Kitchen Know Hows: Cooking Pinto Beans

In the south, we love pinto beans. We love them with onions and ketchup on top. We like eating them with cornbread and cole slaw. We like them in chili beans and taco soup. Pinto beans in a can are okay, but they are much better and healthier if you start with dry pinto beans. The only problem is how to cook the perfect pinto bean. 

It has taken me years to perfect the perfect cooking method for pinto beans. I have tried many ways of soaking them. I have followed the advice of the older women in my life. I have read other professional cooks advice and tried it. I have researched ways on the internet and tried them, but the pintos never came out just right. They were either mushy or still hard as a rock. However, over the past year, I have found the method that works for me. 

Here is my method for cooking pinto beans and what you will need. 

• dry pinto beans
• a large bowl to wash them in
• a large bowl to soak them in
• a large pot ~ preferably a cast iron or enamel pot

Pour the amount of pintos you want into a large bowl. Fill with water and stir a little. Hand full by hand full lift pintos out of bowl looking for blemished pintos and sorting out the broken beans, then place in the other large bowl. 

When the pintos have been washed and placed in the other bowl, pour water into the bowl making sure the pintos are covered with 1 to 2inches of water. Soak for 8 hours. 

After 8 hours, pour the pintos and water into a colander to drain off the water, then rinse off the pintos with clean water. Pour the pintos in the large pot. Cover the beans with 1 to 2 inches of clean water. Place pot on a burner and turn on high to bring the pintos to a boil. When they come to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cover with the lid. Let the pintos simmer for an hour and a half. After a hour and a half, remove the pot from the burner and allow them to sit for 30 minutes, then you will have the perfect pintos to eat or add to a dish. 

This is the best way I have found to cook pinto beans. If you have a foolproof method or a tried and true method, I would love to hear it. I have found my way to be the best for me, but the pintos can still turn out mushy. So I am forever looking for ways to perfect pintos! 

Living life simply and enjoying simple dishes like pinto beans and cornbread! Enjoy!

Kitchen Know How's: Charring Bell Peppers

Over the next few days, I am going to share some kitchen know how posts. These are know hows are just simple little things that any wife and home cook should know how to do. Some of them, I have just recently learned myself. I also have a board on Pinterest filled with charts, measurements, ideas, and tips that have I saved to help me run my kitchen more efficiently ~ Kitchen Know Hows.

For years, I have watched people on their cooking shows char bell peppers on their gas stove top. They talked about the flavors its brings out in the peppers and that charring was a good way to help reduce the indigestion factor that is common with bell peppers. This was a great interest to me, because bell peppers is one of the things that cause DH to have indigestion and we eat a lot of them. The only problem was we didn't have a gas stove and I really didn't know that it could be done any other way. However, one day while watching "Pati's Mexican Table" the solution to my dilemma was solved by Pati Jinich. She said if you didn't have a gas stove you could char bell peppers under the broiler in your oven. A solution so simple, I am ashamed I didn't think of it. 

I was learning all of this as last fall as our bell peppers in the garden really started coming in. So I set about roasting peppers. It was surprisingly easy to do. It also did help cut down on some of DH's indigestion problem. 

Here is what you will need: 

• bell peppers
• a baking sheet 
• a baking pan that will fit over the baking sheet
• tongs to turn peppers with

To start with, you will need to turn the broiler on in your oven and get it good and hot. 

Wash off your peppers and arrange them on the baking sheet. When the broiler is up to temp, place the baking sheet in the oven. When the peppers turn black on the side facing up, turn them over using the tongs. When the peppers are charred black on all sides, remove them from the oven, then place the baking pan over the top of them for about 10 minutes. This helps them to sweat and will allow the thin skin on the outside to easily peeled or wiped off. 

All charred and ready to be sweated.

A pepper mostly peeled. 

When the thin skin is removed, slice the pepper in half to remove the seeds. They will come out easily by using a knife to scrap them out. 

Now the pepper is ready to be sliced and used in any dish. Or sliced to be put in a freezer container for use in the future. 

All sliced and ready to use.

Charring peppers do enhance their flavor and give the dish a hint of a smoky taste, which I like. Charring also seems to have reduce DH's indigestion a little. It is an easy thing to do and can be done when you are doing other things in the kitchen. Charring peppers is just one of those simple kitchen know hows every wife should know how to do!

