THE LOVELY CRAZY
I know what you are thinking, you are thinking “It’s Memorial Day weekend. Unofficial start of summer. Lots of BBQ’s now I have to make a potato salad!” (it’s a law right?) and “I want a pickle, dill to be specific”. Ok, maybe you weren’t thinking that, but I was. (I often think about pickles…)
Pickles. And potato salad. It only made sense to make a pickled potato salad. So make it I did. And oh boy oh boy, there is nothing better then a rich and creamy salad consisting of potatoes other then a rich and creamy and pickle tart salad of potatoes. I hit the nail right on the head with this one. The mr and I ate the entire salad all to ourselves and way to fast. Now it is gone and I didn’t get a chance to share with anyone. But it’s ok, cause this is definitely going into the summertime potato salad rotation.
Now you are thinking “creamy dill pickle potato salad.. this girl is a genius!” and to that, I say yes. I would have to agree with you on that. (hehe)
And to all who may not be a pickle fan, or need to make 2 potato salads, (it is always good to have a variety of potato dishes at any BBQ ) try this guacamole potato salad, another favorite.
The stuff. Potatoes of course and half a sweet onion, a cup or so of navy beans in the aquafaba ( bean water), left over pickle juice, fresh dill, dried dill, garlic, olive oil ,salt and a pepper.
Yes there is a lemon pictured, but I was actually using that to squeeze into my water so yeah, not needed in the potato salad but you should grab a lemon and a big tall glass of water and drink it. Keep yourself hydrated.
Get the potatoes going. Chop them up into small piece and place into a big pot. Cover with cold water and add in a good bit of salt. Stick the pot on the stove and boil those taters.
While potatoes are boiling, strain the aquafaba (bean water) from the beans.
And chop the onion into little pieces and stick into a big bowl along with the strained (and now rinsed) beans. Pour in half the pickle juice and give it a good toss then set aside and let the pickle juice do it’s thing.
Now it’s the sauce time. Blend up aquafaba, garlic, dried dill, a little pickle juice and pinch of salt. As your blending, pour in olive oil until the sauce becomes rich and creamy dill sauce (vegan mayo my friends)
The potatoes are boiled until fork tender and drained..
Toss the strained potatoes back into the pot and add in the bean/ onion mix and the rest of the pickle juice. Give it all a good toss and stick the pot into the fridge for about an hour until the potatoes are cool.
And now we assemble. The cooled off pickle juice infused potatoes, beans, and onions are stuck into a bowl (or just leave in the pot if you want) and slathered with the creamy dill sauce and mixed with as much fresh dill as you want and lots of freshly cracked pepper
And a pickle. If you have one, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend chopping one up and adding it… I mean it is a pickled potato salad after all.
So now you have a great, fantastic, knock your socks off, salad to make for any of your weekend BBQ needs.
Your welcome.
Now have a great, extra long weekend!
-C
Serve 4-6
- 5-6 red potatoes
- 1 cup pickle juice (use a good pickle juice that you like the taste of)
- A small sweet yellow onion (or half a big one)
- 1 cup navy beans
- 3-4 tablespoons aquafaba (bean water)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried dill
- a handful of fresh dill
- salt and pepper
- pickles (optional)
Chop up the potatoes into mouth little chunks ans place into a pot . Rinse them and them cover about with about an extra inch of cold water, Ad d in a a good sprnkle of salt (like a tablespoon) and stick on the stove. Bring the pot to a rapid boil then turn heat down a bit to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
While potatoes are boils, strain you beans away from the aquafaba, and keeping about 3-4 tablespoons of the liquid. Rinse the beans and place into a big bowl. Chop the onion into little pieces and add that in with the beans and about 1/2 of the pickle juice. Set aside
Now grab the strained bean juice, about a tablespoon of pickle juice, the garlic, and the dried dill, Either with a hand blender or regular blender, start blending all that together while slowly pouring in olive oil (about 1/2 a cup ) until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in fridge to hang until you need it.
And once the potatoes are cooked, strain them then add them back to the pot along with the bean/onion mixture and the rest of the pickle juice. Toss around to coat evenly and place into the fridge to cool. After about a half hour its a good idea to give it a toss to make sure the juice is getting to all the potatoes.
Once potatoes are cooled, dump into a serving bowl. (or just keep in pot) It’s ok if there is a little remaining liquid.. it will get sucked up by the potatoes. Get the sauce from the fridge and pour it and toss it around to evenly coat all those yummy potatoes. Chop up fresh dill and toss that in too (as much fresh dill as you like.. more is better!) And lately, if you have a spare pickle or two, chop it up and add it on in (or place in a bowl on the side for people add in themselves)
I added the pickle. You should add the pickle. It is so good with the pickle
Like any potato salad, serve with your favorite foods and keep in the fridge when not being eaten.
Tuesday tater tot time!
Sometimes you just want a tater tot. So what are you to do about it? Well I fought off the feeling for far too long (why? I do not know) and finally gave in got my shit together, got some potatoes, and made the tots. And then I was happy.
What was taking me so long? Tater tots are freaking good.
These are nothing like those tots that were served in the lunch room cafeteria that we all know and loved. No these are sooooo much better, and probably (definitely ) way way healthier too cause they are baked, not fried. And to make’em even better, after making the tater tot tower you’re ready to eat, you can eat them up with whatever dippy type thing you can think of. Sure you could go with straight up ketchup (me, not a fan) or you could go nuts and make a big bowl of guacamole, grab the mustard and the hot sauce, and do that. Tater tots go so well with all sorts of stuff. (I was even thinking peanut butter but stopped myself for the time being)
. Next time I make them, I am so going to make a tater tot castle!
Tots away!
The stuff. Potatoes (duh), an onion, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
First thing to do is boil the potatoes…just a bit. Cut each potato into 4 wedges and stick into a big pot full of cold water, salted water. Stick pot on the stove ans bring to a boil, then turn heat down a little and continue to cook the potatoes until they are just barely for tender. Strain from the water and set aside to cool.
Once the potatoes have cooled off enough where you can handle them, grab a grate and grate them all up, along with the onion. ME, trying to use the least amount of dishes possible, I just grated it all onto the baking sheet that I was using to bake the tots off…. Worked like a charm. And once your taters and onion are grated, sprinkle in the garlic powder, a good amount of salt ans pepper ans drizzle it all with a little bit of olive oil. Mix it all around (I used my hands but a fork would work) and if you are using the baking sheet , just push the mound to one side.
And start forming the taters into tots…. Just grab a handful and squeeze it together into a tot shape.
