Charlie's Potato Salad!

I guess I need to start with an apology. My girls have been back to school for one week and I don't know who is busier, them or me? I had grand plans to keep to a schedule for my blog once school started, but between homework, laundry, PTF, sports and just keeping up with the house....my life is crazy. Enough of the excuses - back to the good stuff.
As my mom and I were looking through my blog this summer, neither one of us could believe I hadn't posted our favorite potato salad- Charlie's Potato Salad! My parents discovered this delicious recipe when they lived in Minnesota and ate at Charlie's Restaurant in Minneapolis. The key ingredient, which is different from most, is the Pimientos. You will find these little guys living among the olives on your grocery store shelf.



Charlie's Potato Salad
5 Medium cooked potatoes- freshly cooked
1 teaspoon salt
dash of white pepper
1 (4oz) jar chopped Pimiento (somewhat drained)
2 Tablespoons chopped green onions (sometimes I just throw in some onion powder)
3 hard cooked eggs
1 1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup diced celery

Boil potatoes until tender. Cut into cubes.
In separate bowl combine Mayo, salt, white pepper, Pimientos, green onions, and celery.
Gently combine potatoes into mixture. Add hard boiled eggs.

Enjoy - and try to remember summer!!!!

Michelle's Mac-n-Cheese

Just when you thought it was safe to put that crock pot away - DON'T! This is a great summer BBQ dish that the kids will be sure to enjoy. You can fix it - forget it - and get on with the grilling! This is another wonderful dish from my dear friend Michelle - she is certainly helping me out here while I get over my "Summer Blogging Blues". It is hard to get motivated to blog when the sky is sunny, the children want to play, and I do too!

Michelle's Crock pot Mac and cheese

1 lb elbow macaroni
4 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup milk
1 can evaporated milk 12 oz size
1 stick of butter


Cook macaroni in salted boiling water on stove until slightly al dente, drain DO NOT RINSE, and pour into crock pot with stick of butter. Stir to coat. Pour in milk and evaporated milk. Stir in cheese. Turn crock pot to high for 30 minutes, mixing once. Turn crock pot to low and cook for 1-2 hours mixing 1-2 times. Mix before serving.

Feeds 10. OR in my house feeds 5!!!!

Baked Beans Bobi's Way!

Why is it that I only think to make homemade baked beans on holidays? Fourth of July, Memorial day, Family reunions are just some of the times this lovely dish makes an appearance. Every time I make them I think, "Why don't I make these more often"? I love this recipe. It never lets me down. I remember a good friend of mine once offered to bring her baked beans to a huge neighborhood BBQ I was throwing. Of course I was thrilled that I could cross that dish off my "dishes to make". The day of the BBQ came and she showed up with the biggest pot of baked beans I had ever seen. They looked delicious and I couldn't wait to give them a try. Crunch, Crunch, Crunch went the first bites in my mouth. Needless to say - at the end of the night - she was taking home a full pot -o- beans! I love this recipe because it does not rely on me to soften the beans (at least on the front end ;-)!

Bobi's Baked Beans
1 (28 oz) can pintos beans, drained
1 (28 oz) can white kidney beans, drained
1 pound bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup yellow mustard
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Red hot sauce (such as Frank's)
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Drain and rinse beans well. Combine the beans in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Pull out the bacon and remove 1/2 the bacon grease. Drop in onions and cook until translucent, then add the peppers and the garlic. Cook just to wilt the vegetables, 5 or so minutes. Add the vegetables to the beans, along with remaining ingredients except the bacon. Mix, taste, and adjust to suit you. Pour into casserole dish, cover, and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and place cooked bacon on top. Bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy - and not just during a holiday!

Bobi's Bites: Potato Salad - on the Sweet Side!

My mom threw this together one night when we were in Florida last week. It was delicious! With every bite my brain didn't know whether to register sweet, salty or savory. I enjoyed the confusion immensely! Confuse your brain today and whip up a batch!

2 Sweet potatoes
3 white potatoes
1 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
1 Tablespoon PickaPeppa Sauce (may substitute Worcester sauce)
1/2 red onion, minced
1 stalk celery (she wanted to put 2 stalks in - but you know how I feel about celery)
4 oz pimentos, drained
6 slices bacon, cooked until crisp

Peel and dice potatoes. Boil white potatoes - about 1/2 way through add sweet potatoes. Drain when fork tender. Cool in fridge at least 1 hour.
Mix remaining ingredients then add cooled potatoes to mixture. Serve and Enjoy!

Gourmet Club: Irish Style!

Even though we only have gourmet club every 3 months - it feels like it happens every time I turn around. Life is happening at warp speed - isn't it! This time I got the honor of hosting and if any of you remember what the last one was like at Robin Sue's house - you know I had big "Boots" to fill! Take a look at the Hoedown she put together - HERE!



