Category: MISC

Paula’s Smashed Potato Pancakes

I had blueberry pancakes, the other day, and they were delicious which brought me to thinking of making June, pancake month at Cooking with Chaya.  Everyone loves pancakes and there are so many variations on the simple pancake.
I am starting with Paula Deen’s Smashed Potato Pancakes.
Smashed Potato Cake Paula Deen About 14 cakes
6 cups cubed (1-inch) Yukon gold potatoes
1/2 cups panko, divided I used about one cup of corn meal
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup cooked and crumbled bacon not kosher
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup butter was not necessary for us
1/4 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
In a large pot, combine potatoes and add water to cover.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes, or until tender.
Drain well and mash.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, cornmeal, egg, cheese, onion, butter, sour cream, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Form potatoes into 3-inch patties; dredge in remaining panko.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Add potato patties, and cook, 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown and crisp.
Serve immediately.

Chicken Cacciatorre

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons light olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced jar garlic
1 cup white Zinfandel wine
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons Classico spicy tomato pesto*
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon marjoram

*if this is not available use 1 can Contadina Italian tomato paste

Dissolve the tomato paste into the wine and chicken broth. Sift together the flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Brown chicken, turning regularly until browned on both sides, for 5-10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic while browning the chicken. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened. Serve over prepared pasta**.
**I prepare the pasta in chicken broth for added flavor.

aprons 3

For all my teacher friends… I love this email.

After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said,  “Let me see if I’ve got this right.  
  • You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their T-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.  
  • You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride.  
  • You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.   
  • You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams. 
  • You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.  
  • You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.   
  • You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN’T PRAY?“

aprons 3

3PM

“The National Moment of Remembrance, established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity (duration: one minute).The time 3 p.m. was chosen because it is the time when most Americans are enjoying their freedoms on the national holiday. The Moment does not replace traditional Memorial Day events; rather it is an act of national unity in which all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died for our freedom. It will help to reclaim Memorial Day as the sacred and noble holiday it was meant to be. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.”

 aprons 3

The Greatest Brownies EVER – Save Room for Dessert

Hello, everyone! Welcome to yet another trip to the land where all things are sweet…Save Room for Dessert!

Today I bring you a brownie recipe that fulfills what are, for me, the two most important rules for brownies:

1) Easy to make
2) Fudgy as all get-out

Yep, these brownies fit the bill and then some. 

The recipe is a snap!

You’ll need:

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 3 cups white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 pan.

Microwave the butter in a large bowl and add the sugar, stirring well to combine.

Add the eggs, one at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Once all the eggs are added, stir in the vanilla.

In another bowl, stir together the dry ingredients.  Then add the dry ingredients to the wet.

Time to break out the old elbow grease, my friends.  Unless you’re smarter than me and you use your stand mixer, if you have one.  I didn’t use mine.  And as we all know, brownie batter is thick!!

Finally, time for the best part:

Mmmmm…a cup of semisweet chocolate chips.

Just use them.  It’s your duty.  You’ll thank me later.

All of this gets spread around your pan…

And gets baked for 35-40 minutes.  I lean towards 35 because I love the fudginess – but it’s up to you!

Either way you’ll end up with gooey, yummy, decadent, fragrant and all-around wonderful brownies.  They’re pretty much to die for.  I’m serious.

Try them yourself!

Always remember and never forget!

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the preacher,   
who has given us freedom of religion. 

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the reporter,    
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the 
VETERAN,  not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
   
It is the 
VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.    
 
It is the 
 VETERAN,  not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.  
 
It is the 
VETERAN,  not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote. 
It is the
VETERAN 
who salutes the Flag, 
It is the
VETERAN 
who serves under the Flag.

Always remember and never forget!

    
aprons 3

BALSAMIC BERRY SAUCE

It’s shortcake season and I thought I would change it up a bit with this awesome BALSAMIC BERRY SAUCE.  I hope you like it.

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup fresh blackberries, pureed large
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained slightly
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the berries, pineapple, sugar, and balsamic vinegar.
  • Cook until the strawberries are heated through and darkened to a deep purple.
  • Spoon berries over shortcake or ice cream and serve.

aprons 3

Simple Saturday – Tabbouleh

Hello foodie friends! Martha here bringing you a simple Mediterranean salad this week. Have you ever had Tabbouleh Salad? It’s definitely a must try and it’s very easy to make. It’s a perfect light, cool, flavorful salad in the warm summer months.

Just combine about 2 cups diced tomatoes, 2 cups seeded and diced cucumber, 1 cup chopped parsley, 1/2 cup cooked bulgar wheat, (chopped onion is common in this salad but optional). Squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons over veggies, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix all ingredients together, cover and refrigerate for several hours.

This is a great salad to serve with falafel or wonderful served with hummus and pita for a nice light meal. I always feel healthy and refreshed after eating this, it’s one of my favorites. Give it a try!

Don’t forget to visit me at my food blog Seaside Simplicity and every Monday at The Motivation Station.

Have a great weekend, and please don’t forget to observe the real meaning of Memorial Day this weekend!

FDF – Grilled Fajita Chicken Stuffed Burritos

It’s Fire Day Friday on Memorial Day Weekend so I hope everybody is breaking out their grills!
Want to do something easy but different on your grill? Try taking your favorite burrito recipe and finish it on the grill. It’s way better than Taco Bell’s grilled stuffed burritos, I can promise you that. It’s also flexible because you can put whatever you want in yours.

The one I made last night was simply some grilled fajita chicken, rice, onions, cheese, and smashed kidney beans. Here’s the easy fajita chicken recipe if you want to try it. I only used two of the breasts for a total of 5 burritos.

Grilled Fajita Chicken
Serves 4

4 ea chicken breasts, boneless, skin on
1 cup beer
1 cup Herdez Salsa Casera (you can substitute Rotel)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

Mix all of the ingredients (except chicken) for your marinade.

Marinate the chicken in a gallon zip bag for 4 – 6 hours.

Grill over a 350f fire, flipping every 5 minutes until the breast hit an internal temp of 160f. For me, this takes right at 20 minutes.

Slice and serve.

Like I said, use whatever fillings you want for your burrito. But for me, I do like to mix all of my ingredients up together and then put them in my burrito. You can build it in layers if you like, but I don’t like when I bite into one part of a burrito and get just beans and then bite another part and get just cheese. That’s just a personal preference.

To roll the burrito…

Fold 1 down.
Fold 2 up.
Lift 3 and fold over the mixture, tucking ends in.
Roll to the end 4.

What? You’re flour tortillas don’t come with dotted lines on them? 🙂

Make sure that your grill grate is very clean, you don’t want icky black stuff on your burritos. You could also just do this on a flat top griddle or a hot cast iron pan.

Place the burrito seam side down on the hot griddle. Give it a slight press with a spatula to flatten it just a touch. If you just cooked the chicken at 350f, your griddle plate should be just the right temperature.

Cook for 2 minutes, just until the burrito gets crispy like this.

Flip and cook another two minutes on the other side.

Serve with pico de gallo or guacamole and enjoy!

I think the toasting of the tortilla makes grilled stuffed burritos just a little more flavorful and it adds texture to an otherwise boring tortilla.