Parsley Potatoes

I love french fries.  And I love tater tots.  They don't love me, however.  So here is my make it yourself alternative.  The secret is heating the oil in the oven while getting the potatoes ready.

They are the size of tots with the crispy crunch of a fry.  Satisfaction in a major way.

 

Parsley Potatoes

 

2 1/2 pounds potatoes (washed and chopped into about 1 inch chunks)

1/4 cup olive oil

kosher salt

1/4 chopped fresh parsley

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour olive oil into a baking pan, like the kind you would make a sheet cake in.  Place pan in heated oven.  Wash and chop the potatoes.  I don't peel mine.  I just cut them into approximately 1 inch chunks.  Place potato chunks in a large bowl.  Using a rubber spatula, toss while adding salt and parsley.  Remove hot oil from oven.  Carefully add potatoes, the oil should sizzle.  Toss to coat the potatoes in the hot oil.  Return to oven.  Bake until browned and fork tender.

 

They are simple enough to eat with a burger and visually appealing, so you can serve them with something a bit more gourmet.

 

You can also change up the herbs to fit the rest of the meal.  Easy peasy.

 

Homey, comfort food that makes me smile.

Hawaiian Sweet Potatoes

 

 

I didn't know Hawaiian sweet potatoes are actually purple.  I don't want to eat purple potatoes...

 

But I did want to find a good Hawaiian sweet potato recipe for a luau themed dinner.  I combined a couple that I found online and made some adjustments and came up with a delicious side dish for the Huli Huli chicken I made.  Simple and scrumptious.

 

 

28 ounces sweet potatoes, canned, drained

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, canned, undrained

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

6 Tbsp brown sugar, divided

4 Tbsp butter, divided

1/2 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Preheat oven to 350.  In medium bowl, combine sweet potatoes, pineapple, 2 Tbsp melted butter, 4 Tbsp brown sugar, cinnamon.  Pour mixture into a medium size casserole dish.  In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp melted butter, coconut, flour and pecans.  Mix well and sprinkle over sweet potatoes.  Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is slightly browned and crunchy.

 

Enjoy :)

 



Delicious Baked Beans!

Now my Mom claims to make the best baked beans and they are scrumptious, but she 'jokingly' says she will take her recipe to the grave.  Well, this is not her recipe - but they are soooo good!

 

 

Not overly sweet or too molasses-y.  Delicious maple bacon flavor!  Yum.

 

Baked Beans

 

4 cans Great Northern Beans, drained

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1 Tablespoon (heaping) mustard

1/2 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 pound maple bacon, cooked (but not overly done) and torn into small pieces

 

Combine all of the above ingredients in a crockpot and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

 

Pure baked bean paradise!

KFC Coleslaw

I was looking for the perfect coleslaw recipe, which for me would taste something like the stuff you get from Kentucky Fried Chicken.  I'm sure by many foodie standards KFC coleslaw would not qualify as the best, but I think it is totally delicious.  An internet search brought several great recipes and they all were pretty much the same.  Some added a fourth of a cup of milk, but that seemed like it would be too liquidy for me.  This one turned out pretty darn good, I must say.  My husband thought it was a bit heavy on the vinegar and my mom told me to add celery seed (I didn't bother to tell her it already had celery seed in it, sometimes you just have to let your mom give your cooking 'constructive' feedback because that is just what she does).  I think I would just toss the slaw mix into a food processor and get those perfect tiny bits of cabbage and carrots that make you forget that you are eating vegetables.  :)

 

 

KFC Style Coleslaw

 

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar (some recipes used plain white vinegar)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

16 ounce bag of already chopped coleslaw mix from the produce section

 

 

Whisk together all of the ingredients except for the slaw mix.

Toss in the bag of slaw mix and mix until well combined. 

Chill at least three hours prior to serving.

 

I made my batch in the morning when I put my pork in the crockpot for pulled pork sandwiches.  Excellent side for some summer BBQ!