Everybody Loves A Tater

Potatoes are so versatile, mashed, baked, boiled, au gratin, etc., etc. And the flavorings that you can add to potatoes, bacon, cheese, chives, butter, pretty  much  anything you want to add will go good on a potato.

I had some leftover mashed potatoes from supper last night so today I decided to make some small potato pancakes to keep in the freezer for a later date.

All I did was take the leftover potatoes and add 1 egg and about 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, pepper and some spicy blend from Mrs. Dash.

Just mix everything together and then I used my handy dandy small ice cream scoop to measure out the potatoes and then I flattened them a little.

Then it's just simply a matter of frying them up until they are a golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel. After they cool, I put them on a cookie sheet and put it in the freezer til they were frozen. That makes it easier to put in a freezer bag and when you want some you can just grab 2 or 3 to reheat.

I always thaw a couple out and heat them up in the toaster oven til they are sizzling hot.

Yummy.  There were two more but I had to do a taste test. One for me and one for Lola. We both agreed they were good.

I am going to report that there was no salt used in making these. When I fixed the mashed potatoes I did not add any salt to them. I did lightly salt my helping on my plate, but the pan of potatoes were sodium free. When I fixed these "pancakes" I didn't add any salt either, but I did lightly salt the one I tested. Small steps.........

I will confess that salt and I had a clandestine meeting on Friday night when I fixed a homemade pizza with Italian sausage on it. BUT, I figured it had less sodium in it then a frozen pizza or a take out pizza.  Small steps......

I hope everyone has a safe, peaceful and Merry Christmas!!!!


Kathy

Heart To Heart

I know I've discussed my love affair with salt in the past. We were good together, salt was always there when I needed it, never jealous, never demanding. Oh...and the taste....heavenly.

But it's time that we quit spending so much time together, see each other less often. I have met some new spices. As the old saying goes.."it's not you, it's me". It's a sad, sad day. We'll still be friends, spend  a moment or two together every day but not hang out all day every day.

About a year and a half ago, my blood pressure was elevated, not dangerously so, but above normal. At the time I tried to change some of my eating habits and I did good for a while, but got lazy and didn't keep at it and eventually just took the easy route and started on the medicine. I haven't liked the side effects, constant cough, sore joints, dry eyes. Then there were the times that my blood pressure would drop really low and I would have to either skip a couple of doses or cut the pill in half to get it back up. But being on the medication allowed me to eat all the salt I wanted, so even as much as I wanted to get off of it, it was hard to give up the salt.

But then something happened the other day that has me rethinking everything. I have episodes of a rapid heartbeat for which I take medication for and have for quite a few years. The rapid heartbeat can come on at anytime and last from 15minutes to 3 or 4 hours. It stops as suddenly as it starts, but the medication keeps it under control and I can go months and months without it acting up, sometimes as long as a year.

Lately, I've had several episodes in the last couple of months. Last Sunday it happened and was still going on the next morning. I went to work but couldn't stay. I was very light headed and wobbly. Turns out my blood pressure had dropped to 100/60. I went to the doctor and of course, by the time I got there my heart rhythm was back to normal, isn't that always what happens! But my blood pressure had dropped even further to 95/60. Had EKG done and it was normal, had to some blood work done and the office called today to say it was normal.

The doctor told me to stop my blood pressure medicine for a week then return to the office next week to see where we are. I've also read that another side effect of the b/p medication can be an irregular heartbeat, although not always. Of course, I realize that it could be a coincidence, but you never know.

Anyway.....I'm taking this opportunity to re-evaluate my relationship with salt. I'm determined not to go back on that blood pressure medicine. I'm really going to work on changing my habits, watching the sodium in the foods that I buy and eat. But you know, this really plays into my liking to fix foods from scratch. When you cook from scratch, you know what is in your food, how much salt is in it. For instance, I might make bread and the recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt. Considering that is for the whole loaf of bread that is not much at all. But commercial bread has a lot more salt in it than that for each slice. Processed foods are the worse so it is preferable to make it at home from scratch. I'll still be eating good food, but I'll have more control over how much salt is in it. Read the labels, it's amazing what has salt in it and how much.

I don't know for sure that the blood pressure medicine had anything to do with my heart rhythm episode on Sunday, maybe it did. Or maybe my heart medication just needs to be readjusted. But I still am going to take control of this aspect of my health.

