[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

I wonder if they’re beginning to think I’m a creeper or something at the fruit market. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I was there every day – and sometimes twice a day, yesterday I showed up with my camera. They didn’t say anything, but they sure did look at me funny. I just want you all to know that this is how much I love you guys – just one of the free services that I provide.

I actually made my second trip to the market yesterday because hubby wanted a baked potato for dinner and I didn’t have any bakers on hand. I had already been once in the morning and picked up some peas for dinner with the intention of blogging about those peas today.

When I got back to the market, though, they had put out these “fresh dug” baby potatoes and I decided hubby would just have to deal because there was no way I wasn’t buying, cooking and eating these bad boys for dinner. At the same time, I knew I was going to have to bring my “A” game if I didn’t want to hear “Hey! Where’s my baked potato?”

You see, potatoes are kind of a big deal around here. So much so, that my hubby and the girls have taken to referencing them as “my potato, my precious” every time they’re mentioned.

So anyhow, that’s exactly what I did; I bought them, cooked them, and ate them. And, I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but I did totally bring my “A” game. These completely blew us away. As a matter of fact, they were so . . . so . . . well, so precious that I tabled the peas for another day.

Grilled New Potatoes

2 pounds of baby potatoes (white, gold, or red)
1/4 cup salt
4 teaspoons of vegetable or olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
1/4-1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
3-5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Wash potatoes and cover with water. Add salt to the water and bring to a boil. Boil for 20-25 minutes.

I know this is a lot of salt, but you won’t be eating all of it. Adding it to the water like this is a trick I learned from a recipe that is local to the New York area and it really makes seasoning the potatoes much easier.

Remove potatoes from heat. Drain and rinse. Feel free to do everything up to this step ahead of time. Then, when it’s closer to dinner time you can complete the recipe in 10 minutes or so. This really speeds up dinner time!

Cut the potatoes in half. Ignore my florescent pink nail polish. I like bright summery colors, but this pink is a little over the top.

Pour 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil in the bottom of a large empty bowl and add the halved potatoes. Make sure you move the potatoes around really well, you want to make sure the white part of each potato has some oil on it, because these will stick to the grill easily.This step is really important if you don’t want all the potato guts left on the grill.

Allow your grill to heat to medium-high heat.
Place the potatoes, skin side up, on the grill. Now, here’s what I do. After I get the potatoes on the grill I go back and give each little potato a little push-shove with my tongs to make sure it’s not sticking to the grill. Giving them a minute to cook before I do this makes sure that I get the crispy little brown marks, but saves the potatoes from totally melding to the grate for life.

Allow the potatoes to cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. During this time I go in and chop up my herbs and prepare the bowl.

Gently turn the potatoes over and allow them to heat the rest of the way through – about 4-5 more minutes.

After I flip the potatoes over, I put the garlic cloves right on the grill. If you have a garlic press there is really no need to peel them ahead of time, but make sure they don’t fall through the cracks! Watch them closely and turn frequently to avoid scorching. The skin part might get a little black, but that’s fine. I used three garlic cloves, but that’s because I was feeding the kids. Hubby and I agreed that more garlic would have been fine with us.

Meanwhile, add another 1-2 teaspoons of oil to the bottom of the bowl. Add the herbs and seasonings, and half the cheese.

When the potatoes are heated completely through add them to the bowl. Run the garlic cloves through a press and add to the potatoes – the garlic should be soft and golden colored – and it will smell divine.

Gently toss to mix and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Here is the recipe without pictures (and special thanks to my hubby for installing the recipe card plug-in!)

That’s correct. A germaphobe’s worst nightmare – it’s pitch-in potluck dinner month. It all starts with a holiday, then it’s summer BBQs, family reunions, church suppers and block parties every weekend.

For some folks, figuring out something to take to these events is not hard. They just always take the same thing. Everytime. For some, it’s potato salad. For others it’s cheesy potatoes. I’ve even been guilty of doing this from time to time. But I got to tell you, after I’ve made 8 batches of cheesy potatoes, it’s o.k. with me if I never see another cheesy potato as long as I live – let alone eat one.