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Potato Salad

Everyone has there favorite potato salad recipe or how to fix potato salad. I know my family and I do. We don't like hot potato salad. We don't like it all mashed and pasty. We don't like it with sweet pickle. We like it with more yellow mustard in it. We have found we like it with some bacon thrown in. 

Here is what you will need: 

• 2 to 3 medium size potatoes in their skins boiled until a knife slides through them with ease.
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• a 1/4 of an onion, minced (or as much as you want to.)
• 1/2 of a bell pepper, chopped into small pieces  (or as much as you want. I use all colors of bell peppers.)
• dill pickles, chopped into small pieces
• bacon bits
• your favorite herbs and spices
• yellow mustard (French's)
• mayo (preferably Duke's)

Once the eggs and potatoes are boiled, allow them to cool to room temp. Peel the skin off of the potatoes and peel the eggs. 

In a large bowl, add the potatoes and eggs chopped into bite size pieces.

Chop up the onion, the bell pepper, and dill pickles and add them to the bowl.

Once everything is chopped up, it is time to add the mayo, mustard, herbs, and spices. All of this will depend on your and your family's taste. Like I said earlier, we like more mustard in it than mayo. The herbs and spices I use are Lawry's seasoning salt, garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, parsley flakes, and bacon bits. The best way to do this is to add small amounts at a time, until you get the taste you want. When I have it where I want it, I put it in another bowl and place in frig until I am ready to serve it. The longer it has a chance to set and let the flavors meld the better it is. 

Potato salad is good with any kind of meat. It is also a cold refreshing dish that is perfect for any summertime cookout or barbecue. It is one of those simply yummy veggie side dishes! 

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Sauteed Mushrooms

I love sauteed mushroom, but it is hard to find a recipe that does finish them off with a splash of wine. I do not like wine, nor do I like the taste of it in any dish. It took me a ling time to find a recipe that left out the wine, but I did and it is a good. Of course with most recipes, I tailored it to our family's taste. 

Here is what you will need:

• a small shallot, minced (optional)
• 1 - 8oz. package of button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 - 8 oz. package of baby portebello mushrooms, stemmed and sliced ( or buy the already sliced ones)
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil, (or you could butter, I have used both)
• garlic salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Over medium to high heat, add a Tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan or skillet. When oil is heated and shimmering, saute the shallot until tender, then add all of the mushrooms. (If you don't want touse the shallot, just add the mushrooms when the oil is heated.) Stir occasionally until they are browned. Add garlic salt and black pepper. Stir to incorporate the flavors, then they are ready to serve.

I like serving them with beef, especially grilled steak. Don't they look yummy! The best part NO wine!

 

 

A word of caution, wait to add the salt until the very end.  If you add it too early, the mushrooms will release moisture which will steam the mushrooms instead of browning them.  

 

Give this simple, yummy dish a try! 

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Sauteed Veggies

I love a medley of veggies steamed, grilled, or sauteed. I have steamed veggies. DH has grilled veggies. However, I have never fixed sauteed veggies and I wasn't quite sure how to do it. As I started looking through recipes, I was pretty sure I come up with some edible. This following recipe is the result of my efforts. As with most recipes, it can be tailored to your family's taste. I have also found that adding the ingredients in a certain order that allows the veggies to get the cooking time they need.

Here is what you will need:

• 3 to 5 Tbsps of butter
• a medium onion, sliced (I use a white or yellow onion, but if I have a red one on hand I use it.)
• a half of a big bell pepper, sliced (I use a combo of different colored peppers. I don't put in as much bell pepper as I do the other veggie, because it gives DH acid reflux.)
• an 8 oz container of white button mushrooms, sliced (I remove the stems.)
• a small bag of baby carrots or 1 to 2 carrots sliced diagonally in to planks
• several florets of broccoli and cauliflower cut in to bite size pieces 
• garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, and red pepper flakes (just a few flakes to give the dish a little bit of a kick.) ~ all of this to taste or add your favorite spices and herbs 

Start with melting about 3 Tbsps of butter in a frying pan or saute pan. While it is melting slice the onion up, then add it to the pan. Do the same with the bell pepper. Stir occasionally. 

