Scalloped Potatoes

Okay, I know, second post of the day, but I made scalloped potatoes from scratch for the first time ever and it got me excited. I got the recipe from "I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence," by Amy Sedaris, which Cherilyn sent me for my birthday. It was pretty simple and really tasty. Yay!

Scalloped Potatoes

1 Tbs minced parsley
1 cup thinly sliced onion
2 ½ cups thinly sliced potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 ½ Tbs butter
3 ½ Tbs flour
1 cup milk
pepper to taste
paprika to taste
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1.Preheat oven to 400F.
2.Boil potatoes and onions 5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3.For cream sauce, melt butter in medium saucepan, then add flour and milk. Add salt, pepper, and paprika and stir until thick. Add cheese and stir until fairly smooth.
4.Oil bottom of 9x12 baking dish. Place a layer of potatoes and onions, then a layer of sauce, then parsley. Alternate until finished with ingredients. Bake 35 minutes until sauce is browning and potatoes are cooked through.

Hey, wait...that's just shake'n'bake

So I figure I'd better contribute something besides questions. Here's something new I made last night. Don't laugh. Basically out of a Betty Crocker cookbook, slightly tweaked. It's not very sophisticated, and I'm sure it could be improved upon, but I'd never done it before - like I say, I'm in a five-dish rut lately. And Sister Momonjii liked it, too.

Parmesan-Dijon Chicken:

boneless chicken breasts
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup panko
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (best if you grate it yourself)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard (we used Maille)
Herb de Provence to taste

1. Melt the butter and mix it together with the mustard in a wide flat dish.

2. Mix the parm, panko, and Herb de Provence together in a ziploc bag - can you see where this is going?

3. Roll a chicken breast in the butter/mustard mix until thoroughly gooey.

4. Pop the chicken breast into the bag o' dry stuff, seal, and shake until enough of the dry stuff sticks to the goo.

5. Put the chicken breast into a glass baking pan.

6. Repeat until you're out of chicken breasts and/or dry stuff.

7. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes, turning once.

Like I say, real simple. And suspiciously like something we used to eat as kids that came in a box. But pretty good - the chicken came out very juicy, and the parm/panko/herb mix was very flavorful.

Hopi Corn Salad

I got this recipe from an anthropology class I took as an undergrad. It was called "North American Indian" and was taught by this really awesome old anthropologist who did his field work in the American Southwest. He used to live on the mesa and researched traditional Native American farming techniques (how to grow corn, beans, and squash together). He created a collection of recipes from tribes over the years and this was one of them. I made it for a thanksgiving potluck that the class had instead of a lecture one day. I have subsequently made it for various things and it is my most requested dish at potlucks and barbecue-type functions (which is almost insulting considering how freaking simple it is!). It's really good, lasts for days, improves with age, and can be eaten as a dip or a salad. I would even recommend recycling it into some kind of soup when you're tired of eating it alone :) Maybe make an omelet?

Hopi Corn Salad

-1 bag frozen sweet corn kernels
-1/2 bag frozen lima beans
-1 jar pimentos
-1 small to medium red onion (how much do you like onion?) chopped
-1 green bell pepper (I think I added this part. Can't remember)
DRESSING:
-1 tablespoon red chili powder (the American kind that's practically heat-less)
-1/2 tablespoon salt
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-1/2 cup white vinegar


Throw all the non-dressing stuff in a bowl (you don't even have to thaw anything. Isn't this crazy easy?). Stir it. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients and taste it to make sure it is yummy. Adjust your salt and chili to your liking (I am a fan of going heavy on the chili but moderate on the salt) and whisk again. Pour the dressing over your salad and stir until everything is well coated. Let it sit for at least a couple of hours (overnight if possible). Eat it. Enjoy it. Make it again :)

I often make it frozen the night before and pop it in the fridge for my function the following day. You can also make it frozen in the morning and let it sit on the counter until your afternoon cook out. Have fun and thank you, Dr. Fisher!

Cauliflower

Not to knock Lemon Verbena-san off the top of the blog, but I wanted to throw a question out there.

What do you do with cauliflower?

We picked up a real purty-looking specimen at the farmers' market last Saturday, but then I realized the only thing I know how to do with cauliflower is steam it. Which is what I did last night, and it was okay, but a little boring. Some of you must have more interesting things to do with cauliflower. So, enlighten me.

Vinaigrette Salsa Salad

I originally got this from Vegetarian Times, where it was called Picnic Caviar. We thought that was a dumb name, so we named it Vinaigrette Salsa Salad, which is still dumb but way more descriptive.
So here it is:

1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 Tbs sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black-eyed peas or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cup corn kernels
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 little can of diced jalapenos or green chilies with liquid
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1. Whisk together vinegar, oil, sugar, garlic, oregano, and basil in large bowl.
2. Stir in everything else, and add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate one hour before serving.

This one is great for summer because hey! No cooking! We generally eat it with Mission tortilla strips because I like them--they're less salty than other brands I've had. While we have used pinto beans in this, I think the black-eyed peas are way better. And you don't technically have to rinse the beans, but if you don't they'll turn the vinaigrette gray.