Pancakes from a Mix

I never liked pancakes made at home.

They were always chewy- not soft and fluffy like the restaurant pancakes- and I could never get over that. Consequently, I haven't cooked them much. We had guests this weekend though, and one mentioned liking applesauce on pancakes. Since I had a huge amount of apples to use up, I made some applesauce and was determined to try to make some pancakes for her to put it on.

What I did:

Follow the directions on the package to add water and mix, then add water enough to make the batter much runnier. We don't want it to spread so thin we get crepes, but I didn't want to end up with thick pancakes uncooked in the middle, which has happened in the past. Add 2 teaspoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter and mix well. The mix I was using didn't have much flavor.

Make sure the skillet is evenly heated before starting to cook the pancakes- I didn't do this, and my first pancake of the batch was a failure. I also sprayed the pan to keep the batter from sticking.

What resulted wasn't a perfect pancake, but was definitely the best homemade pancake I've had. Next time, I'll try making them from scratch rather than from a mix, and see if that makes a big difference.

And, incidentally, my friend was right- applesauce on pancakes was great. Next time I might try my very-chunky applesauce in crepes- yum!

I made hashbrowns last night.

I didn't do it like this.

Baked Bacon

Bacon is notoriously hard to cook. There's a just-so temperature and just-so cooking time that will get the strips to the just-so crispiness. Too crisp or too chewy, and the bacon is very undesirable. I've gotten it right a few times, but I've also managed to get it wrong.

Last night, I tried a different strategy.

While pulling the bacon out of the freezer, I noticed it had instructions for stovetop, microwave, and oven preparation. Oven? That was new to me. Here's what I did:

Baked Bacon
- Desired number of strips of bacon
- Rimmed baking sheet or pan, big enough to lay the strips out without touching

• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Lay the strips of bacon on the pan such that they aren't touching (They'll stick together!)
• Bake for 15 minutes. There's no need for turning during cooking.
• Remove from pan onto plate with paper towels to drain.

Make sure to use a cookie sheet or pan with sides- the bacon grease collects in the pan, and I think the results would be really bad if it dripped onto the hot heating element on the bottom of the oven.

Why I liked this method:

• It was hands-off. When preparing a "breakfast meal" (which I do for dinner every week or two) The eggs need to be scrambled, the hashbrowns need to be turned, and the bacon needs to be watched closely to get it "just so". I only can do one thing at once, so the multitasking-to-serve-everything-hot is sometimes hard with this meal.
• The results were consistent. All the pieces of bacon were the same crispiness- none had burned or, worse- chewy- parts
• I only have 2 frying pans, so, with hash browns, eggs & bacon all needing one, the timing of the meal is hard to coordinate. I really hate cold eggs.
• The 15-minute cooking time was about the same time as it took to prepare the hashbrowns, so everything was served hot.
• No hot bacon grease to splatter all over the kitchen.

I'll try this method a few more times, and it may become my bacon-frying method of choice. The first try went very well!

Sweets for breakfast

I love Saturday morning breakfasts. Nothing beats hot-out-of-the-oven, from-scratch cinnamon rolls.


WAY better than from-a-tube cinnamon rolls, hands down.
We even have leftovers for today!

Buttermilk biscuits

Once upon a time, when I blogged about making biscuits and gravy, a friend commented that their biscuits went "from good to great" when they started making a buttermilk biscuit recipe. Our biscuits were OK- certainly good enough to be drowned with gravy before eating- so I didn't change the tried-and-true recipe.

Well, in this new kitchen, I've been wanting to cook like crazy, and yesterday morning I decided to make the jump. These biscuits turned out not only gravy-worthy, but jelly-worthy, soft and fluffy and better than any biscuits I've made before. I was delighted.

First, as you may know, I don't cook anything if I don't have the ingredients on hand. It is very rare that I go out & buy something to complete a recipe. I have to really be craving it. Anyway, this was more of a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I used what was on hand- and that meant, no buttermilk.
How to make buttermilk:

1 T lemon juice (or vinegar. Basically, something acidic) for each cup milk. Let stand a few minutes, then stir and use in the recipe.