 

 

While the onion and bell pepper is cooking, look over the baby carrots for bad spots and cut the bigger ones in half length-wise or peel and slice the carrots. Add the carrots to the pan. Stir occasionally. If you find the pan getting low on moisture add more butter.

 

 

Start on the mushrooms next. Remove the stems, then slice up the mushrooms. Add to the pan. I start adding the herbs at this time. Stir occasionally. 

 

 

The broccoli and cauliflower are the next items to prepare. Cut them into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Stir occasionally.

 

 

At this point the onions, bell peppers, and carrots should be getting soft. The mushrooms should be changing color. I continue sauteing until the broccoli had changed into a darker green and the cauliflower has softened. Be sure to taste check the dish along the way to see if you need to add more herbs or spices.

 

The finished product.

 

This dish is family tested and approved, even by our picker eater ~ our DD. It is good with any kind of meat. It also goes great with any kind of meat and potato meal. It is relatively healthy, even with the butter. It is not that hard to make, although it does require a lot of slicing. It is just simply a great dish to know how to make!

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Cole Slaw

We eat a lot of cole slaw around our house. Cole slaw made with just cabbage, no carrots. Slaw that is a little sweet, with a hint of tartness. The biggest no-no of slaw making is that you NEVER, EVER use Miracle Whip. You use mayo, preferably Duke's mayo ~ the best mayo in the South. I have received a lot of compliments on my cole slaw, so here is how I make it.

What you will need: 

• a half of head of cabbage, grated into a bowl
• a pinch of salt
• black pepper
• sugar
• white vinegar (you can use apple cider vinegar if you want more tartness or are out of white)
• mayo ~ Duke's: NO MIRACLE WHIP

 

When the cabbage is grated, I add a pinch of salt to help draw out the moisture in the cabbage and to give it that little extra flavor. 

 

Next few ingredients you will need to add to your family's taste. I add the black pepper, the sugar, the white vinegar, and the mayo. I stir everything together, then taste it. I add what I think is needed, stir again, and then taste. It is that easy. 

 

I make it on the sweet side. My momma makes it more on the tart side. DH likes plenty of black pepper in it, but I can't take that much, so we meet in the middle. Tasting it as you make it is the best way to gage what it needs next. 

 

We eat this cole slaw with lima beans or green beans and pickles, or just with pickles. We put it on cheeseburgers, hot dogs, and barbecue sandwiches. It is good served with pork roast, pork chops, steaks, or roast. It is just one of those handy dishes to know how to fix, because it goes with most anything. It is simply a yummy thing!  

A Week Of Veggie Side Dishes: Vegetable Salad

Growing up, DH and I ate a lot of cooked veggies; from all sorts of beans, to peas, to corn. We did have some raw veggies; such as tomato slices, cucumbers, and an occasion salad. When we first got married, I served the same types of veggies. However, when we started on our journey to eating healthier, I looked for ways to include more raw veggies and other types of cooked veggies to our diet. I discovered some new ways to serve raw veggies and new recipes to try. So, all this week, I am sharing some of our favorites. 

The first recipe is a twist on a salad, but it doesn't use any salad greens. I call it a vegetable salad. I use 3 raw veggies as the base and then you can add other veggies to it. I add radishes and broccoli to it when I have them. How much you add of each is up to you and your family's taste. 

Here is what you will need: 

• a cucumber 
• a carrot  
• several florets of cauliflower
• radishes
• several florets of broccoli 

The ingredients. 

I start by cutting up the cauliflower florets into tiny. bite size pieces. I don't add as much cauliflower as I do other the veggies. 

Cauliflower cut up into bit size pieces.

Next, I grate the carrot, chopped up the cucumber, and slice the radishes. If you are adding broccoli, cut it up into bite size pieces ~ like the cauliflower. 

When you have all the veggies you want cut up and in a bowl, add ranch salad dressing to it. Again, you add as much or as little as you want. I like to add enough until all the veggies are well covered and slightly swimming in the dressing. 

This is a great side dish to serve on those hot summer days. It goes great with almost anything, but we really like it with roast beef or some sort of pork. An add plus is that it doesn't take much time to throw together. It is simply a yummy thing!  

