Potato pancakes (Latkes) are a simple and tasty side dish.  Easy to make and can be frozen to cook later. I like them with a little onion or chives.

Serve them with a good applesauce and sour cream or creme fraiche.
Ingredients;
2 large baking potatoes
2TBLS finely grated onion or snipped chives
1 extra-large egg, beaten
2 TBLS all-purpose flour1 TBLS ground Matzo meal
1 1/4 TSP kosher salt1/4 TSP freshly ground black pepper3 TBLS clarified butter*** you can use canola oil if butter isn’t part of your diet

Directions;
Peel the potatoes and grate them on a box grater or in  food processor with the grating attachment. Wrap the grated potatoes in a paper towels and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Combine the potatoes in a bowl with the egg, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Melt the clarified butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Place a TBLS or two of the potato mixture into the sizzling butter and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the pancakes over and cook for another 2 minutes, or until crisp on the outside and golden brown. Serve the pancakes hot from the skillet.
***To make the clarified butter, slowly melt 4 TBLS butter in a small saucepan. Set it aside until the milk solids settle. Spoon off any solids that rise, then carefully pour off the golden liquid, discarding the milky part in the bottom of the pan.

These eggnog waffles are a wonderful change from the ordinary.
After the holidays I found a quart of eggnog way in the back of the refrigerator.
It was a snowy day so I decided to experiment.
WOW what great flavor.

Ingredients;
2 cups unbleached flour, sifted
2 TSP baking powder
Dash of ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
1 TSP vanilla
2 cups eggnog
2 large eggs, separated
4 TBLS (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray, for the waffle iron
Directions;
Waffle iron heated to the manufacturers instructions.
Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggnog, egg yolks, and butter in another bowl. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until combined; you don’t want the batter to be lumpy or too smooth, mix till somewhere in the middle..
Whisk the egg whites until almost stiff; fold them into the batter.
Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour some of the batter into the middle of the iron, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Close and cook until golden brown and cooked through about 3-5 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve with maple syrup and butter. The leftovers should freeze well.

This Chicken Pot Pie recipe is savory and rich.
Warms your soul on a cold night.  It’s easy and can be frozen for a quick work night meal.
Using packaged pie crust makes this ready to bake in minutes.
But the best is to make my “Perfect Pie Crust” recipe if you have the time.

Ingredients;
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup frozen pearl onions
1/2 cup frozen petite peas
1 TSP parsely
32oz low sodium chicken stock
3 cups cooked chicken, white or dark meat or mixed
2 TBLS heavy cream
2 TBLS butter
3 TBLS flour
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg prepared pie crust (my preferred brand is “Immaculate”)
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions;
Preheat oven to 375.
In a frying pan saute the carrots with the butter for 5 minutes then add the onions and peas. Heat for another 5 minutes.
In a  large pot heat all but 1 cup of the stock. Add the chicken, parsley and veggies. Simmer covered for 5 minutes.  Stir the flour into the reserved cup of stock at room temperature. Add the stock and flour mixture to the pot. Add the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.
Roll the dough out and cut to the size you like.  Pictured I made a single crust on a 5″ corning bakeware and a double crust in a 5″ tin pie pan. Fill the pie/bakeware and top with the crust. Trim the side and cut a square in the top of the crust.  Brush with the beaten egg.
You can also make this in a casserole dish for a shared pot pie.
Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes.
Makes four 5″  pie/bakeware pies or one 10×10 casserole.

This ham hash recipe is a great side dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

What to do with leftover holiday ham, this is perfect for it!!
Freezes well.

Ingredients;
2 large red or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed 1/2″ pieces
1 small onion, diced
1 cup ham, cubed small
1 TBLS olive oil
Pepper to taste
**Optional; add a TBLS of minced red bell pepper

Directions;
In a frying pan on med heat add the oil and cook the potatoes until nearly soft.
Add the onions, ham and pepper. Saute until slightly browned.
Served by itself, with an omelete or with pan fried eggs on top.