Sour Cream and Chive Potato Salad

I had a baked potato bar one night and had quite a few leftover potatoes. So I chopped them up and tossed them together with a few of the leftover toppings and came up with this. We happened to like it quite a bit.

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8 c. cooked cold potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. mayo

3 - 4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste

2 green onions

1/4 c. sliced chives

Stir everything together except the potatoes until smooth. 
Then add in the potatoes, folding gently so as not to break them up. 

Chill for several hours.

Garlic Dijon Chicken

1/2 lb bacon

3 - 4 chicken breasts, cubed

3 - 4 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 in. cubes

Seasoning salt (I like Kirklands)

2 Tbsp bottled minced garlic

1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

1 1/2 c. chicken broth

1/3 c. milk

Cut the bacon into pieces and then saute until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.  Add the chicken to the pan and season with seasoning salt. Cook until no longer pink. Add the potatoes and continue to saute until the potatoes are starting to get slightly translucent around the edges. Add the garlic, stir once, and add the remaining ingredients. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are just tender, still slightly firm. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer until the potatoes are very soft. 

Sprinkle the bacon over the top and serve

Chicken an Potatoes

 

 

3 large or 4 medium chicken breasts

oil

Season salt (I used Kirklands) or herb chicken seasoning

1 1/2 lb red potatoes

1 can chicken broth

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

 

Slice the chicken against the grain into 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle with season salt, or herb seasoning, and cook in hot oil until cooked through. Cut the potatoes in half length wise and slice. When the chicken is cooked through add the potatoes and cook, stirring, until starting to look translucent in spots. Add the chicken broth, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, stirring a couple time throughout cooking.  When the potatoes are cooked combine the cornstarch and enough water to make a thin paste, about 2 - 3 Tbsp of water. Reduce the heat to low. Push the potatoes to one side of the pan and lift it up so the liquid runs to the other side.  Stir the cornstarch paste into the liquid and let the pan back flat. Stir well to combine and create a smooth glaze.

Creamed Potato and Pea Stew

I used to work at a diner in Idaho and they occasionally served creamed potatoes and peas. And they where so good. In my vain attempts to recreate them I have made some pretty tasty dishes, though none have been quite the same as the ones from Rexburg. I decided to add some cooked shredded chicken to make it a complete meal, a complete meal I might add, that everyone loved. 

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

2 1/2 lb. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 - 3 c. frozen peas

2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes

Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic

1/2 c. flour, mixed with enough water to make a thin paste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the chicken breasts in the boiling water and cook until the meat is cooked throughout, about 25 - 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken. Simmer the water down until it is reduced slightly. Add 2 - 4 chicken bouillon cubes (to taste). 

Which together the cream cheese and some of the liquid until smooth. Set aside. Add the potatoes, pepper, and garlic to the boiling water and simmer until tender. When the potatoes are cooked add the frozen peas and simmer until the liquid is heated throughout. Add the cream cheese mix and the flour paste and cook, stirring until thickened. Stir in the shredded chicken and heat through. Taste the sauce and check for seasoning adding more chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, or garlic as needed. I seasoned my plate with my favorite Mortons Nature Seasons.

Beef Stew (for the freezer)

A traditional beef stew needs a few modifications to be frozen, but it is possible.

The main things are potatoes and flour thickened sauces dont freeze well. 

For the flour I simply didn't thicken it with anything, you can add a flour paste at the end of reheating to serve if you want it thicker, I plan on just serving it as as.

A to potatoes I just left them out. I plan on serving this over rice, baked potatoes, or pasta

but you could boil a pot of potatoes chunks and stir them in at the end. 

