Cheesy Potato Slices with Bacon and Scallions

Father's Day always seems like the herald of summer.  With it in the offing, I start thinking about cookouts, picnics, and barbecues; my whole attitude about food changes.  I begin to focus on quick, easy, and on making dishes that appeal to both young and old. These Cheesy Potato Slices are one of those foods. Equally appropriate at a picnic, or on a buffet, they also make great little appetizers.

I served these, believe it or not, with meatloaf. It was a surprisingly appropriate accompaniment.  Because I had them at dinner, I made the slices 3/4" thick so they were less crisp and reminiscent of potato skin appetizers, and more like a stuffed baked potato. Thin and crispy, or thick and tender, they will please everyone.

Cheesy Potato Slices with Bacon and Scallions

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into 1/2" thick slices

3 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F while you scrub and slice the potatoes.  Put potato slices into a large mixing bowl and toss to cover with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Add a few shakes more olive oil if need be.

Place slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning at 20 minutes.

When potatoes are done, remove pan from oven and top generously with bacon, cheese, and scallions. Return to oven for 1-3 minutes until the cheese has melted.

This post is linked to:

Tasty Tuesdays

Wow Us Wednesdays

Full Plate Thursday

Foodie Friday

Strawberry Yogurt Pancakes

I like pancakes that are light and fluffy like delicious little clouds; Mr. O-P not so much. He likes pancakes that are flat with crispy edges. To me, that's a burger, but I digress. This morning I decided to dig into the case of yogurt that was graciously sent to me by the lovely people at Chobani. I had a bowl of freshly picked strawberries from the local farm stand on the counter, a cup of Greek strawberry yogurt in the fridge, so the choice was obvious.  Strawberry pancakes it is!

Yogurt does something wonderful to pancakes. If you've had trouble making pancakes in the past, this recipe is no fail.  They turn out beautifully, fluffy, evenly browned, and the orange zest makes them extra delicious.  I topped these with yesterday's Strawberry Margarita Jam/Sauce.  Wow.

Strawberry Yogurt Pancakes

 1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 large egg, beaten to blend

1 cup (6 ounces) Chobani strawberry Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon orange zest

¼ cup water

6 large strawberries, sliced

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, yogurt, zest, and water.  Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Drop batter by 1/4 cup onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray.  Top with sliced strawberries. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until the second side is golden brown. Yield: 6 large pancakes.

This post is linked to:

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Strawberry Margarita Jam

 People who read this blog regularly will often ask if I eat like this every day.  Umm.  No.  One night last week (sadly, I am not kidding) I had potato salad and gumdrops for dinner.  Yep.  What can I say?  I was tired, I hadn’t thawed anything, and this was pretty much all that was available without effort.

I also have my share of failures.  Now today’s recipe is not exactly a failure.  I was quite chuffed (And by “chuffed” I mean the British slang version, i.e. “delighted”, NOT the version that my sons managed to find online, i.e. “puffed with fat” something they both found quite hilarious particularly since I tend to be a bit on the, ummm, pudgy side.) with the recent successes of my two marmalades, Seville Orange and Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean, so I dove right into this recipe that I discovered in the course catalog of Kitchen Conservatory.  Imagine, I thought to myself, a Strawberry Margarita that I could spread on toast!  We’re talking strawberries, lime, TEQUILA and Triple Sec ON TOAST!  Well…it IS delicious, very delicious, but it didn’t quite gel.  Now I am not bothered by this.  I have been known, a la Joey Tribiani from “Friends,” to eat jam right from the jar, but you might want something a bit more solid.

I gave a jar to my aunt who called to enthusiastically thank me for the “Strawberry Ice Cream Topping” so we’ll just go with that.

Actually I do plan to make this again, follow my own direction, and use the frozen plate test that has never failed in the past.  If this works, I’ll let you know.  But here is the recipe that is well worth trying and 100% worth eating.  In fact, try to stop yourself!

 

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Pesto Rolls for the ABM

Is this a thing or beauty, or what?  I’ll tell you, these rolls were so good that I think I could have sold them on the street.  Truly I have become Baroness of the Bread Machine, because here is yet another easy recipe with a fabulous end result.  My son happened by to assemble a TV stand, got one whiff of them, and stayed for the entire process, bagging up half a dozen before taking his leave.

