I only make this recipe every few years because a) I have to go to a special store for the Greek cheese and b) It’s not that great for you to fry cheese in oil.  Haha.  But when I do channel my Greek heritage, I make the following recipe.  I enjoy my new kitchen too much to try to light the dish afire so I stick to a simple method.  You can scale this recipe, because a lb. of this cheese is often $9.99-11.99!  Yikes!  We used a cast-iron pan! Enjoy….

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. Kefalotyri or Kasseri cheese 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 2/3 cup flour for dredging 
• Freshly ground black pepper**
• 2-3 lemons, quartered **
• (Beaten egg, optional).  

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully! It will lose a lot of flavor to remove the pepper and lemon juice, but it can be done to make it safe.

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the cheese into slices that are 1/2″ thick by 2.5-3″ wide.  
2. Combine flour with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper.  
3. Moisten each slice with cold water and dredge in the flour.  
4. If desired, after dredging in flour, you can dip the cheese into the beaten egg at this point.  
5. In a sagani (Greek pan used for this dish) or a small heavy-bottomed frying pan (like cast-iron), heat the oil over medium-high heat, and sear each slice in 1 T. of oil until golden-brown on both sides.
6. Serve hot with a last-minute squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 

I subscribe to All Recipes magazine, which I highly suggest!  I found this German potato salad recipe and even though I’ve tried one before, I wanted to try a new one.  This one was the best!  It’s a great way to offer a potato salad if someone you know is allergic to eggs, or if you just want a different flavor!  Some people suggest doubling the bacon, which I think is a good idea.  I used red potatoes and it was tasty.  I omitted the onion and used onion powder and it was just fine.  Some people said that 3 T. sugar was too much, so I just added 1 teaspoon.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups peeled, diced potatoes (1 1/4 lbs) – use waxy potatoes
• 4 or more slices bacon
• 1 small onion, diced**
• 1/4 cup white vinegar**
• 2 T. water
• 3 T. sugar (The magazine says start with a few teaspoons and taste it before adding more).
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper**
• 1 tablespoon (or more) fresh parsley

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!

DIRECTIONS:

1. Put potatoes in pot, and fill with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, or until easily pierced with fork.
2. Drain potatoes, set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large deep skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp.  Remove bacon and set aside to drain, reserving drippings in skillet. (I partially removed some of the fat, and left the rest at this point).
4. Cook onion in bacon drippings over medium heat until browned.
5. Add vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then add potatoes and parsley.
6. Crumble in half of the bacon.
7. Heat through, then transfer to a serving dish.  Crumble remaining bacon over the top and serve warm.

I’m always trying to make more foods my son loves from the can or box into homemade creations.  He LOVES Spaghettio’s.  We thought our creation tasted dead on but His Highness, the pickiest child on Earth, thought otherwise.  Haha.  I’m sharing because I think most kids would like this!  I used Alphabet pasta. Anyway, I’d make it again because I have a weird fascination with the taste of Spaghettio’s, I’d just cut the recipe in half.  It states it makes four servings, I’d say more like eight!  Enjoy!

TIP: I freeze the remainder of my tomato paste in a small plastic container and take it out as needed, no waste!

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 oz. pasta rings, COOKED
• 16 oz. tomato sauce
• 2 T. tomato paste
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 1 T. grated Parmesan cheese (Or more)
• Pinch of salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add tomato sauce and paste to a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until heated through. 
2. Reduce heat to a low simmer and slowly whisk in milk and cheese.  (If you listen to Julia Child, she would always say TURN OFF the burner when adding dairy to prevent curdling! and that’s what I do too). 
3. Cook stirring occasionally until cheese is dissolved.
4. Stir in cooked pasta rings and toss to coat.  Season with salt to taste.
5. Serve warm.

*To avoid milk curdling, use at least 2% or whole milk and reduce heat, or turn off, when adding milk.  Don’t dump the milk in all at once, slowly pour it in and stir. 

My husband’s never had macaroni salad because it has mayo so this was his first try!  It was very nice for everyone!  It makes a LOT, more than the 4-6 serving as stated, so I’d say more like 10-12 servings!  You can always halve it.  As usual, I substituted onion powder for the onion.  Also, the Dijon is powerful so I would only add a teaspoon and try that first.  Next time I may try prepared yellow mustard instead, but if you’re not a mustard fan, omit it completely!  Please use fresh dill, not dried, for maximum flavor.  I used already cooked cubed ham for maximum ease.  Enjoy!  *I got this recipe from Food Network’s “Get Grilling” book, (c) 2005. 

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/4 medium red onion, minced**
• 2 tsp. kosher salt, plus additional for salting water
• 8 oz. elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
• 2 T. milk
• 2 T. white wine vinegar**
• Up to 1 T. Dijon mustard (optional)**
• Freshly ground black pepper**
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 6 oz. cooked ham, cut into 1/3″ cubes
• 3/4 cup frozen baby peas (or petite peas), thawed, about 4 oz. 
• 2 ribs celery, with leaves, diced
• 2 T. chopped fresh dill

**Known IC irritants, tread carefully!

DIRECTIONS:

1. If using raw onion, to mellow the minced onion, soak it in cold water while you make the salad.
2. Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously.  Add macaroni and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente about 8 minutes. 
3. Drain in a colander, put in serving bowl.  Toss pasta with the milk.  Allow to cool slightly while you make the dressing. 
4. For the dressing: Whisk the vinegar, mustard (optional), the 2 tsp. salt, and black pepper to taste in a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the olive oil, starting with a few drops and then adding the rest in a steady stream to make a smooth, slightly thick dressing.  Whisk in the sour cream.
5. Drain the onions, if using, pat dry, and add to the macaroni along with the ham, peas, celery, and dill. 
6. Add the dressing and fold to coat the pasta evenly.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.