Oven Roasted Potatoes

This is a great side dish- and really easy. It started from a recipe my Mom found on the Hidden Valley Ranch packet and evolved from there. Keep that in mind- there are many kinds of flavoring and spices that work with the basic recipe.

Diced potatoes
Seasoned cookie sheet (mine is so old and so seasoned- I really think it was the first Mrs. Ferguson's ... that would make it seasoned with more than 15 years of chicken fingers and french fries!)
Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Pepper

I like to use red potatoes for this. Thoroughly scrub the potatoes (they do grow in dirt, you know!!) Dice into bite-sized pieces. Place potatoes on your cookie sheet. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of Olive Oil over the potatoes (now, honestly I do this with a bottle of olive oil and the 1/4 cup thing is purely a guess). Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper (fresh ground if you can) over the potatoes. With clean hands toss the potatoes and spices together. Make sure the potatoes are thoroughly coated in both oil and spices. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are golden brown. They're best when they're a bit crunchy on the outside and mushy inside. Feel free to taste test along the way for accurate done-ness!

Crowd Pleasing Baked Beans

I think Leslie in Tennessee gets credit again for the original version of this one. She's a fantastic cook and I terribly miss living in the same city with her. We have many fun memories of dinner parties at her downtown loft or at our place in Southside. Sigh...time marches on....

This recipe is great for barbcue get togethers. It's super easy, and has sausage AND bacon- so boys tend to lick this one up!

1 BIG can of baked beans (it doesn't really matter what kind because your going to doctor them up anyway)
Yellow Mustard
Brown Sugar
Syrup
1 package of lower fat Sausage (I like Jimmy Dean)
Salt
Pepper
Tabasco

In a large baking dish add can o' beans, about 1/4 cup yellow mustard (I just squirt, squirt, squirt so this measurement is an estimate) 3 TBS of brown sugar, 1/4 cup syrup, a bit of salt & pepper and 1 tsp of Tabasco. Stir to combine.

In a separate pan cook sausage thoroughly, breaking it up into really small pieces. When sausage is finished, I like to make sure I get as much of the fat out of it as I can. Take a colander and line with paper towels. Add cooked sausage. Cover with more paper towels and squoosh. It's really gross how much more grease you can get out. Here's a tip: when you are working with any ground meat that has fat, you can place it in the colander and run super hot tap water over it to get even more fat out. Of course, this only works if you are seasoning the meat after cooking it, otherwise all your seasoning will go down the drain.

Add the sausage to the bean mixture and stir to combine. Give it a taste test and add more of anything it may need. Take two slices of bacon, cut in half and place the four striplets on top.

Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees until bacon is cooked and beans are bubbly.

Black-Eyed Pea "Salsa"

My good friend Leslie in Tennessee gets credit for the original version of this one. I figure all the recipes are "mine" in the end because I change it up enough. The rule is if it differs by at least 15%, it's "new".

We're excited to be going to a friend's house for a BBQ this afternoon. It's a "bring something to share" party, and this is one of my dishes for today. It's quick, easy (NO cooking, actually) and a crowd pleasing appetizer. Ladies and gentlemen...start your can openers!

2 Cans of Black-Eyed Peas
1 Can of Field Peas (northern friends, good luck finding these! I'm pretty sure it's a southern thing)
1 can of Shoe peg corn
Vinegar (I suggest the red wine variety)
Tabasco
Dry Mustard
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt

Find your pretty serving dish that's conducive to dipping. Open cans. Drain contents of cans. Dump contents of cans in bowl. Chop up some fresh cilantro (about 3 TBS chopped) add it to the bowl. Add about 1 1/2 C of vinegar. Add the juice of one lime (TIP: stick that lime in the microwave for a minute before juicing- it makes it juicer!) Add about 1/8 tsp of the dry mustard. Add salt and Tabasco to taste. Stir to combine all ingredients. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving. Overnight is even better. Serve with tortilla chips. You may want to add more or less vinegar depending on your particular taste.

For those of you who know me well, you understand how I cook. For those who don't know me that well...I apologize for the vague measurements. I don't use measuring cups or spoons unless I am baking (which I rarely do...too precise!!)

P.S. don't forget to take out the trash! It's full of empty cans!!!

Talapia in Ten

Ok...all of my busy mommy friends out there (and those few special daddies who cook...) Here's an easy recipe (and meal) for you: Does your family like fish? Even if they're not crazy about fish, Tilapia is very mild and friendly to most palates (my two-year-old loves Tilapia!) Put a bit of olive oil in a pan that has a lid (medium-high heat). Place your Tilapia fillets in the olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add some salt and pepper. Turn the fillets. Add a can of diced tomatoes (for those of you who like a bit of spice, Rotel works great here). Feeling adventuresome? Add a can of sliced black (and green if you like) olives for a Mediterranean flair…maybe even some diced red onion. Turn the fillets, cover, and let poach for about 4 more minutes. Serve with Uncle Ben’s 90-second microwave quick rice (the wild rice one is really nice with fish) and frozen broccoli (finished in the microwave in about 4 minutes) There you have it- a nice meal in a hurry! Don't tell your family....bonus- it’s HEALTHY- low cal and low fat!