German Potato Salad

374.  My family tree is comprised of a percentage of German heritage on my mother's side.  Her mom was a culinary genius who prepared meals for hundreds of people, was a personal chef and just made amazing meals for her family of 5.  I'm grateful for this heritage, love of food preparation well honored and maintained.  So when you suggest foods from the hub of Europe where Germany lies in the center, that is what I know and love as food I grew up with.  Potatoes, cabbage, sausage, pickles, more potatoes, luncheon meats, fresh vegetables, homemade breads and pastries, soup stock and the list trails on.

This recipe for German Potato Salad was delicious and I wanted to pass it along.

Yukon Gold potatoes are always a great choice and they seem to bring a richer flavor and color to any recipe incorporated in.  It's a rich buttery taste.  The paprika also gives this salad a warm color and flavor.

Here is my recipe to save by selecting and dragging to your desktop or printing from your smart device.

The onions will wilt when you heat the potatoes but will still maintain their crunch.  Stir gently by using a spatula to go around the potatoes pulling up from the bottom.  The potatoes will want to stick together so lightly separate them apart as you stir.

German Potato Salad is a wonderful addition with chicken, pork or along side summer favorites like Brats or Sausages.  If you've never tasted this salad, I think it will be a unique surprise.  And become a great substitute for your family members who don't like mayonnaise in a salad.

"There is no sincerer love than the love of food."  ~ George Bernard Shaw

"Man sieht am Ende wohl, Wie man es loben soll."  

"The proof of the pudding is in the eating."  ~German proverbs

Elote Mexican Street Corn

371.  The other day we grilled ribs and rather than have plain buttered corn we made Elote or Mexican Street Corn.  If you've seen Nacho Libré, Elote corn shows up throughout the movie.  If you've seen the movie, you would remember Nacho's friend Esqueleto who loves Street Corn.  This is a funny scene from the movie:

I mean...corn is simple tasting and always benefits from butter and salt.  But this version brings corn on the cob to a new flavor level.  Lip smacking, juicy, pleasing, buttery, cheesy...yeah, you're going to love it.  We found an original recipe here Elote.
Some chefs like to roast the corn in the husk.  I like the char on the kernels so we roast the shucked corn.  You could place a wooden stick in one end of the cob for easy handling.

Roast the corn for 15 - 20 minutes.  Straight from the grill, rub with butter and Mexican Crema if you have it available or use Mayonnaise.

Next, roll in grated Parmesan Cheese, crumbled Oaxaca Cheese or crumbled Cotija Cheese, a dry Mexican cheese if available. And sprinkle lightly with sea salt, smoked paprika or smoked chili powder and chopped cilantro and squeeze lime over.

Get ready to hear the ooohhh's and ahhhh's at the table.  This corn is a crowd pleaser.  And did I say doable?  Add this recipe to your summer cookout menu.
Here is my recipe:

To save this recipe select and drag to desktop and print or select and print from smart device.

"Surprise!  Get that corn outta my face!"  ~ Nacho, Nacho Libré

~ Funny Memes

Savory Pumpkin Puffs

 10.  Puff pastry is divine!  

I found a recipe for "Savory Pumpkin Puffs" in a Martha Stewart Living Magazine several years ago.  It went into my "need to try" pile of recipes.  So this year was a perfect time to try it.  Although I love working with puff pastry, I encouraged my daughter to make this recipe so she could experience the "divinity factor".

We set the dough out at room temperature and prepared each ingredient and she began the assembly process.  

Savory Pumpkin Puffs

Makes 18-24

parchment paper

flour for dusting paper

1 pkg puff pastry, room temp

1 1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 1/2 Tblsp dijon mustard

1 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere Cheese

1 cup finely gated Parmesan Cheese

freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Generously flour 2 pieces of parchment paper; on each, roll out an unfolded pastry sheet to form a 15 x 13" rectangle, about 1/16th inch thick.  Refrigerate until firm about 15 min.  Meanwhile, stir the paprika into the melted butter and whisk together.  Remove pastry and brush off excess flour.  Spread a rectangle of pastry with mustard; sprinkle with both cheeses. Season with pepper.

Lay the second pastry rectangle on top covering the cheese.  Lay the parchment paper on top of the stacked pastry; using a rolling pin, roll until smooth and pastry layers are sealed together.  Remove the parchment and brush the top of the pastry with paprika/butter mixture.  Chill until firm, about 30 min.

With a pumpkin shaped cookie cutter, cut 18-24 shapes.  

Immediately place the shapes on parchment-lined baking sheet.  Using a sharp knife, score each shape four or five times to make pumpkin ridges.

If you forget to brush the top of the dough before it is cut.. brushing them after cut works out fine.)

Bake until golden, 15-20 min.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving.

Aren't they lovely?   Divine, right?

So after they were finished and we all were munching on the finished product...we came up with a variety of options for this recipe:

Why not a sweet version...jam or fruit filling in the middle, any flavor would do, and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.  Or...Mexican with taco flavored meat and cheddar cheese and cut them in triangles...

You get the picture...whatever your mind can think up...you can try with puff pastry.

Try this one...you will be delighted and so will your guests!