Potato pancakes, also known as latkes or latkas (Yiddish: לאַטקעס, Hebrew: לביבה levivah, plural לביבות levivot), are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato and egg, often flavored with grated onion. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory (such as sour cream) to the sweet (such as applesauce or sugar), or they may be served ungarnished. Potato pancakes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes.[1]

Potato pancakes are commonly associated with traditional Czech, Ukrainian, Yiddish, German and Polish cuisine, although other cuisines (including those of India and Korea) also have similar potato pancakes.[2] It is also the national dish of Belarus. In Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Russian cuisines potato pancakes are commonly known as deruny (Ukrainian: деруни) or draniki (Russian: драники, Belarusian: Дранікі). In Bavaria, Germany, potato pancakes are also very much liked under the name Reiberdatschi or Kartoffelpuffer, and they are eaten either salty as a side dish or sweet with apple sauce and cinnamon.

source
Wikipedia

Latke Recipe

Potato Latkes

Makes: 24 / Preparation time: 15 minutes / Total time: 35 minutes

4 large russet potatoes, peeled

1 large onion

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup self-rising flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Oil for frying

Sour cream or applesauce for serving

Using a food processor fitted with a large grating blade, grate the potatoes. Remove the grated potatoes and squeeze the water from them. Using a smaller grating blade, grate the onion. Set the grated onion aside to drain.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, salt and pepper and oil. Blend well.

Using a large skillet, heat about 1/4-inch of oil.

Working in batches, use a large tablespoon to drop the potato mixture in the hot oil.

Watch for the edges of the latkes to turn golden brown. Once browned, use two forks to gently flip over the latke.

When the latkes turn golden brown, with crispy edges, place them on brown paper or paper toweling to drain.

Yes, I Am Going To Make A Turkey On & For Thanksgiving!

Yes, I plan to make a turkey for Thanksgiving! - LOL!

I'm still quite in love with the turkey that I made last year because it came out so great! I was sad to see it go!

I didn't have hardly any experience with making a turkey but I wanted to do so so badly so what I did was watch some of the cooking shows and take notes. I watched both Rachel Ray and Emeril's Thanksgiving-related cooking shows to get ideas and help! I'm glad that I watched those shows because they gave (and showed) me a lot of good things to do!

I haven't yet bought my turkey for this Thanksgiving yet but hope to do so by next week! My local grocery store is having a promotion where you'll get a free Thanksgiving turkey if you buy a certain dollar amount of groceries!

The timing of buying everything gets me kind of stressed because I don't want to buy the produce and vegetable too early! Have you ever been at the supermarket just a few days before Thanksgiving? It's a crazy time!

I plan on having a Thanksgiving turkey, along with stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beens, rolls and sweet potatoe pie! I'm not too much a fan of gravy but it seems easy to make so I may try to make some. I have never been a fan of cranberry sauce!

I just would like to take the whole day and spend it first by preparing my turkey and watching the Thanksgiving parade on TV.



Update!

I did manage to have everything that I mentioned above!

I I bought my turkey the day before Thanksgiving but I had a great time! Yes the supermarket was crowded and yes there were a lot of people shopping on the day before Thanksgiving but everybody seemed to be in a good and friendly mood! (Although I have to mention that I couldn't wait to get home and relax!)

A Simple Breakfast

I'm very fortunate (and grateful) that I am able to work from home! I have to do some errands today and since I was up early this morning I decided to go on the computer until daylight! Since I know that its not a good idea to start one's day without having breakfast I was deciding on what I should have today!

Yesterday I had cereal and the day before that I had eggs and toast!

But I do have a small pie that I bought and I'm thinking that it would be a great breakfast to have today - along with a nice, hot cup of hot chocolate since its 32 degrees outside!

I want to get to the point where I am able to bake my own pies but I have to get started first - LOL! There's always some ingredient that I'm lacking.

I Am A BIG Gordon Ramsey Fan!

Just got finished watching "Kitchen Nightmares". I have started to become a very big Gordon Ramsey fan!

One of the things that he seems to emphasize is one having a passion for food! Especially when its one of the chefs!

He goes to a restaurant whose business is not doing well and tries to help the business get better - which in every case he has seemed to do!

It always seems to come to the food itself. Serve good food to the customers and the word (and your restaurant's reputation) will spread!

Chef Salad!

