Zesty Potato Patties

Zesty Potato Patties

Prep Time: 20 min Makes: 4 patties

1 cup mashed potato flakes
1 oz. (1/4 cup) shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon chicken flavored instant bouillon
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup salsa
2 tablespoons margarine or butter



Instructions

1 In medium bowl, combine potato flakes, cheese, flour, bouillon, cilantro
and baking powder; mix well.
2 In small bowl, beat egg with fork. Stir in milk and salsa. Add to potato
mixture; stir just until combined. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes or until liquid is
absorbed.*
3 Melt margarine in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop
potato mixture by 1/2 cupfuls into skillet. Spread each to form 4-inch round..
Cook 4 to 6 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Serve warm.

Fake out Risotto

Instructions

1) Saute 2 cups of sliced mushrooms in a bit of oil with sliced garlic. Make sure to season with salt and set aside. [Feel free to add some veggie chicken stock and/or butter]
2) Cook a few hand-fulls of orzo in salted water, adding a cup of frozen peas during the last 5 minutes.
3) Drain orzo and peas and immediately add a few tablespoons of cream cheese and some cilantro infused oil. Mix everything together, add sauteed mushrooms with garlic, season with salt & pepper, top with fresh dill and serve immediately!

Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
3 med. potatoes - peeled, cubed
2 green onions - trimmed, sliced
1/2 rib celery - minced
1/4 med. carrot - grated
2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk mixed with 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2-6 strips cooked veggie bacon - crumbled


Instructions

-Bring first 7 ingredients to boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
-Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Whisk milk/flour mixture into saucepan; stir in cheese and bacon.
-Simmer, uncovered, 5-8 minutes, or until thick, stirring constantly.


Add ins:

Make it Reuben soup by adding some vegetarian corned beef and a bit of sauerkraut into your bowl. Swiss cheese, green onion and some red pepper flakes on top complete the meal. DELICIOUS.

Scalloped Potatoes with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

3 lb Yukon gold potatoes
1 cup sun dried tomato pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Tbs fresh basil
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbs parsley


Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water with salt to boil. Slice potatoes 1/8" thick and add to boiling water. Cook about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with pesto to coat evenly. Season with S/P.

Layer half the potatoes in baking dish; sprinkle evenly with half the cheddar and basil. Repeat with remaining potatoes, cheddar, and basil. Pour hot broth evenly over top. Cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.

Uncover and bake until the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with parsley. 8 servings.
VARIATION: Instead of sun-dried tomato pesto and sharp cheddar, substitute regular basil pesto and sharp white cheddar instead.

We have cake.

Kind of like that Southern classic cake, the name of which I cannot say lest an innocent child stumble upon my blog ;), but this one has a few different ingredients.

Servings: 16-20
Cook time:35-38 minutes

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil spray for misting the pan
1 (18.25 ounce) package plain devil's food cake mix
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs

Topping:
1 (8 ounce) jar caramel topping
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 (2.1 ounce each) Butterfinger candy bars, crushed
1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature



Directions:
Spray a 13" x 9" pan with Pam and set it aside. Preheat oven to 350º.

Put cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in large bowl and blend (with electric mixer) on low for 1 minute.
Scrape down the bowl, then resume blending on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour the batter in to the pan and smooth out the top of it.
Put the cake on the center rack and bake for 35 to 38 minutes or until the cake springs back when you touch it with your finger.
When it's done, poke holes in the cake with a chopstick or straw.

Make the topping by combining the caramel topping and sweetened condensed milk in a small bowl; stir.
Spoon it over the warm cake, letting it seep into the holes.
Sprinkle half of the crushed Butterfinger candy bars over the cake.

Put thawed, whipped topping with the cream cheese in a bowl and blend on low for a minute.

Spread over the cake.
Sprinkle with the rest of the candy.
Chill for 20 minutes (in the fridge) before cutting.
Will store in the fridge for a week... if it lasts that long.

