Baked Basil Fries

Courtesy of Taste of Home...

Ingredients
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 medium red potatoes

Directions

In a bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, oil, basil and garlic powder. Cut potatoes into 1/4-in. sticks. Add to bowl, and toss to coat.

Place in a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15-20 minutes on each side or until crisp and tender. Yield: 4 servings.

My review:
VERY yummy!  Especially when dipped in some ranch dressing. ;-)  Chris and Brandon liked them, so I'd consider 3 out of the 4 of us a good number!  Of course, Caleb doesn't entirely count cause he's pretty picky.  LOL  I took them out after 10 minutes the second time...I didn't want them to get burned.  This was definetly an easy recipe and something I would do again.

Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie

Pastry for two-crust pie

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

6 cups blueberries

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp stick margarine or butter

Heat oven to 425.  Prepare pastry (or in my case, unroll it from the box it came from)

Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon in large bowl.  Stir in blueberries.  Turn into pastry-lined pie plate.  Sprinkle with lemon juice.  Dot with margarine/butter.  Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute.  Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.  Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.

Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust.  Cool in pie plate on wire rack.  Serve warm if desired.

I apologize - I forgot to take pictures while I was preparing it, but it really was very simple!  I've never made a pie before and blueberry is my favorite!  I can't wait to try this out tonight, with a bit of cool whip on top.  YUMMY!

What NOT to do...

I've decided that I am just UNABLE to cook meat.  I don't think I've ever really been able to get it right, which is sad, because I know Chris would really LIKE some good meat!  I found a recipe for oven-baked bbq pork loin ribs.  Here's the meat...all pretty!

I gathered all the ingredients for the sauce...it was looking promising!  The recipe said to just cover the meat with the sauce and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour (uncovered).  So, that's what I did!

 

In the meantime, I had one of those seasoning packets where you just drizzle some oil over potato wedges, sprinkle the seasoning on, and bake!  Easy, right?!  Here they are...ready to go in the oven!

This is what the meat looked like...

...after I yanked it out of THIS:

And my potatoes...well....they didn't fare any better:

I thought that at least the potatoes would've survived!  Unfortunately, they didn't.  Fortunately, Chris is very forgiving and just appreciated that I tried.  Looks like I need to take some cooking classes...

Be a critic!

I know not everyone is okay with the idea of leaving their name on a comment, so I've added some things to the bottom of the posts, including a "star" rating, and a comment you can click on.

Of course I'd love to hear if you've tried one of these recipes, or if you have an idea to make it EVEN BETTER!

Blackberry Cobbler

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup butter, divided

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

 1 1/2 cup self-rising flour (OR 1 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 2 1/4 tsp baking powder)

1/3 cup milk, room temperature

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp sugar

 

In baking dish, melt 1/2 cup butter; set aside.

In saucepan, heat sugar & water until sugar melts; set aside.

Place flour (and salt/baking powder if needed) in a mixing bowl.  Cut remaining butter until fine crumbs form.  Add milk, stirring with a fork until dough leaves side of bowl.  Turn out onto a flowered surface; knead 3-4 times.  Roll out in an 11x9 pan.

Spread berries over dough; sprinkle with cinnamon (I forgot to do this until later, but it still tasted fine).

Roll up, jell-roll style.

Cut into 1/4 inch slices. 

Carefully lay slices in baking dish over the butter (this is where I obviously put the cinnamon on).

Pour sugar syrup around the slices.  It will be absorbed.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  Sprinkle the last of the sugar on top and bake for 15 more minutes.

Serve warm or cold!

MY REVIEW:   This was delicious!!!  And you probably didn't even notice the small handful of blueberries mixed in there - I didn't quite have 2 cups of blackberries.  But it worked!  I'd say the only downside to this dish is having to wait an hour to eat it!

Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Garlic-Chive Mashed Potatoes

5 potatoes, peeled and then quartered

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1/8 tsp paprika

1 cup chicken broth, warmed

2 1/2 cups sour cream

2 Tbsp chives

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Peel and quarter the potatoes, placing them in a large pot, covering them with water.

Peel 3 garlic cloves, placing them into the pot, whole. 

Get the remaining ingredients ready.

Put paprika in with the potatoes and garlic.  Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and let boil 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Drain pot and place in large mixing bowl.  Mix well, then add the rest of the ingredients.

Serve and enjoy!

MY REVIEW:  These were quite tasty, although I should've paid more attention when pouring in the broth and sour cream.  Using 5 pototoes is relative...so mine turned out quite a bit more soupy than desired.  Not bad, but I should've just slowly put things in and gone with the feeling of the thickness.  Brandon liked them - Chris prefers baked potatoes.  I saved the rest in the fridge, so we'll just have to wait and see how they are re-heated.

