Thursday, January 19, 2023
Wickedly Good Egg Salad
I love sandwich salads such as tuna and chicken salad. I absolutely adore great
egg salad but rarely found a place that made it well. My friend Jennifer, who we
call Jai, worked at a small diner. I went to visit her and she told me that the
daily special was egg salad. I was skeptical, but she assured me it was good. It
was good! In fact, it was SO good that I begged her to find out how they made
it. All egg salads start with hard-cooked eggs, but there was a trick to this
wonderful egg salad.
First, only use Duke's mayonnaise. (Yes, I know that family
feuds have started over which brand is best between Hellmanns and Dukes. Just so
all know, I have always been a Hellmann's advocate. so I had to purchase a jar
of Dukes to followed Jai's instructions.)
1. Whip the cooked yolks with Dukes mayo. One can add as much or as little
mayo to the yolks as blending with the egg whites will not change anything
but the consistency of the salad. I personally like my egg salad to be on
the thicker side, but it is a matter of preference. After making it, I
decided to add a healthy squeeze of plain yellow mustard and a few shakes of
HotShot. (The little diner did not do this.)
2. Chop hardcooked egg whites to the sizes desired. The little diner used an egg slicer to get more uniform egg whites. I am waffling on whether I like the larger chunks or want to slice them and chop with a knife.
3. Blend together.
The result is the Wickedly Good Egg Salad that I have been seeking for years! Yesterday, Jai said I had been grumpy. Anyone would be grumpy for not
having this recipe for most of their life! But here it is so no one else
needs to be grumpy.
I like my sandwich on untoasted oat or wheat bread with fresh tomato
slices. Wickedly. Good.
Thursday, October 27, 2022
Liver and Onions
I thought that I would begin with a photo since I know that most of my family will turn their button-noses up at Liver and Onions. Too bad, because it is delicious! While Dad simply tolerated it, Mom and I loved it. Sandy was not a fan, so she managed to avoid it when it was on the dinner table. Not sure how she did it, because I thought the rule was we could only refuse three foods....so one should pick carefully!
For really good liver and onions, it starts with finding really outstanding calves liver. This will not be found in a liver-shaped package in the freezer section. I prefer the liver to be sliced one-half or (a bit over inch) thick. If calves liver cannot be found, then beef liver will need to do, but it will not be as fantastic. (This being said, our beef liver will be better than 99% of the fine restaurants who make it.) For each pound of liver, use two medium onions.
If using beef liver, soak it in milk for the duration of slicing the onions and preparing a skillet to brown them. Once soaked, transfer the liver pieces to paper towel and dry them well! If using calves liver, just put the slices on paper towel after rinsing to get the surface dry.
Using a heavy skillet (like cast iron,) heat some oil to saute the onions until they get some carmelization. If using castiron, heat the skillet before adding oil. When the oil shimmers, add the sliced onions.
While the onions are cooking, mix up a coating. Mom liked to use cornmeal/flour (50/50) with salt and pepper. I like flour without the cornmeal along with salt and pepper. Use a second paper towel to dry the liver, if needed.
Remove the onions from the skillet and add a bit more oil, if needed. Then dredge the liver in the flour mixture and brown them in the skillet. It will cook quickly, and should not stick if the skillet is hot and has been seasoned.
While the liver is browning, mix up the gravy base. I use beef broth (or Better than Bouillon), a splash of Worcester Sauce, more pepper, and flour. (A tablespoon of flour for each cup of liquid.) Remove the liver. I use red wine (cabernet sauvignon) to deglaze the skillet but Mom used water or broth. Deglazing makes clean-up easier and adds flavor. Add the gravy base and cook until the gravy is thickened and bubbly. Add the liver back to the skillet coating each piece in gravy and add onions on top coating them as well.
Cover and turn pan to a simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Serve with mashed potatoes and applesauce for a truly delicious dinner....and join Mom and me in loving liver!
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Summer Pickles
I will be the first to admit that I am a neglectful auntie in posting family recipes. It really is because I want to have photographs to add to the recipes and, of course, my limited time. I'll get better - eventually.
Summer pickles are also called "refrigerator pickles" in our family. Mom use to make them a lot when she got extra cucumbers or when she simply wanted an easy side dish. These go over well at potlucks. I do not remember Granny or Memaw making them, but understand that Grandma Dora made them often in the summer time. I grow cucumbers in my little Victory Garden. While I love cucumbers, I also love these pickles, which will keep a week or so in the fridge!
