Oktoberfest German Butter Potatoes and Curry Sausage in a Spicy Scallion Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

5 German butter potatoes (I picked these up at the PSU Farmer's Market, but you can also use Yukon Gold as well).

2 finely chopped shallots

1 medium size finely chopped onion

1/3 C. chopped scallions

4 gloves of finely chopped garlic

1/3 pound piece of curry sausage cut into small chunks-casing removed ( I picked them up at a butcher shop called "Chop" in Portland, but if you cannot find curry sausage, Italian turkey sausage will work as well).

1- 1/2 tsp of good curry powder (depends on your taste)1 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp finely ground pepper

1/4-1/3 C. low fat milk

1 -1 1/2 tbsp flour

1/3 C. chopped scallions

1 tsp butter (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

Heavy bottom frying pan

Directions:

Boil potatoes until fully cooked and chop into small pieces-set aside.  Chop up your sausage, onions, shallots, and garlic and set aside. Mix your salt, pepper, curry, and sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Add olive oil to pan and heat to medium high.  

Add sausage, onions, shallots, and garlic. Cook until onions are transparent.  Add seasonings and mix.  Add milk and cook down for approximately 5 minutes.  Add flour and whisk until combined.  The sauce should be coming together and getting thicker.  Turn temperature down and allow to simmer.  If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Add 1 tsp. butter and blend into sauce (optional). Butter will make for a creamier sauce. 

Remove cooked potatoes from water and drain. Dice into small pieces. Add diced potatoes to cream sauce.  Add scallions and allow to cook about 3 minutes more. Serve with baked chicken, pork, or fish. Enjoy!

Mahi Mahi with a savory cracker breading and taragon tartar sauce

Ingredients

2 packages of frozen Mahi Mahi nuggets thawed (Trader Joe's)

6 crushed Ritz crackers

6 crushed potato chips

1 C. Flour

1/2-1 tsp seasoning salt (you can adjust the salt to your own taste)

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper (fine grind)

2 eggs (mix with 1/ 4 C. water for egg wash for fish)

Heavy bottom frying pan

1/2 C. olive oil (you will add 1/4 C. of oil perbatch of fish you make-2 in all)

1- 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh taragon (add more or less depending on your preference)

Tartar sauce (Trader Joe's has a pretty good one)

Directions

Add crushed crackers, chips, flour, seasoning salt, paprika, and black pepper in a ziplock bag and mix thoroughly.  In a medium sized bowl add eggs and water.  Whisk until combined.  Heat oil on medium high.  Dip half of Mahi Mahi nuggets in egg wash and remove a few pieces at a time, shake off excess egg, and drop in seasoned flour bag. Shake until coated...you may want to press the fish into the flour to get a good coating (try to use one hand for wet ingredients and one for dry otherwise you have very messy fingers). Test oil by placing one small piece in pan.  The fish should be bubbling immediately.  Add remaining pieces and cook until golden brown, just few minutes.  Drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.  Remove oil and wipe pan out with a paper towel.  Overly browned bits would cause pan to smoke and give your fish an overly brown color. Not tasty! Repeat all steps listed above. Serve with the tarrgon tartar sauce...Enjoy!

Tasty & Sons

When we pulled up to the restaurant there was one long line that stretched along the block.  We were wise enough to send two folks from our group ahead to get our space in line for 11.  The seating was quick and we were greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable server. The interior is cozy and inviting.  One thing I was excited about was the butcher shop located at the back of the restaurant. They make their own meats from the dishes they serve that include spicy delicious sausages, lamb, smoked meats, and pate.  Something I didn’t know was that at this restaurant: the food is generally served “family-style”. Most of it is designed to be split, and items don’t necessarily come out at the same time. A really fun way to try a bunch of delicious food items at the same time.

One of the first items that caught my eye on my first visit was “the breakfast board”.  The selection was larger than I expected. The items on the board rotate, but it often includes a halved hard-boiled egg, beets, plump dates, small strips of bacon, a wonderful creamy pâté, crostini, lots of soft bread, homemade Lebneh cheese, and seasonal berries ($7).

