smashed potatoes

Ben & I recently discovered smashed potatoes. Yum! Crispy, flavorful and delicious. The perfect side dish for your holiday turkey.

Ingredients
12 baby potatoes (yellow or red) – approximately 2 per person
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Rosemary, chopped, to taste (or any other seasonings you like)

I use the microwave to shortcut this recipe – throw your potatoes in a big bowl, add 1/2 c. water to the bottom of the bowl, cover the entire dish with a damp paper towel. Microwave using your “potato” button (3 baby potatoes equals approximately 1 large potato). If you don’t have a “potato” button, try approx 3-4 minutes per potato (1 large = 4-6 min, 2 large = 6-8 min, 3 large = 9-11 min). Microwaves vary, so test your using less time, then add more as needed until potatoes are cooked through and begin to soften. You can also boil the potatoes to pre-cook them, if you prefer.

Prep a large casserole dish by drizzling olive oil on the bottom. Once the potatoes are cooked, put them in the oiled dish. Use a potato masher or the bottom of a glass to “smash” your potatoes. You want to break the skin and flatten the potatoes like a cookie. More surface area means more crispy, crunchy, deliciousness. Drizzle more olive oil over the smashed potatoes, then add salt, pepper and rosemary (or other herbs) as desired.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Roast the potatoes for 30-40 minutes, until they’re crispy and brown around the edges. Serve hot.

divine stuffing

November 13th, 2007 by nebhead (reposted)

I ran across Pat’s Stuffing recipe today, as if by divine intervention, just in time to start getting prepped for our Thanksgiving feast. This stuffing recipe is really outstanding and could be a meal all by itself. A delicious, artery clogging meal. And because I’m in the giving spirit, I’m going to share this recipe with the world. (Sorry Pat, hope this one wasn’t a secret family recipe)

Ingredients:

14 Slices of Bread (Preferably Wheat) cut into cubes
2 Big Yellow Onions Chopped (I like to make these big coarse pieces – not too big)
4 Chopped Apples (also cut into cubes)
1 lb Bulk Sage Flavored Ground Pork Sausage
1 Stick of Margarine or Butter
Rubbed Sage (may be difficult to find, but sometimes can be found in the bulk section of your local warehouse grocery store)

Step 1: Brown / Crumble the sausage in a frying pan. While doing this, the recipe also calls for melting an entire stick of butter into the mix. Really. No joke. Absolutely no fat is wasted in this stuffing. This dish is going to help us bulk up for the winter and possibly give us a nice cardiac episode for the holidays.

Step 2: In a 13″x9″ baking pan, mix the bread cubes, apples cubes, and chopped onion. Then add the sausage and melted butter to the mix. Mix it all up so the bread absorbs the melted butter and pork fat.

Step 3: Add the rubbed sage and mix in. There is no real set amount of sage that you should add, instead just add this until you feel that it’s fragrant enough to be tasty in your mouth, but not overpowering.

Step 4: Put the entire baking pan in the fridge and let marinate for two (2) hours. Not sure why this is necessary, but hey, I won’t argue with perfection.

Step 5: Bake in the oven at 350F degrees for 1.5 hours or until crusty and brown on top.

Step 6: Shovel into mouth. Nap. Shovel into mouth. Submit to butter induced coma. Repeat.

I dare you not to enjoy this…

Veggie and cheese soup

2 16oz bags frozen broccoli, cauliflower, carrot mix
1 10 oz can Rotel Brand tomatoes & green chillies
10 oz velveta light, cubed
3 cans 98% fat free chicken broth

Boil veggies in broth for 20 min (mash veggies if a thicker soup is desired).

Remove from heat, stir in cubed cheese until melted. Makes 10 cups. (weight watchers – 1 point per cup)

Stan’s Famous Chili (Vegetarian version)

Stan’s Famous Chili (Veggie version)
Serves 2-3
Prep time: 50 minutes

1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp powdered cumin
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth
1 15 oz can cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can refried beans (veggie)
4 cups diced zucchini (3-4 zucchinis, depending on size)
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sauté onion & garlic in olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add chiles, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and salt, and sauté another minute. Stir in vegetable broth, beans and zucchini. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes.

Serve with cilantro and cheese as garnish.

Saltine Toffee Candy

A party favorite! This was a contribution from Suzy & Ben at Thanksgiving 2010 and was a hit. It almost didn’t make it to the dinner… it was too yummy!

Saltine Toffee Candy
Ingredients:

• 1 sleeve saltine crackers
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar (light or dark works fine – I used light in the last batch)
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips (semisweet work too, but milk is best)
• 3/4 cups chopped almonds (any nuts will work here – whatever you prefer)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Line cookie sheet with saltine crackers in single layer. (line cookie sheet with tin foil first for easy clean up)
3. In a saucepan combine the sugar and the butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Immediately pour over saltines and spread to cover crackers completely.
4. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Let sit for 5 minutes to melt the chocolate. Spread melted chocolate and top with chopped nuts.
5. Cool completely and cut/break into pieces. Store in airtight container until they’re gone (they’re best within the first few days… if they last that long!).

Claire’s Favorite Cinnamon Carrots

Here’s a little dish I whipped up for Claire from some leftover mini-carrots… tasted & approved! Yum!
– Suzy

1 cup mini-carrots
1 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil (I use a homemade blend)
Freshly ground Black Pepper (to taste)
Dash of Cinnamon (to taste)

Toss carrots in oil, throw in seasonings and mix thoroughly. Cover & microwave for 2-3 minutes (until carrots are soft). Toss in the blender, add some water (for a smoother consistency) and puree. I use my Magic Bullet to puree and they turn out great!

You could probably also roast these in the oven with great success – however, it was hot in the house today and I didn’t want to turn the oven on.

Tehini sauce

Submitted by Carmel Parmeter, 1/10/2010
Sampled & enjoyed by the Parmeter clan Christmas 2009!

1/3 cup raw tehini (sesame paste) (usually its next to the peanut butter in the supermarket)
lemon juice
water
garlic
salt

Place the tehini in the food processor. Add lemon juice, garlic, a little water and salt. Blend. If the paste looks thick, add more water and blend again. If its too thin, add a tiny bit more paste. It should turn lighter in color and be the consistency of a thin yogurt. Taste. Correct seasoning. Eat. With anything.

Variations– Green tehini (my favorite) wash 1 bunch of parsley, chop well in food processor. Proceed with the tehini recipe on top of your chopped herb. The tehini will come out green in color and more fresh tasting.

sweet tehini (halva) – mix a little raw tehini with some honey. Spread on crackers. Yum.

Babaganoush (eggplant salad)

Submitted by Carmel Parmeter, 1/10/2010
Sampled & enjoyed by the Parmeter clan Christmas 2009!

1 large eggplant or 2 medium ones
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I find the light variations too sweet and strange, and you are putting very little of it in the salad, so I would choose regular)
a little lemon juice
salt

The idea is to char the eggplant. You can do it on a grill (if you have one that’s the easiest way, place whole on the grill and turn every once in a while for about 30 minutes) or on the stove top (just place the eggplant directly on the flames and keep turning it until it charred on all sides) or place under the broiler and turn once or twice for 25-30 minutes. The eggplant will deflate when its done. Sometimes I give it a quick char on the stove top and then place it under the broiler to finish cooking.

Let it cool.

Slice the eggplant lengthwise in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Make sure that you scrape the peel well (from the inside) for all that good charred flavor you worked so hard on. Add everything else and mix gently with the spoon, the eggplant flesh should be mushy enough.

Do not try to mash with a fork. If you start breaking the seeds too much it can get bitter.

Variations- mayo can be replaced with plain or goat yogurt, tehini or carmelized onions.

Hummus

Submitted by Carmel Parmeter, 1/10/2010
Sampled & enjoyed by the Parmeter clan Christmas 2009!

2 cans of chickpeas
1/3 cup tehini
juice of half a lemon (roughly, depends on how lemony you want it)
1-2 cloves garlic (depends on how garlicky you want it)
salt
2 tablespoon olive oil

Drain cans and cook with some water until beans are hot. Reserve a little of the cooking liquid and drain the rest.

In a food processor, mix tehini with lemon juice and a little cold water (about a quarter cup) until light and frothy. (if not light and frothy, add more liquid in small amounts until it is) Add garlic and salt. pulse until incorporated. Add the beans 1/3 the amount at a time and pulse until they become paste. If it looks too choppy, add a little of the cooking liquid. taste. correct seasoning. Add the olive oil and blend for 2 minutes, until the hummus is very creamy. Its best right away, while its still warm. It looses something in the fridge though its still good.

Burekas with spinach and cheese

Submitted by Carmel Parmeter, 1/10/2010
Sampled & enjoyed by the Parmeter clan Christmas 2009!

1 package puff pastry
1 box frozen spinach, thawed
OR
2 bunches fresh spinach, rinsed, blanched in boiling water for 5 minutes
1 small package of feta cheese (the crumbles kind is great, does not need to be fancy)
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg (for egg wash)
sesame seeds/poppy seeds/caraway seeds or any other seed for decoration

Preheat oven to 450

Thaw the puff pastry in fridge. Take out about 5-10 minutes before you will use it.

Squeeze liquids from spinach. (you can do it in small bunches in your hands or easier with a clean kitchen towel) make sure you squeeze as much liquid as you can from spinach. chop. Add cheese (as much as you want, I used a whole small tub) and black pepper. Mix well and taste to see if it needs salt.

Roll 1 sheet of pastry (to flatten out the folds) cut into 2×2 squares. Place a small amount of filling in each square, moisten the edge with a little bit of water (to seal better) and fold to make a triangle, pressing down with your fingers to seal.

Brush with egg mixed with a little water and sprinkle seeds. Bake for about about 15 minutes until dough is puffed and golden.

Variations–
Any filling is good, ground lamb is delicious – saute some onions and garlic in a little olive oil, add lamb. Spice up with some hot pepper flakes, little cumin, salt and pepper. You can add olives or raisins or both for an exotic flavor
mushroom and onion- saute onions in a little olive oil, add mushrooms and some thyme and saute until liquid evaporates (any mushroom is good, I like to mix varieties), add salt and pepper to taste.
Really, you could fill the burekas with anything. Just make sure that the filling is cooked, because the dough does not take a long time to bake.

Dale approved variation- make a filling with mushrooms and onions, or mashed potatoes and onions with some spices that they will like, or cooked ground beef with some onion/garlic/spices (my favorite when I was a child), or just spinach. Use phyllo dough instead of puff pastry. thaw, take out one sheet, lightly brush with olive oil and place another sheet on top. Continue like this with 3-4 more sheets and proceed in the same manner as before, omitting the egg wash. You don’t need it anyway.. You might want to bake at slightly lower temp (400)
(if you want seeds on top, brush top with a little olive oil, so that they will stick)