Baked Potato Soup

It wasn’t really a babysitting day.  Josh is in town, so we wanted to come eat with Jami.  He held Harlee while we cooked.  Baked Potato Soup and… you guessed it…. Cornbread!

Harlee fell asleep in Uncle Josh's arms

Jami was in charge of frying up bacon to put in the soup; however, she didn’t watch it well enough and she burned the bacon. 

This turned out to be a great way to test the smoke detectors!  Had to open the window too... whoops...

That wasn’t good, but Josh and I nibbled on it anyway.  So it was up to me to cook bacon, and boy did it turn out good.  Sometimes, nothing beats a greasy, crispy piece of bacon.  MmmmMM!

After the bacon was done, I finished stirring up cornbread and Jami finished the soup.  Just for fun, I sprinkled some bacon pieces into the cornbread.  Didn’t turn out too bad!

Cornbread muffin with bacon drizzled with maple syrup

Dinner was overall terrific and the perfect meal for a chilly winter night.  Harlee fell asleep during preparation and watched Blues Clues during dinner.  What a great boy!

We enjoyed some beer after dinner and Harlee seemed to want to join in on it...

He's happy hanging out with Uncle Josh!

Baked Potato Soup
     (taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-potato-soup/detail.aspx)

3 bacon strips, diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups chicken broth
2 large baked potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Minced fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, cook bacon until crisp, and watch it so it doesn't burn, haha. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. Set bacon aside.
Saute onion and garlic in the drippings until tender. Stir in flour, salt, basil and pepper; mix well. 

Gradually add broth. Bring to boil; boil and stir for 2 minutes.

Add the potatoes (we used Yukon Gold potatoes because we had them on hand), cream and hot pepper sauce; heat through but do not boil.  Mash the potatoes and stir until soup reaches desired thickness.

Serve into bowls and garnish with bacon, cheese and parsley.

Cornbread (we've made this quite a bit - it's irresistible!)

Cajun Meatballs

Babysitting was a success, as was dinner. Harlee was quite the giggler today. He laughed at me for no reason (am I just that funny looking?) for quite a while. I made goofy faces at him and tickled him, and then we played the piano. After all that excitement, it was dinnertime for Harlee. Diaper change followed, and then I put him down for a nap. Overall, a success!

Jami got home and we (well, she) started dinner. Justin is out for the evening, so it was just she and I. I continued babysitting while she fixed the meatballs. It seems like it was pretty easy to just mix up, roll into balls and then pop in the oven. They are a pretty spicy meatball, so if you're not into spicy food, this might not be the recipe for you. We served them over white rice and had mixed veggies for a side.

Currently, we are making Oreo cookie balls. They're soooo yummy and we will serve them at Granny's for Christmas. If we don't eat them all first....

Cajun Meatballs
     a kill two birds with one stone kinda recipe - great for dinner, and as an appetizer too! Taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-appetizer-meatballs/detail.aspx

1 pound lean ground beef  (again, venison in our case)
1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (turns out we didn't have any, but soy sauce makes a good substitute with about a tsp of vinegar and a dash of garlic powder)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1/2 cup peach preserves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking sheet.
In a large bowl, mix thoroughly the ground beef, hot pepper sauce, Cajun seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, onion, bread crumbs, milk, and egg.
Form the mixture into golf ball sized meatballs and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until there is no pink left in the middle.
In a small bowl, combine the barbeque sauce and peach preserves.
When meatballs are done, place in a serving dish and cover with the barbeque sauce mixture. Toss to coat.

We served this over white rice with some steamed veggies.  Yummy!

Cooking For a Crowd

Tonight we cooked for a crowd.  And by crowd, I mean four other people.  Uncle Jim, Aunt Janice and Cousin Brian are visiting from Texas, so they along with Grandma came over for dinner.  There isn’t much to say about today’s babysitting adventure, since Harlee didn’t do much except lie on the floor, sit on my lap and then take a nap.  I napped with him.  We woke up to Jami coming back in the front door with groceries for this evening’s dinner.

We decided on Italian Beef… minus the beef. We substituted venison and pork for the beef.  That had been in the crock pot all day, so before company came, we prepared green beans and oven roasted potatoes, which I believe was made with another meal and can be found in an earlier post.

