Monster Mash Halloween Saute Purple Potatoes Recipe

Hola Amigos! In a season flooded by all shades of orange and black in preparation for Halloween, you have no idea how happy I was when I discovered these little purple guys! Not only I love potatoes but they were purple, my favorite color!

I've never seeing them before, never heard of them either! Ran into them by accident, looking for their elusive cousins the fingerling potatoes. After I read the back of the bag trying to figure out how they would  taste, brought them home with me. Oh happy happy moment.

I was afraid the color was going to wash out after I cooked them for the time the bag recommended, it didn't! How wonderful! . After I peeled them, the color was still there! Amazing!
How to cook them? well that was the question right? Since it was my first time I went with an old and simple recipe my mom used to make with a few ingredients but so delicious! Sauteing them in butter, lemon and garlic. that simple.

They are very tasty and have a couple of good things on their favor too. They cook fast, they have better texture than some potatoes that tend to get gluey and starchy and they have an amazing color that only intensifies with what you add to them  in the cooking process.

They have a hint of sweetness compared to the regular potato, but just a hint, nothing like the orange sweet potato.
I was happy and thought my guys were going to be as excited and happy as I was...well, surprise surprise, they were not. <----insert sad face here!

The couldn't get pass the color! What? I said!!!But the taste just like your regular potato!!!, They are not bad!!! Try them!!! They did, they ate, but let's say there was enough left over for at least 2 more dinner nights, I guess I would be having Purple Monster Mash as a side for the next couple of nights, lol.
I had to keep it real for you guys in case you have picky eaters, young and old!!! (hubs if you read this, that was for you!)

So don't mind my guys and trust me, they are fun, tasty and the perfect color to sing and do a true Monster Mash! lol, Thank you for your visit today! Lets all sing  keeping  in mind that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Monster Mash Halloween Saute Potatoes Recipe
Ingredients:
1 (2 lb) bag of Purple Potatoes
1 Small Purple Onion finely chopped
1 Clove Garlic Minced
2 TBSP Lemon Juice
2 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 Bunch Green Onions
Salt
Lemon Pepper 
Directions:
In a large pot boil enough water to cover your potatoes and add plenty of salt.Wash potatoes thoroughly. Add your purple potatoes and cook for about 15-20 minutes. Once they are done cooking,  drain and peel them while they are still warm. Cut them in half or quarters if you have some that would allow you to do this. Place on a bowl.
In a small saucepan on medium heat add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted add onions, garlic, most of the green onions but not all of them (saving a handful for garnish), Saute until onion is transparent minding never to burn the garlic. Toss the potatoes into this sauce mixing them gently not to destroy them all. Add the lemon juice, salt and lemon pepper to taste,  toss a little more. Remove from heat, place on your serving bowl and garnish with the rest of the green onions. Serve and Enjoy!

Prep time: 10 minutes                              Cook time: 20 minutes                 Serves 4

Sharing some Purple Root Love at these Fa-BOO-lous parties:

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Easy Pierogi Turkey Casserole Recipe

Hola Amigos! I love easy meals for the weekend and I believe I have a good one for you here. This one will feed not only your family but friends and guest too. Perfect meal to take to a picnic, party or to bake 2 freeze 1 sort of deal.
Pierogi! They are a big thing here in Mi, since we are the 3rd state in the country with the largest ethnic Polish community! We love them! these delicious little potato dumplings are comfort food at its best. Filled with cheese, broccoli, mushrooms or cabbage, pierogi are a staple of traditional Polish Cuisine. Boiled them first, fried them in butter and top them of with sour cream, mushrooms or bacon they are a great meal.
My casserole has pretty much all these ingredients in a deconstructed way. I did a bit of research as I always do and most of the interpretations of this dish used lasagna noodles (which sometimes are a hassel to cook) or frozen Pierogi. Nothing wrong with this but I needed something a bit more savory and easy to prepare and came up with this.
My guys love abundant amounts of protein in their meals, especially the hubs, therefore I added turkey. It's light enough to balance the potato and pasta.

Like I mentioned above a traditional Pierogi is topped with onions and fried in butter. Instead I caramelized my onions in butter and added to the pasta.

Cabbage is a Pierogi filling per excellence but my guys are not too fond of it, so I switch to some savory broccoli for my veggie portion of the dish.

