Crispy Potato Latkes

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• Latkes—fried, onion-laced shredded potato patties . . . they are a Hanukkah tradition for Layla Schlack.  She tells the story of her tradition along with lots of tips and techniques, including photos of the process . . . click on the link for "How to Make Latkes."

I love these type of potato patties, but have not found a recipe that I really like. Layla's recipe is the real deal and I will be trying it soon.  Seems like her trick of using the potato starch instead of flour or matza meal is the secret to crispy deliciousness.

If you are interested in making these latkes, you will want to read the article.

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• Crispy Latkes 
• by Layla Schlack from Fine Cooking 
  Issue 126

• To learn more, read:
  How to Make Latkes
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Serves 4 as a side dish

Yields 8 latkes

• 1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
• 1 large egg
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable oil for frying
• Sour cream for serving
• Applesauce for serving

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 200°F. Put a paper-towel-lined rimmed baking sheet on the rack.

Fill a large bowl halfway with cold water. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the potatoes into the water, or grate onto a cutting board and then immediately put them in the water.

Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it in the sink. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the colander; reserve the bowl of water. Gather the cheesecloth into a bundle and squeeze firmly until the potatoes stop giving off liquid.

Transfer the potatoes to a medium bowl and using your hands, mix in the onion, egg, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Carefully pour off the reserved potato soaking water to get to the white gluey starch on the bottom of the bowl. Transfer the starch to the potato mixture and mix it in with your hands.

Add enough oil to a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet, preferably cast iron, to measure 1/8 inch deep. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until a potato strand dropped in it sizzles vigorously.

Scoop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture onto a slotted metal spatula and use the bottom of the measuring cup to press it until it’s about 1/4 inch thick, letting any excess liquid fall into a small bowl. Don’t worry if the latke is not perfectly round. Slide it into the oil. Make 1 or 2 more latkes for the first batch and fry, flipping once, until they’re golden-brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining potato mixture, stirring it between batches. Serve immediately or cool and freeze for up to 1 week and reheat in a single layer, uncovered, in a 300°F oven.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 180; Fat (g): 8; Fat Calories (kcal): 70; Saturated Fat (g): 1; Protein (g): 4; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3.5; Carbohydrates (g): 23; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3.5; Sodium (mg): 300; Cholesterol (mg): 45; Fiber (g): 2;

PHOTO: SCOTT PHILLIPS

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

There is something about cream cheese that automatically

wants me to try a new recipe.  When I found this recipe on

Pinterest, it was calling my name!

You can never go wrong with a recipe that comes from

America's Test Kitchen.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
From Cooks' Illustrated

via Joyful Baker

Makes one 10-inch cake, serving 12 to 16

Lemon Sugar-Almond Topping
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated zest from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Cake
2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/8 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, 
  softened but still cool
1 cup plus 7 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
4 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened


FOR THE TOPPING: 

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together sugar and lemon zest in small bowl until combined and sugar is moistened. Stir in almonds; set aside.


FOR THE CAKE: 

Spray 10-inch tube pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in medium bowl; set aside. In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon zest at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula. 

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, about 20 seconds, and scraping down beater and sides of bowl as necessary. Add 4 teaspoons vanilla and mix to combine. 

Reduce speed to low and add one-third flour mixture, followed by half of sour cream, mixing until incorporated after each addition, 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat, using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining sour cream. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds. 

Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

Reserve 1¼ cups batter and set aside. Spoon remaining batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Return now-empty bowl to mixer and beat cream cheese, remaining 5 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, and remaining teaspoon vanilla on medium speed until smooth and slightly lightened, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup reserved batter and mix until incorporated. 

Spoon cheese filling mixture evenly over batter, keeping filling about 1 inch from edges of pan; smooth top. 