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Lime Marinade

Since we like Mexican inspired food, I am always looking for new recipes. My searching lead me to find this lime marinade in a owner's manual for the new Oster DuraCeramic Electric Skillet. (I am going to have to do a simply perfect product post on this electric skillet, because I love it.) The lime marinade is part of a recipe called Easy Beef Fajitas. If you like Mexican inspired food, you will like this recipe and will find other uses for it. Of course, I made changes to the recipe to fit our family's taste.

Lime Marinade

• juice of 2 limes
• 1 Tbsp of olive oil, 
• 1/2 tsp of cumin
• 1/4 tsp of salt (I used garlic salt and left out the minced garlic.)
• 1 clove of minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (I used less.)
• black pepper to taste 

Combine the ingredients above in a bowl. Add beef and allow to stand for 30 minutes at room temperature. If you use this to marinate chicken or fish, I wouldn't leave it at room temp. Drain meat and discard the marinade, then fix meat as desired. 

 

We weren't use to using a lot of lime in recipes, so we were pleasantly surprised by how good meat was marinated in it. Who knew lime marinade was simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

McCormick use to make Southwest Marinate available in a pack that you added oil, water, and vinegar to. It made a delicious marinade for grilled pork chops. A few years ago, they stopped making it. So I started looking on the internet for a homemade replacement. I finally stumbled across this recipe and it is a very close match. It can be used as a rub or turned into a marinade. I have gone back and looked for the original recipe, but can't seem to find it, but this happens to be one of those recipes I really didn't make many changes to it. 

Spice Rub For Pork Or Beef

• 2 Tbsp of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 1 Tbsp of chili powder 
• 1/2 tsp of oregano
• 1/4 tsp of black pepper 
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp of cumin
• a few red pepper flakes (this is the one addition I made to the recipe.)

Stir together, cover and refrigerator for 15 minutes, then rub on the meat to coat all of it. 

 

We have tried this rub on a pork roast and it was good, but we really like it made into a marinade for pork chops. 

 

Spice Marinate

• all of the spice rub above
• 1/4 cup of oil (I use olive oil.)
• 2 Tbsp of white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp of water

Mix all the ingredients together, then add the meat to be marinated. Marinate for 30 minutes or longer for a deeper flavor. 

 

This spice rub is easy to make, can be used for pork or beef, and easily turned into a marinate. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Italian Dressing

While I don't like or use Italian dressing on my salad, I do like to marinate chicken that we are grilling in it. It helps keep the chicken moist and makes it very flavorful. We use to use Kraft's Tuscan House Italian Dressing (and still do in a pinch.) However in our continued effort to eat healthier, I went looking for a good homemade Italian dressing recipe. I found one at "The Family Homestead." Like most recipes, I have adjusted it to our taste. You can find the original recipe here. 

Italian Dressing

• 1/2 cup of olive oil (I use a little less than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar (I use a little less than a fourth of a cup.)
• 1/2 cup of water (I use a little more than a 1/2 cup.)
• 1 Tbsp of maple syrup (I use about a tbsp and a half.)
• basil, garlic salt, seasoning salt, onion powder, parsley, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes all to your taste

Mix all the ingredients together. If the olive oil taste is still too strong, add a little more water. 

 

I don't know how good this dressing in on a salad, but it awesome to marinate chicken in. I love making a big garden salad and topping it with grilled chicken marinated in this dressing. It is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: BBQ Sauce

DH and DD like to eat BarBQ pork sandwiches made out of a Boston Butt Pork Roast and BarBQ sauce. We also like chicken baked in BarBQ sauce. So when I started looking for alternatives to store bough, I came across this recipe on a fellow homeschool mom's website The Family Homestead. It is a good substitute, but as with any recipe, I adjusted it to our taste. 

BarBQ Sauce

• 6 oz. of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of ketchup 
• 2 tsp of dry mustard (I use yellow mustard.)
• 2 tsp of salt (I use garlic salt.)
• 1/2 tsp of chili powder 

Mix ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to blend the flavors. 

