Old Style Potato Salad

Old Style Potato Salad

(16-18 servings)

Ingredients:

5 lb. Red Potatoes, cooked, cooled & medium dice

1 cup Sugar

1 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

½ tsp. Dry Mustard

¾ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

¼ cup Water

3 large Fresh Eggs, lightly beaten

1 ½ cups Sour Cream

1 cup Green Onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Cook potatoes in boiling water until tender, cool and then dice (peeled or unpeeled-your option). Refrigerate potatoes until ready to assemble. In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, flour, salt, pepper and mustard. Now add the vinegar and water then bring to a boil. Stir while boiling for 2 minutes. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and then add a small amount of the sugar mixture to the eggs. Once combined add the egg mixture into the sugar mixture. Continue cooking mixture for about 2 more minutes or until it thickens. Refrigerate the mixture at least an hour to cool. Once cooled, stir in the sour cream and add to the bowl of diced potatoes with the sliced green onions. Cool the potato salad for 2 hours or overnight before serving.

Note: Yukon gold or even fingerling potatoes would also work well in this recipe.

Note: You could also add other ingredients like radishes, celery, pickle relish or any color of bell peppers to make your own creation. Just use your imagination.

Ideas for Future Efforts

Memorial Day Weekend Starts the Summer Season

I'm not even positive that spring is here yet, but it's "Memorial Day Weekend" this weekend.  That is the official start of the summer season.  A great 3-day weekend to kick it off.  So picnics are a big thing this weekend.  Since this blog has been going for sometime, there are plenty of recipes already for you to pick from in most of the recipe categories.

I'll list a few of them here.  You should just have to click on the recipe name to bring up the full recipe.  Burgers are always good at picnics so you might want to try one of these; Bleu Bacon Burger , Mushroom & Swiss Stuffed Burger or Jalapeno Burgers.  They are 3 of my favorites from the blog.


If you need a salad or two, try one of these; Harvest Grains Salad (V) or the Mandarin Orange Pudding.


For a dessert, Fran’s Bars (V) is a great finger food.  With spring finally here, there should be some rhubarb coming up in the garden.  If there is some available, then try the Rhubarb Crunch (V).

A couple of sides you might want to try are Spicy Cream Corn (V) or Grilled Corn on the Cob (V).  It might be difficult to get good fresh ear corn at Memorial Day but remember it when the 4th of July rolls around.

But I have a couple of side dishes for you to try this year too.  They both are a little twist on the conventional picnic sides.  The first one is for "Old Style Potato Salad" and it's a little different because it uses eggs but they are not hard boiled ones.  The other is a recipe for "Celery Seed Cole Slaw" and the celery seed adds a nice wrinkle to the recipe.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend and get out there on the grill or travel somewhere for a good old fashion family picnic.  "Happy Cooking."

Roasted Red Pepper Salad

Roasted Red Pepper Salad

(6-servings)

Ingredients:

4 large Red Peppers

2 tbsp. Capers, rinsed & drained

12 medium Pitted Black Olives

12 medium Pitted Green Olives

6 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, pressed

2 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

Directions:

Wash and dry peppers before placing over gas stove burner, outdoor grill or under broiler to blacken all the skin. Watch carefully and turn as needed until done. Place the peppers in a large bowl and cover with film to seal in moisture. Let the peppers sit like this for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the film and peel the peppers of all black and skin. Remove stem and seeds before slicing peppers into strips a half inch wide. Place the peppers in a medium sized bowl. Add the capers and olives to the bowl next. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste before combining with the pepper mixture. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes then toss well, divide among the 6 plates and serve.

Note: To add a little more color to this dish, you could use yellow and/or orange peppers with the red ones.

Ideas for Future Efforts

Fennel & Orange Salad

Fennel & Orange Salad

(4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 large Fennel Bulbs

2 large Oranges

2 Green Onions, sliced in 1 inch length (white & green parts)

4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

Directions:

Wash the fennel and remove outer leaves. Slice bulbs in half from top to bottom. Lay cut side down and slice across bulbs to make thin pieces. Place in a medium sized bowl and start on oranges. Slice off top and bottoms. Then slice off the peel to expose the orange. Next cut out each orange segment over the bowl with the fennel dropping each segment into bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together. Season with the salt and pepper before combining with the fennel and orange segments. Portion the salad on to four plates, garnish with the sliced green onion and serve.

Note: If you like your food with a little kick, put a few red pepper flakes in the dressing before you whisk it.

