Oven-Bakes Parmesan Rosemary Fries

I don't know who else saw these on OBB but I decided to make them tonight for sunday dinner and they were mm mm good! The only ingredient I had to go get was some fresh rosemary but other then that they are relatively and easy make. And I would definitely recommend getting the fresh stuff. Also, put the pan on a rack closer to the top if you like them crispier.

Ingredients:

4 medium Russet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 1/2-2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus more for garnish if desired
Canned Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (lightly crumple it if you want to; that will help ensure even browning) and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut each potato into 8 wedges and set aside ( you can also cut them like you do for this recipe). In a large, wide bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, corn starch, and rosemary. Add the potato wedges and toss to coat them evenly with the olive oil mixture. Spread evenly over the prepared foil and bake in the preheated oven for  about 40 minutes or until the fries are golden brown. Remove from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. If desired, sprinkle with additional rosemary and salt. Serve immediately.

Mediterranean Chickpea Wrap

This is really easy to make, vegan, healthy and filling and really yummy. It's easy to thrown in a tortilla, add a handful of spinach or mixed greens, sprinkle on some vinaigrette and you're good to go. Also, I didn't add the banana pepper just cause I didn't want to buy one, but added a little siracha sauce to make it spicy. Also, don't be afraid to drain the extra water once the potatoes are done cooking.

Mediterranian Chickpea Wrap

Four servings • 30 minutes to prepare

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 banana pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) garbanzo beans, with liquid
• 1 white potato, peeled and diced
• 4 whole wheat tortillas, warmed

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, over medium heat warm the oil for about a minute. Add the carrot, onion, banana pepper, and garlic. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. When the vegetable have started to soften, add the cumin, red pepper, cayenne and sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add the garbanzo beans with their liquid and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add the potato and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
3. Wrap in warm tortillas with fresh spinach and serve.

Scalloped Potatoes and Onions

• This is an amazing recipe for scalloped potatoes that is free of all the creamed soups and cheese!  It is so delicious, you would never know it.  And I even accidentally left out the onions.  That's how good it is...
• 
• Scalloped Potatoes and Onions

• adapted from allrecipes.com

• 5 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• Paprika

1. In a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, layer potatoes and onion.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, mayonnaise, salt and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly. Pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika.
3. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours or until tender.

Barbecue Sauce

This is the BEST barbecue sauce- I used it for this salad recipe. But, I also used it for a sauce on barbecue potatoes- you know the ones we all love from Cafe Pig (minus the pork). And it was AMAZING. I know Jenn was just saying that she was looking for a great BBQ sauce recipe and this one is by far my favorite.

courtesy Mel's Kitchen Cafe

The Best Barbecue Sauce

Recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 cups ketchup
2 cups tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
1 1/4 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
4 teaspoons hickory flavored liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

In a large saucepan, over medium heat, mix together all the wet ingredients and then add the seasonings. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it simmers (and then as it cools). I try to plan ahead and simmer for at least an hour. Use the sauce to brush onto meats the last ten minutes of grilling or for any other recipe where barbecue sauce is used.

Once cooled, the sauce can be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator and use as needed.

Texas Shepherd's Pie

Potatoes + Cheese + Meat = Comfort Food. Sometimes you just need some, right? :) Add some veggies and spices to the mix and you've got a great meal. We don't eat a lot of ground beef in our family, but when I saw this recipe, I knew we had to make it, and I'm sure glad we did. It was so delicious.

image

Texas Shepherd's Pie

Adapted from Evil Shenanigans

6 small Red potatoes (or 2 Russett), diced into 1/2-in. pieces

1 Tbs. butter, softened

1/2 cup milk (I used skim with great results)

1 1/3 cup shredded pepperjack cheese, divided

1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. ground beef

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 can diced tomatoes (or 1 c. chopped fresh)

Heat oven to 350 degrees and spray baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain and cream with butter and milk until smooth, creamy consistency. Add more milk if needed. Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 cup of cheese, mix well. Set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and 1 tsp. salt. Once onions are softened (about 5 minutes), add garlic and remaining spices. Stir until fragrant, about one minute. Add the ground beef and stir until well-browned. Add in the black beans and corn and cook until the corn is heated through. Add tomatoes and then transfer to baking dish. Spread remaining cheese on top of meat mixture. Then spread potatoes on top (I had to use my fingers b/c the potatoes were pretty sticky). Bake about 35 minutes, until juices are boiling. Broil for 3-5 minutes until potatoes are browned to desire. Allow the casserole to rest 5-10 minutes before eating.

Salt and Pepper Red Potatoes

I thought I cooked an all-around delicious meal for Father's Day but these were so good that this is all people commented on. In other words--make these! You won't regret it!

