I grew up with my mother making this dish on “no meat” Fridays’ during Lent.  We would have these crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside pancakes with chilled applesauce.  They make a delicious appetizer.  A beloved standby at Hanukkah.

Ingredients:

• 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• Lemon juice
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1 Tb. Baking Powder
• 2 Tb. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 Tb. chopped parsley or chives 
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Applesauce
• Sour Cream
• Optional, Caviar, Creme Fraiche

Directions: With the large holes of a box grater, shred the potatoes and onion into a large mixing bowl.  Squeeze some lemon juice on the potatoes to prevent oxidation and toss well.  Take a handful of the potato-onion mixture and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, milk, egg, baking powder and nutmeg.  Stir batter into the potatoes and add the melted butter. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add an even film of light oil, about 1/4″ deep into skillet.  When oil is hot, form pancakes about 1 heaping tablespoon and add to skillet, spreading out and smoothing the top surface with the back of the spoon.  Cook about 3 mins. per side until golden brown.  Place on absorbent paper towel until ready to serve. Serve pancakes as a side dish or an appetizer with your choice of chilled applesauce and/or sour cream. This can also be a vegetarian main course. Servings: 12 Total time:  30 mins.

~Adapted from Wolfgang Puck

Home made play dough is easy to make, easy to store and fun to use.  When I was a teacher at the YMCA, I had a class of 2-1/2 year olds.  As most teachers know, you usually have to spend your own money for supplies for your classroom.  I would make this play dough for them.  Working and rolling this dough is very relaxing for children.  This was one of their favorite things to play with and keeps them busy for at least an hour!
This dough is safe if some finds its way into the sculptor’s mouth.  I’ve had to remove it from a few kids ears!  The dough contains alot of salt, so if they do want to try a piece, I don’t think they will come back for more. You can roll it out into slabs with a rolling pin or pat it flat with your hands so you can use it for building material or for cutting out shapes with cookie cutters or plastic knives.  You can make animals, people, “hot dogs”, snakes – just let the kids use their imagination!  It’s a big part of their development!

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 Tbsp. alum or cream of tartar (optional, but helps preserve the play dough)
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cups boiling water

Food coloring (optional)            

Mix the flour, salt and alum or cream of tartar together.  Add the oil, water and coloring if you plant to make just one color.

Knead for 6 to 8 minutes.  If you want more colors, divide the dough after kneading for 3 or 4 minutes, add a different color to each piece and finish kneading each separately.  (This is a good job for the kids.)

Refrigerate until ready to play again! If you would like to make a dough that can be “fired” like clay to make permanent sculptures,

3/4 cup boiling water

1/2 cup salt

2 cup all-purpose flour

Food coloring (optional)

Pour the boiling water into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add and dissolve the salt.  If you want the dough to be all one color, add color to the water.  Stir to cool a bit and then add the flour all at once.  Mix and shape into a ball.  Knead for 6 to 8 minutes.   To make more than one color divide as in above recipe.

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F.  Lay the shapes on foil-covered baking sheets and bake for 30 to 90 minutes depending on thickness.  Cool completely before painting.

If you plan to hang the dough creations, before you bake them make a hole in the top of the piece or shape the dough so that a string can be tied around it.

 You can paint these with acrylics, poster paint for water color.

Use felt tip markers for detailing.

After painting bake once more in a warm oven 200F for 30 minutes.

Have some fun with your kids!

 My mom made this for me when I was growing up – so you are going to make some memories for your kids and have lots of fun doing so!  This is a great summer afternoon project.  Sit down with your kids at the table and just take some time to play!

Parents:  I have a full year’s curriculum of ideas and crafts for Toddlers that I am no longer using. If you are interested in a monthly newsletter, please contact me.  I’d be happy to send them to you!

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love; 

where there is injury, pardon

where there is doubt, faith; 

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

where there is sadness, joy.

O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and

it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

~St. Francis of Assisi

Trust in the LORD

with all your heart and 

lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3,5-6

Just for today:

Live one day at a time

Enjoy one moment at a time

This month for the Secret Recipe Club , I was paired with Bean of Without Adornment  and her Gluten-Free kitchen.  Bean has a lovely philosophy on life, and beautiful photography which shines through on her blog!  I am not familiar with gluten free cooking, and don’t have many of the ingredients for her recipes, but I did come across her recipe for Ginger Beef and Chinese-esque Pork Dumplings .  I did have store bought won ton wrappers in the fridge.  I tried 2 different cooking methods – Shu Mai (steamed) and pan fried and steamed (pot sticker style).  These little gems had a bit of a kick from the ginger – so delicious!

