Recipe and Cook's Corner

[dahlia]

 I am often dismayed at how picky kids are about food.

So am I!

My kids eat almost everything, I am so happy about that.
But of course they are used at having lots of fresh vegetables and fruit.

[gnash]

If kids grow up eating canned vegetables, I can see how they'd hate them,,, having fresh vegetables, or a mother or father that knows how to actually cook them, or who take the time to prepare and cook them, is probably a luxury these days.

Oh, I have totally enjoyed eating some yummy canned green bean casseroles made with canned cream of mushroom soup, but you know what I mean! 

I had an UMAMI burger the other day.... way overrated… they're supposedly ALL THE RAGE,  but the textures clashed. It was all same: soft challah style egg bread, soft, mushy beef, soft caramelized onions, soft sauteed shiitake... blah to the max.

Umami, in japanese, means "5th taste", or something like that, but they didn't even have the first or second tastes right! 

I *think* part of the secret to this so called 5th taste is the addition to bonito (fish) powder to the beef, and probably some msg as well...
 
My japanese aunt used to make her own kick ass grilled burgers, and all she did was add a package of lipton onion dip mix to the beef, mixed in, before forming and grilling the patties. Soooo juicy and good. They would be paired with things that contrasted, too. Like crisp pickles, fresh lettuce, sweet onions, etc. Hers were the original umami burgers.

[mcnell1120]

My japanese aunt used to make her own kick ass grilled burgers, and all she did was add a package of lipton onion dip mix to the beef, mixed in, before forming and grilling the patties. Soooo juicy and good. They would be paired with things that contrasted, too. Like crisp pickles, fresh lettuce, sweet onions, etc. Hers were the original umami burgers.

This is how I make my burgers!!   good 'ole onion dip mix....yummy!!

[mcnell1120]

luckily, home ec in the seventies was slightly better. we made things like salads and pizza... but the only thing i really remember making was chocolate chip cookies, because somebody in our group (probably steve) turned the oven up to 550 degrees...  when our teacher noticed that, she shrieked. she admonished us, turned down the heat, then opened the oven door and bent down to check on our cookies.

the heat from the oven immediately melted her synthetic wig.... it went from fluffy to flat (and shiny) in in two seconds.

nobody said a word, but we all looked at her in horror. the rest of the class was conducted with her hair like this. after the bell rang, we raced out, and when she went into her side room to check herself in the mirror, she let out a blood curdling scream. everyone in the class started running.

OMG...this s the funniest thing!!! 

[killersmom]

Sara asked about this recipe as I took it to a BBQ a couple of weeks ago and it was a big hit. I need to send it to 4 of the guys who were there.

Here it is for those who would like it here.

I cook it in a pressure cooker, but it can also be done in the oven.

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

10 slices bacon, diced (reserve the bacon pieces)
6 medium to large potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced ( I use 1 1/2 Tablespoons of dried minced onions.)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/3 cup vinegar

Brown bacon, drain

In the bacon drippings, combine all of the ingredients except for the potatoes. Mix well.
Toss potatoes in the mixture, making sure the potatoes are mixed well.

Cook for 5 minutes in a pressure cooker after the pressure regulator starts rocking slowly. Cool cooker at once.

If cooking in an oven, cook in a covered dish, preferably a big enough one in which the potatoes are in one layer. Cook at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more or until the top is browned a little.

Mix potatoes and serve warm. Warm up the bacon pieces and sprinkle the pieces over it right before serving.

[fritzkep]

Mmmm! Sounds delish, Linda!

[killersmom]

It is Fritz! I hope to make some for you some day!!

[Cally]

For me too, I hope!

Sounds wonderful  .

[chapeaugris]

This is a common formula for potato dishes in many cultures. Add to diced potatoes a fat, something acidic (vinegar, lemon juice...) and seasoning/spices and bake in the oven. I've done a similar one, supposedly Greek, with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. In sw France where duck is a speciality they do something similar using duck fat. I've never made it with bacon, so now that my vegetarian daughter has gone back to college I think I'll try this, which sounds delicious.

[gnash]

OMG...this s the funniest thing!!! 

oh, nellie! i wish i could describe it to you with my hands, LOL...  it was SUCH a hoot, omg.

yay on the onion dip. they are SO GOOD that way! 

[gnash]

This is a common formula for potato dishes in many cultures. Add to diced potatoes a fat, something acidic (vinegar, lemon juice...) and seasoning/spices and bake in the oven. I've done a similar one, supposedly Greek, with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic. In sw France where duck is a speciality they do something similar using duck fat. I've never made it with bacon, so now that my vegetarian daughter has gone back to college I think I'll try this, which sounds delicious.

i love linda's german potato salad!   i grew up with german potato salad, and the bacon really does make it so good.

at home, i do make a cold potato salad with olive oil and whatnot, and without meat. i don't mind a mayo based dressing, but prefer a simple one where the flavor of the herbs can come through. like the wonderful potatoes they serve with those nicoise salads i adore.

i've also gotten used to making my tuna salad without mayo as well! olive oil instead, capers or olive, lots of parsley, some lemon juice, etc. YUM.

how nice that you catered to your daughter's vegetarian lifestyle. did you never cook meat around her? i know some vegetarians can't even be around the smell of meat being cooked or grilled.

(i'm all for a vegetarian diet, but i do eat meat regularly, and i enjoy fish and other smaller animals, like rabbit and quail.)

[chapeaugris]

I was a vegetarian myself for 15 years, starting when I was 17, so I have no problem cooking vegetarian. (My daughter started at 12.) I began eating meat again when I moved to France. I can see how the cows and sheep are raised all around us (grass fed!) and the local butchers sell meat from this area. (They often have a sign with the name of the farmer on the display case.)

[Cally]

LOL - it was France that made my daughter a vegetarian when she was 13, and she still is.  It was seeing the small animals and poultry for sale alive in the markets - a dose of reality.  I admire her for it actually, but wouldn't want to be wholly vegetarian myself, though we're not huge meat-eaters.

[chapeaugris]

That's funny, it was seeing cattle crammed into stinking feed lots out west in the US that made me turn. For my daughter, it was the awful food in the cantine in middle school (yes, here in France!) that turned her off meat initially. Both of our girls went vegetarian at the same time (which was a total hassle), then got tired of being the objects of curiosity after six months. About four months later our older daughter went back to being vegetarian and has stayed that way.

[Cally]

Mine is bringing up her 3-year-old twins as omnivores (husband a big Australian meat-eater - a big eater, not a big man  ) and says that they must make up their own minds.

Yes, it is a hassle when I'm cooking!  But when she's cooking I really enjoy her veggie food.