Amazing homemade french fries

These I figured out quite by accident.  I was in a hurry, had an emergency with one of the kids.  Molli had broken her pinky finger.  I was making french fries, when it had happened,  I had cut up potatoes cooking in oil. I took the taters out of the oil, and stuck them in the fridge. I  had an old crappy fridge back then and when I got back, my fries were frozen.

I thought, with a shrug : "what the hell." and heated up the oil and tossed them in. Turned out perfect. Amazing fries are what the kids call them. Found out later its the preferred method of making homemade fries minus the trip to the Emergency room, that is.

 Amazing fries:
 
3-4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed down and cut into strips. Thickness depends on what u prefer. But be sure they are all the same thickness. Otherwise you have some done before the others.  We like a good thick fry. 

Be sure to dry the fries thoroughly.

About a half gallon of oil. Now we prefer vegetable oil when we r deep frying, but u can use peanut oil or safflower oil. Don't use Olive oil. It has a low flash point and can catch fire easily.

Electric Deep fryer is the best. But you can use a pan, but u need a good thermometer. I keep two thermometers in my kitchen one for meats and one for candies.

Seasonings: ( to taste) Salt, garlic powder and paprika

Heat Oil to about 250.

Add the french fries add just enough to cover the bottom and avoid crowding.  Cook, until they are just starting to turn brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon and put on paper towels, single layers.  Continue cooking the fries, until all gone.

Put into the freezer for about 30 minutes. U want them very very cold, even slightly frozen.

Heat oil to 350.  Fry until golden brown.  Spoon out on to a paper towel and season immediately. We like Salt and Garlic powder and of course my favorite paprika! Serve immediately.

From the Mind of my Mother :) Her Deep Fried Halibut Recipe

My Mom( grannie458) Left this as a comment, thought id share it on the main page, to make sure everyone gets to enjoy her uniqueness.





WOW! That sounds great! old woman here needs to eat more seafood just so I can get up in the morning. Good grief, anyone know how much energy it takes to put in teeth?

I made deep fried halibut and for you lazy cooks, of which I am president of that club, I take Biscuit, salt, pepper, garlic, and mix it and then whip an egg white-yes dearie, egg whites LOVE to be whipped but that is another story, it is just difficult to get them to wear the leather hoods and handicuffs, ah, where was I? Oh yeah, beat the egg white until stiff, no honey, the egg white gets stiff, than fold it into the batter. Now, the secret is to roll the pieces of fish in flour before you dip them in the batter for the flour helps them to adhere better. Then drop into the hot grease, put into a brown paper bag-er, it helps to remove the bottle first, add salt and keep adding fish until done. The bag drains the greese and the salt, well, the salt just makes it taste better.

Little Mermaid Halibut Enchiladas

Yesterday I took Molli to get her haircut. The place we like is called Little Mermaid, out on Douglas.  The lady who owns it, is very nice and has a great rapport with kids.   Check it out if you are in Douglas and have kids, who are difficult to get them to sit still for a haircut.  We got to talking, and I told her about my blog, and she gave me one of her very own recipes.  

So what follows was contributed by the owner Little Mermaid Childrens Hair Salon, Jo Paddocks Betts. Juneau Alaska.  Thank You Jo!!

1115 3rd Street

 Douglas, AK 99824-5314 

(907) 364-3236

2-3 Pounds of Halibut

15 ounces of Jalapeno Artichoke Dip (Costco) 1/2 of the 30 ounce container that they sell.

48 ounces of Mango Peach Salsa ( Costco)

1/2 Cup Mayonaise

2 cups of Grated Colby Jack Cheese

10, 10 inch Flour Tortillas

Bake halibut for 20 minutes @ 400 degrees.

In a Large Bowl with a electric mixer, blend cooked halibut with artichoke dip.

Moisten the tortillas and microwave about 20 seconds, until warm and pliable.

Place about 3 tablespoons of the mixture in the middle of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.

Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Use two pans if needed.

Pour half of the mango chutney over the top of the enchiladas.  Pour the other half over the second pan, if needed. 

Bake @ 400 for 10-20 minutes, until warmed inside and the cheese has melted. 

My Chicken Soup

No Blog the last few days, because I have been sick with a bad cold.

When I am sick I want homemade chicken soup.  Canned wont cut it.  I want a big, very, very HOT bowl of homemade soup, with whole grain toast and orange juice. Always makes me feel much better.  My Mom made the best brothy soup I have ever had.  I get pretty close, but it is as never as good as hers.
 

