Homemade Fries

We've been eating homemade fries for a few years and they were good but inconsistent. Sometimes they would be nice and crispy, other times more like slices of baked potatoes. Recently though, after some more intentional experimenting we've found our ideal Homemade Fries recipe.
The most important step is making sure when you cut the wedges that there is enough skin on each wedge for it to balance nicely. That way, when it's time to serve your flavorful homemade fries they're easy to remove from the pan. {I used to have to scrape and scrape them off the pan, no matter how well greased it was so this is very important to me!}

Homemade Fries
 Print Recipe
Source: Lakeside Luth. Cookbook
Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:
4 medium potatoes, scrubbed
1 T grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp season salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
dash black pepper

Directions:
   1.  Cut potatoes in half and each half into four wedges. {Keeping wedges that balance nicely is what makes serving these easy.}
   2.  In a small bowl combine cheese and spices.
   3.  Lightly spray a 9x13 pan with oil. Arrange potatoes in pan, skin touching the pan. Lightly spray the potatoes with oil. Sprinkle seasoning mix evenly over potatoes.
   4.  Preheat oven to 375. Bake for 35 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender. Serve warm.

Menu February 11

I was looking for a new bread recipe to try last week and decided to try bagels. I used this Bagel recipe and topped some with cinnamon and sugar and some with onion flakes, garlic powder, salt and sesame seeds.

 

We used the savory topped ones for Egg, Bacon and Cheese Sandwiches and they were amazing! I have some ideas in mind to improve my technique next time and am looking forward to having these sandwiches again.

We've been eating Homemade Fries for a long time. Recently I've been trying to improve how I make them and think the result is wonderful. They're soft but still firm and the seasoning is flavorful but not overwhelming. Definitely a new family favorite! {Recipe coming soon}

On the Menu...
Lasagna Soup with Breadsticks with Garlic Butter  
Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken {New}
Soup Supper at Church
Warm Chicken & Cheese Sandwiches, cut in hearts; Sweet Potato Plants, cut in hearts; Sugar Cookies, cut in hearts
Pepperoni Pizza trying out Pizza Hut Crust Recipe {New} 
Brunch: Quiche
Muffins: Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.  

Menu January 28

You should try this Baguette recipe. I made it twice this week and plan on making it many more times. It takes under an hour to prepare and bake and tastes like bread you would you would buy from a bakery.

The kids and I have been doing snow and snowman activites this month. For snack this week we had snowmen inspired by this and for brunch we had snowman and snowflake pancakes. Our three year old daughter was absolutely tickled by both of them!

The highlight of the week was definitely this Cinnabon Popcorn. I didn't have the almond bark it called for to drizzle over but it was still wonderful without it. True to it's name it tastes like a cinnabon. You bite into it and taste the crunchy sugar, the spicy cinnamon and it combines to taste heavenly {in my husband's word.}

On the Menu...
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Spicy Black Bean and Corn Burgers or Corn and Bean Burgers
Crepes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
BBQ Chicken Pizza or Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza
Brunch: Something eggy
Muffins: Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.  

Friday Foreshadowing

~Maple Honey Granola Bark from An Oregon Cottage: A different way of making granola that results in lots of those delicious clumps.

~Chewy Coconut Bars from All Recipes: I've tended to avoid coconut recipes because my husband doesn't care for it. Recently I've been experimenting with toasting it first and then using it. So far, it seems to be helping {he thinks it's the texture more he doesn't like rather than the taste} so I've been looking at coconut recipes again.

~The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie with Variations from The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie: More so than the actual recipe what really caught my eye here was the explanation about why you should do things in a certain order and the troubleshooting for cookies. It was very interesting to read.

~Pizza Tot Casserole from Recipes Straight from the Kowboys Home: An interesting concept: tater tots on top of pizza toppings. This is definitely something that could be fun to play around with.

~5 Ingredient Strawberry Bread from CEO of Me: With only five ingredients and the ability to use whatever fruit you'd like {therefore have on hand} this bread has definite potential.

 

All images are from the original recipe source.
This is linked to Friday Favorites.

Banana Bread Pancakes

 

My family does breakfast for lunch every Saturday, a tradition we all enjoy as breakfast foods are delicious. We have our go-to recipes for Pancakes, Waffles and French Toast but sometimes want something a little different. When I saw this recipe for Banana Bread Pancakes I knew it would be a hit as we all like Banana Muffins. I was right, these are definitely a favorite!

The most noticeable difference about these pancakes is there is no egg in them. That means they are an excellent choice when you either out of or running low on eggs, something I seem to struggle with.

Banana Bread Pancakes
 Print Recipe
Source: Six Sisters' Stuff
Yields: ~1 1/2 dozen pancakes

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 T brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup water {more as needed}
1 T vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 T applesauce

Directions:
   1.  In a large mixing bowl combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir just until combined.
   2.  Preheat griddle or skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup batter in pan; cook until bubbles start to appear. Flip and cook until browned. {Keep finished pancakes warm in a 170* oven until ready to serve.}
   ~These freeze excellently. Lay remaining pancakes on a cookie sheet in a single layer and place in freezer until frozen. Transfer to a plastic bag or container and return to freezer. To reheat place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and warm in a 250* oven until warmed through, flipping at least once.

Menu January 21

Tater Tot Hotdish: While the traditional version is wonderful I don't keep canned cream soup or tater tots on hand. However, we usually have potatoes and I have a new go-to recipe for homemade cream soup so we now enjoy what my husband calls Grown Up Green Bean Casserole.

Banana Bread Pancakes: I was running low on eggs so it was perfect week for these pancakes that don't require any eggs. The best part is we all love them so it worked out famously.

Cheddar Cheese Loaves: This bread was okay but probably not something I'll make again.

On the Menu...
Ground Beef Stroganoff Soup
Either Chicken and Broccoli Grilled Cheese or Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Braid {New}
Burgers and Fries
Black Bean and Rice Burritos
Chicken Fajita Pizza
Pumpkin Pancakes
Dessert: Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Muffins for Breakfast: Almond Cranberry Quick Bread {New}

Visit I'm an Organizing Junkie for more menu ideas.

Friday Foreshadowing

~Healthy Whole Grain Waffles from Our Best Bites: I love our normal waffle recipe but I've been wanting to experiment with using flax seed meal so this would be a great recipe to start with.

~Coconut Crispies from Jen's Favorite Cookies: These cookies look beautiful! I can almost taste them just by looking at them and the ingredients so if the real thing is anything like I'm imaging they are going to be wonderful!

~Cinnamon Toast Popcorn from Snixy Kitchen: In the last few months popcorn has become one of our go-to snacks so I'm always looking for fun ways to change it up a little bit. This definitely qualifies.

~Chewy Granola Energy Bars from Jo and Sue: Yet another addition to my list of granola bars to try. We've found some we like but I just haven't been completely sold yet. It's out there though! This one also features flax seed.

~Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Braid from Amazing Pinterest World: So pretty looking and so delicious sounding. To top it off, it sounds like a relatively easy dish to put together.

 

All images are from the original recipe source.
This is linked to Friday Favorites.