Potato salad

This potato salad I made up all by myself. Duck hates eggs, and my old potato salad was kinda blah without them. This recipe is pretty simple and crazy tasty. Its also a bit healthier than the way we used to make it. Mostly due to using canola oil mayonnaise and olive oil instead of regular mayo.

I like to fill the bowl I plan on serving the potato salad in with the raw potatoes for the rinsing step. That way I am pretty sure I won't make too much :).

This was about 9 to 10 red potatoes.

I love to use red potatoes because, well, I'm lazy. I don't like the mouth feel of russet potato skins, so I have to peel them. Red potato skin is tasty, and the texture is awesome, so that is the kind of potato I almost always use.

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.

Add about 1/2 tsp of salt to the water.

1 smashed clove of garlic. To easily get the skin off of your garlic clove, lay it on a cutting board. Place the flat side of a large knife on top of it, then kinda slam your palm onto the knife. This smashes the clove and loosens the skin. Discard the skin and drop the smooshed clove into the water.

This will add a slight hint of garlic to the potatoes, without overwhelming it with full on garlic flavor.

1 1/2 cups canola oil mayonnaise. I really like this kind of mayo. It is similar enough to regular mayonnaise, and way better for you. Its fatty still, but at least its a heart healthy fat. (That's what my nutritionist says anyway).

2 tbs coarse ground mustard. Now, I usually hate this stuff. I think its completely gross on sammys and such. I love it in potato salad though. If you don't normally like ground mustard, well, give it a try in this recipe. Its glorious, really.

Regular yellow mustard, 1 tbs

1 tbs season salt.

1 tsp sea salt, and 1/2 tsp accent seasoning

1 tsp pepper

Mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Realize you have forgotten the olive oil and add 1/2 cup olive oil, mix again.

Chop 3 to 4 stalks of celery. I prefer the inner pieces. Leave all the leaves on and chop those too. They are really tasty and add a great texture to the salad.

1 shallot, diced.

1/2 a large onion, diced.

You can tell if the potatoes are ready by sticking them with a fork. If it slides easily into the potato, its done. Chop the warm potatoes into bite size pieces.

Drop the potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

Add all the veggies.

Dump in the dressing.

I was making this salad for the 4th of July, and my weirdo sister in law, who hates pickles, was coming over. So I chopped and added the pickles after pulling out some potato salad for her.

In go the yummy salty pickles. I use spicy pickles, you can use whatever your favorite pickle is. This as about 1/2 a cup of chopped pickles.

Mix until everything is coated in the salad dressing.

Place in your serving dish, cover and let this sit in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving. You want to let all the flavors really marry before eating.

I am serious, this is the best potato salad in the world! I love it. Honestly, I wanna eat the whole bowl, and lick it... but that's another story!

Ingredient list:

9 to 10 red potatoes

1/2 tsp sea salt for boiling water

1/2 large onion. diced

1 shallot, diced

1/2 cup diced

3 center celery stalks including leaves

1/2 cup diced pickles

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 1/2 cups canola oil mayo

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbs coarse ground mustard

1 tbs yellow mustard

1 tbs seasoned salt

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp accent seasoning

1 tsp coarse ground pepper

In a large pot cover potatoes garlic and pinch of salt  with water. Boil on high heat until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork. drain and set aside. Dice onion, shallot and celery. Chop cooled potatoes into bite size pieces. add potatoes and other veggies to a large mixing bowl. in a separate bowl, add mayo, coarse ground mustard, yellow mustard, olive oil, and dry seasonings. Mix completely. Add dressing to potatoes. Mix until everything is covered in the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to meld all the flavors. serve. 8 servings.

Fried Chicken

My grandmother is from the south, so we grew up with fried chicken. I have changed the steps some (which you should be used to by now!) but this is essentially the way my mom always made it when I was growing up. The biggest difference is she never used buttermilk, but jeez it makes the chicken so moist and just plain awesome! This is yet another of Duck's very favorite meals. My in laws came over for the 4th of July, so he asked me to make fried chicken for them. It was a big hit. You really should try it, fried chicken is so easy and darned tasty. I often will make a white gravy and mashed potatoes to go with it, this time we had baked beans and potato salad. I'll post those recipes eventually too.

find a container big enough to put all your chicken bits in. Cover with buttermilk. This was about 2 whole chickens. I used 1 quart plus 2 cups of buttermilk. Cover and let is soak at least 2 hours, but overnight is good too.

Time to get your breading ready. Using a blow large enough to put 2 cups of flour in and still be able to add chicken, add 2 cups of flour.