You have to admit, sometimes you just need to take something different. Sometimes they may even ask you to bring something different. Finding out you’ve been assigned to dessert when you always make the veggie tray can be downright frustrating.

This is why I’ve decided to try and focus on a few wonderful dishes that you can add to your potluck arsenal. And today we’re starting with the important stuff – dessert.

Now, if you are in a bind and need a different idea right now for something that isn’t a dessert you can try out one of these:

Vegetable Blondies

Creamy Spanish Rice Bake

Cucumber Salad (Sassy Cuke Salad)

Ranch Pretzels

Or even last weeks Two Cheese Dip or Marinated Mozzarella would work well.

But not today. Today we’re going to talk about chocolate. And coffee. And Oreos.

This recipe has actually been over in the articles section of Angie’s Pangies for a while. Yeah, I know, I forget that the article section is there, too.  There are quite a few goodies over there. I don’t update it any longer, but I haven’t taken anything down, either. Check it out when you have a minute or two.

Tiramisu Brownie Trifle

10-12 Servings

1 package (19-21ounces) Brownie Mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like Brownies)
1 C Milk
1/4 C Instant coffee granules
1- 12 ounce container of Frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
2 packages (3.4 ounce) Cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
20 Chocolate creme-filled sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1/4 C Grated or shaved semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

First prepare the brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies.  The directions say to use a bigger box of brownies than what I have in the picture. I didn’t realize that until it was too late, so you’ll just have to pretend I made the bigger box of brownies.

I know you’re looking at the hole in these brownies. Although it probably doesn’t need any explanation – this is what happens when you have one 11 year old girl (Ahem, LILLY!) who has no self control around chocolate, one Mom who is busy out by the bonfire with her friends (and a margarita) and one pan of brownies left alone on the cooling rack in the kitchen. Oh well, just cut around the Lilly finger marks and carry on.

So, anyhow. Let the brownies cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, cut brownies into 1 inch squares. Place half of the brownies in the bottom of a 3 quart bowl or a trifle bowl.

Trifle bowls are basically bowls on pedestals. I picked this one up very inexpensively at a big box store. If you don’t have one or don’t want to buy one just use a regular glass bowl.

Don’t worry about these being in perfect squares, just crumble them up and try to cover most of the bottom.

In a medium bowl, combine milk and instant coffee granules; stir until dissolved. Add half of the whipped topping and pudding mix; whisk until smooth.

At our house, we call these Papaw Cookies. When Katie was little she would drag them out of my parent’s cabinet over and over and over again and yell “Papaw! Cookies!” until he would give in and give her an Oreo. I don’t think it took a lot of convincing on her part, honestly. Oreos are completely awesome.

Of course, he thought she was completely awesome. She was pretty darn cute, wasn’t she?

Must be all the family reunions making me feel nostalgic. Sorry. Back to the recipe now.

Chop the sandwich cookies and mix into mixture. If you notice the picture is blurry it’s just the sugar rush affecting my ability to hold the camera still.

Spread half the filling over the brownies in bowl. This is the part where it starts to get really yummy.

Repeat with the remaining brownies.

And top with the rest of the filling mix and whipped topping. Use a cheese grater to coarsely grate chocolate over the top, or use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls from cold chocolate. I just garnished with some extra cookies this time

Cover and chill for 2-4 hours before serving.

Here is the recipe again, without pictures.

Tiramisu Brownie Trifle

10-12 Servings

1 package (19-21ounces) Brownie Mix (plus ingredients to make cake-like Brownies)
1 C Milk
1/4 C Instant coffee granules
1- 12 ounce container of Frozen whipped topping, thawed and divided
2 packages (3.4 ounce) Cheesecake instant pudding and pie filling
20 Chocolate creme-filled sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
1/4 C Grated or shaved semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Prepare brownie mix according to package directions for cake-like brownies.  Let brownies cool completely on a wire rack.  When cool, cut brownies into 1 inch squares.  Place half of the brownies in the bottom of a 3 quart bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine milk and instant coffee granules; stir until dissolved.  Add half of the whipped topping and pudding mix; whisk until smooth.  Add chopped sandwich cookies into mixture.  Spread half the filling over the brownies in bowl.