Jami did most of tonight’s cooking because I was still watching Harlee.  Justin was out at the farm shooting with the cousins, so we were short a babysitter.  But green beans and potatoes aren’t that difficult, so she was fine.

Anyway, company arrived, and we just had a few things to finish up before we ate. The table was set, the food laid out, and the wine was poured. It all looked delicious, and let me tell you, it was.  I think Italian beef is a foolproof recipe.  If you manage to mess that up…. Something’s wrong with you!  But seriously, it’s such an easy meal that requires little effort and the results are delicious.  Pile the meat on some toasted rolls or baguettes, top with provolone cheese and onions if desired, and you’re done.  So tasty and so easy.  And the leftovers are just as good.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the meal, and it was nice to sit around the table and share food with each other. After dinner, we cleared the table, poured some cups of coffee and enjoyed Jami’s homemade fudge.  Quite a tasty dessert.  You can check out those recipes in the previous post.

Harlee provided us with much entertainment throughout the evening.  He napped through dinner but afterwards woke up and giggled at Grandma and tried to eat everything in sight.  He’s started to teeth, so anything he gets his hands on goes in his mouth to chew on.  That includes your finger if you’re holding his hand.  Multiple times, his strong little grip and arms pulled my knuckle right into his mouth without me even realizing it.  It’s amazing how quickly he’s growing, and soon, there will be little teeth in that mouth.

All in all, it was a great night.  You just can’t beat a good meal with family, and I’m sure this won’t be the last time we cook for a group.  Try this meal out for yourself.  You won’t be disappointed!

Italian Meat

     (Jami's improv)

3(ish) lbs meat of choice - normally beef but in our case 2lbs of venison and 1lb of pork (to kind of deflect the game taste of the venison)

1 14.5oz can beef broth

2 tbsp Italian seasoning (divided)

2 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp basil

1 tbsp parsley

3 tsp garlic powder

Place meat in a crock pot with broth, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning and rest of herbs/spices and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-5 hours (rough estimate, again I forgot to check how long it was actually in there.  Just make sure it's done in the middle!)

30 minutes before serving, remove from crock and shred (leave the juices in).  Return to crock and add the last tbsp of Italian seasoning.  Cook for 30 more minutes.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Green Beans with Almonds

2-3 lbs fresh green beans cut into 1-2 inch pieces

1 14.5 oz can chicken broth

2 tbsp butter

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 small lemon, halved

Combine beans and broth in a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until beans are tender.  Drain beans and set aside.  In same pan (to conserve dishes!) melt the butter and add almonds and juice from half the lemon.  Cook until almonds are brown, stirring frequently.  Add beans back in along with juice from the other half (this is optional - if you prefer less zing then leave it out) and stir together.  Serve!

Our First Award! And a Great Fudge Recipe!

Hi, Jami here.  Usually Jenna writes, as I feel she has the better hand, and I take charge of photo uploads and general blog maintenance.  But, Jenna happens to be in Florida at the moment (*insert jealous grumbling here*) and, darnit, I have things to share!! :)

Such as....


We won our first award!!! Yay us!!

Thank you, Christi, at The Chapters of Our Lives for passing this along to us!  It's appropriate that she be the one to give us this award since she actually kick-started my interest in cooking in the first place.  I took a cooking class in high school and hated it because a) I had no idea what I was doing and b) I had to cram my rookie creative outlet into 50 minutes or less of class time, which ended up just stressing me out.  Thus I decided I hated cooking.  But, ever since getting my own kitchen (and more time!) and Christi convincing me that it's really not that bad, I've found that it's a lot of fun!  I love art, and I enjoy food, so it's really a great combo of the two.  Jenna enjoys it too, I think mostly the experimentation of it, so together we're destined to have a good time!

I really need Jenna and her babysitting right now though... Harlee learned a new trick...

"What are you lookin at?"

Yeah... the bouncy seat is no longer a sufficient babysitter... he is waaay too good at sitting up and there have been a few times that he's come close to just tumbling forward...

"Whoaaaa..."

Yeah.  So anyway, onto this award!

The Criteria: the Liebster Blog Awad is meant to showcase bloggers who have fewer than 200 followers. This  is all done in the spirit of the pay-it-forward.

The Rules: You must mention the link to the person who awarded you with the Liebster, and mention 5 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers who you think is worthy of the Liebster!

