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Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

February 13, 2013 by 6 Comments

Maple Cinnamon Candied Almonds from Foodie with Family

I often refer to my husband as ‘The Evil Genius’ and realized that maybe to some that sounds like an insult. Let me explain this little term of endearment. When he and I were dating, I posed a question that has probably been asked in one form or another by many geeks the world over: “If Star Wars was real life, would you be part of the Rebel Alliance or the Empire?”

I expected the answer to be a solid “REBEL!” like mine was. Instead, he cocked his head to the side, looked thoughtful for a moment and replied, “The Empire. They have better technology.”

I married into the Dark Side, people, ’cause the Dark Side was cute.

The ‘genius’ part of it is pretty self explanatory. My husband is just plain brilliant. He solves problems other people can’t solve. He programs giant machines to do robotic things. He can rig ANYTHING to work. Seriously. He used to carry a golf club in an old car that used to stall at traffic lights because he figured out that three sharp raps to the upper right quadrant of the hood with that golf club would start the engine back up without him having to get out of the car. I love that man.

My sweet Evil Genius’s favourite snacks are dried fruit and nuts. Specifically, he loves raisins and almonds. He likes to munch them straight from the jar and he looooooooves to put them on salads. He would rather have a salad covered in almonds and raisins than just about anything else in the world.

And I’d rather make him happy than just about anything else in the world, so for Valentine’s Day, I made him a snack that will make his heart go pitter pat (and Hey! Almonds! Heart healthy!! Healthy pitter patting!) with joy. I made him Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds. This simple to make treat is delicious, lasts for weeks in an airtight container, and is great for straight up snacking or garnishing salads. My darling even chopped a handful of them and tossed them into his morning oatmeal with a fistful of raisins. Happy sounds ensued.

Once the kids discovered the jar of Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds, it was all over. My thirteen year old stood over the jar and kept dipping his big paws in repeatedly. He kept sighing happily as he ate them. When he finally came up for air, he said, “I can’t help myself! They taste like little cookies!”

He’s right, really. The rich maple syrup and fragrant cinnamon form a sweet, crunchy crust around the roasted almonds that is kind of like a cinnamon raisin cookie, but mapley. And as odd as it might sound, when tossed onto a spinach salad with crumbled bleu cheese and oil and vinegar, the roasted candied nuts stop tasting like cookies and instead provide the perfect little burst of sweetness and crunch.

Let’s talk maple syrup choice for a moment. I prefer to use a dark, strong maple syrup because it takes less syrup to impart a oomphy maple flavour. If you’re not a hard-core maple syrup fan, you can substitute dark Karo syrup or brown sugar in equal parts for the syrup.

Make a batch of Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds for your sweetie or yourself today. Or if you’re like me and you’re feeding a bunch of snack and salad loving stormtroopers, you might want to consider a double batch. Evil is always hungry.

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Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

Rating: 51

Cinnamon Maple Candied Almonds

Rich maple syrup and fragrant cinnamon form a sweet, crunchy crust around roasted almonds that tastes reminiscent of a cinnamon raisin cookie, but mapley. And as odd as it might sound, when tossed onto a spinach salad with crumbled bleu cheese and oil and vinegar, the roasted candied nuts stop tasting like cookies and instead provide the perfect little burst of sweetness and crunch.

Ingredients

  • 4 cups shelled, whole, raw almonds
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup (*See Notes)
  • 1/3 cup raw or granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silpat or parchment (lightly spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray.)

In a small bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon and salt together with a fork until it is evenly mixed.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until very frothy. Whisk in the maple syrup until it is evenly mixed. Toss in the almonds until they are completely coated with the egg/maple syrup mixture. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top and toss again to coat evenly. Spread the nuts in a single layer on the silpat or sprayed parchment lined sheet.

Bake the nuts for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes, until the nuts are dry to the touch. Let them cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally to break them up. When they are completely cooled, transfer them to airtight containers -like mason jars- and store at room temperature for up to a month.

Serve as a stand-alone snack, or with dried fruit or as a garnish on salads.

Notes

*If you cannot find maple syrup or aren't a fan, substitute an equal amount of dark karo syrup or brown sugar. If you use the brown sugar, whisk the egg white with a tablespoon of water. Tada!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/13/cinnamon-maple-candied-almonds/

 

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

February 6, 2013 by 21 Comments

Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls by Foodie with Family

There are few things I like more than a soft pretzel. A soft pretzel ROLL, though? That’s taking soft pretzels to a whole new level of glory. Crusty, chewy, glossy, deep brown covered with coarse pretzel salt, a soft pretzel roll is the ultimate vehicle for any sandwich you fancy. Have you ever had a hamburger on a pretzel roll? Ungh. So good.

For me, though, the apotheosis of sandwich-i-tude is a soft pretzel roll split in half, piled high with shaved smoked ham, blanketed with a thin slice of Swiss cheese, the top half of the roll, then shoved into the oven just until the cheese has melted enough to hug the sides of the roll and run down onto the pan a bit. A hearty squirt of spicy brown mustard and a side of coleslaw makes a lunch worthy of the most beloved diner. But you get bonus points because you can eat it in yoga pants and bunny slippers and a really tatty ponytail.

The truth is, you can skip the sandwich filling and just throw a bunch of mustard on top… I won’t tell. These are big, round, soft pretzels. If you weren’t tempted, I’d wonder a little.

