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Seasoned Fried Potatoes

In many homes the is a staple food. In our home, while they would not necessarily be considered a staple, they are definitely enjoyed every now and again, as a side dish or even as a main dish. I like to serve them fried, as a main dish, along with a salad and/or corn on the cob or another steamed vegetable. They are very simple and easy to prepare. You can easily adjust this recipe based on how many people you are serving and whether you will be using it as a side dish or as a main dish. My recipe will serve 4 adults as a main dish. You can use any kind of potato, sweet potato or yams (you will need to cook sweet potatoes/yams longer as they are a much harder vegetable).

 

Seasoned Fried Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 5-6 medium sized potatoes
  • 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • Johnny’s Seasoning to taste
  • Fresh herbs to taste (you could use many different kinds of herbs, oregano, rosemary, I’ve tried thyme and that was very yummy. Be creative!)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Wash and peel potatoes, or leave the peel on if you wish. Poke with a knife or fork several times (this can be a great stress reliever but just be careful!)
  2. Partially cook in the microwave. I usually put them in for 3-5 minutes, turn and flip a couple times checking for doneness. You want the potatoes to be partially cooked, not too hard and yet still firm so they don’t fall apart.
  3. Oil your pan, cut potatoes into small cubes and add to pan. Toss in your herbs and spices and cook until they are nicely browned. Serve potatoes by themselves or drizzle a healthy serving of ketchup all over them. Enjoy!

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WatermelonOne of the things I really look forward to come summer is all the wonderful fresh produce that we have available to us. During the summer I usually buy most of my produce at open market on the corner of Burlington Blvd and Hwy 20. They seem to have the best prices and the produce is fresh and local. My kids have enjoyed sitting down to a bowl full of nice juicy for breakfast at least once a week. It’s so refreshing to eat just fruit for breakfast, and to be able to eat enough of it to fill you up, you can afford it now because the prices are so good. Take advantage of these opportunities now because in just a few short weeks we are going to be heading (gasp!) into the fall season! Can you believe it?! Well, I’m heading tonight to pick up some of that wonderful juicy watermelon for breakfast tomorrow.

Tip on picking a good watermelon: I was always told that a good tip is to put your ear close to the melon and knock on it. If it is hollow sounding you know that it is juicy. Here is a discussion on choosing a good watermelon. Enjoy!


Corn Fritters

With all of the crazy holiday and national recognition days out there, we love when there is one we can get behind whole-heatedly. Today just happens to be such a day, what with it being National Corn Fritters Day and all. I mean, is there anyone out there who doesn’t enjoy these incredible morsels of yellow goodness?

In all seriousness, today is National Corn Fritters Day, so we’ve got a recipe for Southern Style Corn Fritters for you. Check it out after the jump.

Click to continue reading Happy National Corn Fritters Day!


Luscious greensRosh Hashanah started on Friday night this year, so make-ahead dishes are essential to the cook’s sanity. The previously posted beet salad keeps for days, and so does today’s Moroccan Beet Green Salad, though the flavoring strengthens a bit after 3 days or so (not that strong flavor bothers me!)  Beets still attached to their greens seem fresher, and the greens are a powerhouse of vitamins A and C, iron, potassium, and calcium, plus fiber.  Properly cooked and seasoned, greens are swooningly delicious, yet even a huge serving is low calorie.  In order to provide those huge servings, I usually buy extra spinach (this year buy in a bunch, not a bag, or buy a bunch of Swiss chard instead) and mix both greens together.  This salad’s lemony spiciness complements the holiday’s rich meat and chicken main dishes.

 

Click to continue reading Moroccan Beet Green Salad Recipe


Fresh from the earthI fell in love with Judaism one bite at a time—a rugelach here, a matzoh ball there, a crispy serving of potato kugel with the brisket.     

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is so sensibly sited when the year is really brand new, as the children return to school and the brisker days encourage resolution and effort.  To make the new year sweet, we are also encouraged to serve foods like apples dipped in honey.  For my family, no holiday dinner would be complete without Fresh Beet Salad.  This wonderful dish adds glowing color, firm texture, and tart sweetness.  It’s fast, easy, keeps for days, and will convert virtually all beet haters instantly to this inexpensive, filling and vitamin and mineral-packed vegetable.  What’s more, the greens attached to those beets are nutritious and yummy, too—more on that in my next post.

Click to continue reading Fresh Beet Salad Recipe


Golden DeliciousApples should be firm to the touch, free of bruising and punctures. They also should be relatively shiny. Dull-skinned apples are not as fresh and will not be crisp. 

