Creamy Potato Bake

I really love eating potatoes in many different ways. I love garlic as a flavoring ingredient. I particularly enjoy when potatoes are flavored with garlic. Add some butter and cream to the mix and you've got yourself some real tasty and easy side dish!

Creamy Potato Bake
2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups whipping cream (35%)
1/2 cup butter
5 large garlic cloves
salt and pepper, to taste

Put the cream in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, add the butter and garlic. Simmer until cream is reduced by half. Take out the garlic cloves and season the cream with a little salt and pepper. Place a layer of potatoes in a casserole dish and pour a little of the cream mixture over. Repeat layers, saving a little extra cream to pour over the very top. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake at 425◦F for about 40-60 minutes until potatoes are tender.

Spaghetti Squash Supreme

Here is a spaghetti squash dish that is more reminiscent of spaghetti than squash. The vegetables add some texture and the sauce adds flavor. Vary it as you wish, this makes a quick and simple side dish.

Spaghetti Squash Supreme
1 medium spaghetti squash
sliced mushrooms
chopped onions
tomato sauce
oil
spices

Cook the spaghetti squash until tender. This can be done in the oven or even on the barbecue, but i did it in the microwave. Just be careful not to overcook it like I did. It should be tender but not mushy, as you want strands and not mashed squash. 
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a pot. Sauté the onions and mushrooms until tender and browned. Stir in the sauce and spices and simmer. 
Pull the squash into strands and add to the sauce mixture. This may be served immediately, covered and simmered to cook longer or keep warm, or covered and placed in the oven for a while. 

German Potato Pancakes

This is the first of a few posts regarding a little exploration on world cuisine. The cuisine featured here is German. I have made two German dishes, the first one is given in this post. I will also share a little information about German cuisine in general, staple foods, dietary habits, customs, health status, and locally grown foods.

German Potato Pancakes
3 medium russet potatoes, shredded
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon all-purpose (plain) flour
1 Tablespoon oil
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
salt and pepper

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Drop by spoonfuls into the prepared pan. Cook for a few minutes per side until golden. These can be made as thick or as thin as you wish, cooking time will vary accordingly. It can also be made into one large pancake. 

This is a simple and tasty dish. It is basic and plain, but could certainly be jazzed up in many different ways. It can also be served with your choice of dip - ketchup, horseradish, sour cream, hot sauce, or mustard. It is a great side dish that goes with a variety of main courses.

Pecan Honey Butternut Squash

To go with our codfish supper, it is the perfect time of year to cook some squash as well. This is some fresh butternut squash, homegrown by my aunt, who was kind enough to give us some. I wanted to do a little something different with the squash, instead of simply cooking it. I also often cook squash in the microwave, as I find it takes too long to bake in the oven, and will become more tender in the microwave. Here is what I did:
Cut the squash in half and scoop out seeds.
Place cut side down in a microwaveable dish and pierce all over with a fork.
Cover and microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 20 minutes, or until tender.
Scoop the flesh out from the skin and place in a small casserole dish. This can be cubed for firmer squash, or mashed for more tender squashed, or simply scooped out as is. 
Cover dish and place in a warm oven to keep warm.
Melt a little (1-2 Tablespoons) butter or margarine in the microwave.
Add a handful or two (1/4-1/3 cup) of chopped pecans. Microwave for a minute or so until pecans are toasted and butter is absorbed. 
Stir in 1-2 Tablespoons honey.
Add a dash of nutmeg, ginger, or allspice.
Sprinkle over squash. Bake a little longer if you want, to heat it through and make the squash more tender, or serve immediately!

Pecans may be toasted in the oven or in a frying pan for a deeper flavor if you prefer, but the microwave is much quicker. 
Any leftovers are great reheated!

Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh

1 cup Bulgar wheat

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

salt and pepper, to taste

4 scallions, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

1 tomato, diced

8 black olives, sliced

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped

Place bulgar wheat in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover. Let stand for about 30 minutes, until much of the water is absorbed and bulgar is doubled in size.