10 lb of beef, cubed

8 large carrots, cut into thick coins

4 large onions, diced

10 stalks of celery, sliced

2 family sized can cream of anything soup

1/2 c. dehydrated onions

8 beef bouillon cubes

2 tsp granulated garlic

black pepper

6 c. frozen peas

2 can corn

2 disposable turkey sized foil roasting pans

(I used the cheapo kind that where 13 inches x something, not the biggest but the cheapest)

Toss half of the beef, carrots, onions, and celery in each pan. Add 1 can of soup to each pan along with 1/4 c. dehydrated onion, 4 beef cubes, 1 tsp garlic, and black pepper sprinkled across the top. Add 3/4 c. of water and stir everything together. Cover with tin foil and bake at 290 for 2 hours. Stir everything, recover the pans with the tin foil and bake at 350 until the meat is tender, about 2 - 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Stir 3 cups of peas and 1 can of corn into each pan. Let cool to room temperature and divide into serving sized pan. 

I got 6 pans out of this recipe. You can make the portions a little smaller than you think since this is served over something the meal will be bigger than just what is in the pan. Cover the top with tin foil and freeze fat. Once the pans are frozen solid you can stack them on top of each other in the freezer. 

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To Serve
Leaving the tin foil on top of the stew, bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the gravy is bubbly. If you freeze in a plastic baking pan or tupperware this can be reheated in to microwave. Cook for a few minutes, stir, and then cook again, stirring every few minutes, until hot.

Roasted Carrots and Potatoes

1/2 lb red potatoes, cut into cubes

1/2 lb carrots, cut into chunks about the size of the potatoes

3 - 4 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp. Salt

1 Tbsp. Parsley

1 Tbsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Granulated garlic

1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese

Pinch Cayenne Pepper (optional)

Combine the potatoes and carrots in a 9x13 baking dish. 

Toss with just enough oil to coat the vegetable but not pool in the bottom of the pan. 

Combine the seasonings and sprinkle over the vegetables. Stir well to coat. 

Bake at 350 for 40 - 50 minutes, uncovered, until tender, stirring twice during cooking. 

They are done when the potatoes are tender all the way through and the carrots are mostly tender but still firm in the center.

Twice-Baked Praline Sweet Potatoes

3 large sweet potatoes

1/4 c. sweetened condensed milk

1/4 - 1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 stick butter

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

Scrub and poke the sweet potatoes with a fork all over. Microwave for 5 minutes on both sides or until cooked through. 

When cool enough to handle cut the potatoes in half and scrape put the centers leaving the skins intact. Mash the potatoes. Using a hand whisk, whisk together the mashed sweet potatoes, condensed milk, sugar, butter, spice, egg whites, and vanilla. Whisk it all really well, taste and adjust seasonings keeping in mind you want it a little sweeter than you want it to taste after it's cooked.

Spoon back into the skins. Top with the nut mix, and bake at 350 for 35 minutes until the nuts are cooked.

Nut topping:

3 Tbsp butter

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. pecans

Dash pie spice and cayenne pepper

Combine all together. You can replace the nuts with oats if you have some one in you family who doesn't like nuts, or half nuts half oats to suit what you have on hand.

Creamy Chicken Stew

A few weeks ago I had something planned for dinner. And then around dinner time I realized I had forgotten to get a few of the ingredients at the store. As I was trying to figure out what to make my daughter said "I want Alfredo!" So with that in mind I combined the original recipe, what I had on hand, and added an Alfredo element.

* 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into fillets
* 2 or 4 Tbsp. butter (or olive oil)
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/4 tsp. black peppers
* 1/2 tsp. Rosemary
* 1/2 tsp. Thyme
* 1/2 tsp. Marjoram
* 1/2 tsp. Basil
* 1/2 tsp. Oregano
* 4 cloves garlic minced
* 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese cut into cubes
* 2 c. water
* 2 chicken bouillon cubes
* 3 large potatoes peeled and cut into 3/4 in cubes
* 3 or 4 carrots peeled sliced into 2 inch chunks and quartered

Combine the salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, and oregano. Heat butter in a skillet. Place the chicken in the skillet and sprinkle with all the combined spices. Cook on both sides until cooked through.

Add the garlic and cook until the chicken starts to brown. Add the water, bouillon cubes, potatoes and carrots. Simmer over medium heat until the potatoes and carrots are tender enough to eat.

When cooked turn the heat to low and add the cream cheese in cubes. Stir until combined.



Serve topped with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

I have make this several times since I first created it using beans in place of the chicken. It still tastes great.