Spread remaining cup reserved batter over filling and smooth top. With butter knife or offset spatula, gently swirl filling into batter using figure-8 motion, being careful to not drag filling to bottom or edges of pan. Firmly tap pan on counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any bubbles. Sprinkle lemon sugar-almond topping evenly over batter and gently press into batter to adhere.

Bake until top is golden and just firm, and long skewer inserted into cake comes out clean (skewer will be wet if inserted into cheese filling), 45 to 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and firmly tap on counter 2 or 3 times (top of cake may sink slightly). 

Cool cake in pan on wire rack 1 hour. Gently invert cake onto rimmed baking sheet (cake will be topping-side down); remove tube pan, place wire rack on top of cake, and invert cake sugar-side up. Cool to room temperature, about 1½ hours. Cut into slices and serve.

Leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. For optimal texture, allow the cake to return to room temperature before serving.

German Chocolate Pecan Pie

What a way to make a good thing better!

We will be making this pie for the holidays :)

ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 4 ounce stick plus 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick chilled and cut into small pieces

1/4 cup ice water

2 large eggs

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 1/2 cups (about 10 ounces) pecan halves, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup sweetened flake coconut

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

directions
In a food processor, pulse the flour with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add the chilled butter pieces and pulse until coarse crumbs form, about 5 seconds. Drizzle in the ice water and pulse just until the dough comes together. Wrap in plastic wrap; flatten to form a disk. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round; transfer to a pie pan. Cut the excess dough to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Using your fingers, roll the dough edge under and crimp. Prick the bottom of the pie shell with a fork; refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line the shell with foil and pie weights or dried beans; bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and beans, reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake for another 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. In a heavy, medium saucepan, whisk together the remaining 5 tablespoons butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt with the brown sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until melted and smooth. Whisk the sugar mixture into the beaten eggs. Stir in the nuts and coconut.

Spread the chocolate chips in the pie shell. Pour in the filling and bake until set, about 25 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before slicing.

Tip

Keep a baking sheet in the freezer when you're rolling out dough. If the dough gets too soft to handle, just place the frozen baking sheet on top to firm it up again. 

When cooking sugar, use a heavy saucepan to prevent burning. 

To avoid messy oven spills, bake the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. 

Sprinkle chocolate chips on the bottom of the crust to create a gooey pie layer.

Source:  Rachael Ray Magazine

Turkey Day Central

The Thanksgiving Day countdown is on!

It has been a very long time since I have had to prepare
 the Thanksgiving Day meal.  Back in the day, we always
 had an open house buffet for Thanksgiving and Christmas
 and I think I did enough holiday cooking for a lifetime!

I've compiled a list of excellent links for everything
 involving Thanksgiving and food inspiration.  

Of course, all of these links would be
 awesome for every day cooking.

Top Turkey Tips from The Food Network

Emeril's Holiday Cookbook . . . free download!

Thanksgiving Handbook from delish.com

Everything Thanksgiving from Martha Stewart

Thanksgiving Recipes from allrecipes.com

Thanksgiving from Better Homes and Gardens

Thanksgiving Recipes from Betty Crocker

Thanksgiving Recipes from Taste of Home

Thanksgiving Center from Kraft

Easiest Thanksgiving Ever by Ina Garten

The Pioneer Woman Thanksgiving

Ultimate Thanksgiving from Tyler Florence

Thanksgiving Recipes from Simply Recipes

Everything about Turkeys from Butterball

Pumpkin Mania

70 Thanksgiving Side Dishes from The Cooking Channel

20 Best Dessert Recipes from Willow Baking

Thanksgiving Treats from Duncan Hines

Thanksgiving Recipes and Tips from Cheap Cooking

Corn Bread for Dressing

Thanksgiving Recipes from Fine Cooking

Turkey Talk from The Cooking Channel

Crescent Chicken Squares

QUICK AND EASY!

This is one of those semi-homemade meals
 from Mr. Food that I love so much and
 yet another use for rotisserie chicken.

Love the clever crust!

