New Potatoes and Peas

New Potatoes and Peas, a photo by KS Girl on Flickr.

One of my favorite summertime dishes my Grandma Wilson made for me as kid.

I didn't measure the potatoes, sorry.
New Potatoes with skins on, wash and cubed, boiled till tender.

In a skillet:
1 SM bag of peas (fresh or frozen) I had to use frozen.
This time I used 3 small leaks, but you don't have to, onion will work. I had leaks from my CSA bag so I used them.
Once your peas are warm and your onion or leaks are soft, scoot them to one side of the skillet.
Add 2 T of butter and let melt, add 2 T of ap flour, whisk and let cook for a min or two. Add salt and pepper at this point, I also added a teaspoon of garlic powder, but it is optional.
Whisk in one cup of milk then stir in the peas and leeks and let come to simmer it will get thick. When the potatoes are tender, drain off, but save back some potato water incase you need to loosen up the sauce. Incorporate the potatoes with the peas and sauce. Serve. I put a little parsley on top, but you don't have to... grandma certainly didn't.

Thai Cliantro-Peanut Noodles

This is a lot like Pad-Thai, however I combined several different ideas from a couple of different cookbooks. Sorry there is no photo

Boil Water for Rice Noodles, as soon as it comes a boil turn it off add handful of noodles. Stir occasionally, until soft.

Sauce:

Cook the following ingredients in a sauce pan over med-high heat, stirring occasionally:

1/4 C balsamic vinegar

2.5 T of sugar

2 T of brown sugar

2 T of low sodium soy sauce

1/4 t of Red Pepper Flakes (or more for more heat)

1 minced garlic clove

After sauce comes to a boil add:

2 T of Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter

stir in then add:

1/2 C of chopped Cilantro

Set sauce aside.

For the Chicken Mixture:

1 Chicken Breast Small Cubes

1 Nappa Cabbage (chopped up and cleaned)

1/2 of Red Onion diced

1 Garlic Clove diced

2 Carrots shredded

In a warm large non-stick skillet heat 1 T of Sesame Oil, add to it:

Onion & Garlic let soften then add chicken and let brown, once browned and cooked, add carrots and cabbage. Once things are mixed together and beginning to heat through add drained noodles (reserve some water, if pan is dry add to help soften cabbage and keep pan moist)

after noodles are incorporated add sauce and stir.

Top with Peanuts (chopped or not) and squirt with fresh lime juice.

Enjoy.

Serves 4

Giovanis Pizzeria & Cafe, Topeka KS

Giovanis Pizzeria & Cafe, Topeka KS
Originally uploaded by KS Girl

Last night we ordered in, and we ordered local. We ordered take out from Giovanis Pizzeria & Cafe. They have been around for a while in Topeka, but recently moved to a space on Kansas Ave, by Kay's Cakes.

I was glad we ordered take-out, the restaurant is in its low-budget early stages. It feels like you are walking into someone's house, possibly someone's kitchen. Now, thats not necessarily a bad thing, it just lacked the coziness of a restaurant -- even a home style restaurant. They were advertising for a local artist to decorate there walls, and I'd like to see them upgrade there work station up from card table to a real prep table. I would hope that as their popularity grows they will begin investing back into the restaurant. You can see there kitchen without any problems, and they did keep it clean. However, if your not one for feeling like your walking into someone's home, then have it delivered.

As for the pizza, it was good. I had hoped after seeing the inside that it would be, I wanted to support this restaurant in the future and see them grow. We ordered the large pepperoni pizza and garlic knots. The garlic knots were like a garlic bread knot rolls that sat in garlic olive oil and topped with kraft-style parmesan cheese (you know the kind that comes out of a green can). They weren't swimming in garlic flavor and the olive oil was on the bottom of the pan so you could tap some of it off, the bread wasn't soggy from the oil either, it was still crusty, like a soft pretzel. I think these would also taste good in rolled in butter and topped with cinnamon sugar, mmm. The pizza dough was kind of a hand tossed size, they only have the one thickness because they really believe in serving an authentic New York Style Pizza. I haven't been to New York, so I have no idea if its authentic or not, but it did look like TV Style New York Pizza. The sauce tasted like tomatoes, and didn't taste artificial. The cheese was good, we would have ordered bacon cheese burger, but they didn't have cheddar cheese on the menu, only American, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Parmesan. However, it was cheesy and when I am eating pizza thats really all that matters. The pepperoni was nice big slices, it wasn't as spicy as I had hoped for, but it was crispy.

As you can see they cut it every which was from Sunday, but since we were at home we just used our pizza cutter and cut things down to our comfortable size.

So, at least give them a try. They do have a unique flavor, not like the chain restaurants, and it does smell like pizza place when you walk in. Unlike one of our other local pizza places.

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Eggs on a Nest

Sunday Morning Breakfast: Eggs on a Nest
Originally uploaded by KS Girl

I love breakfast! Its not secret in our house that if there is a great place to eat breakfast when we go on vacation I will find it. My husband has quoted me saying "I am professional breakfast eater, I just don't get paid." I will think on a new recipe for sometime before I make it. I would say this is parts of other recipes to make one great breakfast.

I made a variation on the hash-brown patties for Christmas Eve Breakfast, which is the breakfasts of breakfasts. Its a fairly simple recipe:
really this is the ratio
1-2 Yukon Gold Potatoes
2 T of Gluten Free Flour or Rice Flour
1 egg white
3T of green onions
Parmesan Cheese (however much you like), I probably do about a 1/4 of Cup.
Peel your potatoes, and grate (I use a food processor), and then rise until clear and ring out with an old rag (clean one preferably).
Mix in your flour, egg white, onions, and cheese, make into patties and place on oiled (we use pam spray) med warm skillet. Then place a teaspoon of butter on top of the patty whiles the other side is cooking. Once you start to see brown around the edges and the butter is melted flip. I kinda guess, and if I flip it too early I flip it back.

Poach your eggs one for each patty, and serve with a side of Canadian bacon. I also topped my eggs with a dash of parm cheese and salt & pepper.

Smashed Mashed Potatoes

Smashed Mashed Potatoes
Originally uploaded by KS Girl

The best no-gravy potatoes ever!

Md-Lg Russet Potatoes (1 per person)
I used two, cuz there were two of us.
Boil in salted water till soft, and yes salt the water you need a little bit of salt flavor. I don't normally salt my water for potatoes, because there's usually plenty in gravy.
While they are boiling set out 2oz of cream cheese, and 2T of butter (per two potatoes)

Drain cooked potatoes, return to pan
add butter and begin to mash
after the butter is melted in add cream cheese
and mash a little longer, and 2 T of Milk
and whip with spoon, once they are fluffy and smooth, add 1/4 C of green onions and pepper to taste.

In this batch I also added 1/4 C of Cheddar Cheese, but I have also made it without.

Kansas Girl Takes A Road Trip to Colorado Springs, CO.

Shuga's
Originally uploaded by KS Girl

Before going I did a lot of research on where to eat. This came up on google maps, then I went to the website and checked it out. I knew I had to go.
This place was cool. Once you go to www.shugas.com you will understand how cool it is without even going to Shuga's. After checking out the menu online, I really couldn't wait. We had it on our schedule for Saturday lunch. It was a great place to go for a light lunch, which worked out well because we had a big breakfast. Which was also fabulous.
Brian and I shared the chop board, and my parents had the pastrami. They were both great. The chop board comes with meats, cheeses, cashews, dried apricots, bread, and hot mustard. The pastrami was spicy and fresh.
We had told the wait staff we found this place on-line and we were tourists. He was glad to hear we thought it was such a great place, and he was happy to hear we got off the beaten path. Although I wouldn't consider this place to be off the beaten path, I would say if your looking for great food its right on the great path. Really not hard to find either, right on a main road, and kind of on the start of a neighborhood. If I lived anywhere near it, I would be a regular.

Roasted Pepper Rice

Get the grill fired up for this recipe!

1 Box of Goya Yellow Rice
1 Vadaila Onion or Texas 1015
1 Pablano Pepper
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Ear of Corn
1 T of Oregano
dash of Salt
1 T of Olive Oil

Cook the rice according to the directions on the box. When its done, set aside until veggies are ready.

Make a foil cooking basket, or if you have grilling basket use that and place in the folliwng:
Chop your Pablano Pepper and Green Bell Pepper in larger chunks. Toss them in 1 T of Olive Oil and a dash of salt
Chop Oregano and add to peppers.


You can do this two ways,
Slice or onion and skewer it (has shown)
or chop your onion and put it in the peppers.

Put your pepper basket and onions on the grill

Peal the husk from your corn and set on grill, you just want it to get a bit of color all around, so you will have to turn it regularly.

When everything is tender, remove from grill and add to your cooked rice.
After your veggies are mixed in add your pepper jack cheese and stir in till it disappears.