Oven Roasted Potatoes

I have tried other oven roasted potatoes. But this one is the best yet! My husband said so and so will you. 

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Oven roasted potatoes with sausage blinchiki. 

INGREDIENTS:

4 Lbs of potatoes (peeled or unpeeled), cut into 1/2 inch pieces

4 Tbsp melted butter

4 Tbsp oil

4 tsp dried parsley

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 tsp of freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp of garlic powder

HOW TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place potatoes in a greased jelly roll pan.

Stir together dried seasonings in a bowl. Place potatoes in a bowl. Stir in dry ingredients. Put on jelly roll pan. 

Stir together melted butter and oil. Pour over potatoes evenly. 

Place in oven and and bake, stirring every 15 minutes (so they evenly crisp and don't stick to pan), until potatoes are tender and starting to brown in spots and get crispy. This will take about 45-55 min.

Longevity Noodles

I found this while looking on Pinterest for a good noodle recipe for Chinese New Year. They were fantastic! I used Thai Flat Rice Noodles. Hen Hao Chi!

Longevity Noodles
INGREDIENTS:
8 ounces rice noodles
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil + more if needed
3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1-2 tablespoons GF soy sauce
Sea salt and ground white pepper; to taste
diced green onions for garnish
sesame seeds for garnish
HOW TO PREPARE:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the noodles, stir, and cook for about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside in a large serving bowl.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce and salt and white pepper, to taste, until combined well. Pour the mixture over the noodles and toss well to coat. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt/pepper and/or soy sauce if necessary. Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Baked French Fries

Don't be scared off by the sugar - you can't even taste it! Super tasty and much healthier than fried. I found this recipe here. 

Baked French Fries

INGREDIENTS:

Cooking spray

12 yukon gold potatoes, cut into thick fries

2 tbsp white sugar

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp garlic salt

2 tsp black pepper

HOW TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray with cooking spray.

Place sliced potatoes in a colander; sprinkle sugar over potatoes. Set aside until liquid is released from potatoes, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain liquid and dry potatoes well.

Mix potato slices, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper in a resealable bag until evenly coated. Spread coated potato slices in a single layer, leaving space around each potato, on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes; flip fries and continue baking until crisp and browned, about 20 more minutes.

Broccoli Bacon Salad

We eat this salad at every single holiday. Naturally gluten free!

Broccoli Bacon Salad
INGREDIENTS:
Salad:
2-5 crowns of broccoli, chopped up into bite-sized pieces
1/2lb of bacon, fried and crumbled
1/2 to 3/4lb of grated shredded cheese
1/4 cup chopped red onion
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Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (NOT miracle whip)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp vinegar

Stir together the salad ingredients. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Pour sauce over the salad. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.

Salted Potatoes

My husband and I lived in upstate New York our first summer of marriage. We sampled salted potatoes there and they were delicious! Recently, I wanted to recreate them and came across this recipe. There is an entertaining video below that goes along with it. Enjoy!

Salted Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds of small new potatoes, scrubbed
5 cups of water
1/2 cup salt
melted butter

HOW TO PREPARE:
Put potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with salt and then cold water. Turn over high heat. Boil for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Drain from water and serve with melted butter. Yields 6 servings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IochM2MoIDA

Corn Casserole

I made this last week for some company and this it the item everyone went back to for seconds. It also reheats well.




Corn Casserole
INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) gluten-free corn muffin mix*
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

HOW TO PREPARE:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

*Homemade GF corn muffin mix:
1½ cups (188 grams) GF flour, such as Manini's (contains xanthan gum)
1½ cups (240 grams) yellow cornmeal
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons (29 grams) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 grams) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon (18 ml) sunflower oil

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

My grandmother makes these delectable mashed potatoes at our holiday meals, such as Easter, Thanksgiving, & Christmas. Once you try this recipe, you won't want to go back to regular potatoes!

Holiday Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS:
6-8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed 
4 oz Cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup salted butter
Paprika, optional

HOW TO PREPARE:In a large pot, boil potato chunks for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain the water. In a large bowl, combine potato chunks, cream cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, and butter. Using a hand mixer, mix until blended. If  you need to add more sour cream to get it nice and creamy, you can do that. Pour into greased 13x9 in casserole dish. Sprinkle with paprika and top with small chunks of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve.

I like to make these potatoes the day before a holiday and keep in the refrigerator. I try to set the dish out on the counter for an hour before baking, but you don't have to. One of the really nice things about this recipe, other than how delicious it tastes, is that these reheat well. 

Pink Stuff

This recipe is simply known as "pink stuff"! You can add whatever fruits you want!

Pink Stuff
INGREDIENTS:
small curd cottage cheese
cool whip (small carton)
1 small box of jello (I like strawberry)
1 bag of mini marshmallows
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained

HOW TO PREPARE:
Stir together. Chill overnight or for a few hours before serving.