Serves: 4
Cooking Time: 20 min


Ingredients:

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
2 cups chopped cooked rotisserie chicken
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper (optional)
1 (8-ounce) can refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup seasoned croutons, crushed


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 2 tablespoons butter; stir in chicken, milk, and red pepper, if desired. Set aside.

Unroll crescent dough, separating into 4 rectangles; press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/4 of the chicken mixture into the center of each rectangle; bring corners of each rectangle together over chicken mixture, and twist gently to seal.

Place crushed croutons in a shallow dish. Brush chicken packets with remaining butter, dredge in croutons, and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden.

Source:  Mr. Food . . . there is a video recipe on this page

Chicken Pot Pie . . . from scratch

One of my favorite comfort food meals is Chicken Pot Pie.  As a child, I would beg my mom to buy lots of those frozen chicken pot pies for lunch when I was home for the summer . . . and I would eat one every day if I had my say.  I still could!

I've given up the frozen pot pies and have moved up to semi-homemade chicken pot pie, using Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup, chicken, vegetables and a refrigerated pie crust.  So much better than the frozen ones.

Even better is made from scratch chicken pot pie for those days you want to linger in the chicken and make something special.  Semi-homemade is awesome, but made from scratch is super awesome!

Try it when you have some time on your hands for cooking something special . . . make a pie crust from scratch if you have lots of time on your hands.

Ingredients:

• 1 rotisserie chicken OR 3 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1-1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 cup frozen baby peas
• 1 refrigerated pie crust
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove chicken from rotisserie chicken and cube; set aside.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and garlic; sauté and stir 3-4 minutes. Add celery and sliced carrots; cook and stir 3-5 minutes longer until crisp-tender.

Add flour, salt, pepper, and thyme; cook 2-3 minutes until bubbly. Add broth, stirring well, then add evaporated milk. Simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens.

Add Monterey Jack cheese and stir until melted. Remove from heat and add peas and chicken. Pour into 2-quart round casserole dish and top with pie crust. Seal crust to edges of casserole and cut slits in top crust to vent steam.

Brush crust with 1 tablespoon milk and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling bubbles. Cool 10-15 minutes before serving.

Source

Fruit Pies Recipe Guide and more

Fruit pies and tarts are delicious sweet treats that can be as simple or difficult to make as you want . . . the choice is yours!  The fastest and easiest is pre-made refrigerator pie crust with fruit pie filling . . . however, the possibilities are endless.

This post will take you to articles I have found all over the internet . . .

Pillsbury knows how to do fruit pies and they have a ton of ideas and recipes . . . many are quick and easy!

About.com's section on Southern Cooking has all types of fruit pie recipes!

Collection of fruit dessert recipes from The Food Network

"How-to" videos for fruit pies

Collection of fruit pies and lots of tips from Epicurious

Fruit pies and tarts from Food and Wine

Top 10 Fruit Pies from Chew On That

Demeter Clarc on Pies

5 Simple Steps to Fantastic Fruit Pies from Zesty Cook 

Gorgeous pies and tarts for the holidays from Better Homes and Gardens

Impressive fruit pies and tarts made easy 

Gina's pie board from Pinterest

Pumpkin Mania

Pumpkin Mania has taken over the food blogs and websites!  This past week I could not go cruising around the internet without running into pumpkin delights, crafts and decorating ideas for Halloween.

I will be featuring pumpkin recipes on this post as I did last year . . . I'll post them as I find them!

Fun Home Things has 10 pumpkin recipes posted!

In My Own Style wants to teach you how to carve a pumpkin with a hot knife for your Halloween decorating . . . use the pumpkin inside for your recipes :)

Pumpkin carving tips from HGTV

Pumpkin Butter from The Gracious Pantry

20 Ways to cook your pumpkin seeds from SusieQT Pies Cafe

Pumpkin Magic Bars from Bakers Royale

Starbucks Pumpkin Pound Cake from Something Swanky

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles from Key Ingredient

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars Recipe from Taste of Home

Pumpkin Cookies from HGTV

Skinny Pumpkin Muffins from I Should Be Mopping The Floor

SusieQTPies Cafe presents Top 10 Yummy Mummy Halloween Recipes and Halloween Crafts

Pumpkin Bread from Alexandra's Kitchen

Stuffed Jack O'Lantern Bell Peppers . . . one of my older posts

Click here to go last year's post on Lots of Pumpkin Recipes!

Bourbon Caramel Pumpkin Tart

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin Croissant Bread Pudding with Pecans

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream

Amy's Pumpkin Board on Pinterest

Ernesto's Random-Cut Pasta with Sausage Sauce

Taccozze con Salsiccia

PASTA

2 1/2 cups finely ground durum semolina flour, plus additional if needed
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm filtered water
1 teaspoon Filippo Berio extra-virgin olive oil

Place the four and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and whirl the mixture to blend. With the motor running, slowly pour the water through the feed tube. Add the olive oil and continue processing until a ball of dough is formed that is moist and holds together. If the dough seems too dry, add a few drops of water and pulse.

Gather up the dough and knead it for a few minutes on a wooden surface, adding a little flour only if the dough is sticking to your hands. Cover the dough with a bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into quarters and work with one piece of dough at a time; keep the remaining pieces covered.

Roll the dough out into a rough circle or rectangle shape approximately 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut across the dough so that you make strips about 1 1/2-inches wide. Then cut the strips into either squares, diamonds, or triangles. Put the finished shapes onto a floured towel, sprinkling them with a bit of flour to keep them from clumping together. Repeat the process until all the dough is used. Let the shapes dry for about 10 minutes before cooking.

Cook the shapes in salted water for about 4 minutes, just until al dente.

SAUCE

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage flavored with fennel, removed from the casing and broken up
1 small red onion, chopped
1 Little Devil hot red pepper, chopped, or more or less to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup prepared tomato sauce
Salt to taste
Pecorino cheese, grated, for sprinkling

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the sausage. Cook until the sausage is browned. Add the onion and cook for another minute or two. Add the hot pepper and cook for another minute. Add the wine and cook the sauce until most of the wine evaporates. Add the tomato sauce. Taste and add salt if necessary. Keep the sauce warm while the pasta cooks.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce along with about 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Mix well to coat the pasta and serve immediately with the grated cheese for sprinkling over the top.

Ernesto used a 2002 Masserie Flocco, Chardonnay "Podere del Canneto" in this recipe.

item recipe is featured on Ciao Italia in Episode 1524 of Season 15.

Watch Ciao Italia

with Mary Ann Esposito

Click here to find your local station

Ciao Italia, Mary Ann's website

Spanish Tortilla

Growing up, the Spanish Tortilla was one of my favorite comfort foods.

It is not a tortilla like a mexican tortilla, rather, more like an omelette.

My nana had many variations.  She routinely used chorizo (I don't like it and never use it), she would also add peas and/or onions.  I have made it adding bacon or breakfast sausage and it was delicious . . . I always top mine with cheddar cheese.  Use your imagination and what you like!  Whatever you do, use lots of potatoes . . . that is what makes this dish magical.

I'm remembering how awesome it was in a sandwich made with cuban bread and mayonnaise . . . haven't had it like that since I was a little girl.

INGREDIENTS

3 large potatoes

5 large eggs

handful of cheddar cheese

butter

salt to taste (I love using kosher salt)

DIRECTIONS

Prepare the potatoes.  Before I get into the making of the tortilla, I want to share how I prepare the potatoes, no matter what dish I use it in (other than mashed potatoes).  Great method for preparing home fries for breakfast!

Wash and dice the potatoes. You can peel the potatoes or not . . . whatever you prefer . . . I don't.  Place in a microwave container with a lid, add salt to taste and I like to add little pieces of butter on top of the potatoes throughout the container.  Cook in microwave about 5 minutes or until tender (you'll have to experiment with the time, it depends on the microwave).  That's it!  Your potatoes will brown in the frying pan in no time at all.  So much better than starting with raw potatoes!

