Archive | August 2018

Fried Potatoes

Vickie’s Fried Potatoes

Vickie’s Fried Potatoes
Guaranteed to tantalize your taste buds. One summer night, we were grilling chicken for an outdoor dinner overlooking the lake. Tired of the usual side dish, we all wanted something different. Our problem, no one wanted to go to the store after a day in the water.

We came up with an idea to cook up some potato slices. But plain potatoes just wasn’t enough. And our Fried potatoes were born.

Preparation time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4 to 5

Ingredients:

  • 4 large potatoes
  • 1/2 small onion cubed or diced
    – You can use McCormick’s Minced Onion instead
  • 1 tablespoons of diced sweet basil
  • 1 tablespoon of diced parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 stick of margarine (not butter)

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Southern Potato Cakes

Southern Potato Cakes

Mammaw’s Southern Potato Cakes
When I was young, my Mom always found ways serve leftovers that made them seem like an entirely new meal. One of my favorites was Potato Cakes. Left over mashed potatoes, fashioned into small individual cakes. They were always delicious.

I never helped make them when I was still living at home, so when I called and asked her how do you make potato cakes, she said “you just cook them in butter in a skillet”. So I fashioned the left over potatoes and fried them……yeah that didn’t work. I called back and told her about how they fell apart and she asks “well did you put flour in them?” No Mom, you didn’t tell me to do that.

You really need to go home and cook with your mom and write down the family recipes, because they didn’t seem to do that in my family. I learned how to make them by watching her and I’ve written it down to share with my son.

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Serves: Depends on how many leftover mashed potatoes you have.  We usually have enough to make 3 to 6 cakes.
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Potatoes Au Gratin

Vickie’s Potatoes Au Gratin

Vickie’s Potatoes Au Gratin
A simple way to spruce up your dinner table for the holidays. This is an easy recipe to make, though it does take some time to bake. It’s well worth it.

I found this recipe in a box at my Grandmother’s house. It was a clipping from the local paper, with hand written notes next to some of the ingredients and directions. I’m pretty sure those notes were made by my Maw. In our family, we called her Maw Stoots.  I’ve made my own little tweaks to the recipe to fit my families tastes. I hope you like it.

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes
Bake time: 1 to 1.5 hours
Serves: 6  Continue reading

Southern Fried Okra

Southern Fried Okra

Vickie’s Southern Fried Okra
One of Gary’s favorite southern foods is fried okra. He says it’s like eating popcorn and you just can’t get enough of it.

I make it for him about three or four times a year. For his birthday, our anniversary and on holidays.

Preparation time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 2 cups of fresh or frozen okra (thawed)
  • ½ cup Flour
  • ½ cup Corn Meal
  • 1 tspn salt
  • 1 tspn pepper
  • ½ stick of butter or margarine

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Green Bean Casserole

Sandy’s Green Bean Casserole

GrandMa Sandy’s Green Bean Casserole
A perfect way to spice up your veggies.  For Gary’s family, holidays often included this bean casserole that makes every celebration a little extra special.

It’s simple to make and is often found on southern tables for fall and winter dinners, or spring and summer picnics. It’s become a family favorite for the Hollands.

Preparation time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:

  • 2 med size cans of cut green beans
  •     (or 1 lbs frozen cut green beans)
  • 1 can Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 can of milk
    (use the mushroom can to measure)
  • 1 tsp of black pepper (or to taste)
  • 1lg. container of French’s French Fried Onion Rings

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Not The Enemy Of The People

Defend The Free Press

Supporting The Free Press
August 16, 2018

Today, August 16th, 2018 is the national day to support America’s Free Press. The idea began with the Boston Globe proposing that all Newspapers Rally To Protect The Free Press. The coordinated effort for an editorial response from publications across the U.S. to President Donald Trump’s frequent attacks on the news media.

Beginning as early as one month after being sworn into office, Trump labeled the News Media “The Enemy of the People”. According to the Washington Post, he has “used the word “fake” — as in “fake news,” “fake stories,” “fake media” or “fake polls” — more than 400 times” in the past 19 months.

He constantly tells his followers at rallies, that you can’t believe the “Fake News”, and “what they say is going on, isn’t what’s really happening”. All this to undermine the credibility of ethical and factual reporting that is critical of his actions, both past and present. Continue reading