The Zombie...

If you attended high school in the Mount Diablo Unified School District, you were privileged at brunch and lunch to be able to purchase a Zombie for $.50.

What is a Zombie? It is a buttery yeast roll about five inches in diameter stuffed with Velveeta Cheese, and sometimes they would have ham.

Just the word Zombie, makes many alumni’s mouths water and evoke memories of friends, school events and great times.

So for all of you, who might have been deprived of these little balls of butter yeast, filled with warm gooey cheese that kept your hands warm on cold days, this one is for you.

I have made these several times over the past few years and have had several variations in the recipe. The one below is the easiest I have found and too all the Ugly Eagles out there don’t get mad since it came from an Ygnacio Valley High School Blog!Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Cups warm water
1½ Tablespoons yeast
6 Cups bread flour
¼ Cup sugar
1 Teaspoons salt
¼ Cup butter

Small box of Velveeta Cheese cut into 1 ½ to 2 oz portions

Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add remaining ingredients and mix with dough hook about 10 minutes until the dough no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Dough should be soft and pliable.

Let dough rest a few minutes then divide into 1-pound portions. Roll the portions into logs. Cut each log into 5 equal pieces.

Place your favorite filling on top of each dough slice, then pull dough up from the sides to cover filling. Pinch closed very carefully.

Place zombies pinched side down on parchment paper or a greased cookie sheet pan (parchment works best). If desired, brush with egg wash.

Let rise until almost doubled in size.

Bake @350 degrees until brown on top, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Southwest Potatoes

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Pan-fried then baked these potatoes pack a lot of flavor. This versatile side dish that could be used in many ways. Without the cheese topping, these would be great with scrambled eggs or take it step further and serve in tortillas with eggs, bacon or sausage and a little salsa.

Serve with the cheese and sour cream for a Taco Bell knock-off dish, or add left over roast chicken and serve in tortillas. Whichever way you choose these potatoes will have your family coming back for more.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of small potatoes diced into 1 inch pieces     

2 tablespoons of cumin

2 tablespoons of garlic powder

1 small package of Velveeta

1/3 cup of salsa

2 tablespoons of canola oil (vegetable oil, bacon grease would be the wonderful!)

¼ cup of sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475°F

Place potatoes, cumin and garlic powder in plastic storage bag or large bowl, toss until potatoes are well coated.

In large oven safe skillet warm oil, add potatoes and pan fry for ten minutes or until golden brown and tender.

Place skillet in oven for ten minutes stirring at five minutes.  If needed cook an additional five minutes (15 minutes total) until potatoes are crispy.

Slice Velveeta into 1 inch cubes, place in microwave safe bowl (I prefer my 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup) with salsa, cook on high, two minutes at time. Stir between intervals until the cheese is melted and smooth.  

Place ¼ to ½ cup portions of potatoes on dish, topping with cheese and a teaspoon of sour cream

We get 4 to 6 servings from this dish