Sweet Potato Fries

I am a huge fan of these from Our Best Bites.  I've not tried the honey lime dip as suggested to go with them because I think they are so good just by themselves.  Pretty much whenever I have sweet potatoes I makes them, because I don't like sweet potatoes when they are made into a dessert-like thing.  Have a try!

1 lb peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1/4″ match-sticks

2 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t oregano

1/2 t coriander

1 t kosher salt

1 t parsley

1/8 tsp black pepper

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a small bowl combine cumin, oregano, coriander, salt, parsley, and pepper. 

Place sweet potatoes in a pile directly on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Use hands to toss until all pieces are well coated.  Sprinkle seasoning mixture on top and toss again with hands to coat. 

Arrange sweet potatoes in a single layer so that pieces are not touching each other.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Use a metal spatula to gently flip fries and then return pan to oven. Cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until fries are starting to lightly brown and crisp.  Remove pan from oven and cool 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

 FYI:

- One serving is 3 weight watchers points (add 1 extra point for 2T dip)
- These fit into phase 2 of the South Beach Diet
- A serving has 147 calories, 5 g of fat, and 4 grams of fiber.

sweet potatoes, extra virgin olive oil, herbs and spices

 This is how I cut my sweet potatoes:

It’s important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish). When you’re ready you’ll have something that looks like a pile of carrots and you can trick your kids like I did. Muah ha ha ha ha!

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you’ve got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening, just eyeball it.

Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.

Place the fries on the baking sheet. It’s very important that they are not touching, but can place them pretty close together like in my picture below.

*if you end up needing more than one cookie sheet make sure they are spaced more than one rack apart in your oven to prevent steaming. Also, rotate the pans when you take them out to flip.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don’t open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time it will take forever, I take a long spatula and get a bunch at at time in the pic below. It’s super quick. Just flip, and then make sure they’re spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they’re quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Click on the picture below so you can see the nice caramelization in detail! Mmmm…I want to eat that up right now. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle.

Take them out of the oven and serve immediately. They cool off very quickly so they’re best eaten right away. Serves about 4.

Butternut Squash Curry

I absolutely LOVE this recipe.  I came across it for the first time in a dinner group I was a part of in college.  One of the guys in the group made this and it was so delicious!  Ever since, it has become a part of my regular meals.  I like to cook a bunch of the squash and freeze it in increments that I can use for this recipe.  This makes it a much quicker meal.

Serves 4-6

1 2 to 2 1/2 pound butternut squash

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon curry

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk

1 14 oz can/box chicken broth

2 cups, cut up/cubed cooked chicken breast (I used the breast of a rotisserie chicken I bought at the market)

2 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Hot White Jasmine Rice, prepared as instructed or to your preference. At least 2 cups. The rice should be plain to balance out the curry. I make mine with a little bit of butter and a pinch of sea salt.

Garnish with

Cashews (I used/ like raw the best)

Fresh chopped cilantro

1.       For the squash (you can do this up to a day ahead, which will allow you to make this in about 20 minutes

a.       Preheat oven to 350

b.      Spray a rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.   Cut squash lengthwise and remove seeds and pulp

c.       Place squash flesh side down onto the baking dish

d.      Bake for 30 minutes.

e.      While squash is baking, make the Jasmine rice (which should take 12 to 14 minutes for 2 cups prepared) and mix together 3 tablespoons of brown sugar and 1 teaspoon curry powder in a small bowl .

f.        Remove squash from oven and flip the squash right side up.

g.       Sprinkle the quash with brown sugar and curry mixture and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until quash is soft and the flesh can be scooped out.

h.      Scoop squash out into a bowl and mash well with potato masher, set aside until needed.

I do lots a freeze 2c/bag

 

For the soup, sauté onion in olive oil over medium high heat until the onion is translucent and soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for another minute.

a.       Add squash, coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken, curry, salt and pepper. Cook soup until heated.

b.      On the bottom of a soup bowl, hot rice and ladle curry bisque over the rice.

c.       Garnish with plenty of chopped cashews and cilantro (which can be prepared while the soup is heating through/simmering or while the squash bakes if you are making the meal all at once).

