

Extra:

If you enjoyed this recipe you might like my previous recipe Spiced Tea Easy Recipe Mix. It really is a tasty drink. Try it and let me know what you think.

Quick Question:

Have you ever tried Bierocks? Have you ever cooked Bierocks? Whether you have tried them or cooked them before I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts with me.

Spiced Tea Easy Recipe Mix

 

SPICED TEA EASY RECIPE MIX (Appetizers & Beverages)

INGREDIENTS:

1 Cup Instant Tea

1 1/4 Cup Tang Orange Drink Mix

1 Package Lemonade Mix (Country Time or Wyler's)

1 Cup Sugar

2 Teaspoons Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Cloves

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the ingredients all together. Store in an airtight container. Use about 2 teaspoons of mix to 1 cup of hot water.

My Thoughts:

Growing up, iced tea was always made and available to drink in my house. It was always sweet tea. Unsweet was something we didn't like in the refrigerator. The process of making sweet tea to drink was always the same. I would boil water on the stovetop and then add the tea bags. I would set it for about thirty minutes and then remove the tea bags. I poured the tea into a plastic pitcher that had the desired amount of sugar waiting. Then I would stir it up until the sugar dissolved. Finally, I would add in water until the pitcher was completely full and finish off by giving a good stir.

Do you like to drink hot or cold tea? Do you like your tea sweetened or unsweetened? Do you prefer regular sugar or a sweetener? 

More Information On Tea:

Did you know that tea was introduced to America by the Dutch in 1640? The only other beverage consumed more than tea worldwide is water. I would have thought it would be coffee first but, nope. China consumes most of the tea in the world right now. The United States leads the way for the world when it comes to importing tea. That lets you know that Americans consume a whole lot of tea. I also would have thought that the leading importer of tea might be Great Britain. I know they drink a bunch of tea for sure.

When I drink tea I usually buy the regular black tea you might find at the supermarket. I am not picky about getting name-brand tea. I usually just buy the store's generic tea. I am happy with that. There are tea drinkers with lots of money who drink very expensive tea. The most expensive tea in the world is called Da-Hong Pao-Tea from China. It costs a whopping $1.2 million per kilogram. Now that is some very costly tea and in my opinion, it better taste very good. I would imagine it tastes like regular tea. I am laughing out loud right now because I can't imagine spending that much on tea. The fact remains that it sells for that price.

Extra:

If you would like to read my post about my daughter baking her famous Chocolate Crinkle Cookies then you can read it in a previous post I created.

Quick Question:

Do you like this easy recipe for spiced tea? If you find it interesting or have a recipe of your own, I would like to hear from you. Please leave a comment on this post and share this recipe with a friend. Thank you so much for reading.

The Reward You Receive When Your Child Learns

 

A while back, my youngest daughter Zoe asked me if she could sell her baked goods at the local farmers market. It impressed me that she wanted to do this. 

She is such a great little baker and I believe I have mentioned this in previous blog posts. I love to cook and taught her some things about cooking and how to make a recipe her own. I’m not much of a baker, but when she expressed an interest in baking, I told her to take what I taught her about cooking on top of the stove and apply it to baking. She has done this very well, and I have benefitted so much by watching her progress as a baker. I really love tasting her creations. Her cookies, cupcakes, and brownies, are super!

I knew that she didn’t know what would go into getting things together to sell at a farmer’s market, but I also knew it would be a great opportunity for her to learn. It is stressful for her to meet deadlines for the market and deadlines for orders for her baking as well.

I had to take the role of a manager and give her a push now and then, but she has proved true to her word. I told her that if she really wanted to do it that it would be a lot of work. I watched her work very hard baking all day and night while I got market supplies together for her. A tent, table, chairs, and other market supplies were necessary.

After a few markets and some money earned for her, we were able to reflect on our experience together. She expressed to me that it opened her mind. She said most people don’t know what goes into doing something like that. To hear her tell me what she’s learned so far touched me. She has gained a greater awareness. She had a preconceived idea of the market but to hear her share what she learned is a reward for me as a parent.

She had an idea, set a goal, and went to work. She has grown. Maybe I’m thinking too much about it. Maybe I’m not thinking enough.

As our conversation continued the comment concerning what we learned together made us ask another question. What are other future experiences we might have preconceived ideas about, and what else might we learn from our experiences? It questions the possibility of the unknown I think. 

We should stay open and wait to judge until we search and see. It wasn’t as easy as we thought and we learned more than we thought we would. My children are my teachers too. 

It may be a little trip into philosophy but well worth the journey.

Is there something in your life you are wondering about? What would it be like? You might be hesitant to see. There could be challenges. Think about your experiences. You made it through in the past. What did you learn? Your lessons are valuable. You’ve gained a greater consciousness having had those experiences. Some may be good and some may be bad.

As I mentioned, it is a great reward and one you deserve to have. I am writing about both a reward as a parent and the reward of being open to what is possible for you to try.

I hope this post is an encouragement for you. I would love to get your feedback on it. Please share anything and let me know what you think. Let's continue the conversation.

Here is a video on YouTube about staying open to learning new experiences.

Give Zoe a Like on her Facebook page!