Creamy Rosemary Potatoes

I just love potatoes!  It does not seem to matter what way they are made... I love them all!  But these are the BEST that I have ever had.  We served this with the Roasted Beef Tenderloin the other day and my knees went weak when I had my first bite!

As you can see there are quite a few ingredients for these potatoes... but trust me, everyone is very important and will make this dish fantastic.  Everything is fresh... rosemary, Parmesan cheese, bacon, etc... there are no pre-packaged, pre-cooked ingredients here... just makes it that much better.  During the preparation, I enlisted the help of my daughter to pluck the rosemary from the stem... you can see here working diligently... good girl!

Chop up some onions and saute them in butter... yum!  Then the fun begins... add the cream cheese and watch it melt!

While the cream cheese is melting over low hear, I had to slice up my potatoes.  I picked up a mandolin for this task.  One thing is very clear to me when you are using a mandolin... it's okay to leave a little when you get to the end... better to waste a little potato than added some finger tips to the meal. (ouch!)

Layer the potatoes, add the creamy sauce (with a little rosemary, heavy cream, and some other ingredients) and top with Parmesan cheese.  When it comes out of the oven, garnish with some fresh copped chives and look at what you have!

Now you are going to have to trust me on this, but these were the best potatoes I have ever had... if I was on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate... Potatoes" I would talk about this dish!  We also had Roasted Beef Tenderloin for this meal!  Check out that posting for the final plated meal!  Next up is Potato Leek Pizza.  Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

Baked Baked Potatoes (Twice!)

Twice baked potatoes are basically the best of two worlds.  You get the baked potato loaded with all the toppings as well as mashed potatoes all mixed into one!   I used just four potatoes for this recipe because only two of use are going to be eating this and when you cut them in half it makes eight servings.

First you bake the potatoes in the oven for a little bit while you start the prep for the filling.  A little butter, bacon bits (fresh), cream cheese, and some seasonings.  Put them all in a bowl and let them soften while the potatoes bake... have you ever tried to mix butter and cream cheese together when they are fresh out of the refrigerator?  Trust me, let it get to room temperature and then mix, your forearms will thank you.

Once all the potatoes are out of the oven, cut them in half and then scoop out (very carefully) the "guts" of the potato.  I recommend holding the potato with a towel, those puppies are hot!  Put the potato guts in the bowl with the butter and cream cheese and mix it all together.  If you do get the ingredients from the fridge, let the hot potato innards soften them up a little before you mix and it will be a bit easier.

Once you have all the filling mixed together, then start "re-stuffing" the potato skins.  I found it easiest to put a spoonful in each one and the repeat until I had an equal amount in each skin.  This way your first one is not overstuffed and your last one is "skinny".  Make sure you form them back together into a potato shape... sometimes the skins are a little flimsy, but the filling will help shape it back into the familiar shape of a potato.

Top with a generous helping of cheese and get ready to put them back in the oven.  I was going to add green onions on the top, but realized that I forgot to buy them... oh well... it would have looked better with the green garnish on the top, but I guess it will still taste pretty good.

Again my excitement got the best of me and we started eating these before I took a final picture... by the time I realized it we had eaten them all!  Sometimes I just can't help myself!  Next up is Creamy Rosemary Potatoes and Roasted Beef Tenderloin!  Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

Mini-Muffins... less calories cause they are small!

Mini Marmalade Muffins... say that five times fast!  These little muffins make my mouth water, so it really is hard to say that fast!  I have assembled all the ingredients and am ready to go!  I even get to use my (really my wife's) Kitchen Aid mixer for this recipe.

Years ago my wife bought the mini muffin pan you see above.  I actually laughed at her when she bought it... I thought that no one would ever want to eat "mini" muffins.  How ironic that I am now using it to create my own mini muffins.

I needed to "zest" an orange to put in this recipe.  I had no idea how to do this so I was off to the Internet once again on how to do something in the kitchen.  A little scientific note here, the zest is created by separating the flavedo (skin) skin from the pith (white part) of the skin of the fruit.  (My head hurts now).  I had no idea what the "zester" was in the drawer (thanks Tina for showing me).  It was pretty fun to do... shaving an orange bald! 

After I got the zest off, I assembled all the other ingredients and made up the batter.  Then I had to scoop the batter into the muffin pan.  What a pain!  I think the mini muffins are even more ridiculous because you have twice as much work for the same amount of muffins!

Off to the oven my pretties *cackle* *cackle*!

While the muffins were baking, I assembled the glaze to go on top of the muffins... glaze is supposed to use the juice from the oranges I had to zest earlier.  Well, the draw back to that I found out was the fact that it is really hard to juice an orange that has been zested.  The reason is that there is not enough skin left on the orange to keep it from falling apart.  Next time I will juice the orange and then zest the remaining peel... I hope that works better!

After the muffins came out of the oven, the orange smell coming from them was wonderful... just add a little of the glaze over the muffins and left it soak in while they are still warm.  Plate them up and get ready to chow down!  Since they are mini, I think four is an appropriate serving.  If you disagree... it's too late, I already ate them!

Up next are twice baked potatoes!  Looking forward to "eating" with you again!

Mark

Clam up and eat it!

I know my titles have gotten pretty bad... but you are reading it right!  So this next meal was a real stretch for me.  I am not a fan of things that swim or crawl on the beach, but it is in the book so I have to make it.  Linguine with Clam sauce... CLAMS!  Luckily, my wife found the clams I needed that were already in a can.  All I had to do was make the noodles and sauce.

The sauce was pretty simple to make... sauteed garlic, heavy cream, white wine, and some fresh herbs.  Just add the chopped clams (from the can) and let the sauce reduce.

Once the sauce is ready, we put the noodles in a bowl and then add the sauce.  I toss the noodles in the sauce and the get ready to plate the meal.

Put the noodles on the plate, squeeze a little lemon juice over the dish and garnish with a slice of lemon.  It was better than I expected, but to me I would rather have an Alfredo sauce.

Up next are Marmalade Muffins... the mini type!  Looking forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

Scone-y Island...

Ok... so that is a really corny title... but what else was I going to post to get your attention?  So my next recipe is for Maple Pecan Scones.  Yum yum!  I just love getting the orange scones from Panera, so I was really looking forward to making these.

I had to use my pastry cutter to make the dough... I just love having the opportunity to use one of my new gadgets!  After the dough was all mixed together (which takes a long time by the way!), I had to form it into the scone shape.  You do this by making a round 1/2" thick "disc" of dough on the counter top.

After you get it all assembled in the middle and flattened out to the thickness you want for your scone, you slice it up into equal portions.  I cut mine up in a pizza pie style, but in hindsight, I should have made them more of a rectangle or diamond shape... the points of the "pie" slices were very fragile and fell apart easily.

Here we have my first one on the cookie sheet getting ready to bake... the smell of these baking is heavenly!  I ended up having to bake them on two separate cookie sheets.  I rotated them from the top shelf to the bottom shelf halfway through to make sure that they cooked evenly.  I really wish someone would invent an oven that baked the same no matter where you placed the item in the oven... would reduce the chances of burning something and I could use all the help I can get!

So the recipe called for maple frosting... so I made it and drizzled it all over the scones!  They turned out great!

Remember how I said that I love the ORANGE scones from Panera?  Well, I could not help myself.  I got out some orange flavoring (instead of the maple flavoring) and some food coloring and made a few orange just for me.

It actually turned out that these were the favorite from the family.  Next time I make them, they will all be orange!

Next up is Linguine with Clam sauce.  Look forward to "eating" with you soon!

Mark

My New Kitchen Gadgets

Since beginning this exercise in cooking I have had to gather a few new kitchen gadgets as well as gained respect for a few that I have already had.  Any previous gadgets that I had must be attributed to my wife who already knows a good thing when she sees it... like me!

A good knife is without a doubt the best investment that can be made in the kitchen.  A close second to this is a good wood cutting board.  I have two and switch between them depending on what I am cutting.  I use the big one when the ingredients are not really "juicy".  If I am cutting tomatoes or other "juicy" items, I use the smaller one that has a little trough around the edges so the juices do not spill over the edge of the cutting board.