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know everyone seems to have their own go to chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I used to have one too.  I don't know why, but it doesn't seems to turn out so well anymore.  These look just like the ones that may be my new go to recipe.  I found them on Make it Do.  We shall see!!

• 1/2 lb. cold butter, cubed
  
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
  
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 2 to 2 1/4 cups flour (bread flour)
• 2 cups chocolate chips
  
• up to 2 cups walnuts or pecans (optional)
  

Cream butter cold with sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, eggs, and baking soda. Add flour in small amounts until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts if desired. Drop by teaspoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 8-10 minutes at 375°. (Don’t over-bake—the cookies should appear slightly wet on top)
Makes approx. 3 dozen cookies.

This recipe is great doubled to make 6 dozen cookies.  (When doubling use 3 whole eggs.)

1. Cube up the cold butter.

2. Cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

3.  I always crack my eggs into a separate bowl, just in case I have shell go into the egg, it’s easier to grab it out. Add eggs and vanilla.

3. Mix in the soda.  Then add the flour a little at time until mixed in.  Be careful not to over mix.  Add in the chocolate in carefully… again don’t over mix.

4. Grease your cookie sheet.  I spray it with a little cooking spray.  I love using a small ice cream scoop.  It’s fast and the cookies are more even.

Because I am making 6 dozen, and am always in a hurry, I place 15 cookies to a baker’s half sheet.  Mostly it’s recommended to cook 12 to a sheet.  What are rules, but to be broken?

I cook them until they are a little golden around the edges.

Make sure to eat one while they are still warm.  The next day (if there are any left) and you want a warm cookie, you can put them into a preheated oven for a few minutes or into a microwave for 5 seconds or so.
One note about altitude.  I have a friend who mentioned she hasn’t been able to make a good cookie since she moved to our town of Alpine, Utah from Austin, Texas.  Here we live at close to 5,000 feet.  And that is the problem with her cookies.  I find I often have to add more flour to my cookies than a recipe states or I wind up with pancakes.   For this recipe I add about 1/4 cup more flour than the recipe calls for to compensate for high altitude.

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken and Black Bean Chili

I found this here on sweet treats, and as I work a little more I'm trying to gather different crock pot recipes.  It was really easy to throw together, and good to use up some more chipotles I had.  We had extra rice in the fridge so we served the chile over the rice.  Delicious.

serves 6-8

2-3 whole, boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 4-6 chicken tenders)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained

2 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, un-drained

1 medium green pepper, chopped

2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped

2 tbs of the adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbs cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Optional for garnishing: mozzarella or Monterrey jack cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges. 

Place everything, aside from the chicken in a 4qt slow cooker and stir to combine.  Lay chicken over the top and push down a little to cover with sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is cooked and tender, or cook on high for 3-4 hours.  

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

I found these on Sweet Treats, and they were good.  I would try to press the chocolate chips in a little bit because I found them dropping off as I ate them.  I would also say I prefer blonde brownies, but these are healthier I think.  Still very delicious and very quick!

1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. peanut butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. quick oats
chocolate chips to sprinkle on top

Stir together melted butter and sugars until thoroughly combined. Add egg and mix well. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; stir to combine. Stir in oats. Press mixture into a 9×13 pan (lightly greased). Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Return to oven until golden brown and baked through, about 8-10 more minutes.

Friendship Bread

I've been looking for the starter to this for awhile now.  It turned out really well.  I definitely prefer the vanilla or butterscotch pudding over the chocolate.  Mmm, good stuff.

* The starter for this bread has to sit for 10 days so plan in advance, it is well worth the wait!

Friendship Bread

Starter

2 1/4 t yeast (one package)
1/4 c warm water
1 c flour
1 c sugar
1 c milk

Dissolve the yeast in the water.  In a different bowl mix together flour,sugar, and milk.  Add the yeast mixture and mix well. Store this in a large jar with a lid or in a large zip lock bag on the counter, DO NOT REFRIGERATE!

