Poker Party Potato Skins

Originally published on May 23, 2012

What can be better than a plate of golden crispy, perfect potato skins? According to my husband’s poker buddies, nothing. They’re the perfect indulgence and when you bake them, they’re just that much healthier for you (though don’t kid yourself, these really aren’t healthy for anybody.) Typically the skins are deep-fried before the cheese gets melted in the oven, but they turn out just as crispy when you double-bake them first.

And, what could be better than whipping up a plate of these for just a few dollars? Order them in a restaurant, and they’re going to cost you twice that – guaranteed!

Ingredients:

6 small to medium-sized russet baking potatoes
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided 
Kosher salt 
Freshly ground pepper 
6 strips of bacon 
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese 
1/2 cup sour cream 
2 green onions, thinly sliced 

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub and thoroughly dry the potatoes.

2.) Rub the potatoes all over with canola oil and place them in the preheated oven. Bake for an hour, or until the potatoes are for-tender, and then remove from oven. Allow to cool completely.

3.) While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon strips over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until they are brown and crisp. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool completely and then crumble.

4.) When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half horizontally. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the insides of the potato, leaving a small edge of potato (about 1/4 inch) around the whole skin and the bottom.

5.) Turn the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush canola oil all over the potato skins, inside and out, and sprinkle with salt. Place on a baking sheet, skin-side down, and cook in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Take them out of the oven, flip over to other side and cook in the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool enough to handle them.

6.) Preheat broiler.

7.) Arrange the potatoes, again skin-side down, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the insides with black pepper, cheddar cheese, and crumbled bacon.

8.) Place in the oven and broil for an additional 2 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Use tongs to place skins on a serving plate. Add a dollop of sour cream to each skin, sprinkle with green onions.

9.) Serve and enjoy!

Prime Rib

Originally published on June 5, 2012

So it’s a prime rib recipe; what could be bad? Nothing, if you don’t just treat it like any other rib and make the mistake of just putting it in the oven. So that being said, and everyone agreeing that prime rib is delicious, here are a few facts about this coveted cut of beef:

  • Not just any ol’ rib gets to be called “prime rib.” These ribs have to come from ribs 6-12 on the cow. (No joke!) It’s actually this cut from which the roast gets its name. Unlike many think, it’s not due to any federal standards or grading systems.
  • When buying prime rib, you should look for meat that is very red and vibrant in colour, and that has milky white marbling throughout. That marbling is the beef’s fat. It’s what gives prime rib its flavour, and what you’re paying the big bucks for!
  • Lots of people like to highly recommend buying a meat thermometer specifically for prime rib. I personally think it’s just one more place for all those delicious juices to leak out.
  • Using the ‘jus,’ or the pan drippings, is also popular to make a gravy after mixing in some flour. I think the dripping and juices are liquid gold, and don’t recommend toying with them.
  • “Do not serve prime rib well done. Fry a chicken if you think pink meat is gross.” – Unknown
  • April 27 is National Prime Rib Day.

Ingredients:

1 standing rib roast, 3 to 5 ribs (about 2 people per rib)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper 

Directions:

1.) Remove roast from the refrigerator, wrapped, for at least 3 hours before cooking, long enough to bring it to room temperature.

2.) Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and generously sprinkle entire roast with salt and pepper. Place the roast, fat side up (or resting on the ribs) in a roasting pan and place in the oven.

3.) Allow the meat to cook for 15 minutes in the extremely hot oven and then, without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Roast for 15-17 minutes per pound for medium rare; 13-15 per pound for rare. When finished, a meat thermometer inserted into the meat (but not near the bone) should read 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit for rare; and 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit for medium rare.

4.) Once meat has achieved desired temperature remove from oven, place on carving board, and cover with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 20 minutes.

