Some Potato Salad Recipes

#1:

Red Skinned Potato Salad

Ingredients:

2 lbs clean, scrubbed new red potatoes

6 eggs

1 lb bacon

1 onion, finely chopped (I use green onions, like 4-5 since they give it more color)

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 cups mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes.  Drain and set in the refrigerator to cool.

2. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat.  Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10-12 minutes.  Remove from hot water, cool, peel, and chop.

3.  Place bacon in a large, deep skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown.  Drain, crumble and set aside.

4. Chop the cooled potatoes, leaving skin on.  Add to a large bowl, along with the eggs, bacon, onion, and celery.  Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for an hour before serving.

#2

Simple recipe :

 Potatoes peeled and cut into quarters

Boil long enough for a fork to go in them, but not to where the potato is soft.

 

Set aside and let cool

Meanwhile cut up celery, onions, olives, boiled eggs, carrots, and whatever veggie you like.

When potatoes are cooled mix with the veggies and mayonnaise gently as not to break the potatoes.

Set in frig overnight for the flavors to mix.

Eat and Enjoy!

 

#3

(given to me by Katie)

5 large russett potatoes
4 Hard Boiled Eggs- 2 chopped, 2 cut into 8 wedges for decor
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/4 c heinz tarragon vinegar
1-1 1/2 c hellman's or Best foods Mayo
a sprinkly of paprika
salt and pepper
-Leaving the skin on, boil your potatoes until they easily slide off a fork when puncturing the thickest part. Set aside until slightly cooled ( you want them to be warm!!!!)
-once you can handle them, peel the potatoes, cut into large chunks, and put into a large mixing bowl with eggs, onion and vinegar. mix well, but not too hard.
-Add mayo and Salt and pepper to taste.
chill for 2 hours and serve chilled.
when you put the flavorings on the spuds when they are still hot, it seeps into the potaotes and makes them extra delicious!!!!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I love Pioneer Woman recipes!!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/main-courses/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

Ingredients:

• 2-½ pounds Boneless Pork Shoulder
• ½ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• ¼ cups Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dry Mustard
• ½ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Black Pepper
• 2 cups Ketchup
• ¼ cups Worcestershire Sauce

Cut boneless pork shoulder crosswise into 1/4 inch slices. Partially freezing it will make slicing easier. (I used pork shoulder spare ribs (or something to that effect). They were pre-cut into thick strips which I then cut in half to make fit.)
In the slow cooker, combine pork, onion, garlic, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, pepper, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well and cover. Cook on low, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender.

Pizza - Without all the Carbs

Per special request from BFF Jamie, here is my recipe for a personal Pizza. It's low-carb, and once you have all the pizza ingredients on them the crust is pretty good. It's slightly moister then what you would be normally used to, and it's definitely got an eggy taste to it, and it looks like a pancake, lol, but it works.

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/individual_pizza_crust.html


1 large egg
1 tablespoon almond flour
1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon oil, about
Pizza toppings of your choice (not included in the counts)

In a small bowl, mix everything together well with a fork. Heat a little oil in a small nonstick skillet. Pour in the batter and fry like a pancake. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove the crust to a baking sheet. Add the pizza toppings of your choice then bake or broil to heat the toppings and melt the cheese.

Makes 1 serving
Can be frozen

So - like I said, it's not the greatest thing in the world, and you can definitely tell the difference, but for somebody like me who's watching how many carbs are being added to the food, it's an alright substitute. I haven't tried any other recipes out yet, but I'm sure I will in the future.

Crab Cakes

http://makeaheadmeals.blogspot.com/2008/01/17-maryland-crab-cakes.html

Ingredients:

1 pound backfin Blue crab meat or other lump crab meat
8 saltine crackers
1 egg beaten
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp Worcestershire
1/2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Make Ahead Preparation:

Carefully check the crab meat for any cartilage. Put meat in a bowl and set it aside.

Crush the saltine crackers very finely by putting them into a ziploc bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin or by putting them into a food processor. Mix them with all the other ingredients. Gently fold in the crab being careful to only mix enough to combine ingredients. You don't want to break up the crab into fine shreds.

Shape into 6 large crab cakes, or cut in half and make 12 smaller cakes for appetizers. If serving immediately, refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

To freeze the crab cakes, wrap each one individually in waxed paper or freezer paper. Place into ziploc bags and freeze for up to two weeks.



Last Minute Assembly:

Allow crab cakes to thaw.


Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan.

Sauté until golden brown on each side. This will only take about 3 minutes per side. Garnish with tartar sauce, remoulade, or simply with a squeeze of lemon.