This bag will take 10 days and makes 2 loaves plus 3 starters to give to friends.  Make sure to put the date on the bag to track the days.

Day 1:  Do nothing
Days 2-5:  Mash, yes, mash your bag 2 times a day
Day 6: Add one cup flour, one cup sugar and one cup milk to the bag and mash together
Day 7-9: Mash the bag and release the air 2 times a day
Day 10:  YES!  Today is the day!  The day you get to make your bread! Follow the direction below...
* If you forgot and today is really day 11 or even 12, do not fret, you can still make your bread*

Squeeze the contents of the bag into a large bowl.  Add one cup flour, one cup sugar and one cup milk to the bowl and mix together.  Now get 3 big baggies and add one cup of this mixture to each bag (this is the starter for 3 more batches for you to share, keep one for yourself if you want to make more bread in 10 days!)

Now, here is what you do with what is left in the bowl...

Add:

1 c oil
3 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 t vanilla

Mix this well and set aside.

In another bowl mix:

2 cups flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 large box instant vanilla pudding (you can also add other flavors of pudding, chocolate is really good, so is butterscotch)

Add these ingredients to the starter mixture and mix well.

In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup sugar and 1 t cinnamon.

Spray 2 loaf pans.  Pour 1/4 of the cinnamon and sugar mixture into the bottom of each pan to coat the bottom.  Divide the bead batter evenly between the pans and top with the remaining cinnamon and sugar.

Bake at 325 for one hour.

Taco Salad

My family has had Taco Salad as a staple ever since I can remember.  I think its changed a little as the years go on, but this is how I make it.

1-2 C. cooked ground turkey (I cook a ton and freeze 2c/baggie)
1 can black beans
2 C. frozen corn
Taco Seasoning
lettuce
tortillas or tortilla chips
ranch dressing
cheese

Combine ground turkey, black beans, frozen corn, and a little water.  Mix in taco seasoning to your taste (I probably put too much in, but I love it).  We vary how we eat it, depending on if we have tortillas or tortilla chip.

I layer a bunch of lettuce, chips, and meat mixture.  Then I drizzle a little ranch and sprinkle a little cheese. Yumm.

I also like to make it quesadilla style.  Two tortillas with meat mixture and a little cheese inbetween.  Then top with lettuce, tomatoes, and ranch dressing if you have that stuff.

Coconut Syrup

This syrup is the best thing ever.  One of my best friends, Diana, introduced me and I've been hooked every since.  I use it on anything requiring syrup, but I think my favorite thing to put it on is french toast.

1 stick butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk (I use milk and mix a little lemon juice in, let it sit a couple minutes)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t coconut extract

1. Whisk butter, sugar, and buttermilk together until it boils.  Let it boil for 1-2 minutes.
2. Add baking soda and coconut extract and stir.  It will bubble very high so use a big enough pot.
3. Ready to serve!  I always double this recipe and refrigerate mine in a salad dressing bottle.

As you can see, it separates when you refrigerate it.  I always microwave it and shake it up a little

Crepes

My husband is the Crepe master.  I've always loved crepes and used to make them before we met, but it is now his thing.  They are the best crepes I've ever had...he's got the touch!  The recipe is way easy too.

1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk (mixing up 1c. of milk from powder works great...can't taste the difference)
1c. eggs (4 or 5 eggs depending on size)
shortening
syrup (we use natural maple syrup when we have it, otherwise this is the best syrup ever)
strawberries, peaches, banana, etc (optional; whatever you want on it)

1. Whisk flour, milk, and eggs together.
2. Heat cast iron pan on medium heat.  Yes, a cast iron pan makes a big difference.
3. Use a butter knife to put a little shortening in the pan.  Let it melt and swirl it around real quick.
4. Use a laddle to scoop some batter into the pan.  Swirl it all around the pan asap.
5. Flip when it is a little brown.

