Pop's Potato Pancakes

I bet you all thought I had given up on my blog. You were wrong! Today I present you with Pop's Potato Pancakes in honor of National Pancake Day!

Pop was my husband's grandfather and these pancakes were a specialty of his as I hear it. They certainly are delicious. They might look like your typical hash browns but they definitely are not! This recipe makes a rather large batch so I recommend needing to serve at least 4 people or halving the recipe.

Pop's Potato Pancakes

Tools:

Peeler
Paring Knife
Food Processor or Grater
Large Mixing Bowl

Mixing Spoon

Measuring Spoons

Large Frying Pan
Large Spatula
Large Table Spoon (the kind you eat with, not the kind for measuring)
2 Serving Plates
Paper Towels

Ingredients:

4 Large Potatoes
1/3 cup Chopped Onions
1 tsp Salt
1 Egg
5 tbsp Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
Milk as needed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Canola Oil as needed

Instructions:

• Peel potatoes and either grate them or chop them up in the food processor
• In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Add a little milk if the mixture is too thick to make pancakes out of.
• Pour your oil of choice into your frying pan until the bottom is completely covered with a thin layer.
• Turn the burner on to medium heat.
• Using a large table spoon, scoop out a heaping spoonful of the potato mixture and put it in the pan. Flatten it out and neaten the edges using your spoon or spatula so that it makes a nice round pancake shape. Put as many pancakes as you can reasonably fit into the pan.
• Fry the pancakes until you see the edges turn a nice golden brown then flip them. When the other side is equally golden remove the pancake from the pan and place on a paper towel covered serving plate to drain.
• Repeat above step until all of the potato pancake mixture has been used up.
• Serve with sour cream or apple sauce!

Athenian Artichoke Dip

My goodness. I certainly take my time between posts! I wish I could say I have good reasons but I really don't. Today, despite this special diet we're supposed to be on for our current workout regimen, my husband and I decided to make Athenian Artichoke Dip. It's not a family recipe so I'm sort of breaking the rules in that regard too. This is just our variation of a classic recipe you can find a million places online. It's a fairly simple recipe using my favorite kitchen appliance - the food processor! You remember my fondness for that beast from my first post on Pico De Gallo, don't you?

Even though our variation of this dip uses half the amount of mayonnaise and doubles the amount of bell pepper and almonds I doubt you can call this a healthy treat but you can call it delicious!

Athenian Artichoke Dip

Tools:
Food Processor (or lots of patience to dice it all by hand!)
Paring Knife
Cutting Board
Garlic Press
Large Spoon
8"x8" Baking Dish
Serving Bowl

Ingredients:
4oz Feta Cheese
½ a Bell Pepper (Green or Red)
1 14oz can of Artichoke Hearts in water (I use quartered but I don't think it matters)
½ cup of Mayonnaise
3 Green Onions
1 Garlic Clove
½ cup Sliced Almonds (one small package)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Chop bell pepper into small pieces.
3. Drain the artichokes.
4. Put the bell pepper, feta and artichokes in the food processor. Mix at a low to medium setting until thoroughly chopped and blended.
5. Slice up the green onions.
6. Press garlic and add to mixture.
   
7. Add mayonnaise and green onions to the mixture. Blend again until smooth.
8. Pour mixture into an 8"x8" baking dish.
9. Sprinkle almonds over the top of the mixture. You should barely be able to see the dip through all that nutty goodness!
10. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
11. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving but be sure to serve it warm!

Enjoy this dish with pita or tortilla chips. Whatever makes you happiest. I'd say it serves about 8 people so plan accordingly if you have more or less people enjoying it with you!

Potato Casserole

Here's another great recipe from my Grandma! This one is so simple I probably could have made it successfully back in my rice ruining days. She claims it's perfect for potlucks and family reunions but we made it to go along side chili con carne (a recipe I got from another blog). Mix this one up before preparing your main dish and during the half hour it's baking you can whip up something on the stove or grill to go with!

Potato Casserole

Tools:

Large Mixing Bowl

Microwave Safe Bowl

Mixing Spoon

Measuring Spoons

9x13 Baking Dish

Ingredients:

2 lb Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes, thawed
¾ cup Chopped Onions
1 tbsp Salt
1 can Cream Chicken Soup
1 stick Butter
8oz Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave.
• In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Stir until hashbrowns are thoroughly covered.
• Pour into a 9x13 baking dish.
• Put in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
• Let cool for 5 minutes then serve.