Corned Beef and Cabbage

 Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 (2 -3 lbs) corned beef brisket 

1 tbsp  whole pepercorns 

2 dried bay leaves 

1 tsp whole mustard seeds 

6 to 8 medium red potatoes, halved 

1 (1 lb) bag carrots 

1 small cabbage, chopped 

1 bunch fresh parsley , chopped 

4 tbsp butter, divided 

1/4 tsp garlic powder 

1 medium fresh sweet onion 

Combine brisket, spice packet, and spices to a large pot. Add water until brisket is just covered. Boil for two hours. 

After two hours, add potatoes, carrots, and onions and cook until fork tender. Remove brisket and vegetables from water and set aside. 

In a large serving dish, add butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Add cooked vegetables and toss until well coated. Set aside. 

In a separate large pan, melt butter until hot. Add cabbage and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a separate serving dish. 

Cut brisket across the grain and layer over parsley vegetables. Serve with cooked cabbage and side of soda bread.

Dad's Crab Torta

 

One of my favorite breakfast foods is a Filipino fritter called tortang talons (eggplant fritter). It's typically eaten with rice and a side of tomatoes a dollop of sweet (or spicy) banana ketchup on the side.

When I visited the parents last time, we had some steamed Dungeness crab the night prior and had some leftover. To my delight, Dad turned the leftover crab into a wonderful breakfast treat! Here's the recipe for my Dad's crab torta!

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Crab Torta with Potatoes and Onions

(Makes 4 to 5 fritters)

2 cup chopped Dungeness crab

1 cup potato, diced

1 cup onion, diced

2 green onion, chopped

4 eggs

3 tbsp tapioca starch

3 tbsp water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Fry potato until slightly  softened. Add onion, season with salt & pepper until potato is browned. Remove from heat and mix with crab. Add eggs and mix. 

In a separate bowl, combine water and tapioca starch. Add 3 tbsp of the tapioca mixture to the batter and mix. Add more to taste, if needed. Discard any unused tapioca mixture. Season with additional  salt and pepper, as needed.

Heat pan with oil. Scoop mixture to make 5 inch omelets. Cook each side until golden brown or until inside is no longer runny. Serve with banana ketchup and rice. 

ragoût de boeuf en croûte.

Despite the fancy title, all this is is steak and ale pie. Heck, it isn't even French. If anything, this probably resembles more the Brits than the French. And what's more British that meat pies?

Since I've been eating a lot of fish lately, I had a primal urging for some red meat. I considered making a steak of some sort, but unfortunately, all I had in the fridge were chicken, pork chops, and beef stew meat. Well, since I couldn't have a nice juicy steak, I'll take a stew instead. Heck, Since I was already making a stew, I might as well add a lid to it and make it a pie!

I took this recipe from my favorite pie book, Pies:Sweet and Savory by Caroline Bretherton. This makes a simple pie with simple flavors. While not fantastically great, it's a good base to add other umami flavors to really make this recipe pop.

For my dinner, I decided to make a fancy two-crust mini-pie for easier and more elegant serving. I served this with some baby potatoes and colorful carrots tossed in olive oil and my favorite seasoning blend: kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and some sweet paprika. Oven-roasted at 375F degrees for 30 minutes, the vegetables were perfectly fork tender. Steamed peas added color the plate as well as rounded out this Brit-inspired meal.

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Beef and Ale Pie
(adapted from Pies:Sweet and Savory)

For the Filling:
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 lbs beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 oz. button mushrooms, halved
2/3 cup beef stock or broth
2/3 cup brown ale
1 bay leaf
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste

For the Dough:
18 tbsp frozen butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
flour for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten, to glaze

 
Make the dough:
Coarsely grate frozen butter into a bowl. Sift over the flour and salt and rub together until well-combined and crumbly. Starting with 1/3 to 1/2 cup water, mix with a fork then with fingertips to form a rough dough. If it is too dry, add more water. Shape the dough into a ball, then place in a clean plastic bag to chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Make the filling:
Season flour with salt and pepper to taste. Toss the beef in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan and brown beef over high heat in batches until browned on all sides. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan and fry onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until brown, stirring frequently.

Add stock, ale, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and browned beef to the pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat becomes tender.

Make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator then roll out on a floured surface. Dough should be about two inches larger than the top circumference of a one quart pie dish. Using the dish as a guide, cut a circle one inch bigger than mouth of the pie dish then set aside for the moment. This is the top lid of the pie.