Actually a few days ago I ordered some take-out food and I thought just to be on the healthy side that I would also order a salad!

Goodness knows that salads are healthy and since I had a recent bout with constipation, eating a salad seemed like a very good idea!

I had almost forgotten how good a good salad could taste!

Paula Deen

I have to say that I have become quite a fan of Paula Deen - especially after I read more about her.

I was quite aware of her before because I have seen her on the Food Network and I know that she has a show of her own.

What I didn't know is that she had some struggles before she got to where she is today! She got started by selling sandwiches that she made and then she went on from there!

I read the story on the blog and I didn't know that her style of cooking is southern. I LOVE southern style cooking and its a shame that I didn't know that her show was about this but now that I do I definitely have to tune in to her show! (I most definitely have to see how she makes fried chicken because I have never gotten that right yet! )

I LOVE Seafood!

I see that my local grocery store is having a sale on cooked crabs - all next week!

I LOVE seafood and I can't wait to buy some of these!

I'll usually let them cook in the oven for about an hour and I will serve them with great big old steak fries!

A Love Of Gardening..........................

Along with the joy of cooking comes a love of gardening for me!

I was just out in my garden today planting some corn!

I didn't have too much of a garden last year and I vowed that I would start my garden this year and I have. So far I have planted a few things and it looks like some of my earlier plantings are coming up. Can't say for sure though because I'm having a little difficulty telling the difference between the weeds and the plantings themselves-LOL!

Of course I intend to use my garden plantings in my cooking!

Fast Food - Don't Get Me Wrong Because I Like Fast Food Too!

Even though this blog is about how I am learning to love cooking that doesn't mean that I don't partake in the pleasures of fast food! In fact I now have a new ritual that I have gotten from The Adsense Consultant.

When I receive an adsense payment I will take at least some of it and order out. I'll order something like a pizza and either a cheeseburger, cheese steak (Philly is famous for their cheese steaks!)some wings or whatever gets my fancy!

My favorite fast food place is still McDonalds! My used to be favorite was Church's Chicken which I think was the best tasting chicken in the world! I don't see them around anymore although some people have told me that they are still in existence!

So even I still love to cook I do have my "fast food" moments!

Cashews!

This seems to be one of my latest favorite snacks! I have already been through my second can of cashews in a week!

Before this my favorite snack food was M & M's.

I'm already at the bottom of my 2nd can of cashews and I want more! (And I'm thinking about going and getting the rest that I have left and eating them now)

What's For Dinner Tonight? - Baked Chicken Wings Seasoned With Onions Garlic and Lemon Slices

The "seasoning" thing came about because of the way that I learned how to roast a turkey for Thanksgiving. There was a lot of preparation involved when I made my Thanksgiving turkey last year and I thought that since I was baking the same rules would apply even if it was chicken (or pork chops). It worked very well with the pork chops so I decided to try it again with the chickens that I have.

Plus I like the baking method of cooking because I like the smell that it makes throughout the house while I'm doing something else - usually while I'm at the computer like now!

So right now my chicken wings are baking in the oven. They have about an hour to go before I will go check on them.

The side dish that I am going to have with the chicken wings will be rice!

I know its important to eat healthy so that is why I have the rice in the first place.

Also too I'm planning to "pig out" when I get my Adsense check next week!

I Found An Absolutely GREAT Cooking-Related Blog!

I read the first entry on this blog and now I know I'm hooked!

The name of the blog is The Real Home Chef!

It's by a woman who is a wife and mother who enjoys cooking.

I glanced at some of the entries and the recipies (and the pictures) look absolutely yummy!

What I Made ForDinner - Garlic & Lemon Flavored Breaded Pork Chops With Rice!

Ahhhh! The joy of cooking! I usually like to bake my meat so that I can smell it cooking throughout the house. This particular time I made baked some pork chops - which was a real treat for me because I haven't bought pork chops in a loooonng while!

The garlic and lemon flavor idea I got from when I was baking my Thanksgiving turkey last year! What I did was finely chop up some onions and garlic and added that to the baking pan with the already breaded pork chops. I sliced a slice of lemon and also added it to the baking pan. Slowly cooked for about 2 and a half hours.

The rice was an additional side dish. It was the "healthy" portion of the meal!

