Hi there!
If you're looking for Ollie, for Grace, or for anything about my ebooks, please visit my personal blog here:
Julie Hyzy's blog
I'm transferring all command codes to that location.
(Can you tell I've been watching too much Star Trek lately?)
Showing posts with label Ollie Paras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ollie Paras. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
2 lb. peeled and diced potatoes (I like to use traditional Idaho russets, but just about any variety of potato will do).
1/2 to 1 head garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
6 T. butter
1/2 to 3/4 C. milk, warmed
1 T. salt (or to taste)
½ t. freshly cracked pepper (or to taste)
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Place potatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add water sufficient to cover them. Put lid on pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, watching to be sure pan doesn’t boil over. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
Drain cooked potatoes and set aside. Return empty pan to heat and add butter. When butter melts, add garlic. Cook until tender. Return cooked potatoes to pan. Mash or whip with immersion blender until nearly smooth, gradually adding warm milk until potatoes are the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Place in warmed serving dish, top with chives if desired. Serve.
Note—some people salt the water the potatoes are boiling in, which raises the temperature of the boiling water and lets the potatoes cook faster. I prefer to add salt at the last, when I have more control over the amount the dish has—I think it leaves the potatoes more tender, too. But either method works.
2 lb. peeled and diced potatoes (I like to use traditional Idaho russets, but just about any variety of potato will do).
1/2 to 1 head garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
6 T. butter
1/2 to 3/4 C. milk, warmed
1 T. salt (or to taste)
½ t. freshly cracked pepper (or to taste)
¼ cup fresh chives, chopped, for garnish (optional)
Place potatoes in a large heavy-bottomed pan. Add water sufficient to cover them. Put lid on pan and bring to a boil over medium heat, watching to be sure pan doesn’t boil over. Once the water is boiling, reduce heat slightly and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender.
Drain cooked potatoes and set aside. Return empty pan to heat and add butter. When butter melts, add garlic. Cook until tender. Return cooked potatoes to pan. Mash or whip with immersion blender until nearly smooth, gradually adding warm milk until potatoes are the desired consistency. Add salt and pepper. Place in warmed serving dish, top with chives if desired. Serve.
Note—some people salt the water the potatoes are boiling in, which raises the temperature of the boiling water and lets the potatoes cook faster. I prefer to add salt at the last, when I have more control over the amount the dish has—I think it leaves the potatoes more tender, too. But either method works.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Crisp Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies
Some folks enjoy warm, soft chocolate chip cookies straight from the oven, and I confess to having a weakness for them myself.
These cookies, however, are just a little different. Crisp and full-bodied, they always help take the edge off -- whether I'm hunting down suspects, or fighting off Peter Everett Sargeant's nasty barbs in the White House ;-)
Enjoy!
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg, beaten until yellow
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
¾ cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 six ounce package milk chocolate chips
1 3 ounce bar dark chocolate, diced into chunks
1 six ounce package of white chocolate chips
Parchment paper to cover cookie sheets
Preheat oven to 350° F
In a medium bowl sift together dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugars. Stir in vanilla until smooth. Stir in egg until smooth. Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, stirring to incorporate. Dough will be soft and uniform. Stir in chocolates.
Shape into in quarter-sized balls. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheets, in widely spaced rows of three—this batter will spread during cooking! Bake until cookies are browned and flat, roughly 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets. Remove cooled cookies from parchment paper and store in a tin.
(Hint—these are excellent crumbled and served over ice cream)
These cookies, however, are just a little different. Crisp and full-bodied, they always help take the edge off -- whether I'm hunting down suspects, or fighting off Peter Everett Sargeant's nasty barbs in the White House ;-)
Enjoy!
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 egg, beaten until yellow
1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
¾ cup white sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 six ounce package milk chocolate chips
1 3 ounce bar dark chocolate, diced into chunks
1 six ounce package of white chocolate chips
Parchment paper to cover cookie sheets
Preheat oven to 350° F
In a medium bowl sift together dry ingredients.
In a large bowl, cream softened butter and sugars. Stir in vanilla until smooth. Stir in egg until smooth. Add dry ingredients 1 cup at a time, stirring to incorporate. Dough will be soft and uniform. Stir in chocolates.
Shape into in quarter-sized balls. Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheets, in widely spaced rows of three—this batter will spread during cooking! Bake until cookies are browned and flat, roughly 15 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets. Remove cooled cookies from parchment paper and store in a tin.
(Hint—these are excellent crumbled and served over ice cream)
Monday, June 1, 2009
Brand New Blog with Recipes
Hi there!
Olivia Paras here. But you can call me Ollie. If you've read any of the White House Chef Mysteries, written by Julie Hyzy, then you know I'm the (fictional) first female Executive Chef in the White House. We have a *real* female Executive Chef in the White House right now. Her name is Cristeta Comerford and, from all reports, she's doing marvelously. Any similarities between Cristeta and me are purely coincidental. I'm proud of my fictional adventures, just as I'm sure she's proud of the incredible role she plays in the First Family's life.
So far there are two books chronicling my story. The first is State of the Onion where I whack a White House intruder in the head with a frying pan and get myself involved in an international crisis. The second, Hail to the Chef, came out in December 2008. In that book, I'm in trouble, yet again. This time with bombs ;-)
The third book is due out in January, 2010, and I'll talk more about that one as we get closer to publication date.
For now, I want to introduce ... RECIPES!
Lots of readers have asked to have the recipes from the books available online. This way they can be printed out and taken to the grocery store, or placed on the counter as the food is being prepared. So here they are! (Or... will be. Soon.)
I like the fact that the recipes I've included in the books are simple ones. Quick and easy recipes are the ones that usually become family favorites.
Stay tuned. The next post will be a recipe from State of the Onion. In the meantime, please feel free to comment and let me know if there are any suggestions or ideas you have to make this site better!
Thanks!
Happy cooking,
Ollie
Olivia Paras here. But you can call me Ollie. If you've read any of the White House Chef Mysteries, written by Julie Hyzy, then you know I'm the (fictional) first female Executive Chef in the White House. We have a *real* female Executive Chef in the White House right now. Her name is Cristeta Comerford and, from all reports, she's doing marvelously. Any similarities between Cristeta and me are purely coincidental. I'm proud of my fictional adventures, just as I'm sure she's proud of the incredible role she plays in the First Family's life.
So far there are two books chronicling my story. The first is State of the Onion where I whack a White House intruder in the head with a frying pan and get myself involved in an international crisis. The second, Hail to the Chef, came out in December 2008. In that book, I'm in trouble, yet again. This time with bombs ;-)
The third book is due out in January, 2010, and I'll talk more about that one as we get closer to publication date.
For now, I want to introduce ... RECIPES!
Lots of readers have asked to have the recipes from the books available online. This way they can be printed out and taken to the grocery store, or placed on the counter as the food is being prepared. So here they are! (Or... will be. Soon.)
I like the fact that the recipes I've included in the books are simple ones. Quick and easy recipes are the ones that usually become family favorites.
Stay tuned. The next post will be a recipe from State of the Onion. In the meantime, please feel free to comment and let me know if there are any suggestions or ideas you have to make this site better!
Thanks!
Happy cooking,
Ollie
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