Mashed Potato Pancakes

Have you ever wondered what to do with your favorite leftover mashed potatoes from that fancy roast beef dinner you made last weekend?  I never seem to make just enough for us to eat around here, we always have leftovers.  Usually we eat them with the rest of the leftover meal, but this time the turkey disappeared faster than you could say "Happy New Year!" so I was needing another solution to the leftover potatoes problem.

So this morning, I was wondering what to make for breakfast.  And I thought, "hmm, I wonder if I could figure out a good way to make mashed potato pancakes....?" I have tried these in the past and never managed to do it right without them falling apart all over the place.  BUT, I learned something new today.... a little thing I tried that fixed my problem.  And it is SO simple you'll wonder "OF COURSE!  Why didn't she/I think of that before?!"  So without further ado, a great solution to the "too many potatoes problem" and one that doesn't make a mess either!

Mashed Potato Pancakes

2-3 c leftover mashed potatoes (the least lumpy the better) recipe found here if needed
1/4 c milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp seasoning salt (optional, can substitute regular salt)
pinch of dried dill (optional)
2 tbsp all purpose flour (this is the secret problem solving ingredient. this way you don't break it or make a mess when flipping)
grated cheese for topping (optional serving suggestion)

(you can also leave out the seasoning salt and dill and just use regular salt for a sweet rather than savory flavor, I just like them this way.)

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Should come together in about a pancake batter consistency.  Heat skillet to medium high, spray with cooking spray or grease with 1 tbsp olive oil.  Pour batter into skillet and cook just like you would a normal pancake, flipping after the bubbles around the edges  pop and stop forming.  Serve with grated cheese on top or sour cream, whichever you prefer.

Like I said, you can do these with a less savory flavor, by just using regular salt and omitting the dill.  I just like these savory instead of sweet.  If you prefer sweet, just serve with butter and syrup like regular pancakes, or with sour cream and jam.

I am not sure exactly what about the flour makes these work so much better, but I have a hunch it has to do with gluten or something.  They just hold together better and flip more like normal pancakes when you add the flour to the batter.

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Mushrooms

Better late than never, I know I promised this to you FB fans out there on Saturday, but I was remiss because we were up later than I planned and I never got back to blogging since.  Sorry about that!  Anyway, this is a very tasty side we had with our turkey and mashed potatoes on Saturday for New Years Eve 2011.  It's super simple and very good and I hope you enjoy!

Sauteed Green Beans with Garlic and Mushrooms

1 1/2 lbs of green beans, ends snapped off and larger beans snapped in half
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz sliced button mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, minced very fine
1/4 c water

Heat skillet to medium heat and add oil to the pan.  Add mushrooms and garlic and cook til mushrooms have shrunk to half volume.  Add green beans and stir to combine, being careful to not let the beans fall over the side.  Toss together til beans, garlic and mushrooms are well combined, and then add water and cover skillet with lid or aluminum foil to steam for about 5 minutes or til the water is fully evaporated and beans are tender.  Serve hot with your favorite chicken or other protein and potatoes or rice.  We made it with roast turkey and mashed potatoes and some of my homemade orange cranberry relish.

So I have been a bit absent for awhile...

I have a list of excuses, but none are very good except for one that just began recently.  And that is that I recently found out I am expecting.  So my appetite has been here and there and sometimes no where to be found.  Which makes it hard to find the motivation to cook when I can hardly decide what I want to eat.

I am going to work harder at posting something at least once a week.  Hopefully when I begin my 2nd trimester in a couple weeks I'll feel more energetic and motivated to get in the kitchen more often.

Until then, I hope you are enjoying my existing recipes and Happy Cooking!

Beef Stroganoff

So this is one my mom made when we were kids that pretty much everyone has their own sort of version of.  My mom always made it with ground beef, but I know some people prefer to use stew meat or sliced steak.  Steak was a rarity at our house, as there were 7 of us and it gets expensive.  However you make it, this is one of those comfort foods that makes me think of Fall or Winter because it's warm and the gravy just seems to speak cold weather to me.  Something about onions and mushrooms and beef and gravy that just warms me up.... You can serve this with rice or pasta or mashed potatoes or however you like.  This time I chose to serve it with brown rice because I am trying to amp up my whole grain intake.  Enjoy!