What I Had For Breakfast Today - Scrambled Eggs & Ham

It isn't "original" but this was definitely a hearty breakfast! Scrambled eggs are pretty much my standard as far as eggs go. I have made hard boiled eggs and have used eggs to make french toast too. Instead of regular bread I had garlic bread with butter and I find that I am becoming increasingly fond of garlic bread. It's a nice thing to have besides just plain white bread!

I do have to make a habit of eating some kind of breakfast before I go out for the day and this is something that I'm working on.

Ironically since this was a Saturday and I didn't have to go anywhere a nice, big breakfast sounded like a good idea!

Of course I used butter to scramble the eggs with and I used some left over lard grease to fry the ham with.

The garlic bread was store bought and I just spreaded some butter on it and put it in the microwave for 1 minute.



Tommorrow I will have a more "healthy" breakfast! - LOL!

All Starbucks In The United States Will Be Closed For One Day!

It looks as though this will be happening so that those that work at Starbucis can get some training!

Personally I have yet to actually go into - much less - buy anything from Starbucks. I hear that their prices are very high and expensive - even for a cup of coffee! But still I think that they are a great idea for those that are in a hurry and need their cup of coffee as soon as possible.

Here is a link to the news story.

I Enjoy Having A Nice Cup Of Tea

Here is a coupon that I let lapse - darn it!

I do enjoy a nice hot cup of tea with honey and lemon!

Celestial Seasonings is one of my very favorite brands! I like to get the one that has the different kinds of tea in it called "The Sample Pack"

I'm thinking about having a nice, hot cup of tea right now!

"You Are What You Eat"

I have really come to like this show a lot (except for the "pooh" part!)

Here in the states it comes on my Dish TV's BBC America channel.

A woman named Gillian (who is a dietrician / nutrionalist shows people what is wrong with their diets.

The show starts out showing a person and their physical attributes (and the troubles that they are having if they are considered obese) and then it shows their eating habits and then it shows a showing of the food that they have consumed during the week! I must say that I can see myself in some of those showings. Even though I am discovering the joys of cooking I do have my moments when I will order a pizza or something. I love buying donuts at my local grocery store and usually buy them for a quick fix!

The best part of the show that I like is when Gillian shows them their new "diet" which is a sampling of more healthier foods that they should be eating. Here is where I get ideas about what healthy foods that I should be buying for my own self!

The show goes on to show the people adjusting to and eating their new diet and then show the end results of how they have progresses after being on their new and healthy diets. The end results are quite good! Problems like diabetes that were shown at the beginning of the show have improved. A lot of times their skin is more healthy and sometimes their skin is even glowing! Of course it goes without mention that they have lost weight and have come down in clothing sizes.

The ending result of the show is how the people look after partaking in their new diets and whether or not they will be able to stay on their new diets.

I Prefer A Cup Of Freshly Brewed Coffee

I have never been a fan of instant coffee! I like the smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning! I have gone through several coffee makers and I think that the next time I buy one I won't buy one that's on sale. I want to buy one that will last!

*I found a very interesting site where people post a picture of their favorite coffee cups.

The Joy Of Cooking - Why I Started This Blog

Actually I should think of it as the "rediscovered" joy of cooking.

I do remember how I liked to bake in my younger years. I have never made a pie before but I have made a few cakes and a couple of biscuits. Not too long ago (a few months) I made cornbread for the very first time.

As I got older my mother used to do all the cooking. She seemed to enjoy it very much so I let her do so. Unfortunately my mother passed away not too long ago and I have rediscovered my love of cooking!

There are some simple things that I can prepare - food-wise - like scrambled eggs and I have made rice (which is sort of an artform to make it correctly (that nobody told me!)). As far as meat goes I either bake it, fry it or make a stew and add vegegetables. Making a stew is very pleasurable to me because I don't even mind chopping up all the vegetables and food in stew form is good for you - especially during the winter.

I have also come to realize that as I get older I should be eating more healthier too. Don't get me wrong I love my "take-out" food and I will definitely continue to order out ordering my pizza's, etc....but I want to eat some healthy "junk" too!

I'm not too fond of onions but can appreciate the fact that they are good for you and I will usually add them to my stews. I have also come to appreciate the fact that there is more than just one type of onion!

I started this blog because I am sure that I am not alone in that I'm not a chef or have had years of cooking experience but am someone who has discovered that they like to cook and have discovered the joy of cooking!