Yeah Baby - Parmesan Potato Wedges

Last week I posted the recipe for the sloppy joe's in this picture with the promise of posting the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges.  In the meantime, I got a request for my chicken pot pie recipe which interrupted my recipe post.  Well, today is the day.  I didn't take a picture of just the potatoes, so I had to reuse the picture from last week.  Sorry.  I'll try to remember next time.  

The first time I had these potatoes was at a Christmas party given by my boss at the time back in the early 90's.  I will tell you they really are super pungent when they bake!  If you don't like the smell of parmesan -  do NOT let that stop you from making these delectable potato wedges.  My husband is not a fan of parmesan cheese for the most part, but he loves these!  He doesn't even complain about the smell when they are baking.  I am not trying to discourage you here, just giving you a heads up. Here is the "recipe" if you can call it that they are so super easy to do.

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes, allow at least one whole potato per person

1 stick butter, melted (this is to start)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (like Kraft, the kind in a shaker container.  You will need more depending on how many potatoes you do.  Same with the butter)

 You will want to allow one medium to large potato per person.  Scrub each potato.  Leaving the skin on, cut each potato in half long wise.  Place each potato half cut side down and cut each half in half so you have 4 wedges.  You need no salt because the butter and parmesan cheese are salty.

I melt the butter in a corning ware dish in the microwave.  Put at least 1 cup grated parmesan cheese in another corning ware dish.  ( I like to use the square corning ware dishes because it makes it easy to roll the potatoes without making a mess.)   Take a potato wedge, roll all sides in melted butter, then roll all sides in the parmesan cheese covering as much surface as possible.  Place each wedge side by side on a baking sheet leaving about 1 inch between each potato wedge.  Add more parmesan cheese to the dish if you run out before you are finished, same with the butter.  When the baking sheet is full, place in a 350 degree oven and bake until potatoes are brown and soft when pierced with a fork - about 30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using a spatula, remove them from the baking sheet to a serving tray or plate.  You may want to place a bowl of heated marinara sauce with them for dipping.  These are DEE- licious!

This is a great recipe for a party where you are serving finger foods, as a side with burgers or sloppy joe's, or just plain good by themselves!  They are also great to take when you need a "dish" for a potluck.  They do reheat, but do it in the oven.  The parmesan gets kind of gooey if you do it in the microwave.  I think they are much better crisp, but that is up to you.

As I have said before, I have never met a potato I didn't like and these are spectacular!  It's so nice to have something besides french fries, mashed potatoes - you know the same old, same old.  Give this easy recipe a try.  Parmesan cheese, butter and potatoes all brown and crispy?  Oh yes!!  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I love my friends neither with
my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forget...
Rumi ♥

Last week I posted the recipe for the sloppy joe's in this picture with the promise of posting the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges.  In the meantime, I got a request for my chicken pot pie recipe which interrupted my recipe post.  Well, today is the day.  I didn't take a picture of just the potatoes, so I had to reuse the picture from last week.  Sorry.  I'll try to remember next time.  

The first time I had these potatoes was at a Christmas party given by my boss at the time back in the early 90's.  I will tell you they really are super pungent when they bake!  If you don't like the smell of parmesan -  do NOT let that stop you from making these delectable potato wedges.  My husband is not a fan of parmesan cheese for the most part, but he loves these!  He doesn't even complain about the smell when they are baking.  I am not trying to discourage you here, just giving you a heads up. Here is the "recipe" if you can call it that they are so super easy to do.

Ingredients:

Russet potatoes, allow at least one whole potato per person

1 stick butter, melted (this is to start)

1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (like Kraft, the kind in a shaker container.  You will need more depending on how many potatoes you do.  Same with the butter)

 You will want to allow one medium to large potato per person.  Scrub each potato.  Leaving the skin on, cut each potato in half long wise.  Place each potato half cut side down and cut each half in half so you have 4 wedges.  You need no salt because the butter and parmesan cheese are salty.

I melt the butter in a corning ware dish in the microwave.  Put at least 1 cup grated parmesan cheese in another corning ware dish.  ( I like to use the square corning ware dishes because it makes it easy to roll the potatoes without making a mess.)   Take a potato wedge, roll all sides in melted butter, then roll all sides in the parmesan cheese covering as much surface as possible.  Place each wedge side by side on a baking sheet leaving about 1 inch between each potato wedge.  Add more parmesan cheese to the dish if you run out before you are finished, same with the butter.  When the baking sheet is full, place in a 350 degree oven and bake until potatoes are brown and soft when pierced with a fork - about 30 minutes.  Remove the baking sheet from the oven and using a spatula, remove them from the baking sheet to a serving tray or plate.  You may want to place a bowl of heated marinara sauce with them for dipping.  These are DEE- licious!

This is a great recipe for a party where you are serving finger foods, as a side with burgers or sloppy joe's, or just plain good by themselves!  They are also great to take when you need a "dish" for a potluck.  They do reheat, but do it in the oven.  The parmesan gets kind of gooey if you do it in the microwave.  I think they are much better crisp, but that is up to you.

As I have said before, I have never met a potato I didn't like and these are spectacular!  It's so nice to have something besides french fries, mashed potatoes - you know the same old, same old.  Give this easy recipe a try.  Parmesan cheese, butter and potatoes all brown and crispy?  Oh yes!!  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I love my friends neither with
my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case heart might stop, Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forget...
Rumi ♥

Chicken Pot Pie Is Comfort Food!

I promised in my last blog that I would post the recipe for the parmesan potato wedges and I will do that tomorrow night.   Tonight I am posting my chicken pot pie recipe especially for my friend Robert.  On Saturday I made chicken pot pie, brussels sprouts with bacon and onions, fried apples, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.  I posted on Facebook that I was making these for dinner and Robert sent me a message and asked if chicken pot pie was hard to make.  I told him it is not really hard (and so good) and told him I would post the recipe.  I decided to do it today so he didn't have to wait.   This is a rich, creamy recipe filled with lots of goodness - tender  chicken, potatoes, carrots, onions, green peas, gravy and pie crust.  I mean, what could be better?  Is your mouth watering yet?

This is a meal our children loved.  Mom loved it too because it is pretty much a one dish meal.  You can add a salad if you want, but you get your protein and vegetables all in one dish with the added deliciousness of gravy and pie crust.  Yum!  This is the way I make mine - you can add your own tweaks if there is something you don't like or prefer a different vegetable.  Anyway you do it will be good!  You could also make it in individual dishes, but this is the easy way and you know that is one of my favorite words!

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I get mine at Aldi's)
4/5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
3/4 large carrots, peeled and cut in 1 inch medallions
6 ounces of pearl onions (got mine at Trader Joe's already peeled)
1 rib celery, cut in very small pieces
1 cup frozen green peas
salt, black pepper, thyme
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can milk

Crust:

2 cups Bisquick
enough milk to moisten Bisquick, approximately 1/3 cup

Cook chicken breasts in salted water until done.  Remove chicken from water and let cool.  Peel potatoes and carrots and cut in approximately 1 inch pieces.  Slice celery rib in half and cut in very small pieces.  Add potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions to pan and cover with water.  Add salt.  Cook just until potatoes and carrots are  beginning to soften.  Remove pan from stove and drain water.  Place vegetables in a bowl.  Add 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 soup can milk to pan.  Put on stove and heat through, stirring until mixed together.  Remove from heat.

Cut cooked chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Place in bottom of 9 x 13 casserole.  Pour cooked vegetables over tops of chicken.  Add 1 cup frozen peas and carefully stir vegetables and chicken all together.  Pour soup mixture over vegetables/chicken mixture.  Cover with fresh cracked black pepper and a sprinkling of thyme.

Mix enough milk in Bisquick to blend so that all is moistened.  Place Bisquick on wax paper, sprinkle some dry Bisquick over dough and roll out like pie crust, very thin.  (If you prefer, you can make a regular pie crust.)  Place the rolled out dough over the mixture in the casserole leaving the edges open so steam can vent while baking in oven.  Place the casserole in a 350 oven and bake until crust is brown and casserole is bubbly.  Serve and eat!  Yummmmmmy!

Chicken pot pie is one of the real comfort foods.  This also reheats well for a "left over meal".  Good?  You bet!  Hope you give it a try.  The rich, creamy goodness of this pie will convince you to make it again and again.  And Robert, I hope you give this recipe a try.  Enjoy!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

We'd eat chicken pie, country ham, home made butter on the bread
But the best darned thing about Grandma's house was the great big feather bed!
John Denver
Grandma's Feather Bed

All American Super Sloppy Joe's

Do you have memories of favorite meals from your childhood?  One of my favorite school lunches was good old all American sloppy Joe's.  My mom never made them.  Not quite sure why, but she just never did so it made me very happy when they were on the school lunch menu.  After Dan and I were married, it became a staple on our menu.

This is a recipe I found years ago in a magazine.  Our sons fell in love with this version of Sloppy Joe's and I have been making them this way ever since.  They could eat an entire pan of these at one meal (double recipe).  I always prayed for left overs.

Talk about a great "go to" meal when you are tired and need something on the table fast.  It is a quick and easy recipe which are two of our favorite words right?  Quick and easy?  Yes!!  I served one of our favorites, parmesan potatoes, with our sandwiches tonight and some lovely crudites - carrot and celery sticks and broccoli and cauliflower florets.  Throw in a little ranch dressing for dipping and what could be easier?  Or if you prefer, a green salad would round out the meal.

Tomorrow night, I will give you the instructions for the parmesan potatoes.  (Talk about fabulous!)
Tonight it's all about Sloppy Joe's.  I have always doubled this recipe so I knew there would be enough to satisfy our sons.  Now, I double it so we can have left overs because they are so good.  Here are the ingredients you will need for a single recipe.  This is easily doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef (I use 80/20 grass fed, hormone free from the farmer's market)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a red one tonight because I didn't have green, worked just fine)
1/4 bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's, 18 oz bottle)
1 package taco seasoning mix

Brown your ground beef with the onions, peppers and garlic until beef is brown and onions are translucent.  Add the taco seasoning mix and stir.  Pour approximately 1/4 to 1/3 bottle of barbecue sauce into the ground beef mixture and stir.  Heat through.

Serve on your favorite buns.  That's it.  Quick, simple, easy, delicious.   It's got just a little spice from the taco seasoning and a little sweet barbecue flavor from the barbecue sauce.  Oh so good!

This is a great recipe for tailgating, for a teen party or quick and easy dinner.  I have served it on Super Bowl Sunday.  Delish!   Give it a try.  I think you will like this one!  You may actually have time to watch your favorite television show or read a book it's so quick to fix.  Enjoy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

30 days of gratitude for the Month of November.  Every day list something you are grateful for!

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” ― Dr. Seuss

Italian Sausages With Rigatoni - A Great Pasta Dish

Our youngest son, Tyler,  and his girlfriend came to dinner Sunday evening and I fixed a recipe that I have had since about 1973.  I found it in a magazine when our oldest daughter was just a baby and we had moved into our first house.  It is rigatoni with Italian sausages and it is so good I think I could eat it about every day. It's also easy to make and makes about 8-10 big servings.

The recipe came from an actress by the name of Olivia Hussey.  Anyone know who she is?  She was 15 years old when she starred in Romeo and Juliet in 1968 which was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and produced by Dino DeLaurentis (grandfather of Giada DeLaurentis).  Dan and I saw it at the theater when we were dating.  I know that was a long time ago, but it is still one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen to this day.  If you have never seen it, try to find it.  The cinematography is beautiful, the story is so moving and Olivia Hussey made the most beautiful Juliet ever.  She also must be one good cook, because I love this recipe.  Another bit of trivia, she was married to Dean Martin's son Dino of Dino, Desi, and Billy.  Dino was killed in a plane crash while they were married.  Anybody out there old enough to remember Dino, Desi and Billy?  They were a very popular musical trio back in the day. Yikes.  I am certainly showing my age here.

As for the recipe, it is really, really good and is another variation on a pasta dish when you have grown weary of the same old, same old.  Here is what you need.

Ingredients:

1 pound Italian style sauge (sometimes I use sweet, sometimes hot, depends on my mood)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 large can tomatoes undrained (32 oz) (I used tomatoes I put in the freezer this summer - yum)
1 cup water
1 tsp dried organo leaves  (I also add 1 tsp dried basil and 1 tsp dried thyme)
a pinch of red pepper flakes optional
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Fresh parmesan cheese (or grated will do)

1 pound rigatoni pasta

Take casings off sausages and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Cook in a large pan (I use my dutch oven) over moderate heat stirring occasionally until browned.  Remove sausage and set aside.  Add onion, green pepper, and garlic to saucepan - cook until tender stirring occasionally to keep garlic from burning.  Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, water, spices, salt, and pepper.  Add cooked sausage.  Stir and bring mixture to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 1.5  hours stirring occasionally.