Repeat with the remaining brownies, topping with the rest of the filling mix and whipped topping.  Use a cheese grater to coarsely grate chocolate over the top, or use a vegetable peeler to make chocolate curls from cold chocolate.  Sprinkle cinnamon over the top.

Cover and chill for 2-4 hours before serving.

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

Guess what I found at the market?!!?

The first fresh green beans of the the season!

Aren’t they awesome? I just knew you’d be as happy as I was. I could barely wait to get over here and show them to you because I knew you would understand. I know the picture is a bit blurry, but I was so excited I couldn’t even hold the camera still. O.k, that’s not 100% true, but I was pretty excited.

I was so completely geeked over these fresh green beans that I bought two giant bags full. Hubby and I have been eating them every night since. Yes. Really.

When I cook green beans this way, we like to eat them as a snack when we watch television. They’re like french fries – sort of. They stay crunchy, but they’re not crispy and they probably wouldn’t taste great with ketchup. But, hey, you might like them with ketchup – to each his own, ya know?

I like mine really salty and I could probably eat an entire pound all by myself.  Let me know what you think, won’t you?

Angie Pangie’s Green Fries

1-2 pounds of fresh green beans, trimmed
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Start off by trimming your green beans. You can snap them the way my Grandma taught me to do, or you can cut the ends off with a knife. I like to cut them with a knife because I can do a bunch at one time and it goes much faster.

Wash them . . .

and dry them.

When they are dry, place them on a baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. You don’t want them to be super greasy, so just a dab will do ya. You could probably even get away with just spraying these with cooking oil. But, I haven’t tried that – yet.

Add salt and pepper and mix the beans up really well to get them coated with the oil and the seasoning. I have added other seasonings in the past, but we just didn’t care for them, so now I just stick with chocolate and vanilla – er, I mean salt and pepper. Still, you gotta wonder if it wouldn’t be good to add a little crushed red pepper? Well, if you try that let me know, o.k.?

Spread the beans out in a single layer and bake them for about 12-13 minutes.

Take the pan out and carefully flip the beans over. They’re really hot, so watch out! Put them back in the oven for another 12-13 minutes.

The green beans are done when they are shriveled and have noticeable brown spots. Total cooking time is usually about 25 minutes. These are good piping hot and at room temp. Since we like to eat them as finger food, I usually let them cool off a bit before serving. But, as a side dish at dinner, you can eat them with a fork. If you want to.

Here’s the recipe again without pics:

1-2 pounds of fresh green beans, trimmed
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil
Salt
Black pepper

Trim, wash and dry the green beans.

Drizzle with oil and lay in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake at 400F degrees for 20-25 minutes, turning once half way through the cooking time.

Serve hot or slightly cooled.

“Did she really just post a recipe for sour cream and cheese?”

“Um, yeah, I’m going to put that out right next to the wine glasses. Classy. Real classy, Angie Pangie.”

And, yes, it is possible that I  am losing my mind, but I kept hearing imaginary critics talking about how strange it is that I would suggest they serve simplistic sour cream and shredded cheese to their guests.

I’ve been trying very hard to ignore those voices. I love yesterday’s recipe. Plus I didn’t want to get off the couch and also because I already worry too much about what other people think . . . wait, never mind. Sometimes there really is a limit to what you should blog about. I’m still learning that lesson.

Anyhow. I agree, yesterday’s recipe – while very wonderful tasting – isn’t exactly a ‘high-end’ recipe.

It’s simple and yummy, yes.

Is it showy and classy?Not so much.

It’s all about priorities I figure. I want to read my book and lay on the couch, not spend all day cooking for my friends. But, still the voices (is it my inner critic I wonder?) wouldn’t stop and so here I go . . .

*Angie Pangie flops her book on the table and moves into the kitchen*

Today, I give you a pretty recipe that you can throw together in a matter of minutes. Thus allowing you to quickly move thyself out of the kitchen and back to the couch with your book this weekend. Or, to the picnic table with your friends. Or, to the swimming pool with your kids. Wherever you want to be.

