Month: March 2019

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GREEK POTATOES -A Lemony Wake Up Call!

GREEK POTATOES textOne of my favorite flavor combinations is lemon and garlic, so it’s no surprise that Greek Potatoes are a go-to side dish in our house. Not only is it delicious, but it’s super fast and easy to prepare. (It does take about 40 minutes to bake, but that’s hands-off.)

I highly recommend using a firm potato such as Yukon Gold or a red potato – the pieces will retain their shape. I’ve made this dish with russets, and they tend to kind of mash.

NOTE:  If you plan on increasing the recipe, DON’T increase the boiling water.  I doubled the recipe once, so I doubled the water and ended up with a soupy dish.  Turns out, 1.5 cups of water will cook the potatoes whether the recipe is increased or not.  Increase all the other ingredients, though.

GREEK POTATOES – makes about 5 cups

  • 1½ lbs Yukon Gold or red potatoes
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2½ T vegetable oil
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1-3 cloves garlic, pressed (I use 2)
  • 1½ cups boiling water
  • about 2 T chopped parsley

Preheat oven to 475º Fahrenheit.

Chop unpeeled potatoes into chunks that are no smaller than 3/4″. (If they’re too small, you’ll lose the balance of a firm outside and creamy inside of each piece.)

Into a flat bottomed, high sided casserole dish combine the potatoes, lemon juice, vegetable oil, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, and boiling water.GREEK POTATOES3 Place in 475º F oven uncovered. Bake, stirring gently every 20 minutes, until almost all the water is evaporated. This will take about 40-60 minutes. There will still be oil remaining on the bottom.GREEK POTATOES2 Remove from oven and sprinkle on parsley. Serve while hot.

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CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – Chewy Goodness!!!

chocolate chip cookies textThere are easily hundreds of chocolate chip cookie recipes. For years my go-to recipe was the one on the Nestle’s chocolate chip bag. While it’s absolutely delicious, I decided to see if I could improve on it.

Let me just say, there really is no such thing as a bad chocolate chip cookie. BUT, some are definitely better than others. As usual, I started with an America’s Test Kitchen recipe, tweaking it to suit my taste.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES  – makes about 21, depending on size

  • 6 T butter, divided, cut into 1 T pieces
  • 2 + 3/4 oz (1/2 cup) (80g) shortening (I use Crisco)
  • 4 + 1/4 oz (3/4 cup) (122g) dark brown sugar
  • 3 + 1/4 oz (1/2 cup) (93g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 8 + 3/8 oz (1¾ cup + 2 T) (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 4 + 3/4 oz (1 cup) (136g) bittersweet chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet)
  • 2 + 1/2 oz (1/2 cup) (74g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Nestle’s)
  • 2 + 1/2 oz (3/4 cup) (71g) pecans, chopped and lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit.

In a small light colored skillet (so you can see the color change – I used an aluminium pan), melt 4 T of the butter over medium/high heat. It will begin bubbling.chocolate chip cookies2Start swirling pan until butter is browned (turns reddish/amber) – it happens fast, so don’t leave unattended! (You may need to turn down the heat a bit or raise the pan off the flame.)chocolate chip cookies1 Immediately pour into large mixing bowl of your electric mixer. Add in the remaining  2 T butter and stir until melted. (This will cool down the butter.)chocolate chip cookies13 Let melted butter cool at least 15 minutes. (You don’t want to melt the shortening.)

Add in Crisco and, on low speed, beat until shortening is incorporated. (It can be a little lumpy – don’t worry, it will become creamy soon.) chocolate chip cookies6Add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, and vanilla. Beat on medium 2 minutes. Don’t shortchange the 2 minutes – it aerates the batter.chocolate chip cookies5 Add in whole egg and yolk and beat on low for 30 seconds. Let rest 3 minutes. USE A TIMER! (You’ll be doing this for a total of 3 times.) Beat on low for 30 seconds, then let rest another 3 minutes. Finally, beat on low for 30 seconds (this is the LAST time, I promise!) and let set 3 minutes.

Add in the flour and baking soda. Mix on low until flour is almost incorporated (don’t overmix). chocolate chip cookies3Add in the chips and pecans, and mix on low until they are evenly disbursed and all the flour is incorporated.chocolate chip cookies11 Line cookie sheets with parchment or grease. Use a 3 T ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup filling it 3/4 full. Drop dough onto cookie sheet, spacing them far apart – you should get no more than 9 per sheet.chocolate chip cookies10 Bake in a preheated 375º F oven 8-11 minutes. (Check at the 8 minute mark – they cook faster on a dark sheet.) You want the edges to look done, but not the center (unless you like crispier cookies). The cookies will continue to bake on the hot sheet.chocolate chip cookies9 Remove from oven and let set on the hot cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Slide onto a wire rack to finish cooling.chocolate chip cookies8It’s tempting to eat them right away, but try and resist. The flavor improves as they cool and firm up.