Now, on to the biscuit recipe:

2 C flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 C shortening, chilled, cut into 1/2 n pieces
3/4 C buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until crumbly (I use my hands to do this, primarily because I've never figured out how to use a pastry cutter.) Make a well in the mixture and pour buttermilk in. Mix quickly, until a (very) sticky dough forms. Turn onto a generously-floured surface & fold over on itself 3 or 4 times (to make layers!) Roll to 3/4 in think. Cut biscuits. Put dimples in the tops of the biscuits to aid in even rising. Brush with butter (I forgot this part.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

I made about 9 good-sized biscuits. Like I said, these are soft & fluffy- smother them with butter, jelly, gravy, whatever you prefer. Definitely worth trying, though.

Make It From Scratch #31

Bloggers from around the world have been cookin', craftin', and makin' this week. Let's see what everyone came up with!

BREAKFAST
There were an unusual number of breakfast-related entries this week. No complaints from me- I'm always looking for new & tasty breakfast ideas!

From Sweden, the Hairy Swede at A Swedish American in Sweden makes Pannkakor- Swedish pancakes! The crepe-like creations were her first attempt at the dish, and sounded like a great experiment!

Terry at Mom on Wheels tried a new granola bar recipe- I love munching granola or granola bars for a quick snack or breakfast, and her recipe even includes chocolate!

Amy at The MomAdvice blog had cooked up some pumpkin waffles this week- which are the perfect breakfast for the impending Fall season! The honey butter she used to top them sounds heavenly as well.

DeputyHeadmistress at the Common Room offers up a variety of oatmeal recipes, including one involving a slow cooker the night before! I have never given oatmeal its due, I suppose- these look like healthy choices worth trying.

Sarah at The Patchwork of Life makes some classic buttermilk pancakes. She used to use Bisquick to make the pancakes, but then was won over by this delicious from-scratch recipe!

Delilah at The Miller Way completes the breakfast section with iced coffee- trying to take the "latte factor" out of her budget by making it herself!

I followed the trend and made a biscuits and gravy brunch Sunday morning- all from scratch, and much to my husband's delight!

NON-BREAKFAST FOOD
Like I said, there were a LOT of breakfast entries. There were about the same number of people out there who DIDN'T have breakfast on the brain, and were cooking food for the rest of the day:

Laura at Laura Williams' Musings gives us four great ideas for what to do with pumpkins- all edible! The soup, pie, butter, and rolls all sound yummy, and creative.

Lisa at The Frugal Momma makes pepperoni bread & pizza subs. I would never have thought to bake the cheese and pepperoni into the bread as well as using them for toppings!

Heather at The Fat-bottomed Girl made cocktail sauce from scratch this week, for her family to eat alongside fish caught in Canada on a fish trip!

Stephanie at Stop the Ride! tells us how she's saving some of the summer heat for the winter: she's pickling & canning homegrown hot peppers!

Melissa at A Penny Closer shares a frugal and tasty-warm comfort food, Chicken Tetrazzini. This is seriously one of my favorite easy meals to make, and I'm glad she shared her take on it.

Heather of HomeEc101 cooks up a black-bean soup. It looks like just the think to help us get through the cold temperatures that await us in a few months!

Silvia at Po Moyemu posted her daughter Emily's favorite chili recipe. As the weather gets cooler, chili is sounding better and better!

And, of course, we can't forget dessert. Karen from Balance in Diet came up with a chocolate-chip-cookie dessert that may be low fat, but doesn't appear to be low in sugar- not that's I'm complaining! It's a no-bake recipe, too, which makes it quick and easy!

Sewing, Crafting, and Growing
The "everything else" category this week has quite a variety- a testament to the creative participants!

Lori at I Will Learn to Sew is doing just that- and she finished her pink dress! She followed a pattern and did a fabulous job- she's way ahead of me!

HowToMe is doing some sewing as well- showing us how to create khaki shorts from slacks. Her step-by-step pictures make it look easy!

Joanie in the UK posts about reusing plastic packaging to make a cute and colorful window hanging at her blog Nini Makes. Looks like a great activity for the kids!

Stephanie at Adventures in the 100-Acre Wood shares how she has been watching grass grow in her yard- finally! Certainly she'll have a lush yard very soon- and then she'll have to worry about mowing!

Cindy at My Recycled Bags never fails with her crocheting-plastic skills. This week, she shares a pattern for a market bag that expands to accommodate all your groceries!