“Auntie Paula’s” French toast, with strawberry-maple and thick whipped cream. The bread is thick and soft, not soggy/oily. The topping varies depending on what is in season ($5/$10).

The toast & jam is wonderful. Thick soft bread, teleme cheese (a California cheese, somewhat like brie in texture), and a smear of jam pair nicely as a side to any of the larger plates. Another terrific pairing are Erin’s sweet biscuits with warm berry compote and honey butter. Slightly sweet, flaky – a must have breakfast selection ($6). We also tried the golf-ball shaped homemade chocolate-potato donuts. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but they were quite light, slightly sweet, and had tiny chunks of potato in the dough. An accompanying crème anglaise adds moisture ($1.50).

The cast-iron frittata with roasted cauliflower, olives and caramelized onion and Parmesan is wonderful, the piquant olives giving an unexpected flavor against the slightly crispy cauliflower ($7). The asparagus was slight crisp and not overly cooked.  A slight smoky flavor from the bacon went nicely with the vegetable. The eggs ran over everything making a lovely sauce ($8). There is a delicious hash on the menu, Moroccan chicken with spicy crème fraîche & over-easy egg. When the yolk breaks, the egg runs down and mixes with everything making a nice sauce ($10).

Life is short….enjoy every minute! -Miranda

Incredibly Simple...Fudgy Rocky Road Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 graham crackers
• 1 1/2 cups natural almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 cup marshmallow topping
• 1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with graham crackers, breaking them to fit if necessary. Bake until crackers are lightly toasted, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds and dollop with marshmallow topping.

2.       In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water, combine chocolate chips and condensed milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Pour chocolate mixture over marshmallow topping; working quickly, swirl together with a thin-bladed knife. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. Cut into 18 squares ...Enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

Ingredients
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
2 Tbl. milk
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Cream together the brown sugar, canned pumpkin, eggs, milk, butter and vanilla extract until the butter is well incorporated.  With your mixer on medium low speed, slowly add the dry sifted ingredients to the wet mixture.  Mix until just barely combined.  Be careful of over mixing.
Spray the donut pan with cooking spray and fill each donut mold halfway with the pumpkin batter.  Bake at 375 degrees for 6 – 8 minutes or until the exterior springs back when touched.  Allow to cool completely and top each donut with cinnamon glaze.

Cinnamon Glaze
½ cup powdered sugar
1 Tbl. milk
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Mix until smooth and creamy.  The glaze should pour easily from a spoon.  You may need to add additional milk or powder sugar to get the right consistency. Enjoy!

Delicious Mini Meat Loaves

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 3 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 tbsp dried dill
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup canned chicken stock or broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 pound ground chuck (81 percent lean)
• 1/2 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 pound ground lamb * if you cannot get lamb, you can use additional ground turkey sausage.
• 1/2 pound ground Italian turkey sausage
• 1/2 cup plain dry Italian bread crumbs
• 2 extra-large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup ketchup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and saute onions, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not brown. Off the heat, add the Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, onion mixture, bread crumbs, and eggs, and mix lightly with a fork. Don't mash or the meatloaf will be dense. Divide the mixture into 6 (10 to 11-ounce) portions and shape each portion into a small loaf on a sheet pan. Spread about a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each portion. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the internal temperature is about 155 to 160 degrees F and the meat loaves are cooked through.

The Ultimate Fall Comfort Food Casserole

Cheese and Broccoli Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

·                                 2 pounds broccoli, stems removed, large florets cut, yielding about 8 cups

·                                 Salt for blanching water

·                                 2 strips of thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips

·                                 1/3 cup all purpose flour

·                                 5 eggs, beaten

·                                 1/2 cup cream

·                                 1 cup whole milk

·                                 2 to 3 teaspoons of freshly cracked black pepper

·                                 1/2 teaspoon salt

·                                 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

·                                 8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (1 Tbsp salt for 2 quarts of water). Add the broccoli florets and boil for 3-5 minutes or until just tender enough so that a fork can easily pierce the floret, but still firm. Strain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.