Note. Have a dish towel close by to wipe your hands when they get to starchy… the tots stick together better when made with dry hands.
Tots ready for the oven. Bakes for 30-35 minutes at 400.. Flip after about 20 minutes.
Golden brown, all crispy an tot like. Ready for your eating pleasure.
Plate them up, serve with your favorite condiments (try guacamole , mustard and hot sauce) and eat them. Eat them all.
-C
serves 3
- 2 big russet potatoes
- 1 sweet yellow onion
- 1 tablespoon or so garlic powder
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters and place into a pot of cold, salted water, making sure the potatoes are completely submerged. Bring the potatoes to a boil then turn heat to medium and keep boiling until the potatoes are just barely fork tender., like 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool.
Preheat oven to 400
Once cooled, grate the potato, along with the onion into a bowl or onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, add a good amount of salt ans pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss around until its evenly coated then start forming the mixture into tots. Place the tots on a baking sheet and once all the tots are formed ans ready to go, stick into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, remove, flip them over, then continue to bake for another 10-15 until they are all nice and golden brown.
Remove from oven, grab your favorite condiments and eat right away.
Yesterday was kind of a shit show as far as the weather was concerned. I woke up early to a lovely light blanket of snow, the temperature hovering around 32 degrees. The air was nice and crisp, the sky was a light grayish blue. The neighborhood was quite. I walked the pup and then took off for the morning. It was so nice.
How that changed fast. Walking home a few hours later I was a hot , drenched, cold and damp mess. All that snow turned into slush and gigantic puddles and it was raining a good steady soaking rain. And I had to walk my butt home. So that was great.
But you know what these weather make me think of… Spring!!!! Yes, warmer, slushy, mushy weather. Mud all over the house and a wet smelly dog All the things that should not be happening right now but are. And now I have the springtime feels hard.
With things all springy, I was thinking of spring veggies and just wanting something bright and pretty and tasty. Peas! Peas are a good spring veggie, and where there is peas, there carrots. (or should be) But not plain, run of the mill peas and carrots. First off I got the prettiest colorful purple, white, and orange carrots because I needed some color. Right there that made me super happy, Then instead of just steaming them with some peas, I did roast those carrots to bring out all the sweet juicy flavors. Then those pea. Not really in season yet, so I went with frozen (I love frozen peas) and made the brightest, most amazing creamy pea sauce infused with garlic lemon, and dill. (all spring time flavors)
The results… I love roasted carrots so no surprise there but the creamy peas…KA-POW amazing!!!! My mouth has never been so happy to eat peas. and it really loves peas. Fresh, clean, tangy…I made, I ate, I though about them all night. And of spring and all the peas and carrots I am going to plant…and eat.
The stuff. The prettiest bright and colorful carrots and some green as can be frozen peas. Dill, garlic, and lemon to add to the peas and some olive oil, salt and pepper to roast up the carrots.
Chop up the carrots and tossed with salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil. And onto a baking sheet and into the oven to roast.
Dump those peas into a pot with water, garlic, and the dill. Stick the pot on the stove ans bring to a boil for a few minutes then remove from the heat.
You see that? It’s amazing . Its gets blended until smooth and seasoned with salt, pepper, and the juice if half a lemon. Give it a taste but don’t eat it all. (I almost ate it all) and pour into a nice little cup or jar and wait for the carrots.
Oh roasted lovely colored carrots.. So good all on your own.
But slathered with this pea sauce…. Always and forever. I am in love.. could eat all day every day.
I wish my stomach was big enough to eat all the peas and carrots….. All!
Lots of spring thoughts… It’s going to be official soon.
Have a great day. Stay dry!
-C
serves 2-3
- 1 lb carrots (I used a variety of colored carrots but plain old orange carrots are always fantastic too!)
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 3/4 cup water
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon dill
- 1/2 a lemon
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
preheat oven to 450
Cut carrots into quarter and in half (can cut in any size and shape you want) Place the carrots on a baking sheet and drizzle with a wee bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss it all around. Stick the carrots into the oven to roast.
Now grab those peas and stick them into a pot with the water, the dill, and the garlic. Stick on the stove and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat. Either with a hand held blender or a regular blender…. blend until smooth. Add in the juice of half a lemon, season with salt and pepper, and then try not to eat it all before the carrots are roasted.
Once carrots are tender and browned and yummy looking (about 30 minutes) remove from oven and slather on the pea sauce.
Eat right away….. Make more tomorrow.
You know how some people are brussels sprouts people and some are not. I am a for sure a spouts person.
I can even remember my first introduction to the cabbage like veggie. It was about 15 years ago and honestly, up to that point in my life, I had never even seen, let alone eaten brussels sprouts (Growing up, my family pretty much ate only peas, beans, and corn). So one night at my friends and the mr’s house (this was before we were dating) I stayed for dinner and there was as big bowl of steamed brussels sprouts on the table. First thing I noticed was that they kinds smelled like fart, but I wan’t exactly sure if the sprouts were the culprit (they were) Second thing I noticed was that everyone at dinner seemed to be really excited, or at least not offended by the sprouts. It was kind of weird because I had a preconceived notion that brussels sprouts were nasty and nobody actually enjoys wearing them. But up close and personal with the things, they didn’t seem so bad. So not wanting to seem rude, plus I was pretty curious,(and hungry) I grab a few. And then I ate them (minus the mayo that everyone was dipping them in) And then I knew. I was hooked. Brussels sprouts for life!
Now here is the thing. Those first sprouts that I had, they came from a bag in the frozen food section a the grocery store. (I know cause my friend had made them) And not that I don’t like me some frozen veggies (I eat frozen veggies on the reg) but there is nothing like a fresh stock of brussles sprouts. Slightly sweet, leafy, tender and crisp… They don’t even need to be cooked, which, if you are not a fan of the slight aroma that comes from cooked sprouts (kinda like fart) is great cause they don’t really smell! Fresh sprouts are were it’s at.
So if you are one of the cool ones (a brussels sprouts person) this salad is for you. And if you think you don’t like them, well my suggestion is.. Try them again cause you probably will. And watch. They will probably turn into the new green superfood, so you are going to have to like them eventually anyway so you might as well get used to them now!
The stuff. Brussel Sprouts, toasted walnuts and an onion. Also have some brown mustard, maple syrup, red wine vinegar, and some salt and pepper.
Take those lovely sprouts and slice them all as thin as you can.. and do the same to the onion. Then stick it all into a bowl, sprinkle with salt and give it a toss. Set aside.
Grab a big skillet and dump in the maple, mustard and vinegar. Stick it on the stove on medium high heat, constantly mixing.
