Oven Baked Parmesan Fries

My love for potatoes is well documented as well as my search for an awesome baked fry recipe. I think I *may* have hit on it on Pinterest.

These fries are just so delicious. Besides being easy to make, they are tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. I think they would go with just about any main dish.  Even Mr. Meat Eater,  who has no love for potatoes, commented on how good they are.

I left out the rosemary because I don’t like it and added a bit more garlic powder because I love it. If you are going to do more than 1 pound of potatoes, you will have to remake the spices for each pound.

Oven Baked Parmesan Fries

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
2 TBSP of Kraft Parmesan Style Grated Cheese

Preheat oven to 425º.

Wash and cut potatoes into eighths. Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil and spray with a little Pam so the potatoes won’t stick.

In a small bowl, mix the spices and the Parmesan cheese.

Place all of the cut potatoes (one pound at a time if you are making more) into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the Parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag. Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated.  Remember that you will have to make a new spice mixture for each pound of potatoes.

Once potatoes are coated, empty bag onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.

Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. Your baking times may vary due to the amount and size of fries that you make.

Source:  Playing with Sugar

Happy Cooking!

He~Man Potatoes

Yes,  I love potatoes and try them in all kinds of ways.  I tried this recipe just because I loved the original name which was Masculine Potatoes 🙂  I changed the name and I still don’t know what makes them masculine or he~man, maybe the bacon and horseradish but I still think it’s cute.

Mr. Meat Eater hates bacon in recipes so I had to leave it out.  To compensate, I used a bit more horseradish.  The hardest thing about making these potatoes, is boiling and mashing the potatoes.  They are perfect for steak or roasts.

He~Man Potatoes

6-10 red potatoes
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup bacon bits
1 tsp horseradish
dash each of salt and pepper, use more if you like
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Boil potatoes until tender. Mash with skins left on and leave chunky, not smooth.

Stir in milk, sour cream, and butter. Add bacon bits, horseradish and salt and pepper.

Place in servings dish and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Adapted from Favorite Recipes of the Shenandoah First Responders Family and Friends

Happy Cooking!

The Great Shake 2012 ~ Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes by Adam Ried

As you may have guessed from the title of this post, I am participating in The Great Shake 2012 along with several other bloggers.   I was contacted by Judy and she asked if I would like to participate and I jumped at the chance.  She sent me a copy of Adam’s book, Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes.  You may recognize Adam from American’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Country, or as a columnist for The Boston Globe.

I LOVE this book!  There are so many wonderful recipes that it was difficult for me to choose.  My daughter and her husband happened to be here when I was trying to decide and between them and Mr. Meat Eater we went for….vanilla milkshakes.  We will never be accused of being trend setters.  BUT ~ this vanilla milkshake was the best one I have had in years and years.  I am looking forward to trying some of the others over the summer and I will blog about them when I do.

You NEED a copy of this cookbook if you are a lover of milkshakes!!!  Be sure to join us in a twitter chat tonight at 8 pm at #GreatShakes!

Ballistic Vanilla Shake
Recipe Courtesy of Adam Ried, Thoroughly Modern Milkshakes

1/2 cup cold milk, whole or lowfat ~ I used 2%
2 tsps vanilla extract ~ use pure vanilla
8 medium scoops French vanilla ice cream, softened slightly

Place the milk, vanilla, and ice cream in a blender and pulse several times to break up the ice cream. With the blender off, use a rubber spatula to mash the ice cream down into the blender blades. Continue pulsing and mashing the ice cream into the blades (with the motor off) until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture moves easily in the blender making sure all is well blended.

Pour into a glass or glasses and serve at once.

Happy Cooking!

Ham and Cheese Pastries

What a whirlwind couple of weeks!  Two showers for my daughter ~ one of which was at my house ~ so I have been busy, busy, busy.  I did all the cooking for the shower at my house ~ breakfast in the dining room and lunch in the kitchen ~ and I did not take pictures of all the food.  Oh well, I’ll have to remake them!  Yesterday, we went to the venue and got the menu for the reception all planned.  The wedding is coming up fast!

In between all that, I bought a new cookbook ~ The Back in the Day Bakery Cookbook ~ the recipes are just wonderful and easy to do.  If you get a chance, check it out.  I highly recommend it if you like to bake.