"Liebster' means 'favorite' or 'dearest' in German. This award, which originated in Germany, recognized up and coming bloggers! In accepting this award, I agree to:

Thank the person that gave me the award and link back to their blog.

    * Copy and paste the award to my blog

    * Reveal the 5 blogs that I have chosen to award and let them know by commenting on their blog

    * Pay it forward by awarding it to bloggers they would like to honor

The five blogs I'm passing the award along to are featured below. These are all blogs with fewer than 200 followers and that all have great ideas, projects to share, and really cute and/or inspirational blogs to read....

Getting There 

Her Green Life

   (this blog is by my friend from our birth class.  she probably has more than 200 followers... but I can't tell, so I'm sharing it cuz I like it!)

Occasional Occasions 

Keeping Up With The Roscows 

Okay so that's only four.  But I figured I'd at least save one for Jenna to add in... and since she's not here, guess we'll have to wait!

On another note, I couldn't wait til she gets back to share this fudge recipe.  It's SO easy and SO GOOD, so I'm sharing it now!  I just whipped some up this morning to bring to the ICAN potluck this evening, and it seemed as though everyone liked it.  I know I did!

Mom's Easy Fudge

     (from our mom's home-ec class in high school)

2 16oz packages powdered sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup milk

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

2 tbsp vanilla

Mix sugar and cocoa.  Add milk and butter.  DO NOT STIR.

Microwave for 4-6 minutes.  Add nuts and vanilla, mix well.  Pour into greased 9x13 pan and refrigerate until firm.

That was my mom's recipe.  My notes:  I used REAL butter, not the fake cheap margarine stuff.  It sets up a lot better with that.  Plus my uncle happily informed us that margarine is one molecule away from plastic.  ... Okay so one molecule can make a big difference, but it's still kinda creepy!  And I only had almond milk in the fridge so I used that rather than dairy milk and it worked great.  Also instead of greasing the pan I lined it with wax paper, which worked really well (and saved dishes!).

Another great fudge recipe:

Peanut Butter Fudge

     from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easiest-peanut-butter-fudge/detail.aspx

1/2 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8x8 inch dish. Chill until firm and cut into squares. 

So from left to right I have female fudge (no nuts in it...), peanut butter fudge, a combo of the first two (I poured the chocolate fudge into a pan and let it set while I made the peanut butter fudge, then poured the peanut butter on top of it and let it finish chilling together), and male fudge (I added walnuts, but you can use anything you like).  Sooooo good and so easy!  I'm thinking I'll be experimenting with other recipes like white chocolate, toffee, turtle, etc etc... Don't worry, I'll share!

Enjoy!

Southwestern Turkey (well, chicken...) Soup

I was not scheduled to babysit today, but since I was done with work early today, my babysitting services were called upon.  That meant finding a recipe to make!  We originally planned on doing something with turkey as a “modified Thanksgiving,” so we considered turkey stir fry and a southwestern turkey soup.  We opted for the soup.  Mainly because we wanted cornbread. 

I met Jami at the store after work to pick up ingredients.  That’s when we decided to make the soup with chicken instead of turkey.  One, because Jami had chicken at home, and two, we didn’t want to get burnt out on turkey before Thanksgiving.

This recipe, like our other recipes, was easy.  We threw the ingredients in a crock pot and let it cook for a few hours while Jami was at work.  It turned out delicious!  It was pretty liquid-y, but that could be because we didn’t drain the corn or the black beans.  Oops.  Still turned out great.

Babysitting wasn’t as easy as the last time.  Harlee passed out pretty soon after Jami left, so I got some knitting done.  He only slept for about a half hour and then he woke up.  I didn’t think he’d be hungry, since Jami fed him before he left.  So I changed his diaper, but he was still fussy. I tried bouncing him, rocking him, walking him around the house, but he was still fussy.  So I decided to feed him.  That made him happy.  Unfortunately, what I gave him wasn’t enough, so I had to make another bottle.  While he was eating, I heard the tell-tale noise of a dirty diaper.  After eating, I cleaned his messy, stinky diaper, and then we laid on the floor and made noises and faces at each other.  I even got him to giggle.  Yay!

After some bouncing, he went to sleep again, which gave me time to prepare the cornbread before Jami got home.  Once that was done, it was back to knitting and “Wheel of Fortune.”  Soon, Jami and Justin returned, and it was dinnertime. Here’s the menu.  Take note that we made some modifications on the soup.  We used chicken instead of turkey, although this will be great for Thanksgiving leftovers. We also omitted the avocado and the cilantro (we thought there was some at the house) and added a can of corn and can of black beans.