Keep mixing, and after a few minutes, the stuff has started to thicken and brown a bit… and smells so good!
Now grab the bowl of chopped sprouts and dump the contents into the skillet. Add in a splash of water just to loosen up the sauce. Give it all a good mix, making sure that everything is evenly coated. Now let skillet sit on the heat for just another minutes or two.
After a few minutes hanging in the hot skillet, remove from heat and dump the sprouts into a big bowl.
Top with the toasted walnuts, and garb yourself a fork. OR stick it in the fridge and save it for later (taste Fantasitc freshly made.. even better after a few hours.. so eat whenever. Your call)
To all the brussels spouts people out there.. WE ARE AWESOME!
TGIF!!
-C
Makes enough for 2 people as a side, or a nice lovely salad for 1
- 1 1/2 -2 lbs fresh brussels sprouts(removed from the stalk)
- 1 small onion (red or white works)
- handful of toasted walnuts (if not toasted.. sticking a dry skillet, high heat for a few minutes to toast)
- 1/4 cup brown mustard
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2-3 tablespoon red white vinegar
- salt and pepper
- splash of water
Rinse sprouts and remove any of the gross leaves then slice them as thinly as you can. Grab the onion and slice that as thinly as you can too. Toss into a bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, and toss everything together.
In a large skillet, mix together the maple, mustard, and vinegar. Place on medium high heat and stir constantly until the mixture starts to thicken and brown a bit. Grab bowl of sprouts and toss them into the skillet, mixing everything together until the sprouts are all coated. Give the skillet a little splash of water. and let cook for another minutes or two, just so the sprouts are not completely raw (you can cook them longer if you like) Remove from heat and dump back into bowl. Toss on the walnuts and give it all a good stir. Serve immediately , or let it sit and serve later (tastes even better after a few hours!)
Three things… One. I have a ton of beets, but that is because I have been taking mostly beets at the farm share pickup (I am scared I will run out so I hoard them) Two. See that roasting pan? I got it a couple weekends ago at a barn sale for 75 cents. Isn’t it awesome! (it is so awesome) So I really wanted to roast something in it. And three. Roasting means the oven is on and it has been chilly chilly at night (LOVE IT) but I am not willing to turn the heater on in my house until at least the first of November. Until then, we will just roast all of our food for warmth.
But really, there is no better reason then that beets are tasty and potatoes are tasty. Together, they are super duper tasty. The combination, with the lemon and rosemary giving the dish a fresh and vibrant boast, satisfies that person who says he doesn’t like beets (the mr, but he eats them so yeah.) and me, who would rather just eat all beets (I ate some of the potatoes)
Yup, rosemary lemon beets and potatoes. A simple dish that screams fall, warm comfort food, and just happens to be really pretty too. (especially served in my awesome roasting pan)
The stuff. A couple of beets and a couple of potatoes. Some fresh rosemary (can use dried), a lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 450 and chop up the potato and beets into chunks that will fit in your mouth and dump the chunks into a bowl.
Mince up the rosemary.. unless you don’t mind eating long, kind sharp pieces
Drizzle a bit of olive oil, add in the zest of the lemon, add a good few pinches of salt and pepper and toss in the rosemary and give it a good mix.
Dump onto a baking sheet or in a roasting pan (seriously, this roasting pan is SO PRETTY) Cut the lemon in half and squeeze on half of the lemon juice on the veggies.
And into the oven it goes.
All roasted up and ready to go.
Those colors.. the smell. So good!
Happy weekend people!
-C
Serves 2-3 as a side
- 2-3 large beets
- 2-3 large white or red potatoes
- a few sprigs of fresh rosemary( about 2 tablespoons.. can used dried, just decrease quantity a little)
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
Preheat oven to 450
Wash beets and potatoes well then dice them up into mouth sized pieces and toss into a bowl. Drizzle with enough olive oil to coat the stuff, zest the lemon and add the zest to the bowl, and cut lemon in half and squeeze half of the lemon juice in. Oh, and mince up the rosemary and toss that in too. Season with salt and pepper to taste (potatoes like salt) toss it all around until everything is all coated and dump onto a baking sheet or into a roasting pan and stick into the oven for about 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy tender.
Remove, squeeze the remaining half of lemon on top and serve!
Finally, it’s safe to turn the oven back on. No more heatwave (PLEASE NO MORE!!!) Last week was such a bust of life, I still feel like I am recovering. But let’s not talk about anymore. Lets talk about this cauliflower situation that was a highlight of my week.
I have been meaning to do this for a while now. And I have attempted, I’ll have the intention, get the cauliflower and peppers, then somehow forget that I was going to cook it and just feed it to the mr raw, or he will just start eating at it and then the head is not intact anymore (He loves raw cauliflower). And sure, you don’t need to have a whole head of cauliflower to roast it and enjoy it, but come on, doesn’t it look super badass and pretty whole? And you can slices of it like you would a cake, a really yummy veggie cake. So yeah, it should be a whole head. Anyways, besides being pretty, this thing was freaking amazing. I love cauliflower, roasted cauliflower even more. Add to it some slightly sweet and cheesy pepper sauce, holy ho…I almost ate the entire thing myself. It was everything and more how I wanted it to turn out and am now forever going eat my cauliflower exactly like this (but probably not always). And the sauce…. I am going to make giant jars of it and stick it on everything. So good.
Now lets get to it.
The stuff. A whole head of cauliflower, a couple colorful peppers, nutritional yeast, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil.
Start with the cauliflower, Trim away any big leaves from the bottom and stick the whole head into a oven safe pot big enough to hold it.. Add in a little water and stick on the stove top on medium heat to cook for a few minutes, just to give it a little head start.
And preheat the oven
Pre roasted, slightly streamed cauliflower goes into the oven until a nice golden brown and all pretty like.
While the cauliflower is roasting, roasted the peppers too.I place mine whole onto a lightly oiled cast iron pan* and stick into the oven.
Once the peppers are starting to char and have become soft and tender, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes or long enough for you to handle them. When cooled enough, remove the stem, seeds and any of the skin that is coming off.
*Last year I used the same cast iron pan over and over to rasot peppes and never cleaned it, or bothered to oil it. By the end of the summer, there was a 1/2 inch thick layer of hard as rock caramelized pepper juice that I had to chip it away with a chisel… so yeah. be careful of pepper juice.
Toss the roasted peppers into a food processor along with the garlic, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, a splsh of oil and s little salt and pepper.
And taste.. and try not to eat it all right now (It is so f ing good)
And take that sweet, so delocouis sauce and smother all over the roasted cauliflower.
