Potato Salad

This is the potato salad I grew up with. I'm not a mayo, or egg yolk fan...but this is one of the few things I will eat with those ingredients. The quantities are estimates, so adjust to your liking. I make it from memory every time. I tried my best to come up with measurements. It's great this time of year.

About 12 russet potatoes

About 12 eggs, hard boiled. I actually toss about half the yolks when I make it. If you like eggs, leave them in. :)

1/2 cup red onion, finely diced~ you could use whatever onion you like, I like the color of the red.

1/2 cup red pepper, diced

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1 cup celery, finely diced~ I like to use the heart of the celery, definitely with the tops on. They add so much flavor.

1/4 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped

About 1 1/3 cups good quality mayonnaise

About 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

1~2 tablespoons yellow prepared mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

About 2 teaspoons caraway seeds~ I think this makes the salad.

Celery salt to taste

Boil the whole potatoes until tender, take them out of the water to cool. Hard boil the eggs and set aside to cool. When the potatoes and eggs have cooled, peel them and cut into bite size chunks. Add the red onion, red pepper, green pepper, celery, and parsley. Mix together carefully. For the rest of the ingredients, I would add a little at a time until it tastes right to you. Mixing carefully so the potatoes don't fall apart too much. Keep refrigerated.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I have been making this soup for years. It goes great with Mexican Caesar Salad, which I will post soon (for all my friends who have been asking for it) :) If you know me, you know Mexican food is one of my favorites. Try this soup with all the garnishes...that's how it's best!

2 large yellow onions, cut into chunks

5 large tomatoes

5 cloves garlic

olive oil

1 pound chicken breast~ boneless, skinless

garlic powder~ just enough to season the chicken while it sautes

taco seasoning~ just enough to season the chicken while it sautes

4 1/2 cups chicken stock

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 day old tortillas, cut into strips

oil for shallow frying

2 fresh red or green chiles, seeded and sliced

1 avocado

Serve with~

cilantro

sour cream

lime wedges

cheddar cheese

reserved fried tortillas

fried chiles

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the onion, tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet with a little olive oil and roast for about 40 minutes. Roast until the vegetables start to look black and charred. Peel the tomatoes and discard the skins. Puree with the onion and garlic and any bits and juice from the pan in a blender or food processor. I usually break a tomato onto the pan and scrape the pan...this is where all the flavor is :)

While the vegetables are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan. Cut each chicken breast into 3 or 4 strips. Season with the garlic powder and taco seasoning. Saute the chicken a few minutes on each side. Remove from heat and let cool before you shred the chicken.

In a frying pan, heat about an inch of oil to fry the tortillas. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and set aside. Fry the chiles in the remaining oil until crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a large stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, and saute the tomato mixture for a few minutes. Simmer until it has thickened and reduced. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered for 15~20 minutes. Add most of the fried tortillas to the soup. Save a small amount for the garnish. Simmer for about 5 more minutes. Add a cut avocado to the soup when you are ready to serve. I usually add the juice of at least one lime at the end.

Serve with cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges, cheddar cheese, reserved fried tortillas, and chiles. Enjoy!