With St. Patty's Day right around the corner I knew what I had to do - A Night at the Shamrock Saloon!
The idea started with a little sign I picked up at Michael's which said "Welcome to the Shamrock Saloon" - and with that it all fell into place!



I got the recipes to all the guests 2 weeks before the actual party date. That way if they had an odd ingredient they could figure out where and when to get it throughout the course of those two weeks. This menu happened to be pretty straight forward - so no one needed to stress. Robin Sue (From Big Red Kitchen) and "Himself" (Robin's Hubby) were on the guest list....



...as well as Sabrina (From Britikibar) and Her Hubby (The Man )! We rounded out the night with my carpool buds Michelle and her hubby Roy! Roy is in the picture below on the far left.



Michelle is in the picture below, second from the right. Best laid plans ( I meant to get a picture of each couple - and then the food called my name and I left the camera in the dust!)



On the Menu for a Night at the Shamrock Saloon:

Irish Soda Bread - Martha Stewart Living March 2009
Beets with Watercress and Bibb Lettuce - Martha Stewart Living March 2009
Corned Beef with Boiled Veggies smothered in Horseradish Gravy - Bobi's Bites
Banoffee Pie - Paula Dean Foodnetwork.com



Beets with Watercress and Bibb Lettuce
1 Bunch medium red beets, trimmed and scrubbed(4 to 6 beets)
3 Tablespoons white-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
1 Tablespoon finely chopped shallot
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons, extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch (6 oz) watercress, tough stems trimmed
1 medium head (5 ounces) Bibb lettuce, leaves torn into 1 inch pieces freshly ground pepper.

Preheat oven to 425. Divide beets between 2 parchment-lined pieces of foil. Fold each in half, crimping edges to seal. Place packets on a baking sheet, and roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Peel, then cut into 1/2 inch-thick rounds and wedges.
Whisk together vinegar, mustard, shallot, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add oil, whisking until emulsified. Arrange greens and beets on a platter. Drizzle with dressing, and season with pepper.



Irish Soda Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
• 2 cups golden or dark raisins (Robin used 1 cup dried cherries instead - yum!)
• 1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool. Makes 1 loaf.



Banoffee Pie
Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 10 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 3 large bananas
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix graham cracker crumbs with softened butter and press mixture into 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes.
Lower the oven to 300 degrees F for the toffee filling.
To create toffee filling, caramelize the sweetened condensed milk. Pour the condensed milk into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with foil and place dish inside a larger poaching pan. Add water to poaching pan until half way up sides of baking dish. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Once both the crust and toffee filling are cooled, spread half of the filling evenly inside crust. Slice the bananas and layer on top of filling. Pour remaining half of filling over bananas, spreading evenly. Whip the cream with the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and spread on top of toffee filling and bananas.

I wish this picture did it justice - It was AMAZING!



No Gourmet club would be complete without a little goody for the guest to take home. This was just a little "Thank you for coming" gift of a clip board and Thank you cards! I love those girls - and I wanted them to know!

Tune in Friday for Bobi's amazing Horseradish gravy that smothered everyone's plate! No St. Patty's day celebration would be complete without it!

Onion Pie - A Perfect Side Dish!

Have you ever made a recipe - loved it - and then couldn't find it again? That is what happened to me with this delicious side dish. I made this 5 years ago - loved it - and then lost the recipe! Once in a while I would try to Google the recipe, but I knew that what I found was not the exact recipe. Well, over Christmas when I was looking for another recipe - this one fell out of a book. YEAH ME! Throw a salad on a plate with a slice of this pie - and you are set with one super supper!
This is adapted from a recipe in the Cooking Light Magazine -2001.



Onion Pie
1 cup low-fat baking mix (such as reduced fat Bisquick)
1/3 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
cooking spray
1 Tablespoon Butter
2 cups chopped sweet onions
1 (8oz) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 large egg
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup french fried onions
Dash of hot sauce




1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine baking mix and 1/3 cup milk. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Press dough into bottom and up sides of a 9 inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. As you can see by the pictures, I did not get the crust up the sides - and that is fine.



3. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cook 5 minutes or until tender - do not brown. Stir occasionally. Spoon onion into prepared crust.



4. Place cream cheese and egg in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add 1/2 cup milk, salt, and hot sauce. Pour cream cheese mixture over onion. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Yields 6 servings. (Half way through baking time I sprinkle french fried onions on top)



This is a great way to use up those onions sitting in your bin right now!

Roasted Snowman Noses - and other Vegetables!

This chilly weather outside has certainly made me want to warm my tummy inside. This is a lovely and simple dish that will warm your heart and cause snowmen all over the Northern states to become "Sinus Challenged"!



