Grandpa Sonny's Mashed Potatoes

My father LOVED his mashed potatoes.  My oldest had this recipe in her file and my youngest asked me to add this to my blogspot.  Even with the recipe, I am unable to replicate his smooth texture without being runny.  My younger sister, though, can make them perfectly.  Here are the basics.

Peel potatoes, cut them into quarters and put them into a pot of water.
Boil until tender
Drain the water off of the potatoes
Mash them
Add several chunks of butter
Add milk in slowly while beating with the electric mixer until of a smooth consistency.  Serve warm.

A tip, if the potatoes finish cooking before you are ready to serve them (other meal items aren't done yet) keep them warm but don't mash them until you are ready to serve them.

Natasha's Blue Ribbon Carrot Cake

Natasha entered this recipe into the Antelope Valley Fair when she was still in grade school and won first place.  It's very moist (the judges loved that) because she doesn't like raisins, so she added extra carrots.  If you don't shred fresh carrots and try to do a short cut version by using pre-shredded carrots from the grocery store, you will not achieve the same moistness.

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
3 plus cups shredded carrots
1 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon.  Add carrots, oil and eggs.  Beat with electric mixer until combined stir in oil and 1 cup chopped walnuts.
Pour into two greased round baking pans.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes.  Remove cakes from pans.  Cool thoroughly on racks.

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 3 ounce packages cream cheese
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 tsp. vanilla
 4 1/2 - 4 3/4 cups powdered sugar

In a bowl beat together cream cheese, margarine, or butter and vanilla til light and fluffy.  Gradually add 2 cups powdered sugar, beating well.  Gradually beat in enough remaining powdered sugar to make frosting of spreading consistency.  Frost tops and sides of 2 8 or 9 inch cake layers.  Cover cake, store in refrigerator.

Asian Noodle Slurp Up (also from Parenting Magazine)

Ingredients: 
3 green onions
2# chicken drumsticks (skins removed)
4 cups chicken broth
1 2" piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
1/2 of a head of napa cabbage (bok choy)
8 oz. brown-rice pad thai noodles
8 oz. fresh snow peas sliced into 3rds
2 T. soy sauce

1.  Trim onions and thinly slice the green parts at an angle:  reserve for garnish.  Place onion whites into a dutch oven along with chicken, broth, 5 cups water, and ginger.  Bring to a boil over high heat, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer until chicken pulls away from the bones, about 15 minutes.  Trim and thinly slice cabbage.
2.  Remove onion whites and giner from soup and discard.  Transfer chicken to a plate.  Let cool a bit then pull meat off of the bones in chunks.  Discard bones, strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve.
3.  Return meat and broth to pot, bring to a boil and add cabbage, noodles and snow peas.  Cook stirring once in a while until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in soy sauce, season with salt and pepper and top with green onion greens.

Yummy.

I didn't have chicken drumsticks, just chicken breasts, so I chopped the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and boiled it instead.  It turned out really yummy.

This was one my favorite dishes that my family used to make.  I had never been successful recreating my mom's recipe (she's a little bit of this and a little bit of that kinda cook) but when I found this one in Parent's Magazine, I tried it out on my 21 month old granddaughter.  She and I loved it.

*Updated Cooking method  One of the challenges with this recipe is when making it for a larger group I had to cook it in batches  even in a bigger skillet and there was always one or two that didn't hold together.  Then I found a recipe that called for baking them in the oven, but I prefer my recipe and their cooking method.  So follow all the mixing instructions below and then form the patties and place them on a greased cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper and then sprayed it with cooking oil).  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, place the cookie sheet with salmon patties into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Turn the patties over and bake for 5 minutes more then serve.

 

Salmon Patties
MAKES: 6
1 can (7 1/2 oz) boneless, skinless pink or red salmon
2 Tbsp finely diced shallot or onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp panko (Japanese bread crumbs) or regular bread crumbs
2 Tbsp canola oil
Unsweetened applesauce or plain yogurt for dipping
1. In a large mixing bowl, flake the salmon, breaking it up with a fork and double-checking it for any bones. If you see any, just remove them.
2. Add the shallot, egg, and 1/4 cup bread crumbs, and mix well. (Note: Panko, or Japanese bread crumbs, can be found in well-stocked supermarkets, Asian groceries, or online. They'll give your patties such a light crunchiness, it's worth seeking them out.) Using your hands, roll the mixture into 6 little balls and flatten slightly to make the patties. Dust lightly with additional bread crumbs.
3. In a frying pan over medium heat, warm the oil. When it's hot, add the salmon patties and cook until golden on the underside, about 2 minutes. Turn the patties and cook until the second side is golden, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, cut into halves or quarters, check the temperature, then serve with applesauce or yogurt for dipping.
4. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days (or freeze for up to 3 months). To reheat, microwave 20 to 30 seconds; check temperature before serving.

Brown Rice Microwave Instructions

1 cup brown rice with 3 cups water.  Microwave uncovered at full power for 10 minutes then at 50% power for 20 minutes.  Let sit for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.

Comfort Food

Some days just require a little indulging with our food.  Today is one of those days.  The weather is cold, sky is gray and our moods today match.  Dwight got up and decided homemade waffles was just the thing, and I decided to make the warm berry topping to go over them.  It's making us both smile to just imagine how good it's going taste and that alone is a little mood brightener.  

Mayo Clinic Low Sodium Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons seedless raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chopped and peeled apple
• 2 tablespoons chopped water chestnuts
• 4 large chicken breast halves, with the bones removed, each about 6 ounces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose (plain) flour
• 1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, add the raisins and cover with warm water. Set aside and allow the raisins to swell.
Spray a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the onions, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add the apples. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Drain the raisins and pat with paper towels to remove the excess water. Add the raisins to the apple mixture. Stir in the water chestnuts and remove from heat. Let cool.
Loosen the skin on the chicken breasts. Place the apple-raisin mixture between the skin and breast. In another skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook until browned, about 5 minutes on each side.
Transfer the chicken breasts to the prepared baking dish. Cover and bake until a meat thermometer registers 165 F, or about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
While the chicken is baking, heat the milk, curry powder and flour over low heat in a saucepan. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Pour the mixture over the chicken breasts. Cover and return the chicken to the oven and bake another 10 minutes.
Transfer the chicken breasts to warmed individual plates. Spoon the sauce from the pan over the chicken and garnish with lemon wedges