Roasted Carrots With Dill

I made this recipe last night - it was a big hit! The dill reminds me of when we went to Ukraine and they would boil potatoes and top them with butter and dill - such a great herb and I'd never really eaten it before, but I'm glad that I did and it makes this recipe fabulous!

Photo found here.

Roasted Carrots With Dill

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 large carrots (I put in the whole bag - it was more like 15)
Olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter, cut into small pieces (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a roasting pan, toss carrots with enough olive oil to coat. Top with butter, kosher salt, and pepper. Roast in a 425° oven to desired tenderness, then turn the broiler to high and cook carrots until lightly browned. Sprinkle fresh dill over carrots.

Nutritional Information
One serving contains:
Calories (kcal) 72.7
%Calories from Fat 62.9
Fat (g) 5.1
Saturated Fat (g) 2.1
Cholesterol (mg) 7.5
Carbohydrates (g) 6.0
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.3
Total Sugars (g) 3.3
Net Carbs (g) 4.7
Protein (g) 0.7
Sodium (mg) 30.0

Cheesy Creamed Corn

I found this recipe here. I made this for my family and some dinner guests and it was fabulous. Yum yum.

Cheesy Creamed Corn
INGREDIENTS:

3 packages (16 ounces each) frozen corn

2 packages (one 8 ounces, one 3 ounces) cream cheese, cubed

1/4 cup butter, cubed

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons sugar

6-8 slices of cheese, I used provolone

HOW TO PREPARE:

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine all the ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until heated through and the cheese is melted. Stir well before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

Photo found here. 

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

It turns out that my kids like broccoli with it's soft. Go figure. I found the recipe here.

Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: 25 mins Yield: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup grated parmesan

HOW TO PREPARE:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Toss the broccoli with olive oil and season with salt.
3. Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet and transfer to the oven.
4. Roast for 20 minutes, or until slightly crispy and browned.
5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool just slightly.
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and toss with the parmesan. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Nut Mold

This is a recipe from my Great Grandmother Lila and my Grandmother Martha has been making it every Thanksgiving and Christmas since Lila passed away. It is a nice alternative to the canned cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Nut Mold
INGREDIENTS:
1 large box red color jello (cranberry, raspberry are the best)
2 packages fresh cranberries, washed and run through a food processor to chop up (save any juice if some left)
3/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

HOW TO PREPARE:
In a saucepan, add 3/4 cup water and any juice from cranberries. Heat to a boil. Dissolve jello and 2 cups sugar. Add cranberries and just heat to warm. Add two cups of chopped nuts and pour into a jello mold or chill in a serving bowl until set, usually overnight.

Rainbow Jello

This recipe is perfect for Saint Patrick's Day or any other holiday, by changing the colors. For Christmas you can do red and green, Easter - yellow and purple, etc. I got this recipe from my mom.

Rainbow Jello

INGREDIENTS:
1 package (3oz) jello in 6 different flavors
16oz sour cream
13x9 in pan

HOW TO PREPARE:
Start with the darkest color on the bottom of the pan.

Pour 8oz (1 cup) boiling water into 2 cup measuring cup or bowl. Dissolve 1 package jello in this which makes 10 ounces. Pour 5 ounces (a little over a half cup) into another bowl and set aside. Into the 5 ounce bowl, mix 1/3 cup sour cream and whisk until creamy without clumps of sour cream. Pour this into the 13x9 pan. Chill for 30 minutes or until set. Pour 3 TBSP water into the second bowl of 5oz of jello and slowly pour over the first layer of jello after the 30 minutes are up. Put back in refrigerator and let set for 30 minutes. Repeat with the 5 other flavors. Cut into square and serve - very pretty!

I think doing the sour cream layer on the bottom looks prettier, but if you accidentally do it the other way around - it's no big deal. Just stick with the pattern you start with for a nice effect.

Crockpot Refried Beans

I love refried beans. Whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant, I always ask for them. And then I mourn when I eat them and they're all gone. Those serving sizes are SO small, aren't they? Well, now you can control your serving sizes of refried beans. You're welcome. I found the recipe here.

Photo found here.

Crockpot Refried Beans

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups of Pinto beans 

5 cups water

4 cups chicken broth

1 onion, diced finely (I use 3 tbsp dehydrated onion)

3 cloves of minced garlic

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup salted butter

HOW TO PREPARE:

Photo found here.

1.) Rinse your beans. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and pull out all the discolored ones. You might find rocks and other random stuff in your beans (especially if you buy the cheaper beans) – so don’t skip this step.

2.) Combine everything (except butter) in the crockpot. Cook on HIGH for 8 hours. Add more water if you need (I didn’t need to add additional water).

3.) When beans have popped open and are soft, they are done. Put butter in the crockpot and cover with lid. Let it sit until melted.

4.) You can either mash them with a potato masher, use a food processor or use an immersion blender. I used the immersion blender, right in the slow cooker crock and it was a cinch! Add extra water if you need to get the consistency you want.

Photo found here.

5.) Eat! We usually make these with quesadillas, but they are great alone or with any Mexican dish.