Processing a big batch of potatoes....

I managed to get my hands on some local organic potatoes. So I had decided to dry all of them until my SIL got a big stash and couldn't use them all up fast enough. I told her they could be canned and since shes been giving me lots of stuff lately and she asked if I would do that. ... I did. I found out I really like them. I tested them this morning when one jar didn't seal and had to be used up. And then I made breakfast burritos and decided that I will use up the rest of my organic potatoes by canning them. This is how I did all of it. 

 Dehydrating potatoes....

I took one bag of my organic potatoes to dehydrate. First you want to peel them all and wash them. I cut them into thick 1/2 in. slices then diced those slices. You don't want them too big because you want them to dry thoroughly. You could also slice them thin to use to make homemade Au gratin.

Then I got a big pot and filled it with water, bring that to a boil. Also get a big bowl of ice water ready. Be sure you have a strainer or colander that you can lift in and out of the water to make it easier to do the blanching. Once its boiling fill the strainer with the cubed potatoes and plunge into the boiling water. Let it come back to a boil then boil for about 4-5 min. Test and when a skewer can be inserted they are done. Do not over cook tho or they will just fall apart.

When they are done, plunge the strainer with the potatoes in the water to cool quickly. Remove and put in a colander on the side so any excess water can drip off. Repeat this process with all of your potatoes. If you don't cook them enough when they dry they will have black spots in them.

Once they are done, layer them on your dehydrator trays, making sure to leave some spaces around them so they dry thoroughly. I set the temp. to 135 degrees and let it run till the potatoes are dry. Mine dried in about 5hrs. but I was going to bed so I shut it off and checked it the next day. Since I live in an area of humidity I ran it the next morning for another hr or so just to be sure. Then you let it cool. Don't seal them in anything until they are cool but don't leave them out too long or they may start to reabsorb humidity in the air. I put mine in lg. canning jars but you could seal them in bags too...but these sometime have sharp edges so you might want to double bag for long term storage.

BTW someone told me they also dry the potato peels if you know they are organic. This gets ground up when dry and can be used to thicken gravies and such. Its good for those who have to be gluten free. Of course if you plan to do this, make sure you scrub all the potatoes well, first. 

Canning Potatoes

I canned what my SIL gave me so she wouldn't lose them. They couldn't use them up fast enough and she knew they would rot. Canning is very easy if you have a Pressure Canner.  I made qts jars for her but for myself I will make pts. since there's only two of us here.

First fill a lg container with water and sprinkle in some salt, maybe a tb. or so.  It depends on how many potatoes your doing. Peel the potatoes and cube into 1in. cubes, you don't want them too small cuz they will get mushy. If your potatoes are small you could can them whole. Soak these cubes overnight. The reason for this is, it helps remove alot of the starch which settles in the jars and makes them look really cloudy. However if you don't care about that, then skip this step.

Next day get your pressure canner ready, your jars and lids. Boil a pot of water because you will add this to the jars.  

 Now fill each jar with the raw potato cubes, shake it well to make room for more. Leave a 1in. space at the top. Put 1 tsp. salt in each jar and then top with the boiling water. Wipe the rim and put on the lid and ring. At this point I tipped the jar slightly and rolled it to try to release any air bubbles then I checked the water level again. If it needs more add it. You need a 1in. space.

When all are filled put in canner and put the lid on. When canner starts to vent, let it vent for 10min. Then put the weight on it and start your timing. At ll lbs. pressure,  40 min. for qts...35 min. for pts. Let cool and remove from canner. Let cool on a towel on the counter overnight, check seals.

Today I checked them and one of the jars didn't seal so I decided to use it up. I made these ....

Breakfast Burritos 4-6 servings

1qt. jar of canned potatoes
1 med. red onion, chopped
4oz of loose breakfast sausage
4 strips of thick bacon
6 eggs, beaten
2 oz cheddar cheese , shredded
S & P
6 lg. burrito tortillas

Drain the potatoes in a strainer and run a bit of water over them to remove excess salt. Heat a pan and cook the sausage and bacon till browned. Remove. Save bacon grease in the pan.  Add potatoes to the pan. If you need more oil to keep from sticking add a bit of butter to the bacon fat. Add the chopped onion and fry till onions are soft and potatoes start to brown. Add meats back to pan. Add beaten eggs and stir well cooking the eggs. Top with cheese and let melt.

Scoop enough of the potato mixture into a tortilla that has been steamed or grilled and roll up . You could add almost anything to these and serve with salsa or anything you like to have your eggs with.

Pumpkin Waffles

I have this ancient waffle iron that I haven't used in yrs. My gramma gave it to me. I think this thing is probably as old as me. And its been sitting in the garage. I noticed it when I go out there and think, I have to make some waffles one day. I didn't even know if the thing still worked. 

And so today while wandering online I saw alot of pumpkin recipes. I haven't much been in the mood for pumpkin. I wasn't ready to give up summer, no matter what the calendar says. But last nite it was wild and windy and we had some rain......just like winter. I wanted to make some soup today to warm the house up. I couldn't forget those pumpkin waffles tho. So we had a late brunch today of these with some bacon and maple syrup.  This waffle iron hasn't been used in yrs so I cleaned it up and oiled the iron part. These were difficult to make until the last one. I think it just needed to be re-seasoned well. But I found this batter very thick, and I think next time ill thin it a bit more. I used pumpkin that I roasted last yr and froze, not canned. I also changed the amt. of the spices and this recipe will reflect my changes. 

