Copycat Recipe: Costco's Spinach Salad

 

I was surprised to find out that I hadn’t praised this salad in this blog. I was so sure I had. Well, I’m sharing a video featuring this salad right now. This is one of our favorite in-house salads made at our local Costco. Please grab one if you see it at Costco. Otherwise, here are the ingredients & instructions so you can make it at home. It’s delicious! 

Tia Maria: Home of the Best Cheese Enchiladas in Texas!

 I finally visited again the other day for takeout. Looking forward to enjoying the full experience soon. I never had a bad meal here. Everything was always fresh & lovingly prepared. Before this visit, I hadn’t been there in nearly 20 years. I’m so glad I was close by & decided to stop in! Tia Maria Rules! Please enjoy this video about my recent experience there:

Try This Easy Bread Dough Recipe

 

I also posted a narrated version on TikTok which is a little shorter. This YouTube video is set to music & text directions & descriptions. 

Delicious Eggplant Roll Ups

 

This recipe works best if you use an eggplant with the biggest circumference you can find, but a smaller one will work. Best to avoid the Ichiban variety though. Those are too narrow & usually curvy. 

I didn't weigh this eggplant, but it was bigger than what they usually have. It yielded about 12 or 13 roll ups. I can't remember how many I ate before this pic. lol

Ingredients

1 large eggplant

As needed: Feta cheese, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roasted red pepper (I used a jarred version, but you can roast them yourself if needed)

Salt - your choice. The feta & olives take care of salt needs, but if you use it, tread lightly. lol

Instructions

1. Peel eggplant & slice lengthwise into 1/4" slices. It's okay if they're slightly over 1/4". You can do the salt method to draw out moisture or just skip it & go straight to roasting, grilling, or browning on stovetop. 

2. These can be roasted, grilled, or browned in a pan. I used a cast iron pan for these. Lightly oil the pan & sear the slices until some browning is visible on both sides and they have softened slightly. Don't let them get too soft or they will be difficult to roll. 

3. Set eggplant aside to cool a bit.

4. Coarsely chop tomatoes, peppers, & olives. If you're using crumbled feta, no extra work necessary. I used a block of feta & crumbled it into the usual size you expect if you purchase crumbled feta in the U.S. 

5. Add even amounts of the ingredients for each slice, spread them out on one end on 1/3 of the slice. Roll carefully until you get to the end. 

6. Serve warm or cold. I liked them cold so I didn't even bother warming any up.

Enjoy!

Excellent Potato Recipe (No Draining) - Make Them For Thanksgiving Or Any Ol' Time!

Nan Taters in Action

I have posted about this potato recipe before, but it bears repeating, because they are so good! I have searched the internet trying to find a similar recipe, I know there must be some out there. The closest recipes I have found using the "evaporation method" are recipes touting "Syracuse Salt Potatoes," and an almost identical version from Colombia. Both of these use approximately 1/2 cup of salt per pound, and involve whole, small potatoes. (And I am definitely going to try those recipes.)

But this recipe is not the same. While you can use whole, small potatoes, bigger potatoes can be used as well. The best potatoes to use are waxier potatoes (like Yukon Gold, or New Potatoes). About a teaspoon of Kosher salt is used, along with 2-3 Tbsps. of oil during cooking. Butter is added after they're done. 

My Czech grandmother, "Nan," made this recipe often, so I dubbed them "Nan Taters." I don't know if she saw it somewhere, or if she just decided to do it to see what would happen. She did do a lot of experimenting in the kitchen, so I think it might have been the latter, unless someone in her family made them in the past. Unfortunately, I can't ask her now, and back then asking didn't occur to me. All I knew was that they were really, really, really good...I could never get enough of them, and I could have easily eaten a whole pot of them by myself (and I could have gotten away with it with no calorie regrets too, at that age. 😄) 

Once in a while she would fry them directly after the evaporation process, but most of the time she would leave them in the "sauce." She made a German version a lot too, since my grandpa was German. She probably made every version imaginable, and then some, because he loved to have meat & potatoes every day. 

For this recipe, the potatoes from her garden were used until the supply ran out. She grew a LOT of potatoes! These were the absolute best ones to use, but using store-bought potatoes works really well too. 

I thought maybe there was a Czech or German tie to this recipe, but I haven't found one yet. If you have made these, or have family members who have, please let me know. I really thought I would find pages and pages of this recipe because it is SO GOOD. But...nope, and I used many different search terms. More people need to try this recipe, IMO, so I am posting it here again. 

Well on the way to creamy goodness!

Tools: A saucepan/frying pan, 10-12 inches (or larger, if you want a really big batch).

Ingredients: 

Yukon Gold or New (Red) Potatoes (amount depends on size of pan)

Water to cover

1 tsp. salt

2-3 Tbsps. oil (I use avocado or extra v olive oil)

2-3 Tbsps. of unsalted butter

Ground black pepper (add at will)

Method: 

1. Wash potatoes thoroughly. If you are using large potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces. Cut enough so there is only one layer on the bottom of the pan (your mileage may vary depending on pan size). 3 medium potatoes worked well in the 10" stainless steel pan that I used.***

2. Add water to cover, the salt, and the oil.

3. Bring to a rolling boil. Crank it up! Once it gets going it almost sounds like applause.

4. Stir once in a while. Once your water has almost completely reduced, test one of the pieces to see if it is done. If not, add a little more water and cook longer. Repeat if needed until the taters are tender. 

5. The "sauce" is made from the starchy water, so don't let them evaporate all the way unless you are planning on frying right away. If you want the creamy version, let the "sauce" remain and add the butter & pepper. Stir well & add more salt if needed. You can make it as thick or thin as you like. (Just add a little more water if you think your sauce is too thick.)

From here you can serve them as is, or add cream or milk and mash them. The flavor is out of this world good, and all of the nutrients remain instead of going down the drain.

I confess that I made some last night and there were no leftovers. I just called my last portion "dessert." 😆

***NOTE: I did not rinse the potatoes after cutting like I usually do. You can do that if you feel the need. There will be less starch after evaporation, but it will still be enough to make the "sauce."

So here they are again. Give them a try and let me know what you think. If you have any issues, or my instructions aren't clear enough, just let me know and I will fix them. The finished product should be so good that you could eat the entire batch by yourself. If that is not the case, notify me immediately so we can troubleshoot!

And again, if you have info about other versions of this recipe (if you make it or know anyone who has), please share it with me! I love food history & I would like to know why I have never seen it on a restaurant menu anywhere.  It could easily be held on a steam table until service, like some other potato recipes. 

Thank you! 😊

Creamy Goodness Right Here!!!