Basic Roasted Vagetables
Preheat oven to 425.
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoon dried basil
1 cup baby carrots
2 stalks celery, chopped (I omit because my gag reflex goes on overtime when I even hear the word Celery)
2 turnips, peeled and quartered
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red onion, peeled and quartered
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
1 red pepper, halved and sliced
1 bulb fennel, washed and quartered

In a medium size bowl, stir together the melted butter, the minced garlic and herbs. Lightly coat the vegetables and place them in a large baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Enjoy this warm hearty dish with your favorite Chicken or Beef dish!

As you can see - I substituted some different veggies - I just used whatever I had in my veggie bin. Clean out your veggie bin today!

Trust me - Your snowman will feel honored to donate his nose to this worthy dish!

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style! Part 2

Oh - Just looking at this salad makes me want to make it again. I had clipped this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine in March of 2003 - and this was the first time I tried it - but it won't be the last. My whole family loved it and gave it 2 thumbs up!



Spinach, White Bean, and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing:
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 (15 oz) can Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained.
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 (7 oz) packages fresh baby spinach



1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk; microwave at HIGH 1 minute or until hot. Place beans in a 2 cup glass measure; microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until hot.
2. Combine onions, bell pepper, bacon and spinach in a large bowl. Add syrup mixture and beans; toss well to combine. Serve immediately. Serves 8



Baked Apples:
4 apples - your choice.
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons crushed walnuts
4 Tablespoons butter
Carmel Ice cream topping

Core apples. Place 1 teaspoon brown sugar in each apple. Place 1 teaspoon nuts in each apple. Place 1 Tablespoon butter on top of each apple. Bake in 350 oven for 30 minutes, uncovered.
Let cool 10 mintues. When serving, drizzle with carmel ice cream topping.

Note to self: Kids do not accept this as dessert, but rather a tasty "Side".



Don't forget to take a look and see what Big Red Kitchen did with her 20 dollars!

2 Cheap Chicks & a 20! Wegman's Style!

Wegmans.....ahhhhhh. Need I say more. I had not been to our "Local" (and by local I mean half hour away) Wegmans store in quite a while. The minute I walked in and devoured the smells of the coffee shop and bakery - I knew I was in for a treat. Robin Sue and I decided to meet for lunch beforehand. We may be "2 Cheap Chics" but there is always money in the budget for a lunch with a good friend.



We bought our Asian style lunch and perched ourselves atop the main floor. This was our view from the deck. We strategized, ate, talked and of course people watched! We were sitting next to a Joe Biden look alike - and if any of you remember - Robin Sue is a spitting image of Sarah Palin. We were laughing at the pictures we could take if only we were brave enough to ask "Joe" for a photo. Neither of us were - so we just had to have fun chuckling to ourselves about Robin Sue jumping in "Biden's" lap and taking a photo for our blogs. Couldn't you see the headlines "Palin Pounces Biden - and he liked it"!



The challenge to make a meal on a 20 dollar bill was on and Robin and I went our separate ways. A little later we met up in the card department to calculate whether or not we had gone over our budget. Robin, unfortunately, needed to put a few things back - but I managed to stay under budget the first time around. Click HERE and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 bucks!



On the menu tonight:
Slow cooked Pork Chops
Brown Rice
Spinach, White Bean and Bacon Salad with Maple-Mustard dressing (Cooking Light March 2003)
Baked Apples



Slow Cooked Pork Chops:
Brown 4 or 5 pork chops in a skillet with some Worcestershire sauce and pepper (or any spices you prefer).
Slice half of a medium onion and put in crockpot. Put browned pork chops on top of onions.
Mix a can of Cream of Chicken soup with 1/2 can of water.
Pour soup onto pork chops, cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.



Brown Rice:
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup uncooked rice
1 can beef broth
1 can beef consume



Saute rice in butter until lightly browned. Pour broth and consume and rice into a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 350 for 45 to 60 minutes.



The meal turned out to be wonderful! I have to admit my family thought the baked apples were NOT dessert - and your family might not either. I just told them "What do you expect for 20 bucks"! They proceeded to raid the pantry for Christmas chocolate gold coins! I guess they "Ate" their $20 bucks in chocolate after all!



Check back Wednesday for the recipes for the apples and salad! Don't forget to pop over to the Big Red Kitchen and see what Robin Sue did with her 20 dollars!

Sweet Scalloped Potatoes with Blue Cheese

I imagine I either completely lost you with the title or completely sold you on this recipe. I don't think there is any middle ground when it comes to Blue Cheese. I personally, feel it should be a mandate at every meal. In fact, if this were the only cheese left on the face of the earth - It would be good! I take that back - It would be GREAT! Tony the Tiger GREAT! I LOVE blue cheese, my kids love blue cheese and I am fortunate enough to have married a man who adores it as well. I have a friend, on the other hand, and if you barely mention the name her gag reflex kicks in! If you are a "Lover" - put this side dish on your foods to try. It is amazing, and the perfect accompaniment to that Christmas ham I am trying to eat up!

