My First Attempt at Potato Latkes and Applesauce

Today is the first day of April Vacation, so that means it's time to start relaxing and getting back into the blog mood.

This morning I realized I had some organic russet potatoes that needed to be used, and I happen to have a box of Matzo Meal (Matzo Ball soup is on the horizon...), so I thought I'd give them a try. Latkes have been on my must try to make list for a long time.

They are delicious and were a bit hit with my family. I adapted my recipe from one I found from Good Housekeeping. Their recipe used a lot of oil, which I'm sure would have made them even more tasty. But, ever conscious of my family's health, I tried reducing the oil by about two thirds. The color of the latkes probably would have been more golden had I "fried" them rather than "sauteed" them.

I also made some homemade applesauce to serve alongside the latkes. This was the first time I made applesauce without using cinnamon. It was quite tasty without. If you prefer, you could cook the applesauce and then let it cool, or you can serve it warm.

POTATO LATKES

6 small russet potatoes

1 small onion

1 egg

2 T flour or matzo meal

1 T fresh parsley

1 T lemon juice

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1/4 t black pepper

3 T canola oil

Start making the applesauce. Peel and pare four or five small apples. (I used organic Gala.) Place them in a small pan with 1/2 cup water (or apple juice/cider) if you have it and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring it to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. When they are tender, mash the apples.

Meanwhile, peel potatoes. Shred them in your food processor, along with the onion. Put potatoes and onions in a dish towel and squeeze all the water out. When you think you're done, squeeze some more. Place contents in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the oil and mix well. Preheat a large non-stick saute pan on medium heat. Drizzle about 1 T of canola oil in pan. After it heats up, scoop about 1/4 cup of the potato mixture and drop into the oil to make about 4 latkes. Use the bottom of the measuring cup to flatten them out. After about 5 minutes, flip and cook another 5 minutes. When they are done, drain on a paper towel. Repeat until you have made a total of about 12 pancakes.

You may want to keep latkes warm in a 250 degree oven as they cook. Serve with warm applesauce.

French Toast with Blueberry Sauce

In an attempt to avoid finding yet another pint of fuzzy blueberries in my refrigerator, I decided to make a quick warm blueberry sauce for this week's dinner of French toast with maple-flavored chicken sausage.

It was so easy that I can't believe I haven't made it before. It was decadent and a welcome change from maple syrup. This recipe served three of us nicely.

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup of blueberries (I used fresh, but you can use frozen)
1/4 cup sugar (adjust to taste)
1 T. corn starch
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 t. cinnamon

In saucepan, combine sugar and corn starch. Boil until sugar is dissolved. Add blueberries and cinnamon. Cook for about 8 minutes, watching closely. You may need to add more water if too thick. Would also be yummy to add a tablespoon of butter. Serve over crepes, pancakes, or French toast.

Freshly picked strawberries and peas

Today the kids and I went to our local farmers market and picked strawberries and peas. There were strawberries everywhere! It was hard to stop picking there were so many. Looks like I need to make some strawberry shortcake. I am also tossing around an idea I saw from Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa). She sprinkled her strawberries with a bit of balsamic vinegar, sugar and black pepper. As she would say, "How bad can that be?"

I have since learned that I was supposed to pick smaller pea pods, but I am sure they will still taste good lightly steamed. I also couldn't resist buying "their own" broccoli, hot house tomatoes, zucchini and summer squash.

Don't you just love this adorable "Fresh from the Farmers Market" icon? It's free and available for your use. Check it out at the website http://kitchen-parade-veggieventure.blogspot.com/.