Enjoying a Meatless Favorite

We are right in the middle of Lent, and so on our menu this time of year includes meatless dishes. One of my most favorite meatless meals is Potato Pancakes. They are absolutely terrific - and we actually eat them not only during Lent - but all year long! My friend Ann taught me how to make them about 15 years ago. I've changed the recipe a little by adding more spices, onions and garlic to the mix. They are also great as a side dish to meat and a toss salad. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Potato Pancakes

4-5 potatoes - shredded - I leave the skins on, but if that freaks you out - go ahead and peel them.
1 onion - shredded (I run the onion through my food processor along with the potatoes)
1 egg - beaten
2-3 gloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg

Mix all together. Drop by spoon full into hot frying pan with oil. Flatten slightly. Fry until both sides are golden brown - this takes about 5-7 minutes depending on how hot you have your oil and how thick the pancake is. When done, move the pancake to a paper towel lined plate, sprinkle with a little more salt.

I like them with a dollop of sour cream, Bill adds ketchup instead. I've also heard of some adding applesauce - which would be great if you were serving them with a pork dish.

Enjoy!

Saturday with the Girls

We had a Saturday with the girls here in the Palczewski home, I hosted a Tupperware party on Saturday afternoon...about 10 ladies attended and we had a blast. Bill took off for the afternoon - not sure why he did not want to hang around with a house full of women...lol...or as he calls it...my hen party.

I tried my hand a pudding shots...I got the idea from my sister-in-law Kristin when she posted that she was making them for the Ohio State/U of M party last fall. I mixed 2 large chocolate pudding and French Vanilla Kahlua...the 2 puddings together called for 6 cups of milk, so I mixed 2 cups of Kahlua and 4 cups of milk -- they turned out a little soft (but tasty) -- so the next time I make them I think I will back off one of the cups of milk.

For a sweet treat I make these wonderful individual cheese cakes. I've had the recipe for I bet 20 years - always a crowd pleaser.

Cream Cheese Cakes
1 - 8 oz. soften cream cheese
6 Tablespoons sugar
1 egg

Cream together cheese, sugar and egg.

Put a vanilla wafer in the bottom of a cup cake pan - lined with cup cake papers. Spoon the cream cheese mixture in to cover the cookie. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. When cooled, spoon a bit of fruit pie filling (I like to use cherry - and put 2 cherries per cake) on top.

Will make 12 cakes.

Enjoy!

Signs of Spring

Dear Blog Friends -

Sorry I have not posted in a while -- my new job is taking up a lot of my focus...lol. I come home just beat.

Well, I have good news...my tulips and daffodils are popping their heads up out of the cold earth. I noticed them as the snow has begun to melt away over the weekend. We have been experiencing some warmer weather...well, warmer by Michigan standards and a ton of sunshine. I swear every one's mood has lifted 100% from just a couple of weeks ago.

It will soon be possible for me to begin working in the yard! It's way too soft right now, plus we still have snow in the back yard. Bill is going to shovel off the deck so we can grill on Tuesday - it's forcasted to be over 55 degrees. Rain is schedule for the last part of the week - that should finish up the snow...until next week when it's forcasted to snows again...uggg.

Sides for the Porkchops

When I was typing up my pork chops recipe...I thought I should share with you the sides that I mentioned at the end:

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2 Sweet potatoes, cubed
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

toss the sweet potatoes with the olive oil and seasoning. Transfer to a cookie sheet and spread out in a single layer. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring the potatoes about halve way.

Variation: I sometimes like to add garlic to the sweet potatoes as I mix them with the oil and seasoning. Another variation would be to also mix in regular potatoes - I like to use the fingerling potatoes or the gem potatoes - keep the cooking time the same.


Green Beans with Almonds

1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 sliced almonds

Steam the beans for 10 - 15 minutes (until tender, but still crispy). Melt butter in a skillet, add steamed beans and almonds - stir until beans begin to brown.

For a variation: you can also add onions to the butter, cook until translucent then add the beans and almonds.

Enjoy!!

My Secret Pork Chops

I can not believe we are almost to the end of February. Where has time flown to? Spring should be here any minute now...right? Yep....any minute....lol.

I have a few recipes that I have developed over time, and I've been wanting to share with you my secret pork chop recipe (which after I publish this...I guess I will need to changed that name...lol). I've made these juice chops for lots of company and everyone loves them. They are dressy enough for company, but easy enough for a family dinner.