Marinated Mozzarella

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 Tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon creshed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon minced chives
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound mozzarella cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

Start by cutting your cubes into 1 inch pieces.  I’ve used a skim version of mozzarella here. I do think the “fully loaded” mozz has a better flavor, but I really like what the scales say when I skip the whole milk fat.

In a quart sized zippered bag, combine the first 7 ingredients.

You’ll want to cut the tomatoes, parsley and chives into small pieces. You don’t want big chunks, and you’ll thank me later when you don’t have that parsley stuck between your teeth as you talk to your neighbor’s slightly stand-offish husband.

I know you think this is about to be a McCormick’s commercial, don’t you? I guess it could be, but it’s not. It’s just a picture. I like pictures.

Add the cheese cubes, seal the bag and turn the bag to coat the cheese.

Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes. I like to leave it in the fridge a day or two, if possible. This lets the flavors really meld.

When you do take this out of the fridge, let the bag sit on the counter for 30 minutes or more.  This cheese is better served at room temperature and letting it sit out will let any olive oil that turned solid in the fridge to warm up and become liquid again.

Transfer the cheese cubes to a serving dish and serve with toothpicks.

I want to be selfish lazy and enjoy my holiday weekend by lounging. But, when it got right down to it I knew that there was no way a 4th of July could come and go without seeing some of our friends.

Unfortunately, waiting until the last minute didn’t leave a lot of time for menu planning, shopping for gourmet ingredients, or any extensive party planning.  I have a few recipes that are perfect for this type of situation. You know, the scenario where I wait until the very last minute before saying “Shhhhure! Come on over, I’ll make some goodies and we’ll have a Margarita or two!”

This dip is one of them since it fits into all of the following categories:

Simple

Fast

Tasty

Crowd Pleaser

Start with a cup of sour cream. It’s o.k. to use a low calorie or low fat version. I’ve been trying to trim a few inches off my hips, so this is “Light Sour Cream”

Then, grate and mix in 4 ounces of white cheddar cheese. Extra sharp is very good in this recipe, but other versions will work too. This, by the way, is not “Light Cheddar Cheese”.

Once I’ve shredded this, 4 ounces works out to just under a loosely packed cup. Perhaps shredding it made the calories jump out. Hmm. I know, not likely.

Add a tablespoon of grated Parmesan. I keep a blend of Parmesan, Asagio and Romano in the fridge, so that’s what I use.

Add some kosher salt. I skipped this step once – I wouldn’t recommend that you skip it. I mean, feel free to skip it if you like totally bland food, but otherwise add the salt.  Add some black pepper

. . . and

That’s IT! Seriously!! Store it in the fridge for up to two days.

One of the other great things about this dip is that it is FANTASTIC on lots of stuff! Of course you’ll want to eat it with crackers and the normal dipping veggies. But, one of my favorite uses for this dip is to plop some right on top of my baked potato. I mean, afterall, it is just cheese and sour cream, right? But, for some reason this particular combination of cheeses and sour cream are outstanding. Don’t forget the butter!

Hubba hubba. So much for trimming up my hips, eh?

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

Some of you may remember from a while back with my grape tomatoes when I mentioned that sometimes I let my produce go a little past it’s prime. I don’t necessarily do it on purpose, but especially at this time of the year, I just get caught up in the freedom of not having a strict schedule and before I know it Tuesday night’s dinner plan has been moved to . . . oh, I don’t know, Saturday night’s dinner. Usually because I haven’t cooked since last Monday. But that’s another story for another day.

That’s what happened with these sad mushrooms. They were on sale for $1 and I couldn’t not buy them when they were only$1, but I kept not using them. Of course, many folks would toss them. But, that’s not my style.

Instead, I think I’ll just cook ‘em and eat ‘em.

Today’s recipe is especially nice if your mushrooms aren’t really looking great for your salad, but are still fresh enough to eat (don’t try to cook anything slimy, that would not be a good thing.) I like to cook them on the grill in a little makeshift pan I make out of aluminum foil, but they also are great mixed in with kabobs or alone on kabobs or you can even roast them in the oven – if you feel so inclined.