Rigatoni

About 20 minutes before serving, add 2 tbsp salt to 6 quarts boiling water.  Gradually stir in rigatoni so that water continues to boil.  Cook about 20 minutes or just until al dente.  Drain thoroughly.  Serve sauce over rigatoni.

I add fresh grated parmesan cheese or you can use grated parmesan from a can if that is what you have.  The rigatoni is so perfect with this sauce because it is a fat noodle with lots of ridges in it to hold the sauce.  It is one of my favorite pastas to use because it has a nice "bite" to it.  Chewy and delicious.

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  The sauce is just thin enough that it is excellent for dipping hot crusty bread into.  The bread soaks up all the flavorful juices and yum!  Makes my mouth water just writing about it.  Tyler ate about half a loaf of bread by dipping it in the sauce.  Yes, it is that good.  The Italian sausage gives it so much flavor.  It also makes great left overs.  I just pour the remaining sauce over the remaining rigatoni, stir it up to coat the pasta and store it in a covered bowl.  Stick in the microwave the next day and, boy howdy, you have another great meal.

Serve this with a green salad and your dinner is complete!  Your family will ask for this again.  Give it a try - and maybe serve it while watching the 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet.  Just keep some kleenex handy.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“The less you open your heart to others, the more your heart suffers.” Deepak Chopra

No Words Are Adequate To Describe This Coconut Cake!

Coconut.  Love it or hate it?  We happen to love it and this is one of the easiest and best cake recipes ever!  My love of coconut goes way back to my childhood (and that is way back).  Up until I was three and a half years old, we lived upstairs at my great grandparent's house.  It was out in the country on Number Six School Road in rural Evansville, Indiana.  They had an apartment upstairs and everyone in the family lived there at one time or another as need arose.  It was after World War II and times were tough.  We didn't even have a car because there was such a shortage after the war.  My dad hitchiked to work at Servel, the factory where he worked which was in town.  When he couldn't catch a ride, he walked.  Miles.  He worked in metal finishing and would get home way after dark on the days he had to walk and collapse in the floor, covered in metal shavings.  His face would be black.  But, he did what he had to for his family.  Needless to say, my great grandparents spoiled me.  My Grandfather kept candy in the lower portion of a hutch that I could open.  My mom would scold him about giving me candy and he would always laugh and say he didn't give it to me, I got it myself.  My favorite?  Coconut bonbons that were different colors - pink, yellow, white and chocolate.  Loved them then, love them to this day.  It is one of my favorite memories.  Sitting in Grandpa's lap, eating bonbons.

My love of coconut continues to this day.  Dan's grandmother used to make the best coconut cake I had ever eaten.  They cracked the coconuts, grated it fresh and used the milk in the cake.  Then, they would wrap it in tea towels and freeze it until they needed a desert for company.  I was more than happy to be that company!  Oh my goodness, what a heavenly treat.  But, that is a very complicated recipe and we are all looking for ease in these busy times.  So, I have a great recipe for coconut cake that meets that requirement.  Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 boxed white cake mix (I use the mix from Aldi's - it's so good)
1 can unsweetened coconut milk, approximately 14 ounces (found in the Asian foods)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag sweetened flaked coconut
1 stick butter
approximately 2 cups confectioner's sugar
about 1/8 cup milk

I have made a couple of adjustments to this recipe.  The original calls for the cake to be topped with cool whip and kept in the refrigerator which you can do.  I make a simple butter cream icing and you don't have to keep it in the refrigerator.  It's your choice, I just like the buttercream frosting.  Now, for the cake.

Mix the white cake mix according to directions.  Instead of water, substitute the amount called for with the unsweetened coconut milk saving the remainder for later.  Add 1 cup of flaked coconut to the batter. Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 13 pan and bake according to the directions on the box.  When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool a bit.  Take a fork and poke holes all over the top of the cake.  Lots of holes, the more the better.

Mix the remaining coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk together and slowly pour  the mixture over the top of the cake letting it seep into the holes and over the edges of the cake.