Theresa's Honey Mustard Pork Chops (much better name....lol)

4 - thick cut (bone-in) pork chops

Honey/Mustard Mixture:

Mix together
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard.
If it's too thick, add a drop or two of water.

Breading:

Mix together
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 Tablespoons Bisquick
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
2 Tablespoons of parsley flakes
1 teaspoon of paprika (I like to use the smoked paprika - if you have the regular that will work too.)
Salt and Pepper to taste.

Dip pork chops in the honey/mustard (both sides) then into the breading. Being careful to maintain the breading, brown the chops on top of the stove in 2 tablespoons of butter (both sides). Transfer chops to a baking dish, cover. Place in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour - or until the internal temp of the chops is at 160 degrees. Remove from oven and allow the chops to sit for 10 - 15 minutes.

Transfer to your serving platter, try to not disturb breading.

Enjoy!

I like to serve these with oven roasted yams/sweet potatoes and fresh green beans.

Hope SPRINGS Eternal

We are in the middle of a snow storm...and what arrives today but my 2010 Burpee Seed Catalog! It just warmed my heart! :-)

I thought...what a perfect time to begin planning for my summer garden. I am so looking forward to having my hands in the dirt again. It is so exciting! It is so hard to explain in words how connected I feel when I am out in my garden.

For my vegetable garden I am planning on expanding the garden. We will be adding a large raised bed in the front and the back of the garden. I want to install a better fence with a gate so I do not have to crawl over it again (it was a little tall for me). I have two couple of cute items to put as decoration that I received as gifts for my birthday last year.

Now...what to plant.....

Definitely tomatoes, green beans (I think I am going to do both bush beans and pole beans), peppers (I like big green bell peppers - but I think I am going to try a few others so I can make salsa), onions, squash (both summer and winter), beets, cabbage, and egg plant. I think I will add some sunflowers too. I am going to skip the corn - it was so disappointing last year - they came up and looked great - but never developed full ears.

Girls Night Experienced

Oh what fun we had. My stew turned out great! I added a green salad (so we had some vegetable) and noodles. I was so surprised how easy proving a French dinner was - Julia's book provides fantastic step by step directions. I am looking forward to trying another recipe soon!

The one thing I did not thinks about is bread -- how could I not have thought of adding French Bread! I added it to my note so when I cook this meal again - I will not forget. My very best friend Vanessa gave me for Christmas a cooking journal so I can make notes from special dinners that I cook and host for family and friends...how fun!

We all laughed and enjoyed the movie too! Julie and Julia was definitely a hit in our home!

Preparing for a "Girls Night"

I am so excited for tonight...we are having our "Julia Childs night".

My sister-in-laws and mother-in-law is coming over for a "girls night". We are starting with dinner...I am preparing Julia's Boeuf Bourguignon - which is a beef stew cooked in red wine and then we are watching "Julie & Julia". For dessert - I am planning a French Apple Tart - it's not Julia's but it is French...so I think it will be ok.

Bill has graciously agreed to move to his man cave after dinner..lol.

It's going to be a lot of fun. I'll update soon with how the stew turned out.

Cabin Fever

I cannot believe we are looking at the end of January already! But to be honest...I am experience some serious cabin fever....with the little break in the weather we had last week, and all the seed catalogs beginning to arrive in the mail has me hungering for spring. I've been looking at the pictures I took last summer of my flowers and vegetable garden and they have put hope in my heart that warmer weather will return soon. I've begun to plan for my gardens. I am looking forward to making some changes in the front and enlarging my vegetable garden...adding 2 more raise beds.

Thought I would share with you some of my pictures...hope they bring a little sunshine you too.

Rib sticking Main Dish

Random recipe number 4. Here is a recipe for a cold winter night - serve with a nice salad and you have a full meal.

Meat & Tater Pie

Serves 4 to 6

2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup milk
1/2 envelope (1/4 cup) dry onion soup mix
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
salt & pepper to taste
1- 12oz. package loose packed frozen hash browns potatoes - thawed

Line 9 inch pie plate with one of the pie crusts.

Combine meat, milk, soup mix, seasoning. Mix gently. Lightly pat meat mixture into pie crust lined pie plate. Top with potatoes. Top with second pie crust, seal and flute edges. Slice small steam vents in top of pie.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until browned.

Serve with warmed catsup.

Enjoy!