Potato Ham Omelet Pie

I made this on General Conference Sunday.

Ingredients:
1 package (17 1/4 oz) frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 cups thinly sliced peeled red potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter, cubed

Omelets:
6 eggs
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley (I used dried)
2 Tbsp water
Dash salt
Dash pepper
2 Tbsp butter, divided

Filling:
2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 1/2 cup cubed fully cooked ham (or about 10 slices lunch meat)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp water


Directions:

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll each puff pastry sheet into a 12-in square. Place one square in a 10-in quiche dish; set dish and remaining pastry aside.
2. In a large skillet, combine the potatoes, onion, salt and pepper in butter; cover and cook for 10-12 mins or until potatoes are tender and golden brown; stirring occasionally. (I had to do a little bit at a time instead of all the potatoes at once.) Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, parsley, water, salt and pepper. In a 10-in skillet, melt 1 Tbsp butter; add half of the egg mixture. Cook over medium heat. As eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath. Continue cooking until set. (We just flipped it over to cook it thoroughly.) Slide omelet onto a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining butter and egg mixture to make a second omelet.
4. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over prepared pastry in pan. Top with one omelet and half of the potato mixture. Layer with ham (meat) and the remaining potato mixture, cheese, omelet, and puff pastry. Trim pastry to fit dish; seal and flute edges. In a small bowl, combine egg and water; brush over pastry.
5. Bake at 375 degree F for 30-35 mins or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 mins. Cut into serving wedges.

Prep Time: Okay, this one takes awhile. A long while if you have to cook the potatoes in increments, like I did. But it's so good that by the time you're eating it, you've forgotten how long it took. (It took about an hour and a half.)

Source: Taste of Home, Fall 2009

Variations: I didn't put ham because Marcos doesn't like it. Instead, I just layered on the turkey lunch meat we had.

Marcos' Rating: 9

Cafe Rio Salads

Ingredients:
Tortillas (large, burrito size)
Crispy tortilla strips (like those skinny chips)
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Pico de Gallo
Tomatillo Dressing
Lettuce (I use Romaine, then shred it into strips)
Shredded cheese (Cheddar or Fiesta mix work well)
Chicken
Lime Rice
Corn Salsa

Directions:
Make above dishes as explained in previous posts (click on links above).
In a shallow, round, tin pan (like a pie crust pan, but with vertical sides instead of slanted), lay your warm tortilla. Then add shredded cheese (or add before warming up tortilla so the cheese will be melted). Then add rice, chicken, corn salsa, and lettuce. Then add remaining ingredients as desired. Dressing should be last.

Prep Time: Okay, honestly, it took me about 3 hours to make all this stuff on the same day. But it's so good and the left-overs can last for a long time. The other idea is to have a dinner party & then assign each person/couple one of the big dishes.

Source: My sister Erin

Variations: We turned this into burritos last week because I forgot to buy lettuce. The crispy tortilla strips aren't necessary, but they sure make it taste like the original salad.

Marcos' Rating: 9

Potato/Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes
4 hard boiled eggs
1/2 bag macaroni noodles (about 6 oz. uncooked)
about 4-5 heaping large spoonfuls of Mayonnaise
onions, very finely chopped
celery (I used about 5 stalks)
carrots, chopped

Directions:
Wash & scrub potatoes. Boil with skins on. Check with a fork to see if done (should slip off fork). Let cool. Then peel & chop. (I left them in pretty big chunks.)

Boil eggs. Let cool. Then slice.

Boil macaroni noodles. Let cool.

In a big bowl, put potatoes, eggs, and macaroni. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Then add mayo one or two spoonfuls at time. Continue to add mayo until everything is moistened. Add salt & pepper to taste.

I actually divided my ingredients into two bowls (so it made two salads) and then combined at the end. I found that to be easier when mixing in the mayo.

This makes great left-overs, but you may have to add more mayo as time goes by because the mayo seems to seep into the potatoes & noodles.

Prep time: This takes some time because you have three things to boil & then allow to cool. If you have enough big pots, and you don't mind your house heating up, you can have everything going at the same time. By the time you're done chopping veggies, the noodles should be done. Anyway, I'd say to plan on at least an hour of preparing this dish. But it's totally worth it!

Source: Adapted from my mom's recipe (see below)

Variations:
My mom's original recipe calls for 10 potatoes, 6 eggs, 3/4 bag noodles, a whole jar of mayo, onions, celery, carrots, and a bag of frozen peas. You're supposed to let the peas thaw before mixing them in. But we don't like peas so I don't add them. Oh, and she seasons with salt, pepper, and celery salt.

Marcos' Rating: 15