2 While the water in step one is coming to a boil, cook the bacon pieces on medium heat in a frying pan until lightly browned, but not crisp. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess fat. Set aside.

3 Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. In a bowl, whisk the eggs into the flour, then whisk in the cream and milk. Add the black pepper (more or less to taste), salt, and mustard. Mix in about a third of the cheese.

4 Place the parboiled broccoli florets in the casserole dish, sprinkling about a third of the cheese over the broccoli florets as you lay them down. Sprinkle the bacon pieces over the broccoli. Pour the egg, cream, milk, cheese mixture over the broccoli, moving the broccoli pieces a bit so that the mixture gets into all the nooks and crannies. Sprinkle the casserole with the remaining cheese.

5 Bake for 25-40 minutes, or until set. Once the top has browned, you may want to tent with aluminum foil to keep from burning.

Delicious Fall Dessert

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Ingredients

2 1/2 c	all-purpose flour
1 tsp	baking powder
1 tsp	baking soda
1/2 tsp	salt
1 tsp	ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp	ground nutmeg
1/2 c	butter, softened
1 1/2 c	granulated sugar
1 c	solid pack pumpkin
1	egg
1 tsp	vanilla extract
1 c	fine chopped walnuts (opt)

Directions

1. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and vanilla; beat until light and creamy. Add dry ingredients; mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets (Silpat pads work well for this). Smooth tops of cookies (I use the bottom of a glass lightly floured). You can also place them in a pans shaped like pumpkins…William Sonoma has a really cute one. Bake in preheated 350 degree F. oven for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

2. These can be frosted with frosting of your choice. I don't have a recipe for the frosting, but I use a butter cream or cream cheese frosting. I do have the whoopie pie filling recipe though.

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temp.
6 TBS butter, at room temp.
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in small mixer bowl on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until light and fluffy.

Old Fashioned Gingerbread

1 cup of brown sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon each: ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ground cloves
1 cup molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup boiling water, measured in a 2 cup measuring cup
Powdered sugar
Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 350*. Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan. Blend the sugar and the shortening and mix in molasses. Add the baking soda to the boiling water and mix well. Combine the flour and the spices and sift. Combine the sugar- molasses mixture with the flour mixture and the baking soda-water liquid. Mix ingredients well and pour into prepared pan, Bake 45 minutes or until cake tester inserted in the center of the gingerbread comes out clean.  Cool an sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.

Super Simple Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:

2 cans (29-oz. each) pumpkin
3 1/2 cups sugar
pumpkin pie spice, to taste

Directions:

 Mix everything together in the slow cooker and cook overnight. I started it on high for an hour or so and then turned it to low. About 12 hours later I had delicious, smooth pumpkin butter that tastes great on toast.

For spicier variation of this slow cooker pumpkin butter click on the following link:thekitchenismyplayground.blogspot.com

Picture credits: thekitchenismyplayground.blogspot.com

Quick and Easy Pumpkin Pecan Dump Cake

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin puree
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
3 large eggs
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 (18 oz.) box yellow cake mix
1 - 1½ cups chopped pecans
1 cup butter, melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease bottom of 9x13″ pan. 

Mix pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.  Pour mixture into greased pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix over pumpkin mixture and top with pecans.  Drizzle melted butter over pecans. 

Bake 40-50 minutes or until edges brown.

Let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Creamy Low Fat Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried split peas
• 1 pound  low fat chicken sausage of your choice, cut into very small pieces
• 6 cans of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrot, cut into small cubes
• 1 cup chopped celery, cut into small pieces
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into very small pieces
• 1 tsp teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp sugar or agave nectar
• 2 tsp of Costco no salt seasoning
• 1 tbsp dried dill
• 1 tsp of turmeric
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, chopped very fine
• 1 bag of frozen peas
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 pieces of bacon cooked until crispy and chopped (optional)

Directions

  In a large pan coated with 1 tsp oil, brown chicken sausage, carrots, potatoes and celery.

