Custom Search

2009

TODAY's CASES:

Potatoes Wonderful

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Benjamin" 
To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com
Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 4:36 PM
Subject: Recipe Request - Good Ol Days Potatoes Wonderful

> Hi,
>
> This one I have zero hope of ever finding -- there was a local chain of 
> restaurants around the Atlanta, GA area called "Good Ol Days" - I'm not 
> sure when they went out of business but they were definitely around in the 
> lates 70's early/mid 80's.
> They were famous for their flowerpot bread sandwiches -- the particular 
> recipe I would dearly love to have is for their side dish "Potatoes 
> Wonderful".  It was a flavored "mashed" potato that was put in to like a 
> cake frosting bag and squirted in to hot oil (like a funnel cake) and deep 
> fried.  It was absolutely delicious!  I'm guessing it must have had 
> something like powdered onion dip mix or perhaps powdered ranch dressing 
> mixed in with the "mashed" potatoes.  If you, or anyone, could get me 
> anywhere close to a recipe for that I would be forever in your debt!
>
> Thanks so much,
>
> Benjamin

Hello Benjamin,

Sorry, no luck. Looks like other people are looking for this with no success. See:

Recipezaar

Phaed

Timm offers a possibility below.

Phaed 

In response my own Sept 28th, 2009 search for Potatoes Wonderful from Good Ol' Days ( https://www.hungrybrowser.com/phaedrus/m1016F09.htm#1 )

This was posted on Recipezaar (now food.com) ( https://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=260324&sid=4c28539e94ffcd3f6b4bb045cb3fc0d5 )

I made this late last night using an old cheese straw "gun" and I must saw - IT'S FANTASTIC!!!  
I actually used the carton of "dehydrate?" mashed potatoes and followed the recipe exactly.  
I also used a jar of "mince" garlic.  
Not sure if Good Ol'  Days used "real" garlic or powdered garlic but the taste took me back to 1980 none the less.

I think we got this one. I just submitted the following - to my taste it's pretty darn close! 

"Potatoes Wonderful - Good Ol' Days Clone" 

20 min | 15 min prep | SERVES 2 , 2 Plates 

Clone recipe of the fantastically delicious Good Ol Days Potatoes Wonderful. Now if some one can knock out the flowerpot bread sandwiches 
I'll be in heaven! Please note that you will need a star shaped shooter, pastry bag, etc. About 1/2" wide - something about the size of cheese straws. 
This allows the outside edges of the star to cook more and get extra crunchy while the inside is wonderfully soft and delicious. 
Squirting these out "round" is not going to even be close to as good...but if you've got no choice... Feel free to use whatever mashed potatoes you like. 
I made these with the powdered "Idahoan Real Premium Mashed Potatoes" and it worked perfectly. 
The recipe below refers to the "4 serving" size on the Idahoan potato box - made according to the directions with water/milk/margarine. 

Ingredients 

4 servings mashed potatoes 
2 1/2 garlic cloves, crushed 
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 
1 egg, lightly beaten 
oil (for frying) 

Directions 

1 Mix mashed potatoes, garlic, parmesan and egg well. 
2 Put in to Pastry bag, cookie shooter - something with an appropriately sized star shaped tip. 
3 Heat oil to approximately 325°F. 
4 Squirt potato mixture in to hot oil much like a funnel cake and fry to desired doneness. Sharp edges of the stars should be deep brown - do not overcook. 
5 Drain on paper towels and enjoy! 


I put this together after reading a blog post By Sally - who was the lady that started Good Ol' Days and created Potatoes Wonderful: 

https://sallysevents.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/potatoes-wonderful/

Benjamin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
While I do not have the Recipes for Potatoes Wonderful, I may be able to point you 
in the right direction.  There is a classic French recipe called “Pommes de Terre Lorette” 
that sounds quite similar.  The potatoes are wonderful in this recipe. As for flavoring 
the potatoes; there are many recipes on the internet for flavored “Potato Croquettes” 
that should do quite well.

Timm in Oregon

Pommes de Terre Lorette

  Ingredients:

  For Duchesse Potatoes:

  1 pound medium boiling potatoes
  1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  1 whole large egg
  1 large egg yolk
  1-1/4 teaspoons salt
  1/8 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

  For Frying:

  About 4 cups vegetable oil
  Special equipment:
  Potato ricer
  Pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch star tip
  Deep fat thermometer

  Instructions: 

For Duchesse Potatoes: Peel potatoes and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cover potatoes 
with cold salted water by 1 inch in a 2 quart pot, then simmer, uncovered, until 
tender, about 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return to pot. Dry the potatoes by shaking pot 
over low heat until all moisture is evaporated and a film begins to appear on bottom 
of pot, about 2 minutes.

Force the potatoes through ricer into a bowl. Add the butter, whole egg and yolk, 
salt, and pepper; stir with a wooden spoon until very smooth. Keep potato mixture warm, 
covered.

For Frying: Place the oven rack in middle position and preheat the oven to 200F degrees.

Heat 2 inches of oil in a 5 to 6 quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until a 
thermometer registers 370F degrees.

While resting the metal tip of pastry bag on the edge of pot, pipe eight 2 inch lengths 
of potato mixture directly into oil (use caution when piping into hot oil), using a small 
knife or kitchen shears to cut off each length of dough at tip of bag. Fry the potatoes, 
turning over once with a slotted spoon, until crisp, golden, and cooked through, about 
2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly. Fry the remaining potato mixture 
in batches in same manner. 