The basics are the same: Cucumbers, Sugar, White Vinegar, and Water. Beyond that, everything is a variation. Do you like sour pickles? Use more vinegar and less sugar. Like other flavors, add them. I personally like a 1 sugar: 1 water : 1 vinegar ratio. So a cup for a cup. (To do this, I sometimes need to heat the water to dissolve the sugar. Let it cool before using.) This will make a crunchy pickle that is on the sweet side. I put them on sandwiches as well as use them as a summer side dish. Just mix it all together and let it rest in the refrigerator overnight. It also seems to work find when made in the morning for dinner that evening.
In addition to the ratios and slice sizes, there are tons of variations to these pickles. I'm partial to adding dill. I like adding sweet onion as well. Red onion is tasty but will turn the water pink, which I do not particularly like. Today, I added a shallot, some sliced garlic cloves and a teaspoon of dried dill along with the sugar, water, and vinegar mix.
As a child, we only had these pickles in the summer. Regular cucumbers in the winter were simply not as good. However, they are delicious anytime of the year using the English cucumbers. One huge change between when I was growing up and now is the availability of produce through the year. Although I can select to do so, it is not the same to eat "seasonally." Getting strawberries from the green grocer or the local fruit stand was a treat as the berries were locally ripened and likely picked that morning. I'm really looking forward to my summer pickles as these were picked this morning right off their vines.
Monday, October 19, 2020
Fried Green Tomatoes
Anyone who has a garden likely has a recipe for fried green tomatoes. I believe that there are as many recipes as there are types of tomatoes. I don't make them the same way each time. Below I've listed how I often make them and I also give variations.
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| Freshly Fried Green Tomatoes |
I never remember Granny frying tomatoes, but she did make a terrific fried apple dish. Memaw and Mom both made them. I'd bet money that Grandma Dora made them, but I honestly do not know. Mom and Memaw made theirs much the same. Memaw always used bacon grease and Mom always used Crisco solid.
Tomatoes can be almost any stage of green. Personally, I prefer them when they have lightened a bit but still do not have color when sliced. Tomatoes that are too ripe are too juicy even though they are still green. Those that are very green are too dry to me. It's a preference.
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| Above left is too green. Bottom is too ripe. Remaining one is JUST right - for me anyway. |
Another preference is how thick do you want them sliced? I personally go between 1/4 and 1/2 inch slices depending on the size of the tomato. And yet another preference is how much coating do you want? I like the coating to be thin. Too much coating, and I feel like I don't actually taste the tomato.
Tomatoes can be coated in flour, cornmeal, bread crumbs, pork rinds, and I am certain tons of other things. (I have a friend who uses almond flour and pork rinds with good results.) My preference is a ratio of 1:1 white flour to white corn meal.
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| Tomatoes, Buttermilk, and Flour/Cornmeal 1:1 mixture |
Some people just dredge in dry ingredients and fry. Others will dip them in egg, milk, buttermilk, water, or any combination above. (Personally, I like buttermilk if I slice them a bit thicker and do not use anything if I slice them very thin.) I will say that buttermilk will crisp them up well when it is used.
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| Cast Iron Skillet. Heat first, then add oil. When the oil shimmers, it is ready to fry! |
You need an oil or grease with a very high smoking point. Bacon grease or lard is yummy, but most do not have it on-hand. I used avocado oil to make these. (I like avocado oil because it has little flavor and it can really stand the heat. Plus, healthy!)
Okay, select your tomatoes and rinse them. Then slice your tomatoes and spread them out. Salt and pepper them. (This is where other spices can be added, but I am a green tomato purist.) Then, if using a liquid, dip them in flour and then the liquid - or straight into the liquid. (I dip them straight in the liquid because the coating is generally thinner then.) Then you coat them with the dry ingredients. They do not need to "rest" as some coatings do.
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| Medium heat is perfect with Cast Iron. |
Heat the oil/grease in a very heavy, pre-heated skillet. (Cast iron is perfect!) Drop each coated tomato slice directly into the grease. A pig tail is perfect for flipping the tomato slices. Use a cooking fork if you do not have one so you do not rip off your coating with a spatula. Drain well on a paper towel. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot. They sadly do not reheat well.
Some things that have been true for me: Using flour alone doesn't result in a very crispy coating. Olive oil burns too fast to make an effective grease. Too much cornmeal masks the flavor. Egg gets the coating very think - which is fine on really thick tomato slices, but I don't like it on thinner slices. Also, tossed in a hint of avocado oil and plunked on the grill - the tomato flavor can really shine.