 In a large pot add dried split peas, chicken broth, all seasonings, and chicken sausage mixture.

   Cover, and cook on medium for approximately 2 hours, or until spilt peas are soft.

  Add the frozen bag of peas and cook for 30 minutes more. 

   Using a potato masher, smash cooked peas until most are incorporated. 

   Remove bay leaves before ladling into bowls.

   Serve with a handful of crunchy croutons and 1 tsp of crumpled crispy bacon on top…yum!

Low Fat Cream of Potato Soup

 

If you love creamy potato soup you gotta give this recipe a try. Really good! Instead of heavy cream and a lot of fattening cheese I use light laughing cow wedges and low fat sour cream. Each wedge of laughing cow cheese is only 35 calories. You can find laughing cow in most grocery stores.  Costco has the best price for 3 boxes at about $7.  This soup freezes great as well!

Here is what you need to make this creamy potato soup recipe:

(Serves 6)

 4 large potatoes - You can peel this if you want, but I didn't because I love the skin for its flavor and nutrition.
4 cloves of garlic smashed and finely minced
2 onions finely chopped
1 box of 32 oz.  chicken broth
12 laughing cow wedges (Costco sells 3 boxes for about $7)
4 tablespoons of low fat or fat free cream
1 tbsp  of garlic powder  and onion powder
1 tbsp sugar (sugar helps to bind the flavors)
1 tbsp dried dill
1 tbsp Costco no salt seasoning
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt 
1 tsp paprika
Dash of extra virgin olive oil
4 pieces of apple smoked bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped (optional-the 4 pieces add some fat, but once it s divided among all the servings it is minimal)
Croutons for top
* You may want to adjust your seasonings after cooking and add more if you want to up the flavor. You can add mushrooms or smoked ham for new twist)

Chop your potatoes and onion and garlic.

Put some extra virgin olive oil (only need a about a teaspoon or so)in a pot and turn heat to medium and throw in your chopped potato, onion, and garlic.
Cook for about 10 minutes stirring often (about every 2-3minutes).

 Flavor with some sea salt and pepper and light dash of garlic powder and onion powder.

 Add your box of organic chicken broth and stir well. Allow this to cook on medium heat for about 45-60 minutes allowing your potatoes to get really soft.

 Once your potatoes are soft take your hand masher - or if you don't have that a large spoon and mash your potatoes lightly into the broth.

Next add your laughing cow cheese, and your sour cream and stir well allowing this to melt (should take about 5 minutes or so) you can turn your heat to medium low right now while you are stirring often with a whisk and waiting for the laughing cow to melt all the way.  Continue to whisk for another 5 minutes and stir in the crispy bacon pieces (optional). Cover and let simmer on low for another 15 minutes stirring often. 

You will want to taste it to see if it needs anymore salt and pepper - if it does add accordingly to taste. Sprinkle with some cheese or garlic croutons and serve. Enjoy!

Something Delicious is Baking in Washougal!

        Evergreen Pieway Bakery & Restaurant

	3010 Evergreen Way, Washougal, WA 98671
	360-835-1267
	Hours: Mon-Sun 7:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m.
	Who would have known it? A local bakery in Washougal, Washington owned by a family that I have known since I was in grad school.  I have been driving past this bakery for weeks wanting to stop and check out what they have to offer.  Finally, last night after work I had the opportunity to stop by and was I happy that I did.  When I came inside I was welcomed with a friendly greeting.  One of the customers said that she recognized me and asked if I had went to Evergreen High School.  We got to talking and come to find out we went to school together.  At that point the manager said that he was a few years before us, but we may know his little sister.  His "little" sister was one of my "little" sister's good friends in school.  A quick stop that should have been about 10 minutes ended up being an hour talking about old times.  The assortment of  goodies at the bakery is incredible and if you walk down the sidewalk to the actual restaurant, a glass case the size of a small car bursting with fresh baked, cinnamon rolls, breads, cookies, muffins, and a long list of treats too numerous to list.  I picked up some of the peanut butter chocolate chip, peanut butter, chocolate chip, gingersnap, and  snicker doodle cookies.  They are huge and you get a dozen for $7.00.  The are amazing!  I also bought some single serve sized loaves of sourdough bread hot and fresh from the oven as well as a variety of other single serving sized loaves of apple cinnamon and wheat bread.  The warm sourdough loaves were a terrific addition to our dinner last night and for a $1 a loaf -what a bargain. Larger sized loaves of bread range from $4.00-$4.25.  If you have the time to drive down to Washougal to pick up some of the delectable baked goods...you will not be sorry. The prices are reasonable and it is always nice to support our hometown, homegrown businesses.  Bon Appetite!

