Hasselback Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows and Brown Sugar Butter

Make a a whole pan of these Hasselback sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows and brown sugar butter! 

Bake the potatoes ahead of time...then about 20 minutes before you're ready to serve dinner, stuff them with the marshmallows and brown sugar butter and pop them back into the oven to melt the marshmallows and caramelize the tops!

Top with a pinch of Kosher salt and you have a perfect sweet potato side dish all of your guests will love!

You'll find to how to and recipe here at SheKnows: Marshmallow stuffed Hasselback sweet potatoes with brown sugar butter

Shoestring fries with black truffle oil, sea salt and parsley

I used a mandolin to get these fries extra thin, but I good sharp knife will also work, just go as thin as you can without turning them into hash browns...

A huge heaping bowl of these shoestring fries with black truffle oil, sea salt and parsley will make you feel like you're dining at your favorite neighborhood bistro!

You'll find my post here at SheKnows: Shoestring fries with black truffle oil, sea salt and parsley

Spinach Artichoke Dip Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (shaped liked footballs)

You know when you go to a Super Bowl party and there's a huge pumpernickel loaf dug-out and stuffed with Spinach Artichoke Dip....

You know when you go to grab that little piece of pumpernickel bread to dip in the dip...and sure enough ....there are a bunch of pumpernickel floaty crumbs left behind by those ...who've dipped before you.

You know when (after you've gotten over the floaty crumbs, but....) right before you go to dig in...the guy who's had eight beers already....dips...takes a messy bite...and then dips again.

We've all been there.  You know the scene.  You know the guy...

Stop double dipping by making these Spinach Artichoke Dip Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  You'll find my Spinach Artichoke Dip recipe and the "how to" here at SheKnows... Football Shaped Grilled Cheese Sandwiches stuffed with Spinach Artichoke Dip

Cheers! Carolyn :)

Baked Potato Wedges with Italian Dressing

The Italian dressing bakes into these potatoes giving them a subtle flavor perfect for enjoying french fry style or as a welcome side to chicken, beef or fish!

Asparagus and Cheese Tart

I know.  I know.  It's been done a million times before!   But I've never made one.

PLUS...I needed to get a new post up for the sake of all of us!

There's only so long people can view a, Guinness Bacon Cheeseburger without gaining weight simply LOOKING  at the damn thing!

So today...let's take in some greenery....

Cheesy Mexican Rice & Black Beans

I made my Cheesy Mexican Rice and Black Beans last night to accompany grilled Mexican spiced pork chops with a side salad of mache greens, avocado, cilantro and scallion.  The recipe yields a ton (especially when served as a side dish)...so with the leftovers, tonight's dinner will be Chicken Burritos with (you guessed it) Cheesy Mexican Rice and Black Beans!

Fried Lobster Raviolis with a Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I picked up frozen Lobster Raviolis from a nearby Italian Market and parboiled them for 8 minutes...

Tuna Ceviche with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette and Baby Arugula

Here's a simple and equally pretty salad or appetizer to serve at your next party. Just be sure your guests like cilantro...if not...I would think a suitable substitute would be a combination of fresh basil and parsley!

*To make your tuna easier to cube, place the tuna steaks in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes before slicing, this ensures it's nice and cold too!

1.) Make this Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette exactly as written below.  At the end, stir in one tablespoon of very finely diced scallion. (The scallion is optional but I enjoy a little scallion crunch with my tuna ceviche.)

2.) Dice up super fresh Ahi Tuna and place in a bowl.

3.) Spoon some of the prepared vinaigrette onto the tuna and mix together.

4.) Spoon some Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette on the bottom of a plate.

5.) Place a circle cookie cutter (or food shaper) centered on top of the vinaigrette.

6.) Spoon tuna ceviche into the circle and lightly pack it down.

7.) Remove the circle, top with a bit of baby arugula and drizzle with a tad more vinaigrette.

Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette EatingWell.com, February-March 2006

Ingredients:

1 cup packed cilantro
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Pinch of minced garlic

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth vinaigrette consistency.

Baby Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Craisins, Panko and Cheese - Last Minute Vegetable Idea!

I made a mini portion with one of my new 8 inch cast iron pans...

Potato Leek Soup

Fine. So she won't win any beauty pageants, but she sure is nice and comforting...like a Snuggie.

(No, I don't own a Snuggie...and no, there isn't a photo of me out there wearing an electric blue one sitting by a roaring fire, sipping red wine...)  (I dread the day that thing finds me on facebook...)
 
I took well over a hundred pictures of this soup. 

It started out in a white bowl, then a yellow bowl, then tea cups.  It went outside, back inside, on the floor and at one point was even precariously positioned on the edge of the living room window (...a little potato soup smudge on your silk Pottery Barn drapes adds character right?) 

So two things confirmed:

Easy Cheesy Spinach Bake ~ Did I just say that?

Wow. I did.

But at least I didn't say, Easy Cheesy Peasy Spinach Bake.

No. I would never say that.

Mashed Butternut Squash with Crispy Bacon and Shallot ~ The Perfect Autumn Side Dish!

