Herbed Sliced Potatoes

We harvested about 60 pounds of potatoes from our garden this year!  So I am always looking for new ways to cook up these beauties!  I found this recipe here and LOVED that I got to use fresh herbs from my garden to season them! They were so easy, beautiful and delicious!  They will be gracing our table time and again!

Herbed Sliced Potatoes

4 large potatoes or 6 smaller ones
4 T butter (about 1 T per potato)
1 t course sea salt
2-3 T chopped, fresh herbs (I used thyme, basil, rosemary, and flat leaf parsley)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan, I used asiago, romano and parmesan mix

Preheat the oven to 400.  Wash potatoes and peel if desired (I used Yukon Gold, very thin skin, and left the skin on). Place each potato between two wooden spoons and slice until you hit the spoons.  This will cause the potato to be sliced but still hold together on the bottom.  Mix the herbs into the melted butter and brush onto the sliced potatoes making sure to get the butter and herbs between the slices.  Sprinkle with the sea salt.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Once or twice while cooking, spoon the butter that has dripped off back onto the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the grated cheese and put back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the cheese is melted.

Cheesy Potatoes

This is a recipe my Grandma Twinkle always made to go with a Honey Baked Ham.  They go together perfectly!  This makes such a great Easter meal!

Cheesy Potatoes

1 lb. frozen hash browns

1 cup chopped onions

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter, melted

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375.  Grease a 9x13 pan.  Mix all the ingredients together until combined.  Press potato mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour or until golden brown on the edges.

Gnocchi with Marinara and Fresh Spinach

Gnocchi is the Italian word for dumpling. These have been a favorite of my husbands for a long time.  So when we went to a great little restaurant near us for dinner he ordered this fabulous Gnocchi dish with marinara sauce and fresh spinach.  We both liked it so much we decided to try our hand at recreating it.  It was sooo good!  Just as good as the original!  The Gnocchi recipe we found on Food Network.

Gnocchi with Marinara and Fresh Spinach
(4 servings)

kosher salt (optional)
1 pound russet potatoes
3-4 large egg yolks
1/2 fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1 recipe Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce or your favorite store bought brand
Fresh spinach
chicken sausage (optional)
fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange potatoes on top.  Bake until a bit over cooked (about 45 minutes).  Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the insides.

Grate the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater.  You should have about 2 cups.  Make a mound of the potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle.  Add the 3 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheese to the well.  Mix well with your hands. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes.  Fold the mass over on itself and press down again.  Sprinkle on more flour, little by little folding and pressing the dough until it holds together (try not to knead it, this will make the gnocchi tough). Work any dough on your fingers back into the dough.  If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water.  The dough should give under light pressure.  It will feel firm but yielding.  To test if the dough is the right consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter.  If the dough holds together, it is ready.  If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times and then test again.

On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 in long pieces.  Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them.  You can cook these as us or form them into the classic Gnocchi shape using the times of the back side of a fork.  We watched this YouTube Video and it made it way easier.

Lightly four the Gnocchi as you shape them and then place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  If you will not be cooking the Gnocchi now, you can freeze them for a later use.

When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Drop the Gnocchi into the boiling water and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Drain the Gnocchi.

Place some Gnocchi in a bowl or on a plate.  Top with fresh spinach, then sauce and finally shredded Parmesan and chicken sausage if desired.  The heat of the Gnocchi and the sauce will slightly cook the spinach leaving a slight crisp to it.  Delish!

Ranch Potatoes

I LOVE this super easy, super fast way to do potatoes! It is from the back of my Hidden Valley Ranch box, so maybe I am the last to hear about it. These are such a great side to go with grilling!

Ranch Potatoes

(4 servings)

2 Pounds of red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup oil (I used olive oil)

1 (1 oz) packet Ranch Dressing mix

Place potatoes into a large storage bag.  Add the oil and toss to coat. Now add the ranch dressing mix and shake to coat.  Spread evenly onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 (stirring every 15 minutes, so they cook on all sides) for 30-35 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and crisp.  

