What to eat...

I haven't made artichokes in a loooong time. I think it was about 10 years ago.
I was a young and clueless back then. 
After cooking the artichoke I kept peeling away wondering what happened to the edible part. I peeled until there was nothing left. Then, upset and confused, I chucked everything away. Yes. Even the heart.

I hadn't cooked an artichoke since then. 

Not really my fault. I didn't grow up eating artichokes. My mom is not familiar with artichokes and I'm pretty sure that till this day she has never eaten one.
Thankfully my husband taught me how to eat them. Honestly I'm still a little confused as to which parts are edible, but I'm able to fake it really well.

I saw instructions on working with artichokes in the cookbook and I thought it was time to revisit this vegetable.  However, I was still worried that I would somehow mess up like I did 10 years ago.

So worried that I kept putting it off until the artichokes looked like this:

I was hoping that they would still taste good despite being old. 

Step 1: Cut the top part of the artichoke.

I feared I would either cut off too much or too little but I guess it's not that important because according to my husband his mom never cuts off the top part.

Step 2: Trim the lil thorns from the bottom leaves.

Thorns, another reason this vegetable worries me.

Step 3: Cut the stem "until it can stand." 

The artichoke on the left is a bad example and the artichoke on the right is a good example.

Step 3:  Wash the artichoke opening the leaves so the water can also clean the inside.

Step 4: Place them upside down in a steamer and steam for 30 min.

Thanks to my son (more about that later), I overcooked them.

Despite being overcooked and old, they were still delicious, especially the heart!

This will definitely not be my last time making these. And not only because there are more recipes in the book with artichokes.

Next I had to figure out what to make for dinner. My initial plan involved going to the market to pick up a couple things but that plan went out the window when my son decided he would not nap despite being super tired and cranky. The morning nap dilemma overcooked my artichokes and after taking over 2 hours to get the baby to nap, I was left with very few ingredients and with very little time. I toyed with the idea of making "Spinach and Herb Torta in a Potato Crust" but without the spinach, herbs or cheeses.  I guess that would have only left me with the crust. 

I finally settled on "Latkes: Potato Pancakes with Eggs and Onions."

 The recipe asked for 2 .5 lbs of potato's and since I don't have a kitchen scale I used what I did have.

  

It did the job. 

Step 1: Peel and shred the potato's. 

You can use the large holes from a grater or a food processor.

This is how it should look.

The potato was watery so I dried it a bit with some paper towels.

Step 2: Add the eggs, shredded onion, flour, salt and black pepper to the potato.

Step 3: Mix it all up

Step 4: Spoon the mixture onto a hot oiled pan.

Step 5: Cook for about 6 min on each side or until golden brown. 

Step 6: Serve with sour cream (or in my case Labne) and applesauce.

Simple, quick, cheap and delicious! Tonight could have turned out real ugly but it all worked out.
Hooray!!