Here is my little makeshift pan. I know they sell nice pans for this, but I don’t have one of those. If you have one, by all means, use it. If you don’t, just make a pan out of foil like I have. Personally, I’d like to have a pan, but I want a lot of stuff and sometimes you just gotta make tough choices, ya know? Anyhow. Moving right along.

Grilled Ranch Mushrooms

Adapted from the Hidden Valley Ranch People

1 pound fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 envelope or 3 tablespoons of ranch seasoning

Start out by cleaning your mushrooms. A lot of folks say you shouldn’t wash mushrooms, but just use a brush to knock off the dirt. Personally, I wash mine.

Mainly you aren’t supposed to wash mushrooms because they are somewhat absorbant and since you don’t want them to absorb the water you are washing them in, you’re told not to wash them at all. Makes perfect sense . . . or not. Just wash them and dry them off. They’re under water for such a short period of time that there really isn’t a big risk of them soaking up anything significant. Nor will washing with water affect the taste of this recipe (and most others).

Now, if you want to slice some mushrooms for a salad you might want to skip the washing part because they can turn brown pretty quickly after you wash them. Again, I’m not eating a fungus that hasn’t been washed, but that’s up to you. Anyhow, clean your mushrooms and place them in a zippered bag.

Add the oil, water, balsamic vinegar and ranch seasoning to the bag and close the top. Give the bag a real good shake or two and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes or so. Now we want them to absorb stuff.

After 30 minutes have past, warm the grill to medium, put your pan on the grill and let it warm up. Dump everything from the bag into the pan and shut the grill lid.

After about 3 or 4 minutes, check the mushrooms. They usually take about 10-12 minutes to cook, but you should push them around a bit every few minutes to keep them from sticking while cooking.

When the mushrooms are starting to brown and get slightly soft remove them with tongs. Discard the leftover marinade after it has cooled off.

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

Got Zucchini?

As the season winds down and the vegetable stands in our area switch to squash, pumpkins, onions and apples – I’m left with fewer local fresh veggie options. But, just about everyone still has a few of those monster zukes left . . . a lot of the farmers are giving them away now. Hey, I never pass up free vegetables. Never. Not even a zucchini.

I’m pretty bummed because my neighbor didn’t grow any tomatoes this year. Last year she grew so many that after she couldn’t stand canning one more day she gave me the leftovers. Her leftovers were enough to keep me and mine in tomato sauce for a full year. I stopped by the other day to tell her how much we appreciated the tomatoes last year (hint, hint, hint) and she told me she skipped growing tomatoes this year since they still hadn’t finished all of last year’s harvest. As I jumped back into my truck she called after me . . . “Hey you want some of this zucchini?”

But, what do you do with all this zucchini after you’ve sauteed, grilled, shredded, baked, deep fried, mixed in chocolate and made enough bread for a small army?

You make Vegetable Blondies.

What, you might ask is a Vegetable Blondie? Well, a “blondie” is simply a moist and chewy non-chocolate bar cookie. A vegetable blondie is a moist, chewy, non-chocolate vegetable bar.

They don’t sound all that appetizing when you describe it that way, do they? Just stick with blondie and you’ll be fine. And. I promise you – they are tasty, tasty. And, they have so many benefits it’s a little overwhelming. Let’s see . . .

(Angie Pangie begins counting with her fingers)
Low-Carb
High Taste
Excellent served hot. Taste good at room-temp. Great cold!
Portable. Take them to a pitch-in potluck. (Up here in Michigan it’s a potluck, back home in Indy? A pitch-in.)
Full of scrumptious, good-for-you, delectable and fragrant vegetables that make your mouth water.
Super simple to make.
Oh yeah. And they use a bunch of zucchini.

You better get to mixing. These are perfect to take along as an appetizer, but we love them for lunch, with dinner, as a snack . . . whenever. We just want to eat them!!

Vegetable Blondies

Adapted from Recipezaar

3 cups zucchini, grated and well-drained
1 large carrot, grated
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, grated (or more, if desired)
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted

Heat oven to 350ºF.