Alternate Serving Suggestions:

• Grill up a buttered sandwich roll. Place crab cake on the roll and serve with a side of Make Ahead Cole Slaw, french fries and plenty of remoulade sauce and lemon wedges.
• For a nice light lunch, toss some field greens with a simple vinaigrette. Top with some roasted corn salsa and then top all of that with two crab bakes.
• For a delicious brunch dish, try making Crab Cakes Benedict. Set one-half of a grilled English Muffin on a plate. Top with a crab cake, poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

http://makeaheadmeals.blogspot.com/2008/02/28-slow-cooker-bbq-ribs.html

Ingredients:

4 lbs pork baby-back ribs
Salt & pepper to taste
2 cups bottled or homemade BBQ sauce
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tbs red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 dash hot sauce

Make Ahead Preparation:

Season ribs to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl, mix together the BBQ sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Place ribs in slow cooker. Pour sauce over ribs, and turn to coat.

Cover, and cook on Low 6 to 8 hours, or until ribs are tender.

To serve immediately, see instructions below. Or allow ribs to cool, wrap them tightly in tin foil and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Last Minute Assembly:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place ribs on foil-wrapped baking sheet and baste with some additional BBQ sauce. Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until ribs are heated through and you start to see some caramelization of the sauce.

Honey Sesame Chicken Skewers

http://makeaheadmeals.blogspot.com/2008/03/40-honey-sesame-chicken-skewers.html


Ingredients:

1 cup honey
1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat

Make-Ahead Preparation:

Combine honey, sesame seeds, lime juice, olive oil, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, cayenne, paprika and turmeric in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut chicken into strips approx. 1" wide or into 1" chunks. Place chicken in ziploc bag and pour honey-sesame mixture over. (You can freeze the chicken before or after grilling. Choose which method you would like below.)
If freezing uncooked chicken:

Place the bag with the chicken and marinade in the freezer. Freeze up to two months.

Allow chicken to thaw in the marinade overnight in the refrigerator. Thread onto wooden skewers that have been soaked in warm water so that they do not burn. Discard any leftover marinade.

Preheat grill or broiler. Grill or broil on high approximately 6 to 8 minutes each side.

If freezing pre-cooked chicken:

Place bag with chicken and marinade in refrigerator and allow to sit at least overnight.

Preheat grill or broiler. Thread chicken onto wooden skewers that havae been soaked in warm water so that they do not burn. Discard any leftover marinade.

Grill or broil on high approximately 6 to 8 minutes each side. Remove from grill or broiler and allow to cool completely.

Wrap cooled chicken in foil (either on or off the skewers) in tin foil and place in freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Allow chicken to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a preheated 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Bowtie Soup

Submitted by BFF Steph
**I love this because its really fast and easy and GREAT for toddlers.**
Bowtie Soup
2 cans of chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken
2 cans of water
natures seasoning box of bowtie noodles
Combine all ingredients. Season with natures seasoning to taste. (I use about half a cap full) Cook 15 mins or until noodles are done. Soup will thicken the longer it sits. And if I have left over chicken I will cut it up and throw it in.

Honey Wheat Bread

From Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook

I am scared of bread. The only way that I have even considered making yeast breads is via a bread machine, which I got for my birthday last month. This was the third loaf of bread I made. The first two were white breads, and didn't turn out as I had hoped--dense, dry, but tasty. I made this on a Saturday morning, and there were 2 slices left over on Sunday evening. It is just that good. This bread will probably be a staple in our house

Follow your bread machine's instructions for ingredient placement. Quantities are for a 1-1/2 lb loaf

1c plus 1 TBS water
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c honey
1-1/2 c bread flour
1-1/2 c whole wheat bread flour
1 TBS plus 1-1/2 tsp vegetable shortening
1 TBS dry milk powder
1 tsp bread machine yeast or quick active dry yeast


Add ingredients to bread machine, use Light or Medium crust setting, and Whole Wheat or Basic/White cycle. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.



Through trial & error with my first two loaves of bread being very thick and dense, I decided to sift the flour into the measuring cup before measuring. Scoop flour into sifter, sift into measuring cup. I suspect I used significantly less flour than if I had measured straight out of the canister, and I think that's what contributed to this bread's much lighter, airier and moister texture than the two white loaves I tried. I always level and scrape all my measurements, because I know what an exact science baking is.

I omit the dry milk powder, and so this bread is safe for my dairy-allergic son.

Spray the inside and the pouring spout of a measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray before measuring honey--it slides right out with no mess.

Spinach Lasagne

http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/spinach_lasagna.html

We made up our menu for the week, and I tried out this recipe with a few modifications. Linda's Low Carb Menus has really helped me to stay on track with my eating plan, and it's kept fresh ideas going for the past 8 months so we aren't bored with the food.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 tomatoe
5 mushrooms
1 pkg cream cheese
1 can tomatoe sauce
1 egg
parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
cheddar and/or mozzarella cheese
1 pkg frozen spinach
Garlic Powder

Directions:

Prehead the oven to 350 F. Brown the beef with diced onion, chopped green pepper, sliced mushrooms, and diced tomatoe. Add Tomatoe sauce and garlic powder and bring to a bubble. In a bowl, heat up cream cheese in the microwave for about 40-60 seconds until it's easy to stir. Add 1 egg and salt and pepper to mixture and use a fork to blend it all well. For the spinach, I used a strainer and defrosted it under hot water, but it's probably best to have it defrosted beforehand so that you don't have to waste so much water. Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as you can, otherwise it's too watery for the lasagne. Once you've got as much water out of the spinach as you can, mix it with the cream cheese mixture.

