Cheesy potato casserole AKA - Funeral Potatoes

We have been making this potato casserole in my family for as long as I can remember.  This was our go to pot luck dish.  Pot lucks, baby showers, and funerals.  Always funerals.  Hence the nickname Funeral Potatoes.  Whatever you want to call them they are delish and a great side with any meal.
These potatoes customize well if you need a lower temp oven just bake them a bit longer.  Need a higher temp cover them with foil.  Don't like cream of chicken?  Use cream of celery.  Can't find homestyle hash browns?  Use the shreds.  Want more cheese?  Go for it!  Want to lighten it up?  Cook the onions in olive oil and use low fat sour cream and cheese.  You get the idea.
Like I said we have been making these forever in my family and I am sure you will too.

Ingredients
1 bag frozen home-style hash brown potatoes (those are the square cut ones)
1 large onion - chopped
8 Tbsp butter - divided in 4 Tbsp portions
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
2-3 cups corn flakes

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Lightly spray a 12x8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat, add in onions and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.
In a large bowl (or right in the baking dish if you hate doing dishes) combine hash browns, sauteed onions, chicken soup, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salt and pepper.  Stir to incorporate fully.  Then spread evenly in baking dish.
Wipe out skillet and return to medium heat.  Melt remaining 4 Tbsp butter and toss with corn flakes.  Top potato mixture with corn flakes.
Bake uncovered for 1-1.5 hours until bubbly.  If topping begins to brown to much cover with foil.

Enjoy!

Chicken nuggets

I will be the first one to admit that I have eaten and have fed my children store bought chicken nuggets.  However after a conversation with my brother I had to do some research.  All he said was "Mechanically separated chicken, uck".  I thought whats the big deal a machine cuts chicken off the bone right?  Wrong.  Uck is an understatement.  If you want to know how its done and what you and your kids are eating you can watch this great Jamie Oliver video here.  There are a ton of videos and articles on the subject, some are more disgusting than others.  This one is not bad.  I can't stomach it anymore but luckily homemade chicken nuggets are easy and always in my freezer.

Ingredients- Makes about 30 nuggets
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
1 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 cup flour - I use whole wheat but all  purpose is fine
2 eggs - beaten with 2 tbsp water
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cooking oil

Cut each breast into like sized pieces.  I cut from side to side then in half when needed.  These 2 breasts made 15 pieces each.

Sprinkle cut chicken with salt and garlic then top with flour and toss to coat.

Set up an assembly line so you can dredge coated chicken in egg then drop into breadcrumbs.  I get a pile of about 10 coated in breadcrumbs then add them all to the oil at once.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat.  Fry for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown.  I did 3 batches.

Drain on paper towels and let cool before serving.

To freeze -
You can freeze these 2 ways.   Raw or cooked. 
Raw freeze - After coating in breadcrumbs transfer to a sheet pan in a single layer and place in freezer for 5 hours until well set then they can be moved to a baggie.  When ready to cook fry from frozen and increase cooking time to 4-5 minutes per side.
Cooked freeze - After frying allow to cool completely - transfer to a storage bag and freeze.  When ready to cook they can be heated from frozen in the microwave or oven.

Pita pizza - Chicken pesto

Pita pizzas are quick and easy.  I love the cracker like crunch from the toasted pita with the hot toppings.  There is a million different ways to go here but this is a favorite. 

At the end of summer before the basil in my garden takes a turn for the worse I harvest it all and make as much pesto as possible.  I then pack it in baggies and toss them in the freezer.  One pack of basil seeds grew enough to make 28 1 cup pesto portions last year.  To put that in perspective a 7oz container of pre-made pesto at my local store is $5.49.  (Pesto recipe is at the end of the post)


Ingredients- Makes 4 pizzas
4 pitas
4 Tbsp pesto
1 cup mozzarella cheese
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grilled chicken breast - cut into small strips

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place pitas on a sheet pan and top with 1 Tbsp pesto each - spread around evenly.  Add sliced chicken on top.

Top chicken with 1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.

Bake on bottom rack of preheated oven for 4 minutes.  Then move to top rack until cheese is melted.

Slicing these is not a job for your pizza cutter!  That would break your crust and tear your chicken. 
Get out a large heavy chefs knife and make 1 solid cut up and down and 1 cut left to right. 

Serve hot or at room temperature.
Enjoy!

Pesto recipe -
2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic - smashed
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 - 2/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, 1/2 cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until well incorporated. Add in Parmesan cheese pulse again. Add additional oil if needed.

Note - Pine Nuts are usually found with the baking nuts at your local store. They can be a bit pricey. For me the best deal locally is at a bulk food store, or the bulk food section at Whole Foods. If you can't find them you can substitute walnuts.

