Welcome to The Karney Family Recipe Site!

I have many vivid and wonderful memories of family and friends gathering around the table to celebrate holidays, special events, and just the companionship of one another. Meals were always a special event whether eaten at a table with cloth napkins, holiday decorations and the good china, or on a picnic table with a red checkered tablecloth on a balmy summer day.

Throughout history, meals have always occupied a special place in the world's great religions. As we gather for sustenance and companionship, we are in our most vulnerable human condition, and that's where the Divine enters. This is precisely why mealtime is sacred and shouldn't be subservient to television, texting, or other interruptions. We need each other's companionship and the opportunity to be fully human so much that we can't let distractions overwhelm us.

My wife, Natalie, and I have always enjoyed cooking. As our sons, Jared, Jeff, and Kevin got older they all became good cooks. I had been working on putting together a book of both traditional family recipes and favorite newer recipes, but how do you ever say such a thing is done? So, I decided that the best solution would be to put the recipes online where they would be available to friends and family and now, of course, to anyone else who is interested. Now we have added Izabella, Amie, and Katy, three wonderful daughters-in-law. With their extended families, I'm sure they will be contributing some wonderful recipes.

So! Make some great food, gather around the table with your loved ones and strangers as well, give thanks to God, share your stories, and celebrate life.

Bon appetit! - Mark Karney

Chili Cheese Balls

Appetizers, Holidays, Snack Foods, Vegetarian Comments Off

Dec 162017

We made this recipe quite often in the past and recently made it again and remembered how good these cheese balls were. This is a relatively easy recipe to make and a bit different than the usual fare. They are a nice addition to any holiday platter.

Chili Cheese Balls

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Category: Appetizers, Holidays, Snack Foods, Vegetarian

Author: Mark Karney

Ingredients

3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 cup Fontina cheese, grated
1 3-ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
4 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp. garlic powder
4 tsp. chili powder

Instructions

Combine the first six ingredients with 2 tsp. of the chili powder and mix until well blended.
Roll into bite-sized balls.
Sprinkle the remaining chili powder into a large bowl, add the cheese balls and toss gently until they are coated.
Chill before serving.

https://karneyfamilyrecipes.com/2017/12/16/chili-cheese-balls/

Asian Turkey Burgers

Main Entrees, Poultry Comments Off

Sep 082017

When we went to St. Louis to view the 2017 eclipse, Kevin and Katy built a party around the event and served these luscious Asian Turkey Burgers. They reminded us of our Porkies (Barbecued Pork Patties) on this site, but are probably a bit healthier. We made them for a group of friends and they were a real hit.

Asian Turkey Burgers

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Category: Main Entrees, Poultry

Author: Mark Karney

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1# Ground Turkey
2 Shallots, finely choppped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. Sriracha
4 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
4 Hamburger buns

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, shallot, ginger, garlic, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1 teaspoon sriracha, and 4 teaspoons soy sauce.
Season with salt and pepper.
Form the mixture into 4 patties (The mixture will be very soft, finish forming them once they are in the pan.)
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium high-heat. Season the burgers liberally with salt and pepper. Add the burgers to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, until browned.
Transfer the burgers to a foil-lined cookie sheet in the oven to finish cooking for 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise and as much sriracha as you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Split the buns and place in the oven to toast for 2-3 minutes.
Assemble the burgers: Spread a little sriracha mayo onto each bun, then top with a turkey burger and some of the remaining cilantro.

Notes

Ground turkey does not hold it's shape well, so it is essential to pan-fry the burgers. They would probably not work well on the grill.

https://karneyfamilyrecipes.com/2017/09/08/asian-turkey-burgers/

Oven Dried Tomatoes

Salad, Vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian Comments Off

Aug 272017

Oven Dried Tomatoes going into the oven.

Dried Plum Tomatoes are absolutely luscious. The drying process intensifies the flavor and sweetness. These dried tomatoes freeze well and pulling out a package in the dead of winter, returns you instantly to the taste of fresh tomatoes from the garden. They are great in salads and can be used wherever sun-dried tomatoes are called for. It’s also an easier process than canning, and when the peak yield of tomatoes hits in late summer, this is a way to enjoy the crop later in the year, long after the tomato plants have been pulled up

Oven Dried Tomatoes

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Category: Salad, Vegan, Vegetable, Vegetarian

Author: Mark Karney

Ingredients

Fresh Roma Tomatoes
Olive Oil
Granulated Garlic
Black Pepper
Salt

Instructions

Wash and dry the tomatoes.
Cut in half lengthwise, And remove the stem.
Coat with olive oil, place on foil lined cookie sheet, cut side up.
Sprinkle generously with black pepper and granulated garlic, and a little salt if desired.
Put in 225 degree oven, with convection if possible. Drying time is approximately 6 hours. You want the tomatoes to be somewhat leathery, not totally dried out.

