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.

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.

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.

Green Chile Creamed Corn

This is one of the many recipes I got from pinterest (my new addiction by the way). DJ loves creamed corn so I made this recipe for him. Although not one of my favorites (I much prefer corn prepared with butter and a little salt and pepper), it was still pretty tasty. I think that if I make this again, however, I would probably cut back on the cream cheese a little. It was just a little too creamy for me. 

Green Chile Creamed Corn

Ingredients:
1 10 oz bag frozen corn
1 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese
1 small can chopped green chilies

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare corn according to directions on bag
3. In a separate bowl combine cream cheese and green chilies. Stir until creamy.
4. Add prepared corn to cream cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Spoon into small casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

Squash Casserole

When I heard my friend say she was making squash casserole I thought that it did not sound very appetizing. She brought me some to taste and I loved it! I thought it would be a nice dish to serve at Christmas dinner. I did a trial run for my husband and some friends and it was a hit! So glad I came across this delicious dish. Will definitely be making this for Christmas.

SQUASH CASSEROLE

Ingredients

3 cups grated squash (yellow or zucchini)
1 cup light sour cream
1 medium onion diced small
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
Seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Tony Chacheries)
2 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl
2. Pour mixture in a greased 9x9 inch casserole dish
3. Top casserole with thin slices of butter
4. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees

Cajun Green Beans

This is a recipe my dad perfected and passed on to me. So simple yet it packs so much flavor.

CAJUN GREEN BEANS

Ingredients

3 cans cut green beans, drained
1/2 pound andouille sausage (quarter links)
3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 tbsp Tony Chacheries (season to taste)
Water

Directions

1. Place beans, sausage, potatoes, and onion in a large pot.
2. Add just enough water to reach the top of the beans
3. Add Tony Chacheries (you may need to taste the beans as they cook and add seasoning)
4. Cover and cook beans on med high heat (they will be boiling) until most of the water is gone
5. Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes

I adapted this recipe from one of Martha Stewart's recipes. It is super easy and oh so yummy! I served these with pan fried turkey breasts and peas.

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:
1/4 pound small yellow potatoes
2 tbsb olive oil
seasonings to taste

Directions:
Boil potatoes in a large pot of water and a dash of salt until potatoes are fork tender (~20 minutes)
Coat a rimmed cookie sheet with 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Drain potatoes and place on a cookie sheet.
Using a fork gently press down/smash each potato.
Brush the remaining olive oil over the tops of each potato.
Season with your favorite seasonings (I used a 20 blend seasoning mix from Costco...one of the best buys ever and some sea salt)
Bake in 450 degree oven for about 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are a golden brown color. The skin should be slightly crispy.

Fried Chicken with Mac and Cheese

I'm babysitting a friend's daughter and she loves chicken tenders and macaroni. I decided to make fried chicken tenders with mac and cheese for her. Definitely an "unhealthy" meal but I'll make up for it the rest of the week (hopefully). This was my first attempt at making a sauce for the mac and cheese instead of just putting cheese on the pasta. It came out good but still needs some tweaking.

Fried Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken tenders
~ 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup flour
Oil
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper

Directions:
1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, place in a large bowl and cover with buttermilk. Sometimes I add a little hot sauce to the buttermilk to add a some heat. Let sit for about an hour.
2. Place flour in a shallow bowl. Season heavily with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. If you like a little heat you can add cayenne pepper as well.
3. In a large skillet, over med-high heat, heat enough oil so that the chicken tenders will be covered when placed in the oil.
4. When oil is hot, (test with a little water-if it bubbles it's ready), Coat chicken in seasoned flour and add to oil. Cook until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet and drain on paper towels. You may need to work in batches.

3 Cheese Mac and Cheese



Ingredients:
1/2 box (1/2 pound) whole wheat penne rigate pasta
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup fontina cheese
1/2 cup monteray jack cheese
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne powder

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large bowl toss cheeses together to mix.
4. In a medium sized sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk until smooth and slightly bubbly. Whisk in milk and stir in seasonings. Let come to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes, stirring to prevent lumps. Remove from heat and add 1 cup of cheese mixture. Stir to combine
5. In pasta pot, Stir together pasta and cheese sauce. Pour half pasta into baking dish. Cover with 1/2 remaining cheese. Pour remaining pasta on top and cover with remaining cheese.
6. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Increase heat to broil and cook 3 minutes, until top is lightly browned. Cool slightly before serving.

Baked Garlic and Green Chili Cheese Grits

Being a southern girl I grew up on grits, both for breakfast and dinner. For breakfast, I remember getting ready for school and my grandma having a bowl of grits and toast ready for me when I got to her house. For dinner, after a fishing trip my mom fried the fish and always served them with grits (my favorite part of the dinner!) This is a slightly different version from the plain grits that my mom used to make. They are delicious. And if you are one of those who have never tasted grits before this recipe is for you. Once you try them you will fall in love with grits!

Not the best picture because I took this the day after. I'll update the next time I make this dish.

Baked Garlic and Green Chili Cheese Grits


Ingredients:
3-4 cloves of garlic
6 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 cups regular grits
12 ounces cheese (any cheddar, I used sharp)
1/2 cup milk
4 eggs (beaten)
1 stick unsalted butter
1 (4 oz) can green chilies
8 ounces white cheddar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Roast garlic cloves for about 20 minutes or until soft.
Meanwhile, bring chicken broth, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a boil.
Remove garlic from cloves and set garlic aside.
Add grits to boiling water, whisking to prevent clumps. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 8-10 minutes or until thickened.
Add cheese and milk and stir until combined.
To add eggs you will need to temper them first. To do this take a spoonful of grits and add it to the eggs. Stir to gradually heat up the eggs without "cooking" them.
Add egg/grits mixture to the rest of the grits. Add butter, green chilies, and garlic until combined.
Pour grits into a greased 4 quart casserole dish.
Cover with white cheddar.
Bake 35-40 minutes or until set.

Creamed Spinach

As I was growing up this is a recipe that my dad used to make all the time. I used to never eat it because it had onions in it. Now that my pallate has significantly changed over the years it has become a favorite of my dad's many tasty recipes. It is pretty easy to make and in my opinion far surpasses any other creamed spinach I've tasted.

Hope you enjoy!

Creamed Spinach 

passed down from my dad

Ingredients

• 2 tbs oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 2 boxes frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 box (4 oz) cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• ~4 oz sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp celery seed
• season to taste (salt,pepper, Tony's)
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. 

2. Saute onions in oil until soft. 

3. While onions are cooking, place box of spinach in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Boil about 15 minutes. Drain completely and return to saucepan. 

4. Add cream of mushroom, onions, cream cheese, celery seed, and seasonings to spinach. 

5. Cook on medium about 5-10 minutes, or until ingredients are combined. 

6. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted