Leftover Idea: Potato Pancakes

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Andrea

Growing up, we ate these all the time. Almost every time we had mashed potatoes, my mom would make potato pancakes with the leftovers. This was what I knew potato pancakes to be.

It wasn’t until I moved away to college in central PA that I learned most people call latkes potato pancakes. Imagine my surprise when I ordered potato pancakes at a restaurant once and was served up latkes instead of what I know as potato pancakes.

No worries, I adore latkes because I will eat potato just about any way you want to serve it to me!

I honestly am not sure how my mom made her potato pancakes but this is how I do mine.

Amounts on ingredients will vary depending on how much leftover mashed potatoes you have. If there’s a lot, you will probably need to up the flour and egg amounts.

Andrea’s Potato Pancakes

Leftover Mashed Potatoes

3TBSP White Whole Wheat Flour

Bourbon Applesauce

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Andrea

Yesterday, I talked about how much bourbon I’ve been using in baking and cooking lately. One of the things I mentioned was making Bourbon Applesauce.

I had some apples that needed used up and quickly! They weren’t good to eat, kind of mealy, a little too soft, and the skin was wrinkled.

I wasn’t about to toss them because I knew they could be used for something! I thought it over for a couple of days and realized that making applesauce would be the perfect solution!

After cooking the whole thing gets pureed which takes care of the mealy and soft aspects of the less than perfect apples. The skin gets peeled, so that problem is solved as well!

I’ve made applesauce before but I really wanted something a little different this time around. Something a little more spicy and something with a bit more kick. Once I realized that I could use bourbon, well everything just fell into place after that!

Double Stuff Squash

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Andrea

Not long ago at the grocery store, I saw some new-to-me squashes and decided to pick some up. The one I ended up using first was a Sweet Dumpling squash.

I went back and forth about stuffing it because I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to stuff it with, rice or…?

If I had had goat cheese on hand, I would have made a rice concoction. Since I didn’t, I decided to go with stuffing to stuff the squash.

I used my apple stuffing recipe to keep things very fall-ish feeling.

I cut the squash in half and removed the seeds. I saved those though because I can roast them!

I preheated the oven to 400. I filled a baking dish with a little bit of water to create a steam. I put butter on the exposed squash and sprinkled it with a little all purpose seasoning (similiar to poultry seasoning).

I roasted the squash for about 20 minutes and then flipped it over for another 15 or so.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potato

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Andrea

This is my newest obsession, the loaded baked sweet potato. A little while back I wanted to try creating a loaded baked sweet potato.

I love sweet potato and pumpkin as savory items more than I do sweet. Hence why I put pumpkin in just about every chili I make now and why I think sweet potato fries should contain chili powder.

Previous meals, I had a little bit of cheese mixed in with my baked sweet potato and it was glorious. I decided at some point I was going to jump in with both feet and make a savory baked sweet potato.

Last week I tried it out and will never go back to butter and cinnamon on a sweet potato again.

Andrea’s Loaded Baked Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato

Pepperjack Cheese

Sour Cream (I use Greek Yogurt)

Hot Sauce of Choice

Chopped Green Onions

Bake sweet potato in oven at 400 for about 1.5 hours. How long will depend on how big your potato is. Baking a sweet potato is similar to baking a regular potato. Poke holes in it first. I do not put anything on the skin of the sweet potato. I line a baking sheet with foil, spray with oil and bake the sweet potato as is.

Read more on Loaded Baked Sweet Potato…

Quick Sidedish: Sauteed Greens With Beans And Corn

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Andrea

Sometimes life dictates dinner. We need something fast and quick to get on the table. Sometimes we need to bulk up leftovers or supply a quick dish to go along with something else we already have on hand.

Needing something quick doesn’t mean that it has to come from a box or be a processed food item. Or even something premade. We can make quick dishes at home with only a few ingredients.

This dish fits those requirements. It uses few ingredients and can be made very quickly.

I’m sharing an idea and a concept with you which means the measurements aren’t exact. The amounts are up to you!

Andrea’s Sautteed Greens with Beans and Corn

Greens, finely chopped (Whichever greens you like)

1 15oz Can of Black Beans, drained and rinsed

Frozen or Fresh Corn Kernels

Olive Oil for sauteeing

Garlic Powder

Chili Powder

Red Pepper Flakes

Salt

In a sautee pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add in greens and start sauteeing. Sautee for about 5 minutes. Add in the beans and corn along with the seasonings. Continue to sautee for about another 5 minutes or until everything is cooked and heated through.