Drain well.

In a small bowl, mix together the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In a large serving bowl, mix together the bulgar with this mixture. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least one hour, or up to six hours before serving.

Mix in remaining ingredients. 

This is my first time making this Levantive Arab dish. Traditionally it is made with bulgar, but new versions make use of couscous, quinoa, and rice. The traditional dish is flavored with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and mint. Any finely chopped vegetables may be added for flavor and color, and the spices may also be varied. This is a nice, cold side dish. If I had to categorize it, I would call it a salad. It is great served as a light lunch with toasted pita chips and hummus. 

My Home Fries

Since my grandfather is used to having fries with his liver, whenever he eats it in a restaurant, I decided to try making some fries for him. I wasn't about to take out the deep-fryer, as that is my father's territory. I decided to just make some fries in the oven. Basically I followed the same recipe I use to make homemade hashbrowns here: Hashbrowns.
The only real difference is I cut the potatoes into fry shapes instead of small cubes. This worked really well.
I peeled, rinsed, and sliced the potatoes, then covered them in water and brought them to a boil. I drained them and placed them on a baking sheet with a little oil and a light sprinkle of salt. Then I baked them on the top rack of the oven at 425◦F for about 25 minutes, flipping every ten minutes. The result was a batch of crispy, tasty fires that are not greasy at all. A healthier choice, but comparable to restaurant fries (and I don't mean fast food style). A great side dish, and easy too!

Zucchini Potato Patties

Zucchini Potato Patties
2 medium zucchini, shredded
1 small carrot, shredded
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 cup mashed potato
1/4 cup pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
oil for frying

Place the zucchini and carrot in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Allow to drain for at least 30 minutes.
Squeeze all the excess water from the vegetables and pat dry. Add remaining ingredients and blend well. Form into patties with your hands, I made about ten patties, but it depends on size. The patties will hold together better if refrigerated at this point for at least 30 minutes. Or prepare the patties ahead and refrigerate overnight.
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Fry the patties, about 5-6 minutes per side, until lightly browned. 

If you want crispy patties, make them thin, and possibly cook them in batches or use two frying pans. I made my patties thicker, and ended up baking them for a bit after frying. This works well, or works to keep them warm, just be sure to grease or line the tray with parchment paper.

This is a really quick and quite tasty side dish to go with supper, that doesn't require many ingredients or prep work. They can also be prepared ahead, or cooked and reheated, or eaten cold. It makes good use of fresh zucchini. The zucchini flavor is quite prominent. You could vary this recipe by adding minced onion or garlic, or using different spices. 

Mock Baked Potatoes

The other day as a quick side dish to go with supper I made mock baked potatoes. I'll admit, I was too lazy to peel and cut the potatoes. I wanted something a little different than just boiled or mashed potatoes. And I didn't want to have the oven on for an hour just to bake three potatoes. So I made mock baked potatoes, which are cooked in the microwave. It is really easy, and doesn't take long at all. All I did was wrap three medium-sized potatoes that had been pricked on all sides with a fork in paper towel, to absorb the moisture. I placed them on a small plate, and microwaved them for five minutes on high, flipped them, and microwaved five minutes more. It only took ten minutes to fully cook them! Then I let them sit for five minutes or so, to finish cooking on the inside. I split them in half, and topped them as desired.

The two top halves are: plain Greek yogurt, paprika, wheat germ, and mozzarella cheese.
The four bottom halves are: butter, garlic powder, dry bread crumbs, and marble cheese. 