If you want, stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to crust up a little bit, but not a necessary.You can call it here and go to town.
I stuck in back in the oven for a few minutes… But again, not necessary.
And now you have this giant, amazing, head of delicious cauliflower, waiting to be eaten. I recommend removing the head and sticking it on a cutting board, you know, for easier cutting, and also it looks pretty badass.
Cut into chunks and serve right away.
Goodness gracious was this thing so freaking good!
Have a fantastic day!
-C
- 1 fresh head of cauliflower
- 2 red(yellow or orange work too) peppers
- 2 -3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (the more the cheesier)
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- juice of a lemon
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Take whole head of cauliflower and trim any big leaves or stem off bottom. Stick into a big oven safe pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Place a lid on pot and stick on medium heat for about 8-10 minutes, or until water has evaporated. and cauliflower is slightly tender.
Preheat oven to 425.
After the brief cook on the stove top, remove lid, drizzle cauliflower with a tiny bit of oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Stick into oven without the lid.
Now that the oven is on, toss peppers into oven, either on a baking sheet, pan, or on the rack if you have the space and cook until all roasted and soft (should take about 15 minutes). Remove when cooked and let cool off for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove seeds and stem and any of the skin that want to come off and stick into a food processor. Add in the garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Once the head of cauliflower is cooked and browned, remove from oven and dump/ smear with the red pepper sauce. If you want, place back into oven for a few more minutes, or not. Good both ways.
Remove from pot and cut into big ass chunks. Garnish with something green and eat until you can’t eat anymore.
If by chance you have any left overs (which I highly doubt) try blending it up as soup. It is freaking fantastic!
IF you like potatoes and guacamole (probably even if you think you don’t like potatoes or guacamole) then oh boy, do I have a treat for you.
Guacamole Potato Salad.. Only the best potatoes salad you will ever put in your mouth.
I tried to make this a few weeks back and ended up not getting to my potatoes in time to use, so I had to put the salad on hold. But this weekend I was ready. The grill was prepped, the corn was husked, and the poatoes were boiled. Then it happened, I made the best potato salad ever. It changed the way I feel about potato salad. (I have never really been a huge fan) Sure, I love potatoes, but in the past I have experiences to many overly dressed, really heavy, and overall, some pretty crappy paotao salads. This salad, well it is the exact opposite. This salad is all summer. Bright and light, so full of flavor, but not overly heavy and gross. I mean, its potatoes covered in guacamole… How can that not be amazing. I am now a potato salad fan (for life!).
So my suggestion for you. Have a cook out, invite your friends, grill up some veggies or whatever and make a humongous batch (you will need a humongous batch) of this potato salad. Sit back and watch (while you are eating) and see peoples faces light up with joy and happiness. You will be number one. The hostess with thte mostest. People will fall at your feet…
or not. (But probably)
So here, take a look, and make.. Your day, week, life will be better for this.
The stuff; Potatoes, avocados, mini onions, and tomatoes. Pickled Jalapeños (with juice) garlic, and the juice from a lemon And lastly,a big bunch of cilantro, and salt.
First things first, boil the potatoes. Stick in a pot of cold water with a palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn down to a medium heat and stick a lid on the pot. Cook until fork pierces easily through then strain from water and let cool. When cooled, but still slightly warm, dice them up into mouth sized pieced. Place potatoes back into pot and drizzle a few glugs of the pickled jalapeño juice over them. Place in fridge to complete cool.
While the potatoes are cooling down, mix up the quad dressing. In a large bowl, take the avoado fruit and mash and smoosh until relatively smooth and mix in minced garlic , lemon juice, and a sprinkle of salt.
Dice up the onion, jalapeños, tomatoes and add to the mashed avocado and mix that all up…and try not to eat it all before the potatoes get in.
add in lots of chopped up cilantro
Nothing compares..
Have a great day and get to planning you next cookout!
Later!
-C
- 3 lb. of potatoes of a small waxy variety (like red or new potatoes)
- 1 1/2- 2 whole avocados
- 2 small Roma tomatoes or q large
- 2 mini onions with greens or 1 regular white onion
- handful (or more) of pickled jalapeños and the juice
- juice of 1 lemon
- a bunch of fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
Wash potatoes and stick in a big pot with cold water and a good palmful of salt. Bring to a boil then turn heat downy to a a medium heat, stick a lid on it and cook potatoes until a fork can pierce through. Strain from water and let cool enough to handle. Once cooled, cut potatoes into mouth sized pieces, place back into bowl, and drizzle with a few teaspoons of pickled jalapeño juice. Stick the potatoes in the fridge and let completely cool.
While those are getting cold, make the guacamole dressing. In a big bowl, place the avocados (pits and rind removed of course) and smash and smoosh until a smooth constancy. Add in a pinch of salt, mince the garlic and toss that in, and add the juice of the lemon. Now dice up the garlic, onion, tomatoes and jalapenos and gentile fold it all in to the avocado mash.
Once the potatoes are cool, roughly chop the cilantro and add that and the potatoes into the guacamole and mix around until everthig is all coated. Top with some more cilantro.
Eat as a side, a meal, a snack, or dessert
a fork pierced nicely but a large wooden spoon works too.
Lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge.
Before we left for the weekend, I was was trying my hardest to empty the fridge out of all food with the intention of leaning it empty so I could leave it open to defrost while were were gone. Unfortunately I was not able to make it happen. What I did make happen was emptying it almost completely so that when we got home, we had pretty much no food in the house, except for a few things that probably should be eaten. Plus one of the last things that I want to do after sitting in a car for 6 hours is go to the grocery store, or anywhere for that matter, so I was determined to make with what wet had in the fridge:
- Carrots
- half of a gigantic kohlrabi
- soy milk
- iced tea
- bananas that needed to be frozen
- strawberries
Perfect! A few carrots and half of a gigantic kohlrabi.. plus at the hotel we were staying at, there were fruit bowls in he lobby full apples. Every time I went past the apples (which was a lot) I grab one or two, so I have a few apples (I actually have a lot of apples now). All the things I need for a super awesome salad slaw. Apples with their nice sweet crispiness and kohlrabi with its cabbagey, crunchy earthiness, tossed together with some vinegar, some toasted walnuts and some carrots, I mean, so freaking good. And to make it a bit more of a meal, I made some lentils to go with it. But the best part was there was no need to leave the house!!
The stuff… A huge hunk of a bigger then my head kohlrabi (or 2 normal bulbs). A carrot, an apple, toasted walnuts, red wine vinegar, and some salt.
