What's Shakin', Home Fries?

5-6 medium round red potatoes

2-3 tbsp olive oil

seasonings (see below)

Wash the potatoes and slice each into 8 wedges. Place in a large bowl. Sprinkle oil and seasonings; toss to coat (It helps to add 1/2 of the oil and spices at a time). Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet with one of the cut sides down. Bake 30-35 minutes at 375º, turning midway through.

Seasonings: For this batch, I used seasoned salt, along with some cumin, paprika, cracked pepper, and a dash of cayenne to give them more "seasoned" and less "salt." Other combinations that might be good would be sea salt and ground pepper or rosemary, or maybe some curry, turmeric, nutmeg and ginger; onion and garlic powder could be good with a sour cream-based dipping sauce...

NOTE: To reheat leftovers, I sauteed them in just a dash of oil, rather than microwaving, to avoid sogginess.

Fish in Coconut Sauce

1 tbsp oil
2 onions, sliced
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
4 whole cloves
4 cardamom pods, slightly crushed
1 tsp curry
3 cups coconut milk
2lb white fish (we used turbot)

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottom sauce pan. Add the onions and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until golden. Stir in the cumin, garlic, coriander, turmeric, cloves, and cardamoms and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, or until the spices give off their aroma. Add the curry and coconut milk, then stir well and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, debone fish if necessary and cut each fillet in half along the center, then slice in half horizontally. Roll up each piece of fish as tightly as possible and secure with a toothpick.

Gently add the fish rolls to the coconut sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through. Serve over rice.

NOTES: I really enjoyed this; it was very mild-flavored and not fishy tasting at all. Don't defrost the fish in the microwave; it will cook partially and be too flaky to roll up.

D'Amico & Sons Turkey with Dried Cherries Pasta Salad

Salad:
1 pound rotini
1 1/2-2 cups cooked, diced turkey breast
1 c dried cherries
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 diced celery stalks
1 c whole toasted almonds

Poppy-seed dressing:
1/4 c powdered sugar
2 tbls. champagne vinegar
2 c real mayonnaise

2 tbls. poppy seeds
2 tbls. cold water
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper

To make salad:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Chill. Combine with turkey, cherries, onion, celery, and almonds.

To make dressing: Combine powdered sugar and vinegar. Add mayo, water, poppy seeds, salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Add to pasta and toss to combine.

Servings: 6-8 (I'd say more. It was a pretty big salad with a full pound of pasta.)

SOURCE: I got this from Val Hix who got it from the Pioneer Press.

NOTES: I've eaten this recipe almost as written and it was excellent! I did make a few changes when I made it yesterday though:

• I used a 12.5 ounce can of chicken instead of the turkey
• I used 1/2 mayo and 1/2 miracle whip for the dressing. In addition, I didn't have champagne vinegar so I used balsamic vinegar instead. Val made it with a raspberry blush vinegar and it worked well.
• I don't think whole almonds would be pleasant to bite into in a salad, so I would recommend slivered. Actually, I used pecans instead of the almonds and it was very good.
• I didn't have more than 1/4 c dried cherries so I filled in with craisins. It was great!

Emily's Improvised Chow Mein

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into strips
2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
1 large carrot, sliced
1 can water chestnuts, drained (reserve liquid)
1 handful snow pea pods
1/2 can bean sprouts, drained (reserve liquid)
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp. mustard powder
dash red pepper
2 heaping tsp corn starch
soy sauce
salt
white pepper

Heat 2 tbsp oil and spices on high heat until sizzling. Add chicken and stir fry until just browned, sprinkling with soy sauce. Add vegetables and stir fry until crisp tender and chicken is fully cooked. Meanwhile, combine 1 tbsp. soy sauce and enough liquid (reserved from canned vegetables, chicken broth, or water) to make one cup with corn starch to make sauce. When chicken mixture is cooked, add sauce and lower heat to simmer until thickened. Add salt, white pepper and soy sauce to taste. Serve over chow mein noodles.

Serves 3-4.

Notes: This was enough sauce, but you might want to increase the liquid if you like it to really soak into the noodles.

Pork Cantonese

2 lbs. Boneless lean pork, cut in 1” pieces
2 tbsp. salad oil
1 (14 oz.) pineapple chunks
1 (4 oz.) canned mushrooms
1/3 c molasses
¼ c vinegar
2 green peppers, cut in strips
green onions, cut into 1” pieces
1 ½ tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp water.

Brown pork on all sides in hot oil in skillet.
Drain pineapple and mushrooms, reserving liquids. Combine liquids and add enough water to make 2 c. Add liquid to pork; cover and simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
Stir in molasses and vinegar until blended. Add pineapple, mushrooms, green peppers and onions; cover and cook 10 minutes. (Vegetables retain a little crispness.)
Blend together cornstarch and water. Stir into hot mixture and cook until slightly thickened. Serve over hot rice. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: I made this with chicken and it was excellent! Just skip the simmer step.

