Parmesan French Fries

I am on a pinterest roll, can you tell? I would love for you to leave a comment with a link sharing your favorite Pinterest recipe below. These fries pair up well with just about any sandwich or burger out there. I found them over at http://playwithsugar.blogspot.com/2009/07/oven-baked-parmesan-seasoned-fries.html

Ingredients:

1 pound of medium russet potatoes (approx 3 medium potatoes)
1 1/2 TBSP of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Dried Thyme
1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
1/8 tsp Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp of Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp of Old Bay Seasoning
2 TBSP of Kraft Parmesan Style Grated Cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 425.
*Wash and cut potatoes into 1/8ths. 
*Place on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil (I used Reynolds Release foil so that they will not stick, but you could also either use non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease the top of the foil with extra virgin olive oil). 
*Mix all of the spices and the parmesan cheese in a small bowl. 
*Place all of the potatoes (remember we are talking about one pound at a time) into a gallon size freezer bag, add olive oil and the parmesan cheese/spice mixture to the bag. 
*Seal the bag and shake until the potatoes are evenly coated.
*Once thoroughly coated dump onto the prepared cookie sheet and spread in a single layer.
* Bake 30-45 minutes or until tender and lightly golden brown. (Baking times will vary depending on the amount of fries that you make and the size that you cut them). For the ones shown in the picture they were baked at 425 for 45 minutes.

Grilled Potatoes & Onions

This recipe comes from Our Best Bites, which is a blog I have come to love. I recently got their cook book and can I just say Yummy! If you don't have it yet, you should get it!! I have made tons of their grilling recipes and have loved everyone of them that I have tried. This one is my favorite as a side dish though. It is so simple and yet so yummy. I like to cook mine over a little bit warmer heat so that they get a little crispy, I love crispy potatoes!

Ingredients:
1 potato per person
1/2 small onion per person
1 Tbsp. butter per person, cut into small pieces
1/4 tsp. salt per person
Freshly-ground black pepper
Smoked paprika

(You can either make small individual packets, i.e. one potato and some onion, or you can make one big packet with all the potatoes and all the onions)
Tear aluminum foil into desired length pieces depending on your preference of size. Preheat your grill. Slice Potatoes into 1/8"-1/4" thick slices, if you like thicker potatoes you will just have to adjust cooking times so that your taters get done. Next slice the onions into 1/8" thick slices. Place Potatoes on foil, top with salt & pepper then paprika, don't skimp on the paprika, it's not a strong spice so you will need a generous amount. Then place butter on top of potatoes and top with onions. Then roll the aluminum foil up so that you create a sealed packet/envelope to keep the steam inside while the potatoes cook. Then cook over low heat on a grill for 15 minutes on each side.

Cheese Dressing (or Stuffing)

This is another one of Dena's recipes. She tells me her family are not generally stuffing eating folk, but this cheesy recipe is devoured and she's asked to bring it year after year! I can't wait to try it.

2 boxes Mrs. Cubbins Herbed Dressing (do not use the crumbs at the bottom)
2 cups hot water (use just enough to moisten bread)
5 eggs (stir in bowl to break up yolks)
1 large onion (diced small)
1 1/2 lbs cubed mild cheddar cheese
2 cans evaporated milk
1 lb melted butter

Moisten boxed dressing, fold in the rest of the ingredients until mixed. Bake in a 9x13 baking dish at 350 for 1 1/2 hours. Do not cover so the top will be crunchy.

Grilled Corn on the Cobb

I love stopping by the local corn stands this time of year.
Grilling corn is always a fun and simple alternative to boiling it.

6 ears corn
6 Tbsp. Butter
Salt and pepper

Peel back corn husks and remove silk. Spread a Tablespoon of butter on each ear of corn, add a dash of salt and pepper all over. Close the husks and cover in aluminum foil. Grill on high heat for 30 minutes, rotating occasionally for more even cooking, until tender.

Greek Summer Squash

This is another tasty way to use up the squash and Zucchini that are growing in your garden. I love that you can just pop this on the grill while you are cooking your dinner and then you have an awesome dinner when it's done. Once again credit goes to Taste of Home, love their website!

• 2 small yellow summer squash, thinly sliced
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup pitted ripe olives
• 2 tablespoons chopped green onion
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place the yellow squash, zucchini, tomato, olives and onion on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 17 in. x 18 in.). Combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic salt, oregano and pepper; pour over vegetables. Fold foil around mixture and seal tightly.
Grill, covered, over medium heat for 30-35 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Carefully open foil; transfer vegetables to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

Calabacitas con Maiz

Translation: Little Zucchinis with Corn
Here's another idea for those of you wondering what to do with all that zucchini in your garden!
Cook about half of an onion diced in some oil in a frying pan until tender. Then add zucchini slices and fresh or frozen cut corn and cover to steam. When the veggies are about done, add a diced tomato and cook a couple minutes longer. Salt to taste. That's the traditional Mexican side dish. Or to make it a meal, we cook sliced smoked sausage with the onions and skip the oil. We sprinkle cheese on top, sometimes Mexican cheese, sometimes cheddar or Jack, and we eat it with white corn tortillas or with corn chips--and hot sauce for those who like to spice it up. We do it year round with stuff from the store, but it's even better when you have any or all of those veggies from your garden!

