Hot German Potato Salad

I made some delicious Hot German Potato Salad to go with our roast pork tonight.  I forgot to take a picture, I’ll get a picture when we have the leftovers  🙂  We really enjoyed it, I don’t know why I don’t make it more often?

Hot German Potato Salad

serves 4

about 1 1/2 lbs of potatoes

3 slices bacon

1/3 c onion(I used chives this time)

1 T corn starch

1 T sugar

1 t salt

pinch of celery seed

1/2 c water

1/4 c vinegar

Now, traditionally the potatoes should be cooked in their skins and then sliced.  I don’t like handling hot potatoes (and ours are really old this time of year) so I peeled them and cubed them (cubes are sturdier than rounds).  Boil potatoes until tender.

Meanwhile, fry bacon until crisp.  Remove and chop for later.  If using raw onions (I usually use dried) saute in bacon fat until soft.  Into bacon yumminess (aka fat) stir in cornstarch, salt, celery, and sugar.  Add a little butter if the bacon didn’t render enough.  Carefully pour in water and vinegar (keep face away from pot).  Stir until thick.

Drain potatoes, peel and slice if necessary.  Pour potatoes into sauce, add bacon and stir gently to coat.  Yum!

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Parmesan Oven Fries

I was suggesting these fries to some friends online, so I thought I’d share the recipe to all of you here.

Parmesan Oven Fries

enough potatoes

1/3 c oil

2T corn starch

1/3 c Parmesan cheese (I use the stuff in the can)

1/4 tsp garlic powder and paprika

Peel and cut up potatoes, into fries or pieces.  Mix everything else together and stir in potatoes to coat.  Pour into roasting pan or lined cookie sheet.

Bake 375F for 1 hour

 

 

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Recipes

Here’s a few new recipes to share.  I’m sorry I forgot to take pictures.  I’ll try to remember the next time I make these.

First recipe is a link.  I know I’ve mentioned this recipe before, but the loin roast recipe over at Like Mother, Like Daughter is absolutely delicious.  It’s the recipe I used this year for Daddy’s birthday.

Have you seen the new flavoured Philly Cream Cheese tubs?  I picked up the herb and garlic one last grocery day and came up with these potatoes.  They are like my Company Potato recipe.

Easy, Fancy Mashed Potatoes

12 large potatoes, peeled and cooked

1 c lite sour cream (5%)

1 pkg (270g) flavoured cream cheese

3 T butter, softened

1/2 c mozzarella cheese (to make it stringy)

sprinkle of cheddar (for topping)

Cook and rice potatoes.  Have all other ingredients at room temperature for easy mixing.  Combine everything (except cheddar) and mix well.  Spoon into a greased casserole dish.  Sprinkle with cheddar.  Bake 350F for 30 minutes or until hot.

I had some boneless chicken breasts the other day and nothing to do with them.  So this is what I tried and it was yummy.

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves

1 c mayonnaise

1/2 c Parmesan cheese

1/2 t pepper

1 t garlic powder

Mix everything together and spoon over top the chicken breasts.  Bake 375F for 45 minutes.

 

Here’s another yummy soup.  It works with canned tomatoes or fresh.

Tomato Potato Soup

1 T butter

2 T oil

2 large onions, chopped

4 c peeled and cubed potatoes

1 c each celery and carrots, chopped

2 garlic, minced

1/2 t thyme

1 (14.5oz) can tomatoes

1 c chicken broth

2 c milk

1 1/2 T cornstarch (dissolve in a little water)

Cook onions in butter/oil until nice and golden brown.  Add vegetables, thyme and stock.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.  Add milk  and cornstarch.  Stir over low heat until soup thickens.

 

 

 

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Yummiest Potato Salad

Today Colin’s sister and brother-in-law had a pig roast.  We had a great time.  I made potato salad and thought you guys might like the recipe.  Sure beats the ‘Miracle Whip’ kind.

This is the pig bbq that Colin and Glenn built quite a few years ago.    As you can see it’s made from an old oil tank.  The pigs turn out best when they use charcoal, but Colin has been know to try to use wood too.

Colin and I helped Glenn carve up the piggy.  Boy was it hot!!

Lots of fixin’s to go with the pork.  This is Colin’s dad in the hat and Glenn’s mom and dad in the background.

One of the guests had a really amazing car.  Colin can’t remember the year, but it is completely original/never restored.  Boy, it sure ran nice, sounded much better than the truck  🙂

And finally, here’s the end of the party.  The kitties quite enjoyed the ‘doggie bags’ we brought home for them.

To be honest, I won’t eat potato salad.  But that’s because I like my potatoes hot  🙂  My sister on the other hand, will only eat my potato salad.

