Farm Diva Potatoes

I can never seem to get a photograph of these potatoes before the dish is half gone.

Whenever there is an occasion for a rich and tasty potato side dish or simply an urgent need for a fast and simple side dish, this is my go-to recipe. It is perfect with breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. It works on buffets or served on the plate.  It can be served from a large casserole dish or in individual baking cups.  It’s another one for which I’ve never really used measurements, because I was never given any… and they aren’t really necessary.  My sister got the recipe from her mother-in-law, Ginny, which is how they came to be known in our family as Gigi Potatoes.  Since you’ve probably never met Gigi, you can just call them yours.

Ingredients

28 oz. package frozen hash browns

1/3 stick butter

Lowry’s Seasoned Salt

Onion powder

Pepper

12 oz package shredded Colby Jack cheese

Paprika

½ cup half of half

Preparation 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Butter a 9”x13” baking pan and place the hash browns in the pan.  

Dot the hash browns with butter.  

Sprinkle Lowry’s Seasoned Salt evenly over the top of the hash browns. (The more you add the saltier it will be, so don’t overdo it.) 

Sprinkle onion powder evenly over the top of the hash browns. (Use about the same amount of onion powder as you did salt.) 

Sprinkle pepper over the hash browns.  

Cover the entire dish with the Colby Jack cheese.  

Sprinkle some paprika over the top. 

Pour half and half over the entire dish.  You may wish to add more or less depending upon how wet or dry you would like it. I use glass baking pans, so I  usually add half and half until I can see it pooling at the bottom of the dish.  

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes if thawed potatoes are used or for 45 minutes if frozen potatoes are used.  You may want to take a little bite before taking them out to make sure the potatoes are tender. 

Lamb and Mushroom Pirog

Lamb and Mushroom Pirog is one of my favorite dishes to cook around the holidays. It’s a great seasonal choice for Easter, but it’s hearty enough for winter celebrations. I usually make it for Christmas parties. It is one of those dishes that looks complicated to make, but in fact it is very simple.  Best of all, it can be made ahead and frozen, which makes it perfect for dinner parties.

This dish always inspires me to fire up the samovar, which is the centerpiece of Russian hospitality. I usually serve this with a potato dish, dilled cucumbers and cold borscht. Our family cold borscht recipe is also very basic, but amazingly tasty with just beets, sour cream, green onions and pepper. (I prefer cold borscht to hot even in winter time, because the chances of splattering or spilling beet juice is so much higher with hot borscht.)

I'm including the pirog recipe here.  I borrowed it years ago from my mother, who had the recipe in a cookbook.  The cookbook is long gone, and I don't even know the name of it.  The recipe is probably very close to the original, so if anyone recognizes it and can send me the name of the cookbook I would be grateful. Otherwise, I hope you will try it and enjoy this wonderful, warm comfort food.

Lamb and Mushroom Pirog

Dough Ingredients:

½ cup warm water

1 package yeast

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup butter at room temperature

3 ½ cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg yolk

Filling Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter

2 pounds sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill weed

½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 ½ pounds ground lamb

Make the lamb filling:

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a four quart sauté pan.  Add the mushrooms and cover and cook at medium heat for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove cover, turn up heat and cook off the liquid.  Mix in the flour, dill weed and sour cream.  Stir and cook until heated through and blended.  Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Rinse pan and add the ground lamb.  Brown the lamb and break up the meat.

Drain off the fat and add the mushroom mixture.  Salt to taste.  Cover and chill.

Make pastry dough:

Place warm water in a large bowl.  Add yeast.  Wait five minutes.

Grease the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil and set aside.

Stir in salt, sugar, and eggs.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to liquid.  Add flour and mix until moistened.

Shape into a ball and place on a floured board.  Knead until smooth and elastic.

Place dough into the greased bowl and turn over once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour.

Assemble:

Grease a baking sheet and set out a second ungreased baking sheet.

Knead on floured board to expel air bubbles.  Pinch off about 1/2 cup and set aside.  Shape the larger piece into a ball and place on a floured surface.  Roll dough into a rectangle about 10” x 18”. Lay the pastry across the ungreased baking sheet.

Spoon cold lamb filling onto the dough at one end.  Shape the filling into a compact rectangle leaving space around the three outside edges..

Fold the exposed dough over the filling and pinch the bottom edge up over the sides.

Place the greased baking sheet face down onto the pirog.  Supporting with the lower pan, invert the pirog onto the greased baking sheet.

