Home Fries

Potatoes are so versatile.  As Joe likes to say, boil 'em, bake 'em, put 'em in a stew.  Anyway you slice them, I love all kinds of potatoes.  I love them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I always preferred home fries to hash browns for breakfast.  I think when home fries are cooked right they are more flavorful than hash browns.  Plus they are so much more versatile and you can add all types of ingredients and seasonings to them.  The home fries that I made for brunch were a very simple recipe with just onions and potatoes but you could definitely add other vegetables like peppers or zucchini to it too.

In our house, home fries are not only a breakfast dish.  I make them a lot for dinner too.  This method only takes about 20 minutes to cook so we often pair them with steaks, burgers or grilled chicken.  They taste just as good, maybe better, reheated in a pan the next day.  By the way, sorry for the seemingly blurry photo.  That is actually steam coming off the potatoes and this is the only picture of them that I took.  I will have to take a better picture next time I make them.

Home Fries
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

4 medium potatoes (I prefer to use Yukon gold), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. olive oil

In a large skillet that has a lid, over medium-high heat, saute onions and olive oil for 2-3 minutes until the onions begin to soften.  Add in potatoes, salt, pepper and garlic powder and mix to coat potatoes in olive oil.  Cover and let potatoes cook, untouched, for 5 minutes.  Remove lid and mix up potato and onion mixture.  Replace lid and cook, untouched, for 5 minutes more.  Repeat this process until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft and cooked through on the inside, about 20-25 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

Saturday was my parents' 28th anniversary.  It feels like just yesterday that we threw them a big 25 anniversary.  Time is really flying by.  Joe, David and I decided to make brunch for them to celebrate.  Normally it would have been dinner but Mom had to drive David to the airport to leave for vacation that night so brunch worked out much better.  To satisfy everyone's favorites we created a menu with nice variety and I think it was a success.  I know that Jason, who was away for the weekend and missed it, really liked it based on the picture message I got yesterday showing him wolfing down the leftovers!

Mom tends to go for the sweeter breakfast meals so for her I made caramelized apple cinnamon rolls with cream cheese glaze, although we kept the glaze on the side per the request from all of the men at the table.  We also had a berry salad (strawberries, raspberries and blackberries) which was great on its own but also terrific with the cream cheese glaze.  Dad is an egg man so for him we made a vegetable frittata.  We rounded the meal out with thick cut bacon and home fries because who doesn't like bacon and home fries?  To top it off and celebrate we had mango or peach bellinis (sparkling wine mixed with mango or peach nectar), yum!

Vegetable Frittata
From Colleen's Kitchen Therapy

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
8 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet oven proof over medium high heat.  Saute onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes, add tomatoes and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt, black pepper, garlic powder and crushed red pepper flakes.  Whisk until combined.

Pour eggs over vegetables in skillet and sprinkle cheese over egg and vegetable mixture.  Place skillet in oven and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and cut into slices.  Serve immediately.

Onion Strings

We met up with friends for dinner last Friday.  Before going out, we got together at our house for a round of drinks and David decided he wanted to make a small appetizer to have before going out.  After some searching, we decided to work together and make these onion strings because they looked sooo good.  And boy were they.  All of us wound up in the kitchen eating them as they came out of the oil.  There was no time to transfer them to a pretty plate and serve them so I apologize for the lousy picture.  I was lucky to get this one.  Next time we make them we may add a little more cayenne pepper to the breading but other than that they were great.  We let them soak in the buttermilk for close to 3 hours which most likely helped make them very tender.

Now we just ate them plain but these would probably be fabulous on burgers or in salads or toppings for a baked potato soup. I think I am going to eventually try using them in all the above ways!

Onion Strings
From The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Ingredients:
1 Whole large onion
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purspose flour
1 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1.5 quarts canola oil
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice onion very thin.  Place in a baking dish and cover with buttermilk and soak for at least an hour.  Combine dry ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil to 375 degrees F.  Grab a handful of onions, throw into the flour mixture, tap to shake off excess and drop into hot oil.  Fry for a few minutes and remove as soon as golden brown.  Sprinkle with salt and/or pepper if desired.  Repeat until onions are all fried.

Cheesecake Brownies

In addition to the "regular" brownies that I made for Dani baby shower this week, I also wanted to do something else.  I was trolling the internet and saw a recipe for Halloween cheesecake brownies where they used food coloring to make the cheesecake orange and I thought that it was a great idea.  Only since we knew Dani was having a girl I could make them pink.  I didn't like that recipe though since it used packaged brownie mix and I didn't want to use packaged mix.  I did a little more digging and decided to use this recipe from Annie's Eats as my guide.

The end result was tasty but not exactly what I was looking for.  I wish there was a little bit more brownie base and like Annie said, it was difficult to swirl the two batters together.  Don't get me wrong, they tasted wonderful but just not exactly how I wished they had come out so I am still on the hunt for the perfect cheesecake brownie recipe because I can't think of a better flavor combination that those two.  So if anyone has any recipes that I could try out, send them my way!