This recipe came from that cookbook.  Every Saturday Mr. Meat Eater and I go to a local bakery for breakfast.  I am addicted to their ham and cheese croissants so I am always looking for a similar recipe and this one is as close as I have gotten.

It’s easy to make and we had them for dinner.  I made half with the seasoning and half without since I wasn’t sure if I would like it or not.   I did.

Ham and Cheese Pastries
adapted from The Bake in the Day Bakery Cookbook

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Seasoning Mix
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp thyme
2 tsps pepper
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Fine sea salt to taste

Pastries
1 (17.3 oz pkg) frozen puff pastry, defrosted in fridge for 20-30 minutes
1/2 lb thinly sliced ham
1/2 lb thinly sliced sharp white cheddar
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water to use for egg wash
1 tsp fine sea salt

Preheat your oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the seasoning mix by mixing all spices in a small bowl and set aside. You’ll have extra to store for the next time you use this recipe!

On a floured surface, unfold the pastry and cut into 4 (5 inch) squares.

Arrange the ham and cheese in the middle of each square and sprinkling some of the seasoning mix over the top.

Fold two opposite corners over the top and press to seal. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with second pastry sheet.

Brush egg wash over the pastries and sprinkle with salt if desired.

Bake until pastries are golden brown ~ about 12-14 minutes. Remove from sheet and let cool on a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 8 pastries.

Happy Cooking!

Beef and Guinness Stew

I am 100% Irish and St. Patrick’s Day doesn’t really get me all excited.   My biggest pet peeve is that just because someone turns something green with food coloring doesn’t make it Irish and where did mint come from?  We never had green food unless it was naturally green like cabbage and mint was not even on the radar.  I understand getting into the spirit of the holiday but it just makes me twitch.  And no, I don’t like corned beef unless it’s in a reuben with a ton of sauerkraut.

Regardless of that, I DO like cooking with Guinness.  This recipe is similar to Irish Beer Stew which I posted in 2010 but this recipe is easier and tastes richer.  The beer really gives food a great flavor and goes so well with beef.   I added the button mushrooms just because I like them so you can leave them out if you aren’t a fan.  I like it with noodles and Mr. Meat Eater likes rice so I make both but serving with potatoes would be more authentic.  I’ve never been a big fan of stew but this is good and flavorful and perfect for your St. Patrick’s Day dinner or any time of year.  Serving it with Irish Soda Bread would be the icing on the cake.

Beef and Guinness

2 lbs lean beef stew meat
2 tbsps vegetable oil
2 tbps flour
1 pinch salt
black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 large onions, chopped
8 oz button mushrooms, cleaned, optional
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbps tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Guinness beer
2 cups chopped carrots
1 sprig fresh thyme
chopped fresh parsley for garnish, if desired

Mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne together. Dredge beef in flour mixture.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add beef and brown on all sides. Add the onions, mushrooms, and garlic.

Stir tomato paste in a small bit of water and stir to combine. Pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce heat to medium, cover, cook for 5 minutes.

Pour in half the beer and as it begins to boil, scrape up the bits off the bottom of the pan. Pour in the rest of the beer and add the carrots and thyme.

Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every now and then.

Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Makes 6 servings

Happy Cooking!

Adirondack Salt Potatoes

I have spent lots of time in the Adirondacks and have collected a bunch of cookbooks from the region.  I pulled them all out and one thing they all have in common is salt potatoes.  Just the name is enough to send my blood pressure even higher and my arteries harden but they are so delicious they are worth having once a year.

Mr. Meat Eater was smoking a slab of meat so I decided this was the perfect time for salt potatoes.  Up in the Adirondacks, I can buy the potatoes and salt all in one bag but down here I have to buy small potatoes (I used small yellow potatoes) and just throw in the salt.  They are served slathered in at least one stick of melted butter and any herbs you might want to throw in.  The insides of the potatoes become very creamy and delicious.

Any leftovers I cut up and make fried potatoes the next day but then I throw away any leftovers of those because they are so salty tasting by that time, they are almost inedible.  They are good to make for a barbecue and that is when we used to have them back in the day.

