Halloween Mummies

A couple of years ago I came across this idea for Halloween.  The kids go crazy over these mummies.  They are super easy and pretty fast.  Serve them for lunch with some fruit or along side a bowl of chili for dinner.

1 pkg. Hot Dogs
1 pkg. Refrigerated Crescent Rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out the crescent roll dough into a large Rectangle.  Cut very thin strips (about 1/8") with a pizza cutter.  Cut the hot dogs in half and wrap a strip around each half leaving a place for eyes to be added after they are baked.  Place the wrapped mummies on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Before serving add mummy eyes with mustard or ketchup.

Sweet potato fries

The kids love these. They are already sweet so no ketchup, we use mustard to balance out the flavors.

4 pounds sweet potatoes cut into spears

2 t. Olive oil

Sea salt

Place potatoes in a bowl and coat with olive oil. Place in an oven at 400 degrees. Cook for 25 min. and turn over potatoes with a spatula half way through cooking time. Salt after cooking.

Oh and in case your wondering it is whole grain mustard that you're looking at. :)

Baked French Fries

I needed some variety in my life so I decided to make some different french fries for dinner. Let me tell you how much I liked these. My kids had some friends over and these things were flying off of the tray. I even gave a few to my neighbor and she said they were really good. Totally different, but so delicious.





Olive oil
4-5 russet potatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
1 gallon ziploc bag


Cut potatoes french fry style. (I cut length wise thinly and then turn and cut length wise again) Lay potatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil and toss. Place all spices into ziploc bag. Put potatoes into ziploc and shake well. Dump out the potatoes onto greased cookie sheet and spread out evenly. Bake potatoes @ 400 for 25 minutes turning once during baking.

Fruit Salsa

I was being adventurous and decided to try something new. I was also trying to use my fruit before it went bad. I found this recipe and it was a big hit. It does take time cutting all of the stuff up, but it looks so nice. I didn't have the kiwi so I just left it out. It was still great, but would have looked better with it.


Salsa
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
2 Golden Delicious apples - peeled, cored and diced
8 ounces raspberries
1 pound strawberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fruit preserves, any flavor

Chips
10 flour tortillas
cooking spray
cinnamon and sugar mixed together

Mix salsa together and chill. For chips spray on side of tortilla with cooking spray. Cut into wedges and sprinkle with desired amount of cinnamon and sugar mixture. Repeat with all tortillas. Arrange on baking sheet. Bake @ 350 for 8 minutes.

Elegant Dinner Salad

As I said in my last post, I was in charge of a big dinner this last weekend.  This salad was the hit of the night!  Everyone raved about it.  It is so, so simple to prepare but it looks and tastes amazing. The candied pecans are the big secret!

1 Head Romaine Lettuce, chopped
1 C. Parmesan Cheese, grated
1 C. Craisins
1 C. Chopped Pecans
1/2 C. Sugar
Brianna's Brand Poppy Seed Dressing

At least 1 hour before you want to serve the salad but up to a day in advance, toast and candy pecans by combining pecans and sugar in a small sauce pan.  Heat on medium high heat and stir constantly until all of the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and stir every once in a while to break up pecans.  They will stick together as they cool.  To assemble the salad, put all of the lettuce in the bottom of a large serving bowl.  Add craisins, parmesan, then candied pecans.  Mix the top a tiny bit to let a little green show through but don't mix it too much or all the toppings will fall to the bottom.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Garlic Steak Rub and Cheddar Roasted Potatoes

Whenever I ask my husband what we should have for dinner he gives the same answer- Steak.  It has become a joke but it truly is his favorite meal.  He is a steak and potatoes kind of guy.  So the other night when I was preparing a special dinner for him the menu was a no-brainer!  I used this simple home made garlic rub on the steaks.  It turned out beautifully.  I discovered the recipe for these yummy potatoes several years ago.  I should have doubled the recipe, my kids couldn't stop eating them!

Garlic Rub:
2T. Olive Oil
2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Pepper
4 Garlic Cloves, pressed

Make sure steaks are at room temperature, thawed completely.  Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and brush the steaks on all sides with a basting brush.  Let the steaks marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling them. This is enough marinade for 5 large steaks.

Cheddar Roasted Potatoes:
4 Large Russet Potatoes, washed
3 T. Butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese
2 tsp. Dried Parsley
3/4 C. Half and Half

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9 x13 pan with cooking spray.  Slice potatoes into thin lengthwise strips like french fries.  Transfer potatoes to prepared pan and drizzle the butter over top.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, parsley and cheese.  Pour half and half over top.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Focaccia Bread

This bread is very good and different from your normal homemade bread. Great with pasta or to dip in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Very easy too!


1/2 teaspoon honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
2/3 cup warm water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tsp yeast

Place ingredients in bread machine in the order shown and select dough setting. When dough is done roll out on floured surface into a circular shape. Place on baking sheet and let rise double in size or about 40 minutes. Using your finger place dimples randomly on the surface of the bread. Drizzle 1 TBS of olive oil on top. Bake @ 400 for 15 minutes.

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice

This recipe would work for a main dish or side dish.  Last night we had it for dinner.  I love all in one meals where the vegetable is packed right into the casserole.  I also love that this dinner was meatless but if you wanted to add shredded chicken that would also work in this recipe.  The crunchy, flavorful crumb mixture used on top of the casserole was such a nice touch.  It was a big hit and I will certainly make it again.

