Less is More

Less is more... more Foods and Flavors
of San Antonio. I've been thinking about quitting Cookbook Cuisine for a while because I've been posting less here and more at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio since my new cookbook was published. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn't think I disappeared. It's been fun blogging here and I've made lots of wonderful foodie friends. I hope you'll come over and visit me at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio.

Potato Salad and a Picnic

What's more perfect for a picnic than potato salad? Louise, at Months of Edible Celebrations, is having an online alphabet picnic and is inviting everyone to bring a dish corresponding to a letter of the alphabet. The letter of the dish you bring depends on when you go over to her blog and sign up for the picnic.

I happened to get the letter D so I searched my blog for a D recipe that would be appropriate to bring to a picnic and I also wracked my brains to think of a recipe that would begin with D. The only post I could find with a D were my dogs, where I introduced you to my furry friends, so I've renamed my Perfect Potato Salad to Dill Potato Salad since there's dill in it. I suppose I could bring my dogs to the picnic, but you're supposed to bring food.

I "borrowed" this picture from Taste, because I didn't have a camera when I first blogged about my potato salad, and I wanted to get this post up to let everyone know about the Picnic, but the recipe is all mine and I've been making this Dill Potato Salad for a very long time.

• 2 pounds red potatoes, skin on
• 4 - 6, maybe 7 or 8 slices turkey bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup very finely-diced yellow onion
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp. or more dry mustard (my secret ingredient)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup light mayonnaise, more or less depending on how much is needed to make a moist potato salad
• Couple shakes of dill weed
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the whole potatoes, bring to a boil again, then reduce the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Set aside--usually putting the colander in the sink is the best place--and let cool at room temperature. They'll still be a little warm when you cut them.

While the potatoes are cooling, cook the bacon, dice the onion, and chop the green bell pepper. It's understood that you'll drain the bacon on paper towels, but just thought I'd mention it here.

When the potatoes are cool, slice them, one at a time, on a cutting board with a wet knife; makes it easier and you'll probably have to keep wetting the knife with water because those silly little potatoes can get so sticky about it.

After slicing, cut the slices into cute little (or large) cubes and put them in a large plastic bowl, preferably Tupperware which has a tight-fitting lid so you can carry your potato salad to the barbecue or picnic or wherever it is you're taking it. But don't put the lid on it yet. And here's a secret for cubing already-cooked potatoes. Put the one-potato-at-a-time slices on top of one another and cut through the long way and then the short way.

Put the onions and green bell peppers that you've diced and chopped so nicely into the bowl and admire how pretty and colorful your potato salad looks. Think nice thoughts about everyone enjoying it at the barbecue. Mix the onions and bell pepper in just a wee little bit, so they can get friendly with the potatoes.

If you've already crumbled your crisp-cooked bacon, you'll be missing out on the fun part: Crumbling it into the bowl with your hands. You can make much better crumbles this way and if you're starting to get hungry thinking that the potato salad is going to be so good, you can lick your fingers. Most people prefer to simply wash their hands, but I used to make this potato salad with my kids when they were little and this was one of the fun parts of cooking together. They always called dibs on crumbling the bacon and I had to wait until they grew up and moved out on their own before I got to crumble the bacon again.

Now that you've buddied up the bacon with the potatoes, onions, and green bell pepper, shake in some dry mustard. (If you've never heard of dry mustard before, it's like a spice and is sold in the spice section in a cute little yellow can.) Just a tad because too much and it will tend to overpower the potatoes. It tends to get a bit sharp and tangy after it's been sitting for awhile. But you might like your mustard this way and it's all a matter of taste anyway. The taste will grow of its own accord after you refrigerate the potato salad for an hour or two, so you can always add more later if you want to.

Gently massage your not-yet-finished potato salad with a wooden spoon, just to make sure the mustard and the bacon and the green bell peppers and the onions all get to be good friends.

Then introduce the mayonnaise, but not all at once. Mayonnaise has a tendency to be shy because it has to dress the somewhat naked potato salad. Stir some in, see what happens, take a taste, then stir a little more in, take a taste, repeat, then stand back to admire how well everyone is getting along. But don't take too many tastes; you won't have anything left to bring to the barbecue. This has happened to me a few times.