Soft Pretzel Rolls from Foodie with Family

Were you to divide a pretzel roll and smear the inside with Nutella? Well, all I’m saying is that you wouldn’t regret it. Here’s what I’m driving at, friends. Soft Pretzel Rolls are happy food. They make everything just that much better. Boy, do they. You need these in your life, pronto.

Don’t panic when you see the length of the recipe. It is only that long because I’ve included three options for mixing up your dough: by hand, by stand mixer, and by bread machine. Everyone needs soft pretzel rolls regardless of what kitchen gear you own. EVERYONE.

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Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

Rating: 51

Yield: 12 Sandwich sized rolls.

Soft Pretzel Sandwich Rolls

Crusty, chewy, deep brown, salty Soft Pretzel Rolls are the ultimate in sandwich bread.

Ingredients

    Ingredients for dough:
  • 4 cups (1 pound 1 ounce, by weight) bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon non-diastatic malt powder (preferably) or sugar
  • 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup hot tap water
  • 2 teaspoons SAF or instant yeast
    • Ingredients for pretzel boil:
  • 2 quarts water
  • 2 tablespoons baking soda
    • Ingredients for toppings:
  • 1 egg white, whisked until frothy
  • Coarse sea salt, kosher salt or pretzel salt

Instructions

To Make the Dough by Hand:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Set the whisk aside and switch to a sturdy wooden spoon. Stir in the milk and tap water until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a generously floured surface and knead, adding small amounts of flour as needed to keep the dough from adhering to the counter. You do not want a firm dough… it should be fairly slack, a little tacky and soft, yet smooth. Place dough in a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.

To Make the Dough by Stand Mixer:

In the work-bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour, salt, malt powder or sugar and yeast. Mix on low just to combine dry ingredients. With mixer still on low, carefully pour in the milk and water. Continue mixing on low until you have a smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough. Remove bowl from the mixer, cover with a damp tea towel and set aside to rise in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in bulk and puffy, about an hour or so.

To Make the Dough by Bread Machine:

Add the milk, water, flour, malt powder or sugar, and yeast to the pan of your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the “Dough” or “Dough Only” cycle and hit start. Allow the cycle to complete.

To Form Soft Pretzel Rolls:

Line a 11×13-inch baking sheet with a silicone or teflon pan liner. Alternatively, use an unglazed stoneware pan. Set next to your work area.

Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Use a bench knife to cut the dough into four pieces. Cut each of those quarters into 3 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into a ball, then cup your hand around the outside of the ball and roll clockwise until the top of the roll is perfectly smooth and the dough is tensely stretched over the top.

Transfer the dough balls onto the lined baking sheet, three to a row. They will expand both as they rise and again as they boil and bake. When you have dealt with all the dough, cover the pan with a tea towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffy looking, about 20 minutes.

To Cook the Pretzels:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a stainless steel or other non-reactive pan (enameled cast-iron, tempered glass, etc…) When water boils, add the baking soda. Gently lift the pretzel rolls one at a time into the boiling water. (You can boil more than one at a time, but be sure not to crowd the the pan as they will expand as they boil. Let simmer for about 45 seconds, flip the pieces and simmer for another 45 seconds-1 minute.

Use a slotted spoon to drain and return each piece to its place on the pan. Continue until all rolls have been boiled and returned to the pan. They will look a little puckery and shriveled. Do not fear! This will all work out!

Brush all of the rolls with the frothy egg white and sprinkle with coarse salt. Use a sharp knife or lame to cut an x 1/8- to 1/4-inch deep.

Place pans in oven and bake at least until golden brown, about 25 minutes, but you can bake until they are deep brown as I prefer them, closer to 35 mintues. It’s up to you!

Remove the pans from the oven and transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

You can cut the dough into 24 equal sized pieces for slider sized rolls, if you prefer.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/06/soft-pretzel-sandwich-rolls/

 

 

Filed Under: Bread, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins {giveaway closed}

February 1, 2013 by 142 Comments

Barbecue Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins from Foodie with Family

I think it’s only fair I warn you I may not be held responsible for the number of exclamation points I use because I. Am. So. EXCITED! I have a simple, fabulous recipe to share with you AND I have a super, fantastic giveaway, too.

Let’s start with the recipe because it’s almost Super Snack, er Bowl, Sunday. If you have leftover baked potatoes and pulled pork you’re already halfway there. It’s hard to imagine an easier appetizer unless it comes out of a box. The potatoes are halved and halved again, scooped to leave just a bit of potato behind in the skins, brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, then baked ’til golden brown and crispy around the edges. Then they’re piled high with pulled pork, a squirt or spoonful of your favourite barbecue sauce and topped with melty Monterey Jack cheese. Back into the oven for eight minutes to heat the pork and melt the cheese and then HEY PRESTO! You have the hit of the party.

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Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins

Rating: 51

Yield: 24 potato skins

Pulled Pork Baked Potato Skins

This barbecue sauced, pulled pork piled, gooey cheese topped, crispy baked potato skin is sure to keep the hungry crowds cheering at your game day party. Guaranteed to please the meat lovers in your life!

Ingredients

  • 6 leftover baked potatoes
  • olive oil for brushing
  • salt
  • 2 cups leftover pulled pork like this or this, or storebought
  • 3/4 cup -at least- of your favourite barbecue sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups, at least, shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Halve the leftover baked potatoes at the midsection of the potato and then halve those again lengthwise so you have quartered potatoes. Use a spoon to scoop away the insides of the potato to leave just about 1/8- to 1/4-inch thickness of potato in the skins. Brush the scooped surfaces generously with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Lay on a baking sheet, scooped sides up and bake until the top edges are golden brown and the potato has started to crisp up.

Divide the pork evenly between the potato shells, piling the pork into the scooped wells. Drizzle at least 1-2 teaspoons of barbecue sauce over the pork then return the pan to the oven until the pork and barbecue sauce are heated through, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and top each potato skin with at least 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese, or more to taste. Return the pan to the oven and bake just until the cheese is melted and hot.

Remove the pan from the oven and carefully transfer the potato skins to a serving plate. Serve hot.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/02/01/pulled-pork-baked-potato-skins-500-gift-card-giveaway/

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The platter and plate holding my potato skins above are from MacKenzie-Childs and they make me smile just to look at them.

Are you familiar with MacKenzie-Childs? If you aren’t, it’s time you were. If you are familiar with it, then you are probably getting pretty excited right now. MacKenzie-Childs sells artisan made ceramics, enamelware, housewares, furniture and accessories, but that doesn’t even begin to cover what they really give you. Everything they have is pure gorgeous whimsy. I like pretty things but looking through their offerings made audibly gasp. Just look!

MainGlamWeb2

Could it be any more gorgeous? Don’t think so! And oh my word. Look at the furniture. It’s like Alice in Wonderland in a very, VERY good way.

MainGlamWebNEWROYALS

Are you ready to find out what the giveaway is? Hmmm? To celebrate their 30th Anniversary, MacKenzie-Childs is offering a $500 Gift Card (FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!) to purchase whatever your heart desires on MacKenzie-Childs.com or in one of their stores. How much fun is that?

We’re going to try a little something different with this giveaway. Please use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter. And if you don’t mind, let me know what you think of it below. Does it make the giveaway easier? Tougher? I’d love your feedback on Rafflecopter, MacKenzie-Childs and, of course, the Barbecue Pulled Pork Potato Skins!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

January 31, 2013 by 8 Comments

Best Basic Deviled Eggs topped three ways from Foodie with Family

There are a lot of people who freak out a little when they draw deviled egg duty. Because it’s something that’s been such a mainstay of the party scene for so long, everyone knows how they’re supposed to taste and look and -let’s be honest- if your grandma, mom, or Aunt Molly didn’t share deviled egg tricks with you, the little beasts can be awfully stressful to make.

Is there anyone out there who has run to the store to buy eggs to make deviled eggs (or gone out to the chicken coop to grab fresh eggs for the project), popped them in the pan, boiled and cooled the eggs and then been utterly frustrated by the shells pulling off great chunks of hard boiled eggs? Yeah. I’ve been there, too. I’m here to tell you it isn’t your fault. Well, at least not in the way you think it is. You do not lack the ability to peel an egg, you just have eggs that are too fresh.

No joke.

If you have eggs fresh from the hen house, they will be difficult to peel at best and brain-explodingly frustrating at worst. If you have the time, you should wait at least seven to ten days before trying to boil and peel those eggs. If you get them from the store, read the expiration or sell-by date. If it is three to five weeks from now, those eggs might be too fresh to peel.

Before you throw up your hands and think all is lost, though, there are a few tricks to getting great hard-boiled eggs without a green ring that work even with fresh-ER eggs. I can’t explain why they work from a scientific stand point, but I can tell you they work for me and my one or two day old fresh-from-the-chicken eggs.

  1. To begin with, grab the oldest eggs in your refrigerator, but we’ve already covered that.

  2. Put your eggs in a single layer in the pan. Don’t double up. Don’t ask me why, just don’t do it.

  3. Cover the eggs by at least an inch but preferably closer to two inches of cool tap water.

  4. Add a hearty splash of vinegar to the water.

  5. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, put a tight fitting lid on the pan and SHUT THE HEAT OFF. I’m not kidding. Leave it alone.

  6. After fifteen minutes, immediately and I do mean RIGHT AWAY, move that pan to the sink. Using the lid to hold back the eggs, pour the hot water out of the pan.

  7. Using the lid to hold the eggs in the pan, give the pan a couple of sharp shakes back and forth, up and down.

  8. Remove the lid and let cold tap water run over them for about three minutes.

  9. Use the back of a regular old eating teaspoon to rap the egg all over under running water then flip the spoon over and ease the tip of the spoon in between the shell and the egg. Use the contour of the spoon against the egg to pull the shell away. The water should help get all the excess pieces of shell off of the egg.

  10. Repeat until done. The longer you wait to peel them, the tougher they are to peel. This accounts for why every jar of my post-Easter Yooper Pickled Eggs looks as though an angry two year old who lacks opposable thumbs peeled them.

Now that you have gotten the hard part out of the way, let’s talk filling. The filling itself is simple, but a few things will ensure that you have the ultimate deviled egg experience. I like to keep the filling simple and a touch retro.

