Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

These are, hands-down, the best sweet potato fries I've made. They are perfectly seasoned with just the right amounts of spicy and sweet. Hope you love them as much as my husband and I do!

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

Ingredients:
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced and cut into long thin slices
olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 tbsp rosemary, fresh or dried (amount depends on your preference for rosemary)
1/4 tsp cayenne

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place cut sweet potatoes on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with all dry ingredients and toss slightly to ensure coverage.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. If you want your fries a little crispier place under broiler for about 1 minute or so after initial cooking, just make sure to watch closely so that your fries do not burn.

Goat Cheese and Honey Spread

This is probably one of the easiest, quickest appetizers I've ever made. It's always a hit at any party I bring it to. If you like goat cheese you will definitely find this to become one of your favorites! Hope you enjoy!

Goat Cheese and Honey Spread

1 goat cheese log
1/2 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup honey
Fresh fruit
Assorted crackers

Press or roll goat cheese in sunflower seeds, covering cheese completely. Drizzle honey over the top of the cheese roll. Serve with fresh fruit and crackers.

Cinnabon Popcorn

This came out delicious! It was really sweet though. The next time I make this I will probably not drizzle the almond bark over the popcorn at the end or maybe just drizzle half with it and half without that way you have the option of eating the extra sweep pieces or not!

Cinnabon Popcorn

Ingredients:

12 cups popped popcorn (~2 bags)
1 cup pecan halves, roughly chopped
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 squares almond bark (optional)

Directions:

Place popcorn and chopped pecans in a large bowl and set aside. You definitely need a really large bowl for this.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a large microwave safe bowl (2 L capacity). Mix well. Shop butter into chunks and place on top of sugar mixture. Pour honey over the top of everything. Microwave on high for 30 seconds and then stir to combine. Return to microwave and heat for 2 minutes. Remove and stir then microwave 2 minutes more.

Remove from microwave and add vanilla and baking soda. Stir to combine. Mixture will foam and rise. Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and pecans and stir to make sure popcorn is well coated.

Spread popcorn mixture onto a foil-lined jelly roll pan.  Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and spread out onto a large piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or foil.

Melt almond bark according to package. Drizzle over popcorn mixture. Allow to harden, break into chunks and enjoy!

Feta Vinaigrette Slaw

Ingredients:
1/2 head of cabbage sliced thin, green or purple works (or a mixture)
4 green onions, sliced thin
4 oz feta cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup vinaigrette (whatever your favorite is) I used Newman's Own Greek Vinaigrette


Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir. Refrigerate for a little while to let the flavors mend.

White Chicken Enchiladas

I've seen these posted on Pinterest and repinned all the time. My friend has made them a few times and claims that this is the best enchilada recipes ever. So I decided to make them the other night for dinner. The flavor was good but not great and the tortilla on the enchilada seemed a little soggy. I will definitely try this again but with a little tweaking. I will probably add some jalapenos in addition to the green chilies to kick it up a notch and a little less sauce.

White Chicken Enchiladas
slightly adapted from Plain Chicken

Ingredients
8 flour tortillas, soft taco size
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup light sour cream
2 (4-oz) cans diced green chilies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9x13 glass pan with cooking spray. Mix chicken and 1 cup of cheese. Roll up in tortillas and place in pan seam side down.
3. In a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute. Add broth and whisk until smooth. Allow sauce to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and green chilies.
4. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes and then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.

Neiman Marcus Cookies

I recently ate at Mariposa, the restaurant inside Neiman Marcus at the Houston Galleria, and decided to try one of their famous chocolate chip cookies. It was pretty good but I wanted to see if I could make it myself. I used the recipe below from Brown Eyed Baker (adapted slightly) and they came out wonderful. My father-in-law claims that they were the best cookies I've made so far (and I've made a lot of different cookies). 

Neiman Marcus Cookies
makes ~30 cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Blend the oats in a food processor to a fine powder. In a medium bowl whisk together the blended oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside
3. In a stand mixer with the paddle/scraper attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Scrape down the sides and beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. On low speed gradually mix in the flour mixture, beating just until incorporated. With a rubber spatula fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
4. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop cookies and place onto nonstick baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies should be lightly browned and set on the outside but still look a little undone in the middle. They will finish setting while cooling. Let cool 2-3 minutes on baking sheet than transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Brown Rice

When I was growing up I hated when my dad made stuffed peppers. Now years later I'm not sure why I didn't like them. They are so delicious! I made these the other night for dinner and definitely got lots of praise from my husband. I've had different versions of stuffed bell peppers and this is my favorite by far. The turkey and brown rice really makes me feel like I'm eating a lot healthier, without sacrificing taste.

Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Brown Rice
adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen

Ingredients
1 cup cooked brown rice
4 large green bell peppers
1 large onion
3 tsp olive oil
1 package (4 links) sweet Italian turkey sausage
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, Tony Chachere's, onion powder and garlic powder to taste
Jar of spaghetti sauce, any brand you prefer
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Trim bottom of peppers so they have a flat surface to stand on. Cut a fairly generous amount of the stem of the peppers and remove the seeds. Set stems aside.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and submerge the cut peppers in the water. Boil for 3 minutes to soften them. Drain water and place peppers in a small baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Take stems of the peppers and trim off any white membrane. Dice pepper caps and the onion. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet, saute diced peppers and onions 3-4 minutes or until soften.
5. Remove sausage from casings and add to skillet with peppers and onions. Cook until browned, breaking apart with a wooden spoon. Add dried spices at this time. Season to taste. Add cooked rice and Parmesan cheese to mixture and cook just long enough to warm. Taste and add more spices if needed.
6. Stuff the filling mixture into the hollowed out peppers, using a spoon to press the mixture down so it's tightly packed. If you have any extra filling you can put in a small ramekin and bake along with the peppers.
7. Spoon spaghetti sauce over tops of stuffed peppers, letting any extra fall into the baking dish.
8. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from oven and top with mozzarella cheese and bake another 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Creamed Cauliflower

This is one of my husband and I's favorite side dishes. It is a recipe that my mom used to make all the time. You can make this more like a soup or cook it for less time and make it on the chunkier side.

Creamed Cauliflower


Ingredients:

2 heads of fresh cauliflower, chopped into large chunks
1 1/2  cups whole milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 chicken bullion cube
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder)

1/2 cup hot water
2 tbsp flour

Directions:

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil.
Turn heat down to medium and let cook until cauliflower is soft and tender. ~30 minutes
At this point you will want to season the cauliflower to your liking.
You will also need to stir the mixture frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom.
Once cauliflower is tender and begins to break up you will probably need to thicken the mixture slightly. To do this combine hot water and flour in a cup. Whisk to prevent lumps and stir into cauliflower. Let cook until thickened.

Slow Cooker Charro Beans

If your are planning on having a Mexican fiesta be sure to add these to the menu. Slow cooked charro beans are extremely flavorful and very easy to make. Cooking them in the crock-pot makes them very tender and hold all the flavor of the vegetables. Definitely one to add to your list of recipes to try!

Slow Cooker Charro Beans

Ingredients:

1 1b. bag of dried pinto beans, rinsed
2 cans Rotel
2 packets Goya ham flavoring
1 medium-large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3-4 slices bacon, chopped
Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, tony chacheries)

Directions:

Put rinsed beans into crock-pot, add enough water to cover beans by a few inches. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours. If you don't have time to do this on "cook day" soak the beans in water overnight.
Drain the beans and again add enough water to cover beans by a few inches.
Stir in remaining ingredients. I typically season heavily since there is so much water. You can do this now or wait till they are almost finished and season them to taste then.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until beans are cooked and tender.
Can be topped with cilantro, avacados, shredded cheese, or sour cream

7-up Biscuits

OK....I've tried lots of biscuit recipes and so far this recipe is my favorite by a long run. This is a really easy and delicious recipe. If you are a fan of Popeye's biscuits, you will definitely be impressed with these. They taste just like the biscuits you will find at Popeye's!!

7-Up Biscuits


Ingredients:


2 cups bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup 7-up
1/4  cup melted butter

Directions:


Preheat oven to 450 degrees
In a large bowl mix together bisquick, sour cream, and 7 up. This will make a really soft dough.
Pour the dough onto a floured counter-top and knead a couple times to about an inch thick.
Melt butter in a glass 8x8 baking dish. Cut biscuits using a medium biscuit cutter then dip the top of the biscuit in butter and arrange in dish.
Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes