Sautéed Broccoli Florets

Ok, so I love broccoli. I was one of those weird kids that liked vegetables more than candy--even chocolate! I know, I know. I grew up eating broccoli with cheese or with butter and salt, but this recipe is different and fabulous. I never thought to add Parmesan cheese and brown sugar! When I saw this on allrecipes.com, I had to make it. Needless to say, the two vegetable-lovers (me and my husband) in the house loved it! I didn't change anything, which is weird because I always change about half the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli florets
• 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl or pot with half ice and half water. When the water comes to a boil, add the broccoli florets using a strainer with a handle if possible. Allow the broccoli to cook for 1 to 2 minutes until just tender. Immediately remove from the boiling water, using the strainer or draining, and transfer to bowl of ice to stop the cooking process. Immerse the broccoli completely in the ice water for a minute or two. Remove and place in a dish that has been lined with paper towels. This part can be done up to two days in advance.
2. In a cup or small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese and brown sugar; set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the broccoli and season with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the broccoli, then cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and dust with the Parmesan cheese mixture

Serves 6

So, this recipe takes about 25 minutes to make, which I know is a long time to make a side dish. This is what a reviewer on allrecipes.com said (paraphrasing): You could also sauté the broccoli with the spices over medium heat with the saucepan lid on--stirring occasionally, then add the cheese and brown sugar mixture, then turn the heat off and keep covered until steamed. It will be done in about 5 minutes, with no need to pre-steam.

I like pre-steaming, though, because it keeps the bright green color.

Oven-Baked Potato Wedges

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 russet potatoes, scrubbed and cut into eighths

Feel free to adjust spices as needed. Sometimes instead of garlic powder and salt, I just use garlic salt (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Or you can use seasoning salt and omit the salt and powders in the recipe.

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Place, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, pepper, salt, and potatoes into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag, then shake to coat the potatoes with the seasoning. Spread the potatoes over a baking sheet.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, take out, turn over potatoes (or just mix them around a bit), put back into oven until the potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 15 more minutes.

These are easy to make and a lot cheaper than the bagged french fries that you can buy at the store. We serve them with hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches, etc. They are really good. 

If you don't have a whole 30 minutes, you can boil the potato wedges for a little while (5 to 7 minutes), season them, then bake them in a preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

Adapted from this recipe at allrecipes.com

Whitney's Awesome Mashed Potatoes

Okay, so these are great, my husband loves them, and they are really easy. 

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 6 red potatoes, rinsed and cubed
• 2 T butter
• ~1/3 cup milk
• 2 dashes garlic powder

Directions

1. Put potatoes into a medium-sized pot; cover with cold water.
2. Bring potatoes and water to boil over medium-high/ high heat; boil for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender (check for tenderness at 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium) 
3. Drain water from pot using a colander; put potatoes back into pot.
4. Add butter and start stirring/mashing potatoes with wooden spoon.
5. As butter melts, add milk slowly while continuing to mash potatoes.
6. When butter, milk, and potatoes are combined, add garlic powder; continue to mash until potatoes reach desired consistency.

If you desire to make more, use a bigger pot to accommodate more potatoes.

Best Spanish Rice

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil (I use extra-virgin olive oil)
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion (or more if you want)
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice 
• 2 cups chicken broth (Swanson brand low sodium is my favorite)
• 1 cup chunky salsa (whatever heat you like)

Directions
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Mix rice into skillet, stirring often. When rice begins to brown, stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, until liquid has been absorbed. **Be sure to watch the rice carefully or it is liable to burn.**

Start to finish: 30 min.

Recipe from allrecipes.com, with my adaptations...

This side is simply delicious. I'm actually making this tonight with some shredded chicken tacos.






Happy cooking!






p.s. Let me put a word in for the new movie Julie & Julia: It's super cute and fun to watch! :) I recommend it.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I use about 2 c... We love cheese!)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.
• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish.
• Top with onion, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk.
• Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.

from Allrecipes.com (with some alterations)

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
  
• 1 onion, sliced into rings
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  
• 3 tablespoons butter
  
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 cups milk
  
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese (I recommend 2+ cups)

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 1 quart casserole dish.

• Layer 1/2 of the potatoes into bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  

• In a medium-size saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute. Stir in milk. Cook until mixture has thickened. Stir in cheese all at once, and continue stirring until melted, about 30 to 60 seconds. Pour cheese over the potatoes, and cover the dish with aluminum foil.

• Bake 1 1/2 hours in the preheated oven.
  

PREP TIME	30 Min
COOK TIME	1 Hr 30 Min
READY IN	2 Hrs

from Allrecipes.com (my most favorite website)

This recipe is really good.  I recommend adding more cheese, though, especially if you're like us and love cheese!!! 

From the Archives: Baked Potatoes

Now, I don't know about you, but I had never heard of a baked potato being baked in the oven (imagine that) until I got married. I know that that's kind of weird, but I grew up with microwaved potatoes. There was no "baked" about it. Well, one day something life-changing happened: my husband informed me that he always grew up with the baked-in-the-oven, crispy-on-the-outside-and-delicious-on-the-inside potatoes. What was a girl to do? I really didn't know how to make these things. Well, one day, I found a recipe (who would've thought that someone would actually need a recipe for them!) for baked potatoes. Now there's no way that I'm going back to the microwaved ones!

Anyway, that's a long enough of an intro. Here's what I do to make the staple of any meal: baked potatoes.

• Preheat oven to 350
• Scrub potatoes under running water with a vegetable scrubber (I just got a new one, and it's great!) Make sure to have at least one potato per person.
• Take a fork and puncture the potatoes in a couple places
• Pour some oil (I use olive oil) in a Ziploc bag, enough to lightly coat the potatoes
• If desired, sprinkle some garlic salt on the potatoes
• Place potatoes directly on center rack in preheated oven
• Bake for about 1 hour until potato skins are slightly wrinkly and the potatoes reach desired softness
• Top with your favorite toppings and enjoy as a side to chicken or steak, or as a dinner by itself