Mr. Meat Eater’s brisket rub remains a mystery.  He has a little book that he keeps all his concoctions in and I’ll be darned if I can find it.  I think he hides it.  This particular rub is a bit spicy for me but he loves it.  We serve it sliced up the first night and then make sandwiches with it the next day.  The rest goes in the freezer for another day.

Adirondack Salt Potatoes

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

8 cups water
1 1/2 cups Kosher salt
3 lbs small red or white potatoes, leave skins on
1 stick butter
Fresh herbs, optional
Pepper

Bring salt and water to a boil in a large pot. When boiling, add potatoes.

Cook potatoes until tender ~ about 25 minutes or so but test with a fork or knife at 20 minutes.

Drain potatoes. Put the pot back on the stove over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, turn off the heat, add the potatoes, herbs and pepper. Toss the potatoes and serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 servings

Happy Cooking!

Crockpot Lasagna

Before I forget, I want to thank everyone for all the kind comments and emails I received about Mr. Meat Eater.  We went to the doctor on Wednesday and there is NO cancer but he does have kidney disease.  Nothing too serious at this point but his doctor wants to slow the progression down quite a bit.  Right now that means changing up his meds so perfectly doable and easy.  We have no idea what the future will hold but it could have been so much worse and we are thankful that it wasn’t.

On to the recipe ~ I’ve seen crockpot lasagna recipes flying around the internet for a long time but I never believed it would work OR taste good.  Mr. Meat Eater loves lasagna but I rarely make it because it makes too much for just the two of us ~ I’m really bad about putting some in the freezer for another day and I can only take so many leftovers before I rebel.  I also hate throwing food away so I always look for smaller versions of our favorites.

This is a super easy recipe that I found on Tablespoon and it was posted by girlwhoateeverything blog.  I used a few more noodles than called for since I like the pasta otherwise I made it as posted.

Crockpot Lasagna

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

1 pound ground beef ~ I use 85%
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 (24 oz) jar spaghetti sauce ~ I think mine was 28 oz and I used the whole thing
1/2 cup water
1 (15 oz) container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
2 tbsps fresh parsley, chopped, or 2 tsps dried parsley
6 uncooked lasagna noodles ~ I used 8-10 noodles

Cook ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook for one more minute and then drain. Add the spaghetti sauce and water and simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix the ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbsps Parmesan, egg and parsley in a separate bowl.

In a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker, pour 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce mixture. Place half of the noodles (breaking them to fit) and then half of the cheese mixture on top of the noodles. Cover with 2 cups of the spaghetti sauce mixture. Repeat with the noodles (breaking to fit) and the cheese mixture. Pour the rest of the spaghetti sauce mixture over the top.

Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours or until noodles are soft.

Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and the remaining Parmesan. Cover and let the cheese melt. Turn off the crockpot and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Do NOT cook this on high and do not overcook or it will get mushy.

Makes about 8-10 servings.

Happy Cooking!

Chili That Even This Chili Hater Loves!!

It’s true ~ I hate chili.  Mr. Meat Eater, on the other hand, would eat it 5 times a week if I would make it.  It has taken me 32 years of wedded bliss to find a recipe that even I would eat and like and plan to make again!

The recipe calls for beer and I had some Guinness in the fridge so that’s what I used and it really gave the chili great flavor.  I only used one teaspoon of cayenne so that I could actually eat it and Mr. Meat Eater added more Tabasco because we all know that if food doesn’t make you sweat, it’s not nearly hot enough.

You will have to plan ahead a bit since this cooks for about 3 hours but it’s well worth it.

I found the recipe in the Southern Living 2011 Annual and I have never been steered wrong by a Southern Living recipe so I should have known it would be good.

Chili That Even a Chili Hater Will Love

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

2 lbs ground beef ~ I used 85%
1 medium onion, chopped
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced ~ I used 4 cloves
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (12-ounce) bottle dark beer ~ I used Guinness
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can beef broth
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles
2 tbsps chili powder
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsps ground cumin
1 to 2 tsps ground red pepper (Cayenne) ~ I used 1 tsp
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot sauce
Sour cream, cheddar cheese for toppings if desired

Cook beef, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring until meat is no longer pink. Drain well.

