Boxty Day

I found some Irish recipes and of course I had to try the one for which I had everything we needed (Claire always likes to help cook). The honors fell on Boxty, a kind of hash brown pancake.
You'll need two potatoes, a cup of mashed taters, one onion chopped up nice and fine (unless you like chunks of onions), and half a cup of flour. Peel the potatoes and grate them. Put all the above mentioned stuff in a mixing bowl.
Next, you'll need a half cup of milk, two eggs, a teaspoon of salt (or more; it's up to you), half a teaspoon of pepper, and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix all that up in a bowl of their own.
Pour the liquid stuff over the potatoes and onions and what not. Mix them all together.
Now, you're ready for the skillet. I use bacon grease to lubricate the pan. Cook 'em like pancakes.
Slainte

Boxty Day

I found some Irish recipes and of course I had to try the one for which I had everything we needed (Claire always likes to help cook). The honors fell on Boxty, a kind of hash brown pancake.

Rat Patootie

We got a huge eggplant, some red onions, and yellow bell peppers in the veggie box at school yesterday. So, I decided ratatouille was going on the menu, for Kristi and myself at least, at our house. Well, there's no better way to get the minions into food they're not used to than letting them help when they ask.
I cut up the onions, Claire added the tomato paste and sautéed them. Pearce cut up the tomatoes and I got on the zucchini and peppers. I also did for the Aubergine (look at me being polley view francey).
Claire also cut some lavender and rosemary off the pots on the porch. I got the oregano because it's the newest and smallest of the herbs.
Well, it's all in the crockpot now and we'll see what we see in a few hours. The kids and I are going to finish watching Ratatouille.

Premier of the Collards

I have never done collards from scratch. The kids get a school lunch box on Mondays and Thursdays with a farm fresh veggie box on Thursdays. Last week they had collards in the box so in the spirit of not letting things go to waste I'm trying some crockpot collards. They also put kale in there but that'll be another post (think Italian soup)

Orange Pork

Had some pork chops in the fridge and I've wanted to try an orange marmalade and soy sauce idea I caught from a cooking show. I couldn't find a mixture of just soy and om that I felt confidant trying. So, I tried a mixture of a cup of BBQ sauce (sweet, know your audience), a cup of marmalade, and three tablespoons of soy sauce. We'll see how it turns out tonight.

Andrew Elkins

Football Caviar

I've been asked for my recipe for boiled peanuts. I have two variations, indoor and outdoor. 

 
For the indoor recipe you will need at least one crockpot, two pounds (+-) of green peanuts, a fair amount of water, and enough salt. If you have one four quart crockpot you can fit roughly a pound and a half of peanuts in it. If you have a four quart and a two quart, put a pound and a half in the 4qt and a half pound in the 2qt. Cover with water. Turn on high for about an hour then add salt. I use somewhere around 1/2 cup per pound. Stir the salt in and top off water. Turn crocks to low and let them go for about 20-24 hours. Check and continue if they aren't soft enough for you. 

 
For outside, get up before the sun. Break out the turkey frier set up, hook it up and see if it still works (prep night before, you're not going to be awake enough). Dump 2 pounds of peanuts in the pot, fill with water, pour in a half to a whole cup of salt and fire off the burner. Boil until the peanuts sink. That'll be a good many hours. I actually prefer this method when the weather turns cold because I'm weird.

Andrew Elkins

This Just In

I got this from Allrecipes.com.
If you do not have an ice cream maker, you may freeze it in a tall canister. Freeze for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and stir with a whisk. Return to the freezer and stir about once every hour for about 4 hours. The more times you stir, the more air will be incorporated, resulting in a lighter finished product.

Andrew Elkins