You're not done yet. You still have to put the finishing touches on, to finesse your potato salad to perfection. When your potato salad is well-moistened and mixed, shake in some dill, stir it around a bit, and then add salt and black pepper to taste. Take a few more tastes, just to be sure it's absolutely perfect and because you're hungry. Put the lid on it (if it's Tupperware, you can burp it), stick it in the fridge and let it chill out for awhile.

I'm going to a picnic and I'm bringing Dill Potato Salad.

Good Greens, Good Gravy... BSI

Greens are really good for you. Greens that also have gravy (made from a wine sauce) poured over them are even better. One of my favorite foodie friends, Heather, at Girli Chef, is hosting this week's Blogger Secret Ingredient (BSI) and she chose Greens as the secret ingredient. She won last week's BSI with her Watermelon Margaritas. The assignment--should you chose to accept it--is to make a recipe featuring greens. She then gets to choose which recipe she likes best and the winner receives a gift, plus he or she gets to chose the next BSI and host the next round-up. Check out her post for all the details.

Spinach is my favorite go-to greens because, not only is it really, really healthy, it's also delicious in so many recipes. A while back, I made Sauteed Chicken and Baby Bella Mushrooms Served Over Garlic Spinach. It was absolutely delicious and it's definitely a keeper. It's one of my favorite recipes; I've made it many times. And judging from my stats, several thousand people have searched for it and ended up on my blog, so it must be good. I'm re-posting it here as
my greens entry for BSI.

• 1/3 cup plus 1 T. all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 T. Tone's Garlic & Herb Seasoning (available at Sam's Club or substitute 1/2 T. garlic powder and 1/2 T. dried oregano)
• 3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise in half (they're much easier to slice if they're partially frozen)
• 1 T. vegetable oil
• 3 T. butter, divided
• 1 (16 oz.) container sliced baby bella mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (10 oz.) bag fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup white wine
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Put 1/3 cup flour on a dinner plate. Add the salt, pepper, and Garlic & Herb Seasoning. Stir to mix with a fork. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture.

Heat a deep, 12-inch chef's saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and 1 T. of the butter. When the mixture bubbles, add the chicken and saute on both sides until nicely browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add 1 T. butter to the pan. When it sizzles, add the mushrooms, let them brown on one side, then turn them over and let them brown on the second side. Remove and set aside on the same plate with the chicken.

If necessary, add just a little bit more butter to the pan. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until limp and just starting to brown.

Add the garlic and saute for one minute with the onions.

Add the spinach, stirring to mix it with the onions and garlic, and let it cook down. Remove to a separate plate and set aside. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 1 T. butter to the pan. When it bubbles, add the remaining 1 T. flour and stir constantly for about 30 seconds to make a roux. Stir in the chicken broth and the wine. Let cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice and stir to mix. Return the chicken
and mushrooms, with any accumulated juices, to the pan and heat through.

Serve the chicken and mushrooms over a bed of spinach. (If the spinach has gone cold, just zap it in the microwave for about a minute.) Drizzle the wine sauce over.

Enjoy!

Amazing Pot Roast

About two months ago, Sara, at Amazing Taste, sent me samples of their nine seasoning packets: Beef, Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Steak House, Burgers, Fajitas, Chili, and Malibu. I used the seasoning for beef since I was planning to make a pot roast. According to the directions on the packet, the seasoning can be used either
as a dry rub or a marinade.

• 1 (0.75 oz.) packet Amazing Taste seasoning for beef
• 1 - 2 T. vegetable oil
  
• 2 pound eye of round roast, visible fat removed
  
• 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 4 carrots, cut on an angle
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
  
• Salt, coarsely ground black pepper, dried minced garlic, and dried oregano, to taste
  
• 1 (0.87 oz.) package brown gravy mix
• 1-1/4 cups water, divided
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can Italian diced tomatoes
• 6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered

Add the oil to a deep, 12-inch, chef's saute pan and heat over high heat. Rub the seasoning over the meat, prick it with a fork, then put it in the hot pan to sear. When the bottom is seared, turn it over and sear the other side. When that's seared, sear both the sides. (I used tongs to hold the meat upright while the sides seared.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium-high. Add the celery, carrots, onions, and green bell pepper to the pan. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, dried minced garlic, and oregano. Let cook for about 5 minutes, then stir and let cook again for 5 more minutes or so. (Not much stirring involved and no need to add any oil; the veggies release their juices when sprinkled with salt so there's just the right amount of moisture to begin softening the veggies. Plus they pick up the flavor of the seared meat.)

