oven fried potato wedges

February 28, 2009 – 2:41 pm

I made the Bisquick Chicken Fingers recipe this week. Everyone liked it well enough, but it wasn’t a rave. Not something I will make again. There are just too many other chicken recipes we like better. And new ones to try. But the Oven Fried Potato Wedges…those will remain on the list of menu options.

Supper consisted of the chicken fingers, potato wedges, rosemary bread, and carrots and celery.

supper

Here is the recipe as given, with the changes I made in bold.

Oven Fried Potato Wedges

  • 6 – 8 med. potatoes, washed and cut into wedges
  • 1/2 c. oil [I used 2 T. olive oil]
  • 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese [I used freshly grated Parmesan.]
  • 1 tsp. garlic salt [By the way, don’t buy garlic salt. You are paying premium prices for salt with very little garlic powder. Buy garlic powder. I used 1/4 tsp. garlic powder.]
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika [I used about 1/4 tsp. paprika.]
  • salt and pepper to taste [I used freshly grated sea salt and freshly grated black pepper.]

Preheat oven to 375*.

Wash the potatoes, cut them into wedges and put them in a mixing bowl. Pour the olive oil over them and mix to coat completely.

Lay the potato wedges on a foil-lined cookie sheet. If it’s regular foil, spray it with veggie spray. I like to use no-stick foil or parchment paper, if I have it on hand. I turned all the potatoes so they were skin-side down. That way, the white sides were able to brown and crisp. Pour any remaining oil over the wedges.

Sprinkle with cheese and spices. The measurement of ingredients doesn’t have to be exact. I just sprinkled them on without measuring. The potatoes could be seasoned with rosemary and parsley, if you prefer.

Bake at 375* for 45 minutes.

soon-to-be roasted potatoes

They were delicious. Crispy and yummy.

roasted potatoes

DD even thought they were good cold the next day when she ate some of the leftovers for a snack.

~~Rhonda

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new green onions

February 28, 2009 – 10:37 am

After seeing this onion recycling tutorial online, we decided to give it a try. When DD made tomato soup, she saved the root end of the onions and we planted them in a little pot. They have started to grow. I’ll have plenty for a salad, sandwich or garnish when they are larger. DH doesn’t eat onions, so a bag of them often isn’t used completely before they go bad. I’ve added a few more since this picture was taken.

my green onions

It has been fun to watch them grow, especially this time of year when my eyes are begging for green vegetation. DD checks the pot almost every day to see how much they’ve grown.

~~Rhonda

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rosemary bread

February 27, 2009 – 5:23 pm

I tried a delicious new bread called Jo’s Rosemary Bread. It is written for a bread machine. No bread machine here, so I kneaded it in the KitchenAid and baked it in the oven.

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning [I used 1/4 tsp. dried oregano and 1/4 tsp. dried basil.]
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary [I used 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary.]
  • 2 1/2 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

The recipe calls for dry rosemary, but I used a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary, which was plenty for our taste.

rosemary bread

I decided to forgo the pan and formed the loaf, transferring it to rise on a cookie sheet lined with no-stick foil. Out of parchment paper.

rosemary bread

It baked at 375* for about 50 minutes.

DD thought it tasted just like the bread we get at the Macaroni Grill. We even put olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper on saucers for dipping our bread. 🙂

rosemary bread

The recipe is definitely a keeper. ~~Rhonda

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buttercup

February 25, 2009 – 9:39 pm

Buttercup, waiting patiently for spring. Me…not so patient.

sunny side

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the best banana muffins

February 25, 2009 – 11:19 am

Recently I posted a recipe for chocolate chip banana muffins. I found a banana bread recipe from Martha Stewart while web surfing that was touted as being extra special, so I decided to give it a try because I had these bananas that were on their last legs.

on their last leg

Here’s the recipe with the slight changes I made. Makes about 18 muffins.

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature [I used 1/4 c. butter.]
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas [I added some apple butter.]
  • 1/2 cup sour cream [I used light sour cream.]
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans [I omitted these.]
  • I added 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, beating well.

Sift the dry ingredients together and combine with butter mixture, mixing well.

Mash the bananas, then add them, the sour cream, and vanilla and mix well.

Stir in the nuts and/or mini chocolate chips.

After mashing the bananas, I didn’t have quite the cup required, so I added some apple butter to make up the difference.

not quite enough banana

The batter looked like this when done.

banana muffin dough

Pour batter into muffin tins.

I took the crumb topping from this recipe for Banana Crumb Muffins.

  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon butter

Mix together the brown sugar, the flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle topping on muffins. I put about one and a half teaspoons on each muffin.

topping mixture

struesel topping

Bake 350* for 18-20 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 15 minutes before removing paper liners.

Delicious! This is now my favorite banana muffin recipe.

banana streusel muffin

After a day or two, the flavor is enhanced by warming them in the microwave for 15 seconds or so.

~~Rhonda 🙂

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flatbread pizza

February 24, 2009 – 1:04 pm

Timing for supper was off a bit as DD had volleyball practice and DH got home sooner than I thought he would. So we waited to eat until after practice. I had planned to make pizza dough, but decided to use the last of the flatbread for pizzas, instead. These make quick and easy pizzas. DH said he prefers them over commercial pizzas (i.e., Dominoes, Caseys, Pizza Hut…the ones available in our town). And they are way cheaper to make than pizza is to order!

Preheat oven to 425*. Begin by placing the flatbread on a cookie sheet lined with no-stick foil. Or spray regular foil with vegetable spray. Or use a pizza stone. Or set them on parchment paper (I’m out…it’s on the grocery list). Bake the flatbread for four or five minutes. Prebaking the crust helps keep it crisp while baking the finished pizza.

