Here’s a healthier potato for the holidays. It’s still soooooo tasty!! Even if you can’t bring yourself to forgo mashed potatoes (I can’t) - try these this winter. They’re a cinch!
You’ll need:
INGREDIENTS:
12 small round potatoes
olive oil
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
rosemary (yes, you guessed it – to taste)
These are VERY simple.
Preheat oven to 450.
Set a medium-large pot of water to boil.
Add 2 generous pinches of salt to the water.
Ok, now add the potatoes carefully, carefully so nobody gets hurt. Boil them till the potatoes JUST get tender. You should be able to stick a fork in them without too much trouble. Immediately drain them at that point.
Drizzle olive oil across a cookie sheet (make sure it has sides!) & brush to cover. Place the potatoes down as you would cookie dough – with plenty of spreadin’ space around them. Using a potato masher, gently push down on them, flattening them somewhat.
They need to still be in one piece when you are done. Drizzle or spray olive oil over the tops of them. Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste as well as the rosemary.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are browned and slightly crispy at the edges.
Just before I got married I had an early mid-life crisis and flew down to South America for a few months. The traveling changed my life for the better. Besides doing without a lot of things I thought I needed, long bus rides gave me time to STOP. Working as an animation producer just prior had not helped me learn to deal with stress and a racing mind. These 8 hour bus rides gave me time to stare out the window – which was a good thing. Was there an actual physiological change that occurred? I DO think so! For the first time in years I felt calm & relaxed. I wasn’t thinking about what I “should” be doing with my free time. Sometimes at the various bus stops vendors would hop on to sell food. A plastic baggie of coconut water, chips (homemade??) or maize (what you call corn) on the cob. The corn (called “elote”) was always my first choice! A large ear of corn in foil, open the foil to find a nice hunk of white cheese and a wedge of lime. Yum yum yum!!
This summer I started making my version of elote.
I really don’t measure when I make this! You can adjust amounts to your liking.
INGREDIENTS:
- corn on the cob
- cotija cheese (or feta if you can’t find cotija)
- 1 lime cut into sections
- chili powder
- salt & pepper
- OPTIONAL: crema mexicana
It’s pretty simple. I shucked the corn, brushed it with olive oil & grilled for a few minutes, turning as it browned. Next time I’m going to peel back the husk & tie it with twine so that the husk can be used as a handle. Of course, you have to remove the silk regardless.
Now, this is optional: drizzle either crema Mexicana or smear with mayonnaise. Or skip this step altogether…I like this step because it is the glue that sticks all the tasty things you are about to drop onto the corn.
Dust with salt and chili powder over each ear (to your liking.)
Crumble cotija cheese over the corn. Cojita is a dry crumbly white cheese sort of like feta. Substitute feta if you can’t find cojita near you.
Drizzle either crema Mexicana or mayonnaise over corn.
Dust with salt & chili powder.
Crumble cotija cheese over corn.
Serve with lime wedges!
Notes
Try this: Peel husk back withOUT removing it, tie together with twine. Remove silk threads. Brush with olive oil & grill until darkened. You can now use the husk as a handle when eating! I’m going to try this next time…
Back from vakay with a longggg to do list. What the heck! Let me get you this yummy salad how-to – still good for those end of summer picnics & BBQ’s. I’m making it tomorrow for the last “Jazz on the Lawn” concert.
I ate something like this in July when I was up at Three Rivers swooning over the hard won success of my dear friend Chris Lynch & her writing partner Meg Howrey. You see, they not only sold their international thriller City of Dark Magic to Penguin Publishing, but they also got the thumbs up for the sequel! Go Lynchie & Meg!!! Two smart broads!
We ate this at a dinner party up there. I couldn’t get enough of this. Neen and I had been wandering aimlessly around Sequoia National Park all day and arrived late & ravenous. How polite of us. With Nina’s help, I tried to replicate it when I got home and I’m please with the result! This salad is so satisfying, tasty & hearty. It’s REALLY easy to make. The most time-consuming part is boiling the grain which takes about 45 mins.
Here’s all you need:
Salad:
1 1/2 c uncooked wheat berries or barley (barley is cheaper & easier to find but I was out)
8 oz feta (depending how much you like)
1/3 c sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 c sliced kalamata olives
parsley to taste
1 avocado
Dressing:
1/4 c olive oil
2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
1/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice (about half an orange)
First, cook your grain according to package directions. You can do this a day ahead and chill in the fridge. Just be sure to drain thoroughly first.