Pickled Jalapeno With Red Onion

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Andrea

I love pickled things. Ever since I was a kid, I have loved pickles. The texture and taste could not be more perfect in my opinion. Crunchy, salty, tangy, and tart.

But the flavorings of pickled things can change and become whatever you want them to be.

Spicy
Garlicky
Dilly

And as I grew up and started expanding my food knowledge, I realized that pickled is a term. A concept. A technique. It isn’t just a green cucumber slice, but in fact, it can be whatever you want it to be.

You can go through the whole canning process in creating your pickled concoction or if you want quick results, there’s a quick refridgerator pickling method.

I bet you can guess which I go for.

A recent viewing of Guy’s Big Bite is the inspiration for my quick pickled Jalapeno with Red Onions. This took no time to make at all and were ready to eat by dinner time.

Stuffed Zucchini

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Andrea

We are in full swing with the summer season around here and one thing that is abundant at the farmer’s markets is zucchini.

Not just any zucchini, but HUGE ones, longer than the length of my forearm.

Those kinds of zucchini demand the need for stuffing. A lot of people stuff zucchini with ground meat, and this was highly typical where I grew up. Ground beef was usually the meat of choice stuffed into the zucchini along with maybe some tomato sauce.

I like the flavor of cooked tomato along with zucchini but I wanted to do a meatless version of stuffed zucchini. Instead of meat, I used my favorite grain, millet.

Andrea’s Stuffed Zucchini

1 HUGE zucchini, (literally like a foot in length, or as big as you can find)

1/2C Uncooked Millet

1 1/2C Chicken Stock (or veggie broth)

2-3 Green onions, chopped (both white and green parts)

1/2C Shredded Carrot

1C Cherry Tomatoes, quartered

Perfect Baked Potato

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Andrea

Recently, we discussed the baked potato bar and how it provides a great side dish to a meal. Everyone can pick their own toppings and you can get creative with those as well! In the comments, Monica asked me if I would explain how to make a baked potato.

I love questions from readers and will do my best to address any questions or concerns that you might have. So of course I can talk about how to make a baked potato! This method works for me every time and always presents a potato baked to perfection.

Andrea’s Perfectly Baked Potatoes

This is a method more than it is an exact recipe, keep that in mind as you follow along.

Preheat your oven to 400 or 425 degrees. HOT! This works for one potato or several potatoes, the amount doesn’t affect the outcome nor the cooking time.

Scrub your potatoes so that the skins are clean and most of the dirt is gone. You will need a sheet of foil large enough to wrap the potato in. With a knife, poke holes in the potato. You will want a few good holes around the potato. The reason for this is because potatoes have a huge water content and by poking holes in them, that allows steam to escape the potato as it cooks. If you don’t do this, you risk the potato exploding on you.

Unfried Green Tomatoes

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Andrea

The first time I ever heard about fried green tomatoes was because of the movie by the same name. Before that they had not crossed my radar. Like most things from the south, I was not exposed to them until much later in my adult life. Thank goodness for college, traveling, and cooking shows!

The idea of a fried green tomato intrigued me. The closest thing to it I did have was fried zucchini. There was good fried zucchini and then there was horrible fried zucchini. If you’ve ever had fried zucchini, you know exactly what I’m talking about. I looked into making fried green tomatoes and realized the technique between the two was very similar.

Plus what a great way to use up unripe tomatoes! They are always in abundance come the end of summer, right? Breaded warm tomatoes are amazing, maybe with a little cheese on top and you’ve got a really great side dish.

Roasted Veggie and Wheatberry Salad

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Andrea

Roasting veggies and adding it to a grain is one of the simplest ways to make a salad. This could be a side dish or a main dish. It can be made ahead of time for a quick meal or for party prep.

Using veggies that have a lot of moisture in them, like tomatoes and squash will provide you with automatic dressing. No need to make extra sauce or dressing, it’s already built right in!

I love making dishes like this in the summer because they are so versatile. You can use whatever veggies are in season or what you happen to have on hand. You can make a huge portion or a small amount. The dish can be served hot or cold.

As you prep the veggies, you can’t help but be amazed by their gorgeous color. Something that looks that good and also smells good, before you even do anything to it, you know will turn out super tasty.