While the flatbread is baking, spray a pan with vegetable spray and saute any veggies or cooked meat you want on your pizza. I used what we had on hand: lean ham, grape tomatoes, and fresh spinach. I’ve used green onions, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, bacon bits, and cooked hamburger before, to mention of few. Go with anything that sounds good to you. Sauteing the veggies/meat before baking the pizza keeps the baking time short.

saute

After the meat and tomatoes had seared a bit, I added 2 cloves of minced garlic and sauted for another minute or so. Then I added diced spinach leaves. Use about twice what you think you will need as it wilts by a lot while cooking. Toss the spinach with the other ingredients until well mixed, then remove from the heat. Set aside until needed.

add spinach

Remove the flatbread from the oven and spread it with spaghetti or pizza sauce. I used leftover spaghetti sauce I had in the freezer. Sprinkle the sauce with some basil and oregano, if you like. I do, so I did.

Sprinkle the pizzas with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Spread the sauted toppings over the pizzas. DD likes cheese pizza, so I left one plain.

parmesan and toppings

Top with shredded mozzarella or other cheeses of your choosing. Amount depends on your personal preferences.

mozzarella

Bake at 425* for about 8 minutes, until cheese just begins to brown. Let cool slightly, cut and serve. I had four flatbreads so I made four pizzas. Worked out fine, though one pizza per person is plenty, unless you’re feeding growing boys.

Very good, quick and easy. And for those of you counting Weight Watcher points, this is an easy meal to customize for a low point lunch or supper. It’s a fun meal for children, too, as they can make their own versions with available ingredients. Flour tortillas can be used in place of flatbread.

One tip, do line the cookie sheet or the shredded cheese will be hard to clean off the pan.

~~Rhonda

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birthday bears

February 24, 2009 – 8:47 am

Last night, DH spent a little time with a new slide scanner. He scanned several and one of them was this picture of our older son’s 6th birthday in 1985.

David's 6th birthday party ~ 1985

I used the same pan (and a cat cake pan that is just as old) for his twins’ first birthday last year.

ewww...what IS that??

DD#3 wanted it for her birthday just a few weeks ago.

an era ends

I also have a star. That’s the extent of my themed cake pans. They’ve been well used over the years. Worth every penny. 🙂

~~Rhonda

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menu plan monday ~ february 23, 2009

February 22, 2009 – 10:42 pm

I’m hoping for sunshine this week, though the forecast does not look promising. So I’m staying indoors, looking out. I feel like Happy looks…I need a cozy spot to curl up until spring comes.

Happy under the bathroom bench

The menu has to accommodate a couple of busy nights this week. And we didn’t get to the Bisquik chicken fingers last week, so have it planned again. DD asked for it particularly, so I’ll try to get it done this time.

Monday
pizza with homemade crust

Tuesday
grilled cheese sandwiches
tomato soup

Wednesday
Bisquick chicken fingers
honey mustard dipping sauce
oven fried potato wedges
carrot/celery sticks

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
pasta with walnut sauce
Ceasar salad

Saturday
crock pot beef stew

Sunday
crock pot chicken cordon bleu
spinach salad with strawberries
broccoli
corn
mixed berry clafouti

More menu and recipes ideas can be found at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda 🙂

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drapes in the guest room

February 22, 2009 – 3:12 pm

Redecorating the guest room, which was such a priority just before the holidays, has slowed way down. Thank goodness! I have been enjoying some time off from that project. I was just in there, though, sitting in the comfy chair, pondering some rearranging. I realized I hadn’t shown you the drapes! Laurie, my very sweet and dear friend, volunteered to make the drapery panels for the room.

Laurie saw this idea in a decorating magazine. So cute! And it leaves the beveled glass door panes free of covering, which I like a lot. Here, they are pulled to the left.

guest room door drapes

They can stand at both sides of the door.

guest room door drapes

Or be pulled shut when privacy is wanted. I have the panels for the window on the left wall in this picture. Laurie is working on the ones for the opposite larger window. For the holidays, we repurposed sheer panels that came from the master bedroom, which got new panels this year. These look perfect in this room and I plan to leave them up, under the drapes.

guest room door drapes

I *love* them. Exactly what I had in mind. BTW, I also love, love, love the darker blue ceiling! This room has 8′ ceilings and I was worried the dark color would not work. But it looks great and gets a lot of compliments when visitors see the room.

~~Rhonda

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farm-country multi grain bread

February 20, 2009 – 8:44 pm

This afternoon I tried the recipe for Farm-Country Multi Grain Bread. Delicious!

multi grain bread

2 cups milk
1 cup old fashioned oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
5 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup wheat germ (or substitute whole wheat flour)
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 cups all purpose flour, plus more if needed

Heat the milk to about 115*. Pour the milk into the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the oats, sugar, butter and salt, and mix well, using the dough hook.

Add the eggs and mix well. Add the yeast, wheat germ and whole wheat flour. Mix well. Add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead for about five minutes.

Pour a little oil into the bottom of the bowl and turn the dough to coat well. Cover with a dish towel and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk, for about an hour.

multi grain bread

Punch down and let rest for a few minutes.

multi grain bread

Cut in half and form two loaves.

multi grain bread

Place the loaves into greased loaf pans and let rise for about an hour, until doubled in bulk.

multi grain bread

Bake at 350* for 55-60 minutes.

multi grain bread

Turn out onto a cooling rack and cover with a dish towel to cool. My bread turned out darker than the original recipe because I added milled flax seed in place of wheat germ.

multi grain bread

Everyone loved the bread. I’ll make this again. Soon. 🙂 ~~Rhonda

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