It won't be easy, especially with the holidays coming up and all the good food. Will I be perfect all the time, probably not. Will I probably splurge on occasion and eat something really salty, without a doubt, but change takes time and I'm committed to this change. I'll keep you up to date on how it goes, the successes and failures. Wish me luck.


Kathy

Cookie Time

Chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate chip, oatmeal, sugar.....ahh the possibilities are endless when making cookies. Cookies are portable deserts, portion controlled and everyone one likes a cookie of one kind or another. They are perfect gifts because you can personalize them depending on what the receiver likes, they are easy to make and not expensive to make.

The particular cookie recipe came from a tasteofhome.com magazine, a place where homecooks share their recipes. This cookie is called "Loaded Up Pretzel Cookies" and here are the players.

Lots of players in this production, but that is what makes them so good.

I started by chopping up all the add ins, the pretzels, M&M's and peanuts. Obviously I didn't  chop up the candies, but I did the pretzels and peanuts. The original recipe doesn't call for peanuts, it calls for coconut but since I loathe coconut I switched it out for nuts.

I put 2 sticks of butter, 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of brown sugar, 2 eggs and 2 tsp of vanilla.

In another bowl whisk 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp of salt, then gradually beat into creamed mixture. Then stir in the rest of the ingredients.

Pretzels

Peanuts

M&M's

Then you stir it altogether. Now this is kind of a stiff dough and it takes some effort to stir everything into it, but it's well worth it. Of course, if I had a KitchenAid stand mixer it would be really easy. (are you listening kitchen gods!!)

I use a small ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. The cookies bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

The recipe makes about 2 dozen cookie, give or take a few. I have to admit, in the interest of testing, I ate one or two right out of the oven. They passed the test.

Make these cookies for yourself, to give as gifts, to take to an office party or for you own party. I  think they will be a hit.

Here is the complete recipe:

1 cup of softened butter
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp of vanilla
2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups of chopped pretzels (the recipe calls for miniature pretzels, but I used regular pretzels)
1 1/2 cups of flaked coconut (or you  can switch this out for something else like 1 cup of peanuts)
1 1/2 cups of M&M's

Cream together the 2 sugars and butter til creamy, add eggs and vanilla and cream together til fluffy. All the dry ingredients get whisked together in another bowl. Add dry ingredients slowly to creamed mixture. When the dry ingredients are all mixed in add the pretzels, coconut (peanuts) and M&M's and stir together.

Shape 1/4 cupfuls of dough into balls and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet (I use parchment paper) at 350F for about 15 minutes, til golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool of a wire rack.

YUMMY!!!!!

Kathy

"One Who Plants A Garden, Plants Happiness"

After a snowy and icy weekend, I was hoping to see some melting, but Tuesday morning, here comes  some more snow. It was just an inch or so and it was pretty, but I'd already had enough snow for a while. This is the kind of weather we usually get in January, very, very seldom this early in December. I have a bad feeling about this winter.....and winter won't even start for another 2 weeks!!

But when I got home yesterday, there it was, a ray of hope, a spot of sunshine, the will to live, just sitting in my mailbox.

My 2014 seed catalog, with all it's hope and promises.

As I lovingly turn each page, looking at all the vegetables, fruits and wildflowers, I know that Spring will come again.....as God as my witness, it will be warm again. While reading the descriptions of each seed, trying to decide what I want to order and reading the little anecdotes about the company and their mission and how they acquire their seeds, a calm washes over me. It will be warm again.

Until I step outside and almost slip on the ice!!


I had some hits and some misses with last summer's garden, but this year, I'm getting an early start and it's going to be much better. I hope.

The catalog also has different quotes sprinkled throughout, like the title of this post, a Chinese proverb.

Here are some of my favorites:

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat"..Genesis 1:29

"Neither human occupation opens so wide a field for the profitable and agreeable combination of labor with cultivated thought, as agriculture"..Abraham Lincoln.

