Golden Potato Bake

Another disappointment with corn flakes. I figured that this would be a good accompanying dish for the chicken I made with corn flakes. NOT!! I will be cautious with corn flake usage in the future. But, this is not a keeper, and I don't know what I will do with the rest of these potatoes. Perhaps I could salvage them tomorrow ...

Again, it could be that I didn't get the corn flakes "crumby" enough. Also, I didn't realize that "pare" means to "peel". So, I peeled and cubed the potato, which may have made a difference to the recipe. Another thing is that I used the wrong sized pan, I used a loaf pan instead of a 9" square pan.

Golden Potato Bake

1/2 c. cornflake crumbs
1 t. salt
4-6 medium potatoes, pared
2 T butter, melted

1. Heat oven to 375ºF.
2. Mix corn flake crumbs and salt.
3. Brush potatoes with butter and coat with crumbs.
4. Arrange potatoes in an ungreased 9" x 9" x 2" baking pan.
5. Bake uncovered for 1-1 1/4 hours or until potatoes are tender. 4-6 servings.

Crispy Chicken Drumsticks

I had high hope for this recipe. After all, my favorite part of my family's tuna casserole was the corn flake topping!! I was quite disappointed at how the corn flakes worked, or didn't work as the case may be, as a coating for chicken. Perhaps I didn't make the corn flakes "crumby" enough? This is definitely not a keeper recipe.

I used some chicken tenderloins for this recipe, and as usual I needed more of the coating than the recipe called for. I also had to research what "boiled salad dressing" is. Apparently I don't know this because I was raised in the West!! I just used mayonnaise as the base for this recipe.

Crispy Chicken Drumsticks

1 c. corn flake crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 lb. chicken legs
1 c. boiled salad dressing or mayonnaise

1. Combine crumbs, cheese, and a light sprinkling of salt and pepper.
2. Coat chicken with salad dressing and dip each piece in the crumb mixture.
3. Bake in a shallow pan for 1 hour at 350ºF. Serves 4-6.

Potato Pancakes

I had overestimated the amount of potatoes needed for my last recipe, so I had one already-peeled potato floating in water in the refrigerator. For breakfast today I made Potato Pancakes. This recipe was satisfactory, but I have a lot of other similar recipes that might be better. I used slightly less potatoes than the recipe called for, and kept the 1 egg. So, I had to add more flour to make the better thick enough.

Potato Pancakes

1 egg
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. onion juice
2 c. grated raw potato
flour

1. Beat the egg until light and pale yellow, add the seasoning and the grated potato.
2. Stir in flour, a tablespoon at a time, using only enough to make a thick batter.
3. Drop by spoonfuls into a frying pan containing a little hot shortening and brown slowly on both sides. Serves 6.

Corn Chowder

I had some leftover canned corn from the last recipe I tried, so I looked for a recipe in my files that would use it up. Being unemployed, I really understand the need for thriftiness. This is a recipe that was originally from the Watkins company, I think they did spices back in the 1940s.

I halved the recipe, which was good because this was the exact amount that fit in my retro chrome blender. I blended this only for a little bit on low so it didn't overflow the blender container, this also enabled the potatoes and corn to still be a but chunky. I also used some heavy cream plus the leftover chicken broth from my last recipe instead of milk. This old recipe called for the milk to be scalded, which was done to kill bacteria and change the nature of the milk. Now we pasteurize milk, so I just heated it through. Be careful not to let it boil over or burn while heating. Two potatoes ended up being 2 cups diced. Because I like the onion flavor, but don't like to eat the actual onions, I think the next time I make this I will grate the onion and mix with the butter before I melt it. Half of the recipe made 3 servings. Since the soup bowl looked naked, I garnished the soup with a sprig of rosemary for the picture!!

P.S. How funny, I just re-read this recipe and it never says to use a blender!! I wonder if the word "blend" was meant to mean stir all ingredients together ...

Update: I made this recipe again and it wasn't as good. I don't know if it was due to the fact that I substituted some canned "new potatoes" instead of using regular potatoes. Or, if it was due to the fact that I quartered the onions and added more butter while I cooked them, straining them out when I added the butter to the soup. The seasoning was off, I had to add more salt and pepper.

Corn Chowder

2 c. canned corn
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 pint diced raw peeled potatoes
2 T butter
1/4 t. salt
2 pints milk, scald
1 cup boiling water
pepper
celery salt

1. Cook onion in one half of butter to light brown and drain.
2. Boil potatoes until tender and drain.
3. Blend all ingredients, add seasoning to taste.
4. If a thicker soup is desired, blend 2 tablespoons of flour with a little bit of cold milk and stir into soup 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Mock Heath Bars

I know I said I wouldn't try any more "kiddie" recipes, but I couldn't pass this one up!! This is a toffee bar that is made with Saltine crackers, and it tastes pretty good. I must say, though, that I would rather have the real thing, and will make real toffee next time. This recipe is a good short-cut and is pretty quick and easy.

I quartered the recipe and used butter instead of oleo, or margarine. I also toasted the chopped almonds before I sprinkled them on the chocolate. I ruined the first batch of toffee by overcooking it. The second batch was still light in color and still foamy when I removed it from the stove at about 2 minutes.