Pork Filling for Dumplings

1 lb. lean ground pork

1/2 cup chopped green onion

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sesame oil(original recipe called for 2 tsp. oil)
1 Tbsp. cooking sherry 

1 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tsp. sugar(my addition)

1 Tbsp. cornstarch(my addition)

1/4 cup finely grated carrot (for garnish)

 In a medium bowl, mix pork, with above ingredients and mix until well combined.

Using a 3″ biscuit cutter (I used an empty tuna can – perfect for this), cut rounds from won ton wrappers.  Cover rounds with moist paper towel to prevent drying.

Working with 6 rounds at a time, brush edges of each round lightly with water.   Place 1 Tablespoon of filling into center of each round.  Form dumplings by crimping wrapper around sides of filling and leaving top exposed.

Pinch opposite sides of wrapper.  Continue until you have eight folds.  Gather sides and squeeze gently.  Lightly pack down filling.

Top center of each dumpling with pinch of grated carrot.  These can be frozen up to 3 months.  When steaming add an additional 5 minutes.  This will make about 40 dumplings.  Any leftover meat can be used to make Asian Style Meatballs (as Mr. Bean suggested) or a nice Pork Fried Rice!

Cut a piece of parchment slightly smaller than diameter of steamer basket and place in basket.  Poke about 20 small holes in parchment and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Place batches of dumplings on parchment liner, making sure they are not touching.  Set steamer over simmering water and cook, covered until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes.

Serve with chili oil.

To cook them pot sticker style, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet,  Fry dumplings on one side until golden brown.  Add 1/2 cup water to skillet, cover and steam 8-10 minutes.

Chili Oil Dipping Sauce 

1/4 cup soy sauce

2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)

1 tsp. Chinese Chili Garlic Sauce

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients and let stand one hour to meld flavors.

I know this is quite different from Bean’s gluten free kitchen, but she gave me the inspiration to try these homemade dumplings!  Thank you Bean!

~Method from American’s Test Kitchen

After taking a break in January, it’s time for the Secret Recipe Club  to start back up!  This month’s blog chosen for me was Food Babbles .  Kate is a sometimes stay-at-home mom who loves food, photography and writing.  She was featured on Bon Appetit’s “What People are Cooking” Column!  So creative!  I chose her recipe for Lemon Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Muffins  and just swapped out the lemon with orange.  Orange and chocolate are great together – along with the cheesecake – delicious combination! You will need:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

2-1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1-1/4 cup milk (I used buttermilk)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp. grated orange zest

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup orange marmalade

– Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners. – Beat together cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips and set aside. – In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together egg milk, brown sugar, butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. – Spoon batter into muffin cups to 3/4 full. Top each portion with 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture and 1 teaspoon jam. – Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove muffins and cool on rack. Store in airtight container.

 These muffins were very moist and have just the right amount of sweetness.

Easter is still a while away, but we are going to have alot of hard-boiled eggs to deal with.  I finally found the perfect way to boil the eggs:

Place your eggs in a pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch.

Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, remove from heat and set aside for 10 minutes.

Drain, cool in ice water and peel.

Perfect every time!

I still haven’t solved the problem of peeling them.  Some peel right off and others don’t.  I tried rolling them around in the pot with the ice water to crack the shells.  I tried peeling them while running them under water.

Cracking them on the counter and rolling them – can someone help?  If I get one that’s really messed up, I just add the white to the yolk mixture – it gives you extra filling.  I also read a tip about centering the yolks.  You know how they come out sometimes, the yolk is toward the side of the egg (as you can see above) and the wall is very thin to hold the filling.  Twenty-four hours before boiling the eggs, wrap a rubber band around the carton to hold it shut.  Rest the carton on its side in the fridge.  They yolks will be perfectly centered.  I’m going to try this.  I know, I know, this is alot of drama about a hard-boiled egg – so on with the recipe.

Mash 6 hard-boiled egg yolks, 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon each mustard, Worcestershire sauce and white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, some hot sauce and salt.  Dust the whites the paprika, then fill with the yolk mixture.

Top with dill pickle

If you are bringing deviled eggs for parties, put the eggs in small muffin liners so they arrive intact.  The liners make them easy to pick up and serve.  I love the way my pictures came out with the pastel liners and placement, so I’m showing all three.  Perfect for the Easter table!

~Adapted from Food Network Magazine