 

In addition to the ingredients, I add a tsp of black pepper and a tsp of onion powder. I also use garlic salt instead of plain salt because I like the flavor of garlic. I also use yellow mustard instead of dry mustard. I just squirt two good squirts of it in with the rest of the ingredients. I also use a heaping 1/2 tsp of chili powder.

 

This BarBQ sauce is also good to make cocktail wienes in the crock pot. I just add a few tbsp of maple syrup to the mixture and I have even used strawberry syrup. They are always at hit at our holiday gatherings. 

 

Homemade BarBQ sauce is simply a good thing! 

A Week Of Misc. Recipes: Taco Seasoning

All this week I am going to share some of the miscellaneous recipes that add spice or seasoning to other dishes. Most of these are tried and true recipes that I have used for years. The very last one is one that I just came across recently. All of them have been a hit at our house. 

We eat a lot of Mexican inspired recipes, so we go through a lot of taco seasoning. As I began to try to cut out preservatives and chemicals out of the foods we ate, I started looking for an alternative to the store bought taco seasoning. I finally came across one that we like in a cookbook written by a homeschool mom know as Marmee Dear. The name of the book is "Martha's Family Cookery Book." It is easy to make and uses herbs and spices most people have in their cabinets. 

Taco Seasoning

• 6 tsp. of chili powder
• 2 1/2 tsp. garlic powder (I use garlic salt.)
• 4 1/2 tsp. of cumin
• 1/4 tsp. of cayenne pepper
• 5 tsp. of paprika
• 3 tsp. of onion powder

In a bowl combine all of these ingredients. Store in an airtight container. This is a stronger mix than store bought packs, so add in small amounts to your taste. One store bought pack usually contains about 4 tbsp. 

The recipe calls for garlic powder, but I use garlic salt because I felt it needed more flavor. I also use less cayenne pepper than it calls for, because I can't take a lot of heat. Just adjust the amount to fit your family's taste. 

Homemade taco seasoning is simply a good thing!

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Garlic Butter Potatoes

The idea for this recipe came from my momma. She cooks this dish in the microwave, but I am not a big microwave fan, so I bake it in the oven. I like to serve this dish with roast beef or some kind of pork. This dish is easy to fix and can tailored to your families tastes. 

Garlic Butter Potatoes

• 6 to 8 potatoes
• butter
• herbs and spices (I use garlic salt, black pepper, onion powder, and parsley flakes.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and grease a 9" X 13" baking dish. 

Peel potatoes and rinse. Slice potatoes using a mandolin or a knife. 

Start by putting a layer of potato slices in the baking dish. Dot the top with dabs of butter, then add herbs and spices. Repeat the process until you haves used up all the potato slices. 

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take off the foil and bake until the potatoes are fork tender. 

Easy, simple, and tastes yummy! That is a great combo. 

Living a simple life and thankful for each second of it! 

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Scalloped Potatoes

My Scalloped Potato recipe is a combination of two recipes I clipped from magazines. I tried both recipes and liked different aspects of both recipes. So I combined those and came up with what I think is the perfect recipe. 

Scalloped Potatoes

• 6 to 8 medium size potatoes
• 3 cups of heavy cream 
• 1 Tbsp of flour
• herb and spices to your taste (I use garlic salt, Lawry's seasoning salt, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, a few red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper.) 

All the ingredients you will need.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9" X 13" baking dish.  

Peel potato and rinse. Slice them into thin slices with a mandolin or use a knife. 

 

In a large bowl; combine the cream, flour, herbs, and spices.  

Put the potato slices in the bowl. Stir until all the potato slices are well-coated with the cream mixture. 

Pour the potato mixture into your prepared baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil and place into your preheated oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 50 to 60 minutes or until fork tender. 

Let the potatoes cool slightly before eating. 

These potatoes are good with just about any kind of meat. We like it with grilled steaks or hamburger patties. They are also great as leftovers. Give them a try and let me know what you think! 

Living life simply and simply enjoying it! 

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Cheesy Golden Potatoes

This potato recipe is a cross between a baked potato, roasted potatoes, and a oven baked french fry potato with cheese on top. Not really sure where this recipe came from either. I think I got it out of some recipe cards that were sent with a magazine we use to get a long time ago. The end results are yummy and you can customize the recipe to meet your family's taste. 