Sweet Scalloped Potatoes with Blue Cheese

4 Baking potatoes
4 large Sweet potatoes
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crumbled Blue cheese
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 cup milk
Paprika
Salt
Pepper

Slice potatoes. In a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, make 3 layers as follows:
1/3 mixed potatoes slices
1/3 of the Cheddar cheese
1/3 of the Blue Cheese
Paprika (I used Smoked)
Salt and Pepper

Repeat 2 more times.



When ready to bake - dot top with butter and pour 1 cup milk (preferably whole) over top.



Cover with foil and bake in a 350 oven for 1 1/2 hours.

The sweet and salty combination is perfect! Your taste buds will thank you - trust me!

2 Cheap Chicks & $20!

About a month ago my sweet little friend over at Big Red Kitchen, Robin Sue, called me with a challenge. Being the frugal mommies we are - she asked if I wanted to be part of a dynamic duo - "2 Cheap Chicks and $20". The concept would be that we would pick different grocery stores and make a gourmet meal for under $20. As soon as she asked I was all over it! Just a quick note here about Robin Sue. Yes - she is freakishly small, and yes I am freakishly tall. My 6 feet put beside her 5 feet make us look more like Mutt and Jeff rather than a dynamic duo. What can I say - I KNOW good things come in small packages and Robin Sue proves that! Click over to her blog, Big Red Kitchen, to see what wonderful things she did with $20!




The challenge was on. We decided our first location would be Trader Joe's. The rules would be to make 3 dishes to feed 4 people for under $20. Sounded easy enough, so I scoured through cook books trying to find cohesive recipes that would lend themselves to such a tight budget.



We brought our calculators, $20, and imaginations! I had visions of preparing a wonderful meal with a gourmet dessert, but when you start adding up all those little ingredients that go into making just one dish, your expectations readjust slightly.



We slowly filled our carts and headed for the check out while holding our breath. Robin was sure she had gone over while I was completely confident in my math skills. I had checked and rechecked and proudly went through the check out with only my 20 dollar bill. All I can say is thank goodness for the "Take a Penny, Give a Penny" dish. Yikes - I had gone over 6 cents!



Here is the finished meal. If you ask me - it was worth the 6 extra cents! See if you agree.



The first side I chose was Baked Honey Onions. I love onions and I feel they play second fiddle too much of the time. I wanted a recipe to highlight this wonderfully tasty vegetable! The recipe I found in my Giant supermarket magazine was just the thing.



Baked Honey Onions
1 cup chicken broth
1 Tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 large white onions, quartered
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 325. Mix all ingredients (except the onions and cheese) together in a bowl. Coat a casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the onions in a single layer in the dish, and cover them with the chicken broth mixture.
Cover onions and bake for 1 hour. Sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven, and bake for 5 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serves 4.



Green beans are always a hit in my house and what could be better than adding Pancetta to these already yummy morsels!



Green Beans with Pancetta and Brown sugar
1 bag frozen green beans
2 Tablespoons Brown sugar
4 oz Pancetta

Cook Pancetta in fry pan. Continue to remove grease as it cooks but retain it for later use.
Cook green beans in microwave according to package.
Drain green beans and toss with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar. Add cooked Pancetta and desired amount of grease.



Chicken was the last item on my menu. When my hubby and I moved to Rochester N.Y. we were introduced to Chicken Francese. I could not get enough of it when we lived there and sadly - we don't eat it very much anymore. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to introduce my children to one of my favorite dishes. The original recipe calls for skinless, boneless chicken breast, but I was on a budget! Chicken tenders would have to do this time.

Chicken Francese
2.5 lbs. Boneless, Skinless, chicken breasts
2 cups chicken stock
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 olive oil
3/8 cup white wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup lightly salted butter
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Flour for dusting
pinch of salt and pepper

1. Season flour with salt and pepper.
2. Lightly dust chicken breast in flour and dip in beaten eggs.
3. Saute chicken in vegetable oil, approximately 3 minutes per side on medium heat.
4. Remove chicken from pan and deglaze with white wine and chicken stock.
5. Reduce liquid by half and add heavy cream.
6. Finish with lemon juice and adjust seasoning.
7. Return chicken to sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

Enjoy!


I could not make an extraordinary gourmet dessert - however with $1.50 left over I treated my family to 3 triangles of a Toblerone bar. Not a bad way to end a meal!



I hope you have enjoyed reading about our $20 adventure! Check back Wednesday for a Weight Watcher's meal and then Friday for a recap on our Gourmet Club that met over this past weekend! Robin Sue and the Dude "Himself" hosted a mighty fine Hoe-down! Can't wait to share the pictures!