Grilled Potatoes

One of my favorite dishes for the summertime is a recipe I posted last year ~ Jamaican Jerk Chicken. Today I would like to share with you a side dish that I serve quite frequently throughout the summer ~ Grilled Potatoes. You will need aluminum foil, potatoes, onions, spices of choice, and a fat of choices (olive oil, bacon grease, butter, etc.), pan spray, hot grill, grill mitts, and a hearty appetite.

You can make small individual packets, or a couple large packets if preparing for a large group.

Wash the potatoes and slice thin ~ skin and all! If you aren't into eating the skins, then peel them before slicing. Put potato in bowl. Slice onion (if you dice they will over cook too fast) and add to potato. Add spices of choice (now would be a good time to add salt & pepper, too). I prefer Mrs. Dash because it is salt-free and I strive to limit my sodium intake because of hypertension. Add fat of choice (olive oil, bacon grease, butter, etc.) and mix together.

I prefer to spray the tin foil before placing potatoes and forming packets. HINT: Shiny side of tin foil IN helps radiate the heat through the food. :) To form packets I place one sheet of tin foil shiny side up, spray with cooking spray, add potatoes, place another sheet of foil shiny side down that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Then I begin to fold in sides until the packet is sealed up nicely. Smaller packets will take less time to cook than larger packets.

After all of the packets are ready, it's off to the hot grill (I prefer the old fashioned charcoal grills, not the gas grills but you can achieve the same results on a gas grill with a little tweaking). You will want to turn the packets every 10 minutes. These cook up relatively quickly ~ 20-30 minutes. I pull a packet off the grill and give a gently squeeze with the mitts to see if the potatoes are soft yet. These packets can be set aside while you cook the meat of choice.

You can add other veggies to the potatoes (peppers, peas, etc.) ~ experiment and have fun! I have found that cheese melts and holds up better when sprinkled as a garnish after the spuds have been cooked. Cooking the potatoes this way keeps the heat out of the kitchen, and you can personalize each packet for individual preferences (ie: onions or no onions).

Happy Grilling!

Monster Cookie Recipe

I apologize for not putting this recipe on my blog sooner. The week has gotten away from me. It's vacation week for Ms. Moo, and I am holding my daughter's baby shower this weekend, so there has been the meticulous cleaning, decluttering and all that good stuff going on. Spring cleaning early, if you will...only it sure doesn't look or feel like spring up here in Vermont at the moment.

MONSTER COOKIES
Yeild: A LOT (if you don't eat all of the cookie dough)!!!

Mix in large (I'm not kidding when I say large) pan in order given

1 pound soft margarine (Ms. Moo prefers real butter)
2 pounds brown sugar
4 cups sugar
12 eggs
1 Tbsp. Corn Syrup
1 Tbsp. Vanilla
8 tsp. baking soda
3 pounds peanut butter
18 cups rolled oats
1 pound chocolate chips
1 pound M & M's
(Ms. Moo also adds 1 pound chopped walnuts)

Variations: You could put raisins, dried cranberries, or any kind of baking chips - butterscotch, peanut butter, broken candy bars, etc.)

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 min. Cool on pan for a couple minutes before cooling on rack. Freeze baked cookies in airtight containers. Enjoy!

Monster Cookies

Growing up my mother would make Monster Cookies. I was always amazed at the size of bowl/pan required to mix up the tasty treats. The name of the cookie, I have decided, isn't so much a description about the size of the cookies but rather the amount of cookie dough you end up with.

It was loads of fun to take turns stirring up the massive batch of cookies, but I never paid much attention to the amount of time spent baking them after my mother had us take turns mixing the dough. And, I never really paid much attention to the fact that we had container after container of cookies stored away in the freezer after the baking frenzy.

The recipe was passed along when I got married and I've made them a few times, and decided today was a great day to mix up a batch while I had two kids and one "adopted" kid that were willing subjects to do the mixing. After about 4 pans into the baking process I decided a recipe of this size would be more fun if I had the oven space and larger sheet pans like I use at school.

Double Chocolate Brownies

3/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 (12 oz) package chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In small bowl mix flour, baking soda and salt.

In small saucepan heat the butter, sugar and water just to a boil. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips and vanilla, stir until the chips are melted and are smooth.

Put melted ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Blend in the flour mixture.

Stir in the remaining chocolate chips and nuts. Spread in a greased 9 inch pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

The Most Dangerous Cake Recipe in the World

Someone sent this to me on email so I bring it here to share with all my bloggy friends...don't say I didn't warn you. Teresa, get your treadmill ready cuz you are REALLY gonna need it this winter!

The 5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons cake flour (that's plain flour, not self-raising)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla essence
1 coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla essence, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The
cake
will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed!

Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now
we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or
night!

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

What can I say? I love to grill. I prefer a charcoal kettle grill, but the convenience of a gas grill on busy days does come in handy. I have so many favorites on the grill but the ULTIMATE grill food for me is Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions
1 Small Red Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. Dried Thyme
1 tsp. Curry Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Paprika
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (I cut into strips but you can leave whole)

----------------------
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat until hot. Cook all ingredients except for chicken for about2 minutes, stir frequently until pepper is crisp tender, cool. This is where a good ziploc bag comes in handy to coat and smoosh the marinade over the chicken...marinate for 30 minutes - 3 hours (I have been known to leave overnight). Don't be put off by the color of the spice combination...trust me, this won't taste at all like it looks!

Grill chicken 4-6 inches from medium coals 15-20 minutes or until done, less if cooking strips. If cooking for a crowd like I find myself doing quite regularly, you can put the cooked chicken into a crock pot set to warm while you finish cooking the remainder of the chicken.

Leftovers are great cold on a chef salad.

30 Recipes ~ 2 1/2 Day - Part 3

This is the last of the highlights from the Healthy Cuisine For Kids Class. If you missed Part 1 & 2 - You can find Veggies here and Meats here.


Asian Sesame Noodle Salad made with whole grain pasta. This one had some kick to it...I think there was a bit of measuring issues with the red pepper flakes, actually.



This dough is amazing. It is a yeast dough that is thick and pourable. It can be used to make pizza crust, or baked into focaccia bread. This one was made with half whole wheat flour, with herbs and garlic granules added to the dough and topped with olive oil and low fat mozzarella cheese. It is so delish that I make this one at home.



Tabouleh salad is my favorite! The flavor combination is fabulous! I find this does not go over well with the majority of students at my school when offered as a choice with the main meal, but it is a huge hit with my vegetarian eaters who frequent the salad bar.



These whole wheat sugar cookies are the bomb! The wheat flour lends a nutty flavor and if you get the right type of wheat flour where you find bits of the grain you can deceive everyone to think there are nuts in the cookies. I'm not a fan of nutmeg, but I can tolerate it in these cookies.

FYI - The Culinary Institute of America writes, reviews, and updates the recipes that the USDA gives all schools as standardized recipes. All of the recipes I have featured between the three blog posts are available to every school that participates in the National School Lunch Program.

Beetnik Cake

This cake recipe was graciously contributed by Mary Lou LaPierre, Jericho Elementary School, Vermont. It is part of a recipe booklet Vermont Feed has given as a handout from their various conferences and classes that I have had the pleasure of attending over the past four years. You can find a sampling of some of their other recipes in a PDF file here. I have tasted all of their recipes and haven't found one that I didn't like.

(Keep in mind these are written for larger quantities so you could cut the recipes in half or fourths for home use.)

BEETNIK CAKE
Yield: 25 servings
Set oven to 350 degrees

67 oz. cooked & peeled beets in water (chop in food processor and use juice)
2 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp. Vanilla
3 pounds sugar
3 Tbsp. baking soda
7 eggs
1 1/2 pounds unbleached flour
1 1/2 pounds whole wheat pastry flour

Directions:
Puree beets in food processor with juice. Mix all ingredients in mixer. Pour into greased sheet cake pan (or lined muffin tins). Bake 40-45 min. (if cutting recipe in size I would check after 30 min.) Muffin cups check after 20 min. Test with toothpick. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frosting of your choice.