Cheesecake Brownies
Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
For the brownies:
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

For the cheesecake:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2-4 drops red food coloring (or your color of choice)

Directions:
Line a 9-inch suare baking dish with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides.  Mist lightly with nonstick cooking spray.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate, stirring until smooth.   Remove from the heat, then beat int he 2/3 cup sugar.  Mix in the eggs.  Fold in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla extract and mix until just incorporated.  Do not over mix at this point.  Gently fold in the walnuts.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

To make the cheesecake layer, in a separate bowl beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.  Add in the food coloring, one drop at a time, and beat until you reach your desired color.  Drop in large dollops evenly over the top of the brownie batter.  Use a dull knife or a spatula to swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter int he center of the pan is just set.  Let cool completely, then life out with the foil and peel away.  Cut brownies into squares.  Refrigerate when not serving.

Roasted Potatoes

In my hunt for different way to prepare traditional side dishes I cam across this potato recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and it fit perfectly with what I was making for dinner last night and I had everything I needed for it at home so I thought I would give it a try.  I served them with baked chicken cutlets.  Wow, are these good.  Flavorful and crunchy.  They will definitely be a staple in our house!

Roasted Potatoes
From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
3 medium size potatoes (I used yukon gold)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. seasoned bread crumbs
1 tbsp. Parmesan cheese
Various seasonings of your choice (I used sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and dried rosemary)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a baking dish with foil and lightly spray the foil with non stick cooking spray.

Slice the potatoes into wedges and place in a bowl.  Toss in olive oil until coated and then add all remaining ingredients and toss again until evenly coated.  Bake in preheated oven 30-40 minutes or until desired degree of crispiness, turning wedges over once halfway through baking.  Serve immediately

The Baked Brownie

One of my coworkers is having a baby and we threw her a small shower at work this week.  When we asked her what her favorite dessert was, she replied brownie.  A nice rich, fudgy brownie with a crispy crust and no chocolate chips!  I told her no problem.  My go to brownie recipe has mini Hershey kisses in it so I needed to find another recipe to make for her.  To the internet I went and came across a post from Brown Eyed Baker where she listed her top 10 favorite brownies and the Baked Brownie was her number one favorite brownie recipe.  The picture she posted looked like everything that Dani was looking for so I knew this was the recipe.  By the way, the cookbook that the recipe came from looks tremendous.  I think I may have to break down and buy it.  The original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of espresso powder but I didn't have any so I didn't use it.  I still think they came out great.  I imagine the espresso powder would just give you that hint of coffee flavor in them so if you are looking for that flavor go for it, otherwise it is OK to leave it out.

I made the brownies while Joe was at work and he was drooling over them by the time dinner was over so I let him have a taste later that night and he gave it his seal of approval and ate it with a nice large glass of milk, which, according to him, is the sign of a great brownie, who knew!

The Baked Brownie
From Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. dark unsweetened cocoa powder
11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
5 eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 inch glass or light-colored baking pan.  Line the pan wiht parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt and cocoa powder together.

Put the chocolate and butter in a large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth.  Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars.  Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan.  The mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined.  Add the remaining eggs and whisk until combined.  Add the vanilla and stir until combined.  Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture.  Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway thorough the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it.  Let the brownies cool completely, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper.  Cut into squares and serve.

Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

Garlic and Herb Pasta

I may have been living under a rock all my life.  It was not until a few months ago that I ever tried those spreadable cheeses like Alouette and Rondele.  I served the garlic and herb flavor for our Mad Men dinner party earlier this year and it was so good.  I think I ate the leftovers all by myself.  So when I came across this recipe at Stephanie Cooks I knew it was something that I had to try.  I love pasta, I love the cheese, what more could I want?  I went to the grocery store to pick up the cheese and found that Alouette makes a light version which is half the fat and calories.  Score!  Now I liked the idea of using the cheese but I wanted to change it up a bit and also wanted to add some protein to the recipe.  I had some frozen shrimp in the house so I used them but I am sure this would taste great with chicken or another kind of seafood if you like.  Joe loved this too and was surprised when I told him that the base of the sauce was spreadable cheese.  I can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Garlic and Herb Pasta
Adapted from Stephanie Cooks

Ingredients:
1 lb pasta, cooked al dente
1  14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 6.5 oz container light garlic and her spreadable cheese (I used Alouette brand)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
3 cups broccoli florets
1 tbsp olive oil
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
8 oz cooked shrimp, tails removed
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with foil.  Spray foil with nonstick spray.  Combine grape tomatoes, onion and broccoli in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread on baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.  In empty pasta pot, over medium low heat combine chicken broth and garlic and herb cheese.  Whisk together until smooth and cook until warm, about 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook an additional 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vegetables and pasta.  mix until well coated.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.  Serve hot.