Start by making the Salad Dressing/Mayo alternative:

3/4 c oil                         1 egg

1 1/2 prepared mustard          2 t salt

2/3 c sugar, divided                 1/2 c and 2 1/2 T flour

1/3 c vinegar                                1 c water

Mix the oil, egg, mustard, salt and 1/3 c sugar and set aside.

Combine the rest of the ingredients (including the remaining 1/3 c sugar) in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil and stir until smooth and thick.  Add in first mixture and stir till smooth.

Potato Salad

12 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced

1 sm onion, chopped fine – I often use green onions (scallions)

1 c celery, finely diced

1 t celery seed

4 hard-boiled eggs, diced

Toss gently in a bowl.

Dressing:

2 eggs, beaten                                  3/4 c sugar

1 t cornstarch                                  1/4-1/2 c vinegar

1/2 c milk                                            1 t prepared mustard

3 T butter                                            1 c salad dressing (above recipe)

Combine eggs, sugar, and cornstarch, add vinegar, milk and mustard.  Cook and stir until thickened.   Remove from heat and add butter and salad dressing.  Stir until smooth.  Pour over potato mixture and stir gently.

This makes a good size bowl, perfect for parties.  I’m sharing this recipe over at Miz. Helen’s Full Plate Thursday.  Check out the other yummy dishes.

Who’s looking closely at my pictures?  Do you notice something on our market table that ‘shouldn’t’ be ready yet?

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New Recipes

Here’s one of Colin’s favourite dishes.  I made it last night for our company.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin -supposedly serves 10

4 lbs tenderloin (I had 2 tenderloin but I have access to bigger ones)

4T (each) balsamic vinegar and olive oil

8 garlic, crushed

steak seasoning/rosemary/thyme

Drizzle and rub with vinegar/oil.  Slit pork and stuff in garlic.  Sprinkle with spices.  Roast 350F for 35min or until done to your choice (165F is good).

Leftovers make good sandwiches and happy husbands  🙂

My apple pie nearly got me a marriage proposal!

Pastry -makes 2 ish double crust pies (depending on plate size)

4c flour                  1 t sugar/salt/bk powder

1 1/2 c lard          1 t vinegar

1 egg, beaten        1/2 c water

Mix all t he dry ingredients.  Cut in lard.  Add liquids and mix until forms pastry, I usually give it a bit of a knead.

Apple Pie

Peel, core and slice enough apples to heap in your pie plate.  I like to use a firm apple.  I’m making pie not apple sauce.  Last night I used a mixture of red delicious and spartan-yum.  Pour in 1 c wt sugar, 1 T cornstarch, 1/2-1 t cinnamon.  Mix.  Pour apples into a pastry lined pie plate.  Dot with 2 T butter and sprinkle with 2T milk.

Bake 350F for 40-45 minutes.

 

Here’s my favourite company potato dish.  It’s delicious but is great because it can be made the day before and cooked later.

Potatoes Supreme

3lb potatoes

2c shredded cheese                               1+ c sour cream

1/4c butter, melted                             green onions (I use dehydrated)

salt & pepper

Peel and slice and cook (I steam) the potatoes.  Put them through a potato ricer (no lumps).  Then stir in all the other ingredients.  Pour into a buttered casserole.

Bake 350F for 30 minutes.

If you made this the day before, be sure to take it out of the fridge with lots of time to come to room temp.

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Recipes

I love Julia Child. I received her Mastering the Art of French Cooking from my sweetie (I think he had ulterior motives). My favourite French Onion Soup is based on Julia’s, but I leave out the booze (of course) and use homemade chicken stock. Last week I made the Casserole-Roasted Pork. It was delicious!!! I’ll share the recipe with you here because it is more a method than an actual recipe. Julia suggests marinating the pork first but I didn’t get it thawed in time.

Casserole-roasted Pork

3lb boneless shoulder roast

1 onion, sliced

1 carrot, sliced

2 garlic

1 T parsley

1 bay leaf

¼ t thyme

½ c stock

Dry roast and brown on all sides. Put 2T of fat in casserole and cover and cook vegetables and herbs for 10 minutes. Put meat in casserole (fat side up). Season with s&p if not marinated. Cover and bake in 325F oven for about 2 hours, or until meat thermometer reads 170F. Baste meat a couple of times. Makes delicious gravy.

This would be really yummy with roasted potatoes.

Roast Chicken and Dressing

chicken any size -don’t forget to remove inside bits

soft butter

s&p

Place chicken on roasting pan, stuff, tie legs closed and rub with soft butter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast at 325F for about 30 min/pound or until 175F.

Dressing -4-5 lb bird, double as needed

¼ c butter 3 T parsley

½ t sage 2 eggs

½ c milk (use some chicken stock if not cooking in the chicken)

1 onion, chopped fine

2 celery, chopped fine

½ loaf bread, cubed

salt & pepper

Colin is always happy when I have enough leftover chicken to make chicken a la king. I’ll give you the from scratch version, but I often use leftover chicken instead.