Lion House Rolls and Honey Butter

I've got another roll recipe on here I want to try, but these require dry milk instead of regular...so i think these will trump.

I have always heard that Lion House Rolls were the bee's knees, so I figured I would see for myself. Now, I have never tasted a bee's knee but these rolls were super yummy and when you put honey butter on them, lets just say they turn magical! So next time you want to impress someone, bring out the big guns and whip up a batch of these.

Lion House Rolls

(18 BIG rolls)

2 cups warm water

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (instant or non-instant)

2 T yeast

1/4 cup sugar

2 t salt

1/3 cup butter, softened, but not melted

1 egg

5 to 6 cups flour

In a large bowl or electric mixer, combine water and milk powder. Stir until the milk dissolves. Add the yeast, then sugar, salt, butter, egg, and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low until the ingredients are wet, then for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add 2 more cups of flour, mixing on low speed, then for 2 minutes on medium. Add 1/2 cup flour at a time until the dough is soft, not overly sticky, and not too stiff. (You may not need to use all the flour.)

Coat a clean bowl with oil and place dough in it to rise. Turn the dough over in the bowl so the dough is coated (this will prevent the dough from drying out). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until double in size.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and flip the dough once to flour both sides. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 18 inches long and about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the dough with melted butter. Using a pizza cutter cut the dough in half length wise so you have two very long strips each about 4 inches wide. Cut the strips every 2 inches to make 18 pieces of dough.

Starting with the short end, roll up one piece of dough with the butter on the inside. Place the roll on a parchment lined pan seam side down. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Be sure all the rolls face the same direction on the pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double. Bake rolls at 375 for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Brush the tops of hot rolls with melted butter.

Honey Butter

(1 cup)

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 t vanilla

1/2 cup honey

Whip the softened butter until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and honey gradually. Beat for 10-20 minutes or until whipped and light.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadillas

I first came across this recipe during school last year.  One of my friend's had it in her email and we all watched it...it looked sooo good!  I tried it exactly as said by Curtis the first time and it was good.  It really was, but my mouth was on FIRE!  I've since adapted it so it has the good flavor and still a small bite.

Filling:
3 T Olive oil
1 onion (red is suggested but yellow tames it a little too)
salt/pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
5 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I use half a can and try to get some seeds out before chopping)
3 vine-ripened tomatoes (or I use two cans tomatoes with green chiles, way easier)
3 green onions thinly chopped (I buy a big pack, chop them and freeze them so I can use them for different recipes without always having them fresh...it works great)
1 T. honey
3 C. coarsely shredded chicken breast
Tortillas (I like mine homemade)
cheese (cheddar or whatever)
sour cream
avocados (optional)
cilantro (optional)

Heat olive oil (or normal oil), add onion and salt/pepper on medium heat for about 3 minutes or until tender.  Add in garlic and stir for another 2 minutes.  The onions should be transparent by now.  Add chipotle chiles and tomatoes and let it simmer for about 20 minutes.  Mix in green onions, honey, and chicken.

To compile the quesadillas, heat a griddle on medium heat.

Put however much filling you like on your tortilla and top with cheese and then a second tortilla. 

Then flip.

Take one side off real quick and spread around some sour cream, and avocados and cilantro if you have them.  I think this made about 8 or 9...but it all depends how much filling you put in.

ENJOY!

French Rolls

There are some recipes I've come across that require a roll and you make a homemade sandwich kind of thing.  Anyways, this looks like a good recipe I could use for that instead of buying hoagies or something like that.

(12 rolls) Best is dough is prepared the day before

1 2/3 cups cold water
2 1/4 t yeast
1/2 T salt
4 cups flour (we like King Arthur flour)

In a large bowl, mix water and yeast until the yeast is dissolved.  Stir in the salt and enough flour to make a soft dough that can be kneaded. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 8 minutes. (We put ours in the Bosch and let it do the work.)  If the dough gets too sticky, dust it with a little flour and continue kneading.  You want the dough to be soft, not hard.

