Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Are you sick of regular ol' mashed potatoes?  No?  Me either...

But if you ever want to mix things up a bit, give these White and Sweet Mashed Potatoes a try!  They are delicious and sweet...and a little unusual.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I made them, but I ended up really enjoying them.  I liked that they were seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg because it smelled amazing.  If you're planning on ham for Easter, these would be a great side dish!

White and Sweet Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pound russet potatoes (about 4), peeled and cubed

1-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (about 4), peeled and cubed

1 cup milk, warmed

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1.  Place potatoes in a large pan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.  Drain potatoes.

2.  Return potatoes to pan.  While mashing the potatoes, add the milk, butter, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Only add enough milk until you reach the desired consistency.

Source:  Taste of Home

Olive Oil and Herb Biscuits

The week before Christmas, I made some biscuits using a popular, boxed biscuit mix.  I was super disappointed in them.  They were not very yummy.  I was worried because I had been planning to make these homemade olive oil and herb biscuits for my family for Christmas dinner.  Would they be any better than the boxed mix?  Oh, they were!  They were fluffy and fragrant, and they were the perfect accompaniment to our ham and mashed sweet potatoes.

Olive Oil and Herb Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in rosemary.  Add the milk and olive oil.  Mix just until combined.

3.  Drop rounds of dough on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Source:  Handle the Heat

Where there's smoke, there's fire...or not...

Well, that was a first.  I set off the fire alarms in my apartment last night while cooking.  Whoops.  

I was making these delicious sweet potato fries for about the 5th time in the last month (they're THAT good), and I left them in a bit too long.  The super skinny ones got a little burnt, and the moment I pulled them out of the oven, the alarms started screaming.  So, my friend and I quickly grabbed some towels to fan the smoke detectors, and I whipped the windows open.  The screaming finally stopped, and then we enjoyed our delicious fries...with the windows still open, just in case.

As I was lying in bed, half awake, this morning, I could hear the fire alarms in a nearby apartment going off.  Somebody must have burnt their Sunday breakfast.  What a relief to know I'm not the only one who does it!

Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:

2 sweet potatoes

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cumin

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.  Rinse and dry sweet potatoes.  Cut into thin strips.  Place into a large bowl.

2.  Drizzle vegetable oil over sweet potatoes.  Sprinkle with spices.  Toss to coat.

3.  Lay the potatoes on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until slightly crispy, turning once during baking. 

Source:  Gimme Some Oven

Gnocchi with Sage-Butter Sauce

I love fresh herbs, but I hate how expensive they are.  I don't like letting them go to waste when I have some leftover, so I normally search for a recipe in which I can use them up.  It would be nice if I could grow my own herbs, and then I wouldn't have to worry about wasting money.  However, I don't think I've grown anything in my entire life.  Wait...I take that back.  There was that biology class in college where we had to grow a plant.  I cannot, for the life of me, remember why we had to grow a plant...or what happened to the plant at the end of the semester...or how I ended up with an odd-duck of a lab partner.  Seriously, he was peculiar.  

It was while I was searching for a recipe to use up some fresh sage that I stumbled upon this one.  It was perfect except for one thing...gnocchi is so weird.  The word 'gnocchi' is just strange, and the food is pretty odd too.  They're little dumplings made out of potatoes, but the texture is way wrong.  Fortunately, once you can get past knowing that you're eating potatoes, while feeling like you're not eating potatoes, gnocchi is actually pretty delicious.  I truly enjoyed these little dumplings, slathered in a comforting, buttery sauce.

Gnocchi with Sage-Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

2 (12 ounce) packages potato gnocchi (I couldn't find 12 ounce packages, so I just bought one that was around 18 ounces.  I also chose the potato, tomato, and spinach variety...hence the pretty colors.)

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

12 chopped fresh sage leaves, more or less according to preference

1/4 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook gnocchi for 2 to 3 minutes or until they float.  Drain.

2.  Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the garlic.  Cook until garlic has softened and is beginning to turn golden brown, about 4 minutes.

3.  Stir in the sage and salt for a few seconds.  Add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet.  Stir.

4.  Sprinkle with black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Source: slightly adapted from allrecipes.com

Baked Zucchini

Dearest Zucchini,

Where have you been all my life?

Sincerely,

Your New Fan

Baked Zucchini

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound zucchini, sliced thin at an angle

Salt and pepper

Pinch of Hungarian paprika (I used regular paprika for lack of the Hungarian version in my cupboard.)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumps

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stem, lightly chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

1.  Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil in the bottom of an 8-inch by 8-inch baking dish.  Arrange the zucchini slices in the dish.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.

3.  In a bowl, stir together the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, and thyme.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and stir until breadcrumbs are soaked with the yellow tint of the oil.  Sprinkle over zucchini.  