Twisted Wieners - AKA Pretzel Dogs

Twisted Wieners
Pretzels and hot dogs are great alone but put them together and WOW!  These take a little work but it is worth the effort.  Loved by little and big people these are sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 package active dry yeast
4-5 cups All-purpose flour
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tbsp oil
10 cups water
2/3 cup backing soda
1 egg yolk - beaten with 1 tbsp water
Pretzel salt - or kosher salt if you can't find pretzel salt

Let's get started!

Add water, sugar and salt to a mixing bowl and sprinkle yeast on top.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes yeast should look foamy, if not let sit for 5 more minutes.  If it still hasn't bloomed check the expiration date!  If you are using instant yeast you can skip this step and just add everything together.

Add 3 1/2 cups of the flour and the melted butter.  Mix until a loose dough forms - I like to do this with a spoon.  Attach dough hook and knead dough, slowly add the remaining flour.  Depending on the day you may need up to 5 cups, this day was cool and dry and I only needed about 4 1/4.  You want a soft dough that will pull away from the sides of the bowl.  Knead dough on medium spead for 5 minutes.  It should look like this.  Now remove the dough and clean the bowl.  Add oil or non-stick spray to bowl, add dough back and turn to cover.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.  It will rise and look puffy but not necessarily be "doubled". 

When dough is almost done rising you want to preheat your oven to 450 degrees, add the 10 cups of water and 2/3 cups of baking soda to a large pot and set to high and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.

After dough has risen turn it out onto a lightly oiled surface and divide into 10 dough balls.  Don't worry if they are perfect.

Open your hot dogs and allow to dry on a paper towel.

Working one ball at a time roll out into a long rope.  About 24 inches.

Start at the end of the dough rope wrap each hot dog completely in dough.  I like to cover the ends also so the dog doesn't explode on the ends in the oven.  When you get to the end break off extra dough or tuck under if you want a thicker crust.  Repeat for all 10 dogs.

 Working with 2 or 3 at a time gently drop each into boiling water/baking soda solution.  Allow to boil for 30 seconds, remove with a large flat spatula and place onto lined baking sheet.  Let as much solution come off as possible, you don't want it pooled on your baking sheet.

Brush the top of each with the egg yolk and water mixture then sprinkle with salt.  Place in your preheated oven and bake for 12-14 minutes, until browned.

Let these cool for 5-10 minutes before eating as the hot dog is REALLY HOT!

Serve with mustard or whatever you like.  Enjoy!

If it is a cool day - Put a cup of water in the microwave for 2 minutes on high, then take the cup out and add your dough bowl, close the microwave and don't open for the rest of the rising time.  The humidity from the boiling water will help your dough rise no matter what temperature your house is.

Mom's Garlic Dip

My mom jokes that her favorite food group is chip and dip, she can be considered somewhat of a connoisseur on the subject given that the dip doesn't have anything too complicated.  You loose her around the 5 ingredient mark.  That being said she has been making this garlic dip for as long as I can remember.  It is easy, delicious and most importantly has only 4 ingredients, plus the chips of course!

Ingredients-

8oz cream cheese
2-4 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp granulated garlic
1 Tbsp onion salt

I start with just a splash of milk and add more as I need it.

Beat together with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.

Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed.  If it thickens up too much just add a splash more milk. 
Best with plain kettle cooked chips or Ruffles.
Enjoy!

Deviled Ham Spread - Bocaditos

Bocaditos are a very popular Cuban snack.  You will find that at just about every party you go to in Miami.  However after moving to Virginia I had to learn to make this yummy treat.  I was surprised at just how easy it is.

Ingredients - Makes 24 mini sandwiches

8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

2 8oz cans of deviled ham - Substitute 1pound ham steak pureed in the food processor with 1 tbsp spicy mustard and a dash of hot sauce if you don't want to use the cans.

1/4 cup sweet relish

1/4 finely chopped pimentos (Roasted red peppers)

2 packages of 12 rolls - I like potato rolls or Kings Hawaiian sweet butter rolls





Beat cream cheese and mayo together with a hand mixer



Chop pimentos finely

Add pimento, relish and ham - Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours to firm up.  You can skip the chill but the mixture will be a bit loose if you do.  If you don't have time to chill before making sandwiches try reducing the amount of mayo or just serve with crackers.

Cut rolls across lengthwise

Spread mixture evenly across the rolls

Put the top back on the rolls and gently holding the top and bottom pull the rolls apart into separate sandwiches.  This makes 24 roll sized servings or you can slice each roll in half and make 48 2 bite servings.

 Enjoy!