Thanks Joy for sharing, and happy new year!  Please enjoy!

• 6 medium russet potatoes
• 1 medium onion grated
• 1 egg
• ½ cup flour
• Salt to taste
• Vegetable oil to coat pan generously
• Apple sauce and sour cream (optional)

Peel potatoes and grate in food processor.  Peel and grate onion in food processor.  Place in a large bowl, add egg, flour, and salt.  Stir to combine completely.  Heat oil in electric fry pan to 375 degrees. With slotted spoon, grab spoonful of potatoes and pat gently to remove excess liquid (do not remove all liquid, just a small amount).  Fry potatoes until dark golden brown on first side (do not touch), about 6-8 minutes.  Flip and fry second side for 3-4 minutes, until light golden brown.  Drain on paper towels while you finish cooking the remaining pancakes.  If desired, sprinkle with additional salt.  Serve with apple sauce and sour cream.

Total time: 45 minutes

Makes: 12 medium size pancakes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Lemon-Arugula Potato Salad
2. Potato-Leek Gratin
3. Cottage Cheese Pancakes

• 1-12 oz. bag cranberries, rinsed and drained
• ¼ cup minced green onions
• 2 small jalapeno peppers, seeded, and minced
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp. finely grated ginger
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 2-8oz. packages cream cheese
• Cilantro sprigs for garnish

Rinse, drain and pick over cranberries, discarding all that are soft or bruised. Place cranberries in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped but not mushy.

Place cranberries in a bowl and mix together with green onions, jalapeno peppers, cilantro leaves, sugar, grated ginger, and fresh lemon juice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours so flavors develop (do not eat right away, it will be too tart).

On a serving plate place cream cheese and cover with salsa. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve with crackers.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Cranberry Salad
2. Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
3. Thai Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk

During the holiday’s I hosted a party at my home.  One of my guest’s brought this fabulous cheese ball that was so tasty, I made it a week later for our New Year’s get together.  It was the chutney that made this cheese ball so delicious!  Chutney, native to india is a sweet and sour condiment, made from fruit’s, vegetable’s, then cooked in vinegar and sugar with ginger and spices, with it’s consistency the same as jelly.  Chutney is the Hindi word for “to crush”, which was the process of how chutney was made, the ingredients were crushed togehter with a stone, according to this link here. 

Now then in searching through my local grocery stores I observed the different types of chutney available, and I was not able to find anything that came close to the ingredients, in the Old Farmhouse Chutney brand that this cheese ball calls for.  Old Farmhouse Chutney is made by Stone Wall kitchens, a leading producer of up scale gourmet foods, gifts etc.,  and can be purchased at Draeger’s or other fine gourmet shops.  My source for this cheese ball, is of course in the name of this wonderful recipe, Martha Stewart.  Please enjoy!

For more cheese ball recipes click here.

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup Old farmhouse Chutney
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and pale green parts
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup shredded Colby cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chutney, scallions and garlic.  Stir until well blended.  Add Colby and jack cheeses and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.  Form into a ball and roll the ball into chopped pecans/or nuts of your own choice.  Garnish with a thinly sliced Granny Smith apple and serve with crackers or baguette.

Serves:  12 to 20

Total time:  30 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Martha Stewart’s Old Farmhouse Chutney Cheese Ball

Frittata is a classic italian dish made with eggs, cheese, meats and or vegetables.  It is very easy to prepare and can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Frittata has been adopted by so many different cultures so their are many different recipe suggestions for this dish.  A general rule is to make sure that any vegetable used adds very little liquid to the overall dish.  This recipe was adapted from a Williams Sonoma 3×5 card that I believe I picked while shopping in their store, but as mentioned earlier, I changed it up a bit.  Please enjoy!

For more frittata recipes, click here.

• 10 eggs
• 1 cup grated 4 cheese  Mexican “Sargento”
• ½ tsp. salt, freshly grated pepper
• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• ½ lb. Portobello mushroom chopped
• ½ lb. hot Italian sausage
• ½ lb. Virginia smoked ham, chopped
• 1 cup sliced green onions, including greens
• Sour cream and salsa (optional)

Heat your non-stick skillet or frittata pan with 1 tbsp. olive oil to medium heat.  Add your mushrooms and cook until golden and just tender.  Remove to a separate bowl to cool.  Add 1 more tbsp. olive oil to your pan, and cook your sausage until browned (breaking your sausage into small pieces).  While your sausage is cooking add your eggs to a large bowl and whisk.  To the eggs add your cheese, salt, and pepper, set aside.  Add the choped ham and cook until heated through, about 4 minutes.  Add your green onions and cook until tender, another 4 minutes.  Add the egg mixture, and cook using a spatula to lift the cooked edges and allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath. Your pan should not be too hot you don’t want the eggs to stick.  Continue cooking and lifting until the eggs are beginning to set.  

