New Fashioned Potato Salad

This is a maiden voyage for me with blogging. I'm sure this initial post is going to look quite silly and amateur to just about everyone. But give me a minute, and I will get it together. My friend, Susan, will be rolling on the floor over this, but I'm trying. Anyway, on to this recipe.

Don't those store bought containers of potato salad just leave you a little cold? Tons of mayo and no personality??  Kick up your potato salad a notch this holiday weekend and try this recipe. Finely chopped colorful vegetables give this great flavor.  I used my food processor to achieve the really small chop for the vegetables. If you don't have a processor, just chop away by hand. The overall   result should be uniformly small pieces of vegetables resembling confetti that you will mix into the salad. No one wants to chomp into a huge piece of jalapeno or onion. 


Start with:
3 to 4 lb. of potatoes
1/2 of a red onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded
1 medium carrot
1 medium stalk of celery
1 clove of garlic
1/2 cup of fresh parsley
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/3 cup of sour cream
1 1/2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (such as Emeril's Essence)
Freshly ground black pepper and extra salt to taste


Boil the potatoes whole with the skin on until firm tender, adding a generous amount of salt to the boiling water. Drain and allow to cool until you can handle them.


Place the onion, jalapeno, carrot, celery, garlic and parsley in your food processor and process until they are chopped very small. Place in a large mixing bowl.


Mix the mayo, sour cream, mustard and seasonings together.


When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins. This is a whole lot easier to do after they're cooked. Cut them into edible sized pieces. You should have about six or seven cups of potatoes. Dump these into the large bowl with the vegetables and toss gently to mix. Pour the dressing over the warm potatoes and vegetables and gently mix again. Check for seasonings. Cover and chill.


Enjoy everybody. Have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend. And don't give up and buy that store bought stuff, EVER! 


If you like this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment for me, and thanks for stopping by. I need encouragement to go on! And from time to time, I will bother you about my cookbook Singingirl Cooks! which is proudly for sale and full of recipes, pictures and stories just like this. Ask me about it.

My Not-So-Famous Turkey Chili (Yet)

October, football, falling leaves, cooler weather. Only two of those things apply to me here in south Florida. Be that as it may, the weather this week did actually take a plunge into the 70s! (Is anybody laughing right now?) So I thought a cool weather recipe would be in order. My last blog entry, Mushroom Chowder, was kind of a cool weather recipe and a huge hit as well. With all the talk about it from my friend, Cathy, and how it came in second place in her church contest, I decided I had to make it this past week and remember what I did that made it so good.  You gotta try it.   And even though this will be another meal-in-a-bowl type of recipe, I'm doing it anyway because who doesn't need another chili recipe to consider?

The inspiration for the recipe that I use came from Alice's Restaurant Cookbook, which I purchased in 19...., well back a long time ago. Alice May Brock was a hippie, and I guess so was I.  I have to say here that I have never used anything but beef when making chili.  This time around I took a chance on turkey, and I have to tell you it is delicious! It isn't so much that turkey has that much less fat than, say, ground sirloin.  Ground turkey is still 90/10 ratio for fat. It's just that I was feeling a tad more conscious today about the beef thing.  Go ahead and use whatever your choice of meat is, but if you haven't given turkey chili a try, don't turn your nose up until you try it this way and tell me how great it is afterwards!

MY NOT-SO-FAMOUS TURKEY CHILI (YET)
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 large green peppers, chopped
1 to 2 jalapeno peppers, mostly seeded, and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 lb. of ground turkey (not ground turkey breast)
2 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
4 Tbs. of chili powder (or more to your liking)
1 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. of salt (add more to taste)
Lots of freshly ground pepper
2 whole bay leaves
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. basil
2 tsp. or more of Worcestershire sauce
Cayenne pepper and Tabasco to taste
2 cans of dark red kidney beans, drained

Okay, this looks like a lot of ingredients. But you probably have most of the seasonings.  So let's go.

In a large skillet, saute the onions, peppers, jalapeno and garlic in the oil until soft. Meanwhile, in a large soup pot, brown the chopped meat. Drain the fat, and then add the sauteed vegetables to the meat in the large pot.  Add the two cans of tomatoes, juice and all, breaking up the tomatoes with the back of your spoon. Add the tomato paste and all the rest of the seasonings up to but excluding the kidney beans. Give it all a good stir, cover and simmer this for a good long time, a couple of hours at least, stirring occasionally and checking for seasonings.

Towards the end of the cooking session, add the kidney beans. I like to use the dark red beans, they show up nicer in the chili, and I definitely don't add them earlier on, they get mushy.

Remove the bay leaves before serving!

Serve this in big bowls and pass around all the favorite chili toppings such as sliced jalapenos, shredded cheddar, chopped raw onions, extra hot sauce - and don't forget to pass around a piece of cornbread. For those of you who own my book "Singingirl Cooks" check it out on page 99.  Now what channel is the game on???





This recipe and more than one hundred pages of other great recipes, stories and photos is for sale. Just ask me!

Alice May Brock would be proud of me!

Deviled Salmon Cakes with Lemon Yogurt Sauce

My sister Joanna contributed this recipe to my cookbook "Singingirl Cooks!"  You certainly can find pretty much this same recipe in most internet searches. But I put a little twist on the original to kick it up just another notch. These are absolutely delicious, and the amazing thing is that it uses canned salmon.  Oh, I know. The groans and grossness of pulling apart that salmon in the can to remove bones, etc. It's really not that big a deal. But if you prefer you can buy a piece of salmon, poach or bake it, let it cool and then flake it yourself to make about two cups. So, here is the recipe. The slightly long list of ingredients and the little bit of prep time is well worth the effort. I found that when I did an inventory to see what I needed to buy, I already had everything except a tiny can of corn, a container of yogurt and the parsley.