Day 54 - Baked Tilapia with Mango Salsa, Baked Potato, and Salad

     I completely spaced and forgot to take pictures of the process until dinner was on my plate ready to be eaten.  It's so weird how that happens.  One of my priorities is to take pictures as I'm creating and yet I cannot tell you how many times I've put something into the oven and gone, "Ooops!", and had to pull it back out.  Tonight, I guess I was just so focused on having dinner ready by 6:30.  And that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Haha.
     Oh yeah, this is the second fish dish of the year and it's only the 54th day.  I told you in the Tuna Casserole blog of my (ahem) love for fish and that I would probably only be making one other recipe with fish in it.  Well, this is it!  No, I'm kidding.  I decided to make fish because it is something we should be eating at least once a week and my daughter who despises it is going to have to acquire a taste for it since she's started this gluten-free diet.  I will be making more of it.  As long as I can make something to go along with it that sort of disguises the taste for her, I think I'm ok.  So, dinner this evening was Baked Tilapia with Mango Salsa, a baked potato with the fixings and a salad of baby Romaine greens.  It was yummy!  For four of us, I only purchased 3 larger Tilapia fillets because we really aren't big eaters and I hate to have the fish left over because no one ever eats that the next day here.  So here's the recipe for the three fillets and you can adjust as needed.

     Baked Potato With the Fixings
     4 medium baking potatoes
     butter, lots and lots of butter
           (well, you decide how much you want to put on your spud.  Me, I like it swimming in the stuff!)
     3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
     3/4 cup greek yogurt
     1/3 cup chives
     sea salt
     freshly grated pepper

     Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Scrub potatoes with brush under water to clean.  Prick holes in each side of each potato with a fork.  Place directly on oven rack for 60-70 minutes.  Slice each open and serve.  Garnish as desired.
    
Meanwhile...potatoes baking in oven allowed prep. time for the Mango Salsa I found from Ellie Krieger at the Food Network.  It was delicious and the perfect accompaniment for the fish.  Actually, it would be delicious with scallops, too.  Years ago I had made another mango salsa precisely for scallops, but today couldn't find the recipe and for the life of me couldn't remember what was in it besides the mango.  For copyright purposes, I am not going to post the recipe, but you can click on the Mango Salsa and it'll bring you right to it.

     Baked Tilapia with Mango Salsa
     3 large Tilapia fillets
     1 tablespoon melted butter
     2 tablespoons olive oil
     1 teaspoon sea salt
     ½ teaspoon freshly grated pepper
     1 clove minced garlic

     Spray a 9" X 13"-inch baking dish with cooking spray.  Place fillets in dish.  Combine olive oil and butter.  Drizzle over fillets.  Sprinkle with sea salt and grated pepper.  Add minced garlic.
     Cover dish with aluminum foil to prevent drying and place in oven.  Bake at 400ºF (that's why the potatoes are already baking at this temp.) for 15 minutes.

     Dinner was quite delicious, if I do say so myself, and as you can see, colorful.  And healthy, too!  And I was able to make my daughter' potato portion gluten-free, so all parties were happy.  I have a rating scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  This baked Tilapia and baked potato earn a unanimous 4 rolling pins!
    Happy baking!
 

Day 41 - Shepherd's Pie

     (Just so you know, I'm having font issues.  I wanted to use a different font for the recipe, but it is a heck of a lot smaller than I'd like it to be because I can barely read it.  I attempted to fix it, but have not had much luck because it just reverts to what I originally used.  Now I'm frustrated and I'm going to bed.)
     P90X this morning - the cardio DVD.  Well, after I became motivated enough to do it and stopped putting it off, I started it around 11:00, but it was technically still morning.  At times, I wasn't really enjoying myself, especially the two times I really thought I was going to pass out. Seriously.  I have to admit though, I am very glad that I did it.  Now I could use a nap.
    
Tonight's dinner is from The New Doubleday Cookbook, p.176; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN 0-385-19577-X. 
     I make this dish at least two, if not three times a month.  The family likes it a lot, especially the two boys (my husband and son) because it is a really good meat and potatoes dish.
  I found this on http://www.whatscookingamerica.net/ regarding the history of the Shepherd's Pie in the 17th century,

English women were baking pies long before the settlers came to America. The pie was an English specialty that was unrivaled in other European cuisines. Two early examples of the English meat pies were shepherd's pie and cottage pie. Shepherd's pie was made with lamb and vegetables, and the cottage pie was made with beef and vegetable.   Both are topped with potatoes.

