Mama's Baked French Fries by Trishia Yearwood

I've been thinking about these french fries since I saw Trishia Yearwood prepare this dish on the Food Network.  They are healthier than deep fried french fries, full of flavor and I love the crispiness of the fries.

Recipe courtesy of Trisha Yearwood
SHOW: Trisha's Southern Kitchen
EPISODE: Updated Classics

Ingredients

• Cooking spray, for the baking sheet
• 3 pounds Russet potatoes (about 8 small or 6 medium), sliced into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then again into 1/2-inch-thick French fries
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large, rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and olive oil and toss to coat. In a medium bowl, mix together the Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne until fully combined.

Sprinkle the parsley mixture on the potatoes and gently toss to evenly coat. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake the potatoes, flipping them with a spatula every 10 minutes to prevent sticking, until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Baklava from The Pioneer Woman

Baklava always takes me back to my childhood and the Greek family friends who were our neighbors.  I was blown away the first time I had a chance to try these syrupy sweet delicacies, I had never had anything like them.

It was a treat to see The Pioneer Woman prepare this delicious pastry on the Food Network.  While it is a rather tedious process, the results are well worth it.

Ingredients
1 package Phyllo Dough
4 cups Chopped Walnuts Or Pecans
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1-1/2 stick Butter, Melted
2 cups Honey
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Sugar
3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract


Directions
Remove phyllo dough package from freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours to thaw. Remove from fridge 1 hour before using.

When working with the phyllo dough, only remove the sheets you immediately need, keeping the other sheets covered in plastic wrap, then a damp cloth.

Toss together the chopped walnuts and cinnamon. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly butter a rectangular baking pan. Make sure the sheets of phyllo will generally fit the pan (if they're a little bigger, that's okay.) If they're much bigger, just trim them with a sharp knife.

Butter the top sheet of phyllo with melted butter, then grab it and the unbuttered sheet below it. Set the two sheets in the pan, buttered sheet face down. Press lightly into the pan. Repeat this twice more, so that you have six sheets of phyllo in the pan, three of the sheets buttered.

Sprinkle on enough walnuts to make a single layer. Butter two sheets of phyllo and place them on top of the walnuts. Add more walnuts, then two more buttered phyllo sheets. Repeat this a couple more times, or until you're out of walnuts. Top with 4 more buttered phyllo sheets, ending with a buttered top. Cut a diagonal diamond pattern in the baklava using a very sharp knife.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the baklava is very golden brown.

While the baklava is baking, combine 1 stick of the butter, honey, water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.

When you remove the baklava from the oven, drizzle half the saucepan evenly all over the top. Allow it to sit and absorb for a minute, then drizzle on a little more until you think it's thoroughly moistened.

Allow the baklava to cool, uncovered, for several hours. 

Photo and recipe source:  The Pioneer Woman

Dark Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake

There is something about ending a meal with a cheesecake that makes it special.  My specialty is baking and cheesecakes are my favorite dessert to make . . . I think I missed my calling to be a pastry chef!  Needless to say, I have made my share of a variety of cheesecakes.  

My favorite source for my cheesecake recipes is my old Philadelphia Cream Cheese cookbook that I have had since I was a very young adult.  Although I still refer to that old cookbook, one of my favorite food websites is Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

This cheesecake is one of the most beautiful cheesecakes I have seen . . . I will be making this on the next special occasion that comes up!

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
6 oz. BAKER'S Bittersweet Chocolate
1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

Heat oven to 325°F.

Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.

Microwave COOL WHIP and chocolate in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 to 2-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. 

Cool 15 min.; slowly pour over cheesecake. Garnish with raspberries.

Source:  Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Grilling/Smoking . . . A Collection of Recipes

There is nothing like the aroma of grilling/smoking meats outdoors.  The Captain and I recently treated ourselves to a grill/smoker since he is a master at smoking meats on the grill.  No gas grill here, we love the taste and aroma of meats prepared on a wood fire.  Since we will be putting our grill/smoker to good use, I have been looking for great grilling/smoking recipes.


For starters, at one of my favorite food blogs, Closet Cooking, Kevin has posted a collection of 25 recipes for the grill.  In particular, the grilled shrimp recipes caught my eye.


From the Taste of Home . . .

Top 10 Burger Recipes

Top 10 Grilled Pork Recipes

Grilled Kabobs

Grilled Beef Recipes

Grilled Chicken Recipes

Grilled Fish

Grilled Ribs

Grilled Shrimp


Food Network's Grilling Central


BBQ Pit Boys



McCormick Grill Mates

Recipes, Techniques and Tips


Grilling with Kingsford Charcoal



BBQ Rib Recipes by Kraft



Amazing Ribs



Chatham Artillery BBQ Team


From Smoke Grill BBQ

Smoked Shrimp Kabobs

Smoked Chicken 

Smoked Beef

Smoked Pork


From eHow . . . 

How to Smoke U Peel Em Shrimp


From Smoker Cooking . . . 

Grilled Shrimp Recipes and Marinades

Smoker Recipes

Grilling Recipes


From The Mullet Festival . . .

Smoked Mullet




From The Cooking Channel

Grill Power



From DIY Ready
44 Saucy BBQ Recipes & Ideas for Creative Kitchens


The Secret to Grilling Perfect Burgers