Roll out reserved dough to create decorations.

Baking (Immediately):

Let rise about 20 minutes.  Brush with egg and water mixture.  Prick top in six to eight places with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Serve hot, cutting into squares.

Baking (Make Ahead):

Cool the unbaked pirog.  Wrap and either freeze for several days or chill for 24 hours. 

If frozen, remove from freezer about eight hours before cooking. If it thaws more quickly you may move it back into the refrigerator until you are ready.

If chilled, remove from the refrigerator and let sit for about 40 minutes at room temperature.

Brush with egg and water mixture.  Prick top in six to eight places with a fork.  Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Per Serving: 319 Cal (46% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 18 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 8 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 1 g Poly Fat; 25 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 208 mg Sodium; 122 mg Cholesterol

The Glaring's Limoncello Dedication

Every year we dedicate our limoncello to a special dog, but this year the cats took over the house and the dedication goes to The Glaring. If you want to make your own limoncello follow this link.

2017 -- The Glaring's Limoncello

It’s 3 a.m. and five month old Sprite is pacing between the pillows mewing and purring. It’s time to eat, but she is being ignored. Tommy Lee, the all-occasion-cat, is waiting at the bedroom door, saying nothing. The humans will not stir for another hour, but when they do Tommy Lee will add her short, delicate “Me!” to the Sprite’s call for breakfast.
The soprano is warming up.
When the kitchen light turns on it’s time for Richard Parker to come upstairs. “Meh,” she yawns. The cat flap clacks as Lucy returns from the morning hunt, dropping her spoils at the door in anticipation of breakfast. She announces herself with a “Maaw!”
As coffee is made the kitchen comes to life. The cat dancers glide around and away from one another in an intricate quadrille. Their tails swish and eyes flash. Their distinctive voices sing rounds with a common chorus until at last the dishes are dropped in their separate corners. One by one the choir rests.

And the dogs? Where are the dogs? This is too much chaos for dogs. They will stay in bed until the coast is clear. The cats have taken over.

2017 -- The Glaring

2016 -- Tallulah

2015 -- Ratchet (No photograph available)

2014 -- Calicocoa

2013 -- Griffen

2012 -- Zamboni

2011 -- Milo

2010 -- Maggie

2009 -- Parker

2008 -- Rocket

2007 -- Zero

2006 -- Roland

Farm Diva's Braised Rosemary Chicken

This is one of my go to recipes for nights that I don't have a lot of time to prepare dinner. I make variations on it, depending upon what I have in the house. Sometimes I use Zinfandel for a little spicier flavor. Sometimes I use white wine, because that is what I have open. Sometimes I use yellow onions for a sweeter flavor. More tomatoes will make it sweeter too. Adding extra rosemary makes it more fragrant. I've used turkey broth and goose broth, because that was what I had in the freezer. Sometimes I throw all of the ingredients in a crock pot and forget about it for the day.

It's such a versatile (and forgiving) combination that I don't even measure anymore. Nonetheless, this version with the red onions and Cabernet Sauvignon is by far my favorite. I hope you like it too.

4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 medium red onion, chopped

4 chicken thighs

2-2.5 cups of fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped (1.5-2 cups Canned or frozen tomatoes will work also. The more tomatoes are used the thinner and sweeter the sauce will be.)

2 tablespoons of minced fresh rosemary

4 tablespoons rosemary olive oil (You can infuse your own by combining fresh rosemary sprigs and olive oil over low heat for 15-30 minutes.)

1.5 cups of chicken broth

1 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon

Flour

Pepper to taste

Salt (optional)

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Heat two tablespoons of rosemary olive oil in a cast iron pan or dutch oven on the stove top. Dredge chicken thighs in flour and place in the pan. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. Brown on each side. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside when the skin is just crispy.

Wipe the pan and add two tablespoons of rosemary olive oil. Heat the oil and add the chopped onion. When the onion becomes translucent stir in the rosemary, tomatoes, broth, and wine. Once it reaches a simmer, place the chicken back in the pan and scoop some of the sauce over the top.

Place the cover on the pan and move the pan to the oven. Bake at 425 degrees for 45 minutes.

Per Serving:

351 Calories

17.4 g Total Fat

3.8 g Saturated Fat

0 g Trans Fat

60 mg Cholesterol

351 mg Sodium

17.9 g Total Carb

2.9 g Dietary Fiber

4.9 g Sugar

Grilled Cobb Salad with Asparagus and Prosciutto

This recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Sunset Magazine in May 2017.  The original can be found on myrecipes.com or you can try this version with jammy grilled eggs.