Discard the bay leaf from the filling then with a slotted spoon, transfer filling into the pie dish. Reserve 2/3 cup of the gravy then pour the rest over the meat mixture. Dampen the edge of the dish with a little water then use the scraps of dough to make a collar all the way around, pressing down firmly to adhere the dough onto the dish. Brush the dough collar with a little egg, then top with the dough lid. Using your finger and thumb, pinch and crimp the edges of the dough together to seal.

Decorate the top with any remaining dough as desired. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining beaten egg then cut 2 to 3 slits to allow for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve hot with the reserved gravy.

pork, 'taters, and peas.

Just a quick-ish dinner today. Pork chops with apricot and sage sauce, some peas, and a potato gratin. The gratin probably took more time than the pork did as I had to reduce the recipe to about 1/4 of the serving. I saw the recipe from an episode of Cook's Country and decided I wanted to try and make it. No butter or cream? Yes, please! Fortunately, I found a recipe online for it and the rest is history. The pork chops were more an afterthought. After spending so much time on the potatoes, I just wanted to make something that I didn't have to think about. Luckily, the chops tasted great, lol.

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Pork Chops with Apricot-Sage Sauce
(slightly adapted from American Diabetes Association)

2 (4.oz) pork chops
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 large fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp all-fruit apricot spread
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil

 
Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork for 6 to 8 minutes, or until just slightly pink in the center, turning once. Transfer to a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Put the shallot in the skillet. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour the broth into the skillet, stirring to dislodge any browned bits. Let boil for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about half (about 1/4 cup).

Meanwhile, chop the sage. Whisk the sage and apricot spread into the sauce. Spoon over the pork.

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Olive Oil Potato Gratin
(from Cully's Kitchen)

1 cup shredded Romano cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper
2 onions (halved and sliced thin)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
½ teaspoon thyme
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 pounds potatoes (peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick)

 
Preheat oven to 400F and lightly spray a 13x9 casserole dish with cooking spray.

Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and season with ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook stirring frequently until onions are browned. Add the minced garlic and ¼ teaspoon thyme and continue to cook until fragrant. Stir in ¼ chicken broth and continue cooking until broth is evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl while onions are cooking mix together the Romano cheese, 3 tablespoons olive oil, panko bread crumbs, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Place the sliced potatoes in a large bowl and toss them with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and remaining ¼ teaspoon thyme.

Spread ½ of the sliced potatoes in the casserole dish and distribute the onion mixture evenly over the top followed by the other half of the potatoes. Pour the remaining broth over the potatoes, tightly cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the casserole from the oven, remove the aluminum foil, and sprinkle the Romano cheese mixture over the top. Bake uncovered for an additional 15 – 20 or until cheese mixture is browned.

scales like a...potato?

We finally finished the leftovers! I love Thanksgiving, but I can only eat turkey and ham for so many days. By yesterday, I was ready to throw in the towel. So for tonight's dinner, I decided we needed to "detox" from all that heavy eating.

And what better way to do that than through fish?

I was looking for a recipe that not only looked fancy, but also something that would be fun to make. When I came across this potato-crusted fish, I knew that I had hit the jackpot. Whenever I made fish, It was either baked, pan-fried, or steamed. This recipe seemed interesting and easy enough to do. I wasn't too crazy about the refrigeration or the pan frying part though . . .

So, I decided to take a little leeway from the recipe. I started with using frozen fillets straight from the freezer. I read this tip a long time ago, which saved me on having to thaw the fish before being able to use it. Then, instead of pan frying, I decided to bake these suckers to cut down hands-on time. Also on the plus side, I would be able to cook all the fish in one go. Huzzah!

Another thing I changed was adding more ingredients to the mustard mixture. Tarragon sounded lovely, as well as parsley and citrus zest. To cut down on the fishiness of packaged fillets, I thought it would be a great idea to cook them on sliced citrus wedges and some parsley.

The result? A lovely flavored fish filet that has an incredible herby and citrusy flavor! The potatoes aren't potato-chip crispy, but has enough crunch around the edges to make them irresistible. I also like the fact that the citrus slices helped to avoid the fish from sticking to the pan. Served with a salad, this was the perfect meal to have after Thanksgiving leftovers!

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Potato-Crusted Fish
(adapted from Live. Laugh. Cook.)