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb ground beef
2 small onions or 1 large one, diced
1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp butter, plus one
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1-2 c water or beef stock or broth
1/2 c sour cream (I used Daisy Light--you can use whatever you like)

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet.  Add half the onions with the raw meat.  In a separate pan, brown mushrooms and the rest of the onion together in a bit of butter.  Add this to the meat once fully browned and onions have reduced by half.  Add the rest of the butter to the meat and mushrooms and onions, and let it melt and then toss in the flour to create a roux.  Stir everything together to coat the meat with the butter and flour, and then add worchestershire sauce and broth/stock/water.  Stir over medium heat til thickened.  Simmer for about 20 minutes.  Just before serving stir in the sour cream.

Serve over egg noodles, whole wheat pasta, rice, brown rice, or mashed potatoes with your favorite vegetable on the side.

Super Cool Giveaway

My friend Debra, from Housewife Eclectic (also featured on my sidebar--super cool blog, you all should check it out for sure!) is doing this awesome giveaway for these super fun charm bracelets!  The charms are made to look like miniatures of your favorite book covers!  So fun!

What a great idea, and an awesome Christmas present.  I know my mom would love it.

Check it out and mention I sent you when you do!

Here's the link.  I promise you'll love it!



Photo taken from Housewife Eclectic who got it from Sofie's Beads.

Pot Roast

This one is super easy and most people already have a pretty basic idea of how to do it, but I figured since it's what I made for dinner tonight, I may as well post it.   I forgot to take a picture, so I will do that later this week when I pull out the leftovers.  So simple and so tasty, and most people will think you slaved all day, when really all you did was put a hunk of beef in the crock pot with some basic veggies and let it sit for about 6 hours.  As with most of my recipes of this sort (basic comfort foods) the veggies will change from time to time, but in general the recipe stays pretty close to this.

Basic Pot Roast

1 boneless beef roast (about 2-3 lbs)
2-3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
1-2 medium onions, peeled and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Whisk together your olive oil, worchestershire, and balsamic in a small bowl.  Pour it over your roast and rub it into the meat all over.  Sprinkle both sides of roast generously with salt and pepper.  Place roast in crock pot and then cover with carrots and garlic and onions.  This is also where you can add other veggies like mushrooms or whatnot.  Set crock pot for 6 hours on low, and let cook til the time runs out.

Remove roast from crock pot, and then slice and place on a plate to serve.  Put the veggies in a bowl and serve as a side dish if desired.   Pour meat juices into a skillet and heat over medium low heat.  Whisk in some flour (a couple tbsp depending on how much of the meat drippings you have) and keep heating til thickened, adding water if too thick.  Pour this into a gravy boat and serve along side the roast and veggies.

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes or baked ones.  You can also toss the potatoes in with your roast and cook them at the same time, but I usually prefer them on the side instead.  You can serve with another veggie on the side too, or just the roasted ones that you had in the crock pot.  We had steamed broccoli with it tonight.

Enjoy!

Sundried Tomatoes

Ok, so it's been awhile since I have been on here.  I haven't been cooking much around here, and when I do, its a lot of repeat recipes.  Once we move to the new house and I have a gas stove again I think I will be more in the mood to experiment in the kitchen.  Until then I thought I would share this little gem my husband and I figured out recently.

Any of you out there enjoy some good sun-dried tomatoes?  I sure do, the are probably one of my favorite ways to eat tomatoes.  Among the hundreds of ways I will eat them of course.....I love to just eat slices of tomato with a bit of salt on them....or in caprese salad...or homemade spaghetti sauce.  The list can go on and on.  So anyway---back to the original subject.  Sun-dried.  They are SO DANG EXPENSIVE at the store.  So why didn't I think of making them at home before?  Because I am crazy, I guess.  It's not like we ever have a shortage of tomatoes in our family, we both love them and try to grow them in our garden.  In addition to the pile we get from our parents.  So here seemed a good idea to try.

Here's what we found out after doing a bit of research.  Very simple.  You will need:

a cookie sheet
some tomatoes (any kind, though romas work well for this because they have a higher flesh to seed ratio)
some wax paper or parchment
a glass pyrex baking dish (just a clear glass 13x9 will do)
    OR a hot car left in the sun all day.  (seriously, I am not kidding here)

Directions:
Wedge your tomatoes.  Place wax paper on the cookie sheet and then top with tomato wedges.  Place in the sun.  Cover with pyrex dish, or place on the dashboard of your hot car while you're at work all day.  Let  stand for about 10 hours.  Check them, flip them over if needed, and let them dry the rest of the way.  When they are done, seal in an airtight ziplock bag, or in a jar with some garlic and basil and olive oil in the fridge.  Will last up to 6 months in the fridge, or the same in the bag in your cupboard.

Lastly, EAT THEM.  Any way you want.  On salads, with pasta, with chicken...the possibilities are endless. ENJOY!