To make the tortilla . . . place cooked potatoes in a buttered pan and fry until they brown, stirring often.  When the potatoes are as brown as you would like them, pour in the scrambled eggs (I season with salt when I scramble the eggs).

Some people like to use a plate to turn the tortilla, but I cut it in four pieces to make it easy to turn.

Top with your desired amount of cheddar cheese (optional), cover the pan and lower the heat.  Since I use stainless steel pans, I take it off the heat and let it finish cooking off the burner to prevent burning.

The gauge I use that the tortilla is done . . . 

when the cheese is all melty and gooey.

It is a quick, easy and delicious meal that I make often!  Hope you make it and enjoy it :)

Photo source and another Spanish Tortilla variation

with photos of the different steps


Recipes from Spain

Rice and beans

Rice and beans is one of my favorite meals, even when there is enough money to buy whatever food there is a craving for . . . it is one of those southern meals that can be varied in so many ways.  The meal is not complete without a batch of corn bread that I love to crumble in the rice and beans.

Today I was on a quest to find different variations of rice and beans and I ran across the AandE Channel's pages for Duck Dynasty, which includes some of the Robinson family's recipes.  You can find the link to Miss Kay's recipes at the end of this post.  

The Captain and I are Duck Dynasty fans and I always love their references to food . . . except that I would never ever, even if offered huge sums of money, eat squirrel.  Squirrels are like little outdoor pets for me!  The Captain, on the other hand, tells me it was a favorite childhood meal after a day of hunting down squirrels in the woods and bringing them home for Mom to cook.  

Here is an excerpt from the write up on this recipe, followed by the recipe . . .

"The family subsided on rice and beans, cornbread, and whatever fish and game the boys could catch. Rice and beans was a staple dish at the Robertson dinner table. A hundred-pound bag of rice and several cans of beans would last for weeks. There are dozens of ways to prepare rice and beans, and the recipes could be altered by adding a simple gravy or squirrels, quail, or fish so it was a perfect meal for the struggling Robertson family.

You can be creative with this. Don't worry about doing it exactly the way it is written, try stuff, if you don't have an ingredient make it anyway. I make beans every time we make or buy a ham — the ham bone is the key. You will find hunks of that ham when it cooks off the bone that you never knew existed and they are delicious. NEVER throw ham bone away!"

INGREDIENTS
• 1 pound dry kidney Pinto beans
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 6 cups water
• a couple of slices of bacon, cut up
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (less if you are feeding kids)
• 2 bay leaves (if you don't have it in your cabinet don't worry about it)
• a pinch of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Phil Robertson's Cajun Style Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon parsley flakes (again, don't sweat it if you don't have it)
• 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced (Add more if you like sausage, or a different kind if this is too spicy.)
• Ham bone with as much ham left on it as you want (I buy one that is honey glazed, take the ham off for sandwiches, then use what's left for beans)
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• Louisiana Hot Sauce

DIRECTIONS
1. Rinse beans and transfer to a large pot with ham bone six cups of water. Make sure the water is covers all the beans.
2. In a skillet, heat olive oil and cut up bacon over medium heat. Sauté onion, garlic, bell pepper, and celery for three to four minutes.
3. Stir cooked vegetables into beans.
4. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, parsley, and Cajun Style Seasoning.
5. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and cook 4 to 6 hours, or until beans are soft and done. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
6. Cut sausage into slices and brown in skillet on medium heat with a teaspoon of olive oil.
7. Stir sausage into beans towards the end of cooking time and continue to simmer for thirty minutes.
8. Add a pinch of brown sugar to taste.
9. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for twenty minutes. Serve beans over steamed white rice and add plenty of Louisiana Hot Sauce.

For more family recipes, visit our Kay's Recipes page.