Baked Oven Fries

3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 tbsp. vegetable, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste (I used regular salt and didn't measure it they were still delicious!)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste (I didn't measure)

Preheat the oven to 475˚ F. Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl. Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes. Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet. Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this). Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain the potatoes. Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels. Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry. 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, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes. Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer. Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -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. Serve warm.

* These fries were wonderful! My family could not get enough of them including my 2 picky eaters! They take a bit of time but are totally worth it. We make these a couple times a month now cause they are just too good.

Recipe & photo from Annie's Eats.

Baked Fried Chicken

 Place thawed chicken breast tenderloin strips in a bowl of milk. Let soak for 20-30 minutes. (I cut up chicken breasts into strips and let it soak for 5-10 minutes due to time.)

Mix in a gallon size ziploc or large bowl:
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp season all (I just used seasoned salt that I had)
3/4 tsp pepper
1 cup flour
2 tsp paprika

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 1/2 stick of butter into a few pieces and place in a 9x13 pan. Melt butter in pre-heated oven.

Spread melted butter around the bottom of the pan. Lightly spray the pan, if needed, to make sure that there are no dry spots.

Shake excess milk off of chicken and completely coat each piece with the seasoning mix. You can either shake the chicken in the bag, until coated, or dip each piece in the bowl until coated.

Place each piece of chicken in the pan.

Cook for 20 min. Turn each piece of chicken and continue cooking for 20 more minutes, or until cooked through. 

 

* This was a huge hit in our house! I was in desperate need of going grocery shopping but had not found the time so I was low on ingredients and a friend suggested this great recipe. It was super easy and I already had all the ingredients at home. The best part by far was how much my family enjoyed it. My husband was sold instantly and even my 4 year old ate hers all gone which says a lot on it's own! We love adding different side dishes to it like vegetables and rolls or mashed/baked potatoes. It really goes with anything! This will become a staple meal in our house.
Recipe & photo from Our Life Uncommon

Chicken Tamale Bake

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 cup Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

1 (14.75 oz.) can cream-style corn

1 (8.5 oz.) box corn muffin mix

1 (4 oz.) can chopped green chiles

1 (10 oz.) can red enchilada sauce

1 pound cooked, shredded chicken

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Combine the cheeses in a small bowl. In a large bowl, stir together 1/4 cup of the combined cheese, the milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn, muffin mix, and green chiles.  Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes or until just set.  Remove the cornbread from the oven and pierce all over with a fork. Pour the enchilada sauce over the corn bread. Top with the chicken and remaining cheese. Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.  Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

* I absolutely love tamales. If you have never tried them, be brave and try them! I remember not wanting to try them out the first time they were offered to me 7 years ago and I was so delighted and surprised at how amazing they are after my first bite! You could call me obsessed now. Seriously! It's was no surprise to my husband that I found this recipe and HAD to try it. This tasted just like a tamale! WOW! My husband and I could not get enough of this delicious and simple recipe. Add a squeeze of lime over the top of your serving... AMAZING!

Recipe & photo from Let's Dish.

Crock-pot BBQ Chicken

Frozen chicken breasts
18oz BBQ sauce
water (if desired)

Put frozen chicken breasts in crock-pot and cover with BBQ sauce. If you desire to have the flavor a bit more tame (my daughter doesn't like straight BBQ sauce, you can fill the bottle up to half full of water and pour that in to water it down slightly. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Shred the chicken and use on rice, sandwiches, or just as is!

* I left the house right before dinner for a meeting for several hours and when I got home my husband asked, "What in the heck did you make because it was so good I had for plates!". When I told him the time and ingredients I put into it, he was stunned and told me we would be making that again next week. This was a favorite for me because everyone loved it and it was probably the easiest homemade dinner I have ever made whcih = WINNER!

Recipe from Wendy Glass

Photo from Lex's Life As a New Wife

Mexican Casserole

1 box Rice-A-Roni "Whole Grains Spanish" Blend

2 cans chopped tomatoes, drained

1 can sweet yellow corn, drained 

2 big handfuls of fresh spinach

mexican blend shredded cheese (maybe 2 cups total)

1/2 package taco seasoning

1/2 package ranch seasoning 

1 lb ground turkey or ground beef

corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350*. On the stove top, follow the instructions for the Rice-A-Roni and prepare your meat and rice. If you don't want to use the Rice-A-Roni, simply brown your meat of choice. When the meat is browned (and the rice is cooked according to the box directions), add 1/2 packages of taco seasoning and ranch seasoning. stir and allow to cook for a little bit longer, and then set aside for layering.

In a medium-sized casserole dish, begin with a layer of corn tortillas. I had to cut one in order to make sure the entire bottom of the dish was covered.

Next, start adding ingredients layer by layer. add 1 cup of shredded cheese, followed by the meat and rice mixture, spinach, tomatoes, corn, etc. start another layer with more corn tortillas, and continue through the above ingredients. you'll have two layers total.

Cover the casserole in loose foil and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, take the foil off and bake uncovered for 3-5 more minutes just until the cheese is nicely melted.

*note: On the back of the Rice-A-Roni  box, there are optional instructions if you want to add meat (ground turkey or beef). Please follow those directions! or, if you're a vegetarian, just make the rice according to the regular instructions.

* This was super, super simple and so pretty with all the colors! My husband loved how filling it was and how easy it was to adapt different flavors even after it was cooked like using hot sauce, salsa, sour cream, etc. This will become a new regular on those busy nights when we still want to eat something homemade and delicious.

Recipe & photo from Just Cook Already

Emily's Sugar Cookies

2 cups sugar
1 cup shortening
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Cream sugar and shortening. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Alternate adding buttermilk and dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Dough will be very sticky. Transfer dough to plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, if possible, overnight.

Roll dough out to desired thickness on a very well floured surface. Bake cookies on an oiled cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Cool completely before icing.

* This is my favorite sugar cookie recipe now! Picture a thick, soft, melt in your mouth cookie from a gourmet bakery and that is exactly what these taste like. I do not enjoy how sticky the batter is and I was shocked how much flour it really takes just to roll these out but it's worth the extra work. I will not be using another recipe for sugar cookies going forward. We used these at a church function for a dessert with a cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar frosting with tons of different cut up fruits to make tarts and they were amazing. You will not be disappointed with this recipe!

Recipe from Emily Brady
Photo from Yummy Fun

Delicious Meat Marinades

My mom introduced me to McCormick Grill Mates last summer and I use them weekly! They have the best flavor options and every single flavor we have tried has been delicious! Our favorite is Mojito Lime but we have not found one that we didn't like. They work great on chicken, beef, & pork. I usually marinate by meat in it all morning and afternoon and then throw it on the grill (or George Foreman) for dinner. The smell and taste is wonderful! My mom marinated for 15-30 minutes before and then cooks her in the oven and it comes out flavor and tender as well! Either way, these marinade mixes are winners! Did I mention, how fast they are and what an easy dinner these make? LOVE THEM for that alone!