Baked Sweet Potato Fries

What could possibly be better with the Stromboli sandwich from yesterday, than sweet potato fries?!? I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes and will eat them anyway I can! I prefer to bake the fries over frying not only because its a healthier alternative, but also for an easier clean up. I find that sticking the sheet pan in the oven as soon as the pre-heat cycle starts helps to crisp up the fries even more during the baking process. The recipe below calls for a little bit of brown sugar, but if you are a fan of ginger, I would also recommend a few shakes ground ginger to the mix.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

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2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil greased with cooking spray.

Halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and cut each half into long spears. Soak potatoes in cold water for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry.

Place the potato spears on the sheet pan and toss with olive oil. Spread them in a single layer. Combine the brown sugar, salt, and pepper and sprinkle on the potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn with a spatula or tongs. Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and serve hot.

Source: Annie’s Eats

Stromboli Sandwiches

This recipe comes from my dear sister-in-law and is one of my favorite hot sandwiches! The weather in NY got a little chilly last week. Our temperatures were in the sixties and I started to get in the mood for some comfort food. This is an easy prep, easy assembly, and quick to the table kind of sandwich that both me and my hubby enjoy. I will admit that I have not had a proper Stromboli before, so I have no clue how close this version compares to the real thing, but we both love it and that is good enough for us! My SIL’s version calls for using Jimmy Dean Sausage, but up here in the North there are a lot of good Italian sweet and hot sausages that would also work for this sandwich. It also makes for a good left over lunch sandwich the next day!

Stromboli Sandwiches

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1/2 lb Jimmy Dean Sausage, or other breakfast sausage

1/4 lb lean ground beef

1/4 of a medium sized onion, chopped

1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms (I used a can)

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed

1 loaf Italian bread

Mozzarella cheese, sliced

Combine the sausage, beef, onion, mushrooms, and green peppers in a non-stick skillet and cook over medium heat until meat is no longer pick. If needed, drain meat to remove grease and return to pan.

Stir in water, tomato paste, Parmesan cheese, salt, oregano, garlic, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for five minutes or until thickened.

While the mixture is simmering, cut the top third off the loaf of bread and carefully hollow out the bottom, leaving a 1/2 inch shell. Line the bottom half of the bread with mozzarella cheese. Top with sausage mixture and add another layer of mozzarella cheese. Replace bread top.

Wrap sandwich loaf in foil and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let stand for five minutes before slicing.

Source: The Brookshire Fam; originally from Taste of Home

Peach Crumb Tartelettes

I have been enjoying peach season thus far, but I always end up over purchasing peaches! I guess my eyes are bigger than my stomach when I shop! On the other hand, I was secretly hoping to have extra peaches so I could make a sweet treat with them. I saw this recipe on my reader and new I needed to make them. Cute little mini peach pies that you can quickly devour in one bite, complete with a crumb topping and all the peach flavor one can desire! I guess the family enjoyed them too because they were not around for long!

Have a great weekend…I’m planning to enjoy the last days of summer weather. It has already started to get cooler here.

Peach Tartelettes

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1 1/2 cups finely chopped ripe peaches

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pie dough round onto floured surface, as thinly as possible. Using a round cookie cutter, cut dough into small rounds. Place rounds into a 24 cup mini muffin pan. Prick dough with a fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden; remove from oven and cool completely.

In a small saucepan, stir together peach, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and lemon juice until combined; bring mixture to a boil; cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in vanilla until combined.

To make the crumb topping, in a medium bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar and salt until combined; knead in butter, using fingertips or a fork, until well incorporated and mixture clumps together.

Spoon peach filling into tart cups. Evenly sprinkle crumb topping over each tart. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer tartelettes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: Sugar Plum

Zucchini, Shallots, and Parmesan

After discovering how much I enjoy zucchini, I have been trying different ways to incorporate it into our weeknight meals. The recipe includes many of my favorite ingredients, so I knew it would make for a delicious side! The shallots gave the dish a nice mild onion flavor and the parmesan added a hint of salty flavor, both pairing well with the zucchini. I loved this dish so much, I actually think I ate more of it than our main course of the evening! The zucchini season will be ending soon, which I’m a little bummed about since I have so many more recipes to try. Who knows, maybe I’ll plant my own zucchini next season.

Zucchini, Shallots, and Parmesan

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3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large shallots, chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 cups sliced zucchini

1/2 cup freshly shredded Parmesan

Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a nonstick skillet over low, heat olive oil. Add shallots and cook on low until they are soft, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, mix well, and allow to cook for 1 minute.

Add zucchini, salt, and pepper. Sauté over medium-low, turning occasionally, until cooked through, but not wilted, about 10 minutes.

Once the zucchini is cooked, sprinkle with Parmesan and toss quickly so that it is evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

Source: The Novice Chef Blog; originally adapted from The Family Kitchen

Cajun Pork Chops

You can almost always find some type of pork on sale at the grocery store every week. Last week it was bone-in pork chops, which at the time sounded pretty good. I typically cook pork chops right on the stove top, but last week I was in the mood for grilling. I found this recipe while searching and it sounded like what I was in the mood for. While the spice didn’t scream Cajun, it still provided the pork with lots of flavor. Both my husband and I thought it tasted more like a barbecue rub. Although I resisted, it would have gone great with our homemade barbecue sauce! We both enjoyed the dish and were happy to get out and grill!

On another note – my lighting equipment broke on me last week, so I was forced to take some not-so good photos. I have since fixed the problem, but this weeks pics are not the best.

Cajun Pork Chops

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6 whole Pork Chops

3 tablespoons Paprika

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 teaspoon Cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons Salt

3/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

2 1/2 Tablespoons brown sugar

Mix the paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, salt, pepper, and brown sugar together in a small bowl. Generously rub the spice mix on the outside of each pork chop and work it in as well as possible. Let sit, covered, in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Grill pork chops on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes on each side, or until the pork reaches 165 degrees.

Source slightly adapted from: Tasty Kitchen