I made these little tasty morsels today for the September 2008 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. The poster is morgainegeiser from Michigan. She in turn got it from an old "Taste of Home" magazine. Michael liked them so much he gave me a HUGE thumbs up!
Easy Hash Brown Pancakes
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes**
2 TBSP flour
2 eggs, beaten
3 TBSP butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp salt (OR) salt and pepper to taste - that's what I did
1 TBSP vegetable oil
Place the hashbrowns in a strainer, rinse with cold water until thawed. Drain thoroughly; transfer to a large bowl.
Add the flour, eggs, butter, water and salt; mix well. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls into oil; fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
**I didn't have frozen hashbrowns. I did have dehydrated ones though. So - I rehydrated them and proceeded making the recipe. They worked out really, really well. We had these for dinner along with french toast. It was perfect.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Easy Hash Brown Pancakes
Homecanning Potatoes
The instructions for canning potatoes, white-cubed or whole comes from the United States Department of Agriculture Extension Service. Just in case you are wondering....
For today's canning activities we are using these potatoes DH and I dug out from our potato barrells we did. This would explain the over-abundance of dirt.
First we need to wash the dirt off.
These are the bigger ones. We will use these for canning today.
These are the smaller ones. I will save them for dinner tonight probably.
Next we need two pots of water. The yellow one on the right is filled about 1/2 full. This will be the boiling water we need for cooking our potatoes. The smaller pot on the left will be the fresh hot water needed for canning the potatoes.
Then I will find the biggest bowl I have. I filled it 1/2 full of lukewarm water. Then I added about 1 TBSP or so of salt. This is so the potatoes don't turn brown on me.
Now the fun begins. We (I mean I) get to peel all the potatoes.
Then I cut them into 1/2 inch cubes.
Place in the bowl of salt water you just made.
Keep peeling and cubing until your sink is empty of potatoes and this bowl is full.
Drain the potatoes from the salt water solution.
Add the drained potatoes to the very large pot of boiling water. Cook 2 minutes in boiling water and drain again.
Here we are draining the just cooked potatoes.
The potatoes are now done draining.
Fill your jars leaving 1 inch headspace.
All these potatoes gave me 4 quarts and 4 pints.
Add 1 tsp of salt per quart jar and 1/2 tsp salt per pint.
Now we can use the hot water we filled earlier.
Add hot fresh water to your jarred potatoes.
Again - leave 1 inch headspace.
Using a handy tool similar to this - retrieve your lids from the simmering hot water.
Screw the bands on your jars.
Begin filling the pressure canner. Make sure you have about 2 inches or so of water in your pressure canner.
All the jars fit into one canner. Because there are two different sizes of jars - I have to use the time for the quarts. It won't hurt the pints to process for an extra 5 minutes.
I am using a dial-gauge pressure canner today. For my altitude of 17 feet I will process this batch for 40 minutes at 11 lb PSI.
My canner has vented for the required 7 minutes. I am now adding the weight.
My jars have now processed 40 minutes, the canner had time to cool down and I can now remove my jars.
Using something similar to these jar tongs - carefully remove your jars to a folded bath towel or similar item to cool down.
We are done for now. Later today I will take the rings off the jars and wash jars and rings in hot soapy water and air dry before storing away.**Uses for canned potatoes....
Monday, August 25, 2008
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
One of my most favorite comfort foods is biscuits and gravy. It has to be homemade though. I am rather picky that way. I like it served with this yummy fruit salad.
Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits:
2 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk*
*If you want to use buttermilk - use 3/4 cup buttermilk and add 1/4 tsp baking soda to dry ingredients.
Gravy:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 lb ground sausage, precooked
Melt butter. Add flour. Mix well until no lumps are left. Gradually add milk to make a thick gravy. Add sausage, salt and pepper to taste. For biscuits - combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and add milk. Roll out and cut into desired size. Bake at 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve gravy over biscuits.
Zucchini Parmesan
This recipe was a kitchen fluke. I was bent on having "fried zucchini" baked in the oven. I don't know where I went wrong - but it sure didn't taste the same. :(
So.....
I didn't want to throw away a perfectly big dish of battered zucchini I came up with a side dish save....
Zucchini Parmesan
I had a very large zucchini from my neighbor. I sliced it in 1 inch slices
2 eggs beaten
lots of breadcrumbs
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
parmesan cheese
Dip zucchini in egg then coat very well with breadcrumbs. Place in 9x13 baking dish sprayed with vegetable oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven and top each zucchini round with a little of your favorite spaghetti sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Put back in the oven until cheese starts to melt.