Tonight we’ve also whipped up an almond pear torte, but that’s for Thanksgiving at Granny’s tomorrow.  Hopefully it turns out yummy!

Southwestern Turkey (aka Chicken) Soup
     adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/southwestern-turkey-soup/detail.aspx

1 1/2 cups shredded cooked turkey (or 3 chicken breasts, in our case)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 roma (plum) tomato, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon lime juice (we just used a whole lime)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced (which we left out)
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro (didn't have any, whoops!  Instead we used basil and oregano)
shredded Monterey Jack cheese to top it off

In a large pot over medium heat, combine turkey, broth, canned tomatoes, green chiles, fresh tomato, onion, garlic, and lime juice. Season with cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Stir in avocado and cilantro, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly thickened. Spoon into serving bowls, and top with shredded cheese. 

That was the original recipe.  With our modifications, we combined our ingredients in a crock pot, set it on high, and left it for about 2.5 hours.  Along with the cheese, we mixed in a spoonful of sour cream.  Turned out great!

Best Cornbread Ever
     (we're not kidding)

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp baking powder

Combine the ingredients and either pour into a 9" pan or a muffin pan.  Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes for the 9" pan or 10-15 minutes for the muffins.

A Greek Feast!

I think we should change the name of our blog to “Will sit and watch TV/read/knit” for food.  It seems like every time I babysit, Harlee sleeps the whole time, leaving me to do other things.  Today was no exception. After a diaper change and some light bouncing, Harlee passed out and slept in his swing until Jami came home. 

Our dinner was just as easy as babysitting.  And tasty, too.  We omitted the olives, but I wonder what the dish would have tasted like with them.  Perhaps we will revisit this one in the future.  This dish is very light and would be perfect for a hot summer evening.  It’s quite the opposite of a hot summer evening, but the dish was still good.  We served ours in pita pockets with kale and had a salad to go with it.  Currently, we have baklava baking in the oven. Yum!

For some comic relief… I was a big mess in the kitchen today.  There was more kale in the bag than I thought, and I ended up spilling most of it on the counter as I was dumping it in the colander to wash.  Oops.  Add that to the mess I had made chopping pecans, and it looked like Harlee was cooking (no offense, Harlee).  

Here are the recipes:

Mediterranean Chicken

     taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mediterranean-chicken/detail.aspx
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine (turns out Jami didn't have any white wine... but she did have some Verdi!  we used that instead and it turned out fine)
6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup kalamata olives (we omitted these since we're not big fans of olives.  And IGA sells them for $7 for a small jar... so it didn't even seem worth attempting it!)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil and 2 tablespoons white wine in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. 

Saute garlic in pan drippings for 30 seconds, then add onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add 1/2 cup white wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add thyme and basil and simmer for 5 more minutes. 

Return chicken to skillet and cover. Cook over low heat until the heated through.  Add olives and parsley to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.   We stuffed ours with kale into pita shells.

Salad

    this dressing recipe is from Jami and Justin's childbirth instructor, Samanda.  Check her out at http://www.naturallyprepared4birth.com/ 

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

5 basil leaves

2 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

We just put this in a small covered bowl and shook it to mix it.  We then poured it over kale and romaine with chopped walnuts and feta cheese.  Yummy!

Baklava

     We were on a roll with the Greek thing, so we figured we'd keep it going!  This is from  http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baklava/detail.aspx

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan. 

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

 Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows then make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

 Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up. 

This was definitely a two-person job... not exactly appropriate for a blog of simple recipes for the working mother, but like I said, we were on a roll with the Greek thing.  And once we tasted this, we did not regret attempting it!  Soooo good!

Oh yeah, and here's Mr. Handsome himself helping us out :-)

...and teething too.  Jenna's lucky he slept the whole time!

Venison and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

It was certainly a memorable day, and not just because it’s 11-11-11.  Harlee laughed for the first time for great-grandma Heidel and he’s finally rolling over.  Our little guy is growing up!