This recipe takes a little bit of work because you have to grate all the zucchini and the carrot.  It goes pretty quickly with a mandoline grater attachment or even a baby food-processor.  You can always resort to the old school tower of doom, if you must.  Any which way you go about it make sure your zucchini is well drained. You can squeeze it inside a clean towel or paper towel after you grate it.

Grease bottom and sides of a 13X9 rectangular pan.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, pepper sauce, herbs, garlic and vegetables.
Add the  ingredients and stir into liquid mixture.
Stir in melted butter.

Spread mixture evenly into pan.
Sprinkle a small amount of additional grated cheddar cheese over top, if desired.
Bake about 30 – 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool slightly, cut into tiny small squares.  These are wonderful served with sour cream on the side.

[Saturday Sides is a weekly feature I run to help you combat the side dish blahs. Check here Saturdays to see what’s new and different you can add to your dinner table. Or, you can subscribe here so that you never miss a Saturday Sides Recipe.]

When you’ve been married for as long as I have and you and your husband both work at home it gets pretty hard to have anything new to tell each other. I mean; I know who he talks to on the phone during the day, I’m 14 inches away from him as he types each email of the day and every time he sneezes I hand him the tissues because they’re on my side of the table. Add to this that we send each other text messages no less than once every 2.4 minutes when we do have to be apart – and well – there just isn’t anything that happens that I’m not getting the low-down on in real time.

Frankly, I don’t mind. We’re best friends and when we’re apart it feels very strange. All the same, when I do learn something new about my hubby it comes as quite a surprise.

Take today’s Saturday Side for instance. I had no idea that Hubby didn’t care for turnips. And, when I found out I was in utter shock. Not because – well – because he doesn’t like them, but because I didn’t. already. know.

How does that happen?

I know when this man last clipped his big toe-nail and what he had for lunch every day this month, but I didn’t know he doesn’t like turnips?

Wow.

Well, personally I do like turnips and I really liked this dish. It has sweet apples, precious potatoes and obviously, it has turnips. If you aren’t a turnip lover please go tell your spouse RIGHT NOW! It’s important!!

After you do that, you might consider changing the ratio of turnips to potatoes from instead of 1 pound of potatoes and one pound of turnips using just 1/2 pound turnips and  1- 1/2 pounds potatoes.

If you’re ready to try something really unique and really challenge yourself, this is it folks. I ate the leftovers every day until they were gone – and I was sad when there weren’t any more.  They are completely wonderful. I might need to go make another batch right now.

Apple-Turnip Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from Southern Living Magazine

1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound Yukon Gold variety potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2-3/4 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)
2 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons (about 3 slices) of crumbled bacon (I used real bacon bits)
Salt and pepper

Cover the turnips and potatoes with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.

Remember, if you are not that into turnips, or if you feel the need to be less adventurous, just use 1 1/2 pounds of potatoes and 1 pound of turnips. It’s o.k., I won’t give you a hard time.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chopped apples and garlic. Saute until tender and fragrant.

O.k., so at this point it smelled so divine in my kitchen I nearly stopped making the recipe and just ate “Garlicky Apples”. Who knew that garlic and apples would be so right together? It was like chocolate and peanut butter or french fries and ketchup.

I busted out singing “We go together like rama lama lama ka ding a da ding de dong” – and yes, like every girl my age I do love the musical Grease. And, like every teen that has ever existed my daughter Katie just rolled her eyes and said something like “Ma-OHM Puh-LEASE! It’s soooo embarressing when you SING.” At which point, I started dancing too. She never appreciates me, but I haven’t given up hope just yet.

When you are done singing and dancing, drain the potatoes and turnips and pour them into a large bowl. Add the butter and apple mixture and begin gently mashing. Slowly add the buttermilk until you have the right consitency.

Stir in the bacon, thyme and use salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately. These warm up well, so alternatively you can make them ahead and microwave them before serving.

