Tuesday's Catfish

We just rolled back into Marion late last night from a visit with Lacy-Jay and Bashar in Northern Virginia. We had the best time imaginable. In the next few days I will share more about our trip, and post some photos.

Supper tonight is a meal we have at least once a month. Sometimes I broil the catfish, but tonight we were both in the mood for some good old fried fish. I love cole slaw and have been wanting to try Kittencal's recipe (www.kittencalskitchen.com) for a long time and finally got around to it tonight. It was the best traditional cole slaw I have ever made. It is spot on. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I can't justify frying potatoes with fried catfish so baked potatoes it was. The best baked potatoes have a crispy skin and fluffy insides. The way I make them is a tad more trouble than just popping them in the microwave but truly worth the extra couple of steps.

Kittencal's Famous Cole Slaw

1 head green cabbage (8-10 cups)
1 large carrot, peeled and finely shredded (hand-squeeze out any excess moisture completely)
2-4 green onions (or to taste)
1-2 teaspoons celery seeds (optional, or to taste)

DRESSING:
1 cup mayonnaise -Hellman's is best - do not use salad dressing
1/3 cup milk (light cream even better)
1/3 cup buttermilk
2-3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (use fresh only, not bottled)
1/3 cup white sugar, plus2 tablespoons white sugar*
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoning salt or white salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)

In a food processor chop the cabbage into small pieces (should look like the size of confetti) or shred the cabbage. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.With a fine shredder, shred the peeled carrots; add to the cabbage in the bowl. Chop the green onion finely; add to the cabbage/carrot mixture along with the celery seed. Mix the three veggies all together with a wooden spoon.
For the dressing:In a medium glass bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients starting with the lower amounts then adding in and adjusting to suit taste but using 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar.Pour over the veggies in the bowl, and mix well to combine.Store covered in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours or overnight (overnight is better) to blend flavors.

FOR ONE 16-OUNCE PACKAGE COLESLAW MIX use the following amounts:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-1/2 tablespoons milk
2-1/2 tablespoons buttermilk
1-1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, or to taste.

Perfect Baked Potatoes

2 large potatoes - preferably Russets
1/4 cup butter - melted
1 Tbsp. Sriracha Sauce (rooster sauce)
1 cup kosher salt - divided

Scrub potatoes really well and dry. Poke a few holes in each potato. I use my cake tester for this. Combine the melted butter and Sriracha Sauce in a shallow dish. Pour 1/2 cup of kosher salt into a Pyrex pie pan. Pour the other 1/2 cup salt into a zip lock bag. Dip potatoes in butter mixture and drop into the zip lock with the salt. Roll the potatoes around in the salt pressing into the potatoes by rolling like you would with a rolling pin. Place potatoes on the bed of salt and microwave for 3-4 minutes depending on the size of potatoes. Remove from microwave and place into a 400 degree oven for 1 hour.

Best baked potatoes....... I promise!!

So, Until Tomorrow.......
S~~~

Food Memories - Potato Salad

I won't be cooking supper tonight. The guys practice on Wednesday and I don't get home in time to cook, so it is just catch as catch can for us. So instead, I want to talk about a subject near and dear to my heart, potato salad.

My Mother made the BEST potato salad. I can't share her recipe, I wish I could, but there was no recipe. It never occurred to me that Mother made the world's best potato salad until she was no longer here to make it for me. It was beautiful in its simplicity, nothing fancy.

I never really tried to make potato salad often before 2002, so I just assumed mine would taste like Mother's....... yea right. Eight years later I am getting a bit closer, as I eliminate ingredients that just don't need to be there, like red bell peppers, bacon bits, ranch dressing and hot sauce. How can this be............., all these ingredients that I love ruin "my" potato salad. I guess I was oblivious to what actually went in this great southern tradition, or else I "went along paying no attention", as my Daddy has said to me hundreds of times.

Another debate among people I talk to seems to be weather to add eggs or not. I used to think all potato salad had eggs. Especially since it has just been in the last few years that I would ever order potato salad in a restaurant. It was always one of those dishes that just never tasted like it should outside of my parents house. I am slowly beginning to understand why.

I was a skinny kid (if you can believe that), who really didn't like to eat when I was little. So Mother and Daddy catered to my every whim where food was concerned. If I didn't like what was on the table someone would get up and fix me something I did like, whatever I thought I might eat. I have a memory of Mother straining the beans out of the cooking broth so I could just have the soupy part. Kinda pathetic, I know, but that is how I got my way with potato salad growing up. I refused to eat it cold, I would only have it warm. While I will on occasion have it cold now, I still love it warm.

I said all that to say ( I know I have that habit of going around my elbow to get to my back side, drives Ronnie absolutely crazy) that the recipe from Kraft seems to be closest to my recollection of perfect potato salad. Not quite the same but close. I am sharing that recipe today but I have a really big favor to ask of you. Please, please, please share your potato salad recipe with us. I would love to try your favorites during this upcoming picnic season. Even if you don't want to sign in and post in comments you can email your recipe to me by clicking the little envelope at the end of this post. With your permission I will post it here for everyone to try.

Kraft Potato Salad

1/2 cup Kraft Real Mayo Mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard (don't go getting fancy here, the yellow hot dog stuff is perfect)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 cups cubed potatoes, cooked, cooled
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced (I leave this out)
1/3 cup pickle relish
(Not in the recipe but I add a 1/2 tsp. of sugar)

Mix first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients; mix lightly.
Oh, and under no circumstances leave off the sprinkling of paprika over top. It wouldn't be potato salad without the paprika. Kraft got that part wrong when they left it off.

So, Until Tomorrow...............
S~~~

Welcome Back

My self imposed hiatus is over....................., Sunset Suppers is back.
Actually, back to the original format. I had gotten off track for a while as I pondered how to a be more interesting blog. The "interesting" fact that I learned from friends who read my blog was that they enjoyed the "whats for supper tonight" format.

So, I thought we would be off to a rollicking start with a gourmet meal par excellence......

Hot Dogs w/ Chili, Cole Slaw and Onions (Gotta Be Hebrew National)
My Version of the Famous Hot Crash Potatoes*
Could Not Be Easier Butterscotch Cake*


Hot Crash Potatoes

10 little red potatoes
3-4 cups (enough to cover potatoes) Vegetable or Chicken Stock
(water is ok, if you don't have stock, maybe throw in a bouillon cube or two and omit salt from water)
Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or more)
more Kosher Salt (potatoes love salt)
Fresh Cracked Pepper
1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
1 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary
Paprika

Preheat oven to 425*

Don't peel the potatoes, cook in salted water until almost done.
Drain, and arrange on a foil lined baking sheet, use a potato masher to squash each potato.
Sprinkle the tops with olive oil and scatter with sea salt, pepper and herbs.
Bake 20 to 25 minutes until crisp and golden. Sprinkle with paprika.



Could Not Be Easier Butterscotch Cake

1 (18 1/4 ounce) box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
1 (15 3/4 ounce) can butterscotch pudding (or 4 small containers)
1/2 cup brown sugar
11 ounces butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix together cake mix, eggs and pudding.

Pour batter into 9x13 prepared pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and butterscotch chips.
Bake 30-40 minutes.

So, Until Tomorrow........................ (really, I mean it)
S~~~