Making Irish Potatoes for Saint Patrick’s Day is one of those things I look forward to every year. Not only does it mean that Saint Patrick’s Day is coming (when everyone becomes Irish for a day), but it means that Spring is right around the corner and the winter snow and cold weather is moving out for a while. We make these every year and often make extra to share with family and friends. It’s a classic recipe and so easy to make.

Here is the recipe for Irish Potatoes, which is our Featured Recipe:

Servings: 6-10

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 8oz. cream cheese, soft
• 16 oz. coconut, shredded
• 2 lbs. confectioner’s sugar
• 3 tbs. vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon for topping and garnish or melted chocolate

Instructions:

• Mix together all of the ingredients, except the cinnamon, thoroughly.
• Roll into 1 to 1 & ½ inch balls (potatoes!)
• Roll in ground cinnamon, or melted chocolate according to taste!

This is our featured recipe on Professional Recipes, please vote if you like it!

You can print the recipe here: Irish Potatoes.

My wife loves my variation on the classic Chicken a l’Orange recipe and the other night I decided to whip it up for dinner. There was one problem; I was out of white wine! I know, I couldn’t believe it either. It was Sunday though and the liquor store was closed, unfortunately, so I looked around and bam! We had champagne! Champagne is a good substitute for white wine being similar in flavor and infuses quite well. We both love mimosa’s and I figured, what the hell, let’s make it a little different tonight. Out came the champagne and voila, Mimosa Chicken was born. Here’s the recipe:

Serves: 2

Time: 5 minutes prep, 30 minutes cooking time.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken breast, split and trimmed. If you wish, to cut the cooking time down, you can use a tenderizer to flatten the chicken some, reducing the cooking time in the oven.
• 1/2 cup champagne
• 1 cup orange juice, not concentrated
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• A pinch of fresh rosemary
• 2-3 drops of vanilla extract
• Salt and pepper to season the chicken, if desired
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil or whatever oil you desire (other oils add different flavors).

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 350° F.
• Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
• In a medium skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat.
• Add the chicken breasts to the pan and sear 5 minutes per side.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and place onto a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.
• Using the same pan, over medium heat, add the champagne to deglaze the pan. Reduce by half.
• Add the orange juice, vanilla extract and rosemary and bring to a low simmer.
• Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove the sauce from the burner and strain out the rosemary with a sieve.
• Return the sauce to the pan and bring it back to a low simmer.
• To thicken the sauce, use a tsp of corn starch mixed with water and slowly stir into the sauce to desired thickness.
• By this time the chicken should be cooked throughout. Serve the chicken over a bed of rice pilaf, or plain white or brown rice, and pour the sauce liberally over the top.

And there you have it. Simple, easy and it really does taste delicious! Feel free to omit the rosemary or vanilla extract, they just add a little extra, interesting flavor to the dish.

Being an avid fan of the Philadelphia Phillies, I follow a number of other Phillies fans on Twitter and I came across a particular tweet from a blogger who runs Phillies Nation putting together a cookbook for tailgating at baseball games. That’s right up my alley and I know I have some killer grilling recipes that are sure to be a hit with tailgaters everywhere. With spring training in full swing and baseball season fast approaching, this cookbook will be in the hands of tailgaters everywhere in the Philadelphia area and possibly beyond. What a great way to get some free publicity.

I submitted my Steak and Shrimp Kabobs recipe for inclusion into the cookbook. The way it works is the cookbook authors are going to try out each and every recipe submission and decide whether or not it’s worthy. I have a feeling they’ll be pleasantly surprised with this one. If not, I have a few more I might submit as well. Once I hear back, I’ll post an update here on the blog and pass along any information I find out about when it will be published.

Do you have a recipe that you think might make the cut? Send it in here: Philly Tailgate Cookbook.

This is a nice recipe from Gordon Ramsey recipe with some personal touches added by our friends at Real Food Direct: Roast Leg of Lamb with Apples and Cider.

Enjoy!

A friend of mine asked me for some advice for making french fries as every time she tries to make them in her fry daddy, they come out soggy and do not crisp up no matter how long she cooks them. I gave her some advice on making french fries from fresh potatoes and decided to share them.

Making the Perfect French Fry:

1. Use Russet potatoes as these make the best fries in my opinion. Russet Nugget potatoes also make excellent fries. The Russet variety has less moisture and will crisp faster.
2. The first step is to thoroughly scrub the potatoes to remove any dirt and deposits. This should be common knowledge for any dish when using potatoes.
3. Peel the potatoes. Some people like to leave a little skin on, but I recommend taking off the skin as the oil does not penetrate well. This is more of a personal preference though.
4. Soak the potatoes overnight in water. This will remove the the starch from the potatoes, allowing them to cook faster and makes them crispier.
5. Cut the potatoes lengthwise about a half an inch in thickness to make a steak fry cut. Cut thinner if you want the typical Shoe String french fry, but be careful how long you cook them. Most importantly, make sure to keep your cuts even so that all of your french fries cook evenly.
6. Pre-heat the oil in a deep pan or a deep fryer (if you have one) to 325° F and use a thermometer to make sure the temperature reaches this point. This is the most important step – if the oil is not hot enough, the water cannot escape from the potatoes and will not crisp up, leaving them soggy.
7. Some time before serving, blanch in oil at 325° F until slightly firm. Allow the potatoes to drain and dry and keep them in the fridge.
8. When ready to cook, drop in oil at 325° F until golden brown. Do not overload the pan or fry basket!