Pretty simple stuff going on here. Just peel and julienne the kohlrabi, carrot and apple. (no need to peel the carrot or apple unless you want too) and stick it all into a bowl. I used my mandolin, which is one of my favorite kitchen tools ever, but if you don’t have one, a box grater works too.
Sprinkle with salt and a good glug glug of red wine vinegar. Chop up the walnuts (some big chunks and some very small pieces makes for good eating), toss it all together and, well that’s it. But wait…. let it sit for a few minutes before serving to really let the flavors draw out.
And there we have it. Super fast, full of flavors and crunchy texture. A salad slaw after my own heart.
Serve it as it or add to a bed of greens, rice, or lentils… and make sure to save at least as little… cause its an awesome little pre-bed snack.
Happy Week!!
-C
Kohlrabi Apple Walnut Slaw
- 2 medium sized Kohlrabis
- 1 medium apple
- 1 small carrot
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- red wine vinegar
- salt
In a large bowl, julienne kohlrabi (after peeled) apple and carrot. Sprinkle with salt, add in vinegar. Rough chop walnuts and toss the whole bit together. Let sit for at least 10 minutes, if not longer before serving. (A great salad to make ahead of time)
Eat as is, or toss onto a bed of greens, plate of rice or a bowl of lentils.
Any left overs only end up tasting better the next day.
Being that it was St. Patricks day this week and lots of folks buy up a good amount of cabbage, I figured that this is a good time to get people to try one of my most favorite of favorite meals…..Beet bean and cabbage steaks. I love to play around with food, how to pair textures and colors plus tastes while trying to make whatever I am making healthy and balanced. This is one of my fav creations. And sure, this may seem like a somewhat weird combo, maybe a little like a extremely hippy dippy vegan fake meat thing, and you might be kind of right, but screw if it doesn’t taste like A-mazing. First off, notice how freaking dang pretty this thing is. The roasted beets bring a earthy hearty flavor but also pack a huge punch of color, especially when blended together with the ever so sweet white bean, which brings a nice mellow taste and a great serving of protein. (Beets and beans are meant for each other). Spread that brightly colored, tasty mixture onto of a huge slab of one of my favorites, roasted cabbage with all its crunch and cabbagy flavor and you got yourself a hearty healthy meal of deliciousness. 
Cabbage, white beans, and beets. There is a lemon involved, but it didn’t make it into the picture.
Cabbage is cut into inch thick slabs… I like to us the inter most part of a cabbage head cause I like the core. But use any cut that you want. 2 beets are chopped into chunkers and both the cabbage and the beets are placed on a lightly oiled baking sheets, seasoned with salt and pepper, and stuck into the oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.
Once the beets are tender and the cabbage is cooked to a nice withered golden pretty, take out of the oven, but leave the oven on. Leave the cabbage on the pan but throw the beets into a blender or a big bowl if using a hand blender with the white beans
Beans and beets get pureed together. Add the juice of 1/2 a lemon (or the whole lemon, depending on your taste) and a pinch of salt and pepper. With a big spoon or spatula, scoop equal amounts of the bean/beet mixture on top of the cabbage steaks and spread around. Sprinkle with cracked pepper and place back into oven for another 5-10 minutes. (You could totally skip the second bake, but I like my cabbage well done and crispy)
Oh ho boy… And with a good squirt of mustard to finish off… I could eat this all day, everyday 
As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, my food brain turns to fresh colorful simple spring food. (which is totally a thing). Spring food is a combination of the last of the winters hardy root veggies combined with the springs bounty of fresh greens and early growers. Spring food is the best!
Dressing stuff. A nice and ripe avocado, the juice of a juicy lemon, a bit of garlic powder (raw garlic is nice too, but grate it super fine) and salt. Simple simple and sometimes simple can be the best.
All stuff get mashed super mashed until smooth and scooped into a jar with a lid. Add about 1/4- 1/2 cup water (depending on how thick you like it) and shake that jar all around.
A roasted beet and carrot, all sliced up
Tossed onto a bed of tender baby spinach
And topped with creamy avocado dressing. Fantastic, so pretty, and makes the day super springy!
My winter farm share is coming to an end this week. One more pick and then a three week stretch until the summer share starts… WHAT AM I GOING TO DO!!! Stock up as much as I can is what.
The stuff….For the split pea gravy we have a carrot, a parsnip and a large onion chopped into small chunks. Salt, thyme, a bay leaf and of course the split peas. Then there is the celeriac root* sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds and some plain old yellow mustard .
Toss the chopped parsnip, carrot, onion and the spices into a pot on medium heat and let veggies sweat a few minutes until tender. Add in the split peas and enough water to cover everything. Turn pot on high and bring to a boil, then cover and turn to low. Make sure to give the pot a good stir ever few minutes and add more water if needed 
Once the peas have soften, remove the bay leaf and puree until smooth and oh so creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. If you find that the gravy seems to thick, just add in more water until it’s the consistency that you want. 
The gravy is made, the celeriac is roasted… now we are ready to eat!! 
Stick the celeriac on a plate and dump good amount of that gravy right on top. Feel free to add a bed of spinach, or a grain or anything you want, because why not, and also some chopped tomatoes for a little acid and prettiness.
I’ll let you know now, I am a make and eat soup all year long person. I can think of few things better then sitting outside, basking in the sun, hopefully with a light wind, a book in hand, enjoying a nice big cup of some good homemade soup. (Doesn’t that sound so freaking lovely?) This soup right here is perfect for just that. Parsnips are the best, kind of like a big white sweet, yet starchy carrots. And cooked together with a little bit of light and lemony thyme, rich earthy turmeric and a couple more chopped veggie….. you got yourself a nice thick and fragrant bowl of happiness that fills you up without weighing you down. It’s food you can eat that fills you up, leaves you feeling cozy, yet still wanting to hop on a bike or lace up the running shoes. Hearty without the feeling of all the heaviness.
The stuff. Parsnips, carrots, onion and garlic. Thyme and turmeric, salt and pepper. the tinniest bit of oil and water (water not shown)
Chop all the veggies and the garlic, drizzle a dutch oven or a pot with oil, toss in the veggies. Add the turmeric, the thyme, and 1/2 cup of water. 
Sweet sweating the veggies. Turn pot on medium and cook until the water completely cooks out. When the veggies start to brown and stick to the pot, deglaze with water. Give a good stir and keep cooking. Repeat the deglazing process until the veggies are super soft and ready to blend. (I did this 4 times.. it only took 10 minutes)
Add enough water to cover the cooked veggies. 
