So I’ve already verbally splooged about how much I love Costco for certain items, well today I will be featuring another one!!! Ito en “Matcha” green tea! They sell it by the large box all individually wrapped and basically could survive zombie Apocalypse and come out of it brew ready. I fell in love with Matcha for the first time at Cafe D’ Bolla in Salt Lake City, the proprietors are basically tea and coffee aficionados and they make the most amazing chewy pearl matcha iced tea! Since I can’t really go there and have their tea, with the exception of a few times a year, I think I have found a reasonable way to solve my craving for Matcha. A lot of people think green tea is bitter and don’t like it, I suggest that if you haven’t enjoyed it in the past try the Matcha variety, it’s really a delicious way to get all the great health benefits without the tannic aftertaste of traditional green. Over brewing can sometimes be the culprit in that as well, that being said it can be adjusted to suit the individual….so if you are new to tea drinking, try this. Drinking this hot or cold or room temp, is a great way to curb a craving for sweets and it a great way to extend your hunger till dinner and speed your metabolism. 
Greek Potato Salad
Let me begin today with why I like Costco, as far as corporations go, they ain’t bad. Costco pays a living wage to employees, provide health insurance, they work with local distributors, you can get certain products for quarters on the dollar, carries loads of organic products, Wal-mart could learn a thing or two from them, that is for sure. So about once a month or so I make the trek to Costco, it’s a total hassle…but occasionally I drink a few espressos and get ready to fight the crowds to hunt bargains. Well I got this 20lbs bag of Washington #1 Russets for $6, which is a heck of deal! Problem is, I’ve been trying to use them all up before they go to tater heaven (aka: become rotten and smell of decomp). So with that intro…let me introduce today’s recipe…..drum roll please TATER SALAD! Not that mayo extravaganza that you can play “guess that mess” with….meaning you never know what is in that stuff. I’ve mentioned in other post my dislike of mayo in general….spoilage…etc. This recipe I am sharing today is one of all time fav’s , as a kid I loved it! My Dad even made like 35lbs of it for my wedding reception! This is my version, I demo’d it on a televised fundraiser for public T.V. back in Utah, I was after Tony Caputo, he made gnocchi…tough act to follow but I think I held my own, even got an article in the paper! Sad part was the recipe was wrong…..instead of two teaspoons of garlic salt….it said two tablespoons, so really whoever made it from that recipe, probably didn’t enjoy it. HAHA! There are limitless variations of potato salad and this is mine…depending on what is available, you can use different potatoes, onions, fresh garlic or garlic salt, and use fresh herbs or dried, depending on the season. This is the salad in it most accessible and easiest version. Vegan and gluten free before it was trending, this salad should be one every home -cook has in their arsenal.
• 5lbs of potatoes of choice (I’m using russets, but I’ve also use a mix of Yukons, reds, and even blue potatoes when I can find them.)
• ½ red onion, small dice
• 1 cup celery, small dice
• 3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh dill or 1 teas dried dill
• 2 cloves fresh garlic pulverized or you can use garlic salt 1 to 2 teas depending on how much salt your potatoes suck up, if you using garlic salt don’t add extra salt
• Juice of 1 lemon if it’s a juicy bugger….more if he ain’t got the flow
• ½ cup Olive oil (preferably Greek, but any extra virgin will work)
• Salt and pepper to taste (note no extra salt if using garlic salt)
Boil your potatoes with skin on till they can be easily pierced by a fork. Cool. Once cooled, peel, medium dice potatoes and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of ingredients and stir. Garnish with some lemon zest. Make it the day before and its extra tasty! Can be served at room temp and won’t spoil at your summer BBQ. Try this variation, I think you will like the bright, fresh, flavors!
My Award winning Beef souvlaki recipe, 2008 Utah State fair blue ribbon winner!
My family history includes a lot of souvlaki, one of my first memories is sitting on the prep table at my parents restaurant/lounge in Ogden, UT watching my Mom season huge tubs of cubed pork or turkey. My mom isn’t actually Greek, she married one, so her recipe was perhaps a bit unorthodox for most traditional recipes. My Mom never made souvlaki with beef, she made it with elk, deer, what have you for all our Utah hunter bar patrons who would bring in their recent kill and have my Mom fix it in her special way. When I told my Mom that I was going to enter the 2008 beef cook off with a souvlaki recipe, she thought I was nuts…but in true competitive spirit I did anyway…and you know what? I won…a $300 prize, my largest prize to date.
This recipe is really easy and I noticed today at Costco I found prime yes “PRIME” grade cap sirloin, which whenever they have it is my favorite thing! $7.99 a pound this sirloin is a bargain, keep in mind it usually requires a bit of trimming and they are usually not a consistent size…which is perfect cuz I will be cubing it! So let’s get this party starrted shall we?
2 lbs cubed sirloin
1/4 cup good quality soy sauce
juice of one lemon or lime…I had a lime
a few drizzles olive oil
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon each sea salt, black pepper, granulated garlic (use two fresh cloves if you prefer)
2 Tablespoons flat leaf parsley
Mix in with the meat and marinate overnight or at least 30 minutes and skewer on bamboo skewers. I broiled mine in the oven for about five minutes, it was perfectly mid rare….you should never eat a prime cut more cooked then that…or don’t bother have a hamburger. HAHA! But seriously this is a very easy and delicious recipe, you can use this marinade on other meat as well, and I served my souvlaki with cous cous (seriously the easiest and tastiest starch out there) and some roasted asparagus since it is peak of asparagus season. If you use good ingredients you don’t need to be too fussy, just be straight forward and use good technique. Yassou!