4.  Bake until the topping is golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.

Source:  Sunny Anderson

Oven Roasted Broccoli

My family is relatively new to eating broccoli.  I can't remember ever eating it when I was little.  Green beans, cucumbers, and corn from my dad's garden are pretty much the only vegetables I remember.  Those and cooked carrots from a can, actually.  Somehow, in the past couple of years, I discovered that I love fresh broccoli.  This was my first attempt at roasting it in the oven, and it was a success.  It was slightly crispy and flavorful, and it was a breeze to make!  It's a wonderfully colorful and healthy side dish.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound broccoli, rinsed and trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated cheddar or Parmesan

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Spread the panko bread crumbs into a 13-inch by 9-inch metal cake pan.  Toast in the oven for about 2 minutes.

3.  Cut broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces and place in a mixing bowl.  Add olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and panko bread crumbs to bowl.  Toss to coat.  

4.  Return the broccoli mixture to the pan, place in the oven, and roast for about 8 to 10 minutes or until broccoli is tender.  

5.  Remove from the oven and toss in the cheese.


Source:  Alton Brown

Tuscan Cod and Pepper-Spiked Polenta

I may have already told you this, but just in case I didn't, I am not a huge seafood fan.  I will eat it on occasion, except for shrimp...I'll only eat shrimp if I forget that I absolutely do not like it.  I have been discovering some new fish recipes lately, and it has been very interesting trying them out.  I do not enjoy seafood when it tastes "fishy," like it just came out of the sea and landed on my plate.  I found this recipe for Tuscan Cod, and it was spicy and delicious.  It didn't taste "fishy" at all!  

I had heard of polenta before and had always wanted to try it.  It's basically a cornmeal mush.  Now, I know that does not sound particularly appetizing, but I thought it went really well with the Tuscan Cod.  It seemed to balance the spiciness of the fish a little bit and added an interesting texture.

  

Tuscan Cod

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion, separated into rings

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 cup chopped tomato

1 tablespoon capers (omitted)

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 (6-ounce) cod fillets

Directions:

1.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes.  

2.  Add tomato and next 3 ingredients; cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes; stirring occasionally.

3.  Add fish to skillet, spooning sauce over fish.  Cover and cook 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.  

Pepper-Spiked Polenta

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

4 cups water

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1.  Coat a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray; add water, cornmeal, salt and pepper.  Cover with casserole lid; microwave on HIGH 12 minutes or until thick, stirring after 6 minutes.

2.  Stir in cheese.  Serve immediately.

Source:  The Complete Cooking Light Cookbook

Spicy Cheesy Rice

Holy-o risotto.  Did you know you can make risotto with beer and cheddar?!  This stuff was incredible!  I love rice, and this was only the second time I had made risotto, but I thought this was the perfect dish.  It was so creamy and super cheesy.  It was like macaroni and cheese but with a slight bite to it.  I loved that you could still smell the beer while you were eating it, but it didn't taste like beer.  Make this.  I dare you.

Beer and Cheddar Risotto

Ingredients:

1/2 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

2+ tablespoons olive oil

2 cups Arborio rice

12 ounce bottle of beer, preferably not light beer (I used Honey Weiss)

49.5 ounce can of chicken broth

5 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1.  Pour chicken broth into a medium saucepan.  Keep warm over low heat.

2.  Heat large saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Heat just until butter is melted.  Add onion and saute for 3-5 minutes, until soft and translucent.  Turn heat to medium-high and add garlic.  Cook for 30 second to 1 minute, just until fragrant.

3.  Add rice and saute for 2 minutes, stirring constantly until opaque, adding more olive oil as necessary to coat the rice.

4.  Pour in beer, turn heat up to high until it starts to simmer.

5.  Turn heat back to medium-low and add the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until liquid dissolves.  You may not need to use all of the chicken broth - risotto should be creamy and just slightly al dente.  This should take 30 minutes or more.  

6.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheeses and cayenne pepper.

Source:  Made in Melissa's Kitchen, http://www.madeinmelskitchen.com

Rosemary Red Potatoes

I do not think I have anything clever to say today.  I'm all out of cleverness.  So, let me just say that these Rosemary Red Potatoes are really yummy!  From personal experience, I can tell you that they are a great accompaniment to porkchops.  Make sure you bake them long enough that they get nice and brown and tender.

Rosemary Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

1-3/4 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1 small onion, quartered

1/4 cup olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

1.  In a bowl, combine the potatoes, onion, oil, rosemary, garlic and garlic salt; toss to coat.

2.  Transfer to a foil-lined 15-inch by 10-inch by 1-inch baking pan.

3.  Bake, uncovered, at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender and browned.  

Source:  Taste of Home, October/November 2005