Potato Salad

Summer is right around the corner. Along with that wonderful time of year comes invitations to picnics and potlucks. What are you going to take? This is my favorite recipe for potato salad. There is nothing weird in it but it does have an ingredient you don't normally taste in potato salad...BACON! Yum! Bacon makes everything taste good. This recipe makes a ton so if you're making it for just your family you'll need to cut the recipe in half or even in thirds. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

POTATO SALAD

8 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cut, and boiled
1 lb. bacon, from the deli is best, cooked and cut up
6 dill pickles, diced
12 eggs, boiled and chopped-save some pretty slices for the top
1 jar mayonnaise
2 1/2 heaping T. mustard
salt and pepper to taste
paprika

1. Combine mayo and mustard, add diced potatoes, bacon, diced pickles, and chopped egg. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with egg slices. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika to make it pretty.
2. TIP: For perfectly boiled eggs, start timing as soon as the water reaches a full boil. Let them boil for 10 minutes. Immediately rinse with cold water and let cool. Also, older eggs are easier to peel. Doing them this way you avoid the greenish looking yolk and older eggs won't stick to the shell.
   

Rice Pilaf

I don't like to buy food in pre-mixed packages so I avoid things like Rice-a-roni but I wanted to make a side of rice a little more interesting. After a late night internet search I ran across this recipe on cooks.com. I loved the flavor and simplicity but it made WAY more rice than the five of us could eat and I even halved the recipe. Eventually we got tired of eating rice so I froze the rest. I hope it's okay after defrosting it. I will post the halved recipe but keep in mind that is still 2 1/2 cups of pasta and rice which expands when you add water.

You know what would be a flavorful addition to this dish, toasted almonds. I wonder why I didn't include them...oh yeah, it's because I scorched them...when I walked away to post on this blog. (Good grief!) To begin with, I had to dig the almonds out of a bag of trail mix because I was out of them and then slice them because they were whole almonds. After turning them black, I didn't want to dig again or start the house on fire. Oh well, I will definitely add them next time but remember, do not walk away from toasting almonds!

RICE PILAF

4 T. butter
1 c. orzo or broken vermicelli (pasta)
1 1/2 c. rice
1/2 t. salt
1 t. ground black pepper
5 c. chicken broth (5 c. water and 5 bouillon cubes if you don't have broth.)

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the orzo and cook until golden brown. Add the rice, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth to the rice mixture. Turn to high heat until the rice comes to a boil, cover, and turn heat to low. Simmer 20 minutes until rice is fluffy and all liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

RICE AND TORTILLAS

I was curious about how to make homemade tortillas. In talking to a neighbor (LB) I discovered she had a grandma that had shared this skill with her. A friend and I asked her to teach us. It was really quite simple. She used masa and added water a little at a time until it was the consistency of playdough. The brand Maseca has all the instructions on the side panel. Just follow the instructions and you'll have yummy hot tortillas right off the griddle.

A couple of tips:

• Add water a little at a time. Use your hands to mix so you can feel the texture of the dough. It should feel like playdough. Roll into 1-inch balls.

• A tortilla press is a good investment. I found one for $13.00 at Kitchen Kneads. If you don't have a press, squish the dough ball between two plates that are lined with plastic.

• Cut the zipper part off of a ziploc bag to line the press (plates) with. After pressing, lift the plastic off the press (the dough will come with it) then you can peel the plastic off the dough.

• Cook for about one minute on each side on an ungreased griddle.

This friend also shared a yummy rice recipe. Once you make this, you'll never need to purchase a box of Rice-a-roni again. It's simple and can be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes. We like to put this rice in the homemade tortillas for a simple dinner. You could also serve it as a side dish. Try changing the vegetables to add variety.

RICE

1 1/2 c. rice
3 c. water
1-2 T. butter
1 carrot, shredded
3 chicken bouillon cubes
garlic powder
onion salt
pepper
frozen peas
2-3 scrambled eggs
pieces of chicken or ham

Melt butter in skillet. Saute rice in butter until browned. Carefully add water, it will steam quite a bit. Quickly add shaved carrot, bouillon, and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion salt, and pepper. I just do a couple of sprinkles around the skillet. Add the peas and chicken or ham and the scrambled eggs. You want to have all of the ingredients ready to go so you can begin steaming it immediately. Cover and simmer for at least 15 - 20 minutes. Don't peek, you want to keep the moisture in there. After 15 minutes, check the rice. If you need to add a little water, add it around the edge a little at a time and continue steaming until the rice is soft. Wrap in toritillas and enjoy!