DEVILED SALMON CAKES WITH LEMON YOGURT SAUCE

1 large can of salmon, drained and bones removed

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1/2 cup corn, canned or frozen

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. pickle relish

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 big dashes of hot sauce

1 egg

1/2 cup cracker crumbs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs

2 Tbs. butter

2 Tbs. canola oil

Flake the salmon into a bowl. Add the onion, celery, jalapeno, corn, salt and pepper. Mix together and set aside.

In another bowl, combine the mayonnaise, egg, mustard, relish, lemon juice, Worcestershire, paprika and hot sauce. Fold these ingredients into the salmon mixture along with 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs. Place the Panko on a plate.

Form the salmon into cakes. You can make six larger ones or eight smaller. Carefully coat them with the Panko. I found that holding the salmon cake and patting the Panko on one side, then flipping it over in my hand and patting the crumbs on the other side worked better than laying the salmon cake in the dish, the reason being the salmon is soft and might tend not to keep its shape. Do whatever way works for you.

Refrigerate the cakes on a plate loosely covered with saran and chill for about an hour.

Melt the butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. With your spatula, lift each salmon cake off the plate and add to the pan. Cook half of them about four minutes or so on each side, pressing down gently on them once or twice with your spatula. Turn carefully and fry the other side four minutes or so or until nicely browned.

To serve, place a big spoonful of the lemon yogurt sauce on each plate and spread it out a bit with the back of your spoon. Top with a salmon cake and garnish with parsley and lemon slice.  Enjoy!!

LIGHT LEMON YOGURT SAUCE
1 cup of plain fat free yogurt
1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
OR 1/2 tsp. tarragon
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and keep chilled until ready to serve.  You can easily double this recipe, and I suggest you do!

Chicken Taco Salad with Salsa Lime Dressing

I am more than a little technically challenged. As well, I am working with only one good hand at the moment due to some surgery. But a while back I made this salad, took pictures, and never posted the recipe. I know everyone has probably thrown together their version of taco salad. So here is my offering to either bore you to pieces or inspire you to go out and get the ingredients to make this.  I made an attempt at putting together a slide show of the ingredients and method. As you view it, you can run your cursor over the picture and read the caption that accompanies it. I know, I know, it's juvenile at best. But it is my attempt at "stirring" up some interest!  And if you post a comment, please be kind.  I'm fragile (not really.)  Enjoy!!

This is such an easy salad to put together. Everyone loves the combination of these vegetables and chicken, especially in a quick salad. The tangy lime salsa dressing is what makes it special. Use any type of salsa you like, but I found Paul Newman's Salsa Lime Dressing to be outstanding with the addition of extra fresh lime juice and diced jalapeno peppers.

CHICKEN TACO SALAD WITH SALSA LIME DRESSING

For the dressing, mix together 1 cup of sour cream, about a cup of your favorite salsa, juice of half a lime or more, and a heaping tablespoon of diced jalapeno peppers (I buy them in the jar.)  These amounts are merely approximate. You're looking for a dressing of pouring consistency and a nice pinkish color. Mix all of this together and chill.

For the salad:

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast

1 pkg. of taco seasoning mix

Lettuces of your choice. I like iceberg and romaine

Chopped tomatoes, or whole grape tomatoes

Green onions, sliced

Black olives, sliced

1 can black beans, drained

Shredded cheese. I like sharp cheddar and pepper jack

Tortilla chips

I like to clean the chicken and then partially freeze it before cutting. You won't believe how much easier it is to cut up.  Cook the chicken over medium heat until it is no longer pink. Add the seasoning mix and the amount of water the package calls for. In the meantime, drain and heat the can of black beans, season them how you like, or not at all. I use onion powder, fresh sliced garlic, a little chili powder. Prepare all your veggies for the salad and toss together in a big bowl.

Distribute the salad onto your dinner plates. Spoon the warm beans and chicken over the salad. Spoon the dressing over the top and sprinkle with crushed tortilla chips.  Really good!!

Cheddar and Jalapeno Corn Muffins

The decision is final, at least for two of the items to serve on Superbowl Sunday.  Chili and Cornbread. But since I didn't have all the ingredients for the chili at this very moment, I decided to make the corn muffins and test them out instead. Oh, are they good!!! Here's the recipe....

CHEDDAR AND JALAPENO CORN MUFFINS

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 cup coarse or medium yellow cornmeal

1 cup flour

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

2 Tbs. diced jalapenos (I buy a jar already to rock)

Melt the butter in the microwave in a large microwavable bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes, and then add the eggs, beating well. Stir in the sugar, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. (See my tip below for making a great substitute for buttermilk.)  Stir in the cornmeal, flour, cheese and jalapenos. Save a few sprinklings of cheese for the tops of the muffins.

Evenly distribute the batter among 12 muffin cups that have been coated with cooking spray. Don't use paper muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 to 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Run a knife around the sides of the muffins to remove from pans and cool on a rack.

Great Tip: For recipes like this that call for buttermilk, and who has buttermilk just hanging around in their refrigerator, measure 1 1/2 Tbs. cider vinegar into a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup. Let this stand for a few minutes while you're preparing the muffins, and proceed with the recipe. It actually smells like buttermilk, and you will never notice the difference in your recipe. This method works well for things like these muffins. I have tried this with soup recipes that call for larger amounts of buttermilk and failed miserably!!! For soups and sauces that call for buttermilk, I would stick with the real thing, but for these muffins this substitution works beautifully!