1 tbs season salt (I use Lawry's)

1 tbs Garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp accent seasoning

1 tsp coarse ground pepper

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp paprika

1 pinch Cayenne

the Cayenne won't add any heat, but it does add some depth that I love. Feel free to leave it out if you're scared.

With a whisk, mix the flour and seasonings together

Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to completely coat it.

Your fingers will get very messy. I should have taken a picture, I had flour gloves!

Fill your favorite frying pan half way with canola oil (vegetable oil is OK to but I avoid the stuff)

Once it is hot (I toss a sprinkle of flour in it, if it sizzles away its hot enough)

lay a couple pieces of chicken into the hot oil. Make sure you don't crowd the pan, 2 to 3 pieces at once is fine.

Now many people are going to think I am crazy, and it may be true, but I cover the frying chicken at this stage, helps with the cooking.

Fry for about 3 minutes.

Turn the chicken. It should be a golden brown.

cook for another 3 minutes, uncovered.

remove from the oil and place in a pan that should already be in your oven

(sorry about the missing pic)

cook at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 160 degrees. I check each peice and pull them from the oven as they are done.

I didn't even wait for the chicken to cool at all before digging in. It's so moist from marinating in the buttermilk, and the breading is perfect without being overly salty. It's yummytastic.

Ingredient list:

Oil for frying

1 Cut up chicken

1 quart buttermilk

2 cups flour

1tbs Lawry's

1tbs garlic powder

1tsp onion powder

1 tsp celery salt

1tsp pepper

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp accent seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

pinch Cayenne

Place the chicken in a large bowl, add buttermilk. Cover the bowl and let this marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, I prefer overnight. mix together dry ingredients. fill a frying pan halfway with oil, heat on medium to medium high heat (not too hot or the chicken will just burn). dredge the marinated chicken in the flour mixtures, completely coating both sides. lay in the hot oil carefully, cover. Cook for 3 minutes, turn over and cook an additional 3 minutes uncovered. Place in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 160 degrees.

Banana bread

I have made this Banana bread since I was a teenager. I'm unsure where my mom got this recipe, but I found it it her mess of a recipe folder written out by hand in her handwriting. I have a photocopy of that hand written recipe. My husband was laughing at me trying to squint to read the handwriting through the smears (I'm a messy cook and spill all over my recipes when I am cooking)

Break up your bananas,

the riper the bananas the better the bread tastes.

Smash them up. I used a potato masher.

Here we go, nice smooshed up nanners.

Put your butter into the mixer.

I doubled the batch for 2 loaves of banana bread. The recipe is for 1 loaf.

Cream the butter and sugar, this takes about 3 minutes.

Butter and sugar creamy goodness.

Now add your eggs. I like to break my eggs into a bowl,

that way you can easily fish out any shells that get in there.

When a recipe says mix creamed mixture with eggs until

 "pale and lemony in color" this is what they mean.

I don't know what is up my my mother's recipes, this one didn't originally call for vanilla either, but I toss it in anyway. I think it makes almost any sweet thing taste better.

In a separate bowl, add your dry ingredients.

Flour first.

Baking powder.

Salt.

I don't have a sifter. I know I should with all the baking I do, but I have never had an issue when I do it this way. Just take a whisk and mix it all really well.

We're going to alternate adding the flour mixture and the bananas. 

First, a cup or so of flour.

Next a half cup or so of bananas. It does not have to be exact,

we just want to add them in alternating batches.

Keep alternating until both the flour and banana's are all in the mixer.

Such pretty Banana Bread batter... wait... I forgot something...

Add batter to your greased loaf pan.

(I still am missing something)

Place in a 350 degree oven.

(It was at this point that I realized I forgot to add pecans. So I stirred some in. Normally do that after the flour and bananas have been incorporated)

I inserted a toothpick to be sure it came out clean.

We love to eat this hot right out of the oven.

Everything is better with butter!

This is honestly the best banana bread I have ever had.

My husband actually proposed to me this weekend for making it! I gently reminded him it was too late, I am already married.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups flour

2 3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 mashed bananas ( I always use 3)

1/2 cup pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until glossy, add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until pale lemon in color add vanilla. Sift dry ingredients; add alternately with bananas, blending thoroughly after each addition. Fold in nuts. Grease loaf pan. (8.5 x 4.5) Turn batter into pan. Bake 70 minutes until tested done (toothpick inserted comes out clean). Let bread partially cool before turning onto cooling rack.