Delilah at junky love in freehand made potholders from old jeans! I have some old jeans I've been looking for crafting ideas for, and this may be just the thing!

Melanie at Bean Sprouts in the UK made a very-cute train quilt for her son. Although he's now grown out of his train-obsession, he still sleeps with it every night!

I, with the help of Matt & James, made a knitted blanket- for a new baby in the office. Check out all the blue over at keeping feet.

iamawahm at Working At Home Mom gives future MIFS participants a variety of crafty ideas for things they can make from scratch both for this carnival AND to sell!

Next week, participate! You can enter here. Look for the next MIFS carnival posted in a week over at And Miles to Go Before We Sleep.

Thanks for visiting!

Biscuits and Gravy

Before meeting my husband, I had never eaten biscuits and gravy. Upon learning this, he was shocked, since, growing up, it was practically his favorite meal. Needless to say, I had to learn to like it and learn to make it, just like his mother does.

That said, I can't believe I've never posted our recipe here, considering the meal is a staple at our house, when we find time to make everything. The meals is always made from-scratch and feeds about 3 people (more, if you have other sides like hashbrowns, eggs, or bacon)


The Biscuits
- 2 C flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 - 1/3 C shortening
- 3/4 - 1 C milk
Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening with hands until lumpy (I squeeze the shortening into the flour until it all looks like crumbs). Use a fork to quickly mix in milk, with not too much stirring, just enough to get everything wet. If it is too dry, add a bit more milk. Dump the dough on a floured countertop, roll the dough to 1/2 inch thick, and cut into squares or use an upside-down cup to get round biscuits. (I think proper biscuits should be round. My husband is less picky.)
Cook at 450 for 10-15 minutes. Makes about 12 small biscuits


I've decided it is impossible to take a good picture of gravy, ever.
Gravy:
- 1/2 lb sausage
- 1/2 C flour
- 3 C milk
Brown the sausage. If the sausage doesn't have much grease, add a teaspoon of butter. Take the pan off the heat and mix in 1/2 C flour. Put back on the heat and add the milk 1/2 C at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir occasionally until it boils. If the gravy gets too thick, add more milk.

These were recipe instructions I was given to recreate my husband's childhood home-cooked memory. Normally, he helps a significant amount,, and I may just tend to the gravy while he does everything else. This Sunday for brunch, however, I cooked the whole thing myself, and I think it turned out pretty well. Alas, no finished-product-on-a-plate picture because it was all gobbled up too quickly.

Camping Breakfast

I didn't grow up camping- it just wasn't something my family did. We were the type of family that, if we did go on a vacation that wasn't solely to visit family, would get a hotel in a tourist town, typically on the beach, and do typical vacation things. Once, as a nine-year-old, I insisted we go hiking for my birthday, and I loved it. That was the closest I got to an in-the-woods vacation. (My mom, on the other hand, hated the hiking, mainly because about 2/3 of the trail was mud.)

My husband's family, however, loves to camp, so my first tent-camping experience was just a few years ago. Since, I've been camping fewer times than I can count on my fingers, but I have already decided I love it. Besides loving the outdoors, the woods, the fresh air, and the serenity, I discovered I love camp cooking- especially breakfast. So, when my college friends started to plan a reunion in northern Indiana, and jumped at the chance. It was just going to be us & another couple camping, so I volunteered to make breakfast for everyone. It would be fun.

Well, as word got out about the reunion and people started finalizing plans, the 4-person camping trip turned into 12 then, at the last minute, 14, then, at the very last minute, 16. I went shopping for food when the planned-on number was 12 campers, and figured the food would stretch to feed the rest. It did. I was pleasantly surprised, after my Aldi shopping trip, that this large-scale breakfast was not more than $20! (I saved the receipt on purpose, but can't seem to find it at the moment.)

Here was the plan:

Supplies:
Coleman stove
2 frying pans
camp fire
"camp pie maker"
a knife
a couple spatulas
a pitcher

What I brought along:
2 doz eggs
1 lb sausage
1 package ready-to-eat bacon (You could use regular bacon. This is what I had on hand & threw in to the pile at the last minute.)
Potatoes
3 packages refrigerator biscuits
Milk
Water
2-3 frozen orange juice concentrate
butter
cooking spray

Menu:
Scrambled eggs
Sausage patties
Bacon
Potatoes
Biscuits
Milk
Orange juice

What I did:
- I figured that everyone would get up & be ready for breakfast all at once, so I planned on cooking in shifts, because cold eggs are gross, and because I only had 2 burgers to work with. The potatoes take the longest, so I peeled those & started cutting them up first, into small pieces, about a centimeter square. When a friend awoke and offered to help, I outsourced that task.