5.) After resting, cut strings from meat and slice the ribs away with one smooth cut. Carve the meat, about 1/4-1/2′ thick.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Lunchbox Strawberry Rhubarb Pies

Originally published on June 9, 2012

Rhubarb always takes me back to when I was just a little kid. We used to go over to my grandma and grandpa’s every Sunday, and strawberry-rhubarb pies were often served for dessert. They were some of my favourite, but it wasn’t just the pies that I loved. When the rhubarb came out in the kitchen, it always meant a special treat for me as my grandma would dip a stick in sugar and hand it to me. I’d sit at the kid’s table, happily chomping and sucking away on my sweet and sour treat. I tell ya, I still can’t bring any rhubarb out into my own kitchen without swiping one and running it through some sugar for a treat that takes me back to all those years ago.

Okay, enough with memory lane – what are these pies like? Well, they don’t taste like my grandma’s, but I don’t think anything would. These are delicious and were a big hit with my whole family (although hubby requested one that was rhubarb-free.) Maddie, my youngest, claimed that she didn’t like the inside, but the dough was still really good; and Paige, the older daughter, loved them (and she’s the picky one!) Who could be picky with these, though?

They’re pretty easy to pull together, they taste delicious – and they’re pretty good too! And, if you do happen to have leftovers just put them in an airtight container. You can keep them out on the counter for several days that way, or pop them in the freezer. They’ll keep beautifully!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup ice water 
2 tablespoons butter 
1 cup strawberries hulled, and diced 
1 cup rhubarb, diced
1/4 cup white sugar 
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
1 large egg 
1 tablespoon water 
Icing sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a baking sheet.

2.) Combine flour, salt and butter and mix together until it starts to resemble small peas. Add 1/4 cup of ice water, very slowly, and mix just until a dough forms. Cover loosely and set dough aside.

3.) Melt two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add strawberries, rhubarb, and cinnamon and cook just until softened, about 5 minutes.

4.) Add white sugar to strawberry mixture and stir until sugar is dissolved and any juices from the fruit begin to thicken, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

5.) Roll dough into 1/8″ thickness and cut into 12 rounds with a 4″ cookie cutter, or the top of a glass.

6.) Place dough rounds onto greased baking sheets. Top half of each round with a tablespoon of strawberry mixture. Fold opposite end of dough over strawberries and seal with hands or fork.

7.) Cut one small slit in the top of each pie to allow steam to vent.

8.) Combine egg and 1 tablespoon of water well. Brush on top of each pie.

9.) Place pies in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. When ready, remove from oven and allow to sit for two minutes before sprinkling with icing sugar.

10.) Serve and enjoy!

Cheese String Bites

Originally published on June 30, 2012

Would you believe that I had to make these three times before I could get a picture of them? (And even still, I’m sorry the quality of the pic isn’t so good.)

The first time I made them, I had taken them from Pinterest where the author had said to only coat them in milk (no actual breading) and cook them for 8 – 10 minutes. When they came out of the oven my mother called them “little cheese pancakes with bread crumbs throughout” because they completely melted. Everyone still said that they were very good, but I tried them. And they weren’t.

Making some adjustments to the recipe, I fully breaded them, and stuck them in the freezer for a few minutes (on my mother’s suggestion) and only cooked them for a few minutes. They were delicious! Perfect little mozza bites that were crispy on the outside and melted in your mouth. They were so good in fact, that they were all eaten before I could get a picture!

So I made a third batch, exactly the same way I made the second and snapped a pic before serving them. Paige, who’s crazy for cheese sticks, loved them! And I did, too. They’re a great snack, especially if you can sneak in some whole wheat bread crumbs while you’re at it!

Ingredients:

4 Cheese Strings, cut into 1″ – 2″ pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
1 cup breadcrumbs 
1 – 2 tablespoons canola oil
Salt

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Set up a breading station: place the flour in one bowl, the lightly beaten eggs in a bowl next to it, and the bread crumbs in a bowl next to them.

3.) Toss a few of the Cheesestring bites into the flour and toss to ensure that they are thoroughly coated in the flour. Lift them out one at a time and shake off the excess flour. Drop them into the eggs and turn them so that the bites are thoroughly coated in the flour and the egg, and then drop them in the breadcrumbs. Lift them out and shake off the excess breadcrumbs. Repeat with all of the Cheesestring bites, placing them on a baking sheet as they’re finished.

4.) When all of the Cheesestring bites are breaded and on the baking sheet, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 3 – 5 minutes.