Greek Pizza

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 10 oz. packages frozen spinach(or less), thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
20 sheets fillo dough
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups (1 pound) mozzarella cheese, grated
3 medium tomatoes, sliced thin

2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup bread crumbs

In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add spinach and sauté until all excess moisture has evaporated. Add basil, oregano, lemon juice and pepper. Mix well. Cool slightly.

Prepare fillo pizza crust:

Use 10 sheets of fillo dough, brushing each with melted butter, margarine, oil or vegetable spray. Use 1/4 cup butter. Repeat this step. Place length of fillo across width of greased 15” x 10” x 1” cookie sheet or baking pan. Overlap each set of 10 buttered fillo sheets 5 inches at center. Roll overlapping fillo onto itself on cookie sheet to form “pizza crust.” Brush top layer with melted butter or olive oil.

Spread spinach mixture on prepared fillo sheets. Top spinach with 1/2 of mozzarella. Dredge tomatoes in bread crumbs and arrange on top of mozzarella. Top with remaining mozzarella and feta cheese.

Bake in preheated 400°F oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Serves 12

Source: www.thatsmyhome.com

NOTE: This serves nicely. To make appetizers, simply arrange the tomatoes closer (so there's one in the center of each piece) and cut smaller. Diamond shaped would be nice.

Holly's Pierogi

Dough:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream, buttermilk, or plain yogurt
1 cup water (more if required)
butter or oil
salt and pepper

Combine flour, half of the water, eggs, and the sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt in a large bowl. Stir vigorously to incorporate the eggs.

Slowly stir in the remaining water until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently, lifting dough to stretch.

Continue lifting and stretching the dough until the dough is smooth and somewhat sticky inside, about 3 minutes or so. Do not overwork the dough - if it begins to become elastic, allow it to rest 5-10 minutes under an overturned bowl before working with it again.

When the dough has been kneaded enough, place in a storage bag in the refrigerator to rest 20 minutes, or leave on the counter under an overturned bowl 30 minutes, to allow any gluten which may have developed to rest.

While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling.

Filling:

3 medium or 2 very large waxy potatoes (baking)
3 T unsalted butter
1-2 T light olive oil (or schmaltz)
1 large onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 small leek, finely minced (optional)
2 T Parmesan or white cheddar cheese, grated

Cook the potatoes in their jackets, in a covered heavy pot with barely enough water to cover them in slightly salted water (add about 2 tsp salt to the water). Simmer over low heat until potatoes are fork tender, then remove from heat. (If you can judge when they'll be done, remove from heat 10 minutes in advance and just allow to steam in the pot with the heat turned off).

Allow the potatoes to cool sufficiently to handle, and rub off the skins with a clean towel. Drain the pot you cooked them in, and return the potatoes to the pot and shake them around a bit to dry them.

Put the potatoes through a sieve or a potato ricer if you have one, otherwise, use a masher. Set them aside.

In a skillet, combine butter and oil or schmaltz over medium heat to melt. Saute the garlic, onion, and leek, if you have one, for a few minutes until they begin to take on a translucent color.

Stir in the cabbage, turn the heat to high for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, reduce heat and allow cabbage to begin to brown, 6-8 minutes. Then add the potatoes, cheese, and season to taste. Remove from heat and go on to work with the dough again as the filling cools.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into balls 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter. Roll each out with a rolling pin into a 3-3 1/2" round approximately 1/8 inch in thickness. Cover the ones you've made with a damp paper towel as you work. If you prefer, you can use a KitchenAid pasta roller attachment (or other pasta machine) to roll out the dough circles. Be sure to flour both sides lightly first.

Hold the dough in one hand, and place a round ball of filling or spoonful into the center. Fold in half to enclose the filling, and pinch the edges securely together. Don't allow filling to touch the edges to avoid an imperfect seal. Be sure there are no openings along the edges, or the filling will boil out.

Boil a large pot of salted water as you continue to fill the remaining pierogi until all the ingredients run out. As you work, place a sheet of waxed paper dusted lightly with flour or corn meal over and between the pierogi layers until ready to boil.

Cooking: Gently lower pierogi into rapidly boiling water 3-5 at a time and cook for a few minutes until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue til all are cooked. Serve fresh with melted butter, or saute in butter until lightly brown on outside.

An alternative to cooking these in water is to boil them in the broth remaining from a boiled ham, or in chicken broth.

NOTE: If your pierogi are too doughy, you either rolled the dough circles so they were not thin enough, or if their thickness was correct, they may not have been evenly rolled or cooked sufficiently. The first attempt is not always perfect, but if you note where you could have done better, your next batch will be much improved!

Source: cooks.com
Other notes: It's lots easier if you have someone working with you and if you have a pierogi maker. (I got a cheap plastic one somewhere that works just fine.)