Baked Oven Fries

I've been making these Baked Oven Fries for more than two years but I've never given them their own blog post. That needed to change.

These are so easy to make and come out perfectly every time. We all love them and I appreciate being able to make fries at home, from scratch, without frying them. I usually make only two potatoes so I cut down on the amount of oil. You don't need a lot, just enough to coat the baking sheet. Be liberal with the salt and pepper - potatoes absorb salt so while it may seem like a lot, you want them seasoned properly.

Baked Oven Fries
As seen on Annie's Eats, from Cook's Illustrated

3 russet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into even-sized wedges
5 tablespoons vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.

Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Cover with hot water and soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet to evenly coat the pan with the oil. Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes and dry them on clean kitchen towels, patting dry with additional towels. Dry the empty bowl, then return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.

Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge, keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 15 minutes. Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Egg-in-the-Hole

As I mentioned in the last Blogger's Choice post, when I was checking out Caroline's blog I found another recipe I ended up making for breakfast that same day. This is not a complicated recipe by any means, and is probably something a lot of people ate growing up, but it was (shockingly) my first time making Egg-in-the-Hole.

I loved this so much, especially using the cut-out to dip into the egg yolk. I love runny eggs and this is such a simple yet fun twist to a normal fried egg and toast breakfast.

Egg-in-the-Hole
As seen on The Barbee Housewife
Ingredients are for one serving

1 slice bread
2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 large egg
Salt and pepper

Cut a hole in the center of the slice of bread using a biscuit cutter or clean drinking glass.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Place both the bread and the cut-out in the skillet and let it cook for 1 minute. Place 1 tablespoon of butter into the hole in the center of the bread, then crack the egg and drop it into the hole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow the egg to cook for 1 minute, then flip the bread with a spatula (the cut-out, too). Sprinkle this side with salt and pepper and let cook until the egg is at desired doneness.

Remove from pan and eat immediately.

Recipe Swap: Scallops with Tarragon Butter Sauce

When I sent SP this recipe for Scallops with Tarragon Butter Sauce and told him I was making it for the Fish/Seafood recipe swap he was so excited. He loves scallops but we rarely have them due to the cost.

I only made a few modifications, mainly subbing chicken broth for the white wine because I didn't have any in the house and didn't want to put off making this so we could buy a bottle. I wish I could say Baby Girl tasted scallops and fell in love, but, well, she didn't. She did eat two small pieces, but that was it. The rice I served alongside she devoured. She also wasn't a huge fan of the spinach. In her defense, I think this was the first time she's had it. As much as I love spinach, I rarely cook it as a side dish. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I did so hopefully after a few more exposures to it she'll come around.

I loved everything about this dish, especially the delicious sauce. I ended up adding quite a bit of sauce to my bowl so the rice could soak it all up. Yum. SP decided he really isn't a fan of tarragon, however. Say what? Oh well, there are plenty of other herbs in the garden.

Scallops with Tarragon Butter Sauce
Slightly modified from Becoming Pigzilla, adapted from Food and Wine

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 lb sea scallops, dried well
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh cracked black pepper
1 bunch fresh spinach
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil with 1/2 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Season scallops with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Put scallops in the pan. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on second side and just cooked through, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Reduce heat to medium and add spinach to the pan. Turn several times to coat in pan juices. Add the lemon juice, and cook until the leaves are wilted. Divide spinach on plates and place scallops on top of spinach.

Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil; cook until reduced by about half, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons butter to form a smooth sauce. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon zest and tarragon. Season and adjust flavors to taste. Pour over scallops and serve.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

I've had my friend Melissa's recipe for Cheeseburger Macaroni on my meal plan for more than a month. It just kept getting pushed back, which is a real shame because it was so easy and so delicious. It's basically a Hamburger Helper meal made from scratch.

