Onion Rings

Travis comes up with the best recipes.  After this one, I knew I had to have him to do it again so I could write it down and take pictures.  That was a while ago and I can't find my pictures in my super organized photo stream.  I'll have to add them later, but if you follow this, you can take your own.  You'll want to so you can admire your work later.

Onion Rings

4 eggs
1/3 c milk (almond milk will work for this)
2 large onion (yellow or white)
2 c flour (we use whole wheat flour)
2 tbsp Emeril Essence
vegetable oil for frying

1 15 oz box Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs

1. Put oil in the bottom of electric skillet or as directed for a fry daddy.
2. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
3. Put a couple of paper towels onto a large plate or cookie sheet.
4. Put flour and Emeril in shallow dish.  Mix well.
5. Put eggs and milk in another shallow dish, whisk until eggs are light yellow and smooth.
6. Put Panko in yet another shallow dish.
7. Peel paper off of onion and trim both ends off.  Slice thinly.  Push out middle and discard.  Separate pieces to make single rings.
8. Assemble onion ring:
1. put onion ring in flour,  shake excess flour off
2. coat in egg/milk
3. put in Panko, shake excess crumbs off
9. Cook in oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes
10. Remove from oil and place on paper towels
11. When cool, serve with fry sauce or ketchup.

Photo Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Best Bean Dip Ever

I have been known to exaggerate.  A LOT.  I love everything, I'm happy ALL the time, and put a gazillion adjectives everywhere.  The one downside to this is I don't know how to describe something that EVERYONE will LOVE.

You'll just have to trust me, and my many friends and family that request it.

So. Do you have that one recipe that everyone insist you bring to the party? And it gets to the point where they don't ask anymore, but you're expected to bring it? Yep. That's this dish. I hosted a BBQ one summer and was feeling more like salads and fresh, cool food and *gasp* didn't make it. Two different people asked where it was, so I just made it. Keep the ingredients on hand, people. You'll need them.

Now, if any of you in my life know where I got this recipe, I would love to know. I have been making it for over 15 years. Shane & Heather - from Bunko? JB & Jayne - from poker nights? Any family care to take credit?

Best Bean Dip Ever

1 15 oz can of refried beans

8 oz cream cheese, softened

16 oz sour cream

3 tsp chili powder

1/4 cup (4-6 stalks), green onion finely sliced (use the green and white parts), or heaping tbsp of onion flakes (optional)

1 lb bag of Kraft Colby Jack and Cheddar finely shredded cheese*

Call your friend to preheat their oven to 350-375 degrees. 

In KitchenAid mixer (or you can mix by hand or use a hand mixer, but a) why do all the work? and b) it makes a smoother dip) blend all ingredients except shredded cheese until smooth and no lumps.

Spread into a pan (can use 9" x 13" glass pan, or the beloved Pampered Chef 11" Round Baker Pie Pan as pictured below - if my pan could talk!)

Sprinkle (I dump since it's a HUGE bag of cheesy goodness) the cheese on top of the mixture.   Nicole swears it's better by mixing a cup of cheese into the dip before putting it in the pan, but I can't tell a difference when she does it.  LOL

Cover with foil to transport to your friend's house.

Remove foil.  Bake for 30-35 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown on edges, and bubbly.  I can also smell when it's done after making it a 100 times.  

Serve with tortilla chips, we like the blue corn chips.

*I have tried every brand, every texture, every flavor of cheese known to man, including shredding my own.  Kraft Colby Jack and Cheddar is the best amount, texture, and is the least oily.  Really, any kind will work, whatever you have on hand, but do NOT use a generic brand.  It is WAY too oily. This is my most requested recipe.  I can't go to any party with my friends without bringing it.  I don't even ask what I can bring anymore...yes, La will have her bean dip. I'm told the secret is the pan I bake it in, but I'm sure it will taste great for you, no matter the dish used.

Hot Pizza Dip

We double this recipe and use a 9" x 13" glass pan.  It's great left over.  If it's not completely gone from the party you took it to, that is.

Hot Pizza Dip

1 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
1 tsp Italian seasoning
4 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
3 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
1 jar (8 oz) pizza sauce
1/4 cup green pepper, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg.
2. Combine cream cheese and Italian seasoning and spread into bottom of 8" x 8" glass pan
3. Spread 1/2 of the pizza sauce over cheese
4. Combine mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and spread half over sauce
5. Spread remaining half of pizza sauce over shredded cheese
6. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese
7. Add green pepper (or add after cooking if you like the crunch)
8. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly

Serve with toasted baguette slices.

