Curious
September 1st, 2012 | 
Author: Reading sweets post put an idea in my head. Why and when did you all join Mimi’S? I joined in 1998 because I was looking for a good latke recipe, one with really detailed instructions. I love them but mine always turned out to be crumbling in the pan or so soggy they were just…blah! So in I came, found the best recipe and here I stayed.
Posted in * Recipe Requests
Hi ABBE, As far as I can recall, I joined probably around 1995 when constructing a project for one of the first computer classes I ever took. I just stumbled upon it, met some great friends, and am still hanging around here. Hmm… I think I still have that project binder. Maybe I could pull it out and check the dates on the recipes that I had printed. Oh…and of course we now want your Latke recipe!!!
Mimi Sheraton’s Potato Pancakes
16 medium Russet potatoes
2 large onions
4 eggs
4 tablespoons matzo meal
1 and 1/2 level tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons white pepper low smoking cooking oil
Method
Wash and peel potatoes. Peel onions. Cut both vegetables into large chunks and grate into a large colander..
Place colander over a pot or bowl. Let stand for five minutes. Press down on the mixture to hasten the draining process. Repeat this pressing step two-three more times at five minute intervals. The ingredients will be ready when the mixture no longer squishes when pressed (in approximately 15 minutes).
The juice from the onion should prevent the potato from discolouring. However, don’t worry if the potato does discolour to a pinkish colour. Taste is unaffected and somehow the right colour returns during cooking. Gray discolouration is a bit more problematic. It usually means that you have doubled/tripled the recipe and are coping with too large a batch of potatoes and there is not enough onion.
Place the potato-onion mixture in a mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients except the cooking oil. Blend well.
Carefully, pour the liquid out of the bowl/pot which was placed under the colander during the draining step. At the bottom of the bowl, you will find a thick, starchy paste (potato starch). Scrape this paste out of the bowl and add to the potato-onion-egg mixture, blending well.
Heat 1/2 inch depth of oil (or oil-butter mixture) in a skillet
Use about 2 rounded tablespoons of potato mixture for each latke. (To make uniform sized latkes, use a 1/4 cup measure, or a ice cream scoop to place the mixture into the heated oil) .Drop into skillet and flatten with spatula. Fry about ten minutes total, turning once. They should be golden brown. When crispy on the outside and most inside, about 5 minutes per side, remove and place on several thickness of paper towels Keep warm on a hot tray and serve with applesauce and sour cream for dipping.
NOTE : These produce a very thin, crisp, light potato latke with an intensely potato-y flavor.
I’m not sure when I joined, but it’s been years. I know why though, I was looking for a recipe and Mimi’s was one of the sites that poped up. Found good people willing to help each other. What’s not to love about this place. Friends helping and shareing with each other is always a good thing.
Have been coming here for years and years. Followed LisaUK around from site to site as she was so clever. I think Lisa is now on Facebook.
But remember the post about painting (oh rats can’t remember her Mimi’s name at the moment but it was short) her house and the answers got so long (over a 100 I think)that I think Mimi created the Kitchen Table as this was in the recipe forum. This was a hilarious thread and got crazier and crazier as time went on. Angel from Australia (whom I have met when we were there) was one of the funiest contributors.
IMP, that was her name! We painted Imp’s house. Is there anyone who remembers that thread?
Thank you for sharing your recipe ABBE. Hopefully I’ll get to try it soon. I even like to order those out!
Nalani, I do remember LisaUK and IMP being around. Wish they would pop back in! I think I was deeply buried in my job responsibilies at the time of the house painting and just caught the end of that. That would be such fun to read though! Wonder if anyone has saved it and could post it???? I’ve saved the threads on the Luau and Country/Western picnic and the 50′s night celebrations. We kind of went wild with that 50′s theme around here too…and the party was fantastic with the help of you all… Actually, we are having another Country/Western Parking Lot Pandamonium picnic next Sunday afternoon with a bank robbery and all!! The idea to have our ‘get out of jail’ bail be items for the local food bank came from someone right here at Mimi’s! We’re going to use that again this year too! I do so appreciate all of the fun and help we have around here!
Sherry, IMP is Kathy at the Round Table forums. She doesn’t post there all that often as she works at Walmart and has long hours. Lisa used to post there but have not seen here there for quite a while. Once in a while she is on Facebook.
I remember posting some recipes for the luau.