2 to 3 frozen fish filets (like salmon, tilapia, cod, flounder, etc . . .)
1 to 2 red potatoes, thinly sliced
1 tbsp Dijon or favorite mustard
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
zest from one lemon or orange
salt and pepper

handful flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon or orange, sliced

 
Preheat oven to 450F degrees.

Combine mustard, butter, olive oil, garlic, minced parsley, tarragon, and zest into a paste. Season with some salt and pepper then set aside.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, lay down two slices of citrus for every fish fillet used. Layer with a few sprigs of parsley.

Take a frozen filet and cover the bottom of the fish with some of the mustard mixture. Place on top of the parsley and citrus slices. After that, brush the top of the filet with additional mustard mixture then repeat process for the remaining fillets.

Take the potatoes and toss in the leftover mustard mixture and add olive oil to moisten, if necessary. Working one fillet at a time, arrange the potato slices in an overlapping pattern to cover the fish. Season lightly with salt and pepper then bake for 30 minutes or until the fish is done and the potatoes are crispy and tender.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

are your nostrils aquiver and tingling? yes, they are...I can tell.

I remember the first meat pie that I ever had was in London, back in November of 2008. I went on this two-week long adventure all by myself in a strange and foreign land. Well, not so strange, but definitely foreign to me! People talked funny and the the money was confusingly colorful. What was the pink paper worth again?? Despite the initial frustration and confusion, I quickly adapted and started to tick off things on my to-do list. Tower bridge? check! Big Ben? Check! 221B Baker Street? Check! Picadilly Square? Double check!

I had a blast and am eternally grateful for having the opportunity to visit such an amazing city. If I were to retire anywhere in the world, it would definitely be London. With that being said, one of my favorite parts of the trip was checking off my ultra toursity foodie list! English breakfasts, mulled wine, cornish pasties, fish and chips, mince pies, and beef and ale pie, oh my!

Speaking of beef and ale pies, I had my first at The Porcupine on Leicester Square. I had been walking all day and looking for the perfect place to get my pie on. This pub was set in a historic building and had a wonderful atmosphere. The pie was excellent! Exactly what I was looking for!

Since then, I've indulged in a few variations of meat pies Some with red wine, some with sausage, and endless varieties of crusts to go along with them. Strangely enough, I never really made a meat pie of my own. Well, to remedy that situation, I decided to go on a hunt for a pie-specific book. I wanted a mix of both sweet and savoury, but not necessarily a baking book. Strictly pies only with the exception of pie-like recipes.

The first book I considered was Pie by Angela Boggiano. A quick look through the book, however, quickly changed my mind about it. While there were lots of pretty pictures, I found I needed more pictures and most of the pies that were listed weren't exactly something that I would readily make (ie, pies with oyster, gooseberry, or chorizo). Also, when looking for a recipe, it was hard to look for a specific kind of pie I wanted to make. It was also the same with The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen. Although it had lots of great recipes, no savory pies in sight.

A Year of Pies by Ashley English also yeilded the same results. So many fruit and vegetable pies...where were the meat pies?? One other book I considered was Pies and Tarts for Dinner and Dessert by Stephane Reynaud and Marie-Pierre Morel. I liked that the pies were rustic looking and Eastern European based, but it was just a tad bit frou-frou for my taste.

Then I found Pies: Sweet and Savory by Caroline Bretherton. The first time I flipped through the book, I knew that I had found my pie book. Like the title suggested, the book is damn-near cut in half for the amount of sweet vs. savory. The contents are conveniently divided into types of pies to make (meat, fish, vegetarian, fruit, chocolate...) then again into a recipe planner that lists each recipe by pie type (top-crust pies, double-crust pies, cobblers and crumbles, etc...). It also has a chapter devoted to pie dough complete with decorative suggestions and multiple dough recipes. Not only that, but I would probably make most, if not all, the recipes in the cookbook. Winner!!

Now, even though I thought this was a excellent cookbook, I found that some of the directions were a little confusing. Directions could've been worded differently and picture how-to's would probably have helped with my first pie. However, I found that this was easily fixed if you knew what kind of pie you were making (in my case, a top-crust pie).

I've reworded the directions so that it'll be (hopefully) easier to understand. For this recipe, I found that I wanted just a bit more veggie and a tad more gravy than what the recipe called for. Also, the crust was adapted from the original just because, apparently, I can't read directions, lol. We've made this pie twice already. . . now, if we can only get past this one to try the others!