"Globalized industrialized food is not cheap: it is too costly for the Earth, for the farmers, for our health"..Vandana Shiva

"The true Southern watermelon is a boon apart, and not to be mentioned with commoner things. It is chief of this world's luxuries, king by the grace of God over all the fruits of the earth. When one has tasted it, he knows what the angels eat. It was not a Southern watermelon that Eve took; we know it because she repented."..Mark Twain

"The whole imposing edifice of modern medicine, for all it's breathtaking success, is, like the Tower of Pisa , slightly off balance. It is frightening how dependent on drugs we are all becoming and how easy it is for doctors to prescribe them as the universal panacea for our ills."..Prince Charles.

"Flowers always make people better, happier; and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine to the soul."..Luther Burbank

Stay warm.


Kathy

Cold + Snow = Chili

Well, the "white blanket of doom" has covered our area. We received about 1/4 in of ice and then 2 or 3 inches of snow Friday afternoon and evening. The roads were a mess, it took my son 2 hours to get home from work on Friday. A trip that usually takes him about 20 to 30 minutes. Cars and trucks weren't able to get on the entrance ramps to the highways because they were so slick, everyone was sliding. Even slight hills throughout the city were causing problems for drivers. As I've said we, here in the Upper South don't do well with snow, but when ice is added to the mix, it becomes a nightmare.

Since this was a cold  snowy weekend, what better time to make a big pot of chili. I must say that it sure tasted good after I was out shoveling snow yesterday. You may ask why my son didn't shovel snow? He would have if I'd asked him, but since it wasn't really a lot, I look upon it as a good way to get some exercise, so I really don't mind. Now, if it had been 7 or 8 inches, yeah, he would have done it.

Yummy......

Now I know that there is one ingredient in this picture, maybe even two, that could be controversial, but just go with me on this.

Chili can be a touchy subject, depending on what part of the country that you live in. Some say that "true" chili should be just meat and sauce, some say no to beans, spices are different depending on where you live and then there is the pasta. Most people say a big NO to pasta, but around here, maybe not most, but a whole lot of people add spaghetti to their chili. This is the way we had chili in school, it's how my family made it and every church chili supper I ever went to fixed it this way.

First I browned 2 lbs. of ground chuck.

After draining any excess grease, I then add quite a bit of chili powder, about 1/2 of the 3oz bottle, sometimes even a little more.

I then dice up a large onion. I like lots of onions and not little teeny tiny pieces either, pieces I can see.

This time I even added several dashes of cayenne pepper and a couple of squirts of tomato paste. Just for a little extra oommpf.

Then it's just a matter of dumping everything else in, the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the can of chili beans. I also filled the empty cans of tomato sauce and chili beans with water to add some liquid to the chili. I ended up only using 1/2 the can of black beans. Stir it all together and let it  simmer for a couple of hours.

(those yellow pieces in the chili look like corn but it's not, it's pieces of onions)

After it has simmered for a couple of hours, bring it to a boil and then add the spaghetti. I break the spaghetti into 1/3's. How much you put in is up to you, some people like it with lots and lots of spaghetti, me, not so much. I don't put in a whole lot, just enough so you know it's there.

Let it cook til the pasta is al dente then take it off the fire. It will continue to cook for a few more minutes after that. The spaghetti tends to soak up some of the liquid and you may have to add a little more water.

Ta dah!! A steaming, yummy pot of chili.

Even how you eat chili can be a tricky subject.  I grew up eating chili with a peanut butter sandwich or peanut butter and crackers. Some people eat it with grilled cheese sandwiches, which is good also. It can also be served with condiments like sour cream, shredded cheese, corn chips, lime wedges and cilantro. Then there are the people who eat it with saltine crackers and they smash lots of crackers into their chili til it soaks up almost all the juice. Not me though.

The majority of the time I like to eat my chili with just saltine crackers. I don't want to soak them in the chili, I like to dip them in and scoop up a little chili on the cracker and then eat it. That way the cracker is still crisp.

It's interesting how many ways there are to make chili and how many ways there are to eat chili. I hope you will try my chili, I think you will like it. There's nothing better on a cold, snowy day.


Enjoy

Kathy

Bread And Milk

Snow.....snow and maybe some ice...it's on it's way, maybe. Snow is not a particularly common occurrence around here. This part of the country is considered the Upper South, maybe with a little Midwest thrown in. So, while we have four distinct seasons here, unlike the Deep South,  a snowstorm can through us for a loop.