Egg Rolls

This will be the last dish I feature from the graduation party. I don't want to say I saved the best for last, as choosing between all of them would be impossible, but this one is really good. I haven't had a lot of Chinese food, but I do know the Chinese food served in many restaurants around here, especially fast food joints, is not authentic Chinese food. Don't get me wrong, there are certainly a number of authentic Chinese restaurants out there as well, but a lot of Chinese food prepared, bought, and eaten around here is not like the authentic Chinese food you would find in China, or other Asian nations. Even if prepared at home, unless you are using an authentic Chinese recipe and ingredients bought from a Chinese specialty shop, it is likely to be quite different. Take chicken balls for example, are they really a Chinese food? I am quite certain egg rolls are. And when it comes to egg rolls, if it isn't the ones pictured below, you are missing out. Although the picture does not do them justice. Not that I have tasted a lot of different egg rolls, but I know these are very good. Arguably the best. Many people agree. Also they are quite authentic, as they are made by a close friend who grew up in China. They are good. I know they are also quite tedious and labor intensive to make, but they are always cooked to perfection. Crispy, with a delicious hot filling. I prefer them plain, but many enjoy them with a dab of plum sauce. They were a welcome addition to the buffet. We served them along with the main courses, but they could easily serve as an appetizer as well.
One thing I found particularly nice, was that a large platter of them was brought hot to the party. In addition, our friends brought us a smaller cold plate of them, for us to put in the fridge for ourselves, so it was guaranteed we would be able to enjoy some, at least the next day.

Three Bean Salad

This is a quick and easy bean salad recipe that came from an old contributed recipes cookbook my mother has. It keeps for a while, is simple and quick to make, and can be made ahead of time, making it a perfect dish for a party. It is also a great vegetarian dish (and it's gluten-free too).

Three Bean Salad
1 can yellow wax beans
1 can green wax beans
1 can lima beans
1 can kidney beans
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated (white) sugar
salt and pepper, to taste
Note: All cans are approximately 14 ounces.

Put all beans in a large bowl* with onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients, then mix into the beans.Store in the refrigerate. This will keep for awhile, and the longer it marinates the better it gets, so it is a great make-ahead dish.

*The recipe states not to drain the beans, but we found this made a very liquidy salad. If you want the extra juice for marinating  and serve the salad with a slotted spoon or drain it just before serving, this is fine. If you want a less-liquidy salad, drain the beans  but you may end up with less flavor.

Cheesy Potato Shred

My mother wanted to make a different potato dish than usual to go with our supper the other night. So she looked through my potato book, but didn't find anything that stood out to her. Then she searched some recipe online, and from looking at those, came up with her own version of a potato dish. I guess this kind of thin runs in the family! When I asked her what she called it, she just said "Shredded Potatoes", so I jazzed up the name a bit. I am sure we will enjoy this dish again!
There is no really specific recipe for this, it is just shredded potatoes, chopped onion, grated mozzarella cheese, one egg, olive oil, and some ground black pepper. Amounts depend on how much you want, and how cheesy you want it. My mother mixed this all up and put it in a casserole dish, then baked it for almost an hour. I was surprised that the potatoes were completely tender without being parboiled, but I guess they cook fast because they are grated. A fairly shallow dish also helps. 
This is a good, hot dish. It has a different, but good texture, with a creamy center and a crisp top. It makes a good side dish for many different meals.

Easter Menu

This weekend is Easter weekend, which means treats left by the Easter Bunny and a delicious Easter feast. The most typical Easter dinner seems to be ham, often glazed with honey or maple syrup, to match the sweetness of all the other Easter treats around. Turkey, chicken, and lamb are also popular for Easter dinner. Lamb certainly seems to be the most elaborate, it can range from a simple leg or chop to an impressive rack of lamb or crown of lamb. Fresh lamb is most common around this time - the beginning of spring. Common side dishes for Easter dinner seem to revolve around fresh spring vegetables. Asparagus, peas, carrots, beans, and potatoes are popular choices. Of course if you are going with the turkey option, you will likely have a complete turkey dinner, similar to Thanksgiving or Christmas. However, usually Easter dinners are a bit lighter and more in tune to the springtime, and so it is not necessary to have all of the trimmings. 

Many different sweet breads are also associated with Easter. Hot Cross Buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday (the crosses represent the crucifixion). Easter egg bread and braided Easter breads are also popular, and are often flavored with a little citrus and raisins or currants. Easter egg bread is often decorated with hard-boiled eggs tucked into the pockets of the bread I love to color eggs to picture with my bread, or just alone in an Easter basket. They are great for breakfasts or sandwiches for the next few days.

