13 minute read
Cook of the Month
Photos by Brooke Echols Herbed Potatoes
Whether you like them baked, mashed, grilled, roasted, in potato salad, or au gratin, potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables you can put on your plate. They’re also nutritious, being a good source for fiber, “which is important for digestive health and can help you feel full and is beneficial for heart and gastrointestinal health,” says Katie Funderburk, an extension specialist in nutrition with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. “One small potato with the skin on provides about 10 percent of daily fiber needs.” Potatoes are also naturally fat free, cholesterol free, and low in sodium, an excellent source of vitamin C, and those eaten with the skin are a good source of potassium, according to Potatoes USA, which represents 2,500 potato growers and handlers across the country. White potatoes aren’t much different from sweet potatoes in the nutrition they provide. “The big difference is that the sweet potato is an excellent source of Vitamin A,” says Katie. “The orange coloring of the sweet potato comes from the plant pigment beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant that our bodies turn into Vitamin A. Beta carotene and other antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables can decrease your risk of heart disease and certain cancers.” The recipes sent in by our readers showcase the variety of ways you can enjoy your potatoes, from breakfast to dessert! For more recipes, visit livewellalabama.com or potatogoodness.com/potato-recipes.
Potatoes are one of the most versatile vegetables. Truthfully, Brooke Burks nothing beats just some good old mashed potatoes. Here, we show you how to jazz them up and make them a dish that everyone will love. WARNING! These fancy mashed potatoes may also make folks fall in love with you too! This is the first side dish I ever fixed for my husband of now 26 years. So simple, yet so delicious!
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Photo by The Buttered Home
2-3 pounds white potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled 3 tablespoons butter 8 ounces cream cheese 8 ounces sour cream 2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Dried parsley or green onions, for garnish Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil and drain potatoes. In a large bowl, mash potatoes until desired consistency is achieved. Add butter, cream cheese and sour cream. Mix well.
Add salt, pepper and garlic powder, mixing well. Pour into a greased 9x13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Garnish with dried parsley or chopped green onions.
Cook of the Month: Teresa Hubbard, Franklin EC
Teresa Hubbard, an aide for special needs students at Russellville Middle School, got the idea for her “Potato Surprise” recipe after seeing a similar recipe in an AllRecipes magazine a few years ago. “They had a recipe in there for loaded potatoes with bacon, onions, celery and leftover potatoes and cheese,” she says. The mixture was fried as patties, but she modified the recipe using flour tortillas and adding in sausage, red bell pepper, cumin and chilies. The “surprise” dish was a hit with her sister and nephews and her sister encouraged her to send it in for this month’s contest because it was so good it might win. She was right!
Potato Surprise
1¼ cups leftover mashed potatoes (that were prepared with salt, margarine and milk) 1 cup hot pork sausage, cooked and crumbled 1/2 cup red bell pepper strips, chopped 11/2 teaspoons ground cumin ¼ cup onion, chopped 3 tablespoons diced green chilies, drained 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese 1 large egg 11 8-inch flour tortillas
Cook sausage and drain off grease. In a bowl, stir together mashed potatoes, sausage, pepper strips, cumin, onion, chilies and cheese, stir well; beat in egg. Place ¼ cup of potato mixture, just below center of tortillas; fold up bottom edge, fold over left and right sides and fold top down. Rub water on tortillas to seal seams together. Fry tortillas in deep hot oil 375 degrees 1-2 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels. Yields 11 servings.
Potato Chip Cookies
Potato Chip Cookies
2 cups butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 31/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 cups potato chips, crushed 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Cream soft butter, sugar and vanilla. Add flour in small amounts. Fold crushed potato chips and chopped pecans into the batter. Scoop dough 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Lexie Turnipseed Dixie EC ¾ cup butter ¼ cup celery, minced 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon black pepper 2 medium onions, sliced 6 baking potatoes
Melt butter in a skillet, add celery and sauté about 10 minutes. Stir in seasonings. Set aside. Cutting not quite through, slit each potato into 1/2-inch slits. Place each potato on sliced onion on top of a sheet of foil, large enough to wrap a potato. Pour about 1/6 of butter mixture on each potato. Bring edges of foil together and seal securely. Bake it your preferred way. Potatoes are done if soft when lightly squeezed. Cooking tips: charcoal grill over medium coals approximately 60 minutes; conventional oven on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 60 minutes; crock pot potatoes can be stacked, baked 4 hours on high or 6 hours on low.
