Baked Sweeeet Potato Fries

Do I have some extra "e"s in there, why yes, yes I do.  And guess what, it's on purpose because they are SWEET!  And guess what else, they are good for you!  It's almost wrong really, that something so good can be good for you.  Let's consider it a blessing.

So how do we make these bad boys?  That's easy too!  It's almost too much.  All of you that just fainted from this overwhelming news....I'll give you a moment to regain your composure.

Okay.  What you don't know is that I didn't give you a moment, but this isn't going anywhere so I didn't really need to. (They are pictured here with roasted chicken and corn bread stuffing)

Slice the ends of a sweet potato, then cut it half.  Cut the halves into quater inch thick strip (like a steak fry).  Preheat the oven to 425.  Drizzle the sweet potatoes with a light coating of olive oil.  Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of nutmet, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne pepper, then salt and pepper.  (You can adjust the spices to your own liking).  Toss the sweet potatoes so they are evenly coated and put on a baking sheet.

Now, this is very important.  How do I know this?  Because I didn't do this and ended up with a soggy mess.  Place them on a baking sheet with plenty of space around each one.  If you are making a large batch, use two baking sheets (of 17 if you have a super big oven). 

Bake for about 35 minutes turning at least once.  (they should be cooked through and have a light crust on them).

I like to serve them with ketchup mixed with honey! 

These are mighty tasty I tell you, mighty...wait...sweeeet!!

Time to get a little Bulgur

Hahaha, bulgur instead of vulger, get it?  Sometimes I hurt myself.

So I spent WAY too much time this weekend watching Food Network and saw a recipe by Ina Garten for a Greek Bulgur Wheat salad.  She used it to stuff a pita, but I wanted it as a warm salad.  I wasn't sure how it would be, especially since I've never had or heard of bulgur wheat before.  But you know what, not only is it good for you, it's mighty tasty too! 

My first challenge was finding it because I didn't really know what i was looking for.  I looked with the rice, with the beans, I hunted two places high and low.  Finally, like a sign from the heavens, I checked by the baking goods and there it was by the flour. 

Cook bring 2 cups of chicken broth to a boil and pour over 1 cup of bulgar wheat.  Allow to sit for about 15-20 minutes and drain off extra broth. 

Chop 2 cups or so of cherry tomatoes in half.

Chop 4 tablespoons or so of fresh mint

Chop 1/4 cup of green onion

Place over bulgur wheat while it's still warm, add 1/2 cup of feta cheese and squeeze the juice of one lemon over the top, then toss.  Salt and pepper to taste.

I really found this surprisingly good!  I will definately make it again. 

Oh, and I actually remembered to take a picture of it this time!  Yes, I just use my phone and don't have any models, so it's real and raw :O)

Tuna Fish?

Okay, so i'm sure many of you are looking at this like "This guy has to mean like tuna steak or something", but no, I mean tuna from a can.  It's one of those things we often make but never really give much thought.  I used to be someone who would just drain the can, add some Miracle Whip and call it good...and sometimes I still do. But, then I thought, I season everything else, why am I not seasoning this?   So I tried a few things and this has become my favorite.

Add to the tuna, some dill weed, half the juice from a lemon, and some Adobo seasoning (I'll post about this alone later, because it's the best seasoning you could ever ask for). Add your miracle whip, mayo which ever you choose, and ta da!  You have one killer tuna sandwich. Kick it up one more notch with some shredded parmesean cheese!

Gooey Chocolate Caramel orange cake with marshmellow fluff frosting

Okay, I do wish you all luck, becuase remember I'm not a big measurer, but here it goes!

First off, let me say I like to "cheat" when cheating is really necessary.  So start with mixing up on box of white cake mix.  Easy. Pour into two round cake pans, like those 8 inch ones or whatever they are.  Add about 2 tablespoons of ground nutmeg and cinnamon to the mix and blend well.

Now, over a double boiler (I say that because it sounds like I know what I'm doing, what I really mean is in a glass bowl over a pan with some boiling water in it) you'll make your chocolate.  One bag of dark chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons of butter, and 1/4 cup of heavy cream. (measurements you say?  I'm totally just trying to be close).  Then add the zest of one orange.  Once it's melted and combined, remove from heat and bring it to cool slightly, but not completely. 
How about some caramel?  Okay!  Put about 2 cups of sugar in a pot that has a heavy bottom.  Add about 1/4 cup of water.  Bring to a boil.  Keep watching, using the water will cook the sugar more slowly so you don't burn the caramel.  Once the sugar starts to cook, as the water boils out, it will start to color.  Once it turns slightly tan, add 4 tablespoons of butter, 3 teaspoons of orange liquer, and 1/4 cup of cream.  It will be bubbling pretty good at this point.  Once it starts to get kind of foamy on the top, it's about ready.  Also, the color will give it away.  When it looks like caramel, it's caramel!  Remove from the heat and allow to cool.  The stuff is HOT and can burn you easily, so be careful my friends!
Now, spoon some of the caramel sauce and chocolate sauce over the top of the cake batter in the pans, then run a knife through it so it draws ribbons across the cake.  Then bake per the box instructions, but you'll probably need to add 5-10 minutes because of the caramel and chocolate in there.  Once it's complete, allow to cool well before trying to remove from the pans!  Trust me, I didn't with one and it was a crumbled mess that I had to mold back together.  unles you like molding food. 
The frosting?  Easy peasy.  2 cups of whipping cream, 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 3 tablespoons of orange juice. Whip away until you have stiff peaks!  Then, mix in one container of marshmellow fluff (or beat it in). 
Now, one of your round cakes on whatever it's foundation will be, then spread some of the frosting on the top, set the next layer on, then frost the entire cake and put in the fridge.  I also added coconut to the outer layer of frosting because I wanted to.

The steps I didn't include, to save you stress, was trip over the dog 3 times, burn your finger on the caramel because you're trying to taste it too soon, and keep the beater in the bowl while it is running or you'll end up with a frosted kitchen and a happy dog that you will..once again...trip over.

Okay, there you have it!  The first recipe blog.  I'm a blogger now! 

Blog Post #1

Well hello!

So, someone told me I should blog about the food I cook and eat.  Mainly because I'm a big eyeballer...not a lot of measuring or recipe following, so a few months later I can't remember how I made something. 

Let me say, I've never blogged or even followed a blog, so this could be a complete mess or, as I prefer to look at it, a completely unique experience!

So Jaymie, here it is!  I'll see what I can do to post the recipe for the cake I made today (and don't expect a lot of baking, that requires a lot of measuring, which as stated above, I don't like. 

Let's see how this goes, or if it goes anywhere!   Oh, and I'm going to be typing fast and not spell checking.  Plus, the shift key on the left side of my keyboard is not working without hittting it real hard, so I may not have correct upper and lower case letters, but I can think of worse things. :O)