There are also so many different desserts associated with Easter. I am sure we have all seen the popular bunny head cake, cut out of two round layer cakes. Easter basket and chick cakes are also cute, as are cupcakes. Decorated sugar cookies in the shapes of bunnies, chicks, eggs, and baskets are always welcome. Little nests made from coconut meringue cookies, chocolate coconut cookies, chocolate oat cookies, or haystack cookies can be filled with candy-coated chocolate eggs or milk chocolate eggs. 

And of course everyone looks forward to the chocolate bunnies, whether hollow or solid, that the Easter Bunny brings, along with mini candy eggs, cream eggs, jelly beans, and milk chocolate eggs.


Have a great Easter weekend!

PHOTO CREDIT:Happy Easter.jpg" http://quiltandstitchkingston.blogspot.ca/2010_04_01_archive.html.Quilt & Stitch, n.d. Thursday, April 5, 2012.

Valentine's Bruschetta

This is a little side dish I made for Valentine's Day. I just made a quick batch of bruschetta and some heart-shaped biscuits out of a yeast bread dough. I placed a heart-shaped cookie cutter on a plate and spooned in some bruschetta. Then I carefully lifted the cookie cutter up so that the bruschetta would stay in the shape of a heart. The umbrella term bruschetta actually refers to the entire dish - not just the tomato topping, which is normally served atop the bread. Actually, bruschetta can also refer to bread that has been rubbed with just a little olive oil and some spices and grilled, it doesn't necessarily have to contain tomatoes, although most North American takes on the dish do. For the sake of Valentine's Day presentation, I served the bruschetta on a plate to make it in the shape of a heart, and just served the heart-shaped bread alongside it.

The bruschtta I made was fairly basic, and I didn't really follow a recipe, I just eyeballed the amounts. I used chopped tomatoes, finely diced onion, salt, ground black pepper, granulated sugar, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and garlic powder.
Contrary to popular belief (or Americanized pronunciation), bruschetta is not pronounced with the "sh" sound but with the "sk" sound. The dish is of Italian origin, and in Italian "ch" is always pronounced "k" and therefore "sch" is pronounced as "sk".

Potato Puffs

These make a nice little addition to any meal, and are a welcome change from the usual mashed or baked potatoes. They are simple to make, although they do require two steps: boiling and mashing then baking. You simply peel and wash as many potatoes as you need, boil them until tender, and mash them. Season with salt, pepper, and any other spices you would like. Add a little milk, butter, and beaten egg, and mix until smooth. Then drop onto a baking sheet lined with foil. I used an ice cream scoop to do this, which made perfectly sized and shaped potato puffs. Bake at 350◦F for 10 minutes, until just set. Drizzle each puff with a little melted butter and bake for another 20 minutes until golden. I then broiled mine for a few minutes on high to get a nice crisp exterior. This puffs are crispy and golden on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. 

Brown Rice

When we say brown rice in our house, we are not referring to the whole grain, healthier version of the popular grain. Rather, we are actually referring to white rice that looks brown due to the addition of flavorings and spices. Does this make a healthier side dish? No, probably not, but does it taste good? Definitely! It is a recipe my mother has been making for a long time. It goes well with a variety of main courses, and makes a good-sized amount to feed the whole family. It also makes good leftovers, and is good for potlucks.

This dish is flavored with dry onion soup mix and soya sauce. Sometimes we add sliced mushrooms and/or chopped green pepper to this dish for added color and flavor. The dish is very easy to make. You simply mix dry rice with the flavoring ingredients directly in the casserole dish, pour boiling water over it, and place it in the oven. The temperature and cooking times can vary, depending on if you want to bake something else along with the rice at the same time.