And now blend the heck out of it.. Go as smooth or chunky as you want. I blended as smooth as I could get with this crappy immersion blender. (Blender on loan until I finally decide on, and buy a new one)
And there you have it. Scoop into bowls, add lots of cracked black pepper, and go to town. I made enough to save a bowl for later… it didn’t last for later. 
The kitchen, living room, dinning room, office…all over great room., covered in piles of clothes. Sometimes listening to music and folding laundry can be so, I don’t know, peaceful. I just felt happy at this moment. (might be the fact that I know have some clean clothes and dish cloths)
Standing in line at the grocery store, saw this magazine and started to laugh. I love Oprah…but now…I really love Oprah. Best magazine cover ever!
Another picture of the pup. Letting his rino toy have the bed. A little pathetic…A lot cute
I am doing little recipe testing and this situation in this pot is so freaking good! Just trying to work out a few technical kinks. 
Last week pineapples were on sale everywhere……So I bought 5. Don’t judge 
Stuff for the goodness. We got the kale, some avocado because all salads should have avocado and some cooked lentils because, well, all salads should have lentils (or beans or nuts.. so you could totally something else) Then a few sprigs of fresh dill, a clove of garlic, red wine vinegar, salt and a bowl of chunked up pineapple. 
The pineapple, dill, garlic, red wine vinegar, a splash of water and a pinch of salt get blended in a blender or whatever blending device you use. Go as smooth or chunky as you like, I recommend going smooth, but leaving a little chunk, like half blended.
So good……So so good.
Happy St Patricks Day!!!! As a kid, St Patricks day always meant green milk, green eggs, and those nasty gold foil covered chocolate coins. (you know, from the pot of gold) Not to mention all the leprechaun hunting and pinching. In my family, if you were unlucky enough to forget to wear green, you ended up as a walking target. It all started out nice an innocent, a pinch here or there, but by the end of the day, someone would end up pinching a little to hard or maybe just one too many times and the game would go from pinches to punches. 
The stuff…. Super pretty red potatoes, red cabbage, shallots, kale, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
Dice up the pretty potatoes and stick them into a pot and fill up with water and add in a good tablespoon of salt. Stick on high heat and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium and cook those taters until super fork tender. (bring them to the edge of falling apart)
Once the potatoes are super tender, drain the water and dump them into the pan with the sautéed veggies. With a potato masher or a fork, mash up the potatoes and mix in the veggies, adding a drizzle or more of olive oil as you go. (Start with a drizzle and work your way up until it tastes good to you) Salt and pepper to taste. 
The most pretty pan of smashed up potatoes that I have ever seen. Eat as a side dish or even a light main dish. Fork is a good utensil to use, but I found that my fingers worked just as well.
No matter what is going on in my day, seeing a blue sky like this puts a smile on my face….To bad that smile turned to ice and my face froze in place. Because for some reason, winter around here now means below zero all the time. I mean, I love winter, but I am not going to lie… I wouldn’t mind if the wind would stop blowing and we had a couple of days of above zero weather.. and maybe a good foot of snow. I guess I’ll just have to be patient, cause its bound to happen. I mean, we live in Vermont, and if nothing else, we get weather. 
The mister called these snow mounds goosebumps… I think that is exactly what they are 
And oh how I cannot handle how freaking cute she is!! Plus, a shout out to my brother in law….MADLOVE!
Fresh snow..Even though it was -15, I had to stop and take this picture. The colors were amazing
Cabbage at the farm share pick up! Love ICF!!!
89 cents a pound for fresh organic cranberries. Score!! Made these Oatmeal fresh cranberry coconut chocolate chip cookies with them. Big hit.
This picture was taken exactly a year ago…..The mister and I were finally putting in the bathroom of our tiny little home…. And look at that awesome sink! (another amazing salvage yard find) If you ever need or want to remodel a bathroom, I suggest using a old cast iron utility sink. So practical, so functional, so pretty.….it makes me happy everyday!
I eat vegetables like I breath air… constantly and almost mindlessly. Some people are addicted to sugar or coffee, but me, I am addicted to veggies. ( I am also extremely addicted to coffee) This is my truth, but I am ok with it. 
Pretty much a little bit of everything that I have in my fridge….Shredded red cabbage, carrots, beets. Some sliced of red onion, tomato and red pepper. Hummus and a little mashed avocado
Yes, it may look like a mess, but that’s just me trying to make five different things at once. But really, making these wraps are simple simple. Just take rinsed and dried green or red leaf lettuce, smear on hummus and mashed avocado and pile on the veggies. Roll and stick with a toothpick to keep from unrolling. See…. simple.
So many colors…… so much pretty. 
Wrapped and rolled…Sliced down the middle, just to see all the pretty inside.
These might be veggie wraps, but man, look at those sausage fingers…(hehehe)
A birthday bouquet of veggies. My lover knows me oh so well.
Every year I buy myself some special food for my birthday week. This is the bulk section at the local coop. They got in a bunch of new local dried beans!!!! Local birthday week beans. ( yes, beans make me happy)
This hike was pretty treacherous, the whole trail was covered in this ice…. but look how cool it is. 
Huggable mountains
Split peas with tons of purple cabbage and purple onions plus chunks or bright orange carrots.. So freaking pretty and so freaking tasty!
And last but not least..a throw back that made me smile…Moving day last summer. Our truck full of my house plants. I love my plants. 
Last night I had my sister and her kiddos come over for dinner. Nothing fancy, nothing to complicated, just something fast and something that I knew the littles would eat. Spaghetti and meatballs, except replace meatballs were bean balls So they came, we played, did a little drawing and had a bit of first grad gossip. Then came dinner time when I was told by one little that she was not going to eat.. She had pasta for lunch. Well I made her sit anyway and she mainly just ate carrots (I was ok with that) Then the other little was all into his pasta and bean balls, 1 down, 3 more to go, when the mister let slip that the meatballs were not really meat. He ate around the remaining balls, said he didn’t want them anymore. And my sister, well she doesn’t eat anything that is not pizza.
I feel like I don’t need to tell you how to boil pasta or heat up the sauce, so I left that portion of the recipe out. I have faith that you are capable in doing that part without my instruction.
Small chop all the veggies and toss them and the dry spices into a skillet with a drizzle or two of olive oil. Stick on medium heat and add about 1/4 cup of water to pan. Top with slid and let veggies cook down until soft and fragrant.
Add the cooked veggies to a food processor or blender with the rinsed and drained chickpeas. 