     Shepherd's Pie
     1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
     1 sweet green pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped (optional)
     2 tablespoons beef or bacon drippings or cooking oil
     1¼ pounds ground chuck
     1 beef bouillon cube
     ½ cup boiling water
     1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water
     1¼ teaspoons salt
     ¼ teaspoon pepper
     1 tablespoon steak sauce
     3 cups hot seasoned mashed potatoes


     Preheat oven to 400ºF.  Saute onion and green pepper in drippings in a large skillet over moderate heat 10 minutes until onion is golden.  Add beef and saute, breaking meat up with a spoon, about 10 minutes, until lightly browned; drain off fat as it accumulates. 


Boiling potatoes and browning the meat with the onion and green pepper.

Dissolve bouillon cube in water, add to cornstarch mixture, then stir into skillet along with salt, pepper and steak sauce.  Heat, stirring, 1-2 minutes.  Spoon into an ungreased 1½-quart casserole,

spread potatoes over surface and roughen with a fork.

(Note:  Recipe may be prepared to this point ahead of time, cool, cover, and chill.  Bring to room temperature before proceeding.) 
Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes, then broil 4" from heat 2-3 minutes to brown.

     I confess.  That biscuit you see on the plate is not something I baked.  I feel very guilty about that because I'm doing a baking blog and I go out and by Pillsbury Grands.  I had a recipe out so that I could make some homemade biscuits, but then I started digging through my coupons and planning today's shopping trip and that took longer than I expected.  It was well worth it though;  I went to the store with $111.00 cash and my total came to $112.41, so I had to use my debit for that $1.41.  I saved $158.09 - 59%!  I suppose this could've gone on my couponing page, but I'm here, so this is where it is.

     I have to say that the pictures don't really do the dinner justice.  It is a lot tastier than it appears to be.  I like to add about a 1½ tablespoons of A1 Steak Sauce even though it only calls for 1.  It definitely adds more flavor.  I also put about 3/4 cup shredded cheddar/monterey cheese into the potatoes when I'm seasoning those.  It was greasier tonight; more so than usual because I mistakenly picked up 85% lean ground beef instead of the 90%-95% I normally buy. 

     I have a rating system of 1-4 with 4 being the best.  The rating for the Shepherd's Pie:  3½ rolling pins.  There is never that much of this left over when I make it, but if there happens to be, it's even better the next day as leftovers. 

     Happy baking!

Quinoa and Vegetable Stew with Chicken

I found this recipe over at Picky Palate. I absolutely LOVE soup (have I mentioned this before?) and am always looking for new recipes to try. I love this soup. And next time I am going to make it without the chicken, it was not necessary to me. The Quinoa has a lot of protein in it so you don't even need the chicken if you don't want it.

Quinoa and Vegetable Stew with Chicken

(8-10 servings)

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

4 large carrots, sliced

2 cups sweet peppers, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

64 oz chicken or vegetable broth

1-15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into one inch pieces

3 cups cooked Quinoa

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used my fav Rotisserie chicken from Sam's)

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T hot sauce

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and garlic salt with parsley to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute Onion, celery, carrots, peppers and zucchini until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add quinoa, chicken, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Sausage and Kale Soup

I found this recipe at Martha Stewart.com. It was quick and hearty, the perfect thing for a cold snowy day. It has a great almost creamy broth without the cream/milk. Serve it with some crusty bread and there is nothing better for a week night meal.

Sausage and Kale Soup

(4 servings)

1 T olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 t crushed red-pepper flakes

5 medium potatoes (1 1/2 pounds), cut into 1/2 inch chunks

3 cans low-sodium chicken broth

1 bunch kale, stemmed and shredded

12 ounces chicken sausage, cut into 1/2-inch half moons (We browned these in a pan before adding to the soup)

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion and cook until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook until fragrant. Add the potatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.

In a blender, puree half the soup. Return to the pot and add kale and sausage. Simmer until the kale is wilted about 10-15 minutes.