Fresh Salsa

I don't remember where we got this recipe - probably the Internet - but we absolutely love it when tomatoes are in season and so tasty! I like all the ingredients cut by hand because food processors and salsa makers tend to make it really runny for some reason and I like it chunky!

2 large tomatoes
1/2 small sweet onion (red) finely chopped
1-3 jalapenos finely chopped
1 large garlic clove finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro chopped (we often use less or even none of this)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice (we usually substitute bottled lemon juice here)
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper

This tastes good right away, but even better after a few hours or overnight. It only really lasts well a couple days (if it doesn't get devoured before then!)

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Now that corn is in season this is an awesome alternative to boiling your corn, and it's oh so yummy, just make sure you don't leave out the soaking step or you will end up with dried up hard corn that isn't very good. I love summertime grilling!

4 large ears sweet corn in husks
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Carefully peel back husks from corn to within 1 in. of bottom; remove silk. Combine the butter and parsley; spread over corn. Rewrap corn in husks and secure with string. Soak in cold water for 20 minutes; drain.
Grill corn, covered, over medium heat for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning often. Serve with Parmesan cheese or plain salt & pepper.

Grilled Zucchini

This is another simple but delicious way to enjoy some home grown goodness. You can toss this on the grill with whatever you're cooking up! Last night we enjoyed it with grilled chicken and ripe beefsteak tomato slices. Mouth watering, I know.

Ingredients
2 small zucchini cut into spears, wedges or 1/2 inch slices.
3/4 cup Yoshidas marinade (any teriyaki marinade will do)

Cut zucchini into desired shapes. (Smaller zucchini is more tender and has less seeds, save the big ones for baking.) Marinate for 1-2 hours in a ziploc bag, flip the bag over occasionally to make sure every thing gets coated. Grill over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side. Watch them carefully and adjust the heat as needed so they don't burn, you want them to be tender, not dried out. Serve with your favorite grilled meat and enjoy!

Fresh Tomato, Mozzarella & Basil Salad

This time of year you have to enjoy what's coming out of your garden. This is a simple yet delicious way to enjoy those sun ripened tomatoes, one of my favorite parts of summer.

Ingredients

* 4 large tomatoes or 4 cups cherry tomatoes
* 2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese
* 8-10 leaves fresh basil
* 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* salt and pepper
* 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar (optional)

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes and mozzarella cheese into bite size chunks. Loosely chop the basil.
2. Gently toss tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in serving dish.
3. Drizzle with olive oil (and balsamic vinegar if desired).
4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pretty Pretty Veggies

I think I have found a new favorite way to eat summer squash and zucchini, which are always so cheap during the summer! My inspiration for this recipe came from Annie's Eats, but I've mixed it up a bit to meet my taste preferences and our veggie supply :) Oh, ps. they're sooo pretty too!

Pretty Pretty Veggies
1 Large Vidalia onions
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Zucchini
2 Summer squash
2 medium potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Grated Parmesan


1. Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Sautee these in about 2 T of butter. You want these to be soft and translucent. Once done, spread into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

2. Microwave the potatoes just 1-2 minutes. I didn't do this and mine were still a LITTLE crunchy. Then you want to slice them into 1/4 inch slices.

3. Slice both the zucchini and summer squash the same 1/4 inch. Slice these on a diagonal so they are close to the same size as the potatoes are.

4. Layer these into your 9x13 pan on top of the onions. Top with salt, pepper, and thyme.

5. Bake at 375 til the veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Take out and top with grated Parmesan. Place back in the oven til the cheese is nice and melted.

Crockpot Beans

I can't take credit for this recipe, it's Rachael's (my cousin), but I can tell you its fabulous!
That's why I asked her for it. She has several variations on how to use the cooked beans. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Beans

1 lb bag (or 2 cups) of dried beans (pinto, black, or red beans)
2 cloves of whole garlic
about 8 cups water
1 heaping teaspoon salt

Cook the beans in a crock pot on LOW overnight with the water and garlic. In the morning I add the salt and turn the crock pot up to HIGH, which gets them done just right. By noon they are tender and tasty. The finished beans can sit in the crock pot until you're ready to cook dinner, as long as you reheat them before eating. When serving, discard the garlic cloves, and you can serve them soup style with some cheese and chips. Or try one of the alternative variations below.

Refried Beans
Cook 2 Tbsp bacon (cut in small pieces) in a large frying pan over medium heat until crispy (do not drain). Using a ladle, gradually add crock pot beans with about half the liquid. Lower heat to med-lo, and smash in the pan with a potato masher. Depending on the consistency you like, you may have to add more liquid, or add some flour if it is too runny. It does thicken a bit as it cools though, or if you let it simmer. I also add some onion powder and salt to taste.

Ham & Beans
Cook beans in the crock pot with garlic as above. In the morning add a meaty ham bone from a cooked ham, one onion chopped, and 1/4 tsp ground thyme. You will probably want to half the salt, or skip it altogether if you add juices from the ham, depending on how salty your ham is. Turn the crock pot up to HIGH after adding the ham. Check it about noon, it's done when the beans are tender and meat falls off the bone. Take out the ham bone and shred the meat and return to the pot.