While we may get 10 inches or so every year, it's usually spread out through the whole winter. We have had a few major, city-stopping snows. I remember one major snowstorm back in January of 1994. It was going to be my first day back to work from maternity leave. I went to bed that Sunday night with the weathermen predicting a few flurries or maybe a light dusting and when I work up Monday morning, we had about 16 inches of snow. Needless to say, I didn't make it back to work that day. It took most of the day to dig the car out.

Then there was a pretty bad ice storm in 2009, that left several hundred thousand people without power, as tree limbs snapped and  power lines came crashing down under the weight of the ice.  But for the most part we don't get a lot of winter storms.

But when there is a forecast for snow, people freak out. We all worry about getting to work on snow covered streets. Is school going to be open, can I get out of my side street or subdivision, will I be able to make it up (or down) this hill without hitting another car? Since we really don't get hardly any big snowstorms, we don't know how to react when we do. Most people don't really know how to drive in snow since we don't get that much practice. The city has snowplows and trucks that salt brine the streets, but I'm sure we don't have the equipment that more northern cities. I guess the investment is not worth it to our city leaders, considering the amount of snow we generally get, therefore, it's usually the highways and main roads that get plowed and the neighborhoods are usually left to their own devices.

To be fair to our weathermen, it is hard to predict the weather here. Living along the river and in a valley, I can't begin to tell you how many "blizzards", thunderstorms or tornadoes have seemed to come right at us but in the end either go around us or just disappear without any severe weather at all. Not that I'm complaining, it can be a good thing, it just makes forecasting to far ahead an iffy business.

But with the impending weather coming right at us (maybe) and the freezing temperatures for the weekend, it is going to be a great time to make some chili. That is my plan for Saturday. I will share that recipe with you in my next post.

In the meantime, as everyone wrings their hands about the upcoming weather, the grocery stores are being overrun with last minute shoppers getting supplies for the next few days. We always joke around here about running to the store to get bread and milk when snow is coming.  I guess everyone is planning on making French toast if the can't get out of their house for a few days. We all make fun of it but we still do it.

Me, I'm getting beer and toilet paper.

Stay safe and warm everyone.


Kathy

It's All About The Leftovers

Thanksgiving Day has come and gone and now it's all about the leftovers. Everyone wants and loves the turkey day leftovers. Usually there is such an abundance of food that there is plenty for everyone to take home.

But what to do with them? Do you fix another plateful, reminiscent of the "big" meal, do you fix sandwiches or make up a casserole that includes all the turkey, dressing, gravy and assorted sides? Is there a special concoction that you like and throw together?

I decided to fix up a leftover treat that I've never made before. I can't say that it is an original recipe but I've never seen it anywhere, but surely someone has done this.

Thanksgiving pizza!!

First I made some homemade pizza dough. I make this dough quite often for just regular pizza. I got it out of the cookbook, Mad Hungry. I'll post the recipe at the end in case you want to try it, it's really easy.

I cut this dough into six individual portions for personal size pizzas. They are about 7in. across when spread out on a pizza pan.

This make a thinner and crispy crust, but I like that.

I then spread a couple of spoonsful of our families traditional sausage dressing.

Next comes the ever popular greenbean casserole. I just sprinkled around a few of the green beans, along with some of the French fried onions, of course.

Next comes the pieces of turkey.

And we can't forget the gravy, it wouldn't be complete without it.

I then baked it at 400F for about 15 or 20 minutes. I just kept checking it to make sure it was hot, since all the ingredients were already cooked, except for the dough. You can tell when the dough is done by looking at the edges. Once it starts getting crispy and slightly browned, it should be done.

I have to say, this turned out really good. It had all the flavors of Thanksgiving in each bite. Even Lola liked it. She got the last piece because it was pretty filling and she was able to enjoy the holiday leftovers.

Here is the pizza dough recipe:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 pkg. of dry yeast
1/4 tsp. sugar
2-1/2 cups of all purpose flour (plus extra for kneading)
1 tbl. extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for brushing)
2 tsp of course salt

Heat water and milk to just lukewarm, transfer to a large bowl and sprinkle in yeast and sugar. Let sit about 5 min. or til dissolved.

Stir in olive oil, flour and salt. Once the dough is combined, knead on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 or 15 minutes.

