Picnic Potato Salad

'Tis the season for picnics and therefore it's the season for potato salads. I love potato salad and I always taste test them at picnics. Maybe it's because I grew up with this recipe, but I think this version is one of the better ones out there. This is the recipe that my mother has spent 20 some years tweaking. For some reason I never seem to write it down and every summer I call her for the recipe all over again. So now finally it will be in its written form for posterity. Thanks mom.

Click here for printable recipe. 

The Ingredients:

5 lbs potatoes, washed and cut into bite size pieces (peeling optional)
2/3 c mayonnaise
1/3 c sweet pickle relish
4 long stalks of celery finely chopped (sorry, I forgot to measure exactly how much this was)
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/2 c sour cream
1 medium onion finely chopped
5-6 hard boiled eggs
salt to taste

(Please note that this amount serves a crowd. I made this for 16 people and still had some left overs. So unless you want to eat potato salad for a few days, please cut this recipe in half)

The Directions:

Wash, and cut potatoes into bite sized pieces. Peeling is optional, but make sure you get the dark parts cut off and other questionable spots. I didn't peel these because I don't like peeling things. (which is why I rarely make an apple pie...but I digress.)
Put potatoes in large pot of water with a lot of salt (like 2-3 Tbsp). Bring water to a boil and cook until you can easily stick a fork into the potatoes, but not so that you can mash it.

Meanwhile chop celery and onion. Add them together with the rest of the ingredients to the bottom of a large bowl.

Dice 4 of the hard boiled eggs and add it to the mixture. (or more if you really like eggs) Stir everything together.When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them and run them under cool water.
Stir cooled potatoes into the mixture. Slice eggs and place on top for decoration.
Place in the refrigerator. This is best if made the day before you want to eat it.

Enjoy!


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April Fools’ Day Dinner: Meatloaf “Cupcakes” with Mashed Potato “Frosting”

So, when I was planning my meals for the week I asked for suggestions for something fun for our April Fools' Day dinner.  Renee sent me to Cupcakes and Swirls where they'd made these cute little Meatloaf and Mashed Potato "Cupcakes".  I'm not such a meatloaf fan myself, but since my kids had recently expressed interest in trying it, I thought it'd be the perfect April Fools trick to play on my family!    The best part about this funny trick is that once they got over the shock that they weren't really getting their dessert first, they actually really liked the meatloaf/mashed potato combination!  Of course it also helped that they got their real April Fool dessert ("mashed potato" cupcakes)  or "Hamburger" Cookies afterward!   If you have your own favorite meatloaf or mashed potato recipes, you can go ahead and use your tried and true favorites!  Have fun!   



We were in a hurry when we made these, so we didn’t put much effort into making the “frosting” look very pretty, but if you get the mashed potatoes the right consistency, you can make them look as fancy (or non-fancy in our case) as you would normally make cupcakes. 

Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

MEATLOAF CUPCAKES:
1 lb. lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used plain breadcrumbs with a teaspoon of oregano)
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
3 Tbs. ketchup
1 egg
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 foil cupcake liners

MASHED POTATO "FROSTING":
4 medium russet potatoes, washed and peeled
4 Tbs.  unsalted butter
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
food coloring, if desired


Directions:   Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 muffin tin cups with foil bake cups.  In a large bowl, mix together all of the meat loaf ingredients until well combined.

Divide the mixture evenly among the lined cups (the liners should be about three quarters full).  Place the filled muffin tins on cookie sheets and bake the cupcakes for about 15 minutes or until cooked through.  

While the meatloaf cupcakes are baking, cut the peeled potatoes into smaller, equal pieces. Place in a pot with water covering the potatoes. Cook over medium to high heat, bringing to a boil. Continue boiling, about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.  Drain water from potatoes, add butter, milk, salt and pepper. Beat with an electric mixer, until nice and smooth.    Divide the mashed potatoes among three small bowls and stir a few drops of food coloring into each batch to create blue, yellow, and pink pastel frostings. Spread a generous dollop on each cupcake.

You can also pipe the mashed potatoes on, the same as you would do with frosting, but we were lazy and did it the easy way.     Makes 12 "cupcakes". 

Serve warm and make sure you have some real dessert for them afterward.  :) 

Enjoy! 

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Chicken Quinoa Stew

What?  Never heard of quinoa?  Me neither, until a couple of years ago.  I had to look it up to see what all the fuss was about.   Here’s the scoop  according to Wikipedia: 

“In contemporary times, this crop has become highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), and like oats, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.  It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest. Because of all these characteristics, quinoa is being considered a possible crop in NASA's Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration manned spaceflights.” 

Oh wait….you want to know how to pronounce it too?  Well, according to my research, it can be pronounced one of two ways:    “KEEN-wah”  or   “kee-NO-wah”.  I opt for the first pronunciation, since that’s the one I hear others use the most. 

So after hearing about how wonderfully nutritious and high in protein quinoa was,  one day I passed by a big bag of it at Costco and  I couldn’t resist picking it up and trying it for myself.  Unfortunately, in my laziness, that bag just sat and sat and sat for months….until one day I came across this recipe on Picky Palate.  I decided it was time to give it a try and boy was I glad I did.  Not only is the stew delicious and nutritious, but I got to see first-hand how easy quinoa is to prepare (faster than white rice).  I absolutely loved the texture the quinoa added to the stew and I loved thinking about how good it was for us as my family gobbled it down eagerly.  Thanks to  Jenny for a great recipe!  Enjoy! 

Click here for printable recipe. 
 