Deviled eggs are not on the cutting edge of food fashion. I acknowledge that. There is something so comforting about seeing them on a party buffet table, though, isn’t there? No matter what else is out there, no matter how exotic the rest of the choices are, you know there’s going to be something you love to eat. Such is the real draw of the deviled egg.

Just because they’re retro doesn’t mean they have to be predictable, though. If you have a great deviled egg base (in my case, mayonnaise and Dijon mustard), you can keep the traditionalists happy AND it can serve as the platform for any number of strong toppings to keep things exciting. I like my deviled egg filling to be flawlessly smooth and I have a trick to share to make that happen, too. I present my magic deviled egg wand.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs from Foodie with Family

Yes. My magic wand is a potato ricer. It makes the silkiest work of squishing egg yolks outside of forcing all the business through a fine mesh sieve. I don’t pull a restaurant paycheck anymore, so I’m NOT going to be the girl working egg yolks through mesh. The ricer does the job beautifully and with far less effort and cleanup.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs method from Foodie with Family

Once you’ve blended the yolks in with the mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, you can opt to spoon the filling or pipe it into the egg white halves. I pipe because I like the look of it.

I leave some of them plain for the old school crowd and then go to town on the others. Green olive tapenade, spicy chili crisp (or chili garlic sauce), candied jalapenos and bacon jam are some of my favourite things to throw on top of deviled eggs. I don’t know about you, but I think it’s fun to look at a platter and have an array of colours and flavours staring back at me.

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with three toppings from Foodie with Family

So talk to me. Have you ever had a panic moment over hard-boiled eggs or are you an expert? If you are an expert, do you have any hard-boiled egg tips to share? What’s your favourite deviled egg topper or recipe?

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Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

Rating: 41

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Best Basic Deviled Eggs with Topping Ideas

The best deviled egg is a perfectly cooked hard-boiled egg filled with a creamy classic filling and then topped with imaginative goodies. This recipe gives you the technique for the perfect boiled egg, how best to peel them, AND a list of great toppers.

Ingredients

Instructions

Place eggs in a single layer in a heavy pot that has a tight fitting lid. Cover the eggs by 1- to 2-inches of cool tap water. Add a splash (a tablespoon or so) of cider vinegar to the pan. Place the pan over high heat and bring the water to a full rolling boil. As soon as it hits the full rolling boil, clamp the lid in place and shut the heat off completely. Let the eggs stand, undisturbed for exactly 15 minutes.

When the 15 minutes have passed, carefully carry the pot to the sink and use the lid to hold the eggs back while pouring off the hot water. Give the pan a couple of sharp shakes back and forth and up and down to break the shells a bit. Let a stream of cold tap water pour over the eggs for about 3 minutes.

Working with one egg at a time, use the back of an eating teaspoon to rap the egg all over and break the shells into tiny pieces. Flip the spoon over, hold the egg under a thin stream of cool water and ease the tip of the spoon between the broken shell and the egg. Use the contour of the spoon to pull the shell away from the egg. The running water should remove any leftover shell fragments. Lay the peeled egg on a clean towel.

Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Slice the eggs in half lengthwise and pop the yolks into a bowl (using a spoon to help if necessary.) Either smash the yolks with a fork or potato masher or force through a potato ricer, like I do. Mix 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard into the squashed yolks with a fork or whisk until smooth. If you'd like the filling to be creamier, add the mayonnaise 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition and adjust with the remaining Dijon mustard. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pipe or scoop the filling into the egg white halves. Serve immediately -topped as desired- or wrap before topping and refrigerate until it is time to serve.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/31/best-basic-deviled-eggs-with-topping-ideas/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

January 30, 2013 by 13 Comments

A Midwestern Taco from Foodie with Family

This is the final ‘taco’ in my three taco series to prepare us for Super Bowl but the fun doesn’t end here! Come on back tomorrow AND Friday for two wonderful done-in-a-flash appetizers. There will be a giveaway you won’t want to miss on Friday. It’s a BIG one. Bigger even than my potatoes. Believe me!

You know those questions that go something: “Which three foods would you take with you to a deserted island to eat for the rest of your life?” My rote answer to that is always “Potatoes, Onions and Cheese” If they let me choose four, I add “bacon”. If they let me choose five,  I add “chocolate”. I am a woman of priorities, you see… And potatoes, well, they’re high on that priority list. Blame it on ancestry, carb-addiction, frugality, or whatever, the fact remains that this gal needs potatoes to survive.

When I was a kid, one of my favourite meals that my mom made was a baked potato bar. My little heart skipped with joy every time I came home to the earthy smell of potatoes baking in the oven. Mom always pulled out all the goodies for topping the baked spuds. Little did I know at the time what a genius move that was to clean out the refrigerator. Odds and ends of leftover cooked meats, small amounts of four different kinds of cheese and cooked vegetables, sour cream, ranch dressing, sliced pepperoni, and whatever else we had on hand. To me, it was -quite simply- the best thing I could possibly imagine.

These Midwestern Tacos (in actuality baked potatoes with taco toppings) are in the grand tradition of my mom’s baked potato bars. I lay out all of our leftover taco toppings (around here that’s usually refried beans, chorizo/carnitas/shredded beef or chicken, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and grated cheese) and let everyone customize their spuds to their hearts’ content.