Chicken A La King

3-4 lbs chicken (I use boneless)

1 onion 2 whole cloves

1 ½ t salt

Cover with boiling water and simmer until tender. Dice chicken (needs 3 cups) and strain broth.

In a large saucepan (I use non-stick), melt butter and cook relish until tender. Add 5 T corn starch and cook a little bit. Add 1 ½ c stock and cook until nice and thick. Add ¾ c milk or cream, 1 egg and the diced chicken.

Cookie making happens on a fairly regular basis in our house. Most of my recipes make at least 5 dozen. Any less and there is no real point, they get eaten too quickly. Here’s Colin’s favourite chocolate chip recipe. This is one of my favourites too, it makes 11 dozen so they last for a while.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 c brown sugar 4 eggs

4 T hot water 2 c butter

1 ½ t vanilla 6 ½ c flour

3 t bk soda ½ t salt

3 c chocolate chips (sometimes I add Skor bits too)

Drop onto lined cookie sheets and bake 375F for 10 minutes. Do not over bake.

We didn’t get a chance to make Poor Knights this week. We were pickling beets and didn’t have stove top room. I’ll share the recipe anyway, it’s yummy.

Poor Knights or Arme Ritter

3 eggs, separated 2 c milk

2 T water breadcrumbs

8-10 slices of bread

butter for frying cinnamon and sugar to top

Lightly beat egg whites with water. Beat the yolks and milk together. Dip bread into custard. Then carefully dip into egg whites. Coat with breadcrumbs on both sides. Fry slowly in butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.

A nice variation on French Toast.

I’m sharing these recipes over at Full Plate Thursday, go see what else is on the Plate.

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Recipes

Now that the nice weather is back (i.e., cool) it’s time to start making cozy food.  Today I made some French onion soup and macaroni and cheese.  Both are easy and I thought I’d share the recipes.

French Onion Soup

5 cups thinly sliced onions                  1t salt

3T butter                                                      1/4 t sugar

1T oil                                                             3T corn starch

2qt chicken broth, I make my own in the crockpot after roasting a chicken -easy

Cook onions slowly with butter and oil.  Cover for 15 minutes on low.  Remove lid and turn up to medium.  Add sugar and salt.  Cook and stir until onions are golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.  Time spent here will improve the flavour.  Sprinkle on cornstarch and cook a couple of minutes.  Add onions to hot stock.  Simmer, partially covered, for 30-40 minutes.

In oven-proof bowl, add some croutons or toast and pour in soup.  Top with nice layer of mozzarella or Parmesan or Swiss.  Broil until cheese is melted.

I usually baggie up the leftover soup (minus croutons and cheese) and keep it in the freezer, it reheats well.

Macaroni and Cheese

1c macaroni, cooked till tender

3T butter                                   3/4 t salt

3T cornstarch                          2 c milk, any kind we usually use 2%

1/4 t dry mustard                  2 c grated cheese, we use cheddar

Melt butter and cornstarch and mustard for a few minutes.  Pour in milk and stir until fairly thick.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Drain macaroni and pour into cheese sauce.  Pour everything into a greased 1 1/2 qt casserole.

Bake 400F for 20 minutes.  You can top with buttered crumbs but I don’t usually.

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Scalloped Potatoes

I love scalloped potatoes but I have a hard time getting the potatoes to cook sometimes.  I found a great hint in my old Kate Aitken’s  cook book. Peel and slice as many potatoes as you need, then cover them with boiling water and cover.  Let cool and then drain and proceed.  Whenever I do this my potatoes turn out perfectly.  I usually use a 2-2 1/2 qt Corning-ware baking dish.  I like the oval ones because I want as much crunchy top as possible.  This recipe makes any size, just increase the milk/cornstarch for more.

Scalloped Potatoes

enough peeled and thinly sliced potatoes, par boiled if you have the time

finely sliced/minced onions, optional

cheese, optional

1/4 c butter

1/4 c cornstarch or flour

1 t dry mustard

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

3 c milk

In a saucepan, melt butter and add cornstarch, mustard, salt and pepper.  Stir for a minute or so.  Slowly add in milk and stir until nice and thick.  For garlic potatoes, preheat milk with a clove of garlic.  Remove garlic before adding to butter mixture.

Pour a bit of sauce into a buttered casserole.  Place a layer of potatoes, onions and cheese and then a layer of sauce.  Make sure to end with a layer of sauce.  Also, make sure your sauce doesn’t come past an inch from the top of the casserole or you’ll have a mess in the oven.

Bake 350  for 1 1/2 hours.

Maple Glazed Carrots

serves 6

2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 c chicken stock

1/4 c maple syrup

1 T butter

Add everything to a saucepan and cook, covered, over medium heat until carrots are crisp-tender.  Uncover and turn up heat.  Cook on high for another 10 minutes to glaze.

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