Baked Sweet Potato Fries

♥ Beginner

I LOVE sweet potato fries. Seriously, I love them. If I have the opportunity to substitute regular french fries out for them, I will, no questions asked. So when I started cooking more at home, and I realized just how easy they were to make, I felt like a dummy for always thinking that I had to go out to get them. It's funny how we get like that, isn't it?

Anyhow, it's super easy, and they taste great. The kids went nuts over them, and since they're baked instead of fried I'm telling myself that they are "healthy".

What you'll need:
3 Medium Sweet Potatoes, Peeled and sliced into french fries (I suggest using a mandolin for the slicing, it was SOOO easy)
Olive Oil for tossing
Salt & Pepper to taste

How it's done: 
1. Preheat your oven to 450*F. Line a baking sheet (or two) with parchment paper.
2. Toss fries in a bowl with just enough olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Lay fries out on the baking sheet, be sure they don't touch each other if you like them crispy.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, turning them over at 15 minutes.

** One of the great things about this recipe is that you can sub out the salt and pepper for nearly any seasoning or spice that you would like. Cinnamon, Sugar, Paprika, Seasoning, Kosher Salt... Get creative!

Cauliflower Garlic Mash

♥ Beginner

Our house is full of mashed potato lovers. If I made them every night, they would eat them every.single.night.

So, I decided to try an alternative - Cauliflower. I didn't get it past them without them noticing that it wasn't mashed potatoes, but they liked it just the same. In fact, my son (who's not even two) ate all of his, and then made the rounds eating everyone else's leftovers.

What you'll need: 
1 head of Cauliflower
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Minced Garlic
Salt & Pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese, if you're into that sort of thing.

How it's done: 
1. Clean, and cut your cauliflower into florettes. Boil them in a saucepan for 8 minutes.
2. Pat them dry, and then throw them into the food processor. Add olive oil, garlic, and cheese, and blend until smooth and creamy.

Ta-Da! Enjoy.

Cinnamon Apple Chips

♥♥ Intermediate

These are a huge hit at my house - and in all honesty they are beginner level cooking. The only reason that I gave it an intermediate level is because you may want to use a special tool called a Mandolin, AND they take a bit of time in the oven.

My kids love these. So much so, that I made them three nights in a row. Super easy, and super tasty!




What you'll need: 
3 Apples, Cored and Peeled (I use a mandolin to slice them 1/8" thick)
Cinnamon & Sugar mixture to taste

How it's done:

1. Core, peel, and slice your apples. I prefer 1/8" thick. They get really crispy if they are thinner.

2. Preheat oven to 170* or as low as your oven will go.

3. Put all of your apple slices on a cookie sheet that's lined with parchment paper. Do not let any of them touch! Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar to taste.

4. Bake for 1 hour on each side (I sprinkle on the other side when I turn them over), with the oven cracked. They will harden up even more once they have cooled.

Enjoy!!!

Weekly Menu 11/10

Last week went pretty well! I only fell off the wagon one night, so I guess we'll see how this week goes. :)

Hopefully you were able to utilize a few of the items from last week as well. If not, there's no better time than the present to get started. Even if you only decide to start cooking a few nights a week, it really is a budget saver - and those moments at the dinner table are a lot of fun. My son had us in stitches!!!

So on to this week we go...

Sunday: Chubby Cream Cheese and Chicken Taquitos w/ yellow rice.

Monday: OMG Chicken w/ corn and mashed potatoes  (OMG Chicken was SOOO gross I'm not even going to share the recipe. Trust me, you should thank me.) 

Tuesday: Meatball Sub Casserole

Wednesday: Grilled Flank Steak w/ Tomato Gorgonzola Salad

Crockpot Thursday: Crockpot Tortellini Soup w/homemade Bread Bowls!

Friday: Mongolian Chicken w/ Rice.

Saturday: Our Family Thanksgiving Celebration!!!!

Tell me below what you're eating this week...

Garlic Roasted Zucchini

♥ Beginner

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest... :) You can find the original recipe here. 

