Tag: Feeding a Hungry Horde

Best Hasselback Potatoes: Easy, Elegant & Delicious for Your Next Meal

These are the beauties we enjoyed tonight – with garlic, onion, and Parmesan this time. Crisp skin, meltingly tender and flavorful interior – a new favorite!

I love potatoes. They’re filling, affordable, and (of course) deliciously versatile! Feeding my family of ten every day equals a lot of meals. So I’m grateful for great side ideas like Hasselback potatoes, which seem fancy but are really quite simple. And – no peeling is a plus!

(Just make sure you plan ahead for enough time to bake them – they take about an hour in the oven, plus a little time for prep, so start them early!)

Whether with a steak, steamed lobster, chicken nuggets or barbecue meatballs (or whatever your preferred main dish), these are a great option!

HASSELBACK POTATOES 

(makes 6 potatoes)

Ingredients:

  • 6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, dried
  • 4-5 Tbsp butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt (or 1 Tbsp kosher salt)
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1 tsp granulated onion, optional
  • 1 Tbsp fresh chopped rosemary, optional
  • 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan, optional
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line baking sheet with foil.
  2. Scrub and dry potatoes. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl, combine melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, rosemary, and Parmesan (if using). Stir to mix.
  4. One at a time, place the potatoes in between the handles of two wooden spoons or large chopsticks of the same size. With a sharp knife, carefully cut the potatoes into thin slices, leaving the bottom of the potato connected. The wooden spoon handles assist with this endeavor.
  5. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and brush with butter/seasoning mixture, carefully getting between each slice, and continue till all potatoes are coated.
  6. Bake potatoes till tender and skin is crisp, about 55-60 mins. 

Bon appetit!

Let me know when you try them and what you think!

– Maria

Make Breakfast Easy: Scrumptious Breakfast Cookies – 7 Variations to Try!

Today I made Tropical Breakfast Cookies, rich with golden chunks of dried pineapple, gems of dried apricot, flakes of coconut, and the buttery crunch of cashews.

Many breakfast cookies are rather dense, fibrous, and wodgy.   

Not these! Here I present cookies that are tender, flavorful, yet hearty and satisfying.  Follow the base recipe, then include whatever ingredients you like for the variation you choose!  Scroll down for all the scrumptious options… one for every day of the week!

Base Breakfast Cookie Recipe Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp ground flax (optional)
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable, canola, or coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • For the Tropical Cookies:
  • 1/2 cup diced dried pineapple
  • 1/2 cup diced dried apricot
  • 1/2 cup chopped cashews
  • 1/2 cup dried shredded coconut (I used mildly sweetened)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C.
  2. Line a large baking sheet with foil, lightly spray with oil.  (Hey, that rhymes!)  Or just grease a baking sheet.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.  Add liquids/egg, and any additions. Stir well.
  4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop out the dough and plop it out in evenly spaced scoops on the prepared baking sheet.  Pat each scoop down gently with the back of the cup to flatten a bit.
  5. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or till edges are golden.  Let the cookies cool for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack (or if you’ve got a hungry horde like me, simply start chucking cookies at any empty plate on the table!).

These freeze beautifully.  I usually get about 15-18 from a single batch.


TRY THESE SIX OTHER SCRUMPTIOUS VARIATIONS!

Lemon-blueberry: Add 2 tsp lemon zest, 1 cup dried or fresh blueberries, 1 tsp lemon extract. (If you use frozen blueberries instead of dried, note that the baking time might increase a minute or two.)

Apple-Cinnamon: Add 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, a pinch of cloves, 1 cup peeled, chopped apple

Chocolate-Peanut butter: Add 1/2 cup creamy or crunchy peanut butter, 1/4 unsweetened cocoa powder

Cranberry-Chocolate-Almond: Add 1/2 cup dried cranberries, 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips, 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Banana Bread: Add 1 mashed banana, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Carrot Cake:  Add 1 cup grated carrot, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Best Baked Oatmeal

Baked Oatmeal – shown here as the Almond Adaptation, one of my most favorite versions

This recipe comes from my friend Jill, for which I am forever grateful to her, and I hug her in my mind whenever I make it. Which is a lot of mind-hugs. It is one of my most-requested recipes!

Chewy, old-fashioned oats steep in a custard-like mixture overnight, then bake to a scrumptiously crumbly-sweet dish spoonably eaten with berries and a drizzle of maple syrup (if desired). I have tinkered with her basic recipe and now often make an almond variation, to rave reviews from family and friends, but you do you.

Delicious, satisfying, adaptable, and best of all – made the night before so there’s minimal preparation in the morning! Perfect for gifting to families with a new baby or who just need a cozy, comforting morning meal. (You can gift it to me anytime.)

Make it tonight, enjoy it tomorrow morning, and see if it doesn’t become one of your family favorites too! (Just send me a mind-hug afterwards.)

Best Baked Oatmeal

Makes a 9×13″ pan, easily halved

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup vegetable, coconut, or canola oil
  • scant 2 cups sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups old fashioned oatmeal
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • Cinnamon for sprinkling, if desired

Grease a 9×13″ baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, and sugar till smooth. Add oats, baking powder, salt, vanilla and milk. Mixture will seem runny.

Pour carefully into prepared pan, sprinkle with cinnamon (if using) and cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. A lid works nicely too.

Place pan in fridge and leave overnight or for a minimum of about 6-8 hours.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F/180 degrees C. Take pan out of fridge to warm up just a leetle bit.

Bake for about 35 mins. Edges should be golden (see photo above). If you like your oatmeal a little more crumbly and dry, bake another 3-5 mins. If you like it more soft and chewy-moist, take that pan out a couple mins earlier and let sit for about 5 mins before serving.

Serve warm with a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired, and berries (either fresh or frozen) or chopped fresh fruit of your choice.

Adaptations:

Almond Baked Oatmeal:
– Cut vanilla down to 1 tsp or omit, add 2-3 tsp almond extract. Add about 1 cup of sliced/flaked almonds to mixture and sprinkle a few on top. This version is amazing topped with blueberries, cherries, or sliced pears!