My Fried Potatoes

Finally, finally, finally.  After cooking for my husband for over seven years now, he finally gave me an actual response when I asked him what he wants for dinner.  Well, at least for what he wanted for a side.  But, beggars can't be choosers and I will take what I can get from him.  And if my baby wants some fried potatoes, then my baby's gonna get some fried potatoes.  Especially when I realized that I had yet to write them up and photo them ;)

1 large T. of bacon grease
4 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes (washed, rinsed, quartered and sliced)
4 medium-sized New red potatoes (washed, rinsed, quartered and sliced)
lots and lots of fresh cracked pepper and a good amount of sea salt
1 medium onion (chopped)
dried parsley for garnish

-  Heat up your bacon grease in a large deep saucepan, over medium heat, and toss in your potatoes, pepper and salt.  Stir every body up well and cover the pan.  Make sure to open up the lid and give them a good stir every 3-4 minutes (so that you can develop a good crust on them, but not burn them) and cook them for about 15 minutes, then add in a smidgen more of bacon grease and your onions.  Cover the pan back up and continue to cook and occasionally stir it up for about 5-10 minutes minutes more.  Garnish them with a sprinkle of parsley and a dollop of sour cream.  Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Creamed Corn

I owe the inspiration for this one to my oldest and very best friend, my cousin Nikki.  She called a few days before Thanksgiving this year, we are faithful daily coffee chatters in the morning on the phone, to tell me about her amazing pre-Thanksgiving dinner, only to rant and rave about one particular dish.  A corn dish made with cream cheese she said.  See, she had gone to her boyfriends parents home for her first Thanksgiving dinner with his family, and so she got to experience their traditional holiday feast for the first time.  And boy, you never would have known that there was anything else served besides this corn side that she was going on and on about.  Because that was all she talked about.  I automatically assumed that she was talking about the corn bread casserole that our family, including myself, notoriously are known for on our holiday spreads.  And she was like oh no no no, Tonya.  This one was different.  It was done in a crock pot and it was creamy.  And by the time she was explaining that she would contact his Mother to get the recipe for me, I had already googled up about 20 different versions.  Because, of course, she had me at cream cheese.

2- 16oz. bags of frozen yellow sweet corn
1/2 cup of real un-salted butter
1- 8oz. brick of cream cheese (I only use Philadelphia)
1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp. of ground white pepper
2-3 tsp. of sugar
a healthy amount of sea salt

-Toss the corn into your slow-cooker.  Using a medium-sized saucepan, over a low-medium heat, melt the butter and the cream cheese.  Whisk in the heavy cream, white pepper, salt and sugar.  Once it is thick and smooth, remove from the flame and pour into your slow-cooker with the frozen corn; stir well.  Set to go on HI for 1 hour, then reduce to LOW for 4 hours or so more.  Serves 8.  Enjoy!

Ranch Sirloin

These are the kind of dinners that I love to make.  Preferably in warmer weather, but regardless even if is the dead of winter.  This dish is a nice fast paced quick process that yields a wonderfully pleasing end result.  As long as it is prepared in the proper order, you can guarantee that you will not only have a delicious meal, but one that is even more so because it is all properly cooked.  Nothing says nothing like a well cooked steak and a creamy baked potato off the grill.  Pure grilling bliss is what it is.

8 baby Yukon potatoes
1 carton of whole mushrooms (washed, rinsed and quartered)
1-2 T. of real butter (diced)
McCormick's Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning
4 beef sirloin steaks
1/4 cup of ranch dressing (I am a Hidden Valley girl)

-Preheat your grill to a medium-high heat.  First start with your potatoes.  Wash, rinse, dry and pierce them well with a fork.  Wrap them in a double layer of aluminum foil and toss them onto the top rack of your grill (they will cook out perfectly while you get everything else ready), remembering to occassionally turn them during the grilling process.  Place your chopped mushrooms in the center of a large square of aluminum foil.  Dot it with butter and sprinkle a nice light layer of the steak seasoning over the top of them.  Then, just fold your sides inward, bringing them to gather together tightly above, creating a closed pouch.  Toss them onto the top rack of your grill.  Now for the steaks, sprinkle both sides of them evenly with the steak seasoning and toss them onto the bottom rack of your grill (I like a little charring on the outside and a red center, so I found that I like to do my steak close to the flame like this).  Go ahead and baste both sides of them with the ranch dressing (yep.  ranch dressing) and grill them for about 4-5 minutes on each side for a Medium center (more or less depending on the thickness of your cut).  Once they are done to your liking so should be your potatoes and your mushrooms.  Serve the steak smothered in mushrooms with some grilled whole potatoes.  Serves 4.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Manicotti