Combine meat mixture, beans, and next 11 ingredients in Dutch oven and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer 3 hours or until thickened.

Garnish with sour cream and cheese if desired.

Happy Cooking!

Garden Minestrone from Fresh from the Farmstand

Here is another recipe from Gooseberry Patch‘s Fresh from the Farmstand cookbook.  Don’t forget to sign up for my giveaway of a copy of this cookbook!  To enter, go to  THIS POST!  Entries on any other posts or on Facebook will not be counted!

I LOVE minestrone soup!  I also have a terrible habit of NOT reading a recipe through until I’m ready to start dinner.  I read the ingredients and that’s as far as I go.  I don’t see myself changing any time soon so I spend some time trying to figure out how I can change it up to work for me.  And that’s what happened with this recipe.  I didn’t start with dried beans so I used two cans of navy beans, rinsed.  My celery was so limp, I couldn’t stand to touch it so I threw it out and subbed fresh green beans.  Mr. Meat Eater refuses to eat anything with cabbage in it so I subbed spinach.  In place of the water used to cook the dried beans, I used chicken broth.  I also used 2 cans of diced tomatoes with the juice since tomatoes at this time of year are awful. I also threw in some oregano and basil. Soooooooo…same recipe?  I followed the recipe just using my substitutions.  You can make any recipe your own and this is just a good example of it.  This particular recipe is so good and that makes it easy to add your own ingredients.  My photo isn’t very good either, sigh ~ the white stuff is Parmesan which I have to have with minestrone.

The recipe was submitted to Gooseberry Patch by Kay Marone of Des Moines, Iowa.  Here is her recipe the way it is in the book.

Garden Minestrone

2 cups dried navy beans
10 cups cold water
2 to 3 tsps salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup celery, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
2 cups ditalini, uncooked
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a large soup pot over high heat, cover beans with water. Bring to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand for 1 to 2 hours. Drain; rinse beans well and return to pot. Add 10 cups cold water; bring to a boil. Stir in salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour.

Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium heat, saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil for 8-10 minutes or until onion is lightly golden. Add this mixture along with the tomatoes to the simmering beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for another hour.

Stir in cabbage, zucchini, pasta and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Garnish with Parmesan, if desired.

Makes 8-10 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Black Beans and Rice and a NEW Gooseberry Cookbook Giveaway!

The Giveaway is now over!!!

A BIG thank you to all who have sent me good wishes regarding my bout with gout.  Yes, I still have it and am on my 3rd medication.  I HOPE this one does the trick!

A new Gooseberry Patch giveaway starts today ~ the cookbook is called Rush-Hour Recipes and I will be cooking from it this week!  Giveaway rules will be at the end of this post for a copy of this cookbook.

Mr. Meat Eater has spent lots of time in the Caribbean ~ probably at least as much as he has spent here with me.  He really loves Caribbean-type food, including beans and rice.  When I saw this recipe I knew he would love it because it doesn’t have bunches of what he considers objectionable veggies in it.  I made it today for his lunch and he loved it.   I’ll have to take his word for it because I don’t like beans and rice so I didn’t even try it.  I did have some leftover so I am going to freeze it and next week I will add a little chicken and make tortillas with it.

I used brown rice instead of white and petite diced tomatoes since that’s what I had on hand.  Other than that, I followed the recipe.

The recipe was submitted to Gooseberry Patch by Aubrey Nygren-Earl of Taylorsville, UT.

Spicy Black Beans and Rice

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3/4 cup long-cooking rice, uncooked
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp paprika
1 (15 1/2 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for 4 minutes. Add uncooked rice and saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and seasonings. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in the beans and diced tomatoes and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until heated through.

Makes 8 servings.

VIEW PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE!

I have one copy of this cookbook to give away.  To enter the drawing please reply to this post and this post only.  For another chance to win the cookbook, please “LIKE” Gooseberry Patch on Facebook and let me know you have in your post.  If you have already “liked” them, just say so in your post.

The drawing will be held on December 23 and I will mail the cookbook after Christmas.   If I pick a winner and do not hear from the winner by December 27, I will pick a new winner.

Any questions, please send me an email ~ a_recipe_a_day at yahoo dot com.

Happy Cooking!