Here’s the recipe without pictures (and my narrative):

Apple-Turnip Mashed Potatoes

1 pound turnips, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 pound Yukon Gold variety potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 medium Golden Delicious apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2-3/4 cup buttermilk (or sour milk)
2 tablespoon softened butter
2 tablespoons (about 3 slices) of crumbled bacon (I used real bacon bits)
Salt and pepper

Cover the turnips and potatoes with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the chopped apples and garlic. Saute until tender and fragrant.

Drain the potatoes and turnips and pour them into a large bowl. Add the butter and apple mixture and beging gently mashing. Slowly add the buttermilk until you have the right consitency.

Stir in the bacon, thyme and use salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately. These warm up well, so alternatively you can make them ahead and microwave them before serving.

One of the reasons I love this recipe is because it is quite simple to make for just one person. Since I’m not a big fan of fish and Hubby actually really does like fish, this is a great recipe when I want to make him something fast that he loves.

Having said that, if you want to make this for more than one person, just double or triple the ingredients to make however much you need.

Now, most people you cook this for won’t realize that this is a very simple recipe, mainly because it looks so fancy. It can even sound dressed up, if you want it to – calling it Fish en Papillote will make everyone think you’ve really gone gourmet (or you can just call it fish in parchment, or just baked fish, if you want.)

Let me show you how to make this . . .

Fish en Papillote

First, lay out a large piece of parchment paper. Now, if you don’t have parchment paper in your kitchen, you really should. But, never mind that, you can use aluminum foil instead. Use about ½ to 1 tsp. of butter or margarine and butter the paper.

Now, slice a medium peeled potato, half a lemon and an onion into thin slices (that’s right everyone – pull out your mandoline!)
Put the thinly sliced potatoes into a single layer on a dish and microwave for a minute or two to soften them up. While they are cooking make sure you remove the lemon seeds from the lemon wheels.

And I just wanted to throw in here that I really like calling the lemon slices lemon wheels. I just think that’s fun. And, a great name since they really do look like little yellow wheels.

In a small bowl, mix:
1/2 tbsp. Butter or margarine
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (you can use the other half of the lemon)
1 tsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. dill weed
¼ tsp. salt
Dash of pepper

Microwave this all for 30-45 seconds, or until the butter is melted.

Now, lay the potatoes over the buttered paper (or foil!). You could also add blanched carrots or red peppers here – if you have them. That would be really amazing! Sadly, I didn’t have those things when I made this batch.

Lay a 4oz white fish fillet over the top of the potatoes. Here I’ve used tilapia.

Carefully drizzle the butter mixture over the top of the fish.

Put a layer of onion rings over the butter. Then a layer of lemon wheels (tee hee!!)

Close up the paper by folding the top over, and rolling the edges together to crimp them. They don’t need to be perfect, but you do want them to stay closed.

Now place the fish on a baking sheet.

Bake your fish in the oven at 450F degrees for about 10-15 minutes. If you have a meat thermometer, the internal temperature of the fish should be 140-150 degrees when it is done. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’re looking for firm white fish that easily flakes with a fork.

You know I’m obliged to tell you how much you really need a meat thermometer, right? O.k., enough said. Moving right along. (Gosh, they really aren’t even that expensive! And, they are soooo handy at Thanksgiving and when you want your steak medium, but can’t tell if it’s rare . . . O.k.! O.k.! I’m done here!)

Carefully open the paper and slide a spatula under the fish to move it to a plate. Feel free to drizzle the lemon sauce over the top, if you would like. Alternatively, you can put the paper directly on your plate, cut it open and serve it just like that. Pretty spiffy, eh?

Now, for the purposes of photography I have moved the potatoes out from under the fish here. Remembering that I don’t really eat this, I’ll just tell you what Bob said – it went a little something like “Don’t do that. The potatoes are awesome under the fish, but when the lemon sauce gets drizzled on them they are yuck.” So, there you have it, leave the potatoes under the fish.

*****
Ingredient list, without instructions:

1 tsp. plus 1/2 tbsp. butter or margarine, divided
1 sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil
1/2 medium potato
1/2 lemon
1/2 small white onion
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. dill weed
¼ tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
4oz white fish fillet

And maybe you remember how,by the end of Lent, I was done making fish?