Rachael Ray Publishes My Heirloom Recipe!

I am so excited! Thanks to Anne-Marie for suggesting that I should submit my recipe for Latvian Potato Salad to Rachael Ray! I ended up submitting the recipe as an Heirloom Recipe and received word yesterday, after a month of waiting, that it had been accepted for publication on the Racheal Ray website! WOO HOO!!!

Today is National Chocolate-Covered Cashews Day

Check out Home Baked Memories for a great recipe to make some Chocolate covered Cashews at home!

OR, you could run out to the store and buy some cashews that have already been covered in chocolate. :-) YUM!

Vegetarian Pizza ~ a Yummy Treat!

I recently obtained a great Vegetarian Pizza recipe from a colleague that has had to change his diet for health reasons. I've become accustomed to having an open mind with Vegetarian dishes as a means to gather great recipes and meal components to offer students at my school who are Vegetarian. As it is, I could become a vegetarian in the summer when the garden starts producing fresh veggies. This recipe is so easy, tastes out of this world, and is good for you. I guess at the amount of veggies, it is based on personal preference and taste. You could easily add or substitute veggies that you enjoy eating.

Boboli Crust
Garlic Hummus (you can make your own if you wish)
Fire Roasted Onions & Peppers, thawed (or you can use fresh if you prefer)
Frozen Broccoli, rinsed to thaw, then chopped
Low-Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Spread Hummus over Crust, top with Veggies, then Cheese. Bake 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and veggies warmed through. With this pizza I don't miss the meat or huge amounts of sodium that comes with the meat. If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it.

Potato Salad on my Plate

There's nothing like a good old fashioned picnic. One of my favorite picnic foods is Potato Salad. Not your ordinary Potato Salad with Egg and mayonnaise. While I enjoy eating Potato Salad made that way, my favorite Potato Salad heralds from my Paternal Grandmother that immigrated to the United States when my father was 11 years old.

My father was 2 years of age when his parents fled their homeland of Latvia after the Soviet Union took control of their country. They left behind 2 much older sisters that had married Soviet officials and had families of their own. For the next 9 years they lived in the sub-standard conditions of DP (Displaced Persons) Camps in Germany. A third sister, 16 years older than my father and closest in age, immigrated to the US about the same time.

My Grandmother passed away when I was a mere 7 years old. I have no recollection of ever cooking with her, but I do have fond recollections of sitting in large Daisy patches watching her pick the daisies, then twist the stems to make Daisy Crowns. When the crowns were finished, she would place one on my head and tell me I was a Princess.

I am fortunate in that I had a wonderful Aunt who preserved my Grandmother's recipes and passed them down to the rest of us. I don't know as though this is traditional Latvian style Potato Salad, but we've called it that since I was old enough to know what potatoes were. I find this Potato Salad to be very refreshing on a hot summer day. Not heavy like the ones made with mayonnaise.

Latvian Potato Salad
5 Pounds of Red Potatoes
1 Large Onion
1 jar Polish Dill Pickle Spears
1 Container Sour Cream
Fresh Dill

~ Boil Potatoes until tender, drain and chill overnight. Peeling off skins is optional. Cube Potatoes and put in Mixing Bowl.
~Diced Onion Fine and Add to Mixing Bowl.
~Reserve Juice from Pickles...Chop Pickles (entire jar) Add Pickles to Mixing Bowl.
~Finely Chop Fresh Dill (about 1-2 Tbsp.) and add to Mixing Bowl.
~Add Sour Cream to Mixing Bowl and begin mixing ingredients. Add some of the reserved Pickle Juice to loosen up the sour cream to make it easier to incorporate. I find that most of the time I end up using all of the juice, depending on the thickness of the sour cream.

Cover and chill several hours, toss before serving.