You could technically eat this as a meal in itself. I had it as a side to a steak I was craving. Sometimes I just have to have a good burnt steak. This hit the spot!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Homecanning Tuna
For those of you who are intimidated by the thought of canning your own fish - this is a step-by-step process. There are a lot of pictures - but don't let that deter you. Basically - it's a fill the jars/process jars procedure. First I want to thank my personal assistand (DS#1) for his picture taking at times when my hands were covered in tuna. Thanks - you were a great help! :)
Okay - roll up your sleeves - literally - and let's get to work!
I would like to introduce the pressure canner. You HAVE to use this when canning meats and veggies.
**If in doubt of what you should be canning with - consult your local extension office.
Back to the canner(s). I have two. They are both different. The one on the left is a weighted gauge canner. The one on the right is a dial gauge canner. They both serve the same purpose - just go about it a little differently. We will be using both today. Yours will be one kind or the other.
For purposes of canning fish - I choose to use the wide mouth half pints. They are easier to clean and easier to get fish in and out of. You can use what works best for you.
These are the lids.
It's best to get them in a pot with water BEFORE you start on the fish. Just let them simmer. Do not boil as the red rubber can melt. You don't want that to happen. You need the red rubber to seal your jars.
This is the tuna we will can today. First I went to the docks in Garibaldi, OR to see if boats were in selling them straight from the boat. There weren't. So - I went to one of the stores/canneries at the docks to buy these fillets. They were $4/lb for 10 lb bags = $40/10 lbs. Not too bad considering I don't have to fillet the fish and just about everything in these bags I can use. I did find a couple bigger bones and sinewy stuff I discarded. I have here 25# of tuna. From start to finish with two canners it took me about 7 hours.
This is a tuna fillet. This is what we will cut to put in the jars.
Start cutting away.
You want to tightly pack the fish into the jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
This is what your jar (one on the right is ready) should look like after being filled. Fill all your jars this way.
After your jars are filled - use a clean washcloth to wipe the rims of each jar. If you are like me - putting tuna in jars isn't a neat job and there will be fish stuff that needs to be wiped off.
25 lbs of tuna yielded me 60 half pints and 1 pint of tuna. To make it easier - approximately 5 lbs tuna will yield 12 half pints.
If you would like - add 1/4 tsp salt to each half pint jar. Add 1/2 tsp to pints and 1 tsp to quarts. Adding salt isn't necessary. There is no need to add anything else. The tuna will create it's own juices while being processed.
Your lids you put on the stove earlier - are now ready. It's handy to have one of these lid utensils. The end is magnetic and just lifts the lids right out of the water.
Put lids and bands on your jars. Only do the jars that will be going into the canner right away.
Canner #1. Make sure there is about 2 inches or so of water on the bottom. Start adding the jars.
The half pints are small enough I can stack them. Not directly on top of each other though. Stagger the layers. I can fit 16 half pints in each canner.
The first canner is full.
Filling the second canner.
Both canners are filled, lids on and the heat is on high. We want to wait before adding the weights/gauges because the pressure canners need to vent for at least 7 minutes. This venting process just makes sure nothing is blocking the way for steam to come out and later to build pressure.
Now since both canners are full - I still have a counter full of tuna. I can't leave them on the counter while the other fish is being processed.
I put my jars in the fridge to keep the fish fresh.
My dial gauge canner has vented the required time. I am now added the gauge to cover the vent hole. You see the dial has already started to climb. At my altitude of sea level - I only want to go to 10 lbs.
My weighted gauge canner now has completed the venting process. I like this canner a lot because there are three choices to choose from on the weight. I want the 10 lb weight. This is the one I place over the vent cover.
The picture didn't turn out well. The dial shows the pressure is at 10 lbs now. This is where I want it. Your pressure will be adjusted according to your altitude. I now start timing for 110 minutes at this 10 lbs of pressure.
The weighted pressure canner dial is also reaching the 10 lb mark. I will process for 110 minutes keeping the dial at the 10 lb mark. 
110 minutes later turn off the heat completely. That's all you need to do. The dial gauge canner will go back to zero.
Once at zero go ahead and take off the weight from the vent. VERY carefully take off the canner lid. Make sure you are using potholders as the steam will scorch your skin.
The jars after sitting in the pressure canner for the required time.
Using these jar tongs - carefully remove the jars to a towel to cool off. You will hear a bunch of popping as the seals do their job of sealing. It's a good sound.
The weighted canner now is at zero.
Using a potholder I will take off the weight as it is metal and very hot.
There are 36 half pints from the first batch. Congratulations! You did it!
The tuna is sealed, cooked and ready to use. Notice the juice in the jars. We didn't add anything but salt. The tuna created it's own juices to cook in. Just make sure to drain it after opening your jar for tuna sandwiches/casseroles/etc.