I know I remember it. I’m so glad that’s over.

Welp, the other day I was asking a member of my focus group if I should re-visit the Lent series and her comment was something along the lines of “Uh. You hate fish.”

Well, there is that, but I’d really like to offer some lent . . . er what?

Oh, what’s that you say? You’re wondering how I ended up with a focus group that doesn’t include the people who live in my house? Well, I guess I don’t technically have a focus group, but I have something very close.

I lucked into having this great group of online friends who are more than happy to tell me what they want; whether it’s a new weekly veggie dish, or whether it is making easy pot-luck dishes. And, when I have an idea I bounce it off of them.

Personally I think the best part is that they’re pretty light on the criticism, which is good, since I hate criticism (I always tell people if they don’t like it I don’t care – which isn’t exactly true – if I didn’t care I wouldn’t mind the criticism, but that’s beside the point.)

Don’t worry though, it’s easy to tell if a recipe is a dud because when my friends fall silent I know that  they’re probably thinking something like

“I think I’ll skip the pork stuffed turnips, thanks anyway Angie Pangie.”

or maybe

“I think any recipe named meat nests is probably a bad idea.”

Yeah, looking back, that was definitely not one of my brighter cooking moments.

So anyhow, getting back to my story, my focus group/friend/non-critical critic reminded me how sick I was of making fish last year and she suggested that “It might not be bad to intersperse it with vegetarian dishes, if you have any on hand.”

Isn’t she brilliant? I think so, too.

So. That’s exactly what I’m going to do! I know I can’t be the ONLY person in the world who just can’t stand the thought of fish every Friday for the next 30-some days.

First up? A creamy Spanish rice dish with beans. Personally, I’m not big on food that “looks-a-mess”. This means it’s likely I’m not going to eat casseroles or jambalaya (at least, not without closing my eyes). This dish definitely does fit into the looks-a-mess category, but if you can get past that I think you’ll be happy you did. This is superb served with tortilla chips, or even rolled into a soft tortilla.

Creamy Spanish Rice Bake

1 1/2 Cups long grain white rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken if you aren’t going for a vegetarian dish)
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups salsa
2 oz of chopped green chiles (this is half a small can, drained)
1 1/2 cups frozen whole kernel corn or an 11oz can, drained
1 cup water
1 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 to 2 cups prepared pinto or black beans, rinsed and drained (canned is fine)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Mexican blend is good, too)

In a large bowl mix together the first 8 ingredients (rice, soup, cream cheese, salsa, chiles, corn, water and chili powder) until smooth. I used pinto beans in this picture, but black beans give this dish a wonderful flavor. If you’re feeling really adventurous feel free to use half pinto and half black beans. Now that would really be something!

I warned you that it wasn’t terribly appetizing looking – did you think I was joking?

If you have older rice, or if you have problems with “crunchy” rice no matter what you do, then feel free to soak the rice in hot water before you start for about 15 minutes. Just be sure to drain it well before you start mixing things together.

Now, my Hubby isn’t crazy about cream cheese, but I personally think it’s about as wonderful as sunny days in March. Therefore, I would add 8 oz if it were just me eating it. Yum. Oh, and whatever heat of salsa you use will affect the heat of the dish, so you can pick your salsa based on your own preferences.

Add the beans and mix. Don’t mash the beans, be gentle!

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish (try using this Le Creuset Round French Oven) and cover tightly (use foil if you don’t have a lid). Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from the oven and stir, return to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer soupy. This dish will set up a bit out of the oven, especially after you give it a good stir.

Sprinkle the top with cheese and serve.

Once again, no pictures.
In a large bowl mix together the first 8 ingredients (rice, soup, cream cheese, salsa, chiles, corn, water and chili powder) until smooth.

Add the beans and mix gently.

Pour the mixture into a 2 quart baking dish and cover tightly. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 375 degrees.

Remove from the oven and stir, return to the oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer soupy. This will set up a bit out of the oven, especially after you give it a good stir.

Sprinkle the top with cheese and serve.