5.) When bites come out of the freezer, drizzle with canola oil and place in the oven for 3 minutes. Keep a very careful eye on them to make sure that they don’t melt. Remove just as they starting to turn crispy golden brown.

6.) Remove from oven and lightly sprinkle with salt.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Flank Steak Pinwheels

Originally published on August 20, 2012

One of my favourite things on earth is the combination of blue cheese and steak, and that’s why I chose to stuff my pinwheels with gorgeous creamy Danish blue cheese. And well, spinach and red peppers just seemed like a natural fit to go along with those two ingredients. I was right – they are! I can’t begin to describe how much flavour is in these wonderful little meat wheels and if you don’t like my combo, you can put whatever you want inside yours.

These are also pretty easy to make, as long as you don’t go into it thinking that pounding that steak out is only going to take a couple of minutes (as I unfortunately did.) Don’t be intimidated to flip them mid-bake either. It does seem a little scary at first, but they’ll hold together okay.

Ingredients:

1 flank steak
1 jar sliced roasted red peppers, drained
1 1/2 cups blue cheese
3 cups baby spinach, plus 1 for garnish
3 tablespoons olive oil 
Salt
Black pepper

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Lay the flank steak out flat between two sheets of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, gently pound the steak until it’s about 1/4″ thick. It will take about 20 minutes, but make sure you do not tear the steak, just pound it to an even thinness.

3.) Once the steak has been pounded to the desired thinness, spread 3 cups of baby spinach over the entire surface of the steak. Then top with blue cheese, and then red peppers. Then, start rolling the steak. Begin with the long edge and roll it as tightly in on itself as you can, tucking the edge underneath itself and then continuing to roll. Roll the entire steak this way, tucking and rolling as tightly as you can along the way. This will help the pinwheel keep its shape as it cooks.

4.) Once the entire steak has been rolled, make sure that the seam is on the bottom, flipping if needed. Then very carefully, slice the steak into pinwheels that are 1″ thick. As you slice each one, place it on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and then continue slicing the next one.

5.) After all the steak has been sliced and placed on the baking tray, drizzle the surface with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Then, turn pinwheels carefully onto their other side and bake for another 10 minutes.

6.) When pinwheels are finished cooking, remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

7.) Serve on a bed of spinach, and enjoy!

Caramel Apples

Originally published on January 1, 2014

I know, I know. Halloween is over, so why am I posting a recipe for caramel apples on New Year’s Day? Because today is also Apple Gifting Day. I don’t know the origin behind this food holiday, and a quick Google search only told me about the “12 Days of Christmas” that had Apple the company giving out freebies (wish I’d known about that a bit sooner.) But if I were to receive an apple as a gift today, I’d like to receive it in the form of a caramel apple. And if you want to give the gift of an apple today, these are really easy to make. In fact, they’re so easy, I feel kind of bad even calling this a recipe.

Ingredients:

1 pound (probably about 25 to 30) individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped 
6 apples of any red variety 
2 tablespoons milk 
3 bamboo skewers

Directions:

1.) Scrub apples thoroughly and make sure they are completely dry. Cut bamboo skewers in half, snipping off the sharp end.

2.) Place caramels and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the caramels are fully melted and combined with the milk. This will take a few minutes; be patient. The caramel will soften and melt.

3.) Place one bamboo skewer into the bottom of each apple (the place where you can see the tip of the core.) Tilt the saucepan so that the caramel pools over onto one side, then roll one apple around in it, until it is completely coated. If the caramel is not thick enough it will not stick to the apple entirely, so add more caramels if you find that’s happening with yours.

4.) Place the apple on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and place in the fridge for 15 minutes. This will help the caramel firm up and set. Don’t let the apples touch each other, or the caramel will peel off one, and onto the other.

5.) Serve and enjoy.

Happy New Year’s everyone!!!

