Oven "Fries"

I don't own a frier...and I really don't like French Fries! But I LOVE these fries that are cooked in the oven and seasoned by me! I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher cookbook and I have used it for fries ever since...so not only are they good, they are kind of good for you!
Oven "Fries"
1 1/4 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch strips (I have a mandolin, but I have cut them with a knife before too)
3/4 teaspoon sea salt (kosher is good too!)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
(sometimes I add 1/2 teaspoon garlic, shallot, or onion powder)

Place your baking sheet in the oven and preheat oven to 450*.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the sugar into a bowl with cold water to cover. Soak 15 minutes; drain and blot dry with a towel or paper towels.
In another large bowl combine oil and paprika (and other desired spices). Toss in the potatoes being sure to cover potatoes in oil and seasonings.
Place the seasoned potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake, turning the potatoes over as they brown (I usually turn them at 20min.,30 min. and 40 min. time), until cooked through (about45 minutes). Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt.

Per serving (1/4 of the potatoes): 159 cal, 3 g fat, 3 g fiber, 2 g protein, WW points: 3 (not the new way of calculating though)

Quick Sunday Sauce

What do you do with all of that extra roast from the Lazy Cook's Pot Roast?! You make Quick Sunday Gravy! This sauce was to die for and took that pot roast to another realm!

Easy Sunday Sauce 
adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2011 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground Italian sausage, out of casing (I use sweet, but hot would be yummy too!)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (I freeze the rest)
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup beef (or chicken) broth
1 can crushed tomatoes
2 cups shredded leftover chuck roast meat
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound of cooked pasta (I prefer penne rigate, or some other tubular pasta)

Heat oil in Dutch oven (or large pot) over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Drain.
Cook onions in sausage fat over medium heat until see through. Add tomato paste, garlic, sugar and spices. Cook until tomato paste begins to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add broth, scraping up all of the brown bits and simmer until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, roast, reserved sausage, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until slightly thickened (at least 20 minutes...this is when I start to cook the pasta). Season with salt and pepper and serve over pasta.
 

Lazy Cook's Pot Roast

Have I told you how much I LOVE Cook's Country? This is a Cook's Illustrated Magazine that has some fabulous recipes all with full color pictures and NO adds! I buy the book at the years end (it is my scheduled Christmas present from Jason each year!). I have 5 years now and I continue to use the recipes and helpful hints found in the book! Here is where you can order yours! You can even get digital copies or get a subscription to their website...I am sure they are both cheaper than the book, but I LOVE to have the actual books!
**You will need an 18 in side roll of heavy duty aluminum foil.
What should you do with all of those delicious leftovers? Well make Easy Sunday Gravy with pasta!

Chuck Roast In Foil
adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2011 magazine
RUB:
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

CHUCK ROAST:
1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast
2 onions, peeled and quartered
6 small red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce 


1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300*.
2. Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Pat roast dry with paper towels. Separate roast into 2 pieces along natural seam and trim fat to 1/4 inch thickness (I just shaved most of mine off). Tie with kitchen twine around each roast at 1 inch intervals. (I totally forgot the twine...it still turned out amazing!)
4. Crisscross two 30 by 18 inch sheets of heavy duty tin foil inside a large roasting pan (I have a rather small one, but it still worked!) Place vegetables and bay leaves in the center of the foil and drizzle with the soy sauce. Set roasts on top of vegetables. Rub roasts all over with rub. Fold opposite corners of foil toward each other and crimp edges tightly to seal. Transfer pan to oven and cook until meat is completely tender (about 4 1/2 hours).
5. Remove roasts from foil pouch and place on carving board. Tent meat with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Discard onions and bay leaves. Using clotted spoon, place carrots and potatoes on serving platter. Strain the contents of roasting pan though a fine mesh strainer into a fat separator.  Let liquid settle then pour the defatted pan juices into serving bowl. 
6. Remove kitchen twine from roasts. Slice roasts thinly against the grain and transfer to platter with vegetables. Pour 1/2 cup pan juices over meat. Serve with remaining pan juices.

Next time I will try this recipe in the crock pot and see how it goes!
 

"Fried" Zucchini

I LOVE zucchini and cannot wait until my plant explode with them during the summer! This is an easy and delicious way to use up all of those zucchini!

"Fried" Zucchini
4 zucchini, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
basil (I used dried, but fresh is great too!)
salt
2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced zucchini and heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another 3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp, but tender.
Remove from heat and stir in basil, salt and Parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings, 3/4 cups each.

Waffles with Easy Strawberry Sauce

This was my Mother's Day breakfast...I didn't make these (although I have several times)...but they were DELICIOUS! Go Jason! This recipe is from the Food Network Magazine, but I couldn't find it on their website. So here it is:
Classic Waffles
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
5 tablespoons melted shortening
4 tablespoons melted butter

Whisk all dry ingredients together. Mix in the wet ingredients one at a time. Cook in a waffle iron until crisp. Top with butter and syrup.

Easy Strawberry Sauce
1/4 cup strawberry (really any flavor works) jam
Place the jam in a microwavable mug and heat the jam for about 30 seconds. Serve. (I know...who knew it could be this easy!)  

Perfect French Toast

I had a hankering for some delicious French Toast! I have been hanging on to this recipe that I clipped out of my Food Network Magazine a while ago and decided to give it a whirl. TRY it...it is AMAZING!
Perfect French Toast!
I served it up with fresh strawberries, a little syrup and a dollop of whipped cream.

Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Sauce

This has been one of my favorites since childhood....my mom never made them (because she makes some other delicious enchiladas) but, I had them all the time at church functions...it was a favorite. So here it is...
Chicken Enchiladas with Cream Sauce
1 small can chopped green chiles (I use Ortega)
1 medium onion, diced
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
12 white corn tortillas (you can use yellow too)
1 cup grated cheese (I use cheddar, but you can use Monterrey Jack...whatever floats your boat)
Sauce:
2 cans reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1 (15oz) can fat free evaporated milk
8 oz fat free sour cream (or you can use plain yogurt)

Warm oven to 350*. Grease a 9x13 pan with Pam.
Saute chicken with onion. While the chicken is cooking, toast (brown) corn tortillas in a hot frying pan (make sure you get both sides!). Once the onion is cooked through and chicken is toasty brown, add the chiles and warm until fragrant. Take chicken mixture off the burner.
In a bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Add about 1/3 of the sauce to the chicken mixture.
Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture in a tortilla. Roll up and place in the pan. Repeat and place each roll next to the other in the pan, side by side. Spread sauce over the top of the enchiladas in your pan (I don't use all the rest of the sauce because I don't like mine to be soupy, but it is your call to how much you want to add).
Bake at 350* for 20 minutes, Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Another variation: I make this like a lasagna using the tortillas like noodles and the sauce and chicken like the filling adding a little cheese on each layer. It is good both ways! 

ENJOY!

Vegetable Fried Rice with Bacon

This is another GREAT recipe from Food Network! We love it...we just substitute cabbage for the watercress..my kids were not such a fan of watercress, but it was good the first time we had it! We have made it several times since! Yummy! Click here and enjoy!