Baked Paprika-Parmesan Chicken AND Bacon Tomato Rotini

I was down on ingredients so I quickly looked for something I could throw together.  Originally, I was going for a baked potato with my chicken, but when I got home I found they were no good.  So a pasta side dish it was!

Baked Paprika-Parmesan Chicken
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp milk
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat a shallow baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine flour, parmesan, paprika, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and milk.  Dip chicken in the egg, then dredge in the flour mixture.  Place in the baking dish, and pour melted butter evenly over the chicken.

Bake about 1 hour, 15 minutes until cheese has bornwed, and chicken has cooked.

Bacon Tomato Rotini
1 lb rotini pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup parmesean
2 tsp parsley flakes
8 slices backon (I used bacon bits)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (I used only one - it's what I had on hand)

Cook pasta. In saucepan, melt butter & stir in flour, salt, pepper.  Blend in milk, stirring constantly over low heat until thick and bubbly.  Stir in cheese, parsley, bacon, tomato and rotini.  Toss to coat evenly and heat through.  Serve immediately.

MY REVIEW:  The chicken was good, although a little over-cooked and a bit dry.  Still very edible though - Brandon even ate some of his.  The pasta was good and Brandon LOVED it.  It was good the second day too, although I had to add some milk to the saucepan when heating it up to help make it creamy again.

Almost-Lasagna

The recipe can be found here at cdkitchen.com.  I had this a couple weeks ago when my friend Tiffanni made it and the entire family LOOOOVED it!  I made this today and I'm already anxious for dinnertime!  Paired with a yummy french bread, it's the perfect dinner.

Almost-Lasagna
1 box your favorite pasta
2 jars (28-oz) pasta sauce (one with tomato chunks works well)
1 egg
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup parmeesan cheese
1/2 cup italian breadcrumbs
1 bag mozzarella cheese
1 container (16-20 oz) ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
1 dash each salt & pepper

Grease crock-pot, or spray with non-stick spray.  Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.  Brown and drain meat.  Toss pasta w/olive oil.

Add pasta sauce to mixture, toss well.  Stir together 1 cup parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 1/2 bag mozzarella cheese and brown meat.  Can sprinkle lightly with garlic powder (I didn't do this).  Beat together ricotta, 2 eggs, 1 cup parmesan cheese, parsley, salt & pepper.

Pour half of pasta/sauce/meat mixture into crock-pot.  Spread entire ricotta mixture over first layer of pasta.  Cover ricotta layer with remaining pasta mixture, and cover with remaining cheese.  Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours.

OKAY.  When Tiffanni made this, she accidentally mixed it ALL together.  It was fabulous.  So, since that was what I was used to, that's what I did - only I did top the remaining mozz. cheese.  I'm not a huge fan of having to layer things like that, so knowing that mixing it together would work out just fine, was good for me.

YUM!

Looking to the future

I'm not intentionally ignoring this blog - I'm just pregnant and nauseous! I think in the last 3 weeks I've actually made a total of 2 meals. The thought of preparing food just kills me. So, hopefully in a few weeks I'll be back to my old self and can finally try a few more recipes!

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins

This has got to be the EASIEST recipe for blueberry muffins from "scratch" and it's very tasty.  It makes 1 dozen.  I made these just about 3 hours ago and there are only 3 left!

Sour Cream Blueberry Muffins
2 cups biscuit/baking mix
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

In a large bowl, combine biscuit mix and 3/4 cup sugar.  In a small bowl, combine eggs and sour cream; stir into the dry ingredients until just mixed.  Fold in blueberries.

Fill greased muffin-cups 3/4 full.  Sprinkle with remaining sugar.  Bake for 20-25 min at 375 or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Supposedly, one muffin is 195 calories.  I used light sour cream though so I think I saved about 20 calories.

WW 1-Point Chili

I found this recipe on SparkPeople. I haven't tried it yet, but I want to create a good list of things under 300 calories to try. This one happens to be WAAAY under 300 calories (just 67!). This will be a little challenging as I'm not a huge fan of zucchini. BUT, I know I need to try widening my tastebuds.

WW 1-Point Chili
10 ounces extra-lean ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, diced
2 (28-oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, diced
2 medium yellow squash diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans
2 (15-oz) cans fat-free, reduced-sodiumbeef broth
4 celery stalks, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 (1 1/4-oz) package dry chili seasonings.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the turkey and onion and saute' until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the browned turkey and onion mixture to a large soup pot and add the tomatoes, zucchini, squash, beans, broth, celery, bell peppers, and chili seasoning. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Serves 20.

300 or less

After a weekend of eating WAY too much food, and especially food that I KNOW isn't all that good for me, I have a new goal. I know that a lot of recipe websites have things that are 300 calories or less per serving, so I'm going on a hunt for those. HOWEVER, there's a requirement for what I find - not only must it taste good, but it has to use ingredients that I KNOW.