Babysitting was easy today, too.  Easier than me making our venison and wild rice stuffed acorn squash.  When Jami asked me to pull the squash out of the oven, dump the hot water and flip the squash, I opted for changing Harlee’s wet diaper.  I’ll admit, I get a little nervous in the kitchen, especially when hot water is involved.  I didn’t want to take the chance of spilling hot water all over myself and the floor. 

Had I been in charge of cooking, though, and if I was a bit braver in the kitchen, this would have been an easy recipe to prepare.  Splitting the squash was probably the most difficult part, and we had Justin do that.  The rest of the recipe included roasting the squash, browning meat, heating the cranberries and making rice.  Then, mix it all together and spoon it into the hollowed squash.  Simple!  And tasty.  Just a note, this made a lot, so if you don’t think you can eat a full half squash, it’d be a nice dinner for two to share.  How romantic!

We also made roasted applesauce.  The applesauce wasn’t roasted; the apples were.  This was a delicious homemade applesauce that we found in Jami’s homemade babyfood book.  When Harlee starts on solids, this is definitely a simple applesauce the whole family can share.

If you’d like to make this warm, filling dinner perfect for a chilly fall night, here’s the recipe:

Venison and Wild Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

    we doubled the recipe, but this is the original - taken from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/venison-and-wild-rice-stuffed-acorn-squash/detail.aspx

1 box wild rice mix (we used Uncle Ben's)
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/3 cup cranberries
1/2 pound ground venison (we used butterflies cut into cubes - it makes a nicer presentation.  And, of course, you can use the meat of your choice!)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 pinch Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400°
Make rice according to box instructions.
Meanwhile, place squash, cut-side down onto a deep baking dish filled with 1/2-inch of water. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, then drain water and set aside.
Bring some water to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the cranberries and let stand for 5 minutes, then drain and reserve. Cook the ground venison in a skillet over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked and crumbly.
Stir together the wild rice, cranberries, venison, and brown sugar. Season with cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
Turn the oven on to Broil. Rub the inside of the squash halves with the butter, then place cut-side up on the baking dish. Stuff with the rice mixture, then broil in the oven for 5 minutes.

Roasted Apple Sauce

5 of your favorite apples (we used jazz apples)

1 half lemon, juiced

1 tsp cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Slice the apples, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, roast in oven at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a fork.  Place roasted apples into a blender with lemon juice, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse to desired consistency.

Blackened Salmon

On the Menu: blackened salmon, oven roasted gold potatoes, oven roasted asparagus

After an easy afternoon of babysitting (Harlee slept the whole time; I knitted), it was time to cook a delicious dinner.  This menu is one anyone can make.  Even if you don’t know how to cook, there’s nothing easier than rubbing some spices on a salmon filet and putting it in on a hot skillet.  An added bonus: it’s quick.  Two to 5 minutes on both sides, and you’re done.  This menu is great for the working parent, someone short on time but wants a delicious meal, or a busy mom whose baby won’t sit still for longer than 15 minutes (thankfully, Harlee was content to sit in his  bouncy chair while we cooked).

Here’s the line-up:

Oven Roasted Yukon Gold Potatoes

About 3lbs Yukon gold potatoes, quartered

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cracked pepper

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Toss together to coat the potatoes, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, place in preheated 400° oven, roast for 30-45 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

**Jami's note - I made this up, so all of these ingredients are estimated, as is the cooking time.  My mom-brain caused me to forget to check how long I left them in the oven!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus
     adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/oven-roasted-asparagus/detail.aspx

1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 425°
Toss ingredients to coat the spears, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until tender.  Squeeze the lemon over the spears before serving.

**Note:  Hold the asparagus spears at both ends and bend until they snap - they'll naturally break right where they start to get woody, leaving behind the tasty tender part to eat!


Blackened Salmon Filets
     adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/blackened-salmon-fillets/detail.aspx

2 tbsp ground paprika
½ tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tbsp onion salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil1
1 tsp dried oregano
4 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed
½ cup unsalted olive oil

In a small bowl, mix paprika, cayenne pepper, onion salt, pepper, thyme, basil and oregano.  Brush salmon fillets on both sides with 1/4 cup olive oil, and rub evenly with the cayenne pepper mixture. Drizzle one side of each fillet with 1/2 remaining oil. 
In a large, heavy skillet over high heat, cook salmon, oil side down, until blackened, 2 to 5 minutes. Turn fillets, drizzle with remaining oil, and continue cooking until blackened and fish is easily flaked with a fork.