Halloween Biscuits

Halloween is on Monday, so I decided to start getting into the spirit with supper tonight. I whipped up a batch of my favorite biscuits and cut them and decorated them with a Halloween theme. I had some ghost shapes with cheddar cheese bits as eyes. I had a few mummies, with mozzarella cheese strips as wrappings and bits of cheddar cheese as eyes. I also had some jack-o-lanterns made with cheddar cheese. These were fun and easy to make! Of course, you can make any Halloween shapes: bats, cats, spiders, witches, use your imagination!
All I did was use a ghost-shaped cookie cutter, and used my hands to make some rounds. I baked the biscuits until just about cooked through, and then put the cheese decorations on. I lowered the oven temperature just a bit, and baked them for a few more minutes. I love these biscuits, they are light, fluffy and rich. A perfect companion to any meal.

Potato Cake

Here is another trusty side dish. It is a potato cake composed of mainly thinly sliced potato, diced onion, and mozzarella cheese. How can you go wrong with that? I found this recipe in a cookbook I was flipping through somewhere, and it was such a simple and brief recipe that I remembered the general idea of it. The dish I made tonight is more or less the recipe I read, probably with a few slight modifications.

All you have to do is place some large, thinly sliced potatoes in an overlapping fashion in a 9-inch round cake pan or pie plate sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle with some diced onion, top with some mozzarella cheese (grated or sliced) and repeat layers 3-4 times. I just kept layering until all of my ingredients were used up. The amount of onion and cheese depends on your personal taste, use enough potato to make 3-4 full layers. This needs to be baked for awhile in order to become tender due to the numerous layers. I'm talking, like 450◦F for at least an hour, or par-boil the potatoes first. Cover with foil, but uncover the last 5 minutes of baking for a crisp cheese crust.

Rice Pilaf

This is a little rice side dish I made to go with our grilled salmon for supper. It is quick, easy, and convenient, it just bakes in the oven while the rest of your supper cooks. I didn't really get the recipe from anywhere, and it can certainly be adapted to suit your tastes! This is a simple and tasty recipe!

Rice Pilaf
1 small carrot, finely diced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1/4 head cauliflower, finely chopped
1 ripe tomato, peeled and finely diced
2 packets chicken bouillon powder
3/4 cup dry white rice
1 1/2 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350◦F. In a casserole dish, mix all ingredients except water. Add water and mix. Bake for 30 minutes. I then had to microwave it for 3 minutes, until all the liquid was absorbed.
Note: If you want to use brown rice, add 1/4 cup more water and allow another 20 minutes or so for baking. Also, feel free to vary the vegetables any way you like!

Risotto

Tonight I made risotto for supper, which is an Italian rice dish cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. It is one of my signature dishes, and I make it quite often. My family likes to eat it relatively plain - no fancy flavours like butternut squash, wild mushroom, or seafood. I usually only flavour my risotto with olive oil, chicken broth, onion, Parmesan cheese, and freshly ground black pepper. That's all it needs. My family also likes to have our risotto as a main course with a few sides, rather than as a side dish with a main course. We just spoon up large helpings and add some vegetables and sometimes meat on the side. Everyone likes their risotto cooked to a slightly different consistency. Some like it quite soupy, others very dry. My family's preference is somewhere in between the two, leaning closer to the dry side. Risotto can be cooked quite firm, al dente, soft, or mushy. We like ours softer than al dente, but with a little chew to it.
A common misconception about risotto is that it is quite difficult, labour-intensive, and time-consuming to make. Well, this is not true. It is an easy art to master once you get the hang of it, it just requires a little practice. It does not take too long to make, 30 - 60 minutes, but it does require a close eye and quite a bit of stirring. It does not need to be stirred constantly, but quite often to prevent the rice from sticking and to allow it to absorb the liquid evenly.
Plain risotto is a convenient dish to make, because it uses only common shelf staples. One year for Christmas I gave a mushroom risotto mix as a present. It would keep for three months and, along with a carton of chicken broth, contained pretty much everything you need to make the dish. It is a wonderful gift to accompany with a good quality wooden spoon (an essential tool for making risotto), some oven mitts, and an imported extra-virgin olive oil. This is a gift sure to delight any home cook!