Mac! on Mississippi in Portland, Oregon...New variations on an old comfort food!

                 You've Got to check it out...

Fried Mac & Cheese Balls!

3969 N. Mississippi Ave. Portland, OR

503.200.5787

http://macmaccheesery.yolasite.com/menu.php

Spicy Chicken Mac & Cheese 

Chubby Hubby Bars...Sweet and Salty Yumminess!

Ingredients

2 C Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 C unsalted butter (room temp)

1 C light brown sugr

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 eggs

2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 C peanut butter

1 C semi sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C of coarsley chopped pretzels

1/4 C peanut butter chips (for top)

1/4 C semi sweet chocolate chips (for top)

1/4 C of chopped pretzels (for top)

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 350. Foil line and spray a 9X13" pan. In a bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter and both sugars at medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients just until incorporated. I stirred in some chunky peanut butter eye balled about 1/4 cup or so,1 cup chocolate chips and 1 1/2 cups pretzel pieces.

2.   Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle peanut butter chips, 1/4 chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped pretzels.

3.   Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely.

2011 Portland Greek Festival

http://www.goholytrinity.org/cGreekFest.html

The Portland Greek Festival will celebrate its 60th year this weekend with events Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Northeast Portland.

The event, which features everything from church tours to music and dancing and lots of authentic food, is put on by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, at Northeast Glisan Street and 32nd Avenue.
.

The festival started as a fundraiser when Greek immigrants who moved to Portland relocated from their first church in Southeast Portland to the site on Glisan. They needed a way to pay the mortgage, so the women held a bazaar, showcased their culture, and sold food and pastries.
 Today, the event is one of the largest of its kind.

It will run from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Gyros, souvlakis, dolmathes, children's events, shopping booths and live entertainment.

Tin Shed Restaurant

i

Tin Shed Restaurant-A great place for food and fellowship!

Terri, Judy, Cheri, Me, and Stacey

The Tin Shed is an Alberta Street classic. Brunches are incredibly hearty with lots of eggs, potatoes, gravy, and all the other things you get up in the morning for. The rest of their offerings include: decadent burgers, creative sandwiches, homemade soups and salads pastas and more.

Potato Cakes with Rosemary Gravy and Buttermilk Biscuits...Yummy Deliciousness!

There are many factors that make this place so popular here are a few: vegetarian friendly, kid friendly (everything on the kids menu is $2) pet friendly (they even have a doggie menu), a gorgeous covered garden patio with a central fireplace. Crowds flock here for all these amenities, so prepare to wait on the weekends.

 

Stuffed Breakfast Burrito with Cheesy Grits

If you get there by 8:30, you will more than likely be seated right away.  When we left at 10:30, there was a line that stretched down the sidewalk...so be early if you want to be seated quickly ;-) 

Looked so good that two of the ladies ordered the breakfast scramble
with asparagus,garlic, bacon, tomatoes. 
Comes with a side of potato cakes and a buttermilk biscuit.

Service was terrific....really friendly and upbeat. You could tell the food was made from scratch...just simply delicious!

Breakfast scramble with mushrooms, zucchini, onions, sausage, cheese and eggs. 

Topped with rosemary gravy...tasty!

A really laid back, realxed atmosphere that you will love.  I recommend this restaurant to all of my foodie friends out there!