2 T. Butter or Olive Oil
1 small onion, chopped small
Broccoli (I used two heads of fresh but you could probably use frozen)
1 1/4 C. Rice
4 C. Chicken Broth
1 1/2 C. Half and Half
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Pepper
2 C. Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Topping:
3 slices Sandwich Bread, crumbled
3/4 C. Grated Parmesan
1/4 C. Butter Melted
1 clove Garlic, pressed

Heat a skillet on med. high heat and add oil (or butter).  Saute broccoli until crisp tender, about 4 minutes or so.  Remove broccoli from pan.  Add onion and rice to pan and saute until rice is golden brown and onion is translucent.  Add broth, half and half, salt and pepper to pan and reduce heat to medium low.  Cook uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring frequently, until rice is done.  When rice is done the mixture will still be kind of creamy. Add cayenne pepper, broccoli, and cheese and mix until everything is well distributed.  Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Transfer rice mixture to a greased 9x13 pan.  Mix bread crumbs, parmesan, butter, and garlic together in a small bowl then sprinkle over top of casserole.  Bake 15 minutes to melt cheese and brown the topping.  

Salmon Potato Salad

I made this one up! I had one piece of frozen salmon left in the freezer and came up with a way to use it.

3 pounds of baby red potatoes

4 oz of salmon

1 sweet bell pepper chopped

1 cup of frozen corn

2 green onions sliced

2 T of vegenaise (can use mayo)

2 T pickle juice

1/2 t salt

Squeeze lemon juice on to salmon then sprinkle with salt. Broil salmon until cooked through.

Cut potatoes into bite size pieces, put just enough water into a pan to cook the potatoes. Cook potatoes until almost done, then add the bell pepper and corn and cook two minutes. Drain the vegetables, and mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Grandpa's Meatloaf with Honey Roasted Potatoes

My grandpa has a lot of talent with traditional comfort foods.  His meatloaf is the only recipe I would ever consider using.  This time I paired it with a recipe I have been anxious to try- honey roasted potatoes.  They were so good and so different.  The tangy mustard flavor combined with the honey and onion was so good.  I put them under my broiler for a few minutes at the end to crisp them up a bit.

Grandpa's Meatloaf:
2 lbs. Ground Beef
2 C. Bread Crumbs (I just crumble the ends of a loaf of bread into very fine pieces.)
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Sage
2 C. Chopped Onion
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 C. Ketsup
1 tsp. Prepared Mustard
2 T. Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Pepper

Mix all ingredients together and transfer to a greased pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes.  Spread additional ketsup on top before serving.


Honey Roasted Potatoes:
1 lb. Small Red Potatoes, quartered (I used russet but red potatoes would be even better)
2 T. Chopped Onion (or 1 T. onion powder)
2 T. Butter, melted
1 T. Honey
1 tsp. Dry Mustard
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Dried Parsley

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.  Place potatoes in prepared pan in a single layer.  Sprinkle onion (or onion powder) over top.  Mix together all other ingredients and drizzle over top of potatoes.  Bake for 40-50 minutes depending on size of potatoes.  Use a spatula to turn potatoes 3 times during the baking time to re-coat potatoes with honey mixture.  If you like your potatoes crispy, turn on your broiler at the end of the baking time for 3-5 minutes, watching carefully so potatoes don't burn.  Makes 4 servings.

Oven Rice

I got this recipe from a friend when I first got married. I love it because it gives some variety to normal white rice without a lot of effort. I like to make this when we have company because makes a lot of rice.


1/4 cup butter
2 cups rice
2 tsp dried onion
2 TBS parsley
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups water

Put butter in 9x13 dish place in oven while preheating. When butter is melted mix all other ingredients in dish, cover and bake @ 400 for 1 hour.

Buttery Garlic Chicken and Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

This is one of my favorite dinners.  It is just so, so yummy.  I love crispy potatoes and pared with this chicken they are even more delicious.  Another bonus to these recipes is how quick they are.  It will probably take you about 40 minutes from start to finish to fix this meal.  And you are going to love the smell of your house!

First the potatoes.
6 medium russet potatoes (actually you can use whatever kind you want)
1 T. Olive Oil
3 T. Grated Parmesan Cheese (I have used the bottled kind too in a pinch)
2 tsp. Dried Parsley
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Salt (I use seasoning salt for extra flavor)
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Wash the potatoes very well then cut potatoes into 1/2" cubes.  Put potatoes in a microwave safe bowl and microwave them for 7-8 minutes.  Stir the potatoes well then pour the oil in and stir them again until they are well coated.  Mix all spices together in a small bowl.  Dump spices into potatoes and mix well to coat all potatoes.  Put potatoes on a cookie sheet and spread evenly.  Bake for 25 minutes or until they are crispy.

Buttery Garlic Chicken
 A whole 3 lb. Chicken, cut up or 3-4 large chicken breasts, cut in half
1/2 C. Butter, softened
3 Cloves of Garlic, pressed
1 tsp. Dried Parsley
1/4 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1/4 tsp. Dried Thyme

Combine butter, garlic, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.  Mix well.  For this recipe you can use either a frying pan on your stove top or a broiler pan in your oven.
For the broiler: Preheat your broiler.  Cover your broiler pan with tin foil and place chicken (thawed completely) on prepared pan.  Spread each piece of chicken with a small amount of butter mixture.  Broil chicken, turning and coating frequently with remaining butter-herb mixture, until juices run clear when thickest portion of meat is pierced with a knife, about 30 minutes.
For the frying pan: Melt butter in frying pan and add spices.  Place chicken in pan and fry in butter, turning frequently until chicken is cooked through.