Flour Tortillas

Originally published on January 2, 2014

This was one of those recipes that was born from necessity. I didn’t have any bread in the house, but I needed something for the girls’ lunches – and there was no time to go shopping to pick up more. I could have just made my go-to sourdough bread, but why not try my hand at wraps if I’m actually going to make something? After all, I love new things to try in the kitchen, and I love a challenge. Turns out, I only got one of those with these, as they were super easy to make! The recipe I used said that if you’re “not used to making these,” you should have two people – one to cook them while one rolls the other out. Well, it was me by my lonesome, but I thought, ‘Really? Do I need two people?’ Nope! Just start by rolling a couple out so they’re ready to hit that pan, and then continue rolling as you go. If you do think you’re getting behind, just move the pan off the heat so the dough doesn’t burn as soon as it hits. Trust me, the cast iron (and yes, you really should use a cast-iron) will still be piping hot for the minute it will take you to roll out more.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 – 6 tablespoons lard or vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cups warm water (approximately)

Directions:

1.) In a food processor blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Blend until the ingredients are just combined and then remove the lid and pinch some together with your fingertips. If the ingredients hold their shape when squeezed slightly, it’s perfect. If the mixture crumbles even after pinching, you either don’t have enough shortening or it’s not mixed together well. If it forms a hard clump, you need less shortening – it’s really hard to get out of there though, so just add a bit more flour to fix the ratio.

2.) Replace the lid onto the processor and then add the water all at once. Mix the dough quickly once the water has been added.

3.) Dump the contents of the processor into a large bowl, moving it around the sides of the processor to pick up any excess flour as you do. Once in the bowl, knead it by folding it and pushing it down, and then folding again about twelve times, or until the dough is soft and no longer sticky.

4.) Cover the bowl and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. This step is important, as it will let any excess flour absorb back into the dough, which will give you a softer tortilla after cooking.

5.) Once your dough has rested, begin pinching off small balls that are about 1 inch in diameter. Knead each of these balls just by placing them in one palm, folding it over with your fingers, and repeating until it’s in the shape of a flat disk. Place it to one side of the bowl, or on a generously floured surface and repeat with the remaining dough.

6.) When the entire large bowl of dough has been pinched off into smaller balls, cover the small balls with a tea towel and allow to rest for another 10 minutes. This will make them easier to roll.

7.) On a well-floured surface, roll out the small balls into tortillas. To keep a round shape, roll once, turn 1/4 of a turn, roll again, and repeat until the entire ball has been rolled. Don’t worry if they’re not completely round; homemade often means rustic-looking, after all!

8.) Heat a cast iron skillet on top of the stove at medium-high heat. Let it get really piping hot! Lightly drizzle a bit of canola oil over it and wipe the surface thoroughly with a paper towel so they don’t stick.

9.) Place one rolled tortilla onto the cast iron skillet and cook for just about 30 seconds. Don’t let it burn or you’ll have to wash the skillet and start all over again. Admire the beauty of it as it puffs up and starts to become a bona fide tortilla right before your eyes! Then flip and cook for another 30 seconds.

10.) When one tortilla is finished cooking, remove it from the heat right away and wrap it in a tea towel to keep warm. Start cooking another tortilla, placing it right on top of the other when other and re-wrapping in the towel. Don’t worry about the finished tortillas sticking to each other like I did – they won’t!

11.) Serve as soft tacos, sandwich wraps, tortilla chips (when fried,) or anything else you’d like, and enjoy!

Gordon’s Green Bean Satay

Originally published on January 3, 2014

I saw Gordon Ramsay cook this dish on his Food Network show, “Gordon Ramsay’s Ultimate Home Cooking.” (Don’t have the app yet, as I’m waiting for a reason to spend $6.99 on such a thing, but it is available in the App Store.) I was intrigued that someone combined my favourite vegetable of all time with peanut butter, and wondered how it tasted. The answer? Delightful. OMG, it was so good!!! He used toasted sesame seeds to top his but, being fresh out, I opted for almonds instead. They still gave the intended crunch and texture to the dish, and tasted mighty fine too, I have to add. This is one I’ll be coming back to again and again, I’m sure.

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans, trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce 
1 tablespoon rice vinegar 
2 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped

Directions:

1.) Place green beans in a large skillet and cover completely with water. Cover, bring to a boil and cook until beans are almost done, just shy of tender.

