Harvest Potatoes with Apples

I realize that it's been two weeks since I've posted, and I apologize for that. I don't have a good excuse, so let's just suffice it to say that I lag.

I do have a sweet recipe to share with you though. Call it make up food if you'd like.

This is one of my favorite fall dishes, and I discovered it at a church potluck several years ago. I never did find out who brought the dish so I couldn't wrestle the recipe from them, and I was forced to try to recreate it through trial and error. I think I've got it now.

Here's what you need: yams, Granny Smith apples (or any firm baking apple), cinnamon sugar, butter (of course), water, cornstarch, brown sugar, and salt. And while we're on the subject, why do we call yams sweet potatoes when sweet potatoes are not the same? I don't get it, but I cave to peer pressure so I'm calling the yams potatoes too. Sue me.

By the way, do you like my new counter tops and back splash? Oh, oh, oh! There's an excuse. My kitchen has been torn apart. And okay, that was three weeks ago, but I've been recovering.

Yeah, that's it.

I'm actually going to do a before and after post, but I've got to clean the cabinets first and put the new hardware on. It could be January before that happens. Or summer. I did get my Christmas letter for last year out in August, so it will happen, it's just a matter of when.

Anyway, enough of the blathering on about nothing, here's the recipe card. I think you should make this. The world needs more beta carotene.

Enjoy!

Cranberry and Dried-Cherry Sauce

I imagine you're all in the thick of your Thanksgiving preparations, as am I, but I wanted to take a minute to pop in and share this recipe with you.

I'm generally not a big fan of cranberry sauce on my turkey, but I did grow up with the oh so attractive gelatinous version on the Thanksgiving table. It always made me giggle that it was on a pretty plate, yet it was in the shape of the can it came in, wearing every dip and curve from the can it was so carefully popped out of.

This recipe is nothing like that. This cranberry sauce is pretty and tasty. The perfect combination. I originally found this recipe in a Bon Appetit Thanksgiving issue, and I've been making it every year since.

Here are the ingredients: frozen cranberry juice cocktail, water, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, ground allspice, dried tart cherries, and whole cranberries.

Just bring the first five ingredients to a boil . . . 

. . . drop the cherries in . . .

. . . and finally, the cranberries.

They're so pretty.

These cranberries have been cooking for about seven minutes now and they're starting to pop, which is what I want.

Almost there.

From there, you just pour it into your serving dish and let it cool. You can serve it cold or at room temperature, either way, it's yummy. With or without the turkey.

Here's the recipe card. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Potato Salad

Now that the kids are out of school, I have summer on the brain, and summer means lazy days and picnics. Unless your name is Peanut Head. Then you have to go to work and make money so your wife and kids can stay home and play. Sorry, Peanut Head.

If it makes you feel any better, we'll save you some potato salad.

Actually, I'm not a big fan of potato salad, but Peanut Head loves it so I have to know how to make it.


Here are the ingredients: potatoes, mayonnaise, ground mustard, salt, pepper, celery, onion, pickle relish, hard-boiled eggs, and paprika.

Which reminds me, someone asked me what I think of the Olive Oil mayonnaise. I hate it.

I guess I should probably tell you that I hate mayonnaise, so you should never ask me what I think of mayonnaise. Peanut Head likes mayo though, and he thinks it's great, so there you have it.

Potato Salad is super easy to make.


And now you have a recipe card for it too. Enjoy!

Carmelized Sweet Potatoes

I am officially freaking out about Thanksgiving right now. I just sat down to sketch out the menu and I think I'm a little behind.

By my calculations, I should at least have my pie crusts made and waiting in the freezer.

Oh no, wait, I still have to grocery shop too. Oh yeah.

And clean my house. Oh crap!

And my Mama Lama is flying in Tuesday night and the guest room is half full up to the ceiling with stuff. The bed is piled high with stuff I need to deal with and make decisions about what to do with.

Guess I'll be stuffing it all under my crop tables. Hee, hee.

You might think I'm kidding, but really, I do this. Seriously, who's going to look?

Well, maybe my mom will now, but at least she won't be sleeping with it.

All that stress aside, let's turn to food.

I hope none of y'all are on a diet right now. Bad time of year to be cuttin' back, you know?

You'd be just setting yourself up for failure.

We can talk about moderation later, right?

Good. Glad that's settled. Right now you need to think about making these sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. I know you've already done your grocery shopping, and Susie probably already printed out her little menus, but I think you need to go back out and get what you need to make this.

I don't remember where I got this recipe. I used to make the marshmallows on top version, then I graduated to a spiced up version I got from Bon Appetit, and now these are my go to sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving.

I promise you, people that don't eat sweet potatoes will be eating these potatoes. Just ask Girl Genius. That girl is picky and she loves these. I sent her home with some and she was beating her family off with a broom.

No lie.

Party Potatoes

I just made these potatoes for the first time in years. It's probably been ten years since I made them, and I have no idea why.

Where have these potatoes been this last decade?

Actually, they've been buried in my recipe binder. The one that I disassembled when I started making recipe cards.

Because I'm compulsive, I decided I was going to methodically go through all my recipes and decide, one at a time, which recipes were worthy of their own digitally scrapbooked recipe card.

It's taking me awhile.

Towards that goal, I give you this recipe. These potatoes are gooooooood. And easy.

I originally got the recipe from Velveeta, and it was actually titled Bakersfield Party Potatoes.

Well, I've been to Bakersfield, California, and I'd prefer not to think about it when I'm eating these delicious potatoes, so I abbreviated the name for the sake of the recipe card.

It's nothing personal, Bakersfield. It's just that I have an unpleasant Bakersfield memory.

Picture this, it was July of 2005 and the girls and I were traveling through Bakersfield on our way home to Idaho. July is not the most pleasant time of year in Bakersfield. Although I wouldn't quite call it the armpit of America, it gets pretty close when the temperatures climb.

On our drive through, we had to stop for an emergency potty break, and when we got back in the van, 18,000 flies joined us.

We spent the next 10 hours of driving rolling the windows up and down, trying to rid ourselves of the nasty hitchhikers.

All the while my hysterical oldest child was freaking out about the flies and screaming every time one landed near her. That is, frequently.

Good times.

Eew. I seriously do not want you to be thinking about flies when you look at this recipe, so I don't know why I even went there. Just erase it from your psyche.

So, the recipe. You might think this recipe looks a lot like the recipe for Funeral Potatoes, but this recipe is a little different. First of all, it doesn't use sour cream and it uses only 1 can of the Cream of Chicken soup.

Although there are quite a few versions of Funeral Potatoes. I suppose that, to someone, this recipe could actually be Funeral Potatoes.

That's neither here nor there though.

These potatoes are just the right amount of crunchy and chewy.

And I'm pretty sure they aren't Weight Watchers approved.

You'll love 'em though. I promise. Make them today. Oh, and you're going to need some butter.