Sweet Potato Fries

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Ingredients
3 sweet potatoes
olive oil
season salt

Directions
Cut sweet potatoes into desired "finger friendly" shapes- like fries, wedges, etc. Lightly baste potatoes with olive oil and then sprinkle desire salt. Bake in oven for 30 minutes on 450 degrees, turning halfway through.

Notes
THESE ARE SOOO GOOD & HEALTHY! Make sure to wash them well. You may peel them if you'd like, but by keeping the skins on you'll have more nutrients. Yum!

Baked Potatoes

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This post may seem a little silly, but I thought I'd post how to make a good baked potato. I LOVE bake potatoes, but don't really eat them nearly enough do to time. I know some of us just nook them in the micro, but do you know that by doing that you take away LOTS of NUTRITIONAL value? So if you can find the time, make the effort to bake a potato the healthier way. Sure if you LOAD it up, you may be scratching off some "goodness" to it, but hey make it yours!
This was a cute site that showed simple steps. I placed all the steps below in case you wanted to skip the pictures & all.

Directions:

First, you need some taters. Russet potatoes are the most popular for baking, either large or small. I like small so I can eat a few. This way I get more tasty, crunchy potato skin in my portion.

You are also going to need some oil (Olive or Canola oil) and some salt. Many people prefer Kosher or sea salt. Any will do.

Clean your potatoes with a stiff-bristled brush and cold water. Once you've thoroughly cleaned the potatoes, look them over and remove any bruises or discolored spots.

Using your average fork work your way around each potato stabbing deeply into it's flesh. 6-12 stabs should do it depending on the size of the potatoes you are using. This allows steam to escape during the cooking process.

'Take a small bowl and add just a splash of your chosen oil, and have a container ready for the taters once they've been oiled.

The objective is to LIGHTLY coat each potato with oil. How you do this is up to you. My method is to lightly dab each potato in the oil and then use my hands to spread the dab around the entire spud.

Then lightly salt each one and put aside as you wait for the oven to heat up.

Arrange potatoes directly on the oven's wire rack at 350°F. Place a baking sheet to catch any drippings.

Cooking time will vary from 1 hour and up depending on the size and quantity of potatoes you cook. If you're only cooking a couple, the time should be less. The skin should be puffed up, golden-brown and crispy, and the potato should squish easily and be very soft on the inside. Careful, potatoes retain heat for quite a while!

To open a baked potato, take your fork and stab a dotted line half way around a potato, then using your thumb and index finger squeeze at both ends of the line. It will pop right open.

There you have it, easy and delicious baked potatoes! Now that you've learned how to bake a potato, you get to have fun dressing it with your favorite topping and eating it! Yummmm..

Grilled/Broiled Broccoli

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I had to share this cause it is SO DANG good & healthy for you. This is my families new favorite veggie kick. I had a girlfriend post it on her family blog, and I had to try it out. So easy & so delicious.

Ingredients:

Fresh broccoli
olive oil
salt

Directions:

Wash & cut broccoli according to the desire size. Our family like them big, long & with stems. Place on a broiler pan or cookie pan. Brush each broccoli with a light amount of olive oil. Salt to taste. If you have a grill, you can grill them up. Otherwise place broiler on 400 & cook for 5-10 minutes. Watch them closely. You'll want them to get a little crispy & brown. Remove & enjoy! Yum!

Aunt's Zucchini Casserole

Ingrediants:

3 medium zucchini sliced
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 onion chopped
1 stick butter
garlic
Hi Ho Crackers

Directions:

Saute' sliced zucchini, onion, and butter together. Slowly add in cream cheese once you see zucchini is cooked. Mix well until cream cheese is melted. Place in safe oven dish. Cook for 20 minutes on 350 degrees. Remove & add crackers crumbled on top. Place back in oven for 15 more minutes.

Review:

This is my aunt Lisa's recipe that she often makes during the holidays. It is delicious. Again another great side dish for any meal & easy to prepare!

Mama's Squash Casserole

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Ingredients:

2 lbs cooked & sliced squash
1 stick butter, melted
3 cups Pepperidge Farm® Corn Bread Stuffing
1/2 pint sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 large carrot, grated
1 small onion, grated
2 tablespoon chopped pimento

Directions:

Mix butter & dressing together. Reserve 1/2 of this mixture for topping in separate bowl.

Combine cooked squash, 1/2 dressing, sour cream, chicken soup, carrot, onion, & pimento. Mix well & place in oven safe dish. Top mixture with the 1/2 dressing that was reserved.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Review: This is my momma's yummy recipe! It always reminds me of the holidays. It's a great dish to serve up if you don't want plan 'ol stuffing & some veggies in your diet. You can add zucchini too, but I never really have. Even though it's not the holidays right now, this recipe would still go good with some chicken on the side with salad. Do it up! You'll love it!

Sweet Potato Casserole

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This is the best sweet potato casserole EVER! I'm not a big fan of the marshmallows people usually put in sweet potato casserole. This recipe was given to me from a friend. It use to be made by her grandmother. When I finally made it & ate it...it reminded me just of my momma's sweet potatoes. Ive never compared the ingredients with this recipe with my mom's, but I'm sure it's pretty close. This dish is sweet, but not soooo sweet that you can't taste the flavor of the sweet potatoes.

Ingredients:

Filling:
5 cups of smashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 c. light brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1/3 c. butter
1 c. chopped walnuts

Directions:
Peel, chop & boil sweet potatoes until soft. Put all "Filling" ingredients into a bowl & mix on low with beaters. Put filling into a casserole dish. Mix "toppings" together and place on top (crumbled) of filling. Bake at 375 for 20- 25 minutes. Enjoy! MY KIDS LOVE THIS!

Swiss Vegetable Medley

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Ingredients:
1 bag frozen broccoli, carrots & cauliflower (thawed and drained)
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1 jar (4 oz) chopped pimento (drained)
1 can French fried onions

Directions:
Combine vegetables, soup, 1/2 cup cheese, sour cream, pepper, pimento and 1/2 can onions. Pour into 1 quart casserole dish. Baked covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered 5 minutes of more.

Notes: If you have a large party, you can actually use 2 (16 oz) frozen bags of vegetables. You do not need to double the rest of the ingredients. If you do not have swiss cheese, you may substitute Italian blend cheese. I use the large can of fried onions. THIS IS MY FAVORITE VEGGIE DISH! If you are tired of the same ol' green bean casserole, try this recipe instead. I promise you won't be disappointed. This recipe was given to me by my mom. Love you mom! I saw a similar recipe on allrecipes.com, but it's missing the pimento...which is a yummy ingredient. Let me know what you think if you try this out!