Remember these are out of my head.  They are not written down. Until Now. Please remember I am not a professional cook. Ive never had any real training. Most of what I know Ive taught myself through trial and error.

Whenever I make chicken, I keep the necks, wingtips, and backs, and the carcasses of a picked clean bird.( like a store bought rotisserie) I freeze them.  I have figured out they make the best stock.


 My Stock:

Celery
a good BIG stinky onion. Like a yellow one

Fresh or jarred garlic. Chopped if it is fresh, to equal about a tablespoon and a half.
Butter about 2 tsp.
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Paprika 1 tsp
Poultry seasoning 1 tsp
Dried parsley 1-2 Tablespoons I like extra parsley!
Salt
Chicken pieces: Wing tips, backs, necks, chicken carcass equal to at least a pound.

Also can use, but not necessary: Powder chicken bullion, or Ramen chicken seasoning packets.

cut the first 3 ingredients into small pieces and fry in the butter. just until the onion starts to get opaque and everything is smelling nice.  Add the water and pepper, chicken, paprika, parsley and poultry seasoning.

Simmer for 60 minutes to 4 hours. The timing depends on how sick you are, or how much time u have.  I actually simmer for about an hour if i am sick and want soup NOW.   Add water as it dissipates. You want everything to flavor the water. At this point I start tasting the broth.  Can add some Chicken bullion, if it doesn't taste right, or Chicken  Ramen seasoning is great in a pinch .

Strain the broth out and discard all the bones.  You can strain through a  cheesecloth, if you want a broth for cannning or freezing. I like to Strain it very very well, having only a very clear broth then freeze in ice cubes trays, and use at a later date, for pasta, sauces, gravies...ect

But for my soup, at this point,  I just remove the bones, skin , wingtips and neck.  Go slow and carefully, I have missed so many small bones.

Now we make soup! :)

I usually scour the fridge in search of leftovers to utilize. ( in  another blog i will deal with a family favorite, leftover soup) Leftover broccoli from dinner, or some white rice from chicken shoyu...ect.. set them aside


3 cups of water
Chicken: Can be whatever u want at this point. I usually use two breasts, two thighs and 2-4 legs( depending on their size)  

Put the chicken and the water in a big pot and boil for about 45 minutes, letting the water boil down and the chicken cooked through.

Remove the chicken and let cool. Remove all the skin and bones, cut into small bite sized pieces, set aside.

these are the basic for any soup:
Carrots about 3 or 4 regular sized ,cut into small pieces. If u use baby carrots, cut them up  until you have about 1/2-3/4 cup.
Potatoes 2-3 medium, cut into small cubes
Celery 2-3 stalks, cut into small pieces
Corn  about a half cup
Green beans( frozen or fresh) about a half cup


the broth we just made above.

Cut into small pieces and add to the water you just cooked the chicken in, bring to a simmer and cook until almost tender, add the cut up chicken and the broth.

Add some more parsley, pepper, paprika, poultry seasoning, all to taste.



Hint: You should never boil soup. Can make it mushy.




I like to also add:
fresh spinach......... chopped very small
parsnip
Zucchini
corn
peas (always frozen never canned)
you can add just about any vegetable you feel like

Also I love to add a can of V8 if I am not sick and am just making soup to eat because we want soup!


Any leftovers that you found that would go well into  the soup, if they've been precooked, add them now. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are done.

You can make pasta and serve the pasta in the bowl then add the soup. We always do it this way instead of IN the soup.
I almost never add pasta TO THE POT  of soup, because later it swells up and turns it into a stew. And I prefer my soup very brothy.

Now here's a tip I picked up somewhere, you should never BOIL soup once its all together, but gently simmer it.

I serve this with a good crusty oven warmed bakery bread with butter, for dipping, while the soup cools.

Enjoy!!

Luinguisa facts and a recipe

This summer I was lucky enough to make a new friend, who happens to be an amazingly, talented chef. He introduced me to many wonderful Portuguese dishes.  He sent me a link to facts and recipes about one of the meats, he commonly  uses in his recipes.  Thank you Luis. You are missed and loved! Submitted by Luis Lorenco and the website of  Barcelos Linguica.

http://www.barceloslinguica.com/ is there website for the Linguica and here is Luis Restaurant page Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bacalhau-Grill-Trade-Rite-Market/150698058290711



Lets start with a couple of facts and tips from their website about Liunguisa.