Make a well in the middle of the pan (move the veggies to the side) and return the roast to the center of the pan, along with any accumulated juices.

Pour the gravy mix into a 2-cup measuring cup. Add one cup water, then stir with a fork to get out the lumps. Pour this over the meat and veggies, letting some run under the meat, then add the diced tomatoes, along with 1/4 cup water. (I put the water in the can of diced tomatoes and swirled it around to pick up all the remaining tomato bits and juices from the can.) Stir.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let
cook for 2 hours or so, stirring the veggies and turning the meat occasionally.

About 20 minutes before the roast is done, cook the potatoes in salted boiling water in a separate saucepan.

Remove the meat from the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve the veggies and potatoes on the side, topped with gravy. I also sauteed some baby bella mushrooms to go with my dinner. This pot roast was AMAZING!!

Visit the Amazing Taste website to find out more about their seasonings, to locate a store near you that carries the packets, and for lots
of delicious recipes.

Foodie Giveaway is having an Amazing Taste giveaway this week until Thursday, June 18th. Go on over and enter for your chance to win.

Cookbook Giveaway... Foods and Flavors of San Antonio

Would you like to win a copy of my new cookbook, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio? This month, four Fiesta Foodies are hosting a cookbook giveaway on their blogs during the month of April to continue with the Fiesta of Foods and Flavors, the birthday party to celebrate the publication of my new cookbook. They're each offering you multiple chances to win. Please go and visit their blogs to win Foods and Flavors of San Antonio.

Reeni, Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice already hosted Week One and made a really delicious Chicken Tortilla Soup from a recipe in my cookbook.

Meg, Megan's Munchies, is offering seven chances to win with
a week of Tex-Mex fun from April 8th through the 14th.

Tiersa, Chef Bliss, will be hosting the cookbook giveaway on April 15th through the 21st.

Teresa, Mexican American Border Cooking, wraps up the month-
long giveaway on April 22nd through the 28th.

Want more chances to win a copy of my cookbook?

Karen, Domestic Muse, is offering it as a Mr./Mrs. Congeniality Award in her Everything Old is New Again vintage recipe contest through April 13th.

The prize for the best enchiladas in The Whole Enchilada Throwdown is
a copy of my cookbook. Creatively define the term the whole enchilada and what it means, make your best enchiladas and post them on your blog by April 17th. The round-up will be posted at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio on April 18th.

Good luck, everyone. With so many chances to win my cookbook, I hope you're the one who wins! And please come on over to my Foods and Flavors of San Antonio blog because we're still having a party this month with something new every day, plus you have lots of chances to win a Fiesta T-Shirt.

Kitchen Gadgets

Woo Hoo!! I feel very blissful! A little late and way overdue, but nevertheless--I Won a Foodie Giveaway!!

A while back, like six or seven weeks ago, I won some really cool kitchen gadgets on a giveaway that Chef Bliss offered on her 100th post. It's taken me this long to blog about it because I was so busy promoting my new cookbook, Foods and Flavors of San Antonio, with a month-long Fiesta of Foods and Flavors on my Foods and Flavors of San Antonio blog. How many times can I say foods and flavors in the same sentence without repeating myself or without being irritating?

I love all these kitchen gadgets and The Original Dutch Caramel Wafers were awesome! Thanks so much, Chef Bliss! If you haven't been to her blog, be sure to go over to see what she's got cooking. She's got the secret ingredient to cooking and life: She's blissful!

Second Sunday San Antonio

There's a new foodie blog event at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio.

Second Sunday San Antonio. We all cook the same recipe from my new cookbook, then compare notes and see what everyone's dish looks like. This month we're making Mexican Pork Chops (click the link for all the details and the recipe).

Several foodies have already made this and everyone has said it's absolutely delicious. I can vouch for that; it's my favorite recipe in my cookbook.

We'd love to have you cook along with us. The round-up will be posted on April 12th, which is the Second Sunday of this month.
Hope you'll participate!