Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish usually served on Halloween. The name is derived from the Gaelic “cal ceann fhionn”, which translates to “White Headed Cabbage”, but it is made with green cabbage or kale.  I’ve made colcannon before, but that version was taken directly from Monica Sheridan’s “My Irish Cook Book” (now available in updated form as The Art of Irish Cooking) and was as close to the traditional Irish version Ms. Sheridan described as was possible for me to produce.

I’m calling this an Americanized version for several reasons.  First, I used both butter and olive oil in preparation, not just the milk and butter called for in traditional recipes.  Secondly, in a traditional Colcannon the cabbage or kale is boiled.  The kale in this recipe never saw liquid, it was sauteed in butter, olive oil and garlic, which is the third change from the traditional.  I’ve not yet seen a colcannon recipe that calls for garlic.

Regardless of the differences from the original, I think that this dish turned out marvelously.  It may not actually be Colcannon in the traditional sense, but it was good, satisfying and well worth the minimal amount of effort it took to produce.  It actually sparked the idea for an entirely different version, but that’s for another post…

If you haven’t already, give Colcannon a try.  I think you’ll love it even if you aren’t part Irish.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cabbage, colcannon, Halloween, Irish, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, Kale, Potatoes

A little tomato, a little wine, a little seafood.  That’s really all it takes to make me happy, at least in this instance.  The fact that my oldest son helped me devour the dish shown above is nothing short or a five-star bonus.  I would have eaten it myself had he not enjoyed it.

(I may have secretly hoped that he didn’t…)

All I can really say about this is that it was sublime.  I’ve spent days staring at the screen trying to find a way to describe it, but words have failed me this time, so I’m just going to get straight to the recipe before I waste any more time.  You guys deserve to have this in your card index, database or PDA.  It’s good.

Really good.

… [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: main course, main dish, recipe, Recipes, shellfish and seafood, Shrimp, tomato, Tomatoes

What’s a great day in front of the TV without a great snack?  Whether it’s movie night, game day or just an evening of watching TV with the kids (every Saturday they get to pick the shows), a snack is called for and in my opinion it’s hard to beat a good homemade bean dip.

Aside from being a lot healthier than sour cream based dips, bean dip tends to hold up better to serious snacking, especially when there are two pre-teen boys or a group of men involved.  it’s more filling, far more savory and suited as a condiment for a slew of different applications, including burritos.

This is a simple recipe that tastes best if allowed to sit for a few hours before serving.  The flavors never seem to come together unless it has a chance to rest.  When ready to serve just sprinkle with some cheese, bake for a few minutes and enjoy!  You’ll be glad you did.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: beans, dip, dips, Game Day, Recipes, super bowl food, tailgate foods, tailgating

Fall produce abounds at my local markets, leaving my head reeling with recipe ideas and the urge for more wintry fare.  These sweet potatoes were originally slated to be roasted with some other root vegetables, but I ended up trying this out to see if I could get my kids to eat something other than a regular potato with dinner.

I have an aversion to the standard candied yams served at most holiday tables, preferring something a bit more savory instead, but for this I thought that the combination of Five-Spice powder and coconut milk would give a nice flavor combination.  It did.  While there are things I will definitely change about this dish, it’s one that I will be visiting again while sweet potatoes are still on the shelves.

… [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Recipes, Sides, Sweet Potato, sweet potatoes

I admit that I am no novice when it comes to Asian cooking.  If you’ve followed this blog for any … [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Asian, Asian Cuisine, Product Spotlight

If you’re looking to put a little fun into the Halloween season and eat well while dong it, then I have a fun little idea for you.  This follows the same theory as the Spooky Silhouette Chili I made last year around this time.  It’s just a great bowl of soup with a touch of Halloween flare.

The soup itself is simple, the toppings delectable.  don’t just eat this for Halloween.  It’s great throughout the fall and winter, or for as long as you can get good butternut squash.  Make up a batch and get your spook on!

… [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fun stuff, Halloween, Recipes, Soups and Stews

While browsers such as Firefox and Safari simply ignored the issue and displayed the pages properly, Internet Explorer, for some obtuse reason known only to the … [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Site News

Recipe ideas can come from anywhere.  This post is proof of that.  The idea for baked apples was driven into both my head and that of my oldest son one afternoon during an episode of “Little Bear” that the youngest was watching on NickJr.  It only took one mention of honey baked apples to have us both drooling over the concept.

Luckily for us, Fall is upon us and with it are apples.  The stores are overflowing with fresh, delicious apples of every variety, shape and color, all perfectly ripe and in-season, so getting the right ingredients was no chore at all.  The only difficulty was in coring the apples… Or it would have been, if I hadn’t had two very eager kids helping me with it.

So here I present to you the new favorite dessert in the Russell household.  A dish that has been given nods of approval from all but my youngest, the nuggetarian. (I couldn’t get him to try it.  Had he done so, I’m sure he would like it as well.)  It’s cold outside folks.  Isn’t this the perfect way to end a long day?  Just this and a Muscatto and all is well.

… [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: apples, baking, Desserts, Nuts, Recipes, sweets, Vegetarian

I can’t get enough seafood lately.  I’m not sure why, but something about fish keeps me coming back time-and-time again. Even though it is the beginning of fall and I should be craving heavier dishes, I find I just want seafood, fish in particular.  I can’t shake the craving.

Luckily I still had some Tilapia in the freezer.  A little foraging in the pantry and I decided that I was looking for some richer flavors than the last few dishes I’ve made, but not so heavy as to leave me tired at the end.  This was the result.

I can’t stress how well this turned out.  I also don’t want to waste any more time getting to the meat of the issue.  I want you to try this and tell me if I’m crazy, because I think I may have just found the perfect Tilapia recipe.  No joke.  It’s that good.  try it and let me know what you think.

… [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: fish, Recipes, shellfish and seafood, tilapia

Do you celebrate Halloween? If so, is it trick-or-treating or just watching a bunch of scary movies throughout the month?  do you look forward to costume parties and get-togethers or are you more the sit-home and pass out candy type? Are you involved at all, or do you just turn off the porch light … [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Halloween, holidays, Personal Ramblings