You'll notice this recipe doesn't include oil. Melissa has practically eliminated all oil/butter from her cooking, using the natural fat in the meat instead. It really is ingenious and the recipes I've tried sans oil are just as flavorful as if I'd started with the requisite 1 tablespoon of oil. The ground beef I buy is 80/20 and by starting with a hot skillet and browning the meat for a few minutes before adding the onions and garlic I was able to render enough fat to cook everything properly without having to drain off any excess later.

This is a simple, hearty one-pot meal the whole family enjoyed. The flavors are so perfect and I love a recipe where you cook the pasta in with the rest of the ingredients. I'm just sorry I waited so long to make it.

Cheeseburger Macaroni
As seen on Alosha’s Kitchen, from Ezra Pound Cake

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups beef (or chicken) broth
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces macaroni
1 cup (4 ounces) cheddar cheese, grated
4 scallions, chopped

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the beef, breaking apart the meat, until it starts to brown and render some of its fat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft and the meat cooked through.

Meanwhile, whisk together the broth, mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Add to the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the macaroni.

Reduce the heat to medium, and cover. Continue cooking for 10 to 12 minutes, until the pasta is tender, stirring every few minutes to make sure the pasta doesn't stick.

When the macaroni is done, remove skillet from heat and add the grated cheese, stirring until melted. Top each serving with some of the chopped scallion and serve immediately.

Virtual Baby Shower: Cannoli Cupcakes

I know you're surprised to see cupcakes on this blog but I have a good reason - my friend Krystal and her husband, Eric, are expecting their second child any day now. It's a boy (yay!) and his nickname is Cupcake. When Eva decided to throw Krystal a virtual baby shower she knew just what the theme should be. I've had my eye on these Cannoli Cupcakes for a long time so this was the perfect excuse to make them.

You know I very rarely bake so initially I was overwhelmed by the number of steps, but everything is actually very easy to do. I decided to cut the recipe in half since I didn't want 12 cupcakes in the house and can't send them to SP's office because everyone is trying to avoid sweets. It was very easy to do, although I ended up with enough batter for seven cupcakes. Good thing Pop-Pop was visiting and took two home for him and my mom to enjoy. I also didn't want to break out the stand mixer for such a small amount so I did everything with my trusty hand mixer. Worked just fine. And for novice bakers who don't own piping bags or tips, I put the filling into a food storage bag, cut off the bottom edge and just used that to fill the cupcakes. As for the frosting, I know they would have looked nicer with piped frosting but they still tasted great just spreading it on top.

Everything was so simple and came together in no time flat. Baby Girl helped, of course, and loved tasting everything, especially the frosting. I loved stuffing the inside of the cupcakes with the cannoli filling, which makes the cupcakes super decadent and delicious. We really love cannoli and these were light without sacrificing flavor. The frosting recipe couldn't have been easier, although I may use more cocoa powder next time for a stronger chocolate flavor. SP proclaimed this his all-time favorite homemade cupcake, which says a lot because we both prefer boxed cake (shh...)

Congratulations to Krystal, Eric and big sister Elena. And check out the other delicious cupcakes over at Eva Bakes.

Cannoli Cupcakes
As seen on Tide and Thyme, adapted from Fabulicious! by Teresa Giudice
Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain (or vanilla) lowfat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling:
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar

Frosting:
1 2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with paper liners.

Combine the butter and sugar together in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl if you're using a hand mixer) with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Meanwhile, combine flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Set aside. Add eggs, one at a time to the mixer, until fully combined. Then add in the yogurt and vanilla extract. Once everything is combined, reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add in the flour mixture until a batter forms.

Divide the mixture evenly into the prepared cupcake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the cupcake pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Squeeze all of the excess liquid from the ricotta cheese (or drain overnight in a strainer lined with paper towels placed over a bowl). Place the ricotta, mini chocolate chips and sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until fluffy.

