Sweet Potato Fries

Yes, you should be jealous. Doesn't this look good?? Garlic chicken, cheesy steamed broccoli, and sweet potato fries!

What's that you say? You don't like sweet potatoes? Well, my friend, the time has come for you to give them another try.

Growing up my introduction to sweet potatoes involved holidays, melted marshmallows, and forced ingestion. My father would always make those mashed sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows. Blech! And then, since he always made us eat at least a small serving of everything he cooked and I never voluntarily did more than pick off the marshmallow topping, he would scrape the sweet potatoes in with the remains of the other food on my plate into one big pile and make me eat it. Nasty. It's no wonder I have always hated sweet potatoes.

And then one day my younger sister told me an amazing thing. If you treat a sweet potato like a potato and don't try to sweeten it, it's actually quite good! Several months ago I was preparing some baked fries for my family and I decided to cut up a sweet potato and give it a try. I treated it the same way I did the potatoes - only added oil and salt - and can you believe what happened? I loved it!

Sweet Potato Fries

1-2 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt to taste

Peel and trim sweet potatoes. Cut into fries.

Place fries in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until evenly coated.

Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil but you must spray with non-stick cooking spray. (If you forget to do this the fries will stick to the foil!) Place the sweet potatoes on the parchment paper or foil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning fries and re-salting once during cooking. Tip: If cooking both sweet potato fries and regular fries for dinner, start cooking the regular fries about 5 minutes before adding the sweet potato fries. They don't take quite as long.

Fun Fridays: Pizza Quesadillas

By Friday I'm always ready for the weekend... So I'm officially starting Fun Fridays! These posts will be reserved for snacks, sweets, and things kids will love without having to trick them or twist their arms. I don't want to argue on a Friday night. I just want to relax! Don't we all?

So for our first Fun Friday post: Pizza Quesadillas! The Monkey
loves these, and she is the hardest to please in this house. They are quick, easy, and a nice variation from your typical cheese and tortilla quesadilla snack.

Puree a can of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes in the blender for pizza sauce. Spread pizza sauce on half of a large tortilla.










Top with shredded cheese.









Layer pepperoni or other pizza toppings on the cheese.









Fold over and cook on griddle or pan until browned on the bottom.








Flip over and brown the other side.









Cut with a pizza cutter into wedges and serve!

Peanut Butter Playdough Cookies

In the spirit of summer vacation, I wanted to share Horse Lover's favorite "fun snack". This is a very versatile snack, because it can be used as playdough, rolled into balls, or you can even roll it out flat and use small cookie cutters to make fun shapes. You can also add things like chopped nuts, miniature chocolate chips, coconut, or anything else your kids might like to have for some variety.


Peanut Butter Playdough Cookies

1/2 c. non-fat dry milk (powdered milk)
1/3 c. peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
1/4 c. honey

Add ingredients to a bowl in the order listed.









Mix carefully with a spoon, working in the dry milk as much as possible. When the dough is thick enough, use your hands to finish mixing together.











Place between 2 sheets of wax paper and roll out into a flat circle about 1/4-inch thick.










Using a small cookie cutter, cut out cookies and serve.











Cookies can be stored in any container, but layers should be separated with sheets of waxed paper to prevent sticking.

Easy Baked Home Fries

My kids love french fries, and let's be honest - don't we all? I've tried different home-made fries in the past. Usually fancy recipes calling for things like Parmesan cheese and garlic salt. But these always flopped. My little potato-haters just didn't fall for it. But then I decided to give it just one more try with nothing more fancy than oil and salt... And amazingly enough they were a big hit with the kids and The Honey!


Easy Baked Home Fries

3-4 medium potatoes, any type
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
Salt

Peel and trim potatoes. Cut potatoes into fries.










Place in large bowl or ziplock bag and drizzle with olive oil. Mix until all potatoes are lightly covered with oil.









Cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, you can use aluminum foil but you must spray with non-stick cooking spray. (If you forget to do this the fries will stick to the foil!) Place the potatoes on the parchment paper or foil and sprinkle lightly with salt.









Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, turning fries and re-salting once during cooking. Serve with garlic chicken and steamed broccoli for a healthy meal!

Yellow Squash Patties

I seem to have squash on the mind today, but with good reason. I got a ton of yellow squash and zucchini in my produce co-op yesterday, and I'm generally the only one in my family that likes it. However, I discovered two very, very yummy recipes today on Allrecipes.com which I will post here with the changes that I made. This one didn't go over well with Horse Lover or The Monkey (one said it tasted like corn), but was a huge hit with Handsome Man. I gave him a couple bites and then went back into the kitchen to finish cooking them. He crawled into the kitchen after me and begged for more. I think he ate two whole patties all by himself! The Honey has yet to try them, but my neighbor also gave them a great review.


Yellow Squash Patties

4 medium yellow squash, shredded
1/2 onion, shredded
2 tsp salt
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Black pepper to taste
Olive oil or cooking spray

Place squash and onion in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and mix lightly. Let drain about 30 minutes, squeezing the extra moisture out a couple of times. Place squash and onion in a bowl, and combine with flour, cornmeal, egg, cheese, and pepper. Heat skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle a small amount of oil in pan, or spray with cooking spray. Drop squash by heaping tablespoonfuls into the skillet, and flatten. Cook about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes about 15-20 patties.

A serving suggestion on allrecipes was to serve with sour cream and a dash of hot sauce. We ate them plain, but if your interested in "dressing them up" a bit, this sounds yummy.

Quick and Easy Chicken Quesadillas

Imagine. It's Friday night and you don't feel like cooking. What's a good alternative to eating out? How about chicken quesadillas? Sure, you don't get the complimentary sopapillas or chips and salsa like you do at the restaurant, but they sure are yummy! Serve with a side of refried beans, boxed spanish rice, or guacamole salad. Or, if your kids are like mine, just slice up some cucumbers and put them on the plate.


Quick & Easy Chicken Quesadillas

1 large bnls, sknls chicken breast (about 12 oz.)
1/2 to 3/4 c. salsa
cumin
1-1/3 c. shredded cheese
4 large flour torillas (white or whole wheat)

Cut chicken breast into several large pieces. Place in saucepan and spoon salsa over top. Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Shred and return to saucepan and mix with the salsa left in pan. Generously sprinkle with cumin (maybe 1/8 tsp.?) Mix well. Into each tortilla, spoon 1/4 of mixture on half and top with 1/3 c. cheese. Place in frying pan over medium heat. Cook until tortilla is lightly browned on bottom, then flip and cook other side. Remove from pan, cut and serve.

Spinach Balls

This is a variation on a spinach ball recipe given to me by my sister. These are easy to make and can be frozen after baking - not that they ever last long enough at my house. I like to make them with the milled flax seed for the extra fiber and Omega 3 oils. When already made and in the fridge, they can be reheated in the microwave in just a few seconds. I dice them up for Handsome Man so he can feed himself and they are practically mess-free!


Spinach Balls

1 bag fresh spinach, cooked, drained, and chopped
(can use frozen spinach if desired - 1 pkg)
4 oz. chive and onion cream cheese spread
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
bread crumbs
1/3 c. milled flax seed (optional)
1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

Mix together cream cheese spread with warm spinach, and mix until cream cheese is melted. Add eggs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and salt (if desired). Stir in milled flax seed (if desired) and mix well. Add enough bread crumbs to make the mixture thick enough to roll into balls by hand. I have never measured the exact amount, but I usually start by putting in about 3/4 c. and mixing it in, then adding a little at a time until it's just right. Mixture should still be sticky. Roll into balls and placed on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until done. Spinach balls should be lightly browned on the bottom. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before eating to make sure inside is completely done. Makes about 2 dozen spinach balls.