Potato Pancakes

Potato Pancakes

Potato pancakes get a 3 out of 6 "something good" rating in our house. Matt likes them with maple syrup. The little guy likes them with ketchup. I like them with apple butter.This recipe is a combination my mom's recipe and a recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook.

Potato Pancakes
1/4 cup onion, chopped
4 potatoes, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of nutmeg
Vegetable oil

• Add the onion to your food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
• Add the potatoes and pulse until almost pureed (it really depends what kind of texture you like). 
• Transfer potatoes and onions to a medium bowl (I like to use my 4 cup measuring cup).
• Add eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mix until combined.
• Heat a cast iron skillet or a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
• Scoop 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and flatten to make a pancake. Repeat to fill your pan (I can fit 3 pancakes comfortably in my cast iron skillet).
• Fry 1.5 to 2 minutes per side, until lightly browned and cooked through.
• Repeat with remaining batter. Be sure to stir the batter before scooping and add 1/2 Tablespoon of oil to your pan before each new batch of pancakes.
• Serve hot with maple syrup, apple butter, or ketchup.

Notes: If you don't have a food processor, you could use a blender or box grater.

White Cutout Cookies

Lego head cookies

White Cutouts

The recipe I use for white cutout cookies was given to my mom by a grade school friend's mom many years ago. The sour cream keeps them soft. So, not dairy-free, but very tasty.

White Cutouts
1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups flour

• Cream the shortening and sugar.
• Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix well.
• Add baking soda and salt to the first cup of flour and mix with the other ingredients.
• Then gradually add the last four cups of flour.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Roll out and bake at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

Notes: I usually use a powdered sugar, vanilla, and water frosting.

Directions for Lego cookies: To make the Lego heads, I used a round cookie cutter, then trimmed the curved edges of the cookies with a bench scraper to make the sides flat but the corners rounded. Next I added a little rectangle on top. After baking, I frosted with yellow, and piped on the black with a zip bag-- (just cut a tiny triangle off the corner of the zip bag to make it into a piping bag).

Click here for Gingerbread Cutouts.

Quesadillas

Ham and Cheddar Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a staple at our house. One of the best things about them is that they can be made to each person's specifications: plain cheese, cheese and ham, cheese and beans, cheese and steak, and, my personal favorite, the pizzadilla with mozzarella and pizza sauce.

Quesadillas
Olive oil
Tortillas
Cheese
Any other toppings you'd like to add

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
• Add one tortilla to the pan.
• Sprinkle with cheese and other toppings.
• Top with another tortilla.
• Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the outside is browned.
• Remove to a cutting board and slice into wedges.
• Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Notes: The amount of cheese depends on the size of the tortillas. More cheese is better, but too much cheese makes the whole thing goo all over the place.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vodka and Vanilla Beans New Batch/Old Batch

Making your own vanilla extract is very easy and less expensive buying it at the store. It does have a waiting period of about 2 months for the flavor to develop, so make sure to plan ahead. The taste and smell are worth the wait.

For the best deal on vanilla beans, try ebay, although the prices on Amazon are pretty good too. There are many differences in opinion on the bean to alcohol ratio. I go with 3-4 beans per cup of alcohol. I use vodka, but rum, bourbon and brandy can be used as well.

Homemade Vanilla Extract
4 cups vodka
12 grade B vanilla beans

• Cut the vanilla beans in half crosswise and lengthwise.
• Place them in a quart jar.
• Fill the jar with vodka.
• Let the jar sit in a cool, dark place for about 2 months, shaking occasionally.
• After 2 months it's ready to use.
• Pour some of the vanilla into a separate jar to use.
• Then top off your quart jar with more vodka.

Notes: You can reuse the beans, but I only reuse them 2-3 times before starting fresh.

Baking Powder Biscuits

Heart Shaped Biscuits

Matt was making biscuits and gravy last weekend, and it put me the mood for more biscuits. We (and by we I really mean I) seem to have misplaced our biscuit cutters, thus the cookie cutter shapes. The kids liked the shapes better than circles anyway. My baking powder biscuit recipe is a cross between a few different recipes, including Betty Crocker, Mark Bittman, and my grandma.

Baking Powder Biscuits
2 1/2 cups
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
1/3 cup shortening (butter is best)
1 cup milk

• Preheat your oven to 450*.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.
• Cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter or 2 knives.
• Stir in the milk and mix until a sticky dough forms.
• On a well floured board, knead the dough by folding it over on it self 10-12 times. (More flour and a bench scraper are helpful here.)
• Press the dough into a circle about 9 inches in diameter and 3/4 to 1 inch high.
• Cut into 2 1/2 inch circles or shapes. 
• Lightly press the scraps together into a flat circle and cut out a few more biscuits.
• Place biscuits 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450* for 11 minutes.

Notes: Makes 14  2 1/2 inch hearts, plus a few odds and ends.