Calcannon ( Irish Style Mashed Potatoes)

Every year we love to celebrate St. Patricks Day. We always try to have a traditional corned beef meal with cabbage and potatoes. A few years ago, my daughter in law found an amazing recipe that combines the potatoes with the cabbage. It is delicious! I like this recipe from Michelle Pegram because it also has bacon and gives the potatoes a nice flavor.
Makes 6-8 side dish servings

3 lbs. potatoes- scrubbed, peeled and cubed
1 small head of cabbage cored, chopped or shredded. Or use a large bag of coleslaw mix
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup milk or heavy cream ( no skimping) warmed
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened or melted
1 lb. bacon, preferably thick cut
salt and pepper
Olive oil (optional)
Extra butter (optional)
1-2 cloves of garlic (optional)

Directions:
1. Place potatoes in large saucepan or pot. Cover with water and add a dash of salt. Boil until fork tender for mashing.
2. While potatoes cook, chop bacon into bite size pieces and cook until crisp or your preference of doneness.
3. Remove bacon and set aside. Pour off grease if you have more than a tablespoon or two. Alternatively, if you used really lean bacon, you may need to add some olive oil for the next step.
4. Add onion and garlic, if desired, to remaining grease and cook until crisp tender, 2-5 minutes.
5. Add chopped cabbage or slaw mix and cook until desired crispness or lack thereof, 6-15 minutes.
6. When potatoes are done, drain and then add back to the hot pot over low heat to make sure they are dry.
7. Add butter and warmed milk or cream and mash as usual.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Stir in the bacon and cabbage/onion mix
10. Test again for seasoning.
11. The traditional way to enjoy colcannon is with a well in the center of the bowl filled with melted butter, this the optional butter listed above.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Turkey Chili

This recipe comes from the cook book called Our Best Bites by Sara Wells. It is a wonderful fall recipe and full of unusual flavors. Every time I make it I get lots of compliments.
It makes 4 quarts or 10 (1 1/2 cup servings) This recipe freezes well. It's recommended to be made in a crock pot, but it can also be made on a stove top simmering until the sweet potatoes are tender.
https://ourbestbites.com/2012/10/black-bean-and-sweet-potato-turkey-chili/

1 TBS. olive oil, divided                                      
1 medium onion, diced                                          
4 cloves of garlic peeled and minced                    
1 red bell pepper diced                                          
1-2 jalapeños, minced                                            
20 ounces ground turkey breast                            
8 ounces mushrooms, minced ( about 2 cups)      
2 tsp. ground cumin                                                
2 tsp. kosher salt                                                    
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled & diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes undrained
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (32 oz.) container beef broth
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBS. unsweetened cocoa powder                                                                                        
Toppings:
Chopped cilantro
Green onions
lime wedges
Sour cream
sliced avocado
Jack Cheese
Directions:
1. Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil and add onion, garlic, bell pepper,
and jalapeños. Sauté about 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and fragrant. Place in a slow cooker.

2. In the same skillet, heat remaining 1 1/2 tsp. olive oil. Add turkey, and mushrooms and stir to combine. Sprinkle in cumin salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Sauté, stirring frequently, until turkey is no longer pink. Add turkey mixture to slow cooker.

3. Add sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, beef broth, pumpkin, cinnamon, and cocoa powder to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook 4-6 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. When finished let sit for 10-15 minutes with the lid off to thicken. You may want to taste and check to make sure the salt is adequate. You can add as many of the toppings as you would like to.

Butterscotch Dollars

This is a favorite recipe of my mothers. When I found it, it was ragged and well worn. You could tell it was a cookie she made often. I remember having a big container of these cookies to take with us when we were packing to go camping. The recipe seems to have come from a bag of flour. Here's to you mom, I love you!

1 cup butter of margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts*

Directions:
Sift dry ingredients together. Melt together butter and shortening. Add sugars and mix well. Add eggs; beat together until batter is light in color. Stir in sifted dry ingredients, vanilla and nuts. Chill. Roll into one inch balls and bake on an uncreased cookie sheet at 375 for 7-10 minutes. Makes about 6 dozen cookies.

*In talking to my dad, we both remember her cookies not having any chopped walnuts in them, but instead having a pecan half on the top of each cookie. I think that is how she chose to make them.