Midwestern Taco from Foodie with Family

The key here, and it really is key, is to get some good potatoes and bake them right. Thank you, Queen Obvious. What I mean is this; while almost any not-rotten potato is a good potato, there is a better potato than other potatoes to use for baked potatoes. Ahem. In a word, RUSSET. Use the biggest, prettiest, least blemished Russet potatoes that you can find. Then scrub them, let them air dry, jab them with a fork a few times, rub them with olive oil and sprinkle them with coarse salt. The reason you go to all this trouble is because it makes a crispy, crunchy, irresistible skin and fluffy, dry, perfect insides.  Minus the olive oil and salt will still yield a pretty yummy potato because as we’ve mentioned potatoes= joy, but it’ll be blandish. And a blandish potato skin is a sad potato skin. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still butter, salt and pepper it then eat the heck out of it, but I’d prefer it my way. To this day, my dad says that the biggest parenting mistake he ever made was teaching us to eat the potato skins because then he didn’t get to eat as many.

I like mega, mondo, gigantic Russets for my baked potatoes, because I feel a flutter of happiness looking at massive potatoes on my plate, but if you’re the more delicate type, or you can only find bonnie wee Russet potatoes, by all means… bake them! Again? THEY’RE POTATOES.

As for the toppings I specify in the recipe, feel free to swap things in or out for them. The idea is sound and can tolerate creativity based on likes, dislikes, and what is available. Oh, and hey. I bet it goes without saying, but just imagine how popular THIS will be if you serve it at your Super Bowl shindigs. It fits with my ultimate entertaining rule: “Make it customizable and everyone will be happy.” Well, unless they don’t eat potatoes. But if they don’t eat potatoes, shoot. I don’t know. Hand ‘em a fistful of nuts. ‘Cause that’s what they are.

…And I say that out of love.

MWAH!

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Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

Rating: 51

Midwestern Tacos | Taco Topped Baked Potatoes

Hearty, comforting, perfect baked Russet potatoes stand in for the usual taco shell in these fabulous Midwestern Tacos where the crispy, salted potato skin and fluffy potato insides carry spicy chorizo, taco or shredded meat, refried beans, grated cheese, salsa, onions, guacamole and sour cream. Let everyone customize their own. This is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday, game day or any day and is a great way to use up leftovers!

Ingredients

    For the Potatoes:
  • Desired number of large Russet potatoes, scrubbed under running water and air dried. (*See Notes)
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt (either sea or kosher)
    • Optional Toppings:
  • Fully cooked chorizo, shredded pork, chicken or beef
  • refried beans
  • shredded cheese (Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese are both good choices.)
  • salsa or taco sauce
  • chopped sweet onions
  • guacamole
  • sour cream
  • fresh cilantro or lettuce

Instructions

To Bake the Potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Use a fork to jab the potatoes about 6 to 8 times all over them.

Put the potatoes in a large mixing bowl, drizzle olive oil over them and use your hands to smear the oil over the potatoes to completely coat them. Sprinkle the potato skins with the coarse salt and lay them directly on the wire racks in the oven. Bake for 30-50 minutes, or until they are easily pierced with a fork, butterknife or cake tester. Because everyone has a different idea of what constitutes a large potato, begin testing around the 30 minute mark and go from there. My potatoes usually take closer to an hour.

Wearing oven mitts, transfer the finished potatoes to a baking dish or rack.

To Serve the Potatoes, Midwestern Taco Style:

Using a fork, repeatedly jab the potato about 3/4- to 1-inch deep in a line from end to end, overlapping a little with each poke. Turn the fork perpendicular to that line in the center and jab once at the same depth. If the potatoes are still screaming hot, put the oven mitts back on for the next step.

Hold both ends of the potatoes and squeeze gently while pressing down slightly This will make the potato BURST open at the top and make the fluffy insides craggy so that toppings can settle into the nooks and crannies or butter can melt in or whatever you put on top will soak in. This is a very good thing.

Top with desired taco toppings, starting with meats/beans/cheese and moving up through salsa, onions, ending with guacamole and sour cream, if desired. Serve immediately. Store leftover potatoes in a bowl in the refrigerator, uncovered.

Notes

Make more potatoes than you think you'll need! Leftover potatoes are great for making potato soup, potato salad, potato skins and more. Besides, a leftover potato all on its own makes a nutritious and hearty snack!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/30/midwestern-tacos-taco-topped-baked-potatoes/

 

Filed Under: Main Dish, Rebecca, Recipes, Stretching your dollars Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Slow-Cooker Garlicky Lamb and Greek Tacos | Make Ahead Monday

January 28, 2013 by 14 Comments

Slow-Cooker Garlic Lamb and Greek Tacos from Foodie with Family

In preparation for the Super Bowl next Sunday, I’m running a three-day Taco series. They’re easy, they’re delicious, they’re customizable, they’re crowd-pleasing. In short, they’re the perfect game food. Tomorrow, I’ll be serving up a vegetarian taco and Wednesday will be the taco no one saw coming. Mwahahahaha!

I’ve been on a taco kick lately. Okay, truthfully? I’ve been on a taco kick my entire life. I guess it’s just been more pronounced lately. But honest-to-goodness people, what isn’t to love about tacos? It’s good stuff wrapped in good stuff topped with good stuff then eaten with your hands. Win, win, win, WIN!