On a side note...no humans were harmed in the making of this pie (in case you missed the Sweeney Todd reference in the title, lol). Yum! Oh, and Happy Halloween!

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Herb Steak and Vegetable Pie
(adapted from Pies: Sweet and Savory)

For the Filling:
2 medium potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large parsnips, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5 lbs beef stew meat, chopped into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 cups beef stock or broth
1 cup red wine
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 bay leaf

For the Dough:
18 tbsp frozen butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup water
flour for dusting
1 large egg, lightly beaten, to glaze

 
Make the dough:
Coarsely grate frozen butter into a bowl. Sift over the flour and salt and rub together until well-combined and crumbly. Starting with 1/3 to 1/2 cup water, mix with a fork then with fingertips to form a rough dough. If it is too dry, add more water. Shape the dough into a ball, then place in a clean plastic bag to chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Make the filling:
Boil the potatoes, carrots, and parsnip chunks in a saucepan of salted water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain and set aside. Over high heat, sear meat with 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan for 5 to 8 minutes, until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce heat to low and add remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the frying pan. Add the onion and a pinch of salt then sweat gently for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the flour and continue to cook for another 2 minutes.

Increase the heat a little, then add the Worcestershire sauce, beef stock, red wine, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Return meat to the pan and simmer gently for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cooked vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

Make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Remove dough from refrigerator then roll out on a floured surface. Dough should be about two inches larger than the top circumference of a one quart pie dish. Using the dish as a guide, cut a circle one inch bigger than mouth of the pie dish then set aside for the moment. This is the top lid of the pie.

Discard the bay leaf from the filling then spoon filling into the pie dish. Dampen the edge of the dish with a little water then use the scraps of dough to make a collar all the way around, pressing down firmly to adhere the dough onto the dish. Brush the dough collar with a little egg, then top with the dough lid. Using your finger and thumb, pinch the edges of the dough together to seal.

Brush the top of the pie with the remaining beaten egg then cut 2 to 3 slits to allow for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes on a foil-lined baking sheet or until puffed up and golden brown. Serve hot.

orange with a hint of spice.

I've been juicing lately. As a result, there's a whole bunch of fruits and vegetables clogging the counter and waiting to be used. One such fruit are some navel oranges that I got on sale. I went a little crazy and got a little too much...sales on fruit here in Guam is something that I try to take advantage of. I just went a little overboard this time around...

So, what to do? Cook with it, of course! That's where this recipe comes in. I've made orange chicken before but I kind of wanted to do something a little different, flavor-wise. What struck me as interesting was the use of cumin and coriander. Cumin? Coriander? With orange?? I gotta try this!

Obviously I made some changes to what I had on hand. Navel for blood oranges. Chicken thighs for chicken breast. Also, dried rosemary as opposed to fresh. But what I ended up with did not disappoint! The spices gave the orange chicken a hint of exoticness which complimented the sweet orange sauce. The added zest I threw in also really kicked up the yummy orange flavor. I do, however, wished that I had fresh rosemary...my dried herb was starting to lose it's potency. To round out the meal, I paired this with some sauteed green beans and some creamy mashed potatoes. Yummy! Definitely worth making and hopefully again very soon!

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Spice Crusted Chicken with Blood Orange Maple Glaze
(from Simply Scratch)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground cumin
1 tbsp toasted and freshly ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp light olive oil
2 medium shallots, sliced
3/4 cup blood orange juice, strained {about 4 blood oranges}
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup maple Syrup
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl; combine the cumin, coriander and kosher salt. Season both sides of four chicken breasts using all of the spices in the bowl.

Add the two tablespoons of butter and olive oil to a large 12-inch oven-safe skillet and heat over medium-medium/high heat.

Once hot add the chicken in {top side down} and cook for 4-5 minutes or until a nice crust forms and it is easy to turn the chicken. If the chicken sticks, it needs more time.

Once the crust has formed, flip and slide the whole pan into your preheated oven. Bake the chicken for 20 minutes. Once the chicken is fully cooked, use tongs to transfer the chicken to a clean plate and tent with tin foil to keep warm

Heat the skillet over medium-high heat and add in the sliced shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally until they're soft and translucent. Next, pour in the blood orange juice, chicken broth and maple syrup. Add in the rosemary and black pepper and simmer until reduce by half to 75 % and a thick glaze remains... about 8-10 minutes.