Brush a large bowl with olive oil and add the dough and lightly brush the top with olive oil. Cover and let stand in a warm place til doubled, about 3 hours. (Or place in refrigerator overnight to rise slowly).

Punch down dough and divide into the appropriate number of portions that you want. I usually get 6 individual pizzas out of this dough. Wrap unused dough in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag and put in the freezer.

Enjoy

Kathy

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, that all American holiday. It's about family, togetherness and remembering the things and people in our life that we are thankful for. We all gather at grandma's house, mom's house or, as time goes by, someone in the younger generation who has picked up the traditions of our family and is keeping them alive.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, and while all that may be true, we all know that it's really about the food. Food that is traditional to the holiday itself and food that is family favorites that have been passed down through the years. Copious amounts of food that can be enjoyed on Thanksgiving itself and for days afterward as the coveted leftovers.

Ahh....the bird, the Thanksgiving turkey, which is eaten probably in 95 per cent of households on this day. There may be people who go the ham route or some other special cut of meat, but for the most part, turkey is to Thanksgiving what Santa Claus is to Christmas.

Now the sides are almost as important as the main dish. Mashed potatoes is a given as is gravy. Cranberry sauce is a common side to the meal. There can be homemade cranberry sauce with varying additions.

While this whole berry cranberry sauce was very good, I still have to admit that my favorite cranberry sauce will always be........

I can't help myself, it will always be my first love.

Another Thanksgiving favorite is sweet potatoes with little tiny marshmallows melted on top,

Some people have macaroni and cheese with their feast or salads, many different kind of veggies, rolls and dumplings. Then there is the favorite, traditional, much maligned, ever controversial and the dish that can go down in Thanksgiving lore........the green bean casserole.

With it's crunchy, fried onions out of the can, and cream of mushroom soup (although, I used cream of onion and cream of chicken soup) it's been the fodder of comedians for years. But I have to say, I like a good green bean casserole. I only have it on Thanksgiving and I make it like the recipe on the can of fried onions.

I'm sure the green bean casserole could be tweaked to make it healthier. It could be switched up any number of way. I've even seen some "remodeling" of the casserole on cooking shows. But, for me, it just wouldn't say Thanksgiving. I'll leave it the way it is.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday, there are no  gifts to buy, no cards to send and no decorations to put up. It's all about being with those you love, whether it be family or friends or a combination of both. It's about reflecting on the past year and realizing how much everyone means to you and not taking anyone or anything for granted. It's about counting our blessings.
And it's about stuffing yourself like there is no tomorrow and still having room for pumpkin pie or maybe an apple pie for desert. Then as you sit back on your couch or recliner, in your turkey coma, it's all about the other tradition of Thanksgiving...

Watching football.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful as mine.


Kathy

Beer..Cheese..Bread

Each one individually is yummy, but put them all together in one food, and it doesn't get any better. I found a recipe four or fives years ago in Cooking Light magazine for some quick breads using beer. Well, like I said, that seemed a win/win situation.

You just sauté the onions, garlic and pepper in a tbl. of olive oil, til softened. Let it cool. Meanwhile whisk all the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the center, add the onion mixture, beer and cheese, then mix together.

Mix this  together and put into a loaf pan that has been sprayed so it won't stick. It's a rather sticky dough. Melt a tablespoon of butter and pour on top before putting in the oven.

Halfway through the baking time take it out of the oven and pour another tbl. of melted butter over the top and finish baking.

This bread is especially good to eat with soups and stews. Well, really, it's good to eat with anything. What's good about this recipe is you can easily change it up. Use an Italian beer along with an Italian cheese and cut up salami for a different twist, or a Mexican beer with Mexican cheese and jalapenos for a spicy bread. I just used a domestic beer and Monterey Jack cheese.

Here is the complete recipe:

1 tbl of olive oil, for sautéing the onions and garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp. of freshly ground pepper, although I just used regular pepper since that's what I had
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 cups of all purpose flour
3 tbl. of sugar
2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of salt
1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or whatever cheese you want)
1 12oz bottle of beer (not lite beer)
cooking spray for a 9x5 inch loaf pan
2 tbl. of melted butter (or more if you like)
Bake at 375F for 35 minutes, take out of the oven and drizzle some more butter and bake for another 25 minutes until a deep golden brown and a wooden stick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before removing from the pan
Enjoy!!


Kathy