Make the butter cream frosting:

Let 1 stick of butter come to room temperature and beat until fluffy.  Add confectioner's sugar a little at a time, beating thoroughly.  It will take about 2 cups to make a stiff icing.  Add 1/2 tsp vanilla and drizzle in the milk a little at a time until spreading consistency.  Ice cake and sprinkle coconut over the icing. (Lots of coconut : )

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and that is the case sometimes.  Unfortunately, my picture of the cake isn't that good, but let me try to describe the cake  to you.  Moist, delicious, full of coconut flavor, sweet,  delicious, flavorful, amazing, delicious.  Did I say delicious?  That is the best word I can come up with, but it really doesn't do the job of describing this cake!  Oh My! comes closer.  Heavenly.  Fantastic. Delectable.  Divine.  Awesome.  Sorry, that's the best I can do.  You will just have to make this cake and try it for yourself.  Then, you will understand my lack of adequate description.  It keeps for several days in the pan just covered with foil.  If you need to take a desert somewhere or have company coming for dinner, give this recipe a try.  It is fantastic with coffee.  Make it and you will agree it's a keeper, believe me!  Think I'll have a piece right now.  Wish you could join me, or better yet - make yourself a coconut cake from this recipe.

Everyday Donna


Things to Remember:

“The appearances of things change according to the emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.” Kahlil Gibran

Heavenly Hash Brown Potato Casserole

It was a cool, rainy day in middle Tennessee which made me want to cook - comfort food.  "Southern style" comfort food.  Ask grandpa what was for dinner.  What's for dinner Grandpa?  We had fried ham, great northern beans, corn bread and hash brown casserole.   I might add, the hash brown casserole is heavenly.  Desert was coconut cake which is equally as heavenly.  (I will share the recipe tomorrow)  This meal may not be good for your cholesterol, but sometimes there is nothing like good country cooking.

I have been making this recipe for 20 years, long before I ever had it at a Cracker Barrel restaurant.  The Loveless Cafe here in Nashville also serves hash brown casserole.  I do believe our youngest son could eat his weight in this casserole.  As for me, I never met a potato I didn't like, so yes, I LOVE this dish.

This recipe comes from a Woman's Circle  recipe book I bought at a book outlet 20 years ago while shopping with some friends on a girl's day out.  I bought 3 of these books and have used so many recipes from them through the years.  They cost a whopping 97 cents each and were more than worth every penny I spent! (haha)   They are paperback books somewhat like a magazine instead of your standard cookbook and each book has over 600 recipes  submitted by individuals.  To me, these are usually the best recipes because whoever submits the recipe has actually made and eaten it.  Anytime  I find one I like, it goes in the "keeper" file and gets used over and over.

This recipe is comparable to the one Cracker Barrel serves.  Dan seems to think it's a little better, not sure why, but he ate plenty of it for dinner.   This makes a 9 x 13 casserole full and I know that is a lot for an evening meal unless you want it to be the mainstay of the meal or you have a growing family.  You could cut this in half easily.  It does reheat nicely, so I just make the whole recipe.  After raising four children, I needed big recipes like this in hopes there might be something left over.  Usually if there was, one of our sons would raid the refrigerator before bed and eat what was left.  So much for leftovers.  Oh well, growing boys equal huge grocery bills.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 32 ounce package frozen hash brown potatoes 
(because this recipe is 20 years old, I find that hash browns now come in 30 ounce packages, but it works fine.  You know how they keep reducing the package size but not the price?)
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup onions, chopped fine
1 pint sour cream (2 cups)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon salt
fresh cracked black pepper

Partially defrost hash browns.  Thoroughly mix potatoes, 1/2 cup melted butter, cheese, onions, sour cream, soup, salt and pepper.  Put into greased 9 x 13 inch casserole.  I sprinkle a little more grated cheese over the top and crack black pepper over the cheese.  Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Not only does this smell heavenly while it is baking, it tastes even better!  This can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.  It is sooooooo good.  Makes a great "pot luck" dish when you need one, or is excellent to serve during the holidays or anytime you have dinner guests.  It is worth the time it takes to make it.  Deeee-licious!

We have company coming for the weekend and we will be having left over hash brown casserole for breakfast.  They are going to love it!  Wish you were here to join us.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

‎"Don't limit a child to your own learning, for he was born in another time." 
Rabbinical Saying