Twice Baked French Fries

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

We had a huge bag of Idaho potatoes that we needed to finish, so I started testing all sorts of french fry recipes. This one from Rachael Ray was the PERFECT combination of seasoning and crunchiness.

Ingredients

4 starchy medium Idaho potatoes
Olive Oil, for drizzling
Salt and pepper
Optional flavorings (we used Penzey's Chicago Steak Seasoning)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange a cooling or wire racks over a baking sheet.

2. Peel potatoes lengthwise, living a patch of the skin on each end of the potatoes. Cut each potato into very thin fries lengthwise no more than 1/4-inch thick -- the thinner they are the crispier the end product will be.

3. In a large bowl, dress the fries very lightly with EVOO – a couple of turns of the bowl ought to do the trick. Season with salt and pepper, and arrange fries in single layer without crowding either baking sheet.

4. Place fries in oven and roast 30 minutes. Remove fries and increase heat to 425°F. Toss fries in large bowl again with seasonings. Return fries to oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until very crisp and brown.

Shrimp Po Boy Pitas

 Photo from Rachael Ray

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

This was a quick, healthy and filling spring recipe. We substituted the heavy bread with whole wheat pitas, but other than that we followed the Rachael Ray recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound medium shrimp, peeeled and deveined
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons creole seasoning (we used Old Bay)
Salt
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Two 12-inch baguettes—halved crosswise, each half split and excess bread dug out
1/2 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

Directions

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, olive oil and creole seasoning. (If the seasoning is unsalted, add a pinch of salt.) In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons water, stirring until smooth.

2. Lay the baguettes open on plates. Layer with the lettuce, bell pepper, tomatoes and scallions.

3. Add the seasoned shrimp to the grill, cover and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook, covered, until just opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes more. Arrange the shrimp on top of the vegetables and drizzle with the mayo-mustard sauce.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Rating: 4 out of 5

We got a fabulous waffle maker from Brian's mom (thank you!!) so we can now leggo our eggos whenever we want! This recipe is courtesy of Tammy's Recipes and was a breeze to whip up. The even better part, I put the batter in the fridge for a day and finished cooking the waffles without any problems. My freezer is now stocked and ready for a week of toasty warm waffles.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl.

2. In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients and then add to dry, stirring just until moistened.

3. Cook on pre-heated waffle iron until waffles are browned and test done.

Salmon Salad Wraps

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

This was a perfect, light and fast spring dinner and would make an even better lunch. The original recipe from Rachel Ray was intended to be a salad, but I thought it tasted even better in a wrap. In the future, I would add tomatoes and reduce the amount of olive oil (I preferred the lemony seasoning more than the oil taste).

Ingredients
 
3/4 pound skinless salmon fillets
1 large cucumber—peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large red bell pepper—stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 scallions, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the salmon in a medium baking dish and bake, covered, until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let stand until cool.

2. In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, scallions and lemon with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

3. Add the baked salmon, flaking the meat with a fork, and mix until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Cinco De Mayo Feast

Rating 4.75 out of 5

I have finally recovered from my Cinco de Mayo food coma. The only thing missing from this meal were sopapillas. I used a variety of sources to make my ultimate dinner so here is the breakdown:

1. Horchata (it is dangerous how easy and tasty this drink is)
2. Mexican Rice
3. Creamy Chicken Taquitos (I will be stocking our freezer with these soon)
  
Horchata Ingredients and Directions

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

5 cups water

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar

1. Pour the rice and water into the bowl of a blender; blend until the rice just begins to break up, about 1 minute.

2. Let rice and water stand at room temperature for a minimum of 3 hours.

3. Strain the rice water into a pitcher and discard the rice.

4. Stir the milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar into the rice water.

5. Chill and stir before serving over ice.

Mexican Rice Ingredients and Directions

2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded Cheddar

1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the rice, onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook until the rice is browned and vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the water, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender, about 15 to 17 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheese and transfer to a serving bowl. 


Creamy Chicken Taquitos Ingredients and Directions

3 oz. cream cheese, softened
¼ cup salsa
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc. would also be good)
10-12 6-inch flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, lime juice, spices, cilantro, green onions, chicken and shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly until well combined.

3. Briefly heat the tortillas in the microwave to make them soft enough to roll easily, about 20-3o seconds. Place a tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the filling mixture down the middle of the tortilla. Roll the tortilla up tightly around the filling. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling, spacing the assembled taquitos evenly on the baking sheet.

4. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. (You may be tempted to skip the sprinkle of salt, but it really adds a nice touch.)

(To freeze before baking, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer and chill the assembled taquitos 30-60 minutes. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or plastic bag. To bake from the freezer, simply add a few additional minutes to the original baking time, until the filling is warmed through.)

5. Bake 15-20 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve with sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Avocado Hummus

 Photo is from Kraft

Rating: 3 out of 5

I wanted a healthy snack to eat after my lunch so I decided to make my own hummus. I looked online at a variety of recipes and came up with this combination. It has a great flavor and is super yummy on a pita, but the consistency is slightly different than store-bought hummus.

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, liquid reserved
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 diced avocado
3 slices of hot peppers (or one finely diced jalapeno)
2 tablespoons of cilantro

Directions

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until desired consistency.

Shrimp and Corn Pasta

 Photo is from The Cottage Home

Rating 4.75 out of 5

Using the same ingredients and process as the previous recipe, you can make a tasty pasta that really tastes completely different. Brian, loved this one, hence the high rating.  Again, this recipe is from The Cottage Home.

Ingredients

Shrimp

1 lb. raw shrimp, shells on

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Juice of 2 limes

Corn Relish

 

1 bag frozen corn (or several ears fresh with kernels removed if in season)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup cilantro

Juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Extras

 

1 red onion, sliced

Pasta

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or any shape you like)

1 package grape tomatoes

Olive oil

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

Directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cook pasta according to package directions.

 

2. Place leftover corn relish, grilled onions, and grape tomatoes on a large baking sheet (note: the first night I made a double-batch of the corn relish so I just had to marinade the shrimp and onions on the second night). Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  

 

3. Roast in the oven for approximately 20 minutes or until grape tomatoes start to get wrinkly and corn starts to get a little color.

4. Meanwhile, cut up your shrimp into small pieces.  Once you remove your corn and tomato mixture from the oven, add your shrimp to the baking sheet - this will warm them up without cooking them any further.

5. Drain pasta.  Add all the contents from the cookie sheet into the pasta.  Make sure to scrape up all the little brown bits (this gives the great roasted flavor).  Add your Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste).