sweet potato fries

With lots of sweet potatoes in the house, sweet potato fries were an obvious choice. These Mark Bittman fries were good, but could have used an extra five minutes in the oven to crisp up.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• PREPARATION
• Heat the oven to 400.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
• Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
• Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

onion rings

We have a ton of root veggies thanks to an accidental double order from driftless direct, so we decided to try homemade onion rings. We started with a recipe from allrecipes.com and added in some extra seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• seasoned salt to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl or gallon plastic bag, stir together the flour, baking powder, and seasonings.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. 
4. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate, shallow dish, or in a gallon plastic bag. Place battered rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
5. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt immediately upon coming out of the oil, and serve.

antipasto squares

From plainchicken.com, a comfort food lunch. The kids think they'd eat it with other cheese and no peppers. Maybe I'll try...

ANTIPASTO SQUARES

PREP TIME: 5 MINSCOOK TIME: 50 MINSTOTAL TIME: 55 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 (8-oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls or crescent sheet
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced deli ham
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced salami
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced pepperoni
• 1/4 pound provolone slices
• 1/4 pound swiss cheese slices
• 1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp basil pesto

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly spray a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. Unroll one package of refrigerated crescent roll and press into bottom of prepared pan.
3. Layer ham, swiss cheese, salami, provolone cheese, pepperoni, and red peppers, on top of the dough.
4. Unroll second can of refrigerated crescent rolls, and place on top of peppers. Press seams to seal.
5. Whisk together eggs, parmesan cheese and pesto. Pour over crescent rolls. Cover pan with aluminum foil.
6. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into squares.

spinach artichoke dip

My favorite spinach artichoke dip, mostly because it's mayo free and I hate hot mayo.

buffalo chicken cheese balls

These buffalo chicken cheese balls from food network are not very spicy and have been a huge hit in our house.

Ingredients

1 store-bought rotisserie chicken
1/4 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 3/4 cups sharp Cheddar
1/4 cup freshly sliced scallions
1 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions

Have oil heated to 350 degrees F.

Pick the meat from the chicken and discard the skin. Place the chicken in a large bowl and add the hot sauce, pepper, cheese, and scallions, and toss to combine. Roll the chicken into 2-ounce balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in 3 separate bowls. Roll each ball in the flour, then the egg and then the bread crumbs. Set aside.

When the oil is hot fry the chicken balls in batches. Cook for about 2 minutes per batch. Remove the chicken to paper towel lined plate to drain the excess oil.

Serve with blue cheese dressing.

Empanadas

I loved this simple recipe from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice and everyone ate the empanadas happily. Elle thought it was great fun to help make them, especially cutting the dough, which we did with a large plastic cup, and folding the empanadas. There were plenty of leftovers, which I froze and have since reheated and enjoyed all over again!

Chicken Empanadas

Ingredients  8 ounces full fat or light cream cheese 2 overflowing cups cooked shredded chicken 1/3 cup sour cream 1 + 1/2 cups fresh shredded sharp cheddar cheese 4 ounce can diced jalapenos, drained 1/2 cup corn coarse salt and fresh black pepper, to taste 1 beaten egg 1 tablespoon milk or water 4 store-bought refrigerated pie crusts. Instructions Melt the cream cheese in a microwave proof bowl until warm enough to stir about 25 - 50 seconds. Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar, jalapenos and corn. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a small bowl beat the egg and milk together. Fill a separate small bowl with cold water. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease them with oil. On a lightly floured work surface roll out one of the dough to about 1/8-inch thick, if necessary. Cut out 4-inch circles using a biscuit/cookie cutter or a bowl and paring knife. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling onto each circle. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to paint the edges of each circle with water then fold over and press the edges together with the tines of a fork. Refrigerate them for 20 minutes. Repeat until all the filling is used re-rolling scraps of dough if needed. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the empanadas lightly with the egg mixture and bake 14 - 17 minutes until golden brown and piping hot in the centers. Serve hot or at room temperature.