Store apples in the refrigerator, unless the apples will be eaten within 24 hours. In that case, they may be placed in a fruit bowl or basket and stored at room temperature. 

Peel and/or slice apples just before serving since they will brown. You can also mix one part lemon or lime juice and three parts water and dip apple slices into the mixture. You can also keep apples fresh in a salad by adding them last and pouring orange juice or wine into the fruit bowl.


Red DeliciousWhen I was little, I wasn’t sure my mother meant fried, apple pies or fried-apple pies, but either is great. I think the fried-apple pies are tastier, but if you’re in a hurry, warm applesauce is a great substitute. Also, you may use pie dough for the pies, but biscuit dough makes a more tender crust.

INGREDIENTS:

  • Biscuit dough (see recipe below)
  • Fried apples (see previous recipe)
  • Oil

Biscuit Dough:

  • 2/3 cup butter or margarine
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cup milk

Preparation: Put the dry ingredients into a bowl. Grate the butter or margarine into the flour mixture with a cheese grater. (Clean by using some of the flour to remove the butter clinging to the grater.) Mix in the milk and stir only until moistened. 

Roll out dough onto a floured board to one-half inch thickness. Cut into circles or squares, whichever is easier for you. Put 1/4 cup of fried apples (or applesauce) onto the middle of the circle or square. Moisten the edges of the dough and fold over the apples. (Fold the squares diagonally to form triangles.) Using a fork, press the dough edges together.

Heat a half-inch of oil in a small iron skillet. Using a spatula or egg turner, lower a pie into the oil. Brown on each side.  (It will take longer for the first pie to cook than subsequent ones because the oil will be hotter for them.  As the oil heats, turn the heat down a bit, making sure your are maintaining an even temperature.)  Drain the pies on paper towels and enjoy.

[I have made these with nearly any kind of apple available, even red delicious apples, which are supposed to only be used for eating out of hand. Almost any apple works.]


Empire AppleEveryone has a favorite apple recipe. This one is mine. Coming from Tennessee, my mother loved pork (pork chops, fried ham, fried slices of pork loin).  She always fried up a pan of apples to eat with the pork.  I also fry apples to serve with pork or potato pancakes.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 apples
  • 3 Tbls. butter
  • Salt to taste, optional

Preparation: You can peel the apples if you wish. Core the apples and slice thinly. Melt the butter in a small iron skillet.  Put the apples in and cook over low to medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn the apples so that they all have a chance to be basted in the butter. Cook the apples, without the lid, letting the slices caramelize in the butter. Watch carefully so that the slices do not burn. Some people just want the apples cooked through. Others, like myself, appreciate the caramelization on the apples.


Apple TreeThere are many different varieties of apples available today. Some are old favorites and others are a bit more difficult to find. 

Lady or Api apple. One of the oldest varieties, this apple dates from the first century A.D., but is not readily found in most supermarkets. Gourmet shops or fruit sellers in large cities often stock this sweetly tart apple. It is a small red or yellow apple with a red blush and is great for desserts and sauces. Because of their small size, Lady apples add a lovely touch to fruit baskets or are used as a garnish. They are available during the winter.

Click to continue reading A Guide To Different Apple Types


NY Apple AssociatonApples have been enjoyed by human beings since at least 6500 BC. Small burnt apples have been found in archaeological sites around lakes in Switzerland. There are wild apples or crab apples found in most countries of Europe, including as far north as Norway. It is thought that the first apple trees originated somewhere between the Caspian and the Black Seas. The Wild Apple, native to Britain, is the ancestor of all modern apple trees. The Romans grafted their premium varieties, including some from France, onto this wild stock  
Though small, bitter, wild Crab Apples were present in the New World when the Pilgrims came to America, they wrote home for seeds and cuttings from England. This established the early apple strains in New England. Later, colonists brought apple trees to plant in Virginia and throughout the Southeast. 
Legend tells of a Massachusetts man, Johnny Chapman, who traveled throughout what was then the West (Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois) in the early 1800s, planting apple trees. There is also a tale of a London sea captain who brought seeds to Washington state in 1820 that are reputed to be the initial stock for the booming Washington State apple industry.
Nearly 8,000 varieties exist today, but only about 100 are grown commercially in this country.  New varieties are being discovered as chance seedlings or intentional cross-breeding. Of the commercial crop, 61 percent are eaten fresh, 21 percent are made into juice or cider, and 39 percent are processed into a variety of apple products.

[Photo courtesy of the NY Apple Association]


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