Taste and season with kosher salt to taste {if needed} and add the chicken back it to warm up a tad more, then spoon the glaze over top of the chicken and serve.

it's all greek to me.

Today was a hectic grocery day. I don't know why I didn't do it on Sunday, but I found myself wandering the island and getting things for next week's lunches and dinners. So not only did I get the groceries, I did a ton of prep today as well. Man... Am I pooped.

With that being said, I still wanted to make something that took *some* effort (even though I was starting to run on fumes) despite the busy day I've had. So I went on my pinterest board and looked for inspiration. I don't know what made me look for "Greek", but when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. And being an over-achiever that I am, I decided to make some mash and veggies to go with it.

The first problem that I ran into was not having any Greek seasoning. Another quick looksie through pinterest and I found this spice mix which looked interesting (with the added bonus that I had everything listed in my pantry). After tasting a bit of it, I was really blown away! Herby a little salty, I knew this was a killer spice mix! I made sure to save the recipe in my files so I can make it again when I run out in the future.

With the main problem out of the way, everything went surprisingly smooth and with very little effort than I anticipated. Of course, it definitely helped that I went grocery shopping earlier today...I just so happened to get all the ingredients that I needed for the recipes I chose. Yay for happy happenstance!

With regard to the actual meal, I thought that it all went well together. Loved the mash and also the veggies. The chicken was so-and-so... I'm thinking that I went overboard on the yogurt (I halved the recipe) and it didn't cook that way it was intended because I used skinless boneless thighs. I may do this recipe again, but with no lemon juice (just zest) and just enough yogurt to coat the chicken...

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Greek Seasoning Blend
(from AllRecipes.com)

2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary, minced
1 tsp dried dill weed
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground thyme
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix salt, garlic powder, basil, oregano, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, rosemary, dill, marjoram, cornstarch, thyme, and nutmeg in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. Alternately, blend spices in a spice grinder for a finer texture.

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Greek Marinated Chicken
(from Budget Bytes)

1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tbsp dried oregano
1 medium lemon
½ tsp salt
freshly cracked pepper
¼ bunch fresh parsley
3½ to 4 lbs chicken pieces

To make the marinade, combine the yogurt, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl. Use a fine holed cheese grater or a zester to scrape the thin layer of yellow zest from the lemon skin into the bowl. Also add the juice from half of the lemon (about 1-2 Tbsp). Stir until the ingredients are well combined. Roughly chop a big handful, or about ¼ bunch, of parsley and stir it into the marinade.

Add the chicken pieces and marinade to a gallon sized zip top bag. Remove as much air as possible, close the bag tightly, and massage the bag to mix the contents and make sure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate the bag for 30 minutes. After marinating for 30 minutes, either cook the chicken on a grill OR preheat the oven to 375 degrees in preparation to bake the chicken.

To bake the chicken, place the chicken pieces in a large casserole dish (9x13). Bake the chicken in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

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Feta and Herb Mashed Potatoes
(from Katie's Cucina)

6 medium white potatoes, peeled
1 tbsp salt
1/4 cup each fresh parsley, dill, and sliced green onions
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup salted butter
1/4 tsp black pepper
*3 tbsp milk if needed

Peel, chop, and rinse potatoes. Fill water to just above the potatoes and add 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to fall apart when a knife is inserted in them.

Drain potatoes, and add 1/4 cup butter to the pot the potatoes were boiling in. Add the potatoes back to the pot then add fresh parsley, dill, and green onions followed by feta cheese. Place a lid on top of the potatoes and let them sit for 5 minutes.

Add black pepper to the potatoes and mash using a hand-mixer. Add milk if needed (one tablespoon at a time or until moist). Top with more fresh herbs and butter and serve immediately.

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Easy Mediterranean Vegetables
(from She Wears Many Hats)

2 tbsp + 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium zucchini, cut in eighths lengthwise, then halved crosswise (about 3 inches long)
1 medium yellow onion, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
1 small red bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch wide strips
2 tsp greek seasonings
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic salt
¼ tsp sugar

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large grill-safe skillet and place on hot grill (or stove-top over medium-high heat) until hot. Add zucchini, onion and bell pepper; cook and stir 6 minutes or until browned on edges.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil plus remaining ingredients.

Remove skillet from heat. Add seasoning mixture to cooked vegetables; toss gently to coat.