Crispy Oven Baked French Fries

I don't know how many times I've tried to bake potato wedges or sticks do end up with a soggy mess.  How to you get the crispiness of deep-fried french fries in the oven? Gwyneth Paltrow's trick is to soak the potato slices in ice cold water before baking! Sure enough...it works...everytime. This is my new favorite side dish for black bean or Turkey Burgers.  Serve with some Sriracha Ketchup to heat it up.

Ingredients:

-2-3 large russet potatoes (you can peel if you want)
-2 Tbsp olive oil
-1 Tbsp sea salt

Equipment Needed:

-parchment paper to help prevent sticking
-large bowl of ice water

Beer Cheese Dip

This is made in the microwave! Had to get that out there first.  My roommate has made this a few times out of an ancient Junior League Cookbook, Denver Cache.  It's seriously circa 1980's but has some great classics.  Annie (my roommate) has bumped up some of the measurements and tweaked it over the years. We've used a variety of beers in this recipe so feel free to be creative.  We've use dark lagers, amber beers, and basically anything that is darker than a Bud Light.  Please don't use a "college beer" in this recipe.  Splurge a little bit and buy a $2 bottle of beer; it will be worth it.  We serve this with crusty bread or veggies such as carrots and broccoli.  Basically, anything you can dip in beer-flavored-cheese.


Ingredient:


-1 block (8oz) light cream cheese
-6 oz cheddar cheese, grated
-2 green onions, chopped
-1/2 cup dark beer (about 1/2 bottle)
-1 Tbsp horseradish
-1 tsp dry mustard

Rock Chalk Cake Pops

Win or lose we still love our Jayhawks...and we will eat cake pops.  Yes, Kansas lost the National Championship on Monday but we had a great season and none of us are fair-weather fans. I made these for our party and they were devoured.  I was lucky to have a few to photograph the next day.  I'm not a baker and I was even successful at these!  I know I'm thinking ahead, but tailgates next fall? You betchya!

Ingredients:


-1 box yellow cake mix
-eggs (however many the box calls for...I needed 3)
-butter (follow box ingredients again)
-1/2 can cream cheese icing
-2 pkgs white candy bark (you can get any color at Hobby Lobby or white at the grocery store)
-sprinkles

Other things needed:

-double boiler (or just two different sized pots)
-Popsicle sticks (also found at Hobby Lobby or craft store)
-Styrofoam blocks or large ring

Sausage Stuffed Mushroom Appetizers

I definitely love stuffed mushrooms and often have them as a side dish or sometimes a meal; see the couple recipes below:

• Spinach and Feta Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms
• Grilled and Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms

This recipe takes the same concept but uses much smaller mushrooms, perfect for finger food.  The sausage makes the appetizer even heartier, making it great for a hungry group or heavy-app party!  I used spicy sausage in half the mushrooms and mild in the other.  Just make sure to garnish differently so your guests (and you) can tell them apart.  I garnished the spicy ones with a red smoky paprika and the mild ones with dried mint, which adds a great earthiness.

Ingredients:

-1 large package of white button mushrooms

-1/4 cup olive oil

-1/4 sherry wine

-1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

-1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

-about 8 ounces sausage (I used both Polidori's mild and spicy)

-1/2 cup Panko (or any type) of breadcrumbs

-3 garlic cloves
-salt and pepper

Healthy Chicken Nuggets with Sriracha Ketchup

One of our favorite spots to watch the Kansas games in Denver, CO is at Stoney's.   Their array of dipping sauces is a large part that I keep going back.  My favorite is sriracha ketchup which I find myself putting on anything I can get my hands on.  I wanted to make a lighter version of chicken nuggets to go with sweet but spicy sauce.  These are incredibly easy and miraculously good for not being deep fried in batter.  Instead they are baked to a light crunchiness and inner juiciness! 

Ingredients:

-2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

-2 eggs, egg whites only

-1/2-3/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

-1 tsp garlic powder

-1 tsp dried oregano

-1/2 tsp smoked paprika

-1 tsp Italian seasoning blend (or a mix of dried basil, thyme, sage)

-1/4 cup ketchup (4 Tbsp)

-1-3 Tbsp sriracha

Superbowl Series - Oven Fried Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

The Superbowl was weeks ago and I'm STILL posting recipes from my menu that day.  And to think I almost forgot about the best dish served! This is an easy, light alternative to fried chicken fingers.  I found the recipe in Cooking Light, which is probably my favorite cooking magazine. I have one sitting on the table to read today!!!  I tweaked the recipe a bit by mostly adding more spices than the amounts call for.  I didn't add any additional spices, just increased the quantity...

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs of Chicken Tenders

1/2 cup of buttermilk (I probably used more...)

1 cup of crushed Cornflakes

1/4 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp of dried minced onion

1 tsp of paprika

1 tsp of dried thyme

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1 Tbsp of vegetable oil

1/4 cup of honey

1/4 cup of spicy brown mustard

Superbowl Series - Spinach Artichoke Dip

Spinach Artichoke Dip is one of my favorite appetizers to order at a restaurant.  My mom made this recipe growing up and it's fabulous! It's the one item that the rest of my family requests SHE brings to each gathering.  This is one of my staples.  And the coolest thing? It cooks in the microwave!

Ingredients:

2 blocks of frozen spinach

2 jars of artichokes hearts (liquid reserved)

1 package of shredded monterry jack cheese

4 Tbsp of chopped white onion

2 Tbsp of butter

2 Tbsp of garlic powder

2 Tbsp of lemon pepper

2 Tbsp of mayo

4 Tbsp of sour cream

Superbowl Series - White Queso Dip

This is what I call "My White Cheese Dip" but if you ask my best friend, Erica, she will say it is "Her White Cheese Dip"...because it is.  I somehow convinced her that it should be "mine" in my zip code and "her's" in her zip code.  I didn't get her drunk.  She's just that nice!

This cheese dip is so much better than it looks in the picture.  So much better that it is the ONE dish that my family requires I bring to every gathering.  

Ingredients:

2 blocks of cream cheese

1/2 cup of chopped onions (can be frozen)

1/2 cup of mayo

1 (16 ounce) package of shredded monterrey jack cheese - about 2 cups

1 (16 ounce )package of shredded parmesan cheese - about 2 cups

Superbowl Series - Easy Deviled Eggs

Although we didn't have a big crowd watching the game together I still felt the need to cook too much. Here's one of four quick appetizer recipes that are great for game day or an easy party spread. 

Deviled eggs are easy, although I've definitely tasted some not-so-yummy ones.  This is an easy recipe that will make people going back for more than one, two, three or half a dozen (maybe that's just me).

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs

2-4 Tbsp of mayo

2 Tbsp of spicy mustard

1 tsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp of sugar

Paprika to sprinkle

Salsa with a Kick!

Some people love chocolate.  I love chips and dip.  So when I ran out of my last liter of homemade salsa I knew it was time to make another double batch and "can" it.  Watch for my my next post for instructions on the canning process.


Ingredients:


4 large cans of whole tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
1 medium-sized onion
1 bunch of cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
2 limes
1 lemon
1/2 jar of sliced jalapeños and some juice
handful of salt
handful of pepper
handful of sugar
chips to eat

suggested tools: immersion blender or food processor