Ilona’s Best Recipes Collection

Ilona’s Best Recipes Collection

by | Favorite Foods

My Best Recipes Collection

all the trimmings

The Recipe Book of Cooking and Favorite Foods

Think of this as a recipe index for the food and cooking pages made by Ilona1 online. It doesn’t matter how or where they were published, it only matters how yummy they will be once you cook them up in your kitchen.

Hungarian foods, Desserts, Christmas dinners, whatever tried and tested recipes I post on here are for you to use and enjoy and now you can find them all quickly!

The Best

Bookmark this food recipe collection for whenever you want the great recipe for Paprikash, or green tea cupcakes – that’s right, green tea cupcakes! Admittedly, they are an acquired taste, but my chocolate desserts are the best.

All recipes are what I consider the best recipes in my collection. These have come from family, friends, magazines, and favorite cookbooks over the years.

I guarantee you will love the Christmas cookie collection– those are the very “best of the best “of many recipes which I have been baking for years. Rich, buttery, and truly special.

My Favorite Cookbook – Good HouseKeeping Cookbook

Of all the cookbooks I’ve used over the years, the Good Housekeeping has been my best loved one due to the fact that the recipes always come out well, and they are excellent in providing a broad range of great flavors. It is the first cookbook I go to to find a really good recipe for something I want to make.

The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook: America's Bestselling Step-by-Step Cookbook, with More Than 1,400 Recipes The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook: America’s Bestselling Step-by-Step Cookbook, with More Than 1,400 Recipes

All the best recipes for home cooking AND company. Well illustrated and easy to follow instructions.

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Best Recipes for Great Food

Try Something New, Or With A New Twist

apricot chicken

apricot chicken

Whether you need exotic spices, or just something new to cook up- like a different way to fix chicken, here are the posts that will help you explore world cuisines, or old fashioned favorites. All you need is a good recipe, fresh, high quality ingredients, and a little time. You can improve your quality of life or your health if you choose recipes that create a tasty way to eat what is good for you! There are lots of reasons to not only go looking through good collections of recipes, but to actually try them.

Main Entrée

salmon

salmon

Desserts & Delights

Desserts are made of this

  • My Family’s Best Blueberry Blintz
    Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Breakfast & Brunch Blintzes were one of the first recipes I learned to make as a young wife and new mother. I had opened up a bank account, and banks in those days often offered gifts to new customers. In this case,.
  • The Sweet Red Cherry Elected For Presidents Day Sweet Red Cherries, Good For Your Health
    If you see fresh, ripe, sweet cherries at the market, grab them up! They are full of antioxidants for good health, and they taste sublime. After you discover more about them, try one of the recipes.
  • Cupcakes in Columbus
    Cute cupcakes which I found on my rounds through Columbus, Ohio

Celebrations

Christmas gingerbread

Christmas gingerbread

  • Potluck Party Idea: Have A Middle Eastern Hafla
    Have the Arabian Nights version of a potluck party. Serve wonderful Middle Eastern flavors in easy to serve finger foods and buffet items. Dress up the venue with a few simple rugs and screens. Voila!
  • Holiday Peanut Butter Fudge The Easiest, Best Peanut Butter Fudge
    For my family, the is the BEST, the only peanut fudge to make. Friends agree, and I bet you will like it,too. Use fresh ingredients for best results.
  • It’s a National Holiday for Tart, Red, Pie Cherries …
    Cherries are good for you. Facts on their benefits, with some great recipes, interesting trivia, and pretty cherry motifs to help celebrate one of those wacky holidays: National Cherry Dessert Day.
  • A Day for Cherry Pie
    Bet you didn’t know there was a special day just for cherry pie! I love all fruit pies, but the one celebrated on February 20 is the best. Make 2 delicious recipes with plenty of how-to tips.