Cut a small circle, using a paring knife, in the top of each cupcake and pull out the center. Discard the centers (or eat them with some of the frosting...wink, wink). Transfer the ricotta mixture to a piping bag with a tip large enough for the mini chocolate chips to pass through and pipe into the center of each cupcake. Alternately, you can put the filling into a plastic food storage bag. Seal the bag and cut off one of the bottom corners so the filling can pass through.

Prepare the frosting by combining the heavy cream, sugar and cocoa powder in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Start on low speed and increase to medium-high beating until stiff peaks form.

Transfer to a large piping bag with a large star tip and pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Or just frost the cupcakes with a knife - they'll still taste great. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over each cupcake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites

A few weeks ago Baby Girl and I met my mom and aunt for dinner. We went to a pizza place and since it was a Thursday I figured I'd make something other than pizza for dinner on Friday. Then Maeghan posted these Pull-Apart Pizza Bites and I figured they were different enough from pizza to warrant making them the day after a pizza dinner.

I served these with Caesar salad to make it more of a dinner. We really enjoyed these - simple to make and great flavor, especially dipped in pizza sauce. Baby Girl loved that it was even easier to eat than pizza. These would also make a great appetizer for a party.

Pull-Apart Pizza Bites
As seen on The Way to His Heart

1 ball pizza dough
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed (about 24 pieces)
Sliced pepperoni

For Topping:
Olive oil
Italian seasoning or pizza spices
Grated Parmesan cheese
Serve with pizza sauce

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate.

Roll the dough out into a thin round, as if you're making pizza. Place one mozzarella cube and two pieces of pepperoni about an inch apart around the dough. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough around the mozzarella and pepperoni. Alternatively, divide the dough into 24 equal sized pieces, approximately 1 oz. each. Place one mozzarella cube and one to two pieces of pepperoni slices on each piece of dough. Pull the sides of the dough up around the cheese and pepperoni. Pinch to seal and place the dough, seam side down in the pie plate.

Repeat with the remaining dough and place the pieces of dough in a circular pattern around the pie plate.

Lightly brush olive oil over the top of the dough balls. Lightly sprinkle the Italian seasoning or pizza spices and Parmesan cheese over the top of the dough balls.

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm with pizza sauce for dipping.

Bruschetta Burgers

We had a taste of summer a few weeks ago and I scrapped my original dinner plans to grill the first burgers of the season. I even made the fire myself (we use a charcoal grill). I was so excited to grill - it's been a long winter cooking burgers indoors and I've missed that smokey flavor. Those burgers were so delicious I immediately went looking for another burger recipe to make the following week and remembered Cassie's Bruschetta Burgers.

I immediately vetoed the idea of making my own bruschetta for two reasons - I was lazy and our supermarket makes an awesome version for their olive/appetizer bar. I plan to make my own this summer when tomatoes are in season and I'm growing my own basil but for now the store-bought was fine. I also decided to sub fresh mozzarella for the provolone because, well, I can't get enough of fresh mozzarella.

These were delicious, sort of like the caprese burgers I loved last summer. The garlic butter on the buns was an awesome touch and I especially loved the balsamic mayo, which Baby Girl was eating by the spoonful. Thanks for a killer burger, Cassie!

Bruschetta Burgers
As seen on Cassie Craves, inspired by Cookies and Cups

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (more to taste, if desired)

6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup basil, sliced into a chiffonade
1/4 cup finely-shredded asiago cheese
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Salt and pepper to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil (I usually use a couple of tablespoons)

4 hamburger burger patties
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese

4 sandwich buns
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Pinch each of salt and pepper

Combine the mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl; refrigerate until serving.

Combine tomatoes, basil, asiago, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil in another small bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.

Season burger patties with salt and pepper and grill, turning once, until desired doneness. Top each patty with a slice of cheese and remove from heat.

Combine butter, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Spread evenly over each bun half and place buttered-side-up on a baking sheet. Broil or toast until browned and fragrant.

Serve the hamburgers on the garlic bread buns, topped with a generous pile of bruschetta and a slather of the balsamic mayonnaise.