Salt & Pepper Red Potatoes
Your Homebased Mom

small red potatoes
butter
olive oil
coarse salt
coarse pepper (I just used whole peppercorns and smashed them up a bit!)

Bake at 350 degrees. I used a 8 x 8 pan and placed about 2 Tbsp melted butter in the pan. After washing potatoes, dry them. Place potatoes in pan and turn to coat with the butter. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt (don’t be afraid to use a lot!) Sprinkle with pepper and bake in oven for 2 hours. Back uncovered. I promise they will be o.k.
After removing from the oven place in bowl and pour the sauce left on the bottom of the pan over the potatoes.

Shredded Sweet Pork

I love bar-b-que and I'm not talking hamburgers and hot dogs. I mean shredded pork and sweet, southern-style barbeque sauce. For someone who doesn't eat a lot of meat, I make room in my diet for this because its totally and completely worth it. I've been trying for years to find a recipe that is half as good as the one at Cafe Pig in Peachtree City, GA. And, this is as close as it gets- although there is no barbeque sauce with this recipe, the meat is so tender and flavored so well that you don't need the sauce. I served this on Sunday on top of a baked potato with a little sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese. You can also serve it on top of a Mexican salad, like the Shredded Sweet Pork Salad at Cafe Rio.

picture courtesy Google Images (mine didn't look quite like this)

Shredded Sweet Pork
The Sisters Cafe

3 lb pork roast

1 c brown sugar

1 c Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp powdered ginger

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

2 Tb dried minced onions

Cook all ingredients on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8 hours. Remove roast and shred it. Put pork back in juices. Serve.

The Perfect Baked Potato

This came from the Sister's recipe book- and we love it at our house. It really does make the perfect baked potato every time...seriously delicious. I made them tonight and topped them with some shredded pork, which I'll be posting later this week. Enjoy!

Picture courtesy Google Images

The Perfect Baked Potato
Becky Jewkes

Scrub 4 baking potatoes and pat dry. Pierce each potato 3-4 times with a fork and then rub with olive oil for a crispier skin. Roll in salt. Do not wrap in foil as this holds in moisture, causing a texture similar to a boiled potato. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Add 5 minutes to the bake time for every additional potato above four.

Leek and Potato Soup

Before you go running in the opposite direction, please just hear me out. I wanted to try some vegetables that I'd never eaten before and so I came across this recipe and thought it looked innocent enough (after all, leeks are just a mild form of onion). So, I tried it and thought it was delicious- very classic flavors. And to top it all off, Kate asked a few days ago when I was going to make the "green soup" again because she liked it so much. Very healthy and very good.

picture courtesy JamieOliver.com

Potato and Leek Soup
From JamieOliver.com

2 carrots
2 celery stalks
2 medium onions
1 pound leeks
2 cloves of garlic
1 ¾ quarts chicken or vegetable broth
1 pound potatoes
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and roughly slice the carrots. Slice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the onions. Cut the ends off the leeks, quarter them lengthways, wash them under running water, and cut them into ¼-inch slices. Peel and slice the garlic. Put the broth in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Place a large saucepan on a high heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add all your chopped and sliced ingredients and mix together with a wooden spoon. Cook for around 10 minutes with the lid askew, until the carrots have softened, but are still holding their shape, and the onion and leeks are lightly golden. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ¼-inch dice. Add the boiling broth to the vegetables . Add your potatoes. Give the soup a good stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Add salt and pepper to your liking.

Spring Potato Toss

Pretty, huh? I think this is the new perfect side! And I love that it is so different!

Spring Potato Toss
from Southern Living magazine

Gently toss together cooked quartered small red potatoes with cooked fresh sweet peas, refrigerated pesto, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with cooked, crumbled bacon.

Bacon Wrapped Potato Wedges

The best part about these were the sauce-DELICIOUS!!  I personally thought there were a few unnecessary steps, such as frying the potatoes first.  I would probably only oven bake next time.

Bacon Wrapped Potato Wedges 

from Our Family Treat blog

Bacon does make everything better, especially fries.
Ingredients:
4-5 large Potatoes
10 slices of bacon
2 green onions chopped
(Dipping Sauce)
Mix in a bowl the following;
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp grill seasoning
Start by heating up vegetable oil to 375 Degrees. Wash and slice your potatoes into 4 large wedges. Fry the wedges for 8-10 minutes until they are just a little al dente. On the stove top fry the bacon for only a few minutes. Make sure the bacon isn't crispy. Remove the potatoes and bacon and let drain on a paper towel. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Cut the bacon into halves or thirds. Wrap the potatoes with the bacon and place seam side down on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or until Bacon is crispy. Cover with green onion and serve with the sauce on the side. Eat up, they are tasty!