Cheesy Golden Potatoes

• 4 medium even potatoes
• 1 tsp. salt (I use garlic salt.)
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. of butter, melted
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (parsley, chives, thyme, or age.)
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. of dried herbs of your choice
• 4 Tbsp. of Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

 

Choose 4 even size medium potatoes.

 

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Peel potatoes if the skin is tough, otherwise just scrub and rinse them. 

Cut potato into thin slices but not all the way through. Use a handle of a spoon to prevent knife from cutting all the way through. 

Cut into thin slices, but not all the way through.

Put potatoes in a baking dish. Fan them slightly. 

Once in baking dish, fan them out slightly.

Sprinkle salt and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with herbs. (I put the salt, black pepper, and dried herbs in the butter then whisk them together. For the herbs, I use chives and dried parsley.) 

Melted butter with salt, pepper, add herbs in it.

Potatoes with the butter and herbs poured over them. 

Bake the potatoes in a 425 degree oven for about 50 minutes. 

Remove from oven. Sprinkle with cheese. 

Mmmmm, cheese!

Bake potatoes for another 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned, cheese are melted and potatoes are soft inside. Check with at fork. 

Melty goodness!

We usually have these potatoes with grilled steaks or grilled hamburger patties. They would make a great lunch paired with a big garden salad. If you give them a try let me know what you think! 

Enjoying making simply yummy things for my family to eat!  

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Homemade Potato Chips

Every once in a while for a special treat, I will make us homemade potato chips to go with a meal. They are yummy and don't have all the preservatives store bought potato chips, but they are fried. You will need to set aside a block of time to prepare the potatoes and then start the process of frying them about 2 hours before you want to eat. It takes a few times of making them to learn all of the tricks to making them and keeping them crispy. I still am working on perfecting the recipe. 

The recipe I use comes from the cookbook - Joy Of Cooking. It is important to slowly bring the oil up to the temp for frying the chips. If you rush the heating process, you will get soggy, greasy chips. I speak from experience. Make sure to use the right potatoes -  Idaho or Russet Potatoes. I learned this from experience too. I use my cast iron Dutch Oven with a thermometer in it to regulate the temp to fry them in. I have used my MIL's electric fryer too. Both of them do a good job. It is easier to control the temp with an electric, but for now I will stick to my cast iron and a thermometer. It would be helpful if you read up on deep fat frying techniques before you start. 

Homemade Potato Chips

• 3 to 5 Idaho Potatoes
• Vegetable Oil, at room temp ( I use Crisco in the 48 oz size.) 
• Salt, to taste

Peel potatoes and rinse. Using a mandolin (this is the one I have) or a vegetable peeler, slice the potatoes as thinly as possible. 

Soak the slices in cold water for 2 hours. Change the water twice. (This helps to get rid of the excess starches.) Drain well and then pat dry thoroughly.

Very slowly bring the oil up to 380 degrees. Using a frying basket or a spider strainer to drop slices in the oil one by one. Shake the basket or use a spider to stir the slices to prevent them from sticking together. 

The slices separated and frying.

Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel (I use a kitchen towel) and sprinkle with salt. To keep the warm, I put them in a very low temp warm oven. Be sure to let the oil come back up to temp before starting the next batch. 

Golden brown and ready to be taken out of the oil.

Crispy, golden brown homemade chips draining on a towel.

Serve the chips with grilled cheeseburgers, grilled hot dogs, grilled chicken sandwiches, or grilled steaks. The possibilities are endless. These are yummy, especially when you dip them in ranch dressing! Yum! Yum! 

Doesn't that look tempting.

If you are looking for a special treat to make for a special family celebration, why not try homemade chips. I know your family will them. I know mine does! 

Living a simple life and thankful for it! 

5 More Ways To Fix Potatoes: Hash Brown Casserole

In September, I shared some of our favorite potato recipes. With DH being a BIG meat and potato kind of guy, I still have more to share. So I am sharing more of them this week.

The first recipe is basically a potato casserole made out of frozen Southern style hash browns. It fools a lot of people by looking like it has cheese in it, but it doesn't have any. This casserole is at its best when it has had time to let all the flavors meld into each other. So if you wanted to make it and bake it the night before, it will be easy to warm up and will have melded the flavors. 