My kids loved this. it was a great way to get them to eat their greens! :)




What you'll need:
* 2 Zucchini (give or take depending on size and how many people you are feeding)

* Olive Oil

* Salt and Pepper

* Rosemary

* Garlic cloves, sliced

* Parmesan Cheese

How it's done:

1. Preheat oven to 375*F and cut and quarter your zucchini.

2. Put zucchini and all ingredients in a bowl and combine.

3. Pour out onto a baking sheet then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. 

Classic Baked Mac & Cheese

♥ Beginner

Who doesn't love Mac n' Cheese? Maybe it's that I spent a good portion of my formative years in the south and midwest, or maybe it's just such a good comfort food, but we almost always have a baked mac n' cheese in the fridge.

Some mac n' cheese recipes call for some ingredients that might have you scratching your head. For me however, I like the classics. It should just be noodles and cheese! Here you'll find a classic recipe for a wonderful baked mac n' cheese.

What you'll need: 

*16 oz. Package of Noodles (I like to use cavapatti)
* 4 Tablespoons of Butter
* 4 Cups of Milk
* 4 Tablespoons of Flour
* 4 Cups of grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese (You can use Sharp or just regular Cheddar Cheese
* Salt & Pepper to taste
* Panko Bread Crumbs

How it's done:

1. Prepare pasta according to directions on box.

2.  Preheat oven to 400*F.

3. In a large saucepan heat milk & butter to boiling and then turn down to medium & whisk in the flour. Make sure to whisk until it's completely combined so you don't get chunks of flour. Whisk for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to get thick.

4. Remove the milk mixture from the heat and add in half of the cheese. Stir until completely melted.

5. Drain pasta and put them in a pyrex baking dish, and pour cheese the over the pasta evenly. Top with bread crumbs.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the top starts to brown. Let it set for 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy... I know we have! :)

Chinese Plum Salad Dressing

♥ Beginner 

In the hunt to make the best Chinese Chicken Salad ever, I knew I would have to make my own dressing. Especially since there were no dressings at the store labeled "Chinese Plum". I found a recipe, and tried it out. With a few tweaks to the recipe, it was just how I like it! I'm sure you'll love it too.



What you'll need: 

• 2 oz. chunk of Ginger Root (or I used 2 Tablespoons, add more to taste) 
• 1/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Sesame Oil
• 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Plum Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Water
• Pinch of White Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons crushed Peanuts

How it's done: 

1. You can use a Braun mixer, or food processor. I used the food processor so I didn't have to chop the ginger finely by hand. Which ever way you chose, peel and grind the ginger root finely.

2. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil, uncovered. Boil for one minute. Add the ginger and boil for one more minute. Take off the heat and pour into the food processor.

2. In the processor, mix all of the ingredients until combined. You should have about 3/4 of a cup.

This dressing is perfect for most types of salads, as well as dipping sauce. We used it for chicken finger dip today and it was great!

Baked Mac n' Cheese

♥♥ Intermediate

There really is no better comfort food than Mac n' Cheese.  Especially here in the midwest, where mac n' cheese is on every menu. This mac n' cheese recipe is even better than the normal because it's baked... and has a crispy crust on top. MMMMmmmmm, excuse me while I eat some for breakfast....

My husband, Jared, is the one who is submitting this recipe to the blog. He's the one who decided to make it, and share it with all of you, so direct your thanks to him. :)

What you'll need: 

• 6 Cups (uncooked) Elbow Macaroni Noodles (or another shape!)
• 3 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Cups Whole Milk (Vitamin D) 
• 1/2 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1 1/2 Cups Crushed Corn Flakes
• 5 Tablespoons Melted Butter
• 1/2 Lb. of White American Cheese

How it's done: 

1. Preheat over to 350*F.

2. In a large saucepan heat milk until simmering.

3. While waiting for the milk to bubble, fill a medium saucepan with water and boil the noodles. I suggest making them al dente since you'll be baking them as well.

4. Once milk begins to bubble, add in the cheese and stir constantly. Once the cheese is completely melted, remove from the heat continuing to stir (if you would like it a little thicker, add a Tablespoon of Flour).

5. Once the cheese mixture has cooled some, add the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and pepper to taste.  Mix thoroughly!

6. After straining your pasta, gently fold your cheese mixture into the noodles.  Once completely combined, pour the noodle mixture into a greased pyrex dish.

7. Combine crushed corn flakes and butter in ziplock bag, and pour on top of mac n' cheese.

8. Bake for 30 minutes!

Enjoy!!!