Radish and Cheese Spread

Earlier today we shared A Taste of Czech Tradition, a new cookbook we’re having fun with, and today we decided to make a quick appetizer, radish and cheese spread. We chose this recipe because we had all of the ingredients on hand and it sounded so very Czech, not to mention, we had it whipped...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

October 16, 2016

Sunday Snacks from a Czech Kitchen

Today, October 16th is World Food Day, a day when people the world over are asked to join the global movement to end hunger. World Food Day is celebrated every year around the world in honor of the date of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. We’re making a...

LIFESTYLE, Recipes

July 29, 2016

Delicious Czech Chicken Paprikash

Chicken paprikash is not only one of my favorite Czech meals but also a classic. The mixture of flavors and the smooth texture give it a delicious taste which is unique to the Czech kitchen. For those of you who are unaware of what chicken paprikash is, it is a thick paprika gravy made from a chicken base....

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

July 21, 2016

Delicious Czech Cheesecake (Tvarohový koláč)

We’re always on the lookout for a delicious Czech cheesecake (Czech: Tvarohový koláč) recipe so imagine my surprise when I found it in one of my own cookbooks (entitled My Cookbook) from 1973. Last weekend, we were unpacking some boxes which had been sitting in storage for many years – decades – I found old volunteering awards, penmanship...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

July 20, 2016

Czech Bread Recipe

For Czechs, bread is a way of life. Everywhere you go, fresh bakeries on town squares send delicious aromas to the street, luring in people for their earthy and hearty loaves. Czech bread is known the world over for its delicious taste and texture. I’ll share a little family story… After my grandmother Marie divorced...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

July 8, 2016

Strawberry Crumble Cake or Jahodový Koláč s Drobenkou

Strawberry Crumble Cake (or Jahodový Koláč s Drobenkou in Czech) is a quick and easy dessert to make. This moist cake tastes more like a super sweet strawberry bar than a cake and that is precisely why we love it so much. I remember eating this cake as a young girl for breakfast and feeling...

Food, Recipes

July 6, 2016

Carlsbad Dumplings or Karlovarský Knedlíky

There is nothing more popular in Czech cuisine as dumplings. Today we are going to share a family recipe for Carlsbad Dumplings or Karlovarský Knedlíky. In the Bohemian forests, around the Šumava mountains, dumplings are called bosáky, in Southern Bohemia, they’re called drbáky and in Moravia they’re often served with poppy seeds and called šulánky. In the...

Food, Recipes

June 10, 2016

A Czech Favorite: Zelí aka Sauerkraut

Czech Zelí (Sauerkraut) is like no other. Unlike German sauerkraut or American sauerkraut Czech sauerkraut is not necessarily sour. When most people make sauerkraut they just take pickled cabbage and heat it, but when Czechs make it (or at least the Czechs I know) they use pickled cabbage, sugar, onions, an apple, and lots of...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

April 13, 2016

Cutlets, Schnitzels and Řízeks

Whether you call it a cutlet, a schnitzel or a řízek, a piece of meat which is thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer, then coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried. It happens to be the perfect accompaniment to potato salad for Czechs – and a national favorite. It’s traditionally garnished with a slice of lemon...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

April 9, 2016

Strawberry Afternoon Cake with Crumble

Strawberry Afternoon Cake with Crumble is called Jahodový Koláč ze žmolenkou in Czech. It is a tasty afternoon delight best served with tea or coffee. We’ve made it hundreds of times and sometimes substitute the strawberries for plums, apricots, blueberries, cherries or peaches. It’s delicious with any fruit and is the perfect snack, for anytime...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

March 29, 2016

Czech Noodle Ham Bake aka Šunkofleky

This fast and easy recipe is a popular Czech classic. It is called Šunkofleky in Czech and it’s really just a quick noodle and ham casserole made with just a few simple ingredients. The result however is a flavorful and delicious dish that satisfies! Although this dish goes all the way back to Roman times, the Czech name...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

March 25, 2016

Czech Easter Lamb Recipe

There are a couple of rules when making an Easter Lamb or or Velikonoční Beránek as it is called in Czech. The most important is to use a dense cake batter. We recommend a pound cake or dough for bábovka. Rule number two is to make sure to butter and then either flour or bread crumb the...

Food, Holidays, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

March 13, 2016

Czech Cherry Bublanina

On a lovely morning like this it is easy to get inspired to make a special breakfast before anyone even wakes up… Czech Cherry Bublanina. Bublanina literally translates to “bubbles up” or “bubbly” but the dictionary would define it as a soufflé – but don’t let that name fool you into expecting that it will...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

March 1, 2016

Mushrooms with Scrambled Eggs

Mushrooms with scrambled eggs is a Czech favorite. There, it is known as Houbová smaženice s vejci. It’s been around as long as the forests have and I imagine it’s been a main course for many peasants who were lucky enough to have a chicken and to live close to the forest border… It’s not the...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

February 14, 2016

Czech Cauliflower Patties

You can think of them as Czech Latkes. Seriously. Except omit the potatoes and substitute cauliflower instead. Then serve them with just about anything and they will add a deliciousness you’ve never imagined. Of course, you can eat them plain too. In Czech language, cauliflower is květák, and these delicious cauliflower patties are known as květákove...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes

February 8, 2016

Czech Potato Pancakes

In the Czech Republic, there’s a beloved dish known as Bramborák or locally as cmunda. These potato pancakes are cooked in lard and seasoned generously with marjoram, giving them a distinctive flavor. Unlike some versions found in other countries, Czech Bramborák is typically made large enough to cover the whole plate and is often served...

Food, LIFESTYLE, Recipes