Karyl J. Stockinger Pea River EC
Potato Breakfast Bowls
Per person: 1 potato, cubed 2-3 small okra pods 1/2 small onion 1 mushroom, sliced 1 handful of spinach leaves 2 eggs
Salt, ground cayenne pepper, garlic powder and rosemary, to taste
Olive oil Pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a skillet and turn on medium heat. Cut potato into 1/2-inch cubes and add to skillet. Slice okra into ¼-inch pieces and add to skillet. Cut slice of onion, then cut into 8 pieces like a pizza, and add to skillet. Slice mushroom into thin slices and add to skillet. Add spinach leaves and cover. While veggies cook, whisk eggs with salt, powdered cayenne, garlic powder, and rosemary. When spinach leaves are wilted, and a fork easily pierces the potatoes, add the egg mixture, stirring occasionally until dry. Serve with whole grain toast.
Jennifer Fleming Baldwin EMC
Potato Stuffing
1 medium onion, chopped 3 celery stalks, chopped 5 tablespoons butter 4 slices whole wheat bread, torn into pieces 3 cups cooked mashed potatoes 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1 tablespoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan, sauté onion and celery in butter over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in bread, potatoes, sage, parsley, salt and pepper. Grease a medium sized casserole dish and add stuffing mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until top is slightly browned and crispy. Great for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Also, a perfect side dish with meatloaf.
Janice Bracewell Covington EC
to the winning
Please send us your original recipes, developed by you or family members. You may adapt a recipe from another source by changing as little as the amount of one ingredient. Cook of the Month winners will receive $50, and may win “Cook of the Month” only once per calendar year. To be eligible, submissions must include a name, phone number, mailing address and co-op name. Alabama Living reserves the right to reprint recipes in our other publications.
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Electric Safety Tips for Kids
Oftentimes, when the topic of electronics and children comes up, the conversation gravitates toward the pros and cons of screen time or maybe trading tips on the best educational apps. However, an often-overlooked topic is how to talk to your children about the potential safety hazards associated with electronics, sources of electricity and their environment in general. As soon as children can walk, parents and caregivers should discuss with them how to be safe around electricity, both inside the home and when playing outdoors.
Tombigbee Electric Cooperative and Safe Electricity recommend sharing these outdoor safety tips with children of all ages:
• Do not touch or go near a sagging or downed power line. Instead, tell an adult to call the electric utility to report it. • Never climb trees near power lines. • Fly kites, model airplanes, remote-control flying toys and drones in large, open areas, such as parks or fields, far away from power lines. If any of these items (or any item or object) gets caught in a power line, never try to retrieve it. Tell an adult to call the electric utility for help. • Never fly kites or other toys when a thunderstorm may be approaching. • Never climb a utility pole or tower. The electricity carried through this equipment could kill you. • Never go into an electric substation for any reason. Electric substations contain high-voltage equipment, which can kill you.
Never rescue a pet or retrieve a ball or toy that goes inside the fenced area surrounding a substation. Tell an adult to call the electric utility instead. • Always stay away from outdoor electrical equipment marked “keep out,” “high voltage” or “danger.” • Do not play, sit or climb on a padmount transformer, a.k.a. green box. (Note to adults: While green boxes are typically safe to be around, it is better to leave this equipment alone just in case a box has become unlocked or vandalized, or the contents or box have become damaged in some way: by a roadside accident or by unwelcomed varmints or ants, for example. Please call us to report an unlocked cabinet or any signs of damage.)
Additionally, share the following indoor safety tips with children:
• Do not play with electrical cords or plugs. • Younger children should ask an adult before plugging in or unplugging something. In addition, never pull or tug on cords.
Instead, gently pull the plug out of the wall by grasping the plug (and not the cord). • Do not touch or use cords that appear damaged. • Keep cords away from heat and water. • Never stick fingers, tongues, toys or other body parts or objects into electrical outlets or light sockets. • Never sleep with phones, tablets or other electronics in the bed or under a pillow. The electronic device can overheat or experience a short in the charging cable, causing bedding to catch on fire, burns to the skin or electric shock. • Never play with electronic toys or gadgets in the bathtub or other water. • Never touch appliances, switches, outlets, sockets, cords or plugs with wet hands or while standing in water. Parents should keep towels near bathroom and kitchen sinks so little hands can be dried right after they are washed. • Many electrical injuries and fires can be prevented. It is never too early or too late to start talking about electrical safety with your children and loved ones.
For more information about electrical safety, visit SafeElectricity.org.
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