And of course cheese...it's not a casserole in this house if it's not oozing cheese. Sharp Cheddar was my choice.

Put it in the oven once put together and 45 minutes later enjoy a slice of happiness! Oh...let's not forget the sour cream and for a pretty touch, some chives! Yum!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and even though it's always great to have a fresh batch of handmade delicious Pierogi,when non  it's available, this recipe is an excellent substitute.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends...and remember everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!,

Besitos,

Lizy

Easy Pierogi Turkey Casserole

Ingredients:

12 ounces Campanelle (short pasta that resembles lasagna)

1 Large Onion, sliced

3 TBSP Butter

3-4 Cups Mashed Potatoes 

1 bag (12 ounces) broccoli florets with or without cheese your choice

2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

1Ppound (about 2 Cups) Hickory Smoked Turkey, diced

1 Can broccoli soup

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

Salt, Pepper to taste

Sour Cream

Chives

Directions:

Heat your oven at 375 Degrees

Cook pasta according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet add butter and onions together and cook for about 8 minutes until onions are caramelized. Mix these caramelized onions with the pasta.

In a 9 x 13 baking pan add 1/2 of the mashed potatoes, flatten with a fork until you get an even surface. Layer 1/2 of the pasta/onion mix. Layer 1/2 of the diced turkey, 1/2 of the contents of the broccoli bag and 1 cup of cheese. Repeat this steps. Note :( For this second layer if you don't have enough of one ingredient, don't worry because at the end it will all bake together).

Once you get your last layer, add the soup mixed with the chicken broth. Cover with aluminum foil and bake covered for 30 minutes. Uncovered the casserole and let it bake for another 10 minutes. Grab a fork and enjoy!

Prep Time 20 minutes           Cook Time 40 minutes                Serves 8

Sharing some comfort food at these Fabulous Parties:

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Another Casserole Recipe that you might like:

Cheese Rice Hominy and Chicken Casserole Recipe

Loaded Baked Potato Salad

Hola Amigos! It is officially summer in my household today! School is Out , kids are home and mom is about to have an entire season hopefully of "All in 1 meals"...I've been waiting for these sunny and warm days for too long to stay cooped in the house behind the stove. My desire for a sun tan will translate in 1 dish that has everything , protein, carbs and veggies, no sides, no extras, no nothing...just put it in a bowl and if you are lucky you will get a piece of bread to go with it...LOL...tasty bread of course.

Mi first dish of the season is a salad that I'm seeing in every deli around me Loaded Baked Potato Salad. Some good, some O.K., some that I have to go "what a heck, was that"? <----awful! , Thank Goodness for the samples they offer! The way they look it's so deceiving sometimes, potatoes too hard, no seasoning, where is the bacon, where are the potatoes...well you get the idea and I'm sure this has happened to you too.  So,  since I'm tired of trying them all over the place and being disappointed,  I'm making my own. Here it goes:

Loaded "Chicken" Baked Potato Salad

4 potatoes

1 grilled or roasted Chicken Breast, shredded

2 TBSP Unsalted Butter

6 Strips of Cooked Bacon chopped in small pieces

1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded. (or your favorite cheese)

1/2 Sour Cream

1/4 Cup Mayo

2 Cooked Eggs, optional

Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook your potatoes the usual way as you make your potato salad. Diced  them and season  them liberally with onion powder, salt and pepper. It's important to season the potatoes before adding any fat to coat them. 

In a microwave safe container, add butter and heat it up until melted. Drizzle all over the potatoes. Add shredded chicken, sour cream , and mayo. Mix together until all the potatoes and chicken  are covered with the sour cream and mayo. 
Add chopped bacon, mix.
Top it of with a few slices of cooked egg and shredded cheese.
Listo

I'm happy with the results of my 1 dish loaded salad.
It has everything I need and just think that you could use ham, turkey  or no meat at all, but how about broccoli, yummy!

Thank You  for stopping by today. Do you have a Deli dish you love but you think you can make it better to enjoy all the time? Curious minds want to know.