The mixture gets pulsed until combined, keeping a little bit of chunkiness. Now go warhead and taste the mixture. Add another pinch or two of salt , pepper or any of the spices that you think it need. Dump the mixture into a bowl and mix in the chickpea flour than stink the mixture into the fridge for a least a 1/2 hour. Cooling to off is really important to forming the balls. If you don’t, it’s much harder to keep mixture from falling apart and sticking to your hands.
After the mixture has had time to cool and set, start rolling the mixture into balls roughly the size of ping pong balls. In a shallow bowl, add a few tablespoons of the chickpea flour with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Take each ball and roll in flour and place each ball on a well oiled baking sheet. When the balls are all rolled, stick into the oven and bake away for about 30-40 minutes, flipping balls after about 20. After you flip the balls, get the pasta ready so its finished about the same time the balls are done.
You pasta and sauce is cooked and the balls are all crispy and oh so nice.
You ever have one of those days where its 9 am and your ready to call it a day? . Yesterday was one of those day for me. Its spring vacation around here (more like an arctic vacation) and I had volunteered my day to babysitting/ hanging out with 2 of my nephews, ages 11 and 13. (I know, I am the greatest sister). I had all of these great ideas and plans of things to do, but when it came down to it, they wanted to do nothing but play video games and not really listen to anything I said. I basically had to drag them outside to go for a walk we me and that’s all I could get them to do My great little nephews, I love them so much, but yesterday they had their minds set on being little monsters.
What we have going here…… Chopped up onion, celery, and carrot in a pot. Stick that pot on the stove for a few minutes on medium heat to start the cooking process. While that happening get the other stuff ready. A big can of diced tomatoes, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce*, prepared horseradish*, celery salt, garlic powder, salt and pepper And last but not least a good squirt of yellow mustard. Now add it all to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to low and stick a lid on it.
After about 20 minutes the veggies should be soft and the flavors should all have melded together. Taste soup as it is cooking and add any more spice that you want.
I stopped when I got to a smooth consistency with the littlest bit of texture.
And there it is…served with a stock of celery and a wedge of lemon (I forgot to add them to the pictures!) A bloody Mary to take the edge off any drag of a cold weather day. And best part.. left over soup is great served chilled with a shot of vodka to loosen this Mary up!
Before we get to the fries, I just want to mention that yesterday was one of those fantastic winter days that reminds me why I love living in Vermont. Pretty white snow everywhere, the sun was out, and 20 degrees without a gust of wind. The trash dog an I were even able to go for a little hike. It was so nice and soooo sooo needed! Anyways, the other day as me, my sister and the mister where putting together one more piece of Ikea furniture, (I am the master at Ikea assembling!) a little runs into the room and presents the mister with a Dominos pizza. Yup, a whole pizza just for him. Why you might ask? Well I guess my sister was delivered the wrong pizza and the place didn’t want it back and she didn’t want it, so she gave it to him.
The carrots and the parsnips are all sliced up into big matchsticks and ready to be baked to crispy browned perfection. I added the oil to the pan to toss the fries in and then sprinkled with a fair amount of salt and pepper. If you don’t have and or want to use a cast iron pan, a baking sheet works just the same.
Oh saucy sauce stuff. Tomato puree, sriracha, and yellow mustard. Add a little bit of honey to lighten it up (can use brown sugar if keeping it vegan), a splash of apple cider vinegar and a couple minced cloves of garlic. Topped off with the smokey delightful spice of cumin. I cold eat this on everything…and I kind of did. 
Fries are done, Sauce is ready. Served in super cute tea cups.(from now on I want to serve everything in tea cups.) A perfect side dish, snack, or even a light meal. It lead the mister to ask the question…What pizza? 
Mustard and carrots. It’s that simple.
For the past few days I have heard more complaining then happy. The biggest complaint…tummy issues. A week of gorging on heavy, rich, and indulgent foods is finally catching up with people, turning them into grump asses. I can handle a little grump, but its time to get get out of that funk and take care and stop bitching. May I make a suggestion? Eat this… You will be happy. Your body will feel clean and nurised. Your tummy will get back on track. It what I call satisfaction This salad is a complete meal .Chopped and shredded veggies atop a small heap of quinoa, tossed on a handful of lentils and topped with a dollop of lime avocado… Thats it and it is good. For the sake of picture-taking, I made a plate look all nice and pretty, with layers of colors, but to be honest with you, I rather toss into a big bowl, grab a moderately large-sized fork and food to face… and it’s just as pretty.(the bowl of food is pretty, not food on my face) Quick note: the vegetables that I used here are what I had at home. If you don’t have one or two of these specific veggies, don’t worry about it. Sub in something else, like pepper or spinach., Still have extra brussel sprouts, green beans or asparagus from thanksgiving? Go ahead and use those. If there is a specific veggie you know your stomach doesn’t tolerate well, then maybe avoid using it. This is a happy feel good salad!
A pile of vegetables is always a good start to any meal, especially these veggies.. All but the avocado came from my farm share. This is one local organic meal of love.
Green Kale, purple cabbage, beets, red onion, carrots…I did a little shredding and some grating. I like to have different sized and textures in a salad.
Quinoa.. 1 part quinoa to 2 parts water..Bring to a boil and let simmer until light and fluffy. When I make quinoa, I always make more than is going to be eaten, its great to have pre made for any meal. Quinoa goes with everything, even a sprinkle of cinnamon and diced up apple for a nice breakfast or snack. 
Barely steamed kale, just enough to soften it. Again. raw is awesome too. 
Half a lime, half an avocado and a clove or two of garlic… guacamole…Call it what you will.
My Moms birthday was this past week, and naturally, I made the cake for our big family birthday gathering. (and I bought and made dinner and cleaned everything up, although the mister did do all the dinner dishes) Word to my sisters… You guys suck! (but I still love you)
Cake Stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt whisked together in a bowl. Butter, a little oil, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Then of course we have strawberries cause it wouldn’t be a strawberry cake with out them.
First things first. Wash, trim and dice up the strawberries. Stick them into a pot and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of sugar. Heat on low and let the strawberries cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they turn into a thick syrup. 
The sugar and the butter get beaten together until light and fluffy. Then goes in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. The milk is then added to the strawberry mixture. Add half the dry mixture to the wet, mix, then mix in half the strawberry mixture to that. Mix the rest of the dry in and finish off with the strawberry mixture.
Cake gets pulled from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
Tomato can cutout. (I couldn’t find my biscuit cutters) A biscuit or cookie cutter would probably work a little better.. The cakes kept getting stuck in the can. 
Frost the cake!! Place frosting into a piping bag or a big plastic zip lock with the tip cut off. 2 rounds to a cake. A squeeze of frosting goes on one, topped with another and given a little smoosh. A nice big dollop of frosting on top then….