Hungarian Flavor

Trinkets of Hungarian culture

Trinkets of Hungarian culture

  • Hungarian Baking: Apple Filled, Sour Cream Bundt Cake Hungarian Apple Bundt Cake
    Apple cakes are perhaps the favorite Hungarian cake recipe known by most Americans. Sometimes they are intricate and fancy affairs, like apple pite, but most of the apple cakes are delicious homebaked cakes which are loved by all. You know the…
  • More Hungarian Apple Cakes
  • Famous Hungarian Chicken Paprikash
    Make authentic Hungarian Paprikas and delight your friend and family. The underestimated cuisine that is world class deliciousness has a number of key recipes. This is one of the finest.
  • Goulash: What I Learned From Hungarian Church Cookbo…
    Food choices tell you a lot about a culture and social change. If you have paid attention to Church cookbooks you might have noticed some things.
  • Famous Hungarian Food
    I know you’re familiar with Italian and French food, but did you know that Hungary has one of the finest of world cuisines? Explore some of the great flavors and creations, delight your palate.
  • Coffee Break And Hungarian Coffee Cake
    My Grandmother loved to bake, and as a young wife I remember getting together with friends for old fashioned Coffee Klatches with a cup of coffee and a sweet morsel. What happened to those?
  • Hungarian Braided Coffee Cake -Kuglof
    Continuing to bring a little of my Grandmother’s Hungarian baking to your kitchen. This braided coffee cake is a little more advanced,. Try it for breakfast or on a holiday table. It has raisins.
  • Mother’s Favorite: Lemon Kossuth Cookies She would whip these up because they are easy and their lemony, light textured taste is a delight. I remember her pleasure when she baked these Hungarian cookie staples.
  • Kifli Cookies are another traditional Hungarian favorite. These are the ones I am partial to. I bake them only at Christmas time, but they are a special cookie for all occasions and seasons.

Collections

roasted chicken photo by Maggie Hoffman on Flickr

  • 10 Meals To Make With Roast Chicken
    First roast a chicken, it’s easy, then make any of 10 delicious delicious dishes from all sorts of fine world cuisines.
  • Ilona’s Favorite Chocolate Desserts
    Everyone seems to love chocolate desserts, including me. That is why I put together m family’s favorites: the best dessert recipes, tested through the years and found to be delicious.
  • My Best Ever Christmas Cookie Recipes
    All my family favorites packed into this one page. Guaranteed delicious, I have baked them since I was a young wife and mother more than thirty years ago. Christmas cookies must be special-these are!
  • Starring Your Favorite Spice Cookies
    The smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, allspice, mace and molasses fills the air when you bake these well loved cookies. The crunch, the chewiness, or melting softness when dunked in your coffee, it tastes like Christmas and brings memories to…

Amazing Recipes – These aren’t mine. Yet.

Organize Your Own Recipes

Eventually, the realization that a way to keep your favorites, and to pass them on to someone else will lead to organizing the collections. I like personal binders for a simple system. Find yours, there are many ways that cooks create a solution that works for them.

How About Cooking Classes?

Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home CookMartha Stewart’s Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook
Is it time to get serious about the techniques in the art of cooking and baking? You could watch a zillion videos from cooking shows or you can get lessons from a master!
 Buy Now

Being able to print a recipe is a major convenience when looking for recipes to try from the internet.

Food and gardening go together. Start collecting and sharing recipes that center on veggies, fruits, and herbs- you know, the things that we grow in our gardens!

Pages With Recipes Included

  • Homesteader Heirloom Apples and Real Cider
    There are wonderful varieties of apple beyond Delicious, and some of them make great cider that oldtimers remember.
  • All About Mint Tea
    From pure herbal concoctions to mint infused green teas, there are many ways to enjoy the healthful benefits of the mint plant.
  • The Moroccan Tea Glass
    The delicate glasses are beautiful without the tea, but try this staple of Moroccan hospitality for a refreshing taste of mint.
  • Red Rose Petals For Your Wedding, Food, And Crafts
    Used through the ages, follow the romance of how petals have imparted fragrance in so many sweet ways. Whether you strew aisles and tables, make jam or rosebeads, they’re delightful.
  • Lavender For Cooks
    It may be new to you, but this French cooking secret is going to add a wonderful flavor to some really delicious recipes. Try culinary lavender in your cooking today.
  • Cardamom Spice, Recipes to Warm a Heart
    Try this warm and delightful spice to add flavor and intrigue to your cooking and baking. Your family and guest will ask in wonderment:

Not an innovator I just collect good recipes that I and my family like to eat. I like Martha Stewart for many reasons… in the garden, cooking food, decorating. She’s a Renaissance woman.

Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites The book on Pies and tarts is just one of Martha Stewarts many excellent books on culinary topics. America’s taste maven never fails to impress with the quality of the recipes (top priority in a cookbook), but also in all aspects of the presentation. Every time I use one of her recipes I get success.

They really are foolproof recipes.

Pies will always be a favorite addition to menus for all types of occasion. Make this book a gift for someone who likes to cook, or for yourself.
Martha Stewart’s New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites
 Buy Now

Highlights

Can Mint Tea Heal You?

Can Mint Tea Heal You?

From pure herbal concoctions to mint infused green teas, there are many ways to enjoy the healthful benefits of the mint plant.

Sweet Red Cherries, Good For Your Health Sweet Red Cherries, Good For Your Health

If you see fresh, ripe, sweet cherries at the market, grab them up! They are full of antioxidants for good health, and they taste sublime. After you discover more about them, try one of the recipes.

Apricot Stuffed Roast Chicken

Apricot Stuffed Roast Chicken

by | Just Stuff

Apricot stuffed roast chicken is going to become a holiday alternative to plain Jane turkey in your family recipe repertoire. This particular recipe is very rich in flavor. The meal can’t be boring when adding jammy apricot glazed roast chicken that has a bread stuffing infused with herbs, tangy apricot pieces, and pecans. When poultry is stuffed, it creates a much moister meat, as well as a side dish that cooks along with the main course.
Apricot Roasted Chicken

Apricot Stuffed Roast Chicken

- Not just for holidays, get stuffed anytime- Stuffing will make the cooking times longer, but takes care of the side dish by providing a savory dressing. I like it with fruit flavors, apricot here, but orange or apple could be substituted.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Package bread stuffing
  • 1/4 cup 1/2 stick butter
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 2 stalks of celery diced
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced
  • 1/2 cups diced dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup pecan pieces toasted
  • canned chicken broth
  • 4 lb Uncooked roasting chicken
  • apricot jam or glaze
  • Salt and pepper
  • poultry seasoning optional

Method
 

  1. Rub chicken inside and out with the salt, pepper, (and poultry seasoning if desired)
  2. Sauté onion, parsley, and celery in the butter until tender. Add the apricots and cook for a few minutes.
  3. In a large bowl add the vegetables to the bread stuffing, add the nuts and pour in chicken broth. Mix well. Stuff the chicken.
  4. Roast the chicken, basting with juices. After the roast has cooked for an hour and a half mix 1/4 cup of apricot jam with some juices from the roast, brush onto the roast for the last half hour or so of cooking.

Notes

Tips
Be sure to stuff the chicken only right before cooking it.
Be sure to remove all the stuffing after cooking and refrigerate leftovers separately from the chicken meat.
Internal temperature should register 175° when done.
Wondering what you  wish to serve with the finished bird and beautiful stuffing?  Side dishes of tender broccoli, perhaps some Mediterranean-style accompaniments, or a fennel dish. A garnish of olives, a dish of balsamic carrots or creamy potato leek soup would complement this, as well.
Festive Pear and Pomegranate Salad

Festive Pear and Pomegranate Salad

by | Recipes

– Refreshing, Colorful, and Easy

This is an excellent fruit salad for holidays. It is beautiful in presentation with all the right components for flavor and crunch. For me, it is essential to include it in the Christmas dinner menu. Works just as well at Thanksgiving or Easter.

 

pear pomegranate salad

Festive Pear and Pomegranate Salad

This is one of my all time favorites. It is fancy looking with its creamy white pears, ruby red pomegranate seeds, and deep pink syrup sauce, yet quite simple.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 3 pears thinly sliced – two red pears and one Asian
  • 1 pomegranate seeded
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons sliced almonds optional
  • 4 sprigs fresh mint leaves for garnish optional
  • dark green lettuce leaves

Method
 

  1. Place the sliced pears and pomegranate seeds into a bowl.
  2. Toss with lemon juice to coat.
  3. Combine the brown sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a small cup or bowl, then mix into the fruit.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving to blend the flavors.
  5. Serve in individual dishes on a bed of lettuce greens, and garnish with a sprinkling of sliced almonds with a sprig of mint

Notes

I like to serve this fruit salad by arranging the pear slices on a serving platter, then pouring the spiced sauce over them, and sprinkling the pomegranate seeds over the surface. The almond slices and mint garnish are then added over the top. 
When I do this I don't use the lettuce leaf base, but those could be arranged on the platter before placing the pear slices, if desired. 

To find recipes for the Christmas dinner I like to prepare this salad for, please check out the Beef Tenderloin Holiday Menu

Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin, Dinner Holiday Menu

Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin, Dinner Holiday Menu

by | Christmas, Sharing Meals

Christmas Holiday Dinner At My House

christmas dinner

Every year (and it is my hope to continue)  it is our tradition to have a big family meal together on Christmas Eve. This page faithfully represents our Christmas holiday dinner menu. At times we have varied the menu, but this has been the favorite for everyone in our family.