2.) Meanwhile, place chopped almonds in a separate skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking the pan or turning the nuts regularly to keep them from burning. Just as the nuts begin to brown, remove them from the heat.

3.) Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, green onions, and rice vinegar in a bowl and set aside.

4.) When beans are finished cooking, drain them in a colander, giving the skillet a quick wipe if needed. Place the pan back over medium heat and melt two tablespoons of butter inside. When butter is melted, return beans to the pan. Pour in the peanut butter sauce and cook, stirring to coat the beans entirely in the sauce. Cook for just a minute or two, until the entire mixture is completely warmed through.

5.) Remove the green beans from the heat, transfer to a serving dish, and top with toasted almonds.

6.) Serve and enjoy!

Ree’s Blackberry Cobbler

Originally published on January 5, 2014

My grandmother grows blackberries because of all the health benefits they hold within them. And she grows lots of blackberries. Each summer her plants blossom in all their glory, and she spends a great deal of time talking about the time it takes to just pick the darned things. The plants are beautiful, and my grandma has much more than she could ever do with them each year. There’s just one problem. My grandma doesn’t like blackberries. She finds them too seedy and just not tasty enough to be worthwhile. So she sprinkles what she needs to reap those health benefits onto ice cream, and gives much of the rest away to family (namely, me, my sister, and my mom.)

But there’s a problem with that, too. No one in my family except for my daughter Paige is that crazy about blackberries; and we don’t often know what to do with the abundance we have. So, we’re constantly looking for things to do with them. So far I’ve found my Poisoned Blackberry Cocktail, and now Ree Drummond’s Blackberry Cobbler. This one’s so super easy, and I can’t thank The Pioneer Woman enough for showing it to me.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted 
1 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup 
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 cups blackberries (doesn’t matter if they’re frozen or fresh)

Directions:

1.) Butter a round or square 9″ baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) In a large mixing bowl combine 1 cup of the sugar and all of the flour in a mixing bowl. Whisk in the milk until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add melted butter and mix once again.

3.) Rinse the blackberries and pat them dry.

4.) Pour the batter into the buttered baking dish and sprinkle blackberries right over top. Sprinkle on the 1.4 cup of sugar.

5.) Place in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour, until the cobbler is golden and bubbly. To make it extra crunchy on top, sprinkle on an extra tablespoon of sugar over the entire cobbler 10 minutes before the cobbler is finished.

6.) Remove from oven, allow to cool for just a few minutes, and then scoop it into bowls or cut into squares.

7.) Serve and enjoy!

Tempura Green Beans

Originally published on January 7, 2014

Did you know that today is National Tempura Day? I tell ya, it’s getting hard to keep up with all of these food holidays, with one landing on nearly every single day of the year. Best to just find the ones you really love and celebrate those alone, I find. Luckily, this is one of them. I’ve only made tempura twice, but it went off without a hitch each time. It’s pretty easy and to tell you the truth, I don’t know what all the fuss is about. Whip up a simple batter, plunge your food into it and then let it fry, baby! Just remember that all of your ingredients need to be at room temperature when mixing, and then chill everything until you’re ready to cook, as the batter especially needs to be cold, cold, cold in order to work out. It’s so good it’s worth the wait, and you can use this same batter with just about any vegetable, shrimp, and chicken too. Whatever you use, it makes an especially good addition when you’re having your own Chinese night, making sweet n’ sour chicken, or fried rice!

Ingredients:

1 egg yolk 
1 cup water 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup cornstarch, plus 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 pounds green beans, washed and trimmed 

Directions:

1.) Preheat a deep fryer to 340 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.) Beat egg yolk and water together in a large bowl until they are thoroughly combined. Stir in the flour and cornstarch (very quickly) and stir only until the two are combined. Don’t worry about it if there are a few lumps in it. Chill batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3.) Working in batches so you don’t overcrowd the deep-fryer, quickly dip the green beans into the batter and then, using tongs, place them down into the deep-fryer. Cook until the beans are crisp and golden brown, which should take 1 to 2 minutes. When the beans are finished cooking, use a slotted spoon to take them out of the oil and then drain on paper towels.

4.) Serve and enjoy!