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Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert is an easy dessert that you can make from a few items in the pantry and freezer at any time of the year. It works well for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mother's Day, bridal or baby showers, etc. It is sweet and rich, yet somehow also seems light and refreshing. It is a rather nostalgic dessert as it reminds me a little of an orange push-up ice cream treat from my childhood. Plus, it is a molded gelatin dessert, which always reminds me of the past. As with other gelatin and fruit dishes, someone might call this a "Jello salad" in the United States. However, this recipe uses an entire quart of orange sherbert in addition to gelatin, so I can not bring myself … Continue Reading about Orange Cream Gelatin Dessert

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Mashed Potato Pancakes a.k.a. Potato Cakes

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There were very few things my mom refused to eat and many of them had some childhood memory associated with them. Cold mashed potatoes were one of those things. She said that by the time the got to eat the mashed potatoes they were often cold. Thus at our house, mashed potatoes were one of the last items fixed for a meal so they would very hot when they were served. Leftovers were thrown out (this never happened with anything else).

As you might imagine, it was an extremely rare occasion when my mom would make “potato cakes” or mashed potato pancakes. In fact, I only remember it occurring about once a decade or so. My dad liked them, thus her attempt at making them…I guess. However, her potato cakes were not the best. Luckily, they are one of the few items that I can clearly remember my maternal grandmother making (I was nine when she passed). My grandmother’s were much better.

One of the things I liked about my grandmother’s potato cakes better than my mother’s was that they were thinner. Thinner meant that much of the texture was crispy.

Although I think my grandmother would add some sauteed onions occasionally, I like to add an ingredient my grandmother would not have had much of on the farm…cheese. I use a shredded white medium or sharp cheddar cheese but many other types would work.

Recipe: Mashed Potato Pancakes or Potato Cakes

Ingredients

  1. 2 c. leftover mashed potatoes
  2. 1 egg, slightly beaten
  3. 1/4 c. (scant) flour
  4. 1 sm. onion, sauteed (optional)
  5. 3/4 c. (or to taste) shredded or cheese (optional)
  6. salt, to taste
  7. pepper, to taste
  8. Butter
  9. Oil (canola or similar)

Instructions

  1. Combine cold mashed potatoes, egg, flour, onion and cheese (if using).
  2. Add salt and pepper, if desired.
  3. Thin with a little milk if mixture is too thick.
  4. Heat equal parts of butter and oil in a skillet.
  5. Form into patties either by lightly dusting hands with flour to handle potatoes or dropping by spoonfuls into skillet and spreading with back of spoon (coated with cooking oil).
  6. For crispier cakes, their thickness should be about 1/4 inch.
  7. Fry on medium/medium high until a golden brown and crispy.
  8. Try to not turn often as the thinner cakes will sometimes fall apart. Turn once you see the edge of the side next to the pan getting brown.

Copyright © 2012.
Recipe by Paula, A Simple Home Cook.

 

The next time I have leftover mashed potatoes, I am going to make some loaded potato cakes by adding chives (instead of onions) and bacon. I think I’ll save the sour cream to serve on top.