The ingredients:

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
2-1/2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
4 cups chicken broth
1 can (15-oz.) diced tomatoes
2-1/2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces
1-1/2 cups cooked quinoa (a grain that is cooked similarly to rice and can be found in the cereal aisle near the oats)
2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. hot sauce
Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt, and parsley to taste
3/4 cup fresh parsley chopped

Directions:  Cook quinoa as directed on package. 

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Sauté onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes.  Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes.

Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil.   Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, shredded chicken, Dijon mustard, hot sauce.

Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.  Makes 8 servings.  Enjoy! 

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Pasta with Potato Sauce Alla Decaro

  We discovered this vegan dish during my teens' experiment into vegetarianism this past summer.  The experiment was only a month long and they are now back to eating meat again, but this moist and flavorful dish (zipped up and adapted from Epicurious) has stayed on the menu and become a favorite of mine. 

 Click here for printable recipe.  

The ingredients:
 
2-lbs. potatoes (I used 5 small baking potatoes and 1 medium sweet potato)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, pressed
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. dried basil
Pinch crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 cups water
1 lb.  penne pasta

Directions:  Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a deep 12-inch heavy skillet, cook onion in oil over low heat for 10 minutes; stirring frequently. 

Add pressed garlic and crushed red pepper and saute an additional 1 minute.  Add basil, potatoes, salt, pepper, and water.  Potatoes should be barely covered with water.  Cover and simmer until  potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. 

While potatoes are cooking, bring 5 quarts of salted water to boil and cook pasta as directed on package.   Drain pasta.   (do NOT drain potatoes) 

Return pasta to kettle and add potato mixture, tossing gently to combine well.

 

 

Makes 6 servings.  Top with freshly grated Parmesan if desired.   Enjoy!

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Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

 This classic recipe is an old favorite of ours.  It's super easy to whip together and makes for a hearty and satisfying side dish, especially on cold rainy days like today. 

 Click here for printable recipe.

The ingredients:

1-1/2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
2 Tbs. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:  Preheat oven to 375°.  Place red potatoes with the skin left on and cut into wedges into a small bowl.  Toss with olive oil until coated.

Add bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and garlic powder and toss together until evenly coated.

Bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet for 30-40 minutes or until desired brownness and crispiness level is reached.

Stir once after 15 minutes.   Enjoy!

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Stuffed Wieners with Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes

If you think this recipe is a little different from my "normal" fare, you should've seen the looks on the kids' faces when they realized that it was their female parent that was actually feeding them hot dogs.  I have to say that these were surprisingly good with the chipotle smashed sweet potatoes and my kids were crazy for them.  My friend makes these with instant potatoes or leftover mashed potatoes which would definitely put this into the super easy, I have 10 minutes to feed my family, kind of meals and I'm always up for a few more of those!  :) 

 Click here for printable recipe. 

Stuffed Wieners
The ingredients:
1 pkg. hot dogs
2-3 cups mashed potatoes or mashed sweet potatoes* (see note below)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:  Split hot dogs down the center vertically without cutting all the way through and place on cookie sheet.

Stuff mashed potatoes into each hot dog.  Sprinkle each with cheese.  Bake at 450 degrees for about 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Enjoy!

*NOTE:  You can use leftover (or instant) mashed potatoes for this or for really yummy (and healthier) mashed sweet potatoes use this recipe:

Chipotle Smashed Sweet Potatoes
The ingredients:
2 lg. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbs. butter
1/2-1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2-1 tsp. adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:  Put cubed sweet potatoes in boiling water and boil just until fork tender; about 15-20 minutes.  Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.  Add butter and mash together. Add 1/2 chipotle pepper and 1/2 tsp. adobo sauce and salt.  Mix well.

Taste and if desired, add up to another 1/2 chopped chipotle pepper and 1/2 tsp. of adobo sauce.  Enjoy!

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Turkey Tacos

Even though we didn't prepare a Thanksgiving feast this year, we still cooked a turkey because we couldn't miss out on our favorite leftover: Turkey Tacos!! By now, your turkeys may already be gone, but just in case anyone is cooking a turkey for Christmas, I thought I'd get this recipe up so you can enjoy the leftovers too!

Click here for printable recipe. 

Turkey Tacos
by Trisha

The Ingredients:


Cooking Oil (vegetable or olive oil is up to you)
Leftover turkey, shredded (a mix, but mostly dark meat for flavor)
3 medium potatoes, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
*salt & pepper  (SEE NOTE BELOW)

*cumin  (SEE NOTE BELOW)

*poultry seasoning (SEE NOTE BELOW)
sharp cheddar cheese
taco shells (home fried or store bought)

*NOTE:  If you're not confident adding these spices to taste, you can just use a store-bought taco seasoning packet instead. 

I use my Cuisinart to quickly shred the leftover turkey. Remember that the dark meat is the best for flavor because it has the most fat in it.

Begin by frying the potatoes and onion in oil at medium high heat.

When browned and almost cooked through (about 15 minutes), add seasonings to taste. 

*NOTE FROM LARA:  I like to add 3/4 cup water and a taco seasoning packet at this point.  I found the water made it nice and moist while the potatoes finished cooking. 


Add the turkey to the browned potato and onion mixture and fry the turkey (close up photo gives a visual of how browned I like it) until the potatoes are cooked through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove taco meat from heat, scoop into taco shells, and top with cheese.

Place a single plate of tacos or a large bar pan of tacos into the oven to melt cheese and brown taco shells. It only takes a few minutes, so keep an eye on it.


Serve it up and enjoy your leftovers!! (can be served as seen or add lettuce and tomato or salsa).

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