I happen to have a Cooking Light subscription at the moment, and honestly, I'm a bit more than disappointed. Although I know that the cooks for that magazine spend a LOT of time researching and testing before finally figuring on a great recipe to share, they usually have either 1) ingredients I've never heard of and therefore probably wouldn't try or 2) they have nuts.

I know that in a lot of cases, I can just use a recipe and omit the nuts. But sometimes you can tell that the recipe really depends on the nuts for flavor, crunchiness or something else that they feel is necessary.

I like simple ingredients that come together to make amazing foods. Wish me luck on this next adventure! (And yes, if I end up with lots of these 300 calorie or less recipes, I'll likely just have to start another blog!)

Spanish Rice

I got this recipe from my good friend Liz...of course, nailing down specific measurements was a little difficult, but I've made this a few times and so far each time it's been yummy!

Spanish Rice
2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp chicken boullion
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
salt
pepper
tomato sauce OR ketchup
chopped union

Brown rice and oil until golden brown in a large skillet or pot. Combine remaining ingredients and heat up in microwave. Add to the rice, stir and get to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover (leaving vent open) and simmer for 20-30 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH BEFORE IT'S DONE!

Here is the oil and rice - I stirred frequently to keep any of the rice from burning.

Here is the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. If I had to guess, there's probably 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped onion in there.

Here's what it looks like combined!

I personally, like my Spanish Rice with some sour cream, but it's certainly good on it's own. It turned out light and fluffy and perfect!

Blueberry-Peach Crisp

I really like apple crisp and I have a great recipe that's easy and tasty. It's one of those desserts that tastes more complicated than it is. However, blueberry-crisp is scrumptious! I have this recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens Complete Book of Baking cookbook. I couldn't find this particular recipe online, but here's a link to their website and it looks like there's some other yummies on there!

Blueberry-Peach Crisp

3 cups sliced, peeled peaches or frozen unsweetened peach slices

2 cups fresh blueberries or frozen unsweetened blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup rolled oats

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbsp butter (no substitutes)

vanilla ice cream (optional)

Thaw fruit, if frozen. Do not drain. Transfer fruit to an ungreased 2-qt square glass baking dish. Stir in granulated sugar. Set fruit aside.

For topping, in a medium mixing bowl, stir together oats, flour, and brown sugar. Using a pastry blender (or as I do, forks), cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle topping over fruit. Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until topping is golden. If desired, serve with ice cream.

No Chops

So I had wonderful intentions of showing you a slow-cooker recipe of pork loin chops...I took a picture and everything! Unfortunately, they weren't all that good. I myself am not a huge fan anyway, but when Chris says they're too dry...I know it isn't good. Honestly, I was surprised since usually the slow-cooked stuff is more moist - but obviously these were the exception! I think they tasted okay, but what does it matter if you have to drench them in bbq sauce anyway?

But I made up for it with some yummy guacamole... :-)

Confessions of a food blogoholic

Once I got hooked on food blogs, it's kind of hard to stop. There are SO many out there, with so many different tastes. Personally, the simpler the better for me. But while looking at this blog, I found this one and maybe because I work with high schoolers I want to support her, but it looks really good! I myself would like to try out a couple of her recipes (I mean, hey...it's all about chocolate, so why not?!)

I encourage you to find your inner food blogoholic...

Someday...

Since I actually have a moment tonight (thanks to Chris being in class, Brandon at Royal Rangers and Caleb pre-occupied with "Over the Hedge"), I finally took a peak at the links I have for a little inspiration. What I found was this Chocolate Scone recipe from Tasty Kitchen. I don't currently have any chocolate chips or whipping cream, but I think at my next grocery store adventure, I'll have to pick some up! It just looks too yummy to pass up! Well, and it is chocolate...

DONE

Potato salad has been made...yummmmmmmmm

Macaroni Salad

So the potato salad is on hold until I actually have TIME to do it - something that's rare during the week. Instead, I made this macaroni salad recipe that I found a couple years ago on this website. At the time, I was trying to find something that was easy and didn't have 132 ingredients. I really liked this one because it was somewhat sweet and didn't taste too much like I was just eating salad dressing.

Macroni Salad
3 cups dry elbow macaroni, cooked and well drained (or other type of pasta)
3 stalks celery, sliced or diced
1/2 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, sliced thin
1/2 cup black olives, sliced (optional - I didn't use any)
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing
1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesean cheese

Cook macaroni until tender. Drain well. Rinse under cold water until cooled. Cut all veggies & set aside.

Mix mayo and Italian dressing until blended well. Add Parmesean cheese. Combine with veggies and enjoy!

**To be honest, I like this better the second day around. I also usually half this recipe, unless I'm making it for more than just my family. Chris isn't a huge macaroni salad fan, so it's usually just me & the boys eating it.