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| Dipped in Buttermilk, coated in cornmeal and flour. |
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| Turn and move with a pig tail (above) or use a cooking fork. Spatulas will often knock off the coating. |
Salt and pepper as removed from the skillet and drain well. Serve them hot!
(Recipe summary: Wash and slice the tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Dip in milk/buttermilk, and then dip in flour/cornmeal mixture. Fry in hot oil. Drain well. Salt and pepper again. Serve.)
Thursday, August 6, 2020
Fried Okra
I first had fried okra at Memaw's house along with fried green tomatoes. However, I do not remember her growing okra so I don't know where she got the okra. (Likely from a neighbor who had a bumper crop!) Recently Laura visited with her fella. They seemed to like it so I said I would post the recipe.
While the okra sets in egg, mix up the coating. Equal parts of white cornmeal with all-purpose flour, salt and pepper, and whatever else you might want. (Garlic powder, HotShot, cayenne, etc.)
The egg will "soak" into the okra quite a bit and the okra will be very sticky. Remove the okra from the egg and toss in the coating ensuring it is covered.
Don't worry if you get a bit of clumping. Once coated, place in hot oil. (I like avocado oil because it has a very high smoke point.)
Gently stir often until the okra is fully cooked and browned to your liking on all sides.
When done, drain well on paper towel or in metal basket. Season with salt/pepper to taste. I really like okra. I have several okra recipes that I like to make, but this one seems universally enjoyed even by people who "don't like okra." My other recipes do not have family ties though but I may post them anyway!
I will sometimes fry green beans using the same method! Tasty!
Saturday, July 4, 2020
Potato Salad, Picnics, and the Fourth of July
Growing up, we camped a fair amount and picnics were common. One thing that was made - especially if it was a summer picnic or potluck was Potato Salad. Mom (and Granny AND Grandma Dora) made the best potato salad. It was always a hit at gatherings. On the Fourth of July, we did not generally make potato salad unless we were camping or eating at home. (More about July 4 traditions at the end.)
How good is this recipe? Once, on a camping trip, Mom made 15 pounds of her wonderful potato salad. It was housed in a cooler while we all went fishing at Raccoon Lake. Now, we always had our German Sheppard Sheena, and Sheena protected us and everything around us. However, on this particular July 4th camping trip, we took her with us down by the water. While we were fishing, raccoons chewed their way into the tent and cooler...and then into the huge ice cream container that held the potato salad and ate all 15 pounds! Mom was furious, and wished all raccoons involved a horrible bellyache!
As with many recipes, there are variations to the recipe, and I will let you know the differences. Like Mom and Granny, I take liberties with Grandma Dora's recipe. The original recipe calls for potatoes. It does not say how many or what kind. I find using Russets work very well. Idahos are pretty dry to me. Yukon Gold makes a wetter potato salad. I will also confess that the potato type is not important enough to me to get me in a car to go to the store.
Put whole, un-skinned potatoes in water to cover them and bring them to a boil for 45 to 60 minutes. You will be able to pierce them easily with a fork when they are done. Let them cool. Once cool, peel the skins off and dice them. You do not need a knife to remove the skins. They will easily peel right off. The dice size depends on how chunky you want your potato salad.
You need 1 large, peeled, hard-cooked egg per potato. If you want it extra-special...that would be EGG-stra special, two large hard-cooked eggs per potato. (That joke came from Granny!) I cut the eggs in half to ensure the cooked yolk will mush into the salad easily, then dice the white part of the egg.
So for roughly six large potatoes, you also need a small to medium yellow onion, semi-finely diced. Also, the recipe calls for 1/2 small jar of sweet Gherkin pickles and 1/4 jar of pickle juice for six potatoes.
As with the onion, dice the pickles.
Okay, confession time: When in a huge hurry, I have used relish. However, I will say that I feel the salad misses something without the little chunks of sweet pickles. Also, again, I find the potato salad will be less stiff when relish is used, and I do not like a runny potato salad.
Grandma Dora used a teaspoon of powdered mustard, but Granny and Mom did not. I don't like powdered mustard in it. Instead, I use a healthy squirt or two of basic French's yellow mustard. I simply like it. Also, Mom and Granny both used celery seed, but I like to chop up a few stalks of celery. If using large potatoes, I will use a stalk per potato.