To layer the lasagne, put half of the meat mixture on the bottom of an 8X13" glass dish, and then cover completely with the entire spinach/cheese mixture, spreading to the sides. Then put your shredded cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture, and layer the remaining meat sauce on top of that, again - spreading to the sides to cover completely. Then sprinkle entire dish with parmesan cheese and bake in your oven for 30 minutes.

We made a salad to go along with the lasagne, but you can choose to side it with anything you like. I managed to get two lunches made up with it, on top of two adult servings, two child servings, and enough for small leftovers for two adults and 1 child. It was VERY filling!

Homemade MOUSSE!

I had a bunch of whipping cream left from last night's Pumpkin Soup (last post), and was brainstorming what to do with it. Be silly and try to make butter? Naw. Make some whipped cream? Hmm...maybe! It turned out to be MOUSSE!

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream
2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
3 tsp splenda

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, and then blend in either a mixer, a blender, or using a hand mixer. I did a blender. It was YUMMY! Also a nice dessert after a crummy supper of leftovers from the weekend (botched job at split pea soup). Was DEFINITELY warranted.

Pumpkin Soup - DELICIOUS!

Last night's endeavour with the great refrigerator clean-up took me to a new level tonight. I had pumpkin left in the can from my attempts at making a pumpkin muffin in a minute - which turned into two minutes, but was still very good. I decided I was going to make soup though. I have never had pumpkin soup before, so I was worried it wouldn't taste very good. Boy was I ever surprised!

Ingredients:

4 cans of chicken stock
1 can of pure pumpkin
1 diced onion
2 cups chopped celery
1 cup whipping cream
1 lb ground beef
Ground sea salt and black peppercorn (to taste)

Directions:

Place chicken stock and pumpkin into pot together on medium-high heat. Stir together to get it all mixed up, and then add the onion and celery. Boil all ingredients together for just under an hour (or until the celery is not crisp anymore), and while the soup is boiling, you can brown up your beef and season it how you like. You'll notice it's a lot thicker then when you started. This is where the fun begins! If you have a hand mixer (like you would use to make fancy schmancy drinks), you can put it right into the pot and blend. Others prefer to blend in their blender in small quantities, and people who don't want to make a mess - like me - will just leave it all as is and not worry. I added the sea salt and black peppercorn (ground up) to the soup, and then put the ground beef into the pot as well and stirred. Once it was all mixed together, I added the cup of whipping cream and stirred until a consistant colour.

I'm always worried when making up recipes that they will turn out horribly...to date, the only thing I've messed up royally while cooking is a batch of cookies I made for my mother when I was little for Christmas. I was so proud of how they turned out that I didn't want to eat them, so I wrapped them all up and presented them to her on Christmas morning. I was giddy with excitement as she opened it up and marvelled at how yummy they looked. Then she bit into it. She asked me if I had tried them yet, and I was beaming letting her know I wanted to make sure they were all for her. She made me try one. Let's just say I quadruple check the salt amounts when using a recipe now.

This was fabulous though! My husband gobbled it all up and had seconds...and I had seconds, and placed the rest in the refrigerator for my lunch tomorrow.

The Great Refrigerator Clean-up - Everything but the Kitchen Sink

So last night I was trying to figure out what to do with all the vegetables I had left in my fridge since we'll be doing a shopping soon, and I HATE having leftover veggies because I want to make sure none are old and moldy before putting new stuff in.

So - cue in the Great Refrigerator Clean-up!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
Leftover drippings from pork roast
1/2 diced cucumber
3 diced tomatoes
2 cups chopped celery
1 bag bean sprouts
1 diced onion
Freshly ground sea salt and black peppercorns
1/2 cup pure pumpkin (the pureed stuff you find in a can)
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

First I put in the butter and drippings, then added the onion and pumpkin and started sauteeing. Once the onion was softened a bit, I added the celery, and tomatoes, and then put the entire bag of bean sprouts over it all. I ground up the salt and pepper to put all over it, and just let it sautee like that on medium heat for about 20 minutes or so. When it was almost ready, I put about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese and mixed it in. Once plated, I garnished with more parmesan.

I was worried that it wouldn't taste good, but once I got going, it was actually REALLY good! The sauce from the butter, and drippings thickened up with the addition of the pumpkin, and all of the vegetables just complimented everything else. My husband told me it tasted like an Asian dish, and I had to agree - it almost tasted like something you'd find in an egg roll...just a bit more involved.

Having this again for lunch today, and because I packed so much onto my plate last night, I also have an extra serving in my freezer for another day.

I think what did the trick to make this so good was the combination of the pumpkin making the sauce, and the bean sprouts to give it that needed crunch (we aren't huge celery fans, and yes they do crunch as well, but not as nicely as the bean sprouts).