Grease a large bowl (this dough will expand a lot).  Put the dough in the bowl and turn once to lightly grease the dough.  Tightly cover the dough and place it in the fridge overnight.

Take the dough out of the fridge 90 minutes before you shape it.  You should punch it down right after taking it out.  After 90 minutes, punch the dough down again and turn it onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough to remove all of the air bubbles, about 5 minutes.  Divide the dough into 12 equal parts and shape into round rolls.  Cover and let rise again for 1 hour.  Remove the cover and flatten each ball on a lightly floured surface with your hands.  Fold the roll in half and then in half again to make a long roll, taper the ends of each roll to make a point.  Place these rolls on greased baking sheets, cover and let rise a final time about 45 minutes or until doubled.

Bake the rolls at 400 for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm or cold.

If you want to retain the texture of these rolls, DO NOT store in a plastic bag.  Store in a paper bag, or eat the same day they were cooked.

Homemade Rolls

I've been looking for a good roll recipe and something I can replace the cresent roll package I use for my Broccoli Braid.  I'm also one that needs pretty specific directions, so this one looks great!  I found it here at Family Favorite Recipes.  I'll be sure to post my own pictures once I get around to trying them out myself!


NOTE: Use the timer because this has to be exact.

4 cups whole milk warmed in microwave on high for 3 minutes. Should be luke warm to touch. (Mine is usually luke warm after 2 minutes so just warm it until the milk is luke warm)

1/4 cup yeast

1 cup sugar

**Sprinkle the yeast over the milk and the sugar over the yeast. Let sit for exactly ten minutes.

Then add 4 eggs and 5 cups flour, Beat for five minutes. Let stand for 20 minutes (covered)

Then add 1 cup vegetable or canola oil, 1 Tbsp salt, and 7 cups flour ( I would add 6 1/2 the first time you make them because you will probably use a lot of flour to roll them out and also you will most likely handle the dough more than you will when you are used to the recipe). Mix until well blended. Add 1 stick of butter (room temp). Beat for five minutes. Let rise for 30 minutes (covered). Dough will rise above bowl so keep wax paper or another non-stick cover loosely on bowl. Dump out dough on well floured large surface. Separate into three lumps. Roll each lump into pizza rounds. Then use a pizza cutter and cut as you would a pizza. Then start on the outside edge and roll in towards the middle making crescent shaped rolls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover very loosely (I cover mine with saran wrap sprayed with PAM and just lookely place it on top of the rolls) and let rise until double again (about 1 hour). Cook at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

You can brush them with butter while they are still hot to make them really moist. I always do this and use salted butter since it gives them more flavor.

Plan about 3-4 hours total time for these to be done. This recipe makes tons of rolls so after you bake them, let them cool completely and then stick as many as you can (still stuck together. if they are stuck together from baking) in a large ziplock bag and freeze in the freezer. To defrost bags, just place on your counter in the morning, they should be defrosted in 1-2 hours. Or you can microwave for 15 seconds.

This is what it looked like after it has been rising for almost an hour. It actually got even bigger and started to spill over the side.

The three rounds you make after the dough has risen for an hour.

Roll each ball into a circle, not paper thin but not too thick.

Cut each with a pizza cutter. I usually cut into eighths, and then cut each of those "slices" into three triangles, so each round will make about 24 rolls (about 70-75 each batch). Some of yours will be smaller and some bigger, it doesn't matter if they are the same size.

Roll them up and place them on a sprayed cookie sheet. I counted how many cookie sheets I own. Eleven. You can also place yours closer together so they "stick" together once they double and are baked. I think it makes them not as dry if you let them stick together, I just don't usually think about it when I'm making them.

Yummy. My kids could eat these unbaked. Don't worry though, we definitely make them wait. They just end up eating three each straight out of the oven!

After they've doubled in size. My kids "helped" me roll them up so some are a little funktified, but they all turn out in the end.

Fresh out of the oven. Mine don't stick together like Rachel's do. If I put in one more row of rolls they would, but I think no matter what these are yummy!

Out of the oven and being smothered with love... I mean, butter. Same thing.