Add a cup or two of Miracle Whip and mix well. How much Miracle Whip? Enough until everything is coated and sticky. Make certain the yolks are well-mixed into the Miracle Whip. Taste it. Add in salt, pepper to taste and mix again. There should not be yolk "chunks."
Then pat everything into a large bowl. Garnish with pickle fans, egg slices, and paprika. (FANCY!) Even if I do not add egg slices or pickle fans, I add paprika. I swear it is better when I do! Make potato salad the night before. It is better when it sets a day.
Okay, Troubleshooting:
Typical Fourth of July picnics with Granny and Pepaw were a trip to a State Park or swimming at Devil's Garden. However, the menu did not change. It was Hot Dogs with chili, mustard, ketchup, relish, and onion options. We had Charlie's Potato Chips (and Borden's Onion Dip if Dad was there.) Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies and Cookies (Chip-Ahoy and waffle sugar cookies.) The chili was Armor Star Chili with Beans, and it was cooked over the charcoal right in the can. I have no idea how safe the can was. We never worried about it in those days. (Remember, they let us play with mercury at our desks in school.)
One year, Sandy found a little stump-tailed cat that was named Miss Meow on a State Park picnic. She was always finding strays (or they found her.) We would swing on swings or go for a hike, and then head home. At night, we would light fireworks using flares that Pepaw brought home from the railroad. They glowed a bright pink and I thought they were beautiful.
In Indiana, the menu changed. Maybe steaks or hamburgers, and sometimes hotdogs. But fireworks were lit. In Indiana, we also always went to see the city fireworks.
If we picnicked with others or stayed at home, potato salad was almost always on our Fourth of July table. And watermelon followed prior to fireworks...and homemade ice cream often followed afterwards.
How good is this recipe? Once, on a camping trip, Mom made 15 pounds of her wonderful potato salad. It was housed in a cooler while we all went fishing at Raccoon Lake. Now, we always had our German Sheppard Sheena, and Sheena protected us and everything around us. However, on this particular July 4th camping trip, we took her with us down by the water. While we were fishing, raccoons chewed their way into the tent and cooler...and then into the huge ice cream container that held the potato salad and ate all 15 pounds! Mom was furious, and wished all raccoons involved a horrible bellyache!
As with many recipes, there are variations to the recipe, and I will let you know the differences. Like Mom and Granny, I take liberties with Grandma Dora's recipe. The original recipe calls for potatoes. It does not say how many or what kind. I find using Russets work very well. Idahos are pretty dry to me. Yukon Gold makes a wetter potato salad. I will also confess that the potato type is not important enough to me to get me in a car to go to the store.
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| Cooked and Cooled Russet Potatoes |
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| The skins will peel right off. So will most of the "eyes." |
You need 1 large, peeled, hard-cooked egg per potato. If you want it extra-special...that would be EGG-stra special, two large hard-cooked eggs per potato. (That joke came from Granny!) I cut the eggs in half to ensure the cooked yolk will mush into the salad easily, then dice the white part of the egg.
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| This salad will be EGG-Stra Special! |
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| No one but me uses Sugar-Free. |
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| Don't forget to add in pickle juice. |
Okay, confession time: When in a huge hurry, I have used relish. However, I will say that I feel the salad misses something without the little chunks of sweet pickles. Also, again, I find the potato salad will be less stiff when relish is used, and I do not like a runny potato salad.
Grandma Dora used a teaspoon of powdered mustard, but Granny and Mom did not. I don't like powdered mustard in it. Instead, I use a healthy squirt or two of basic French's yellow mustard. I simply like it. Also, Mom and Granny both used celery seed, but I like to chop up a few stalks of celery. If using large potatoes, I will use a stalk per potato.
 | |
| Nothing mixes this better than clean hands. |
Then pat everything into a large bowl. Garnish with pickle fans, egg slices, and paprika. (FANCY!) Even if I do not add egg slices or pickle fans, I add paprika. I swear it is better when I do! Make potato salad the night before. It is better when it sets a day.
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| People will fight over egg slices. Seriously. The pickle fans freak Millennials out. I don't know why. |
- Too dry, add more Miracle Whip
- Too wet, add more egg yolk or another potato.
- Not sweet enough, add more pickles or juice or relish if you are in a hurry.
- Not enough celery? Add some celery seed (or celery salt if you have not yet added salt.)