Pesto Rolls for the ABM

1/2 cup warm water
¼ cup milk

¼ cup half ‘n half
6 tablespoons shortening
3 cups all-purpose flour
1½ cups wheat flour
½ cup granulated sugar
1½ pkgs. Red Star Bread Machine Yeast (3-1/2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon baking powder 

¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs

½ cup Melissa’s Basil Pesto (or your own homemade)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Coarse salt

Place first 11 ingredients into the work bowl of your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Set machine on “dough” setting and press “start.”  When machine has completed the dough making process (usually 90 minutes), remove dough to a lightly floured surface and roll into a large rectangle. 

Using an offset spatula, spread with pesto, covering to the edge.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over the pesto.  Beginning at the long end, roll up as tightly as possible, pinching the seam to seal.  Slice into 1½" thick pieces.

Grease well (or spray with Pam) two 6-well muffin tins.  Put one1½" piece into each well, squeezing outer edge slightly so that the middle of the roll “pops” up.

Cover lightly with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with Pam. Place in a warm spot and allow to raise until doubled in size, 50-60 minutes.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with beaten egg, and sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and leave in pan for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

This post is linked to:

On the Menu Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

“The Waffle Lady’s” Molasses Cookies

 I commented to my mother once that my Great Aunt Ida had looked old all of my life.  She laughed and said that Ida (affectionately known as “Idie”) had looked old all of her life.  Born in 1892, she was a simple woman.  She had to be, at an early age an accident took the majority of her sight.  Over the course of the years she lost her hearing as well.  Despite these infirmities, and the fact that she had no family of her own, forcing her to live with my grandmother, she took things pretty much in stride.  She never got depressed, and always made the best of what little she had.  Amazingly she was able to sew her own clothes on an ancient Singer sewing machine (that I now have), and do a bit of cooking and baking.

My boys never knew her physically, but know of her because of the stories we’ve told.  One in particular gave her a nickname that stuck and she was, henceforth, known as “The Waffle Lady.”

My grandmother happened to be out of town on one of Aunt Idie’s birthdays, so mother and I made her a nice lunch, complete with German Chocolate Cake (her -- and my -- favorite), and took it over to her.  It was always difficult conversing because she had such trouble hearing, so we pretty much had to shout everything when we spoke.

After our ample, but delicious lunch, mother commented on how full she was.  I added that I was full as well.  Idie just looked at us, blankly.

“I’m full!” mother shouted.

Idie looked from her to me.

“I’m full!” I shouted.

Idie looked back at mother.

“WE’RE. ALL. FULL.”  mother screeched.

Idie nodded, a puzzled look on her face.

“I like waffles too,” she replied.

We burst into laughter and then, slowly and loudly, managed to explain to her exactly what we had said.  She laughed and said that it just sounded as if we were both saying, “WAFFLE, WAFFLE” adding that she couldn't figure out the significance of our talking about waffles, but went along with it to appease us. Ever since that time, when someone says something that the other doesn’t understand, the tongue-in-cheek reply is, “I like waffles too.”

So while my sons’ generation and those that follow will never know her, I am sure that this story will prevail. 

Mother, me, and “The Waffle Lady” ca. 1975

This recipe is the only one that I ever remember her making, but it is a good one.  She just called them Molasses Cookies, but to give them provenance, I call them –

“The Waffle Lady’s” Molasses Cookies

¾ cup soft softening (Crisco)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature, beaten to blend

1/3 cup molasses

2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

Sugar for rolling

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Cream shortening and sugar together until thoroughly blended.  Add molasses, followed by beaten egg.  In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, spices, soda and salt.  Add flour mixture to molasses mixture, mixing just until blended.  Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in additional sugar.  Place on greased baking sheets and bake 10-12 minutes for a soft cookie, 15-17 minutes for a crisp cookie.

This post is linked to:

Be Inspired Friday

Foodie Friday

Sweets for a Saturday

Sugar and Spice

Sunday Sweeties

Off the beaten path: Zoar, Ohio

 I LOVE to plan trips.  In fact, sometimes I think that I may enjoy planning a trip more than actually taking the trip.  Mr. O-P is from New Jersey so this means many trips east.  Many, long trips DRIVING east.  After ten years or so, this same trip can get pretty boring.  A couple of years ago I decided to attempt to make the drive less monotonous by looking for another route and something interesting to see off of our usually beaten path.  It was then that I stumbled upon Zoar, Ohio.

Zoar is a village in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.  It was founded in 1817 by German religious dissenters called the Society of Separatists of Zoar.  A former communal society, it features numerous German-style structures that have been restored and are part of the Zoar Village State Memorial.  For a taste of Old-World charm in east-central Ohio, it is well worth a visit.

 

 

 This post is linked to:

Mosaic Monday

Wow Us Wednesdays

“Oh, the PLACES I’ve been!”