Take a non-stick pan (cookie sheet, plate etc.) large enough to cover the pan that your frittata is in.  Place on top of your frittata and flip the frittata over onto your non-stick surface.  Place the remaining olive oil into your pan and slide the frittata back in bottom side up and continue cooking until your eggs are completely set, about 5 minutes.  Serve immediately with sour cream, fresh salsa and tortillas.

Serves: 4

Total time: 60 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Italian Sausage and Artichoke Soup
2. Sausage and Shrimp with Fettucine
3. Fettuccine with Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, and Sweet Italian Sausage

Did you know that cilantro has amazing health benefits?  I did not.  Cilantro with it’s mild peppery taste is a member of the carrot family (surprise) and can be seen as a major cleaner of the body in getting rid of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and aluminum.  It also acts as a blood cleaner.  To learn all about cilantro and it’s amazing benefits, click here.  Please enjoy!

For more recipes that include cilantro, click here.  And for more cole slaw recipes, click here.

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 lime juiced
• 1 ½ tsp. grated lime zest
• 1 serrano chile, seeded and diced fine
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 lb. thinly sliced cabbage
• 4 green onions, chopped fine

In a large bowl add mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, lime peel, chile, and garlic.  Whisk everything together until smooth.  Stir in cilantro.  Add your cabbage and green onions, stirring completely, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Cover and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours before serving.  Best if made the day before.  

Serves: 8

Total time: 30 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Creamy Coleslaw
2. Panko Crusted Halibut Tacos with a Creamy Avocado Cabbage Slaw
3. Spicy Pork & Rice Soup with Lime

Now I have to share with you that when I purchased my cottage cheese, I did not realize that I had bought cottage cheese with chives.  “Oops” is what I said when I took it out of the refrigerator….there was nothing I could do, I was not going back down to the store.  My sister and I both agreed you could barely taste the chives, and I believe it really complimented the whole pancake.  So I guess it was meant to be, my version of these cottage cheese pancakes now include chives.  The optional ingredients that include sugar and lemon juice, indicated a more cake like taste.  I have not tried this, if you do, please let me know what your thoughts are.   Please enjoy!

For more pancake recipes, check out this link here, to a website dedicated to just making pancakes.   

• 2 cups cottage cheese, small curd
• ½ cup flour
• 6 tbsp. corn oil
• 6 eggs
• ¼ tsp. salt
• More oil for grilling

Optional:

•  1 tbsp. sugar and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (taste more like cake)

In a large bowl mix all ingredients with an electric mixer until completely blended.  (after mixing my aunt esther poured the batter into a blender to smooth the batter of any lumps from the cottage cheese).  I let my batter rest for about 10 minutes before I started grilling my pancakes.  On a griddle or a large non-stick pan, add a small amount of oil, and heat to medium.  With a large ladle, spoon your batter onto your pan and cook on each side for about 3 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with warm maple syrup.

Makes about 12 medium size pancakes.

Total time: 30 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Joy’s Potato Latkes

For more appetizer recipes with nuts, click here.

• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground cumin
• Pinch of clove
• 1 large egg white
• ½ lb. walnut halves (1/2 cup)
• ½ lb. pecan halves (1/2 cup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly oil a four sided pan, I like to use a 9×11 aluminum disposable pan.  Pour spices, along with ¾ tsp. salt into a small bowl.  Mix completely with a spoon.  Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl until frothy, stir in nuts, coating completely.  Add the spices, stirring again to coat completely.  Spread mixture evenly into your pan.  Bake stirring once or twice until dry and well toasted, about 30 minutes (depending on your oven it may take longer).  Loosen nuts from pan then cool completely.  These nuts will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Makes: 4 cups

Total time: 60 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Spiced Pepper Walnuts
2. Savory Slow-Cooked Mushrooms

Now then in searching through my local grocery stores I observed the different types of chutney available, and I was not able to find anything that came close to the ingredients, in the Old Farmhouse Chutney brand that this cheese ball calls for.  Old Farmhouse Chutney is made by Stone Wall kitchens, a leading producer of up scale gourmet foods, gifts etc.,  and can be purchased at Draeger’s or other fine gourmet shops.  My source for this cheese ball, is of course in the name of this wonderful recipe, Martha Stewart.  Please enjoy!