Here we go.  Now we are speaking my language.  Fine Italian cuisine.  Pasta stuffed with fresh herbs and packed tightly with multiple cheeses, drenched in a nice bright red sauce and smothered in a nutty blanket of cheese.  There are few things in this world that excites me even close to what this dish does for me.   And that was exactly the reason that I chose this particular dish as our main course this year for our Christmas Dinner.  Alright.  And the fact that is was perfectly color coordinated to fit the occassion as well.  I could not let that one go unnoticed.

12 large uncooked manicotti pasta shells
4 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
2 cups of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup or so of fresh basil (chopped)
1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice (just a little bit to brighten it up)
1 T. of extra virgin olive oil
1- 15oz. can of diced tomatoes (drained and mashed)
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1 T. of dried Italian seasonings
1- 29oz. can of tomato sauce
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley for garnish (chopped)

-Preheat your oven to 350*.  Grease a 9x13" baking dish and set aside.  Prepare your pasta to Al dente as directed on the back of their box.  Once finished, rinse with cold water and lay out on a paper towel-lined counter top to dry (keeps the filling from sliding out while you are trying to stuff them).  Meanwhile, for you filling, mix together 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, the ricotta, the fresh basil and the lemon juice in a large mixing bowl.  Using a teaspoon (I use an ice tea spoon-it's longer and narrower), stuff the pasta tightly with the filling.  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat up the e.v.o., once you can smell it, toss in the drained and mashed diced tomatoes, garlic and the Italian seasonings.  Simmer them for about 2-3 minutes then pour in the tomato sauce.  Bring this to a good boil then remove from the heat.  Pour half of this into the greased baking dish.  Pile in the stuffed pasta and cover with the remaining red sauce and the last 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 350* for 15 minutes, remove, cover the top with the Parmesan cheese and finish it off back in your oven for about 5-10 minutes more.  Remove from the oven and garnish the top with fresh chopped parsley.  Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!

Yet Another Pumpkin Pie

Sometimes I stumble onto a new recipe without ever intending to or even noticing it right away.  This little dandy here is a direct result of poor planning.  I made a special trip to the market this morning to grab some pumpkin to feed my pumpkin craving.  I have been experiencing symptoms of withdrawal for over a week now.  I just can't get it off my mind.  And, I intended to just grab a small can to make some of my delicious Pumpkin Pancakes for dinner this week.  Well, I stood there with that little can in my hand, just starring at the big can that was next to it on the shelf.  And I asked myself, yes I talk to myself out loud, "Are the pancakes gonna be enough on their own?"  And then I answered myself right back, yes out loud again, "Nope, but a pie too will do the trick."  So I skipped my way home and started getting it all together.  I made my Tonya's Special Pie Crust, rolled it out, placed it in the pie dish and began grabbing my ingredients for the inside.  And that's when I realized that I did not have evaporated milk.  I had already opened the can of pumpkin and there was absolutely no turning back for me.  So, I considered condensed milk and no sugar.  Nope I thought, can't remember if that one was out loud or not, but 5 to none it probably was, I have done that before.  And the longer that I have been cooking, the less and less I like to use old tricks on new games.  So, I used some milk and changed around my spices.  And here you have it, yet another pumpkin pie from Tonya.

1- 15oz. can of pumpkin
2 eggs (that have stood at room temperature for about 20 minutes and are beaten well)
1 cup of milk (I used 2%)
3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. of ground ginger
milk and a pinch of sugar for brushing on the crust to garnish
1 pie shell from my Tonya's Special Pie Crust recipe:  http://tonya-justcooking.blogspot.com/2010/11/tonyas-special-pie-crust.html

-Preheat your oven to 375*.  In a large mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin, eggs and milk; set aside.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.  Add this to the pumpkin mixture and stir well.  Pour this into your unbaked 9" pie crust.  Once you have shaped your edge to your liking (I re-rolled my dough trimmings and just used a cookie cutter that I found in my kids play kitchen to make little heart shaped cut outs to finish off my edges-just slightly press them into the crust to make sure they stick after being baked), brush the edges with milk and sprinkle well with some sugar.  Cut a medium-sized circle out of a large square of aluminum foil and place it over the pie (you want the inside of the pie exposed, but the edges covered).  Bake at 375* for 50 minutes, remove the foil cover and continue to bake for no more than 5 minutes or so more.  Remove from oven and let stand to cool, then refrigerate for at least an hour before slicing.  Serve with a dollop of cool whip and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.  Serves 8.  Enjoy!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