Linguica is a Portuguese sausage

Linguica is popular in Massachusetts, California and Hawaii
Linguica is one of Emeril Lagasse's favorites 
Try Linguica and eggs for breakfast. a perfect match.
BBQd Linguica is perfect for any party
Linguica enhances any of your favorite dishes( Ive had it with cabbage, onion and potatoes. it rocked)

Heres a Recipe from their Website.





LINGOMLETTE
Serving 2 people

INGREDIENTS:

1 long link (or 2 short links) of Barcelos Linguiça (Mild, Med, or Hot, to your taste)
½ Onion
½ Bell pepper
½ Tomato
¼ Cabbage (small)
2 tbsp of chopped green onion
1 tbsp of chopped parsley
4 eggs
2 tbsp oil (olive oil preferred)

Boil Linguica in water for 20 min. While linguica is boiling, chop the onion, bell pepper, tomato, and cabbage. Remove Linguica from water after 20 min and slice in half (length wise) and then slice the halves (length wise also) ending up with 4 long skinny slices. Then chop the slices to make small bite size pieces. Heat oil in frying pan over medium heat, add Linguica first approx 1 min, then add all other ingredients (except the eggs), sauté for 3-5 min. Remove from heat and place in a bowl and put aside. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs then add to the same pan you sautéed the linguica and vegetables over med heat. Fry the eggs for approx. 1-2 minutes, add the sautéed linguica and vegetables to one side then fold remaining side over to form a pocket. Let cook for approx 30 sec-1 min, flip over to other side for another 30 sec-1 min. Remove from pan and enjoy!!


 My Variation:  Leave the vegetables and Linguica in the pan and add the eggs over top. .  Cook until eggs are done, serve on a warm tortilla

Submitted from Naomi Carroll..............Thank You Naomi!

ripe banana

brown sugar

lumpia wrapper

cut the banana into 4 slices, then again long ways

roll it in brown sugar

then wrap it like an egg roll

deep fry it until the lumpia wrapper is slightly brown

then your done.

Staples

This entry deals with Staples. A staple is an item that you use regularly. You should try to keep them on hand at all times.  Especially since the Holiday Season is closing in. Seriously, I know its September, but the Holidays will come fast.

With  these items on hand, most recipes will be easier to create.

This my first raft, of recommended staples:

Paprika. My favorite seasoning. I try very hard to get real Hungarian paprika. Makes a HUGE difference
Flour
Butter
Margarine or an very nice heart smart version.....which I prefer.
Crisco
Olive Oil
Vegetable oil
Vinegar. White and apple
Pepper grinder
Various pepper corns
Salt. Various salts
White sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered buttermilk
Real cocoa powder
Baking chocolate
Various chopped nuts. Almonds, walnuts, peanuts
Chocolate chips
Baking powder
Baking soda
Potatoes
Onions
Garlic( either bulbs or pre-chopped in a jar)
Garlic powder
Yeast
Powdered milk
Cinnamon
Honey
Molasses
Rice: Brown, Wild  and White
Bullion:  Chicken and Beef
Pasta: many varieties
Canned beans. All varieties. Black, white and red..etc...
Canned stewed tomatoes
Canned fruit. Mostly for marinates or a brine.
BBQ sauce
Worcestershire
Pickled jalapenos
Soy sauce
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Cream cheese
Sour creme
Cottage cheese
Pre-shredded cheese
Eggs
Milk
Sweetened condensed milk
Evaporated milk
Cookie decorating candies
Frosting tubes and tips
Celery
Lettuce. Variety of Lettuce. Good for presentations. Great for a quick salad
Carrots
Canned Vegetables
Canned broth
Cream of mushroom soup
Tomato soup
Spaghetti and or Pasta sauces
Flake potatoes
Bread crumbs
Onion soup mix
Salsa
Salsa Verde
Mayo
Mustard various types. Brown, yellow, horseradish......... anything that catches your eye....ect
Ketchup
Pickles
Pickle relishes. Various types
Gravy mixes
Taco seasoning
Marinates
Bottled lemon juice
Tuna fish
Canned corn
Italian seasoning mix...................seasoning mix.........submitted by Rae :)
Nutmeg
Poultry Seasoning

I will add more as I think of them. Feel free to offer suggestions.