Oven Fries

I needed a new way to fix potatoes. I was not in the mood for mashed potatoes. Scalloped potatoes take to long and my new way of living definitely did not support frying them. I figured that baking would be the way to go.  As the main course is big juicy Bacon and Cheddar Hamburger Steaks, oven fries seemed to be a good fit.  Here are the ingredients that I used:

7 russet potatoes, peeled and cut length-wise
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dump the seasonings into a large ziploc bag along with the oil.  Add the potato slices and close the bag.  Make sure you have it sealed.  Vigorously shake the bag until the potatoes are well coated with the olive oil and seasonings.

Bake in a 450 degree oven for at least 30 minutes or until potatoes are done. Transfer to a bowl and toss in some shredded Parmesan and parsley if desired. I forgot the parsley at the store but I did add the Parmesan.

It made for a lovely side dish to our hamburger steaks!

Chicken and Sausage Soup

It's a cold snowy day here in Virginia Beach, VA so it seemed like a good day for soup.  Yesterday I picked up some bone-in split chicken breasts on sale plus some Andouille sausage.  It sounded like an interesting marriage!

Here is what went in my big green soup pot:

(4) bone-in split chicken breasts
(1) medium onion, chopped
(8) cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
(2) packages Johnsonville New Orleans brand Andouille Recipe smoked sausage
(1) package crinkle cut carrots
(1) package peas
(1) package roasted red & green peppers
(2) cans of Hunt's diced tomatoes
(1) small can of V-8
(2) drops of Texas Pete
chili powder

Boil the chicken until done and no longer pink.
While the chicken is boiling, saute the onion and garlic in 1/2 a stick of butter until tender.
Slice the Andouille sausage into about 1/2" thick rounds and toss with onions.
When the chicken is done, remove from bones and discard bones and skin.
Chunk the chicken and add back to the broth, keep at a low boil.
Add the sausage and onions to the pot with the chicken.
Add the remaining ingredients, the chili powder and Texas Pete are to your liking!

I served this with jalapeno poppers! It was very good.

Red Beans and Rice

Okay....right out of the box I will admit this is not the best picture I could have taken.  It is dark.  That is because instead of taking it with my awesome camera, I took it with my yucky phone that does not have a flash.  BUT in my defense, teenagers were hovering and I knew if I did not snap a picture soon that it would be gone.

This was tonight's dinner.  I was sad.  I was not sure what to do but I knew I needed to make dinner.  I leaned back to my favorite and busted out the rice.  As the rice boiled away nicely, I chopped up two medium sized sweet onions and about eight cloves of garlic.  I threw the onions and garlic into my large skillet with some olive oil to get all soft and yummy.  While the onions got tender I chopped up a large package of Andouille sausage.  I added this to the pan.  Of course, the next item to hit the pan was some of my favorite Soul Seasoning and then the Chipotle chili powder. I really love this stuff and it is worth every penny!

Next I added a rinsed can of red kidney beans.  Rice was finished so it was dumped next into my large skillet where the onions, garlic and sausage were cooking.  I mixed it well and through in a healthy dose of Kitchen Bouquet and stirred well.

Now, I know that the above is not some Cajun secret recipe for red beans and rice.  It was mostly just me doing what I do best:  going into the kitchen and throwing stuff into a pot and making dinner!

It turned out well!! And, quite frankly, I don't think I have ever tasted authentic red beans and rice anyway!

Chili....really quick!

Last night I was smart and sorted through a rather large bag of pinto beans, got out all the rocks, rinsed them and put them in my crock pot (turned off) to soak all night.  Even smarter, I remembered them this morning! Rinsed them off again, put them back in the crock pot and this time turned it on at the 8 hour setting and went to work!

When I got home at 4:00 today I was greeted with a large pot of pintos that were soft and yummy.  I put in a stick of butter and let that melt.  While this was melting, in a separate pot on the stove I put in a pound of ground chuck (poor chuck) and an onion, chopped to cook.  I also added about four cloves of garlic, smashed and minced.  Once the chuck (poor chuck) was done, I added two small cans of Hunt's Tomato paste and some of the liquid from my crock pot of pintos.  I also added chili powder and my very favorite chipoltle chili powder, more beans and liquid from the crock pot and one can of V-8 tomato/veggie juice. 

This has blended into a very flavorful, tomato-ey chili.  While it simmers on the stove and deepens in flavor, I threw in a batch of cornbread.  All of this delicious food is heading to the nursing home.  I know my sweet momma and  Uncle Buck will enjoy the homemade food.  Well....not ALL of it is going.  I have to feed teenagers and the hubs too!  It was fast and it is healthy and that makes me a happy mom!