6 servings

Salad without Dressing has 391 calories per serving
Dressing has about 107 calories for two tablespoons


Dressing ingredients:

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper 
• 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped or pressed
• 2 tablespoons green onion leaves or chives
• 2 tablespoons Italian parsley

Salad ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon of salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pepper
• 3 bunches green onions
• 2 pounds asparagus
• 2 heads butter lettuce
• 6 large eggs (older eggs will peel more easily)
• 5 ounces prosciutto
• 2 avocados
• 5 ounces Gorgonzola crumbles

Preparing the dressing:

• Finely chop the green onion leaves and parsley in a food processor. Add the remaining dressing ingredients and process until blended. 
• Set aside at room temperature.

Preparing the salad ingredients:

• Place one tablespoon of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper in a large plastic bag or container.
• Rinse and trim the green onions and place them in the bag.
• Trim the asparagus and add it to the bag.
• Toss the onions and asparagus in the oil mixture to coat.
• Slice the avocados into eighths or bite size pieces as you prefer.
• To save time at the grill, lay out the prosciutto slices on baking trays so they do not stick together.
• Separate the butter lettuce and wash. Then lay out the leaves on the bottom of a large platter.

Grilling the salad ingredients:
(You may want to grill the eggs while you are preparing the other ingredients for the salad in order to save time.)

• Place a grilling tray on your grill and heat the grill to 450. The allow to cool to 350 degrees.
• Once heated, place the asparagus and green onions on the grilling tray. Close your grill cover and bake for 2-4 minutes to soften slightly. 
• Turn the vegetables and lay the prosciutto and eggs over the vegetables. Close your grill cover.
• Cook for ten minutes at 350, checking occasionally. The asparagus and green onions are done when soft and slightly braised.  The prosciutto should be brown.  When ready, these can be removed from the grill and set aside in a foil wrapper to keep them warm.
• Slightly jammy eggs will take ten minutes, but if you want a harder yolk leave them in for an extra four minutes. Plunge the eggs in cold water after grilling.

Putting it all together:

• Arrange the asparagus and onions on top of the lettuce bed. 
• Add the prosciutto and avocado.
• Peel the eggs and add slices to the salad.
• Sprinkle with Gorgonzola. 
• Serve the dressing on the side.

#farmdiva

Doorstep Delivery

One of our neighbors has some mobility problems making it a big hassle for them to pick up the morning paper at the end of the drive. They requested that the delivery person bring it to the front steps. For years our carrier could be seen around 3:00 a.m. tossing our paper at the edge of our property then driving at break neck speeds down the neighbors' driveway and back before disappearing down the road in under two minutes.

When a new carrier took over, the doorstep delivery stopped, and a number of phone calls to the newspaper went unheeded. Day after day our neighbor's newspaper would wait in the snow until one of them could manage the trip down to the end of the drive.

Always thoughtful, Salt began picking up their newspaper and walking it to their doorstep. He had to walk to the end of our drive to pick up our paper anyway and walking the driveway is about the only leisure time we have.

My neighbor had recently prepaid for some eggs this weekend. Usually, she stops by late in the day, but I thought to save her the trip and deliver the eggs with the paper. When I told Salt that I would walk the newspaper over with the eggs, he said, "You should take the bike like I did yesterday. I delivered it like a real paperboy."

I had misgivings about the idea. "I haven't been on a bike in years," I said. "I don't think I want my first time on a bike to be with eggs in a basket."

We may not have a basket on any of the bikes, because he said, "Who needs a basket?"

"You want me to try doing it with just one hand?" This sounded like an even worse idea given the fact I am so out of practice.

"You need a hand to throw anyway." He explained.

"You want me to throw the eggs too?" It took me a moment to figure out he was joking. We had a nice chuckle about it.

Needless to say the eggs and paper were safely delivered on foot.

#farmdiva

Watermelon Agua Fresca -- Country Style

Step One: Cut a watermelon into slices and separate from the rind. Set aside the rind.

Step Two: Puree the watermelon pieces and strain the puree.

Step Three: Pour the watermelon juice into a glass of ice and cut with water or soda, to taste.

Step Four: Pick a spring of mint, for garnish.

Step Five: Toss the rinds to the chickens.

Step Six: Put your feet up and enjoy the chicken mayhem in the yard while sipping a cool drink.

Follow the Farm Diva on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PonderosaPlains/

#farmdiva