We keep certain foods on our menu because they are something that say “Christmas” to us in a special way, but we also change around the menu occasionally to include new dishes for excitement.

I want to share some of the foods we love with you, and the menus we have enjoyed as a family.

Sharing the holiday meal together is one of the most treasured ways we have celebrated Christmas.

Toys break, sweaters get stretched out and worn, games are forgotten in a drawer, but memories of enjoying a special meal stay woven within our hearts. Foods that create a part of a celebration together are an important part of that experience.

Dream Of An “Old Fashioned” Christmas Holiday Menu?

Memorable recipes are a time honored way to create a special experience that combines tradition, nostalgic memories, and fresh new excitement into your celebration.

The act of sitting around a table that is decked out in a beautiful setting is quite an unusual thing for many of us. Making it simple, special, and homey recalls old time ways of gathering family together for a memorable meal.

Eating Our Christmas Dinner

 

pear/pomegranate salad for the Christmas holiday dinner

Our first course of pear-pomegranate salad.

A Festive Christmas Menu

While it is my favorite for Christmas Eve dinner, consider this meal for special times from New Years Ever to Valentines day, and beyond. Anytime you wish to have something to impress your family and guests.
Simply customize the serving amounts.

So what’s on the menu this year?

Recipes included in this page:

(The Cardamom roll recipe is long, and it takes some time to make, but it is worth it. I’ve had it online with other Christmas recipes I make….)

Why Choose Beef Tenderloin for the Main Course?

 

Tenderloin is very easy to cook

An expensive cut of meat, but we only have it once a year!

An expensive cut of meat, but we only have it once a year!

An expensive cut of meat, but we only have it once a year!

I know this cut of meat is costly, but if you remember that it is boneless, easy to fix (hard to mess up), and everyone loves it… you might want to consider it as your Christmas dinner menu centerpiece.

It is usually accompanied with a cranberry relish for Christmas, but I sometimes skip that dish, depending on the rest of the menu.

We always have a fruit and a green salad. A side dish of potatoes, sweet potatoes, or noodles is usual; and we always *always* have the Cardamom rolls that I make only for Christmas Eve.

Learn more about the spice

All About Cardamom.

Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin

This has become our family’s all-time favorite, and the entrée I now make for Christmas dinner. One of the things I like about it is the ease and relatively short cooking time involved.

Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Mustard Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
resting time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbs Olive oil extra virgin
  • 1 Tbs Fresh rosemary finely chopped
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Fennel seed ground
  • 1 tsp. Kosher salt or more to taste
  • 1/2 tsp. Black pepper freshly cracked
  • 2 -1/2- to 3 lb. Beef tenderloin roast with excess fat trimmed
  • 1/2 cup Crème fraîche
  • 2 Tbs Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. Fresh lemon juice

Method
 

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, rosemary, fennel seed, salt, and pepper. Stir to make a paste.
  3. Pat the beef dry with paper towels and rub the paste all over the surface of the meat. If necessary, tie the roast at 1-1/2-inch intervals.
  4. Put the roast on a rack on a small, rimmed baking sheet or in a shallow roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center reads 120° F for rare, 125° to 130 ° F for medium rare, or 135° F for medium, 40 to 50 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Season lightly with salt to taste.
  6. Transfer the roast to a carving board (preferably with a well for collecting juices) and let it rest, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes before carving it into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve the beef, passing the creme mustard sauce at the table.

Notes

I found it difficult to locate the ground fennel, and ended up using a spice grinder to grind up the fennel seeds, myself.
One year, I was able to find containers of Devon cream in the store. I used that to replace the Crème fraîche. Since then, I located both in my local Whole Foods store.
Crème Fraîche
1 ½ cups whipping cream
4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) buttermilk
Combine cream and buttermilk in a jar with tight fitting lid. Shake well for 2 or 3 minutes. Let stand at warm room temperature for at least 24 hours. Refrigerate until ready to use.

How to Cook a Beef Tenderloin

If you have never prepared this roast for a meal before, you may gain confidence from viewing the how-to video.

German-style Fingerling Potatoes

This is an easy recipe to make, for something simpler, but extremely tasty, try Fine Cooking’s Glazed Fingerling Potato Salad with Pancetta and Warm Mustard Vinaigrette.

