Basil Oven Fries

Basil Oven Fries

I wanted a quick and easy way to use the few potatoes I had left in my bag before they went bad. This recipe is so amazingly easy that I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before! You could play around with the kind of cheese you use, but the Parmesan cheese was perfect for our taste buds. You could serve the fries with sour cream or a dip of your choice, but you really don’t need to because they are yummy all by themselves!

• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. Extra-Light Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp. dried basil
• ¼ tsp. garlic salt
• 4 medium potatoes – I used golden potatoes
• PAM

Using a large zip-lock baggie, mix together Parmesan cheese, olive oil, basil, and garlic salt. Gently squeeze the baggie to be sure to get everything mixed well. Spray a medium-sized baking dish with PAM. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the potatoes (or if you like the skins, leave them on) and cut into narrow pieces that resemble the size of French fries. Place the potatoes in the zip-lock baggie. With the baggie securely zipped, gently shake the baggie and squeeze it to ensure that the potatoes are well-coated with the mixture.

Place potatoes in the baking dish and evenly spread them out. Add a little bit of the remaining mixture from the baggie to the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes appear to be golden and toasty brown.

Bread Salad

Bread Salad

It seems like it has been a while since I have posted anything to my blog. Life has been crazy, to say the least. And since I have been trying to lose a few pounds, I haven't been cooking a lot because, like most people, I tend eat what I make.

So, as the dark days of winter are finally gone and summer is almost here, I am getting more interested in cooking in my newly painted kitchen and using some of the new kitchen gadgets and pans that I treated myself to over the winter. Now all that is needed is a new grill! Our current grill is pretty much dead. And in vintage-Matt-fashion, the handle is secured with gray duct tape. It cracked in half when a strong wind tipped it over on our deck last summer.

Our local grocery store provides free recipes and are displayed with the ingredients needed to make the recipes. I found this recipe for Bread Salad that peaked my interest. I always adjust recipes to what I have on hand and to what I think my family would like, so that's the version you'll see below. This recipe can be made in the kitchen, or you could cook some of the ingredients on the grill. I made this in our kitchen in light of the current status of our grill.

If you try this and like it or have any suggestions, please let me know. I always wonder how many people read my blog and try out my recipes. Hmmmmm.....

Bread Salad

• 1 loaf Italian bread - plain or Artisan
• 1 red bell pepper - chopped or cut into thin slices
• 1 yellow bell pepper - chopped or cut into thin slices
• 4 medium tomatoes - regular or Roma - diced
• 1/2 tsp. minced dried onion
• 1 cucumber - diced
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt - regular or with parsley
• 1 tbsp. Extra-Light Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 or 2 pkgs. feta cheese - we really like feta cheese so I used 2
• 1 can black pitted olives - drained and halved
• 1 bag salad mix - I used spinach and red leaf mix
• 1 bottle Italian or Caesar dressing - or any flavor that would enhance the ingredients
• 1 pkg. fresh mushrooms - canned mushrooms are too mushy

Thinly slice the Italian bread and drizzle a few drops of olive oil on both sides of each slice. You can either very lightly toast them under a broiler or use a grill basket to toast them on the grill. Tear or cut the toasted bread slices into bite-size pieces and place in a large serving bowl.

Sautee the red and yellow bell peppers in a tablespoon of olive oil or place them in a grill basket and grill them. Don't overcook - they should still be crisp-tender - not mushy. Add the peppers to the bowl with the bread.

Dice the tomatoes and place in the bowl with the bread pieces. Sprinkle the minced onions into the bowl. Add the feta cheese, black olives and mushrooms. Toss the ingredients together lightly and then add the salad mix. Lightly toss again. You can put the mixture in the refrigerator prior to serving if necessary, but not for a long period of time. The salad is better served as soon as you add the salad greens/mix. Drizzle your choice of salad dressing before serving.

Serve this recipe with a yummy Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio and VOILA! A great salad - just like in the restaurants!!

Potato Salad with Bacon, Olives, and Celery

Potato Salad with Bacon, Olives,

and Celery

When cleaning out my pantry the other day, I discovered that I had some leftover golden potatoes - my favorite - and I wanted to do something with them so they wouldn't go to waste. I had a "hankering" for potato salad as it had been

warm outside for the last few days. I searched "Mother Hubbard's" cupboards

and the refrigerator until I gathered together some ingredients to

combine that seemed to me to be a tad on the unusual side.

There are several variations you could use with this recipe and I included

some of them below.

Plus, potato salad reminds me of summer - which is just around the corner!!

Potato Salad with Bacon, Olives, and Celery

• 6 medium-sized golden potatoes - peeled and cubed
• 1 lb. bacon - cooked and crumbled - you could even use low-sodium bacon
• 4 - 5 stalks celery hearts - washed and cubed
• 1 tbsp. minced onion - or you could use 4 small green onions - chopped
• 1 small jar green olives with pimentos - cut in half - or you could use black pitted olives
• 1/2 cup Miracle Whip - or you could use regular mayo
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 3 hard-boiled eggs - Peeled and sliced

Boil the peeled and cubed potatoes in a stock pot with lightly salted water. Cook potatoes until they are tender - about 10 minutes on high heat.

I always cook my bacon in the oven - see my earlier post to find out how - but you can always cook yours on the stove top in a skillet. I find that my oven method is less messy and I avoid being splattered with hot bacon grease. Chop the celery hearts and olives and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked potatoes and crumbled bacon and mix gently. Add the lemon juice, garlic salt, and Miracle Whip, stirring gently.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap - or use a plastic bowl with a tight-fitting lid - and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, although I have to say it tastes great even without refrigeration before serving. When ready to serve, top the potato salad with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

This is a terrific and easy salad to make and was a hit with my family! ENJOY!!