Good cooking utensils are also a necessity!  Out of all the ones in the drawers, these are my favorites.  A good spatula with a wide blade for clearing out mixing bowls, a plastic whisk for cooking in non-stick pans, a plastic spatula with a smooth, solid surface (not slots or holes), and a pair of stainless steel tongs.  I use these four guys more than the rest of the ones in my drawer combined.  I will even search them out and hand wash them if they are dirty.  Everyone has favorites... these are not children people... we are allow to have favorites!

If you have not figured it out yet, I am a bit obsessive compulsive.  I am not quite OCD (because it is not alphabetical).  One thing I can not stand is a messy kitchen while I am cooking.  This little puppy lets you put your dirty utensils on it and then you only have to wash it when you are done.  If you are particular like me, this is something that you need in the kitchen.

While cooking these recipes I have switched over to sea salt for my salting needs.  I found that a nice open container that I can seal air tight when I am done is best.  I got this at Meijer for a couple dollars.  I love it!  It is easy to get a measuring spoon into as well as if I just need a pinch to fine tune a dish as I am making it.

A good pepper grinder is a must as well!  I got one from my sister-in-law and have been using it non-stop since.  There is nothing like freshly ground pepper from a pepper mill to add to just about any dish!

For Christmas I got some ramekins and a small kitchen torch.  One of the recipes that I will be eventually making is Creme Brule.  This requires both to complete.  (Thanks Hon!)  I have also found them nice to create little single serve breakfast or dinner meals in the ramekins as well.  Just put them on a cookie sheet and turn on the broiler!

Tina came home one day from the store with a pastry cutter and I had to ask her what it was for.  She said that she read the apple pie recipe and saw that it was recommended for preparing the dough.  This works the shortening into the flour to make a light flaky crust.  Huh... I guess I am glad she reads ahead because I would have not known what the heck a pastry cutter was.

I picked this up a Target because it was on sale and I am addicted to kitchen gadgets.  This is a chopper/scoop.  I find that it is helpful when I need to, guess what... chop and scoop ingredient into a bowl.  This does a nice job of chopping up soft items like boiled eggs to make egg salad and scoop them into a bowl in one handy motion.

A set of mixing bowls with a non-skid bottom are nice as well.  There is a lot of mixing in cooking and these babies have a rubber ring around the bottom to keep them from sliding around the counter when you stir.  Tina got these some time ago, but they are my favorite bowls to use in the kitchen.  I think I melted one some time ago in the microwave, so that is why there are only two left.  I can not be held responsible for these types of mistakes prior to starting my cooking hobby.

As I get more gadgets, I will update you to let you know what I have found works well for me in the kitchen!

Mark

Mac and Cheese that a Mother Could Love!

Mac and Cheese does not sound like a complicated meal, and yet I continue to see cooking shows on Food Network show how it is made.  I have always used the two step method in the past... open the Kraft package, turn on microwave... presto... mac and cheese!  Well this recipe had me making my own cheese sauce.  It has a pretty simple list of ingredients as you can see below.

Since mac and cheese is my daughter's favorite meal, she got involved in the kitchen with me.  She was my photographer for this meal.  The prep is simple, cook noodles in boiling water.

Making the sauce is more involved.  It requires constant whisking for about 10 minutes while it is cooking on the stove.  Different ingredients are added along the way and having the extra help that my daughter provided on this meal was key!  Here I am whisking away for the picture.

Since I had to keep whisking the entire time, and I had not read the recipe thoroughly before had (yes Tina, I will next time!), I had to move everything over next to me by the stove.  I also had to measure up and add one handed from time to time because the attention span of a 9 year old girl is not the greatest.

Once I had the sauce prepped, I got to add the cheese sauce to the noodles!  Libby was very interested in this part because eating comes soon after this part!

You can serve it immediately after adding the sauce, but I wanted to bake it in... so we added it to a baking dish, added a little more cheese to the top, and sprinkled on some paprika for color.  Twenty minutes later we had pipping hot home made macaroni and cheese for the eating!  I can tell you that one little girl at my house (and one adult girl) were very pleased with this dish.  We actually argued over who got to have it first since so many of us were salivating to try it!

Next up are Maple Scones...looking forward to "eating" with you again soon!

Mark