Ideas for Future Efforts

Part Nine of Italian (Salads) Cooking

As I continue the "Italian Cooking" series, it is about time we pay a little attention to salads.  Italians are big on salads.  The Italian people love their vegetables, fruits and nuts.  They have created all types of salad dishes from them and added their favorite herbs and seasonings.  They also use many of their meats, poultry, fish/seafood and even breads to enhance the salads.  Not to mention their beloved cheeses.

When most people think of salads, they think of lettuce or other greens as the basis for them.  Their are many of this type in Italian cooking.  However, Italian food is probably one of the cuisines that offers so many other types of salads without leafy greens.

This week I picked two salads that help represent these non leafy greens types.  The first, "Fennel & Orange Salad," is a simple but flavorful salad that uses just 3 ingredients plus the dressing.  It uses an ingredient that many of you have never tasted and may not even be familiar with today.  It is "Fennel" and it has an aniseed (licorice) flavor to it.  It can be used raw or cooked.

If you haven't tried fennel before, please do.  There are many more recipes out there using this wonderful ingredient.  If you have read my cookbook (which contains much more than just recipes) or followed this food blog from the beginning, you know that I always suggest pushing your food boundaries   This would be a good one to try.

The second recipe this week is for a "Roasted Red Pepper Salad."  Again it is a simple recipe.  If you have never tried roasting peppers, here is your chance.  It  is not that difficult and the resulting flavor is amazing.  It is also much less expensive compared to buying jars of roasted peppers in the store.  This recipe only has 4 ingredients plus the dressing.  And actually both dressings only have a few ingredients too.

Now, both of  these recipes can be used with many different meals.  They don't have to be Italian either.

I still have 2 or 3 more segments of "Italian Cooking" yet to come.  I do hope that they have been helpful and  that you have tried many of the dishes.

I want to thank the many people that have commented on the new blog design/layout.  I am surprises that they have all been positive comments (but quite happy about it).  I'm sure there must be some negative reactions or even some other suggestions for me.  Please continue to respond to me with comments on the blog.

One of the best responses has been to the language translation tab.  I am very happy to have so many following this blog from around the world.  Thank you again.

Have a great week and "Happy Cooking." 

Italian Meatball Burgers

Italian Meatball Burgers

(4-6-servings)

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. Ground Chuck (see note)

1 small Yellow Onion, grated

1/3 cup Fresh Italian Parsley, chopped

1 large Fresh Egg

¼ cup Ketchup

4 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Salt

½ tsp. Black Pepper

¾ cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/3 cup Italian Style Bread Crumbs

4-6 Ciabatta Rolls, sliced

½ cup Marinara Sauce, warm

4-6 slices Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine and mix all the ingredients through the bread crumbs being sure not to over mix. Now form the mixture into 6 quarter pound round patties creating a dimple in the center. This helps Keep the patty flat during grilling. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until you reach the desired doneness for your taste. Grill the buns and spread bottoms with a tablespoon of marinara sauce. Top the burgers with the cheese slices during the final minute of grilling. Then place on top of sauced bottom bun, top with other half of bun and serve.

Note: I use 80/20 or 85/15 (meat to fat ratio) because they offer more flavor. You can use leaner meat or even ground turkey or chicken. You could also use Italian sausage or a mixture of ground chuck and the sausage. In the directions I show 6 portions. You can make 4 – 6 oz. Burgers too.

Ideas for Future Efforts

Jalapeno Burgers

Jalapeno Burgers

(4-6-servings)

Ingredients:

1 ½ lb. Ground Chuck (see note)

3 each Fresh Green Onions (white & green), chopped

¼ cup Pickled Jalapeno Peppers, chopped (see note)

2 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

½ tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Black Pepper

4-6 individual Hamburger Buns (or your favorite type of bun)

4-6 slices Pepper-jack Cheese (optional)

as needed Condiments

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, combine the onion, peppers, garlic, Worcestershire, salt and black pepper. Now add the ground chuck and mix. Form into 6 quarter pound sized round patties creating a dimple in the center. This helps keep the patty flat during grilling. Grill over medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes per side or until you reach the desired doneness for your tastes. Top with cheese (if using) and melt. Grill buns as the cheese is melting or burgers are finishing. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Note: I use 80/20 or 85/15 (meat to fat ratio) because they offer more flavor. You can use leaner meat or even ground turkey or chicken. In the directions I show 6 portions. You can make 4 – 6 oz. Burgers too.

Note: You can use fresh jalapeno peppers too. If you don't want much heat, try using chopped green chilies from a small can.

Ideas for Future Efforts