Pumpkin Waffles   16 (4-inch) waffles
2c. whole wheat flour
2tb. brown sugar
1tb. baking powder
1tsp. cinnamon
2tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2tsp. salt
1/4tsp. baking soda
2c. milk
1c. canned pumpkin or mashed, cooked pumpkin
2 egg yolks
4tb. butter, melted
2 egg whites, whipped till stiff

 In a large bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine milk, pumpkin, egg yolks, butter. Add pumpkin mixture all at once to flour mixture; stir just until combined (batter should be lumpy). 

In a small bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Gently fold beaten egg whites into pumpkin mixture, leaving a few puffs of egg white.  

Heat a lightly greased waffle baker. Pour some of the batter onto the waffle grids. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturers directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grids. Repeat with remaining batter.  Serve waffles immediately or keep warm in a loosely covered oven-proof dish in a 300 degree F oven. 

Italian Frittata

Italian Frittata Serves 6

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4 slices thick bacon, chopped
4 breakfast sausages, cut into sm. chunks
Ham, about 1/4lb. chopped

Fry all meats till cooked and brown, drain and remove from pan. Set aside in a bowl. 

Potatoes, 1 peeled and chopped or leftovers 

half an onion, chopped 

1 lg. garlic clove, minced 

Salt and pepper 

Fry potatoes in meat drippings, adding some butter if needed. Add a few shakes of salt and pepper to taste. 

When potatoes are almost done, add onion and garlic. Cook till potatoes are tender. Remove to bowl holding meats.

1 lg. portobello mushroom, gills removed and chopped
1 roasted pepper, chopped
1/2c. drained artichoke hearts, chopped
1 tsp. basil

Add butter to pan and toss in chopped mushrooms.

 When liquid from mushrooms is almost gone add all other veggies and basil. Cook till heated thru.

 Turn off heat and put back into pan all items previously cooked that are in the bowl.

1 dozen eggs
about a 1/4c. water
Salt and pepper
1 1/2c. assorted cheeses , chopped

Beat eggs with water till well blended. Use water not milk like many recipes say. Water evaporates when cooking. The milk just makes things watery. Add more Salt and pepper and mix. Add chopped cheeses and mix. I used cheddar, muenster and provolone with some grated Parmesan. Pour egg/cheese mixture into pan and mix well to distribute cheeses. Top with more grated Parmesan. 

 Cook on med. heat on stove till eggs look like they are set about 1in. from edges. 

 Cover handle of pan with foil, if the pan your using cannot withstand oven heat. Then place in oven and bake for approx. 15-20min. or till center is set. Run knife around the edges to loosen. If using a non stick pan that's usually enough. If using a reg. pan you may want to run a spatula under the frittata to be sure its loose. Top with lg. plate and turn it out of the pan onto the plate. Serve hot, or room temperature.

We like ketchup on this but you could use salsa or hot sauce or anything else you might like on your eggs.

Frittatas are often sold in Italian delis by the lb. I make a big one and then refrigerate whats left for another day. If we wont eat it all during the week, Ill freeze it in single portions, then I just thaw and microwave when we want it. You can use anything in these, using up whats leftover in the refrigerator or just one or two ingredients. I save bits of meats and things in my freezer to use just for this. When I have enough I take them out and make a big one. It's a lot easier to make one big one and save the leftover than make a small one all the time.

Ive used leftover  steak or roast beef, kielbasa, linguisa or pork roast too. Pancetta or prosciutto is nice too. I save potatoes when I make my garlic roasted ones just for this. Sometimes Ill even save french fries or tater tots leftover for it too. I don't like green pepper so I often use roasted peppers. But Ive used spinach, asparagus and even a few frozen peas when I wanted more veggies. You can use one cheese or several or clean out your refrigerator of bits and pieces too. Its a great leftover recipe and it tastes incredible.

The day after Halloween - the breakfast

Lil man stayed overnight here after Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. His folks went to a party. And so I made some breakfast for us. Ive been wanting to try this recipe out, since I had some blueberries in the freezer I needed to use up. Ive been meaning to do it all week but kept forgetting to put it together so it could soak overnight. Last nite after dinner I decided to do it with lil man helping me put it together.

This is really easy, basically just layers, let it soak and bake the next morning. Its almost like dessert, a bread pudding. So while I cut up the bread......and I often have either sour dough or a nice Italian bread around, lil man cut up the cream cheese and helped assemble this. I like to make hearty french toast and so I use a good sturdy bread when I make it. I decided to do the same with this. You basically layer bread, cheese, blueberries, more bread and pour the custard mix over it all and let soak over nite. My proportions were off because I used more bread trying to use it up. I also added more eggs and milk. To the egg mixture I added some cinnamon and a bit of vanilla. I do that to my regular french toast too.

So while this was baking, I baked off some bacon to go with it. I warmed up some maple syrup too altho you could do without it. But because there is so very little sweet with this......I like it with the syrup, better. Maybe next time if I have more blueberries Ill make a blueberry topping. I certainly have leftovers and Ill be packaging them up to have later on.  I quick warm up in the oven or microwave, will be great. I do that to my leftover french toast too. This way I don't have to cook them all the time.

Fresh Blueberry-stuffed French Toast Casserole 

Assemble this simple casserole 12 to 24 hours ahead, or just before baking.


Ingredients:
4 large slices sourdough bread, crust removed and cubed
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 cups fresh blueberries
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons powdered sugar


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Arrange half the bread cubes in an 8-inch square baking dish. Distribute the cream cheese cubes evenly over the top of the bread. Distribute the blueberries over the top.


2. Top with the remaining bread cubes.


3. Beat eggs, milk and cinnamon together and pour over. Bake for 35 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.