Veggie Bierocks

I've been wanting to make these for a while now-- going to give it a go this weekend. Mine will be using pie dough instead of bread dough, and half of them will be using w shredded potatoes instead of cabbage. Posting the original recipe first, with my notes at the end :)




Bierocks

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs

1 pound MSF burger crumbles
2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups chopped cabbage - quick trick: use bagged coleslaw mix!
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TBS Worcestershire sauce - I'll be using concentrated vegetarian beef stock, less salt, same flavor!

In a large mixing bowl, place 1 3/4 cups flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. Heat milk, water, and shortening to 120-130 degrees F. Pour over flour mixture; add the eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low until blended. Beat 3 additional minutes on high. Stir in the remaining flour; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, brown beef, onions, and garlic in a skillet. Add the cabbage, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper; cook until cabbage is wilted. Punch dough down; roll into twelve 6-inch squares. Top each square with 1/3 cup meat mixture. Fold into triangles. Pinch edges tightly to seal, and place on greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes: If you don't want to make the dough, try two tubes of Pillsbury Crusty French Bread unrolled, flattened, and divided each tube into 8 squares with a pizza cutter. (I like my bierocks in squares rather than rectangles.)

For the cabbage, I'm substituting most of one 14-ounce bag of shredded coleslaw mix. Put 1/4 cup of filling in each bierock before pinching the edges closed. You may have extra filling, which you may promptly devour by itself as the bierocks are baking.

Also, I'll be using pie crust instead of bread dough -- makes them a little lighter. If you're trying the potato version, add a bit of gravy to the filling to keep it moist. And don't forget, they're amazing w brown gravy over the top of the finished product. Enjoy! :)

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes

Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 pkg. (18.25 oz.) spice cake mix
1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup water

1 container (16 oz.) prepared cream cheese or vanilla frosting
OR
1 small tub whipped topping mixed w 1 small box French Vanilla pudding mix.
I like the 2nd topping better as frosting. Lighter, not so sweet, more flavorful, endless variations. Idea credit to the mandarin cake recipe :)


Preheat oven to 350° F. Paper-line or grease 24 muffin cups.
Blend cake mix, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and water in large mixer bowl until moistened. Beat medium speed for 2 min. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling 3/4 full.
Bake for 18 to 23 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Spread cupcakes with frosting. Decorate with assorted sprinkles, candy corn, or dusted cinnamon/ginger/nutmeg.

*cooling time extra

School Lunch Quickie

Won't have time to post this Sunday while putting it together... sharing it now instead :) Maybe another mom out there can use it for their kiddos' school lunches, too. I'm going to be revisiting my appetilla recipe for Monday's lunch. I'll be keeping the same ingredients but adding green chiles and vegetarian deli sliced turkee. Quick and easy and the DD's love them. So do I ;)

Comfort Food for a Rainy Weekend

Broccoli Cauliflower Au Gratin
4 servings -- I could eat all of them!!!
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 22 mins

* 1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
* 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
* 2 cups broccoli florets
* 2 cups cauliflower florets
* vegetable oil cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard or 1 tablespoon coarse grain mustard
* 1/4 teaspoon white pepper


1 Preheat oven to 425°F.
2 Combine breadcrumbs with cheese, stir mixture well, and set aside.
3 Arrange broccoli and cauliflower in a steamer basket over boiling water.
4 Cover and steam until tender-crisp (4 minutes).
5 Coat a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray.
6 Drain veggies and place in casserole dish.
7 In a small bowl, mix margarine, mustard, & pepper; drizzle mixture over veggies.
8 Toss to coat, and sprinkle breadcrumb mixture on top.
9 Bake until heated through (8 minutes).

Texas Two-Step

Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette
Serves 6 - 8

Ingredients

2 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 ears fresh corn, cooked, cooled and kernels cut off the cob
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons minced shallots (you'll need one medium shallot)
2 teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest (be sure to zest limes before juicing them)
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more to garnish
2 Haas avocados, diced

Directions

Combine all ingredients except avocados in a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, add avocados and mix gently, being careful not to mash avocados. Garnish with a few springs of freshly chopped cilantro if desired. Serve at room temperature.