Sweet Potato Fries

If you have never tried sweet potatoes you are missing out. They are slightly sweet with a soft, squash-like texture when cooked. I love sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving with the brown sugar and butter or maple syrup and marshmallows, but sweet potatoes are delicious at anytime. They are also very good for you, full of Vitamin C and betacarotene. I have also used sweet potatoes in making quick breads and purees for different dishes, but one of our favorite ways of preparing sweet potatoes is baking them like oven fries. My husband loves sweet potato fries and he can be kind of picky sometimes. So, if you've never tried sweet potatoes or don't think you'll like them. Give them a try with this recipe.

Sweet Potato Fries

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in strips (I had to cut my potatoes in half and then into strips, they tend to be pretty big)
chili powder
salt
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Spread the sweet potato fries on the bottom of a 10x15" greased pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle chili powder and salt over the fries. Bake for 20-30 minutes to desired level of crispness. Turn fries over halfway through cooking.

Veryl's Hot Dish

I'm not sure who Veryl is, but his hot dish is tasty. I got this recipe from the Saint Anne's Church Cookbook. I was looking for a dish I could make with things I already had at home so I didn't have to make a trip to the store. This was so good...another hot casserole on a cold, windy night. I do really enjoy those comfort foods as the weather is cooling off and the snow has started falling. This is a cheesy dish that I will definitely make again.

Veryl's Hot Dish

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 1 pound of ground venison)
1 medium onion, diced
1 small can tomato sauce
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 pkg medium egg noodles, cooked
grated cheddar cheese

Saute onion in butter or margarine. Add meat and brown. Mix in other ingredients except cheese. Put in greased casserole. Bake 30-45 minutes at 375. Put cheese on top for the last 15 minutes.

Potato Sloppy Joe Bake

I made this the other night when I was looking for something quick and easy to make. It was easy to put together and a delicious casserole for a cold fall night.

Potato Sloppy Joe Bake from Taste of Home's Quick Cooking

1 pound ground beef
1 can (15 oz) sloppy joe sauce
1 can cream of potato soup (I used cream of mushroom)
1 pkg (32 oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed (I put in frozen and cooked longer)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a skillet, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Drain. Add sloppy joe sauce and soup. Place hashbrowns in a greased 9x13" pan. Top with beef mixture. Cover and bake at 450 for 20 minutes (40-45 if hashbrowns frozen). Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese.

Chicken Creole

We had this for dinner the other night and it was really good. It is a great meal to make as the weather starts cooling down and you need a little comfort food at night.

Chicken Creole From Healthy Cooking

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 3/4" pieces
4 tsp canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 c reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 c tomato paste (I used a whole 6 oz can)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp each dried basil, oregano. thyme, marjoram
2 c hot cooked rice

In a large nonstick skillet, saute chicken in 2 tsp oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the onion, green pepper and celery in remaining oil until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8 minutes (I added the chicken and simmered it all together). Return chicken to the pan; heat through. Serve with rice.

Streusel Topped Apple PIe

This pie is delicious! I made 9 of these for a fundraiser and they sold like hotcakes. Everyone really seemed to enjoy them. I think I'll make another this weekend for Ryan and I to enjoy.

Streusel Topped Apple Pie

1 9" unbaked pie crust
6 cups apples, peeled, cored and sliced
3/4 c sugar
3 T flour
3/4 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
Streusel: 3/4 c flour, 1/2 c brown sugar, 1/2 c butter

Mix pie ingredients together. Pour into pie shell. Combine streusel topping ingredients until crumbly (I used a food processor). Sprinkle over pie. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes. Cover the top of the pie with foil during the last 25 minutes of baking and keep an eye on them so they do not overflow in the oven.

Apple Sauce

It is nearing the end of apple season. I love baking with and eating apples! Ryan and I went to an apple orchard a few weeks ago and picked the windfall apples (very cheap) and I used them to make a bunch of apples pies as well as some applesauce and some orther delicious apple crisps. I still have a number of them left and I'm sure I'll find many more yummy recipes to use them in. Here's an applesauce recipe that was so easy and so yummy.

Slow Cooker Applesauce from A year of crockpotting

4 large apples
juice from 1 lemon (or about 1 T lemon juice)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 T brown sugar
1/4 c water

Peel, core and quarter apples. Put in crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Cover and cook on low 4-6 hours. Mash when apples are tender or puree in blender for smoother consistency. I used a 4 quart crock pot and I doubled the recipe. The apples really cook down. This sauce is slightly sweet, but not too sweet with a slight vanilla flavor. It is really good. You could easily freeze or can it as well.

I'm back!

I took a little break from posting for a while, but I've been trying lots of delicious new recipes that I will be adding. Let me know if there is a recipe you're looking for, what you're favorite recipes from the blog have been so far or post your favorite recipe for others to try!