Category: International Recipes

Spanish Tortilla

8/14/2018

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Alicia back with another International Heritage recipe for you guys. This month we're doing Spain and so far it has been delicious! I was worried because I've not had much Spanish food in my life, and when I asked for suggestions I received ideas for dishes from other Spanish speaking countries but not Spain. But in the end my friends came through! Today's dish was the first suggestion I'd never heard of or tried. But I'm so glad I did, it will definitely be making its way onto our regular menu.

Tortilla de Papas

Today's recipe is Spanish tortilla, which is nothing like a Mexican tortilla (which I also love). No, the Spanish tortilla is a whole meal in itself.

If you know Spanish you'll know from the title of this section that it's a potato dish (papas=potatoes). And honestly when I first read the ingredients I thought I knew what this was going to taste like. But I was so wrong, in the best way! This is really one of my favorite things I've made so far for this experiment. There was almost a melt in your mouth quality to this. And although everything was fried in oil it wasn't too greasy! Just so, so, so good.

I do have a couple tips though. This is the first thing I made in my cast iron skillet and I think it added to the flavor. So if you have a skillet use it. Mine is 10.25 inches and I use it almost everyday now. I love it. So you need a skillet that's about 10 inches wide and 1.5 inches deep. And at one point you have to flip the tortilla out of the skillet. It's pretty easy but be sure to use oven mitts/pot holders to avoid burns.

Spanish Tortilla

Please make this for dinner some day. You will not regret it.

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American Breakfast: Biscuits & Gravy

7/25/2018

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Alicia here, and I'm back with another American recipe. This time, a controversial one. Have you ever seen those lists of American foods, that the rest of the world doesn't understand or thinks is weird? Biscuits and Gravy is always on those lists. It's terrible because this classic American breakfast is super delicious. My father and my husband both claim it as their favorite. I hope you will enjoy this family favorite breakfast too!

Biscuits and Gravy

The foundation of great biscuits and gravy is a great biscuit. My mom always makes these biscuits from scratch and they're always delicious. Plus they are easily made vegan by subbing in almond milk for regular milk. These are always crispy on the outside and soft and flaky on the inside.They're the perfect base for her country gravy. Don't confuse American biscuits with British biscuits which are more like American cookies. American biscuits are more like scones, only more delicious.

My mom got her recipe from her Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, which was a wedding gift. I have a newer version of this classic cookbook and noticed some of the recipes are different (actually many of them). But she still uses this old classic so we share it with you here. If you don't have this recipe book in your own kitchen, you're missing out! We love it. When I was browsing the bookstore and found it on sale I had to buy it because I knew it was a well loved recipe book of my mother. A new version is coming out this year which you can preorder on Amazon.

Biscuits Supreme

To top your biscuits you need country gravy, which is thicker and creamier than brown gravy. My mom has been making this gravy for as long as I can remember and it's so delicious. And it's pretty easy too. So stay away from the country gravy packets in stores and make your own gravy, trust me! My mom's is not as white as the gravy packet kind, and that's because it uses the bits from the pan where you cooked the bacon and sausage. A cast iron pan is perfect for this because it helps to develop a great flavor.

I recently bought one because I have so many recipes that call for a pan that can go from the stove top to the oven. I'm so excited to use it and make my delicious recipes. Amazon still has a lot ofgreat deals on cast iron pans, so if you're thinking about getting one, now's the time!

Grandma's Country Gravy

On the side you can, of course, enjoy the bacon and sausage used to make the gravy. Add some eggs and orange juice, and you've got a complete and very filling American breakfast.

And if you're still on the fence about this great breakfast, remember what Daniel Tiger always says..."You got to try new foods because they might taste good!"

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Best Ever Ribs & Potato Salad

7/19/2018

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Alicia back with another American recipe! This year my family is picking a country from our ancestry and trying to make foods from that country once a week. Then I share the recipes here. This month we're doing American.

When asking my friends they're favorite American foods my husband replied that he thinks "barbecue is the most American flavor." Then a whole bunch of people agreed with him. There's so many different, and delicious, styles of barbecue across the United States, it's impossible (for me) to choose my favorite. Slow cooking the meat makes it fall off the bone tender without drying it out. Unfortunately, we don't have a barbecue that can slow cook our meat, so we have to use our crockpot. But it still results in a very delicious and tasty rack of ribs.

Today's meal is ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and potato salad. A meal suggested to me by my friend Shirley, who lived in Texas for awhile, so I trust her barbecue opinions. I made everything from scratch and it wasn't that intense or difficult despite being a full plate. The sides were delicious and a perfect compliment, especially the potato salad, a recipe which I'll share with you today as well.

Slow Cooker Ribs

These ribs...THESE RIBS! They're so good! Oft requested by friends for gatherings, these ribs do not last long. Leftovers are unheard of. They're so delicious.

The rub for the ribs can be made in advance and kept in a container, ready for every time you want to make some delicious ribs. We always have some made up and sitting in our spice cabinet.

Ideally we would smoke them or cook them on indirect heat on the grill, but since we don't have that option right now, we just do it in the CrockPot. (I love my crockpot!) And lining the crockpot with parchment paper makes clean-up a breeze!

Make these, you will not regret it.

Best Ever Ribs

Best Ever Potato Salad

When I knew we were going to make potato salad, I called my mom. She has always made the best potato salad and I was amazed she hadn't posted it yet. So here it is in all it's glory. The great thing about it is you can customize it to your tastes. I used red and golden potatoes because that's what I had on hand, but russet potatoes work just as well. Sweet or dill pickles, either one is great. I used a dressing that was slightly creamy instead of the regular Italian dressing. I was still so good! Play around according to your tastes and it's always sure to be amazing. I honestly love this stuff.

Although, if you don't like pickles, this may not be the potato salad for you. Otherwise, you can't go wrong.

Best Ever Potato Salad

I didn't want to overwhelm you with recipes so I'll post the baked beans and cornbread another day. Until then, dazzle your family and friends with these recipes.