Photo courtesy of Pampered Chef

Our Family's Potato Salad

How can it be 4 months since we posted last?  It's been summer in Montana, that's how.  We've been outside!!  We've been fishing, hiking, porch-dwelling, BBQing, and making our Black Bean and Corn Salsa (recipe coming soon), mastering Potato Salad, and making our version of Chinese Cole Slaw many times over!  So now that the weather is turning cooler, I don't mind being inside at the computer.

Let's talk about potato salad.  This has been a mystery to me.  What kind of potato?  Miracle Whip or Mayo?  Mustard or not? (Nicole would say NOT)  Potato to Egg ratio?  Pickles or Celery, or both?  And through all of this, I will know it when I taste it.  My family has THE BEST potato salad.  My cousin, Angie, is expected to bring it to every family get together.  Nicole says to me, "Just look for 'best potato salad' on Pinterest."  I said, "I don't want the best potato salad recipe - I want our family's recipe."  HAHAHA

A lot of our Dad's side of the family came to visit for Memorial Day weekend and it led to many conversations with our Aunt Pam about the family potato salad.  I told her that I needed to call our cousin, Angie, since she couldn't make it to visit, to get her "recipe" (which I knew didn't exist because she just knows how to make it) and Aunt Pam said, "I can tell you how to make it".  Here's what I wrote down:

• Peel and boil 5 russet potatoes until just done - dice
• 6 hard boiled eggs - peel and dice
• Celery is optional, Angie doesn't use, Aunt Pam does
• Mix these three together
• In a separate bowl, mix: 
• 4-5 tbsp Miracle Whip
• 1 tbsp Yellow Mustard
• sprinkle onion salt
• sprinkle celery salt
• salt and pepper to taste
• splash apple cider 
• Taste - if you need, you might need to add a touch of sugar.  If your sauce tastes good, your salad will, too.
• Pour over egg/potato mixture and sprinkle paprika on top.

Well, that answers so many questions.  HOORAY!

So, my inaugural attempt gave me the amounts and ratios - because potatoes around here can be the size of my fist or the size of my face.  And I only had onion powder, but adding a smidge more salt should have done the trick, and it needed the sprinkle of sugar.  But, even though my sauce tasted good before I poured it, my potato salad tasted like raw potato and hard-boiled eggs.  It was soooo bland. I called Aunt Pam because how much is a "sprinkle" to her?  A teaspoon?  A tablespoon?  

And throughout this, we just laugh at my many examples of "There is no recipe, I just know what it tastes like" debacles.  And don't get me started about my "special" crocheted wash rags.

Enter a visit from our mother!  Wait!  I'll bet she knows how to make it.  "Hey mom - will you see if you have a recipe for Grandma's potato salad?"   She had one, but it was ingredients only, no amounts.  Great.  I already have the ingredients (they matched what Aunt Pam said).  So during her visit, she gave it a try - while I insisted she measure and write down every single thing she put in the bowl.  And voilà.  THE potato salad.  And yep...I knew it when I tasted it.  But I now have the recipe:

Potato Salad

5 red or russet* potatoes-the size of your fist
5  eggs
2-3 celery stalks, diced (optional)
1/4 c Miracle Whip (not fat free kind)
2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 - 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, and celery salt, onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika, for pretty looks

• Peel and halve potatoes. In a medium-sized sauce pan, boil the potatoes covered in water on high until just fork tender (you want them to be a little firm so they keep their shape when diced).  Drain.
• Place eggs in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold water until at least an inch over the top of the eggs. 
• On high heat, bring eggs to a boil.  Once rolling boil, reduce to medium heat and let them simmer for 10 minutes.  
• Once timer goes off, remove from heat, rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process.
• The potatoes should be cool enough to dice.  After diced, put in large bowl.
• Peel and dice eggs, add to potatoes.
• If adding celery, dice and add to potatoes and eggs.
• In separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients except the paprika, until well incorporated.
• Pour over potatoes and eggs.  Mix gently.
• Sprinkle paprika over salad.
• Refrigerate until serving.

This is really great left over so I put into single serving containers for my lunches for work.  

*when our mom was here, I only had red potatoes.  I've used both kinds and can't really tell a difference in taste or texture.  But since I've only used the two kinds, that's all I can recommend.