Now drain & chill the barley. You don’t want it hot when you combine your ingredients.
NOTE: I didn’t really measure anything. I just added ingredients and tasted. That’s partly why this is such a simple salad – you can add more of things you like or have.
Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir to combine and add dressing ingredients.
Here’s a rough approximation of the dressing amounts:
1/4 c olive oil
juice of half an orange
2-3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Whisk together dressing ingredients. Drizzle about half that on salad & stir to coat thoroughly. Taste & adjust, adding more dressing if needed. I don’t like a puddle of dressing at the bottom of my salad so I start light & add more. The barley will absorb the dressing but I liked this as leftovers for up to 3 days.
Don’t let Maddie’s excitement fool you. She didn’t dig this.
Jazz on the Lawn
Rogelio Mitchell & Friends
Sunday, August 26
5-7PM
Bring a picnic/blanket and/or low chairs!
Add any toppings you like. I tried some with meat substitute but nobody liked it so I stopped. I also put shredded cheese on half of them since M hates melted cheese.
Yesterday I made them with 1 sliced jalapeño (jarred) on each of mine. I then sprinkled taco sauce on top of that. Yes, that thick nasty taco sauce you get at Ralph’s. I don’t care!! I love it!! Spicy ketchup!!
Bake for 5-7 minutes. Won tons should be getting browned at the edges. Once you figure out how your oven works (I use the toaster oven to avoid heating up the house in the summer!) you can decide how many minutes.
There is always that tenuous moment when you present new food to the kids. It definitely helps if they haven’t snacked since lunchtime though.
She LOVED them!
Bea didn’t like them until I broke hers up. I don’t think she has enough back teeth to really chew them. Now she loves them! (Bea not pictured.)
M thinks she has long black hair when she wears this hat.
You know those nights you’re so sick of serving pasta with jar sauce? Yet, you know you’ll still be serving pasta out of some weakness of character? This is the recipe for you!
Our friend, Liana, made this over vacation. It’s the perfect meal for a large crowd – especially a large crowd who just hiked for several hours at altitude carrying toddlers. When we got home she threw this together & everyone loved it!
It’s so easy & satisfying.
You need:
INGREDIENTS:
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb dried pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces (I use the stems too – peeled & sliced)
1 can diced tomatoes
a couple of handfuls of baby spinach
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parmesan cheese
OPTIONAL: crushed red pepper to taste
Heat water in large pot for pasta. When water has started boiling, add salt & pasta.
Heat your oil in a large skillet. I only have a medium sized skillet. But if I had a large one, that’s what I would’ve used!
Add garlic & cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
Add broccoli & stir to coat with oil.
Cover & lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test a piece of broccoli – it should be just tender but still have some crunch.
Remove lid & add tomatoes. This will give it some “juice” too!
Top with a couple of handfuls of spinach, stir to combine & turn heat up to medium.
Meanwhile, cocktail hour Legos.
When spinach has just barely wilted, remove from heat.
When pasta is done, drain & drizzle with olive oil to keep it from sticking.
In a large bowl or pot, combine pasta & veggies. Adjust salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with sprinkled parmesan cheese!
Either my kids loved this or they were starving to death.
Quick & tasty pasta/veggie dish sure to please a big crowd!
Ingredients
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb dried pasta (I used whole wheat)
1 head broccoli, cut into small pieces (I use the stems too – peeled & sliced)
1 can diced tomatoes
a couple of handfuls of baby spinach
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parmesan cheese
OPTIONAL: crushed red pepper to taste
Instructions
Heat water in large pot for pasta. When water has started boiling, add salt & pasta.
Heat your oil in a large skillet. I only have a medium sized skillet. But if I had a large one, that’s what I would’ve used!
Add garlic & cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
Add broccoli & stir to coat with oil.
Cover & lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test a piece of broccoli – it should be just tender but still have some crunch.
Remove lid & add tomatoes. This will give it some “juice” too!
Top with a couple of handfuls of spinach, stir to combine & turn heat up to medium.
When spinach has just barely wilted, remove from heat.
When pasta is done, drain & drizzle with olive oil to keep it from sticking.
In a large bowl or pot, combine pasta & veggies. Adjust salt & pepper to taste.
Serve with sprinkled parmesan cheese and/or crushed red pepper if you like it!
(I tried it with vegetarian ground “meat” but I didn’t care for it so ignore that in the photo!)