- Too much mustard? It will be a first for me. Embrace the taste. HAHA
- It is an easy recipe to make, but it is not a fast recipe to throw together. Don't be duped into making it at the last minute for gatherings. It's time-consuming to get this kind of deliciousness.
Typical Fourth of July picnics with Granny and Pepaw were a trip to a State Park or swimming at Devil's Garden. However, the menu did not change. It was Hot Dogs with chili, mustard, ketchup, relish, and onion options. We had Charlie's Potato Chips (and Borden's Onion Dip if Dad was there.) Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies and Cookies (Chip-Ahoy and waffle sugar cookies.) The chili was Armor Star Chili with Beans, and it was cooked over the charcoal right in the can. I have no idea how safe the can was. We never worried about it in those days. (Remember, they let us play with mercury at our desks in school.)
One year, Sandy found a little stump-tailed cat that was named Miss Meow on a State Park picnic. She was always finding strays (or they found her.) We would swing on swings or go for a hike, and then head home. At night, we would light fireworks using flares that Pepaw brought home from the railroad. They glowed a bright pink and I thought they were beautiful.
In Indiana, the menu changed. Maybe steaks or hamburgers, and sometimes hotdogs. But fireworks were lit. In Indiana, we also always went to see the city fireworks.
If we picnicked with others or stayed at home, potato salad was almost always on our Fourth of July table. And watermelon followed prior to fireworks...and homemade ice cream often followed afterwards.
Monday, April 13, 2020
Fresh Strawberry Pie
This has a bit of recent humor. I started to write recipes in a book a very long time ago to attempt to make sure I could remember how to make them. It drove Mom a little bit crazy, but nothing like it did with Granny. I was smacked with spoons, towels, and pot holders as she would tell me to get out of the way. After my sister got married, I started a book for her and wrote some of the recipes in it. Then, I forgot that I had did it. One day, my sister made two strawberry pies from the recipe that I gave to her. I thought that it had come from my Betty Crocker Cookbook, but no. I could not find the recipe. I asked her several times for the recipe. Yesterday, she said, "You gave me the recipe." And then she sent me a photo of the recipe in the book that I made for her. Yes, I felt foolish and realized that I am forgetful when it comes to gifts that I give. Too funny!
This recipe was made by Granny. It is likely from the 50's when Jello (or Campbell's soup) was put in everything. It may have been Grandma Dora's but was likely in a magazine with a Jello ad or placed on a box in either case. It makes a wonderful pie, and Sandy and I would make it to take to springtime gatherings with my Dad's neighbors when they invited us over after Mom passed.
First, you need a baked pie shell. (For the love of all that is holy, someone needs to teach me how to make a nice pie crust. Even when I use pre-made crusts, they will shrivel, shrink, or bake unevenly. It is a standard failure for me!)
Then stir a 3 ounce box of Strawberry jello, a cup of sugar and a cup of hot water until the jello dissolves. Add 3 Tablespoons of flour (or 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch) and bring to a boil until thickened.
Once thickened, remove from heat. When cooled, add 3 or 4 cups of strawberries. Coat all well, and then place in your pre-baked pie crust. Place in the refrigerator until set. Serve with whipped cream.
The beauty of this recipe is that it can be used with other berries. For example, fresh blueberry or blackberry pie can be used with blackberry jello following the same steps. In the picture above, I did not let the jello cool enough so it overflowed the crust. but still delicious!
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| Definitely my awful scrawl with a mix of upper and lower case letters randomly placed or omitted. |
First, you need a baked pie shell. (For the love of all that is holy, someone needs to teach me how to make a nice pie crust. Even when I use pre-made crusts, they will shrivel, shrink, or bake unevenly. It is a standard failure for me!)
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| It was pretty going INTO the oven but this is what came out. |
Then stir a 3 ounce box of Strawberry jello, a cup of sugar and a cup of hot water until the jello dissolves. Add 3 Tablespoons of flour (or 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch) and bring to a boil until thickened.
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| Stir, stir, stir until dissolved. Then boil until thickened. |
Once thickened, remove from heat. When cooled, add 3 or 4 cups of strawberries. Coat all well, and then place in your pre-baked pie crust. Place in the refrigerator until set. Serve with whipped cream.
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| Fresh Strawberry Pie |
The beauty of this recipe is that it can be used with other berries. For example, fresh blueberry or blackberry pie can be used with blackberry jello following the same steps. In the picture above, I did not let the jello cool enough so it overflowed the crust. but still delicious!
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