This was the original recipe I used; if you have the time it is excellent with the beef in this Christmas holiday menu.

Cook Time

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 6 (6 cups)

Ingredients

  • 2 lb. halved fingerling potatoes
  • 1 Tbsp.olive oil
  • 3 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • a little chopped parsley
  • bacon can be substituted for the prosciutto

Instructions

  1. Boil the potatoes in a large pot of salted water over medium high heat until almost tender, 5 to 8 minutes, drain.
  2. Sauté prosciutto in oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until crisp, 5 minutes -or the bacon cut into pieces.
  3. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Return pan back to burner, add vinegar and sugar and simmer until sugar is dissolved.
  4. Add potatoes, simmer 4 to 5 minutes, then stir in prosciutto (bacon bits), add parsley, season with salt and pepper. Garnish with scallions.

 

Alternate Recipe for potatoes:

Fingerling German style

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 1.5–2 lbs fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise.

Protein: 4-6 oz diced pancetta or bacon. Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp sherry vinegar (or white wine vinegar), 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 minced shallot, and 1 tsp capers.

Herbs/Finish: Fresh chives, parsley, and optional celery leaves.

Instructions:

Prep Potatoes: Boil fingerling potatoes in salted water until tender (approx. 10-12 mins). Drain and dry thoroughly.

Cook Pancetta: In a large skillet, cook pancetta over medium heat until crispy (about 5 minutes). Remove, leaving fat in the pan.

Glaze Potatoes: Add potatoes (cut-side down) to the hot fat and cook, undisturbed, for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and glazed.

Assemble: Whisk dressing ingredients together. Toss potatoes and crispy pancetta with the warm vinaigrette. Top with herbs and serve immediately.

Festive Pear and Pomegranate Salad

Easy to print recipe for this colorful fruit salad now has its own page. It is ideal for a Christmas holiday dinner.

pear pomegranate salad

Pear-Pomegranate salad

 

Whole Green Beans – Simply delicious

  • 3/4 lb. whole green beans
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

Instructions

Fancy whole green beans

  1. Fill a bowl with ice water.
  2. Cook beans in a large pot of salted boiling water just until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain beans and transfer to ice water. Drain well in a colander and pat dry.
  3. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Sauté beans with mustard and salt and pepper to taste, stirring, until heated through, about 4 minutes.

Recipe from Epicurious which is closest to how I make these simple green beans.

Pioneer Woman Talks about Holiday Foods

Some of my best holiday recipes and serving ideas have come from special holiday cookbooks. They are inspirational and come in a wide variety of cuisines to cater to every tradition and taste.

Once I found a set of menus that my family really enjoyed we rotated them through the years. We always seem to have a few things that we can’t do without for our holiday repast… usually the sweet potatoes and Waldorf salad (and of course, my Cardamom rolls).

Christmas Holiday Menu Cookbooks


Christmas Entertaining (Williams-Sonoma)

This is a book of inspirations for all types of holiday meals and party fare. It includes the menus plus the decorating ideas and everything needed to make it a time to remember.

How to decorate the table festively and work plans to make everything happen without a hitch.

Holiday Settings – Festive Table Trimmings

Christmas Oldtime Dinner

Whether it is a few hand-picked pieces or an entire set of china dedicated to the trimmings of the season, it really brightens the table setting to have plates or serving pieces with iconic Christmas trees, bright ribbons, or snow scenes. Spode and Lennox are just a few of the companies which are famous for Yuletide dinnerware designs.

My sister has a complete set of dinnerware for the season, while I tend to pick up bowls and platters from after Christmas sales. They add a cheering note of pretty color to my all-white stoneware. When fixing a special meal like beef tenderloin, this serving ware really showcases the special foods, economically.

Christmas table setting for Christmas holiday dinner

Christmas table setting

 

Pretty dishes that are perfect for holiday dinners make the table part of the annual tradition. I always loved to see certain cups and dishes that were reserved for special family times on my grandmother’s table.

Spode Christmas Tree 12-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Spode Christmas Tree 12-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4

Set a festive table with this fine dinnerware perfect for the Christmas season. Made by one of the best names in fine pottery.

Not Christmas Yet?

When first writing this, it was far from Christmas time. For Christmas aficionados I know no apologies are necessary. Some people (like me!) are only too delighted for an excuse to plan the upcoming Christmas celebration.

Originally published by Ilona Erwin on 05/10/11

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