I visit the Round Table frequently but never signed up to be a member. I spend too much time on here as it is but have to say that I’ve been so tempted to hop into that forum too. This is your Haupia recipe that you shared for the luau. You made one person especially happy with it. She absolutely loved it, helped me make it, and ate a lot at the luau. In fact, all of the ones who like coconut loved it! Later she called for the recipe to make too. Unfortunately, Lucy wasn’t able to beat her battle with cancer and is now home with the Lord. One never knows what things we do will touch another’s life and heart…and you did Lucy’s. Thank you again for sharing.
Nalani’s Haupia
posted by Nalani 06-28-110 12:22 PM
This is a traditional dessert served at luaus. It is not served with any toppings but I think a topping would be nice with it to give it a little color.
HAUPIA
A good old fashioned Hawaiian pudding that is served at Luaus.
12 ounces chilled Coconut milk (or one can) (I used one 15-oz. can)
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until thickened. Lower heat and cook for ten minutes*, stirring constantly to avoid lumping or burning. Pour into 8 x 8 inch square pan and chill until set. Cut haupia into squares.
May be topped with crushed pineapple, or other toppings of your choice.
(I topped it with toasted coconut)
* I think 10 minutes may be a bit long to stir and cook as it gets quite thick. I think 5 or 6 minutes might be better. ……………………………
So sorry about Lucy, but glad that I was able to bring a little bit of sunshine to her.
My daughter, who lives in my family home on Maui sent me a big bag of haupia mix. which I have been using lately.
That mix sounds good Nalani… At some point, I’m going to mix up some more. I already have the coconut milk bought too! Thank you again!
It was Imp’s house we painted. I think it got started with pastel chickens or something and went on from there. I had a printed copy of it at one time but I have no idea where it would be. And when my old computer died, that file would have gone with it.
I’ll have to see if I still have the printed copy somewhere – it was totally hilarious.
I forgot – I think I came to Mimi’s in 1996. I can’t really remember how I found it but once I got here, I stayed. I think Angel, Imp and I arrived about the same time.
Do hope you you can find it, Becky. I remember it had over 100 replies on it too.
And do you remember how many of us tried to duplicate The Taste of Home winning cookie recipe? I believe it was Kerri who posted the copy cat. At the time I had one of those mixes from Taste of Home and so made that one and Kerri’s. In my opinion Kerri’s was the winner. In fact just the other day I made the dough and froze it in long rolls to bake at a later time. The recipe is in my Recipe Circus and I imagine it is the Recipe Circus too.
Nalani, I remember that cookie recipe too and had also sent for the Taste of Home mix. The copycat recipe is in my files I’m sure. That recipe and the mixes must not have caught on as they had hoped. I never ordered the second time and think I’ve only made the copycat a couple of times. Maybe try it again this fall. Guess I’d best make a trip over to your Recipe Circus and see if I can find it…at the moment, I can’t even remember the name of it!!! Yet another senior moment!
I can’t remember the name of that cookie either. I can’t find it on my Recipe Circus or in my cookie folder either. I have a feeling it vanished during our last move.
I hope someone has it!
I snitched the recipe from Nalani’s Recipe Circus. (Hope you don’t mind).
This recipe was posted by Kerri, and it is identical when made up to the mix put out by Taste of Home. I snitched this from Nalani’s Recipe Circus. These are great cookies! Notes are either Nalani’s or Kerri’s.
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups Skor toffee bits
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream butter and brown sugar together until well blended.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
Cool for 2 minutes before removing from pan.
Final Comments
Note: I have used real butter and margarine in this recipe. Using real butter makes a flat and rather greasy cookie. Margarine makes a more rounded cookie.
If you don’t want to get both types of chocolate chips, using all of one or the other would be ok.
If you can’t get the Skor toffee bits, you can break up a toffee bar in small pieces.
A nice touch, I think, would be to add chopped Macadamian nuts in place of chopped pecans.
I managed to cut the name off – the cookies are Maui Munchies.
Becky, naming it Maui munchies is my doing. One really could just call it Munchies or something like that.
I’m not 100% sure but at least 10 years ago… Maybe late 90′s? There’s no other board out there that has such harmony…
skip
Wasn’t the original called Minnesota Munchers or something like that? I love Maui..so that works for me anyway!
P.S. Glad to see you Skip. Was just looking at some of your bread recipes the other day so was thinking of you. Thanks again for the recipes!
The TOH mix was Minnesota Munchers but I thought maybe the name was changed for legal reasons. I like the Maui name – makes me think I’m getting to go somplace I’ve always wanted to see! I haven’t made these cookies for a long time but they are looking great.
Skip, glad to see you. You are so right about the harmony here.
I found Kerri’s recipe in the archives and she did name it Minnesota Munchers.
Either way, they are GOOD cookies!