For more cheese ball recipes click here.

• 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• ½ cup Old farmhouse Chutney
• ¼ cup finely chopped scallions, white and pale green parts
• 1 medium clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup shredded Colby cheese
• 1/3 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chutney, scallions and garlic.  Stir until well blended.  Add Colby and jack cheeses and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.  Form into a ball and roll the ball into chopped pecans/or nuts of your own choice.  Garnish with a thinly sliced Granny Smith apple and serve with crackers or baguette.

Serves:  12 to 20

Total time:  30 minutes

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Martha Stewarts Cheese Ball
2. Shirley’s Mashed Potatoes With Mascarpone Cheese

Spiceing these walnuts up with pepper added a unique twist to the commonly sugared nut.  Few foods are as nutritiously complete and good for the human body as walnuts, they are indentified as one of the 14 “super foods”, because of their high omega-3 content, according to this very informative walnuts.org website. Hear what Dr. Oz has to say about the nutrional value of walnuts by clicking here.

My source for these spiced pepper walnuts was a cookbook that I bought while wine tasting in the Sonoma valley at the Alderbrook Winery.  The cookbook is titled “Cooking at the Winery with Jim May“.  Please enjoy!

For more recipes on how to spice up your walnuts click here. 

• 1 egg white
• 2 cups shelled walnut halves
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Whip egg white in large bowl frothy and barley stiff.  Toss in walnuts and coat thoroughly.  Combine sugar, black pepper, cinnamon and salt, and sprinkle over walnuts, coating evenly.  Spread out on cookie sheet in a single layer and roast in oven until toasted, about 10 minutes.  (Watch to make sure that they do not burn.)

Remove and cool.  Store in air-tight container for up to 3 months in freezer.  Use as an appetizer, “bits” in salads, with cheese, or as a garnish on a chocolate dessert.

Makes 2 cups

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Sweet and Savory Spiced Nuts
2. Sauteed Brussells Sprouts with Smoked Ham and Toasted Walnuts

Jicama is a sweet root vegetable that adds a nice crunch to these quesadillas.  The Bay shrimp (baby shrimp), changes this quesadilla up from the traditional beef or chicken.  Served with guacamole, this is a perfect quick week night meal or appetizers for your next party!  Please enjoy!

My source for these wonderful quesadillas is the San Francisco chronicle’s friday wine section.

For more recipes with aioli click here.

The Aioli

• ½ tsp. minced garlic
• 1 to 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
• Kosher salt, to taste
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ tsp. lemon juice

The quesadillas

• 1 ear corn
• 5 oz. Monterey jack cheese, grated
• 8 oz. bay shrimp
• ½ cup finely chopped jicama
• 2 green onions, green part finely chopped, about ¼ cup
• Zest from 1 lemon
• 8 flour tortillas, 8-inch diameter
• ½ cup guacamole, mildly spiced

For the aioli

Place garlic and tarragon in a mortar with a little salt to taste and blend together with pestle.  Stir in the mayonnaise and lemon juice then refrigerate until ready to use.  The aioli can be made ahead.

For the quesadillas

Shuck corn and remove silks.  Rinse then loosely wrap in parchment or place in a microwave-safe container.  Microwave 2-3 minutes until cooked but still slightly crisp.  When cool enough, cut kernels off and set aside.

Divide the shrimp, corn, cheese, jicama and green onion among four tortillas, layering the ingredients.  Top with a sprinkle of lemon zest.  Spread the remaining tortillas with tarragon aioli and place, aioli-side down atop the filling.  If you have some aioli left, refrigerate for another use.

Heat a dry skillet over medium-low heat.  Place a quesadilla in the skillet and cook, flipping at least once, until the cheese has melted and tortillas are lightly browned.  Repeat with the remaining quesadillas.

Cut quesadillas into wedges and top with some of the guacamole, or offer it on the side.  Serve immediately.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like...

1. Sausage and Shrimp with Fettucine
2. Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo
3. Panko Crusted Halibut Tacos with a Creamy Avocado Cabbage Slaw