EGG ROLLS

My husband isn't a big fan of Chinese food so I either have to make it myself or talk someone into going out with me. I love Chinese food and egg rolls are one of my favorites. This is something everyone in my family likes. I found this recipe in an old ward cookbook. It's pretty simple and I think I've learned a few things to perfect the recipe.

First, you need to fry these quickly. If your oil is not hot enough, too much oil will be absorbed and they will taste greasy. I've tried frying these two ways. Either way works fine, it just depends on what pans you have.

• Saucepan-Fill with vegetable oil and heat it to medium. I have a gas stove, so if I put the dial right in the middle, the flame is perfect. To test it, break off a tiny piece of the egg roll wrapper and drop it in the oil. It should crisp up and turn bubbly quickly.

• Frying pan skillet-This is like the deep skillet you would fry chicken in. You will need to be able to put a couple of inches of oil in it. I start by setting the temperature dial to 350 degrees. Test a piece of the egg roll wrapper. If it doesn't brown quickly enough, slowly turn up the heat a little.

Second, you need to let these drain on paper towels before serving. A lot of oil will drain out and they will taste better if you let them drain for a few minutes.

Finally, these are better the first day you make them. The recipe makes about 16 egg rolls. If you aren't going to eat that many, cut the recipe in half. If you must re-heat, bake them at 350 for about 5 minutes on each side. Microwaving makes them too soggy.

EGG ROLLS

1 lb. ground meat, browned (hamburger, chicken, pork)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 of a Chinese (Napa) cabbage, chopped (You can add more if you want to, I like a lot.)
1 carrot, shredded
2 c. rice sticks, cooked according to package directions. Use about 1/3 of a dry package. These look like thin, white ramen noodles and can be found in the Asian food section of the grocery store. Mine were in an orange package labeled Dynasty Maifun.
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. ginger
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 package egg roll wrappers. Look in the refrigerated produce section of the store.

Mix cooked meat, onions, cabbage, and cooked rice sticks. The amounts of seasonings are a starting point. If you like more or less ginger, adjust to your taste. I mix everything and then add the salt and pepper, sprinkling, and tasting as I go.

Lay egg roll wrapper out in a diamond shape. Place about 1/3 c. mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold the bottom corner up, then the side corners. It should look like an open envelope. Dab a little water on the top corner before finishing the final corner fold. Instructions for rolling are usually on the wrapper.








Fry in hot oil about one minute on each side. Start the skillet temperature at 350 degrees. Test heat by frying a small piece of egg roll wrapper. Egg rolls should look golden brown, not too dark.

SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

1/2 c. brown sugar
6 oz. pineapple juice (When you drain pineapple, save the juice and freeze it. It turns out to be about 6 oz. Perfect for this sauce or smoothies.)
2 T. white vinegar
1 T. cornstarch
1/4 c. ketchup

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add vinegar and juice. Cook on high stirring constantly until thickened. Add ketchup after sauce has thickened.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

My kids beg for these potatoes. They are addicting. It takes a bit of work to create this dish but it is well worth the effort.

TWICE BAKED POTATOES

4 large baking potatoes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and cut into pieces
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
2 green onions, sliced
sour cream
cream cheese
butter

Wash the potatoes, poke with a fork, and wrap them in foil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 2 hours. When the potatoes are done baking, slice them in half and scoop the potato out of the skin. Be careful to keep the skin intact. In a separate bowl, mash the potatoes with sour cream, butter, and a couple of ounces of cream cheese. I don't measure these ingredients. Just dump until it looks and tastes good. Scoop the potatoes into the halved skins. Sprinkle with black pepper. Top with bacon, then cheese, then onions. Bake just long enough to melt the cheese. You will end up with 7 halved potatoes Enjoy!