This adorable side dish is perfectly delicious for autumn!

Simple Scalloped Potatoes

No time to write today...but the simplicity of these Scalloped Potatoes is well worth sharing!

Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice

Photographing rice is not easy...it's difficult to make it look, "exciting!" 

But rest assured...you make this Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice one time... and your taste buds will do cartwheels!!!

A perfect side dish to any Asian inspired seafood, meat or poultry...I hope you'll give it a try!

Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice
adapted from Ginger-Scallion Fried Rice,  "Sam Choy's Polynesian Kitchen"

Ingredients:

3 T peanut Oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T minced ginger
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp soy sauce
2 to 2 1/2 cups cooked Basmati Rice (1 cup dried rice should yield about 2+ cups cooked)
Salt and white pepper to taste

Directions:

In a wok, heat the peanut oil and sesame oil. Add garlic ginger and scallion. Saute for one minute, then add cilantro, sugar and soy sauce. Cook for one minute. Add cooked Basmati rice and saute until thoroughly warm and mixed well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Oven Fries with Olive Oil, Parsley & Chives ~ Simple, Healthy, Delicious!

Just one of about 100 reasons to make these Oven Fries often...

Mario Batali's Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters ~ Five for Fridays ~ Five Photos & a Recipe

OK, two things...

FIRST:  I know this is a day early ...but I won't have time to post this tomorrow

SECOND:  How am I supposed to not eat ALL OF THESE before my husband gets home from work?!

Damn you Thank you Mario Batali ~ your recipe is perfect, these Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters are absolutely delicious! (scroll down for the recipe that appears in the August edition of Food and Wine Magazine, p23)








Mario Batali's Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters via FoodandWine.com

Baked Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese ~ Three General Rules

Amongst the debate on Saturday as to whether or not people were overreacting to Irene, was another equally important discussion...Macaroni and Cheese.

Pretty much everyone agreed that as far as comfort food was concerned, Macaroni and Cheese ranks at the top of the list...

What wasn't agreed upon by all was whether people preferred theirs super soft and creamy ...or baked with a bit of a crunch.

These pictures and recipe depict the latter...




And while I'm not into, "lots of rules" in the kitchen... 3 general rules when making Macaroni and Cheese from scratch are as followed...

1.) Pick a good noodle, one that will "hug" and soak in the flavors




2.) Choose quality cheese (or cheeses). When I say "quality" I mean ones that taste good ...there's nothing worse than using a bland, flavorless cheese ~ make those calories count!!!




3.)  Homemade breadcrumbs. If you've gone so far to make Macaroni and Cheese from scratch...you best be using homemade breadcrumbs...I will admit to cheating here in the past but (make no mistake) I was ALWAYS disappointed!




*Oh, and add lots of butter and enjoy with a cold, dark beer!

So I guess that's 5 RULES...WHAT ARE YOUR RULES???





Baked Four Cheese Macaroni and Cheese

16 oz. pasta of choice, cooked al dente drained well but not rinsed
7 T butter 3-3-1
2T four
1/2 c. shallot
8 oz. cheddar
8 oz. Gouda (smoked would be nice)
4 oz. Gruyere
4 oz. goat cheese (optional)
1/2 c half/half or heavy cream
1/2 c milk
2 tsp cayenne pepper (more or less according to preference)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 c. fresh bread crumbs
kosher salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

In a large pot, melt 3T. butter over medium heat, saute up the shallot until sizzling and fragrant, about 4 minutes.

Add 2T. flour and whisk for about 2-3 minutes to cook the flour. While whisking, slowly add your heavy cream, milk and cayenne pepper and whisk until ingredients are well incorporated and thickening. Add your cheddar, Gouda and Gruyere cheese and mix together until a cheese sauce forms.

Next, add your al dente cooked pasta to your hot cheese sauce and fold together well to coat the noodles. Taste. Add kosher salt if necessary.

In a separate pan (I used a cast iron skillet) melt your other 3T butter over medium heat until bubbling, add your chopped garlic and cook about 1-2 minutes, add your fresh bread crumbs and stir around until fragrant and toasted, about 4-5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

In a buttered casserole dish or ramekins, add your macaroni and cheese, top with the garlic bread crumbs and goat cheese if you're using and then take your last tablespoon of butter and dab it around the top.

Bake in the oven about 20 minutes or until the cheese in bubbly and the top is lightly browned and crunchy.

Irene's Aftermath...

Pureed Chick Peas with Garlic, Rosemary, Lemon and Feta ~ Five for Fridays ~ Five Photos ...and a Recipe

Spicy Sesame Noodles with Chopped Peanuts and Fresh Thai Basil

It's been almost a week since my last post. We were away for a few days with family...enjoying the beach, Scrabble, cocktails and each other's company. (For the record..."BOTOXED" and "QUILTER" are in fact words...high scoring ones at that...just sayin')

Anyway... we returned home to this...

Homemade Horseradish Straight from the Garden

So... when your neighbor drops off something as ugly as this...