Hash Brown Casserole

• 32 oz. bag of frozen Southern style hash browns (potatoes cut into cubes) - slightly thawed
• 1 can of cream of celery soup (I use Campbells's)
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (I use Campbell's)
• 1 pint of sour cream
• a 6 oz.  container of French Crispy Fried Onions
• 1 stick of butter, melted

In a large bowl (and you will need a large bowl), dump the cans of soup and the pint of sour cream. Stir until they are just combined. 

Next dump the potatoes that have been allowed to thaw for about 40 minutes. Stir to combine. 

Butter a 9" X 13" casserole dish. Pour the potato mixture in to it and spread out evenly. 

Melt the stick of butter into a medium size bowl or a large measuring glass. When melted, dump the crispy fried onions in it and stir to coat the onions in the butter. Pour the onions and butter over the top of the casserole. Spread the mixture out until it covers most of the top. 

Cover in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the onions turn a deeper golden brown and the casserole is bubbling. Let it stand for about 15 minutes to cool off before serving. 

If you are not a fan of cream of celery soup, you could use cream of mushroom. I am not a fan of it, but like the flavor if it in this casserole. Also if the fried onion aren't your favorite, you could use the smaller, 2.8 oz container. 

Give the easy, yummy casserole a try! I think you will find it simply delicious!  

Simply Perfect Product: Barilla Sauce

Yesterday, I shared our love for Barilla pasta. Well, today I am going to rave about Barilla sauces. 

I make my own spaghetti sauce and rarely used other sauces. However, I have encountered a few recipes over the years where a good store bought tomato sauce is needed. The Triple Cheese Spinach Mancotti I make is an example of one of those instances. 

At first, I tried Ragu. It had a chemical aftertaste to it that I didn't like. DH even mentioned that it tasted like chemicals. I then tried Prego. It wasn't as bad as Ragu, but it still wasn't wanted I wanted. When Barilla started showing up on the grocery store shelves and we started using their pasta, I decided to give their sauces a try. 

We have tried three of their sauces so far; the Traditional, the Marinara, and the Tomato & Basil. We have liked all of them. The sauces have a fresh tomato taste without any chemical aftertaste. I have used them in many recipes and even used it with spaghetti noodles as a quick side dish. Barilla sauces and Barilla pastas are just simply one of those perfect products!

Simply Perfect Product: Whole Grain Pasta

In our effort to eat healthier, we have tried to switch all of the pasta we eat to whole wheat pasta or whole grain pasta. We have found that we actually like the texture and taste better than regular pasta. When it is reheated or frozen, it stays firmer than regular pasta. 

Muller's pasta use to be our choice of pasta and we still use it in a pinch, but I would much rather use Barilla pasta. I like the it cooks up better and it has a better taste than Mueller's. Barilla pasta comes in all the usual types of pasta and a few different kinds. All of their pastas are also GMO free. Barilla's website has a ton of info about their pastas, from how to cook it to how to measure it. They also have a recipe section full of recipes for every skill level of cooking. 

Barilla whole grain pasta is simply one of perfect products! Enjoy! 

A Week Of Party Recipes: Chip Beef Cheese Ball

A Chip Beef Cheese Ball is my favorite party food. I am usually the first to get into and wind up eating the most of it. However, I had a problem. I didn't know how to make one. My momma has told me many times how to make it but I need a recipe to follow and I finally found the one. Haven't tried it yet, but I am ready to.

Chip Cheese Ball

• 3 - 8 oz. blocks of cream cheese
• 4 - 2.5 oz. pkgs. of chipped beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 Tbsp of Accent
• 2 Tbsp of Worcestshire Sauce

 

This recipe will make 2 cheese balls. To make one cut all the ingredient measurements in half. 

 

Combine the cream cheese with 3 packages of chipped beef. Add the onion, Accent, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well. Form into 2 balls.

 

Chop up the other package of chipped beef into fine pieces. Roll the cheese balls in the finely chopped beef. Chill and then serve with your favorite type of crackers.

 

This will keep in the frig for up to 3 weeks. 

 

I love, love this! I am so going to make one for the upcoming holiday celebrations!