Whenever anyone ever talks about homemade mac and cheese, they always emphasize on the top of the casserole.  They love the crunch.  But me?  No I am not about the crunch at all.  I am all about the soft ooey gooey creaminess that is found underneath that crust that they all love so much.  That left me to ponder why I even make my homemade mac and cheese with a crumbly crust, as I do in my Baked Macaroni and Cheese recipe.   So, I figured that since I have already satisfied the masses with that traditional recipe, that it was time to concoct one for myself.  One that is solely based on the rich velvety goodness of cheese and pasta. 


pinch of salt + 1 T. of extra virgin olive oil (for pasta water)
1/2 cup + 1 T. of unsalted butter
2 chicken flavored bouillon cubes
1 brick of cream cheese
1/4 cup of cold tap water + 2 T. of cornstarch (this is your thickening agent, a cornstarch slurry)
a good amount of sea salt
2 dashes of white pepper
3 finger pinches of light brown sugar
2 dashes of ground nutmeg
1 cup of shredded mild cheddar and Monterrey jack cheese
2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup of heavy whipping cream

-Preheat your oven to 350*.  Using some real butter, grease the bottom and sides of a large casserole dish; set aside.  Start a medium sauce pan of water for a boil for your pasta.  Once it reaches a rapid bowl, stir in a pinch of sea salt and about 1 T. of e.v.o. and then your uncooked pasta.  Boil for 5-6 minutes for Al dente; strain and set aside.  Meanwhile for your cheese sauce, melt your butter, bouillon cubes and cream cheese in a large stockpot (it makes it easier when you are folding in your pasta if you are in a deep pot) over medium heat.  In a small measuring cup, using a fork, stir together your water and cornstarch to make a slurry; pour into butter mixture.  Stir in the salt, white pepper, brown sugar, nutmeg and shredded cheeses.  Once these are pretty much melted down, add in the heavy cream and increase your heat a bit.  Keep stirring this as it is heating up, and it will begin to thicken and take on a heavy, smooth, velvety texture.  Then just fold in your strained Al dente pasta and combine well.  Transfer into your butter greased casserole dish, cover and bake at 350* for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Serves 6-8.  Enjoy!

Pecan Glazed Broiled Salmon

Talk about one amazing way to have some salmon.  This combination of flavors is truly a match made in heaven.  I personally think that salmon has it's own sweetness quality to it and that it pairs up perfectly with any type of fruit or nuts.  And pecans happen to be the one thing that I think goes the best with it.  So, with that being said, I now have to give thanks to one of my readers, Catherine, fore she is the one who turned me onto this great glaze when she mailed it to my home for me to try.  She was right, it is absolutely delicious.

4 nice sized salmon filet's (cleaned and skinned completely)
1-2 T. of extra virgin olive oil (divided)
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1/3 cup of a store-bought pecan glaze (I used Dr. Pete's Praline Mustard Glaze)
1 recipe of my Rustic Mashed Potatoes

-Place your oven rack in the center position and preheat it to a HI broil.  Cover a medium-sized cookie sheet with aluminum foil (making sure to wrap it up and around the edges so you don't bake the oil onto your pan and discolor it) and pour about 2 tsp. or so of the olive oil in the center of it.  Using a wadded up paper towel, working in circular motion, spread the e.v.o. out to completely cover the surface nice and lightly.  Lay your salmon out on the greased pan now.  Drizzle the tops of the salmon with the remaining e.v.o. (only using as much as you need to depending on the size of the filet's) and brush it over them making sure to hit all the edges, nooks and crannies.  Give the tops of them a nice healthy sprinkling of the salt and pepper and place the pan on the center rack in the broiler.  Broil on HI for 8-10 minutes watching carefully towards the end.  As soon as the edges are just beginning to turn a light golden brown, remove the pan.  Spoon the pecan glaze over the tops of each of the filet's and place back into your broiler on high for only 30-45 seconds (it will burn right away if you go over 1 minute!) or just until it starts to boil up on top.  Serve with some of my Rustic Mashed Potatoes and steamed vegetables.  Serves 4.  Enjoy!