Keep in mind my friends, everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,
Lizy

Sharing my salad tips at these Fabulous Parties:
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Pint Sized Baker
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Easy Life Meal

Picadillo with Ground Turkey, Mexican Style

Hola Amigos, I couldn't decide how to name this recipe. Perhaps it should be "This is what's for dinner tonight, Love it or Leave it" or "Mambo #5" because it has a little bit of this, a little bit of that and then you go AHHHHH!!!GooD!!!!..but basically it's a Picadillo for Latin Folks, Hash for American Folks and Arroz a la Cubana for Filipino Folk, I have all this cultures in my DNA so now you understand my dilemma, don't want to alienate any side of the family. Seasoned Beef and Potatoes with your side of rice, beans, cheese, eggs! Easy to put together and very tasty.

For the Meat

Brown the turkey on a pan and add seasonings and onions. Once everything is cooked, add the potatoes until they are heated through.

1 Pound Turkey or Ground Beef

The Seasonings

2 Bay leaves, 1 TSP Cumin, 1TSP Oregano, 1 Onion Flavores Bullion or Chicken Bullion, Pepper, 1 TBSP Cilantro, 1/4 Cup White Wine

The Veggies

1 Large Onion, 2 Medium Potatoes Boiled and Cubed

The Result

For the Sides

Rice

! Cup of Rice, 1/4 Cup Chorizo , 1 Envelope Seasoning

Fry your chorizo until cooked and the rice and fry it for a couple of minutes, remove, place it in  a pot as you usually cook rice, but don't add salt, add your envelope of seasoning. 

Beans

Your Favorite Whole Beans or in my case a can or Refriend Beans

To Serve

Plate your Turkey, Rice, Beans and any other garnish you want (eggs, cheese or sour cream) and enjoy it! I layered mine inside 10 inch tortilla cups, no dishes to do after our meal! I started with beans, rice and then a healthy layer of "Picadillo" with cheese, homemade salsa and sour cream!

Hope you enjoy my recipe for today! Always keep in mind friends that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Besitos,

Lizy

Sharing my Mexican Dinner Dish at these Fabulous Parties:
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Rapidito en Viernes=Quicky Friday #2

Hola Amigos! I can't believe how fast this week went by but I'm very happy is the weekend and I get to share with you another quick but delicious recipe.
Today I'm traveling back to my beloved Panama where this dish is a staple for every big celebration, Birthday Party , Carnavales or just any day of the week when you need a little cheer me up for your eyes and tummy. We called it Ensalada de Fiesta or Party Salad, and you soon will find our why!

I did a little research to see if this was a dish enjoyed only in my country, but to my surprise in another Latin country across the ocean we also find this dish, in France is known as Salade Russe! and you can find it anywhere there is a take out restaurants. It's usually mixed with carrots, peas and other vegetables. who would have thought!

 No matter where you decide to have yours, Panama, France or in the comfort of your dinning room it's a tasty recipe you can't miss! Here are the ingredients:

Ensalada de Fiesta=Salade Russe

3 Medium Potatoes

3 Boiled Eggs

1/4 cup finely chopped celery

1/8 cup onions

1/2 cup  Pink Mayonnaise* 

10 ounces of canned beets cut into small cubes save the juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Green Onions for Garnish

* Pink Mayonnaise is made by mixing it with as much beet juice as you want, depending on the intensity of the color you want at the end.

Cut your medium potatoes in half so they cook evenly and fast in about 15-20 minutes. Once they are cooked, chopped them into small cubes and set season it with salt and pepper to taste. My mom once told me the secret to a great salad was to cube the potatoes very small and everything else the same way. Big chunks are not a good way to save time if you want to have a tasty dish when it comes to salads. Then add your green veggies layer, the celery and onions. Add your beet cubes followed by your chopped boiled eggs. Finally top it all  with your pink mayonnaise. Mix it all together, check seasoning and sit's ready to serve. It refrigerates well and will serve 4-6 people.

Listo

Tell me this doesn't look like a tropical party! And the taste fantastic, so fresh! 

My grandma, Rest Her Soul, used to make the best Ensalada de Fiesta ever! I remember going to her house on Sundays just to eat this! and always coming back for seconds!

Perhaps because everything was chopped so tiny or maybe because it was Abuelita Marina and everything she made was special and oh, so good. 

What she and my mom taught me was that everything tastes better with a Pinch of Love!

Enjoy

Besitos, 

Lizy

I'm sharing this recipe at this Fabulous Parties:
Dear Creatvies
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This and That
Life on Lakeshore Drive
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