Wednesday & Thursday Dinners

Salmon-Potato Cakes over fresh spinach
homemade honey-wheat bread

I make this dish more often in warm weather, but I had a taste for it this week.

Salmon-Potato Cakes

1 can salmon, drained, skin & large bones removed, flaked
2 - 3 cups cold prepared mashed potatoes (can use leftover homemade or instant from a mix)
1 egg
Garlic salt, pepper, dill, celery seed to taste
bread crumbs
oil for frying

Combine salmon, mashed potatoes, egg and seasonings and mix well. Form into patties and coat in breadcrumbs. Cook in about 1/8th inch oil in hot skillet about 3 minutes per side, or until browned and crispy. Don't over-crowd pan - cook in batches, adding more oil to pan between batches if necessary.

To serve, place 2 - 3 cakes over fresh greens and drizzle with salad dressing of your choice. We really like Kraft Tangy Tomato-Bacon on this, but honey mustard is also quite good.

Note: Flavored instant mashed potatoes, such as roasted garlic or sour cream & chives, work well in this recipe. If using instant, decrease amount of water called for in directions by about 1/4 cup. But make sure the potatoes are cold and stiff - the cakes won't hold together if potatoes are hot and fluffy.

Wednesday Totals:

$2 - can salmon
$1 - 1/2 bag spinach
free - packet instant garlic mashed potatoes (free after triple coupons)
$1 - remaining ingredients (including ingredients for bread machine loaf)

$4 - dinner for 4 (sister joined us), plus 1/2 loaf bread left over

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I read in one of those "quickie dinner" articles that a great shortcut broccoli & cheese soup could be made by combining canned cream of potato soup, milk, frozen broccoli and shredded cheese. I was pressed for time last night, so I thought I'd give it a try. The verdict: they lied. It was edible, but nothing I'd make again. My homemade broccoli-cheese soup still reigns supreme. (I think it might have been better if I'd used just plain ol' Campbell's cream of potato soup, which I like. Instead, I used their fancier Select Harvest potato w/ roasted garlic. I tasted the soup out of the can and didn't like it then, so that should have given me an indication that I wouldn't like the final version.)

On the side we had grilled turkey- pepperjack sandwiches on the last of the homemade wheat bread. The soup may have sucked, but these rocked.

Thursday Totals:

$1.45 - 2 cans Select Harvest potato w/ roasted garlic soup (BOGO + double coupon)
.50 - bag frozen broccoli (BOGO + double coupon)
.75 - 1/2 bag shredded cheddar
free - wheat bread (accounted for last night)
$1 - smoked turkey lunchmeat
.40 - pepperjack cheese

$4.10 for dinner for 3, with lots of soup leftover (oh joy)

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I'm out of town this weekend, but should be back in the kitchen by Sunday or Monday.