What is better for a bake sale then Oreo cookies? Oreo cookies made from scratch!.
Cookie Time! Whats going on here is brown sugar and butter have be beaten together until nice and fluffy Then a good big splash of vanilla and another 2 big splashes of coffee are added to that.(I sacrificed my last few sips of my coffee for these cookies) The dry stuff, flour, salt and cocoa powder, are whisked together, waiting to be added to the wet. 
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix. I ended up just using my hand and kind of squish mixing everything together until in tuned into a nice lovely uniformed dough. Form the dough into 2 balls and give each a few kneads to get any air bubbles out. Place dough back into bowl and stick in the fridge to sit for 10-15 minutes( it makes the dough a little easier to work with)
Once the dough has had a little time to rest and cool, remove from fridge, one ball at a time. Place on a lightly cocoa or powdered sugar dusted surface and roll out the dough. Grab any size circle (or other shape) cookie cutter and get to shaping the cookies. Notice the tin can in the bowl? I could’t find my biscuit cutters anywhere but the can was the perfect size, and it worked really well. Keep a little bowl of either powered sugar of cocoa to dip the cutter in in between making the cookies. It really helps the dough from sticking and breaking. 
While the cookies are getting their cool on, make the cream filling. All you need is a stick of butter, about 4 cups of powdered sugar, some vanilla and a few splashes of heavy cream. Beat that all up until nice and creamy thick and spoon it into a pastry bag (I used a big old ziplock bag) to be piped on the cookies. 
Filling the cookies is for sure the best part. Separate the cookies into pairs and pipe a big blob of filling onto one of the two cookies. Take the names cookie and place on top, giving it a little smooth to the disperse the cream. Keep doing that until the cookies are all filled.
I don’t know if I have bitched enough about it, but I only have one window in my living space. And as much as I love love love our little tiny loft, I am a person who needs the sun. So when I am home I spend a lot of time siting in front of the window. Over the past few weeks I have been doing a lot of watercolor painting in front of that window and somehow between drawings of carrots and vintage fans, I ended up making these marbled window stained glass hoops. And I am glade I did because these little watercolor gems really do make a big impact on my one source of sunlight. Even when the day is kind of gray and gloomy, having these in the window make the light seem brighter and happy. 
So this project is really easy and fast. I recommend that if you are going to go to the trouble (it’s really no trouble) of making one, you might as well make 2 or 5. I actually made a bunch (think Mothers day or Easter presents) and ended up only keeping a s couple. I am going to have to make a few more soon.
Take a piece(s) of paper a little bit bigger then the hoop you are working with and stick it into a pan or tray of water. Let it sit there for a few minutes until the paper is completely soaked.
Take the wet paper and, oh so gently, crumple into a ball. This part can be a little tricky. You want to make as many creases as possible without ripping that paper. (I ripped a few pieces) I found that if I folded that paper a few time, then crumpled that it was less likely to rip.
Uncrumple the paper and lay it gently onto the inner part of the hoop. Now the fun part. Go to town with the watercolors. I used 2 colors per piece, but you could do 1 or 3, or more. When applying the color, use big gentle strokes and let the colors kind of meld together. Watch as all the crumple veins soak up the paint. Try using different dilutions of color. I applied some color on thinly and some on the thicker side. But really, you can’t go wrong, just keep applying paint until you are happy. I stopped a few times and held it up to the window just to see what it looked like. When it looked good, I was done.
When you are happy with the colors, let the paper dry for a while on the hoop until it is not longer super wet. I would say about an hour or so, but if you stick it near the heater, it might dry faster. (Just don’t stick it in the oven while you are making bread like I did with one.. It just ended up setting on fire. Oops)
THE LOVELY CRAZY
August 12, 2016 by maximios • Blog
Tuesday tater tot time!
Sometimes you just want a tater tot. So what are you to do about it? Well I fought off the feeling for far too long (why? I do not know) and finally gave in got my shit together, got some potatoes, and made the tots. And then I was happy.
What was taking me so long? Tater tots are freaking good.
These are nothing like those tots that were served in the lunch room cafeteria that we all know and loved. No these are sooooo much better, and probably (definitely ) way way healthier too cause they are baked, not fried. And to make’em even better, after making the tater tot tower you’re ready to eat, you can eat them up with whatever dippy type thing you can think of. Sure you could go with straight up ketchup (me, not a fan) or you could go nuts and make a big bowl of guacamole, grab the mustard and the hot sauce, and do that. Tater tots go so well with all sorts of stuff. (I was even thinking peanut butter but stopped myself for the time being)
. Next time I make them, I am so going to make a tater tot castle!
Tots away!
The stuff. Potatoes (duh), an onion, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
First thing to do is boil the potatoes…just a bit. Cut each potato into 4 wedges and stick into a big pot full of cold water, salted water. Stick pot on the stove ans bring to a boil, then turn heat down a little and continue to cook the potatoes until they are just barely for tender. Strain from the water and set aside to cool.
Once the potatoes have cooled off enough where you can handle them, grab a grate and grate them all up, along with the onion. ME, trying to use the least amount of dishes possible, I just grated it all onto the baking sheet that I was using to bake the tots off…. Worked like a charm. And once your taters and onion are grated, sprinkle in the garlic powder, a good amount of salt ans pepper ans drizzle it all with a little bit of olive oil. Mix it all around (I used my hands but a fork would work) and if you are using the baking sheet , just push the mound to one side.
And start forming the taters into tots…. Just grab a handful and squeeze it together into a tot shape.
Note. Have a dish towel close by to wipe your hands when they get to starchy… the tots stick together better when made with dry hands.
Tots ready for the oven. Bakes for 30-35 minutes at 400.. Flip after about 20 minutes.
Golden brown, all crispy an tot like. Ready for your eating pleasure.
Plate them up, serve with your favorite condiments (try guacamole , mustard and hot sauce) and eat them. Eat them all.
-C
serves 3
Slice the potatoes lengthwise into quarters and place into a pot of cold, salted water, making sure the potatoes are completely submerged. Bring the potatoes to a boil then turn heat to medium and keep boiling until the potatoes are just barely fork tender., like 8-10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool.
Preheat oven to 400
Once cooled, grate the potato, along with the onion into a bowl or onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, add a good amount of salt ans pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Toss around until its evenly coated then start forming the mixture into tots. Place the tots on a baking sheet and once all the tots are formed ans ready to go, stick into the oven. Bake for about 20 minutes, remove, flip them over, then continue to bake for another 10-15 until they are all nice and golden brown.
Remove from oven, grab your favorite condiments and eat right away.