Transfer the potatoes as fried and drained to a metal rack set in a large shallow baking 
pan in oven to keep them crisp and warm until ready to serve.

Pine Cone Apple Fritters

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Joe 
  To: Uncle Phaedrus 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 6:05 PM
  Subject: apple fritter

  Hi I used to be a truck driver and I liked to stop at a truckstop in Wisconsin called 
The Pinecone. It is located at the intersection of I94 and Hwy 26 in Jefferson County, 
in the town of Johnsons Creek. they have some of the best sweet rolls and cream puffs 
that I have had anywhere. I would like to know if you can get the recipe for their 
fritters? they had awesome apple fritters and strawberry fritters, I'm retired now and 
no longer get up that way. The fritters had fruit and cinnamon in them and an almost 
clear glaze on them. As I recall they were a very yellow dough so I'm thinking eggs 
in the dough. They were deep fried if I remember right and were very lumpy on top, 
they were chock full of apples and always very soft and sooo good.

  Thanks for any help you can give me
  Joseph

Hello Joseph,

No luck obtaining their fritters recipe. There's a page about The Pine Cone here:

Roadfood

Phaed

Wolfies'

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Ann
  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
  Sent: Monday, September 28, 2009 11:49 AM
  Subject: Recipe hunt

  Dear Phaedrus,

  You have a most interesting web site....The first year we were married, my husband 
and I went to Ft. Lauderdale for spring break and ate in a restaurant called Wolfies. 
Now 38 years later we still talk about the cheesecake we ate there.  It was light and 
fluffy, plain with only a crumb crust. I have looked, but have never been able to find 
it.  Can you help?  My husband would be soooooo excited.  

  Thanks,    Ann

Hello Ann,

Wolfie's, according to what I read, was a regional chain in Florida. There's a postcard photo of one here:

Wolfies'

However, there are no recipes from Wolfie's anywhere that I can find.

Phaed

Linda directed me to this recipe: 

Wolfies Cheesecake

Preparation: 
Let stand for 2 hours - 1 stick of butter and (4) 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese. 
Carefully separate 6 eggs, keeping the whites aside.
Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

Crust:
Finely grind one sleeve of graham crackers with 1/3 C sugar.
Add 1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature Mix thoroughly. Line the bottom 
of a spring-form cake pan with the mixture.

Filling:
In a large mixing bowl add:
(4) 8 oz pkgs of cream cheese at room temp
4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
1 Cup sugar
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Almont extract
3 Tbsp flour
8 oz Sour Cream
6 egg yolks

Cream these ingredients with a mixer. Put aside.
WHIP the egg whites, slowly adding 1/2 t of sugar until the egg whites form soft peaks. 
FOLD do not stir or mix, the egg whites into the creamed ingredients until they almost 
disappear into the creamed mixture. THIS IS WHAT MAKES WOLFIES SO DIFFERENT.

Pour into the Spring pan (I coat it with PAM) and bake at 375 F for 45-50 minutes or 
until you see the top crack. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes.
REDUCE OVEN TO 350 F.

Topping:
8 oz Sour Cream
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Pour topping onto the somewhat cooled cheesecake and place back into the oven at 
350 F for 20 minutes.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.

Kresge's Butterscotch Pie

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Norine 
  To: phaedrus@hungrybrowser.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 11:58 AM
  Subject: Kresges Butterscotch Pie

Hello

I literally stumbled upon your site, via Stumble. You have a terrific site, 
very impressive, very engaging. 

I am looking for a recipe from Kresge's. I've looked through your archives and 
googled as best I could, without luck. 

The recipe I am looking for is Butterscotch Pie from Kresge's. I am originally 
from Timmins, Ontario, and Kresges made these pies on Thursdays.  They were 
the best.  Butterscotch, with a meringue top.   As kids, we would eat them with 
lots of cinnamon sprinkled liberally atop.  If you able to find this recipe, 
I would be most grateful, as the pie certainly conjures many fond memories. 
Many thanks. 

Norine

Hi Norine,

Sorry, I had no success locating this recipe.

Phaed

Almond Pate

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "tammy "
To: 
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 8:12 PM
Subject: pate recipe

>I have searched in vain for years for a recipe a friend's Mom served  us 
>once.  It was a pate made with smoked almonds (no goose liver).   She said 
>it came from Sunset Mag but I have had no luck with them.  It  went great 
>on crackers with a glass of white wine!
>
> Thanks for any help.
>
>Tammy

Hi Tammy,

I can't find any "smoked" almond pate recipes at all, but I can find "mushroom-almond pate" recipes. There's one from Sunset Magazine here:

mushroom-almond pate

There's also one below that sounds good.

Phaed 

Mushroom - Almond  Pate

3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 lb. mushrooms, chopped
1/4 tsp. thyme
1 c. almonds, toasted
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

 1. Saute first five items over medium heat until moisture is absorbed.  2. 
Process almonds, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in food processor until 
smooth.  3. Add all the ingredients together in food processor and process 
until smooth.  4. Refrigerate several hours, covered.  Can be frozen.  5. 
Serve with light rye bread, crackers, brie cheese.  Serves 20.
---------------

Paul offers these possibilities.

Phaed 

Phaedrus,

See below for a couple recipes for almond pate, one with a video. Add a few drops of 
Liquid Smoke to the final product to get the "smoke" flavor Tammy remembers.  

Thanks for the time you spend to produce your site.

Paul 

Living-Foods

ifood

""

Copyright (c) 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Phaedrus