- Next, I started on the eggs: Crack 6-8 eggs in a frying pan, add about 1/3 cup milk, and mix till scrambled. Let cook over the Coleman stove. When 2 potatoes were cut up, those were put in the other frying pan with about 2 Tbsp butter. I found another friend to attend to those while I took care of the eggs.

- I outsourced the biscuit-making to my husband. This is everyone's favorite part of the meal, but the slowest because only 1 biscuit can be made at a time (unless you have more than 1 pie iron): Spray both sides of the pie iron generously with cooking spray. Place 2 refrigerator biscuits in the middle of the iron, close, and put into the campfire. brown on one side, then turn until done.

- As people got up groggily and started eating, I quickly made a pitcher of orange juice from the frozen concentrate and water. This was a very portable way to bring this amount of orange juice camping.

- When the eggs were done, I handed those out to the people who were awake, and quickly cooked the bacon. The type I brought doesn't take long to cook, and they are done when the slices are covered in bubbles (or, when they start to bubble, if you like chewier bacon. I'm a crispy-bacon girl myself.) the bacon was moved to a plate for people to grab as they liked.

- At this point, the potatoes are done, and those were handed out. I had a friend helping make sausage patties, and as those were made, I put those on the hot pan. Simultaneously, the second batch of eggs were started & finished.

- The sausages finished cooking and were handed out, and more potatoes were cut & put to cook in to sausage grease. These actually turned out tastier :) Everyone was awake, and the last batch of eggs were cooked.

By the end, everyone had their fill. No food was wasted, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Not everyone got a biscuit- in retrospect, I would have brought more & started them earlier. I was glad friends were helpful in all parts of the meal. And the best part: I had fun!

We were camping up at Indiana Dunes, and later drove to South Bend- in the neck of the woods of this week's Make It From Scratch hostess, Amy! Check out the carnival Tuesday!

From the Garden: Cilantro for Breakfast

Last night, after some negotiation, we had decided on some sort of breakfast food to have for dinner. I was perusing the internet for a breakfast casserole and came across one that looked delicious, but I had never seen before. It was basically eggs cooked over hashbrowns mixed with cilantro, and since I've been itching to use my cilantro before it goes to seed, I thought it would be perfect.

The blog with the recipe said this is actually an Indian dish, from the Parsi people. I tweaked it a bit because of our preferences and what we had on hand, and was very pleased with the results!

Pateta Par Eeda

3 eggs
2 large potatoes, shredded
small pinch ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp minced cilantro
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the garlic till lightly browned.
2. Season with salt and pepper
3. Press any excess water out of the shredded potatoes and add them to the pan. (I did this with a cotton towel, but not as well as with the crispy hashbrowns)
4. Add the cilantro and toss everything together and pat it down in the pan. (See my results) Cook on medium heat till the potato cake is browned at the bottom.
5. Flip it over (most easily done by flipping first onto a plate, then slide into pan. While I had the potatoes on the plate, I added about a tablespoon of oil to the pan, so the bottom would fry, too). Break the eggs over the potato cake and season them.
6. Cover and cook till the eggs are set the way you like them and the bottom gets browned and crispy.

The results were delicious, in my opinion. The outside of the potatoes were crispy, the inside soft but cooked, and the cilantro and garlic gave the whole thing a pleasing but unexpected taste. The eggs on the top just added to the whole interesting-textures aspect of the dish. We sliced the pan-shaped "casserole" into wedges to serve, and it fed both of us with generous servings.

A bonus: this is possibly the most 'local' meal I've cooked, with the eggs from the farmer's market and the cilantro from my 'garden'. I do have PLENTY of cilantro and parsley left, if anyone in the area wants some. This is also the first Indian cooking I've tried, not that I'd consider it typical Indian fare. An adventure all around.

Farmers market finds

The Carmel farmers market opened this weekend with much fanfare- free doughnuts! Because we had our two nephews in tow, we didn't get there in time for the doughnuts, but there was still plenty of fanfare.