Chili
Use the crock pot beans above to add to your favorite chili recipe. You can finish the chili in your crock pot, or you can add the beans to a pot on the stove with the rest of the ingredients.

Asian Broccoli

I got this one from an e-mail I got from Kraft, I don't always love the stuff they send because most of it is made with so much processed food, but when I saw this, I immediately thought of my kids. My kids are broccoli factories these days, I can make a pan of Broccoli that I think will feed our family, and my 2 kids will chow down on it, I've been thru a whole large bag of frozen broccoli from costco already this week and its only Wednesday. Anyway, my kids loved this, and it was a nice way to change things up from plain old broccoli. I hope you enjoy it as much as my kids did!

4 cups Broccoli florets(either fresh or frozen)
1 Red Pepper cut into thin short strips
1/4 C. Peanuts chopped coarsely
1/4 C. Asian style dressing

In microwave or on stove top cook the broccoli and pepper until "crisp tender" meaning that they aren't soggy. I found that the either the microwave or in a slightly oiled pan works best to keep the veggies crisp. About a minute before the veggies are done add the dressing and cook with the dressing. Once done mix peanuts in with veggies and then serve.

Roasted Red Potatoes

I love roasted Red Potatoes, and when I found this recipe on the Olive Gardens website, I knew that I couldn't go wrong, and I wasn't disappointed. Hope you enjoy this simple recipe!

2 lbs red bliss baby potatoes
6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 450ºF. Wash and dry potatoes. Cut into wedges and place in a large mixing bowl. Toss potatoes in oil, melted butter, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Transfer seasoned potatoes onto sheet tray. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Shake pan occasionally for even roasting. Serve Immediately.

Cranberry Pomegranate Jello

I know that this may sound a little strange, but I will never forget the first time I tried this jello, it was like a little slice of heaven. Seriously, it is so yummy! It has such a tartness to it from the cranberries, and then such sweetness from the raspberries and Jello. It is a must in the winter season!

1 small package orange Jello
1 small package raspberry Jello
1 package frozen raspberries with syurp crushed
1 Pomegranate - Seeds only
3/4 C. chopped cranberries

In a large serving dish or jello mold dissolve both packages of Jello in 2 C. Hot water, once dissolved add 1 C. cold water. After Jello is mixed, add fruits and stir. Place Jello in fridge to set. Once Jello is set, serve with whipping cream.

Cranberry Butter

I ran across this at a blog I haven't ever been to before it's call fun foods it might just be my love for tartness, but I thought this sounded amazing, and it made me want to make it for Thanksgiving. I just might have to try it out before then as well. What a fun idea!

3/4 cup butter, softened (margarine is okay too)
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. honey
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts, optional

In a small mixing bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add cranberries and walnuts if desired; beat 5 minutes longer or until butter turns nice and pink.

Transfer to a sheet of plastic wrap; roll into a log.
Refrigerate until chilled. Unwrap and slice or place on a butter dish. Yields 1 1/3 cup.

Roasted New Potatoes

This is from my same friend Elizabeth Dansie. These go great with chicken, but I also love it with Salmon or basically any meat. You can't go wrong with red potatoes.












2-3 lbs. potatoes (new potatoes are best, but any type will work. I always leave the skin on, even with russets.)
1/2 onion, chopped
A few splashes of oil
2 T minced garlic
1-2 T herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
Seasoning salt, pepper

Cut the potatoes into 1-inch wedges. (I usually cut in half and then cut each half into 4-6 pies slices). Place in bowl, splash on plenty of oil, garlic, and season generously. Give it a good stir and place on a baking sheet or pan in a single layer. The key is a single layer. This lets the potatoes get crispy on the outside, while keeping their softness inside. Bake in 350 degree oven or on the grill with the chicken for about 1 hour. Flip the potatoes once or twice while baking.

Fresh Salsa

Last night I made up a batch of Fresh Salsa. YUMMO!
I actually made it a bit spicier than usual, but still enjoyed it.

6 ripe beef stake tomatoes diced
1 green pepper diced
1 medium onion diced
2 Tbsp Cilantro chopped
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
1/4 of Jalapeño pepper diced (you can always add more later)
1 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper

I just throw everything in my food processor, taste, add more of whatever it needs, then serve it up with chips. Enjoy!!

Yogurt Parfaits

Original Vanilla Yogurt
French Vanilla granola (OR any other variety will do)
Blueberries
Raspberries
Strawberries

Starting with the yogurt, layer ingredients one heaping tablespoon full at a time. Continue until you hit the top! Garnish with a mint leaf for extra points in the presentation department :)

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

1 can of black beans drained
16 oz. of corn (canned, frozen, even fresh)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cucumber, peeled & chopped

fresh cilantro (as much as you want), chopped
1 small bottle of kraft zesty! italian dressing

*

Mix it all together, cover & let it chill in the fridge for about a 1/2 hour or so.

*
Serve with chips or all by itself!