Potato Salad with No Mustard

Mustard. It is such a divisive condiment. The person in my household who is in favor of mustard (Kevin) tends to be the one who makes the potato salad so it usually contains mustard. When Kevin volunteered to bring kabobs to a dinner party last weekend, and then decided to make some potato salad to go with it, I was ready to eat first so I wouldn't be hungry when I declined half the dinner. But then he found a mustard-less potato salad recipe and harmony was restored to our fridge.

This recipe is absolutely the bestestest potato salad I have ever had. That isn't saying too much because it is the first potato salad I have ever liked, but it is a tasty side dish. Even Kevin liked it better than the yellow version.

Potato Salad

1 1/2 pounds red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed and peeled
2 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped green onion (scallions)
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon sour cream, optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Boil a large pot of water and put the peeled potatoes in it. Cook until they are almost soft, then drain and cool. They should be a little more firm than you would like them since they will cook a little more while they cool. While waiting for the potatoes to cool mix the rest of the ingredients together, leaving out the eggs. When everything is mixed, chop the cooled potatoes and eggs and mix until coated. The more you mix the more the potatoes and eggs crumble, so stir as little as possible.

Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes

The night before we left Wyoming, I headed out with the kitchen shears, on a mission to bring home some fresh chives. It was already dark so I grabbed a handful, cut, grabbed another handful, cut. Then I looked to the right. What is that over there? In the darkness it looks kinda like chives.

Uh, oh. What have I been hacking to bits?

Mom was very gracious. If she was crying on the inside, she didn't show it when I revealed my armful of flowers. The only thing I could think to do was get out a vase and put them in it. And hope people thought that were intentionally cut.

But dang it - she hasn't invited us back yet.

Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes

1 pound potatoes

1 bunch chives, cut into small pieces

butter

sour cream

salt

pepper

Boil the potatoes in their skin until soft. Use a ricer to mash them. Put a couple of slabs of butter and a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream on the potatoes. Cut the chives and put them on everything else. Stir just enough to mix so they don't get sticky.

Breakfast Casserole / Burritoes

You know how I said that for everything I bought, I was going to get rid of something else? Well......that is easier to say than to do. For months I have been looking for a cheap heart shaped ramekin, and I finally found some in Marshalls. Two red ones jumped into my grabby little hands, and then Kevin said I should get the pink ones to have a full set. (They only had 2 of each color left.)

Therefore, we have found room for 4 more things. Being Valentine's Day, I just had to find some things to make in these cute heart dishes.

Amanda makes a hick-hiney breakfast casserole, so it seemed like the perfect yummy breakfast. It was supposed to be justified by my spinning/yoga class this morning, but the class was full when I arrived 10 minutes early. It was only half over by the time I finished my solo workout, and I was tired enough. Who needs an incredibly sexy 50 year old woman teaching me how to work out? Seriously, I am the youngest in the classes I have taken, and by far the most out of shape. These people are incredible!

Start out with cooked hash browns and crumbled bacon.


These hash browns might look like french fries to you. Because they are. That's what we had in the freezer. Once they are cut into serving sized portions, nobody can tell the difference.


Then sprinkle some bacon on top of the fries. Oh, mercy.... What a sight for sore eyes. Since everything so far is cooked, I had to grab handful and chow down.

Then the green peppers get added to the top. Every time I see green peppers I think about Evonne. She told me a story about going on a trip with a friend, and she ate something with green peppers right before the long car ride. She had these horrendous burps, and even though she directed them towards the window, her friend kept commenting on how bad they smelled. So much for a romantic Valentine's meal....

Then add the eggs and cheese. We put it in the fridge overnight and the cheese dried out a bit. Next time I will put the cheese on it right before baking. Amanda's recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup, and I replaced that with a little bit of water. Leave a little bit of room at the top for the eggs to puff up.

When it comes out of the oven and has cooled, cut the pan into burrito sized rectangles and freeze individually. When you are ready to eat a burrito, microwave one rectangle and then put it on a tortilla with some salsa. Don't let anyone watch you eat this; it makes them jealous, especially when they learn that they can't go buy it.

Breakfast Casserole

12 eggs

1 lb bacon, crumbled

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or 1/2 C water)

1 can mushrooms

1 small onion, chopped (or a small handful of dried onions)

1 green pepper, chopped

1 bag hash browns, cooked

2 C grated cheese.

Cook the potatoes and bacon, and crumble the bacon. Put the potatoes in the bottom of a greased pan with the bacon sprinkled on top. Sprinkle with the chopped green peppers. Mix the eggs, onions, and soup or water together and pour over the green peppers. Sprinkle on the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Steak Fries

What is the best way to celebrate the Super Bowl? With steak fries, of course!

As Kevin cut up the potatoes, I looked high and low for the paprika. It had gone missing, and did not want to be found. Finally I found the empty bottle next to the grocery list. Uggg... What to do on a Sunday afternoon with no paprika in the house?

We decided that it would be fine to use another spice in its place, and steak seasoning was the one we chose. They turned out fabulous. If you try other spices, let me know so I can try them, too.

Steak Fries
3T olive oil
1 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
4 large baking potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine everything except the potatoes. Cut the potatoes into quarters, then quarter them again. Coat the potato wedges with the oil and spices, and place on an ungreased pan without crowding. Bake until brown and fork tender, about 40 minutes. Broil for a few more minutes to make them extra crispy; we usually stop when they are light brown.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

The first time I ate clam chowder I had the misfortune of getting some dirt in my bowl. It was from the cafeteria at work, and I was already leery of that food. Then it happened again - and again - and again. EVERY time I somehow ended up with a little bit of dirt in my bowl. Granted, I grew up in a home where we ate red meat, so I wasn't used to a lot of meaty flavors or textures. In fact, the first time I cooked chicken (in middle school) I completely freaked out when it started to turn white. Luckily, Kristin's boyfriend was there to tell us it was just starting to cook. *WHEW* That was a disaster barely averted.

Anyway, back to the clam chowder. In 1939 the good people of Maine were so upset when they heard of a tomato based clam chowder that they proposed a bill to outlaw tomatoes in clam chowder. When I heard that, the rebel in me perked up her ears, and here we are - making Manhattan Clam Chowder. It is my first time eating the Manhattan version, so I am not sure how it compares to other recipes, but this one is pretty darn good. It comes from Dr. Mirkin's website. . .

This is really more like clam stew. It doesn't sound as good as the word "chowder" but when I hear "chowder" I think of a thick, creamy soup. This is beef stew where all the beef has been usurped by clams.

Don't they look funny in the can? I had one can of chopped and one can of minced and upon close inspection, I can't tell the difference. If you don't like the grainy texture of clams, give them a few taste tests. They grow on you until you feel sad when you don't get a grainy bite.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

3 C chicken or fish bouillon

2 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 C potato, chopped

2 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 t oregano

pinch cayenne

1/2 C barley, cooked

2 cans green beans

2 cans chopped clams and their juice

Combine the bouillon, carrots, celery, potato, tomatoes, oregano, cayenne and barley and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Add the green beans and the clams with their juice and heat about 5 minutes until warm. Revel in the knowledge that you are a wild, crazy rebel as you savor each bite. Then hope you get to travel to Maine someday to eat the blueberries. Make a mental note to not mention MANHATTAN clam chowder when you are there.

Sweet Potato Fries (or Steak Fries) and Pumpkin Parfaits

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I was worried that I missed the chance to try some pumpkin recipes. So I asked Kevin if it pumpkin season was over. He told me it was OK to eat pumpkin any time of the year. Even on Valentine's day. And I listened to him for a couple of reasons.

1) He is extra smart and I like to listen to everything he says.

2) He gave me the answer I wanted to hear.

So we are going to keep eating "fall" foods until either Kevin demands that we give them up until next year, or else I get tired of them.

If you don't like sweet potatoes go ahead and use regular potatoes. Nobody will think any less of you for it. It is fun to leave the skin on and cut them into wedges. Kevin tried these fries two times, just to see if he would like them better the second time. Both times he gagged and made a face similar to if he just found a giant cockroach in his sandwich. I like them with shredded cheese melted on top or else dipped in ranch.

Sweet Potato Fries or Steak Fries

4 large potatoes

2 T oil

1 t paprika

1/2 t cumin

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Mix the oil and seasonings in a large bowl. Cut the potatoes in quarters and then lengthwise again. If you are using sweet potatoes, I like to cut them a little bit smaller.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Broil for another minute or two to make the fries a little crispier.

Pumpkin Pie or Parfait

1 can pumpkin

1 1/2 C milk (any kind - I used skim)

2 eggs

1/2 C maple syrup (or granulated sugar)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t cloves

Mix everything together and either pour into a pie shell or into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until somewhat firm. This is not as thick as most pumpkin pies since it uses milk instead of evaporated milk.

If you are making a parfait, let the pumpkin mixture cool, blend it with a hand blender, then layer whipped cream with the pumpkin in an ice cream glass.