Our nephews loved watching a band play (and were less interested in the food stands) Apparently they weren't the only kids that preferred the music:


I shopped quick while my husband was keeping the kids, and decided to try some eggs, peas, and broccoli from a couple different stands. Last night, I got the eggs out to try as part of our pancakes, sausage, and eggs dinner. While I'd expect I maybe might be able to get scrambled eggs of the same perfect fluffiness out of storebought eggs, these farmers-market eggs were excellent (or eggs-ellent?) with no effort. They are the freshest eggs I've ever tasted, and the first brown eggs I've had. I'm a fan.

Next up: the peas and broccoli also obtained Saturday at the market.

Find your local farmers market!

The Irresistible Omelette

I made some really good omelettes this week.

An omelette was one of the first things I ever tried to cook, and I discovered I was good at it, so, while in college, when we were over at my then-boyfriend, now-husband's apartment, we'd have omelettes for dinner fairly often. They're really a pretty good meal- very filling, but not heavy. And cheap! This week's selection was a sausage and cheddar omelette for my husband, and a garlic, mushroom, sausage, and mozzarella omelette for me.

Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/3 C milk
Filling ingredients:
Anything that sounds good will work. Cheese is usually included, along with vegetables or meat. I use whatever's convenient, really. Make sure all filling ingredients are fully cooked (i.e. brown the sausage or saute the mushrooms beforehand)

Heat an omelette pan on the stove. If you don't have an omelette pan, use your smallest frying pan. Your omelette will end up being a half-circle, half the size of your pan. If the pan is too big, the egg will spread out too far and be too thin, and break. Use three eggs if you're using a pan much bigger than 7 or 8 inches in diameter.

Break the eggs in a bowl and add the milk. Whisk these together, as if you were going to make scrambled eggs (you essentially are, minus the 'scrambling' part). Pour this mixture to the hot pan.

When the edges of the egg pool in the pan start to become defined (cooked), use a spatula to carefully lift a bit of the edge of the egg, and tilt the pan to let the uncooked egg run under the cooked edge. Repeat this process all the way around the pan, as many times as necessary to have all the egg mostly cooked.

When the top middle is still soft and the underside is somewhat browned, add cheese and filling ingredients to one half of the pan. Have a plate handy. Carefully lift the half without the filling to cover the filling. Take the pan off the heat and gently slide the omelette, still folded, onto a serving plate. Top with more cheese and a few filling ingredients for garnish, if desired.

Serve warm, with hashbrowns and/or toast or biscuits.

Servings: A two-egg omelette is a generous one-person serving. Often, I'll make a three-egg omelette and cut it in half for two people. Otherwise, for two people, one omelette is left to get cold while the second one cooks!

Notes: While looking for an example of an omelette pan, I found this explanation on how to make an omelette, that is probably more 'proper' than mine.

And, I know, I really shoulda taken a picture. I didn't. I'll update this next time I make omelettes and remember to have my camera handy.

Simple meals

Simple meals are OK.

Sometimes I just have to remind myself of that. I work a full day at the office and coming home expecting myself to be super-wife and whip up something amazing. This is sometimes too much. The last two nights, we've had easy-to-fix dinners that haven't taken very much time or effort at all to fix, but haven't sacrificed anything in the Delicious department.


Yesterday, Josh had eaten a late lunch, but we had to eat early to be at church in time for activities there. He wasn't that hungry, but I was, and there wasn't much time to figure out a good compromise. I went with a breakfast-dinner, partly because I could fix it easily, and partly because I had 3 dozen eggs I need to start using in my refrigerator.

It may be unusual, but one of my favorite comfort foods is the breakfast sandwich. Any kind of breakfast meat will do, really- ham, sausage, bacon, I like it all. Toast, croissant, English muffin- again, not picky. Last night, we had 4 pieces of bread left, 2 of them heels. I used the heels to make the sandwich, and made toast out of the other two, to go with his scrambled eggs and bacon. I had the same substance to my meal, I just stacked it all on top of each other :)

Easy Breakfast Sandwich

- Toast two pieces of bread, bagel, english muffin, or croissant.
- Break an egg into a frying pan. When the white starts to solidify, break the yolk. When the bottom of the egg is solid, flip it and let it continue to cook on the other side. This egg can't be over-easy or over-medium, it has to be cooked through, or you end up with a very drippy sandwich. Trust me.
- Fry the meat (sausage, ham, or bacon) to appropriate doneness. I used bacon, and actually got it perfect- not too crispy, not floppy. My husband was impressed.
- Stack everything together into a sandwich. Add a slice of American cheese, mayonnaise, or a tomato slice if desired.

Like I said. Simple. Josh just wanted scrambled eggs, bacon & toast which was just as easy.

Tonight, we had another simple meal because I wasn't as hungry, but he was. Dinner was quesadillas with ground turkey - plenty filling, and oh-so-quick to make. And fairly healthy! Other vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, or onions can be included in quesadillas, but we like the simple cheese-and-meat version.

Quick Quesadillas
4 tortillas
Mozzarella cheese
1/3 lb ground turkey
~2 tablespoons salsa (I was out of taco seasoning. I think the salsa actually might have given it a better flavor, anyway.)

- Brown ground turkey with the salsa in a pan. Set aside.
- Butter or spray with cooking spray one side of 2 tortillas. Place one tortilla buttered-side-down on a plate. Top with cheese, half the meat, and more cheese. Top with the other tortilla, butter-side-up.
-Transfer quesadilla to a hot George Foreman grill (This could probably be done in a pan, but I haven't tried. Wouldn't be hard, I suppose. If doing it in a pan, you'd have to make sure to flip the quesadilla). Let cook till outside is somewhat crispy and cheese is melted.
- Repeat with other two tortillas to make the second quesadilla.

Makes 2 quesadillas. If used for an appetizer, this would feed 4-6. We had it as a meal, and it fed two.

Easy easy. Yummy, too.

Crispy Hashbrowns

Originally posted at keeping feet on 3/24/07

I love breakfast. I don't normally make time to eat it during the week- I'll occasionally grab some granola or make some oatmeal, and I always appreciate the free Friday breakfasts at work, but that's it. On a lazy Sunday morning, Josh & I will make a production of a biscuits-and-gravy brunch periodically. We had some time this morning, so I decided to throw together an easy breakfast to get us up and going before going to help move my parents out of their house. The bacon wasn't cooked from scratch- we've found we like the ease of the pre-cooked-bacon-in-a-box (I know, I'm such a slacker), and the scrambled eggs are too easy to share a recipe here (besides, I don't really have a recipe), so the Made From Scratch posting today is about crispy hashbrowns.

I don't like floppy, wet hashbrowns, and I don't like grease-soaked hashbrowns either. The shredded, crispy potatoes are the best, but aren't easy to get. Normally, we just settle for frozen tater tots baked in the oven, but this morning I remembered a recipe from a while back I'd been wanting to try.
First, I peel the potatoes. No challenge here. I used two medium-sized potatoes, thinking that would be the right amount for just the two of us. Next comes the shredding with the cheese grater. After grating just one potato, I realized that two potatoes was going to be way too much for us, but a grated the second potato anyway- I felt like I had to, it was already peeled.
Now for the fun part. Apparently the secret to crispy hashbrowns is to squeeze all the water out of the potatoes before frying them. I had never really thought of potatoes having that much water in them- who's heard of potato juice, anyway? - but I proceeded to blot the pile. And squeeze. And press. Four paper towels later (check out the soaked pile in the picture), I decided to move on to a cotton towel, because the moisture was still coming. Finally, I gave up and decided they were drier than they were, whether they're 'right' or not. Besides, the pan of oil heating on the stove was ready.
The shredded potatoes were now piled in the pan, frying. The recipe said "After a few minutes, lift up one edge of the potatoes and see how done they are. When they have fried to a golden brown they are ready to flip." Well, I didn't know when the perfect 'golden brown' was reached, so I let them go about 5 minutes, then flipped them (all in one piece!). On the other side, I cooked them much less time.
In the end, I probably cooked them too long on the first side. They sure were crispy and not soggy! .... but they were potato-chip-crispy, which was a bit much for me. I think I either needed more potatoes (to have a thicker layer to cook, leaving the middle pieces softer) or a shorter cooking time. Squeezing the shredded potatoes dry was definitely the right move, however, to achieve the right end result. I'll have to experiment more later, on the next lazy weekend morning we've got.

One more time, all that crispy-breakfast-potato goodness...