French Fries

A few months ago I tried making oven baked parmesan fries. They were only so-so and this time I decided to try making the real deal crispy fried french fries.

I did a simple google search and this recipe had amazing reviews! I made these the other night when we had hamburgers. I thought they were pretty good but Peter raved about them so I decided they needed their own post!

Crispy French Fries
yields 2 servings

10 ounces russet potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

1/4 teaspoon onion salt

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon paprika

2 tablespoons water, or as needed

1/4 cup vegetable oil for frying

Slice potatoes into French fries, and place into cold water so they won't turn brown while you prepare the oil.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. While the oil is heating, sift the flour, garlic salt, onion salt, (regular) salt, and paprika into a large bowl. Gradually stir in enough water so that the mixture can be drizzled from a spoon.

Dip potato slices into the batter one at a time, and place in the hot oil so they are not touching at first. The fries must be placed into the skillet one at a time, or they will clump together. Fry until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Fried Chicken

Someone once told me that if your're going to eat junk food then it's better to make it at home. Fried chicken is definitely not something we eat very often but man, it's so good! By the way, when I say "someone told me" I am usually referring to Oprah. 

Peter was all over this dinner. Either he was starving or he REALLY liked this chicken. I am going with the latter. This recipe was spot-on and I didn't have to make any adjustments. Perfection!


Fried Chicken

Serves 4

1 egg

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups canola oil

6 to 8 pieces of chicken

In a baking dish whisk together the egg, buttermilk and hot sauce. In a second baking dish combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture and shake off excess so they are lightly dusted. Dip them in the buttermilk and egg mixture coating both sides, then put back in flour mixture making sure to coat completely.

Fry the chicken in the hot oil until brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes per side.  Drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet.  Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.

Hamburger Buns

Ground beef was on super sale this week so I thought this was the perfect time to try making my own hamburger buns! They seemed easy enough to make and I hate buying those packaged ones from the grocery store. I searched high and low for an easy recipe but couldn't find one that matched what I had in mind. So, I borrowed from a few and created my own! Most of the recipes I found were for something between 8 to 12 buns so I drastically cut the ingredients. Peter and I don't need a ton of hamburger buns in the freezer! We ate 2 and I froze 2 so I guess we'll have hamburgers again sometime soon.

I STILL do not own a Kitchenaid stand mixer so I did this all by hand. Maybe one day I won't have to...


Hamburger Buns
yields 4 buns

1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 packet yeast
1/8 cup warm milk (between 105-115 degrees)
1/2 cup warm milk (between 105-115 degrees)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (I really only ended up using about 2 1/4 cups)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water (egg wash)

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the mixture and let sit for approximately 10 minutes. Once foamy, add the oil, salt, milk and one cup of the flour. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Add the remaining flour a 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. The dough will be very relaxed so add just enough flour to keep it from being sticky. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for approximately 7 minutes. Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl and cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1 hour.

After the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface. Oil your hands and roll the dough into a log like shape, about 16 inches long. Cut into 8 equal portions, about 2 inches each. Roll each section into a ball and then flatten into a disc, about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the discs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Space them about 1/2 inch apart so that they will touch after rising. Let sit for about forty five minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Before placing in the oven, brush the top of each bun with egg wash. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and place on wire cooling rack.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Every few weeks I make a batch of breakfast muffins and freeze them so I have something quick to eat in the morning. I also like to have something on hand for easy snacks when I don't feel like eating yet another banana. I have been loving my strawberry cream cheese muffins but I wanted to try something new. I found this recipe and decided I had to try them because I LOVE blueberries and lemons!


I found that the muffins only needed to bake for about 16 minutes before they were ready. I am not sure if that is because of my crazy hot oven or the altitude. Just keep an eye on yours while baking :)

The recipe indicates that it yields 12 muffins but I was able to make 24.


Blueberry Lemon Muffins
3 cups + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

10 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed and softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp lemon zest

1 1/2 cup plain full-fat yogurt12 oz blueberries (thawed if frozen)

Demera sugar (optional)

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt in medium bowl; set aside.
Cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add lemon zest.

Beat in one-half of dry ingredients. Beat in one-third of yogurt. Beat in remaining dry ingredients in two batches, alternating with the yogurt, until incorporated. Toss blueberries in remaining 1 Tbsp flour and fold in to the batter.

Spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with paper liners. Divide the batter evenly among cups. Sprinkle top lightly with Demera sugar, if using. Bake until muffins are golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs. Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Veggie Pasta

When my mom was visiting a few weeks ago, she made this yummy pasta dinner. It's very simple and great for those nights when you need to use produce before it spoils. I used a few more artichoke hearts than she did because Peter and I really love artichokes! I also decided to add shrimp (just because I had a lot leftover) but I think it would also be very tasty with chicken.



Veggie Pasta
4 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
1/2 pound shrimp, cleaned and deveined
1 can artichoke hearts
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 cup button mushrooms
1/4 green onion, diced
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Prepare spaghetti according to package intsructions. Drain and set aside.

In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic. Saute until fragrant and then remove the garlic.

Add the green onion, tomatoes and mushrooms. Keep over medium heat for approximately 3 minutes. Add the artichoke hearts and saute for 5-6 minutes.

Reduce heat slightly and add the shrimp and spaghetti. Combine thouroughly and cook until the shrimp is pink and tender.

Top with parmesan cheese.