Update Aug 2020:  I only had celery seed on hand. Added a smidge more salt to accommodate celery salt. Also, I forgot the sugar and it turned out great. So that is clearly optional. LOL!  If too salty, just add a little more miracle whip and mustard. 

Spicy Dill Pickles

Our dad calls these "Delayed Atomic Reaction" pickles.  I swear they aren't THAT spicy.  And yes, this is coming from someone who loves ghost pepper flakes.  But I think the jars he got had extra potent peppers.  Either that or he ate the pepper thinking it was a pickle.  LOL  We've laughed about these pickles for years now.

Don't let that scare you away.  The level of spice can be adjusted to your taste.

In the summer of 2011, my dear friend Sandy Hanson shared a jar of her spicy pickles.  I am NOT kidding... they were the best tasting pickles I have ever had.  I just had to learn how to make them.  That fall, she taught me how to can with this recipe.  I didn't even know I wanted to learn how to can  And now I've canned a LOT.  It's a precious gift, Sandy, and I will be forever grateful!

Spicy Dill Pickles

This recipe yields 14 quart jars.

In pot #1, boil the lids and rings for your jars.

In pot #2, (a large stock pot), boil water- this is for the canning process.

In pot # 3, boil the following ingredients:

3 qt water
3 qt white vinegar
1.5 c pickling salt

In each clean, sterilized quart jar add the following ingredients.  You'll need to multiply the following amounts by 14.  Add the spices first, then dill weed, then peppers, and cucumbers last:

2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp minced garlic
1/8 tsp celery seed
1/8 tsp dill seed
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper corns
1/4 tsp pickle crisp granules
1 sprig fresh dill weed
1 Habanero pepper, sliced in half (omit for medium and mild spiced pickles)
1 Serrano pepper, sliced in half (omit for mild flavored pickles)
5-7 small cucumbers

Pour liquid into jar over cucumbers until just below the neck.  Put lid on and then the ring (just finger tight, leave the rings kind of loose).  Boil jars completely submerged in water for 10 minutes.  Remove from the water, set aside and cool (and the best part...listen for the POP!)  Once boiled and sealed, you can tighten rings. If they don't seal, you can turn them upside down.  If they still don't seal, keep in the refrigerator.  They will keep for a few weeks.  When Sandy and I made these, we made 6 dozen, and only one didn't seal.

And this is the worst step.  These pickles will be ready after a month.  The waiting is a killer.  After that, they will keep for years.  Though I doubt they will last that long.

Laura & Sandy

Basic Rice & Quinoa Recipes

Lately we've been eating a lot of rice and quinoa recipes.  Here are basic recipes:

Wild Rice

1 part rice (#1271 at the Good Food Store in Missoula, Montana, USA)
2 parts water

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add rice, simmer on medium heat - covered - for about 45 minutes.

Brown Rice

1 part rice
1 part water
1 part chicken or vegetable broth

 Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add rice, simmer on medium heat - covered - for about 45 minutes.

Black Rice

1 part rice (#1272 at the Good Food Store in Missoula, Montana, USA)
3 parts water

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add rice, simmer on medium heat - covered - for about 40 minutes.

Quinoa

1 part quinoa
1 part water
1 part chicken or vegetable stock

Bring water and stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, add rice, simmer on medium heat - covered - for 20-25 minutes.

Sticky Buns

Okay.  We've been holding onto this one.  But in the spirit of "almost" spring and a few more cold mornings in our future, we thought we'd share.  Enjoy while being snuggled on the couch under your favorite afghan.  

Sticky Buns

1 bag frozen Rhodes rolls
Crisco, for greasing the pan and rolls
1/4 c cinnamon
1 box of butterscotch pudding
1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c brown sugar

1. Grease bundt pan with crisco.  Grease top of each frozen roll before putting in pan. Place 22-24 rolls evenly in pan.
2. Sprinkle rolls evenly with cinnamon.
3. Sprinkle rolls evenly with 1/2 of the butterscotch pudding packet.
4. In small saucepan, melt butter and brown sugar together. Use low/med heat stirring constantly. It takes awhile to turn into a creamy caramel where the butter and sugar are completely combined, but as with many of our lessons, low and slow!
5. Pour mix over rolls evenly.
6. Cover with light towel and let rise overnight.
7. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (check at 20).
8. Put a cookie sheet on the rack below in case it oozes caramel.
9. Might need to lower the rack... Depending on how tall they rose... Don't want to burn the top.
10. They're done when the tops are a dark, golden brown.
11. Invert onto large plate.