Notes

It is probably best to separate the tomatoes into batches of larger and smaller sizes as the smaller ones will be done quicker. If the small ones are on their own cookie sheet, this will make your job easier.

For later use, I freeze the tomatoes on the cookie sheets and when they are frozen put them into small freezer bags which should keep in the freezer for at least a year.

https://karneyfamilyrecipes.com/2017/08/27/oven-dried-tomatoes/

Tortellini with Castelvetrano Olives, Grape Tomatoes, & Basil

Main Entrees, Pasta, Vegetarian Comments Off

Apr 302017

Castelvetrano olives are a real joy. I discovered them in the Olive Bar at our local Heinan’s grocery store and have become addicted. They are buttery in flavor and not overly salty. They are great for snacking or in recipes. (Buy from the olive bar, the bottled ones are a little too briny.) So here’s a recipe I came up with to use them for a quick, but elegant dinner. I’ve made this 4 or 5 times in the past couple of months, so it’s time to add it to the website.

Tortellini with Castelvetrano Olives, Grape Tomatoes, & Basil

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Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Category: Main Entrees, Pasta, Vegetarian

Author: Mark Karney

Servings: 4 generous servings

Ingredients

Pasta - 20 oz. fresh cheese tortellini
1 large shallot, finely diced (about ¾ cup)
2 large Jalapeno peppers, finely diced
3 large cloves garlic, finely diced
1 10 oz. package grape tomatoes, halved
1 ½ cups Castelvetrano olives, pitted and quartered
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1.5 oz. fresh basil, chopped (About 1 cup loose)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Cook pasta. Reserve ½ to 1 cup of water.
Saute shallots, jalapeno peppers, and garlic in olive oil until translucent and slightly brown.
Add halved grape tomatoes and pitted and quartered Castelvetrano olives and saute just a little bit.
Add pasta water and parmesan and mix until slightly thickened.
Mix with pasta and fresh chopped basil and serve.

https://karneyfamilyrecipes.com/2017/04/30/tortellini-with-castelvetrano-olives-grape-tomatoes-basil/

Croutons (For Soup or Salad)

Other, Salad, Soup Comments Off

Apr 092017

There is nothing like freshly made croutons to add the perfect finishing touch to a soup or a salad. I’ve been making these for a while and never thought much of it. I recently made them with soup for my friends Danielle and Bill. When they called me for the recipe, I knew it was time to add it to the website, so here we go. The trick is to use a good quality bread and extra-virgin olive oil.

My friend Adrienne had a good idea. When you have leftover ends of loaves or bread that is going stale, cube the bread and put it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. After a while you’ll have a good supply of pre-cubed bread to quickly make croutons. No thawing needed! just throw them in the pan.

Croutons (For Soup or Salad)

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Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Category: Other, Salad, Soup

Author: Mark Karney

After you have made this a couple of times you'll figure out the amounts and how much heat to use. Really, it's pretty hard to screw up unless you aren't keeping an eye on it while it is toasting. Again, use a good quality bread (Avoid sandwich bread if possible) and your best extra-virgin olive oil.

Ingredients

Good quality Bread, a bit stale is OK
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Granulated Garlic
White Pepper, preferably freshly ground
Salt (If Desired)

Instructions

Start with a good quality bread, Italian, French, Multi-Grain or any combination thereof. It's OK if the bread is a few days old and a good way to get rid of the ends of loaves. Slice the bread and dice into approximately 1 inch cubes.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil,several tablespoons (Use a really good quality of oil) in a large frying pan over medium heat and throw in the bread cubes. Toss until coated with olive oil.
Toast the bread for a few minutes and then sprinkle generously with granulated garlic, white pepper and a bit of salt if desired.
Spray the tops of the cubes with more olive oil, and keep turning every few minutes until the cubes are browned. Adjust the heat so you don't burn the cubes. Fresh bread will take longer than stale bread.
Remove from heat and enjoy! The cubes should be crisp on the outside but soft on the inside.

Notes

A time and money-saving idea is when you have leftover bread ends or bread going stale, chop it into cubes and put it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer. Then all you will need to do is pour some pre-cubed bread to your frying pan and you are ready to go. You are also not wasting the ends of a loaf of bread.

https://karneyfamilyrecipes.com/2017/04/09/croutons-for-soup-or-salad/

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