Mock Heath Bars

1 c. oleo
1 c. brown sugar
saltine crackers
12 oz. chocolate chips
chopped nuts, if desired

1. Line jelly roll pan with crackers
2. Boil oleo and brown sugar hard for about 2 1/2 minutes. Pour over crackers, spreading out to cover all crackers.
3. Put in 350ºF oven for 5 minutes. Remove and set on the oven door.
4. Pour chocolate chips over the mixture and place back into the oven with the door open for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and spread the chocolate chips out evenly. Sprinkle with nuts, if desired.
5. Refrigerate, can be frozen. Once set, bars can be broken apart by hand.

Spaghetti with Chicken Breast

This dish was flavorful, but a bit difficult to eat. I felt that there were too many onions, and I wished that I could have eaten the corn along with the spaghetti and chicken. I used green onions instead of chives, and cut the recipe down by thirds which yielded one serving. I might keep this recipe but try it with less onions and more pasta next time.

Spaghetti with Chicken Breast

1 T corn oil
2 onions, diced
1 1/4 lb. boneless chicken breasts, skinned and cut into small pieces.
3/4 c. canned sweet corn, drained
1 c. chicken broth
salt to taste
pinch of paprika
12 oz. spaghetti
3 T chopped fresh chives

1. Heat oil in saucepan. Add onion and saute until golden. Add chicken and saute until golden. Stir in corn and chicken broth, salt, and paprika. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
2. Cook spaghetti in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain pasta and place in heated serving dish.
3. Spoon chicken mixture on top and toss well. Sprinkle with chives and serve. Serves 4.

Crunchy Buttery Chocolate Bars

These bars are good, but after I have made them I realized that I no longer need recipes for "kids" dishes. If I was going to spend time making a dessert bar, I would rather make something a bit more sophisticated. I will pass this recipe on to someone who will have fun with their kids making a wacky dessert bar!! About the picture below, I got a bit hungry and tested out the bars before the chocolate had set. I should have taken the picture before I taste-tested them!!

Crunchy Buttery Chocolate Bars

1 8.5-oz. can of chow mein noodles
1 12-oz. can of peanuts
6 2.1-oz. Butterfinger candy bars
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. light corn syrup
3/4 c. creamy peanut butter
1 12-oz. packages of semisweet chocolate chips, melted

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
2. combine sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 6 minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Stir in peanut butter.
3. Pour peanut butter mixture over the noodle mixture and stir well.
4. Spread mixture in a greased 15" x 10" x 1" baking pan.
5. Spread chocolate over noodle mixture.
6. Let stand 4 hours or until chocolate is firm. Cut into bars. Makes 40 small bars.

PB and C Sandwiches

With the heat wave I was looking for a recipe that would not require heating up the oven or stovetop!! This hit the bill. It is nice and cool. Of course I had to use old-fashioned white bread, in fact I purchased a loaf of it just for this recipe!! I misread the recipe and made these open-faced, which explains why I had to eat them like tacos!!

PB and C Sandwiches

1/2 c. peanut butter
1 T honey
1/4 c. strawberry-flavored cream cheese
1 c. thinly sliced strawberries
8 slices of bread

1. In a small bowl stir together peanut butter and honey.
2. Add cream cheese and partially stir to create a marbled effect.
3. Spread the mixture on 4 slices of bread.
4. Top with strawberries and remaining slice of bread. Make 4 sandwiches.

Alsatian Potato Tart

These were good, and pretty easy to make. I altered the recipe a bit because I don't have any frying pans that can go into the oven. I know I should have a cast-iron pan, but I always tend to rust them out!! Anyway, I used a glass casserole dish, warmed up in the oven while it was preheating so that the glass wouldn't shatter when I poured the bacon grease into it. I halved the recipe and used russet potatoes, heavy whipping cream, a cold egg, and ground allspice. This dish makes a great potato side dish for dinner, but would also work with a breakfast or brunch.

Alsatian Potato Tart

3 strips of bacon
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 T finely grated onion
2 T flour
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
2 allspice berries, or a pinch ground
6 medium potatoes

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Cook bacon in 9- or 10-inch oven-safe skillet until crisp. Drain bacon on paper towels, crumble and reserve. Leave the bacon drippings in the pan.
3. In a medium-sized bowl beat the cream with the eggs until light. Stir in the onion, flour, salt, pepper and allspice.
4. Peel the potatoes and grate them directly into the bowl. Mix well. Stir in bacon.
5. Place bacon skillet with its drippings into the oven for 5 minutes. Swirl the drippings over the bottom and sides of the skillet, then pour the potato mixture into the hot skillet.
6. Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 30-35 mintues.
7. Cut into wedges to serve.

Lemon Chicken

The title of this recipe is a bit misleading, as it really is more of a winey-mustardy tasting chicken dish. And, because of this I am not going to be keeping this recipe. People who like mustard- and wine-flavored chicken will like it, though. I halved the recipe and there was a bit of bacon grease left in the pan when I sauteed the green onions.

Lemon Chicken

2 T butter
2 chicken breasts, halved, boned, and skinned
1/2 c. scallions (white part only)
2 T lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
4 T French mustard
1/3 c. dry white wine

1. Melt butter in a large saute pan.
2. Add the scallions and saute until tender.
3. Add the chicken, lower the heat, and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Combine lemon juice, salt, pepper, mustard, and wine.
6. Add this mixture to the chicken and simmer, with cover ajar, for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.