Chicken Crescent Rolls

Just in case anyone is wondering, NO I didn't get the potato salad made this weekend. It just got too busy. However, I do still want to make it! Hopefully sometime this week...

Tonight's dinner was from a recipe I got several years ago - long before we had the boys. At one time, Chris was playing on a basketball team at the Hoop with a few old college friends. Some of us wives would hang out during their games and at one point, we decided it'd be fun to exchange recipes! That is where I got this one from. I apologize that the measurements are pretty non-existent, but you can easily figure out just how much of what you'll need. It's a very easy recipe that tastes really good. I apologize that there's no picture either - it just happened that my camera battery needed to be charged.

Chicken Crescent Rolls
1 pkg crescent rolls
1 can of chicken (or the meat from 1-2 chicken breasts)
1/4 pkg of cream cheese
1-2 Tbsp milk
Shredded pepper jack cheese
Bacon bits
Butter, melted
1/4-1/2 cup bread crumbs

Take the crescent rolls and unroll from the package. Take two triangles and put together to make one rectangle. There should be four rectangles in a package. Make sure the middle seams are securely together.

Combine chicken, cream cheese, milk and bacon bits. Stir well together and place in the center of each crescent roll rectangle. Top with pepper jack cheese. Fold over and press edges to enclose the crescent roll. Roll in a bowl with the melted butter, then roll in a bowl of breadcrumbs. Bake as directions on crescent roll package call for.

This would be an easy recipe to add your own taste to it - Chris really likes the bite of the pepper jack cheese and I like the flavor of the bacon bits. It's very mild, however, when baked.

The Ultimate Potato Salad

Lately, we've been seeing some sunshine here and there, and since it's been mild and beautiful, it just makes me think ahead to spring and summer. Which, in turn, makes me think of the most amazing potato salad! Since I recently purchased some red potatoes, I may start this tonight, with hopes of munching on it tomorrow. :-)

Nana's Potato Salad
8 med. red potatoes
8 eggs, hard-boiled
2 Cups mayo
1 Tbsp. finely shredded onion
1 Tbsp. mustard
3 Tbsp. sweet relish
Salt & pepper to taste

Boil the potatoes for 20-30 minutes. When cooled, peel and cut into small pieces. Boil eggs and chop when cooled. Stir the two together. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Mix everything together, and chill in the fridge for several hours, or overnight.

I will half this recipe, and trust me, it tastes WAY better when left overnight. (Even though I will likely steal a few spoonfuls after making it anyway).

Taco Soup & Guacamole (no, not combined)

Tonight's dinner was brought to you by the letter.....oh wait! Wrong channel! ;-)

Taco Soup (thanks to my amazing friend Sarah who first introduced this to me when she brought it to me after having had Brandon)

1 lb ground beef

2 1/2 cups water

1 can corn (drained)

1 can kidney beans (drained & rinsed)

1 packet taco seasoning

chopped onion (about 1/4 - 1/2 cup)

Cook and drain the meat. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer until warm enough to eat! Top with sour cream and/or taco chips and/or frito chips...whatever!

Green-Green Guacamole (I used this recipe at kraft.com)

This recipe was actually what I used on my first attempt at guacamole, back a couple months ago. The second time around I didn't have any cream cheese so I used sour cream and I don't remember what else. I definetly like this recipe better - it's a bit more mild and creamy. Although I didn't mix it a ton so it was fairly chunky! Very yummy, nonethesless!

And excuse me...

...while I work out the kinks of this blog and make it a little prettier. :-)

WELCOME!

JUST how many blogs can I keep up with? Well, I suppose we'll just have to find out. Since I post a fair amount of recipes on my main blog, I decided it was just best to (copy my friend Sarah) just create a whole new blog devoted to food.

I tried out two new recipes tonight, one from Taste of Home and one from Kraftfoods.com.

Baked Halibut (you can find the recipe here if you'd like)
3 pounds halibut steaks (1 inch thick)
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Place halibut in greased baking dish. Combine the rest of the ingredients and spoon over the fish. Cover and bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with paprika (optional). Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese (you can find the recipe here if you'd like)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup finely shredded italian style five cheese blend
1/4 cup bacon bits
2 lbs small red potatoes, quartered (about 6 cups)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dressing, cheese and bacon bits in a large bowl. Add potatoes; toss lightly. Spoon into lightly greased baking dish; cover with foil.
Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil; bake an additional 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with parsley. Makes 8 servings.

This is what the potatoes are supposed to look like. Mine were a little more baked looking. I actually cut both of these recipes in half. Brandon REALLY liked the fish - Caleb wouldn't even try it though. Chris thought the potatoes were a little bland, but I thought they were great. I suppose if you wanted to, you could sprinkle some more cheese/bacon on them a few minutes before they're done cooking to give them so more zest.