Tacos aren’t ALL I’ve been obsessed with lately; I just can’t get enough lamb. Mmmmm… tender, succulent, meaty lamb. It’s hard to go wrong there, too. It really was just a matter of time before I made a Greek taco, and it all started with a gorgeous leg of lamb that I dropped into my slow-cooker with garlic, lemon and oregano and braised ’til it fell apart.

You with me?

The pan drippings I reduced and poured over the fally-aparty lamb. The juicy, garlicky lamb got dropped onto baby spinach lined charred flour tortillas and topped with feta cheese…

Slow-Cooker Garlic Lamb in Greek Tacos from Foodie with Family

Next up was a cucumber dill yogurt sauce, diced bell peppers, garlic stuffed kalamata olives and a healthy dose of my drool.

I’m sorry. That kind of ruined it, didn’t it?

The point is this… The lamb was the easiest part of the dish. I move that we all eat more lamb. (This is selfish, really, because I just want it to be as readily available as beef and chicken in grocery stores what with living in the middle of nowhere and everything. I think my Amish neighbors are tired of me stopping by with a cooler, plaintive expression and “Hey! You’re not butchering lamb today, are ya?” questions…)

If you haven’t had lamb before, this is a great recipe to try. It is garlicky, lemony and herbed to a high state of fabulousness. There’s no tricky preparation, no worry about hitting the perfect temperature and no carving.  Since the recipe makes a large amount, it is also a great candidate for Make Ahead Monday. Freeze any leftover lamb with the reduced pan juices in meal-sized portions in freezer bags or freezer safe containers. Then, whenever you need a stiff dose of Greek food, you’re only a defrost away from today’s Greek tacos or braised lamb on polenta or braised lamb on lemon dill rice… You get the picture. It’s good stuff to have on hand!

Speaking of getting the picture… Take a closer look at my taco holder.

Slow-Cooker Garlic Lamb on Greek Tacos from Foodie with Family

I have a confession. It wasn’t sold as a taco holder. It was sold -by my favourite pottery shop- as a business card holder. However, being the girl I am, the instant I saw it, I squealed TACO HOLDER! One of the owners of the shop is a friend of mine and a fellow food fan and she said, “Hey! That’s not a bad idea!” So here’s the deal. As far as I know, they’re the only pottery shop who makes these. And word to the wise? They do custom orders. They do not have a website, but they do have this sign on their door, so I’ll share:

Pottery Shop

All their pottery is dishwasher, oven, and microwave safe. If that doesn’t make it the perfect taco-ware, I just don’t know what does. Staci is the taco/business card holder maker (and maker of this cake plate), for the record. And also for the record? This is NOT a sponsored post, I just think the whole word needs to know about this place.

Now. Onto that lamb and those tacos and some drooling. Really, I am sorry. I should stop.

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Slow-Cooker Garlicky Lamb and Greek Tacos | Make Ahead Monday

Rating: 51

Slow-Cooker Garlicky Lamb and Greek Tacos | Make Ahead Monday

Don't be intimidated by lamb. This simple, garlicky, lemony, herbed, succulent lamb braises up beautifully in the slow-cooker. Served over polenta, lemon rice or on these fast, fresh, delicious Greek Tacos, you'll be so glad you made enough for more than one meal!

Freezer Friendly for Make Ahead Monday.

Ingredients

    For the Slow-Cooker Garlicky Lamb:
  • 1 (4-6 pound) boneless leg of lamb (*See Notes regarding using bone-in lamb roasts.)
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons dry oregano
  • generous amounts of freshly ground black pepper and salt
    • For the Greek Tacos:
  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 of a diced English (seedless) cucumber
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 of a sweet onion, peeled and diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill weed
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced or pressed
  • baby spinach
  • chopped kalamata or garlic stuffed kalamata olives
  • finely diced multi-colored bell peppers
  • crumbled feta cheese
  • charred or heated flour tortillas

Instructions

To Make the Slow-Cooker Garlicky Lamb:

Place the lamb roast in a slow-cooker and rub it with the black pepper and salt. Add the extra virgin olive oil, on top of the roast and use your hands to rub it around to evenly distribute the oregano and oil. Add the zest and juice of the lemon and scatter the garlic cloves over and around the lamb roast. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until it falls apart easily when two forks are inserted into the center of the roast and pulled in opposite directions. Carefully transfer the roast to a cutting board, pour the pan juices through a strainer over a saucepan, and press the contents of the pan to get as much juice (and roasted garlic) into the saucepan as possible. Over a medium high flame, reduce the pan juices by half. While those reduce, use your hands or two forks to pull the lamb into bite-sized pieces. Pile the lamb into a serving bowl and pour the reduced pan juices over before serving.

Portion leftover lamb into meal-sized servings (along with pan juices) and freeze in freezer bags or freezer safe containers for up to 6 months.

To Make Greek Tacos:

Stir together the Greek yogurt, cucumber, zest and juice of the lemon, diced onion, minced fresh dill weed, and minced garlic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pile each tortilla with about 5 or 6 baby spinach leaves, a layer of lamb, feta cheese, yogurt sauce, olives and diced peppers. Serve immediately!

Notes

You can definitely make this with bone-in lamb roasts. It will probably take a bit longer (by an hour or two or even more!), but will be even more flavourful. Use whichever you can find most easily and whichever fits your budget best.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/28/slow-cooker-garlicky-lamb-and-greek-tacos-make-ahead-monday/

Filed Under: Lamb, Main Dish, Make Ahead Mondays, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , ,

Cheeseburger Bites for Super Sunday {giveaway closed}

January 26, 2013 by 139 Comments

Cheeseburger Bites from Foodie with Family

If there is one immutable law in this house, it is that finger food is always going to disappear like David Copperfield. Anything that is bite-sized, little, on a stick or otherwise easily portable, or shove-into-the-mouth-able is going to be an easy sale.

With Super Sunday—the crowned jewel of the snack food calendar—right around the corner, I’m assembling my master plan for feeding my football-crazy crew keeping them happy, whatever the outcome of the game. We have some tried and true recipes that cannot be left off of the menu (chicken wings, soft pretzel wrapped smoked sausages, dill pickle dip, and more…), but each year we add a fun new recipe or two to the rotation. This year’s star addition is Cheeseburger Bites from the Land O’Lakes Big Game Recipe Collection of simple, crowd-pleasing recipes.

I made this recipe to have on hand for the webinar I co-hosted with Amber from the Land O’Lakes test kitchen this past Friday. A girl has to keep her energy up while she’s chatting up a virtual room full of fabulous bloggers, right? Hi. I’m Rebecca, I’m a stress eater.”

Here’s the point. I made them, put them on the counter, and found five little men at my elbows giving me the usual shake-down: “What’s that?”, “Is that meat?”,  “Can I eat one?”,  “Can I eat four?”, “Can I eat all of them?”

Leif eating Cheeseburger Bites

Before I knew what had happened, three-quarters of the platter was empty.

I only had a handful of Cheeseburger Bites and a bowlful of dark chocolate chunks and pretzels in my lap to sustain me. Poor me.

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Cheeseburger Bites for Super Sunday {Giveaway!}

Rating: 41

Cheeseburger Bites for Super Sunday {Giveaway!}

Crispy, simple wonton cups filled with melty, cheesy good cheeseburger filling. Garnish with chopped pickles and sesame seeds for a super Super Bowl (or any game day!) treat.

Ever so gently adapted from and with thanks to the Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen recipe

Ingredients

  • 36-48 wonton wrappers trimmed to 3-inch squares
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1/2 cup finely minced or grated onion
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced or pressed (or 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder)
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, preferably freshly ground
  • 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles, divided
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 14 slices Land O Lakes Deli American
  • toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack positioned in the middle of the oven.

Lightly spray mini-muffin pans with non-stick cooking spray. Gently press one trimmed wonton square into each muffin cup.

Place pan in the center of the oven rack and bake for 5-10 minutes, watching carefully as they burn easily!

Immediately turn the wonton cups out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. While they cool, turn your attention to the filling.

Add the minced onion, garlic, and black pepper to a small frying or sautee pan. Use your hands to break up the ground beef over the onion and cook over medium heat, breaking the beef down into very small pieces with a sturdy spoon, until it is cooked through and browned. Tear up the slices of American cheese and add them to the pan along with the milk. Continue cooking, stirring to help the process, until the cheese is completely melted and the mixture is creamy. At this point, you can remove some of the mixture for anyone who is not a pickle fiend. To the remaining cheesy beef mixture, add about 1/2 cup of the chopped pickles and stir them in well. Spoon the mixture into the wonton cups and garnish with the rest of the chopped pickles and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds.

Serve immediately.

Notes

I made a couple of tweaks to the original Land O'Lakes Test Kitchen recipe to suit our family's tastes. Instead of lettuce, we garnished the cheeseburger bites with additional chopped pickles. Because of this added salty component, I omitted the salt called for in the recipe. Additionally, I upped the cheese, because really? How can you go wrong with more cheese? And for no reason other than that I love my cheeseburgers with a hint of garlic and a belt of black pepper, I added garlic and increased the amount of black pepper. We loved it!

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/26/cheeseburger-bites-for-super-sunday-giveaway/

Lack of snacks for me aside, the  webinar was a hoot. It was my first time on the co-hosting end of one and I have to say it was a real treat to get to interact with so many talented people from the blogosphere.

I really showed my true nerd colours and I admitted to “MacGyvering” my way through dinner parties by using a garden-variety heating pad disguised by a not-yet-ruined-by-boys hand towel to keep a platter of hot appetizers warm. Yeah. I did that. And not only did no one tell me I was nuts, someone actually told me it was a good idea.

My word, you people are the whole package.

Speaking of packages, participating bloggers were given a sweet prize package to give away to readers, self included!  These prize packages -I think you’ll agree- are pretty darned fabulous.

  • One large serving platter, one Emile Henry pizza stone and one coupon for
    Land O Lakes® Deli Cheese and one insulated shopping bag. As Amber from the Test Kitchen shared with us, she uses the insulated grocery bag to carry hot appetizers to friends’ parties. BRILLIANT!

Image(1)

Would you like to win one of these packages for yourself? Here’s how to enter!

MANDATORY ENTRY: Leave a comment here sharing your favourite munchies for game day or any occasion. If your family is insane over the dish, maybe you could even leave some instructions here. Hint hint…

OPTIONAL ENTRIES (Be sure to leave a separate comment for each method you use so you’re sure to get credit for each one.)

Subscribe to Foodie with Family using the handy-dandy “Subscribe to my blog” button in the right hand sidebar then let me know in a comment!

 

The Pick Giveaway Winner plugin chose ‘seas’ as our winner on Wednesday, January 30, 2013. Please check your email for details!

 

Hungry for more chances to win? Visit any of these fantastic bloggers who participated in our webinar to enter their giveaways!

Nutmeg Nanny

Sweetly Serendipity

Home Grown Families

I Can Cook That

An Everyday Family

Sweet Nicks

Coconut Lime

Cooking with Books

Remaking June Cleaver

She Scribes

Being Alison

 

Disclosure: I’ve partnered with Land O Lakes® Deli Cheese. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Ranch Bake-In-Slices Bread

January 4, 2013 by 16 Comments

Ranch Pull Apart Bread

This is going to be a little crazy all over the place, so please bear with me, but I have a lot of ground to cover.

First -and most importantly- my entire family thanks you for all the condolences and expressions of support you’ve shared with us after the loss of Val. It means more to me personally than I can possibly say to know that you all are thinking of and praying for us. As weird as it feels to get back to doing normal, every day things, it really does have to happen, so here I am!

Next, I hope you’ve noticed the pretty new dress Foodie with Family is wearing. It was a while in the making, but I love the new look. There are a couple of little upgrades and tweaks I wanted to point out to you that will -hopefully- make hanging out here and menu planning a little easier and more pleasant.

  • If you hover your cursor over the “Recipes” tab directly below the header, you will see three options. Clicking on Recipes will -as always- take you to my recipe archive page where every single recipe (hopefully!) that has ever been on Foodie with Family can be found in one handy-dandy page. Clicking on Shopping List will allow you to put ingredients from our recipes onto a -what else- shopping list! courtesy of Ziplist. (Those are the same nice folks who created the plug-in that I use to provide printable recipes here.) Directly below that is the Grocery Deals option. This nifty function -again, courtesy of Ziplist- allows you to specify which grocery chains are near you and see what the advertised sales are in your area. I encourage you to to play around a little bit with those options. Hooray for streamlining the menu planning process!

recipe tab capture

  • We have pretty new (and much, much more user friendly) options for subscribing to Foodie with Family via RSS or reader, send me an email or follow me on Twitter, and Facebook. Please join me in any or all of those. I do so love your company.

Social Media Icons

  • In the sidebar, there is a more fwf section featuring some older posts that you just might find a.) interesting, b.) hilarious (it’s a process, right? Tell me I’ve grown.) and c.) delicious.

Now, I know there are bound to be hiccups here and there as there always are with changes,  so I hope you all will let me know if you find a broken link or wonky image anywhere. I do love my new look, though. What do you all think?

Finally, there’s this bread. Oh, this Ranch Bake-In-Slices Bread is the bees-knees. It’s bread that’s baked in such a way that no slicing is necessary afterward. Why bother? Well… Lemme tell you. Most folks know you’re not supposed to slice hot bread because it ruins the texture of the rest of the loaf, right? This loaf is superior BECAUSE YOU CAN EAT HOT SLICES OF BREAD WITHOUT WAITING FOR IT TO COOL. That’s where you hear angels singing, right? Of course, there’s more. There’s the fact that it’s brushed lavishly with butter and sprinkled with Ranch dressing mix before being stacked deck-of-cards-like into the also lavishly buttered bread pan. And there’s also the fact that you can make this with homemade or purchased bread dough… There’s the perfection of a sunny-side up egg on top of a slice. Or the fact that grilled cheese sandwiches made on slices of this bread are pretty much the best tasting things ever, if a little funny looking. I’ve sopped soup, sauce and egg yolks with slices of this. Take your pick. Any one of those is reason enough for me.

My favourite, though, is simply turning the freshly baked loaf of pre-sliced bread out onto a cooling rack and peeling back then inhaling the heel pieces. Yes. That is comfort food writ large, folks. Happy sigh.

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Ranch Bake-In-Slices Bread

Ranch Bake-In-Slices Bread

Ranch Bake-In-Slices Bread is a wonderfully versatile snacking bread that bakes itself into slices. Eat hot straight from the oven, sop up soup, stew or sauce, or use to make the most spectacular grilled cheese sandwich this side of heaven.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sandwich bread dough (homemade like this or purchased)
  • 1 stick (4 ounces by weight, 8 tablespoons) of unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for buttering the loaf pan.
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoon of dry Ranch salad dressing mix
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Instructions

On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the bread dough out into a rectangle that is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Pour the melted butter over the rectangle and use a pastry brush to more or less evenly distribute it. Sprinkle the dry Ranch dressing mix and dried dill weed over the dough. Cut the dough into pieces that are roughly the size of a playing card.

Butter a standard loaf pan and prop one end up on a box of toothpicks or something similar so that the pan tilts up at on end. Stack five pieces of the dough at a time and place in the pan, starting at the lower end so gravity holds it in place. Repeat until you've added all of the dough to the pan. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes at room temperature.

While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover the dough and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the top of the bread is deep golden brown. Let the bread rest in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a plate or cooling rack. Eat immediately or store wrapped with a clean towel at room temperature.

http://www.foodiewithfamily.com/2013/01/04/ranch-bake-in-slices-bread/

Filed Under: Appetizers & Snacks, Bread, Rebecca, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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