You might be wondering what the best kind of oil to use for deep frying and this can be more of a personal choice due to taste but here are my suggestions:

• For the highest heat and best flavor, use Peanut Oil or Grapeseed Oil (expensive).
• Soybean Oil also will provide a lot of heat, but can add a different flavor.
• Canola Oil will fry well, but it leaves a distinctive taste that some do not like. It is the healthiest type of oil to use however, so if you are going for healthier french fries, use Canola, but try it with a small batch first to make sure you like the taste.
• Vegetable Oil and Corn Oil are fine to use, but has a lower smoke point than Peanut Oil and might make your fries come out browner than you’d like.
• Whatever oil you use, do not use Olive Oil!
• Make sure to change your oil often if you use a deep fryer. Dirty oil will result in darker fries and more of a burnt flavor.

I hope these tips help you make the best possible French Fries! Enjoy!

Here are some more tips I found on cooking temperatures, times and potato facts: French Fry Cooking Guide for Potatoes

I just read this article on ForbesTraveler.com about the 10 most spiciest foods in the world. I’ve heard about the Hot Suicide wings in Chicago where you must sign a disclaimer before you eat them. A friend and I were just talking about it actually. It brought back some memories of using Dave’s Insanity Sauce working at Ye Olde Temperance House. I was working late one night, closing the kitchen and keeping the bar patrons happy with our late night menu. I remember it was a busy night and I had a bunch of orders up and going, just me by myself and a dishwasher.

This smart guy comes into the bar and starts bragging that anywhere he goes, the wings are never hot enough. He and bartender get to talking and the wonderful barkeep says, Jeff can make you some seriously hot wings. The guy brags that he can eat anything I can cook up and orders a dozen wings as hot as I can possibly make them. Into the kitchen comes the barkeep with the order along with a few other items for his friends. He tells me about the guy and says to make them as hot as I possibly can. I said, “Are you sure about that? Are you really, really sure? I told him to go back and make sure the guy would agree not to sue us or get angry. He comes back and says “do it up!” Ok buddy, you asked for it!

So I base the hot sauce with pure Tabasco first – it had to have some flavor and some actual sauce to it – anyone who has used Dave’s Insanity knows that it’s nearly as thick as molasses. I fry up his wings in the meantime and cook the other orders. Out comes the Dave’s Insanity and into the sauce goes about 10 drops of the stuff. Enough to make me tear up cooking it!!!

To make a long story short, the guy, to his credit, ate about 5 or 6 of the 12 wings and then proceeded to run to the bathroom and I think he got sick from pounding beer to make the burning stop! Bad idea! Carbonated beverages only make it worse – milk is the best thing. I grabbed a gallon of milk out of the back and gave it to the bartender and told him to make the guy a smoothie or something. The guy did not get mad, did not sue the restaurant and complimented me on the hottest wings he had ever eaten, no comparison. He even left the bartender a nice tip!

Here is the link to the story:
The World’s Spiciest Foods

Thanksgiving is upon us once again and Americans will be stuffing themselves on turkey, stuffing and their favorite side dishes they’ve enjoyed for years (including stuffing!). So, to honor the holiday, I thought I’d throw out some recipes for those looking to try something new and hopefully create some new traditions.

To start, we have the classic Thanksgiving Roast Turkey for the main course. There are some who enjoy ham instead of turkey and some who do both or try something else entirely.

For something entirely different, check out the Cornish Game Hen with Garlic or Rosemary.

Or for the adventurous types, there is the increasingly popular Turducken, which is a chicken stuffed inside of a duck stuffed inside of a turkey. John Madden of NFL and Monday Night Football fame made this one popular. I have to admit, I’ve never attempted to make one, but if I do I’ll be sure to post the results here and the recipe as well.

For a different kind of stuffing, try this Cornbread Stuffing instead of your usual “classic” bread stuffing.

There are thousands of side dishes made in all sorts of ways. Often different family members are responsible for bringing this or that. If you’re one of those family members and you’re looking for something different or special to make, try some of these side dishes, sure to be a hit:

• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
• Carrots Vichy
• Bacon Cheddar Whipped Potatoes
• Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
• Candied Yams

Here’s an interesting one I found, Mashed Potatoes with Lavender and Honey. Not sure how this one is, but if someone gives it a try, please comment here and let everyone know how it is.

For dessert, we’ve got a couple of suggestions here:

• Chocolate Mousse
• Cherries Jubilee with Cote Rote Wine
• Coconut Cake
• Poached Pears
• Classic Pecan Pie

Hopefully now you’ve got some different things to try for your Thanksgiving feast. If you decide to try one of our recipes, please post a comment and let us know how it came out. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!