Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

I found this recipe over at www.theartofdoingstuff.com via Pinterest and knew I had to try it out asap! Yesterday for lunch I whipped up a pretty large batch of these sweet potato fries and Sriracha Mayo Dip. They were delicious! I loved that they were baked, with a little bit of olive oil, so much healthier than the deep-fried sweet potato fries you'd get at a restaurant! I gave some to Jack and he couldn't get enough of them. :)

Don't these look yummy! The thin layer of corn starch really gives it a light crispiness that I'd really only expect from frying. I also made the dip but didn't get any pictures of it , oops! The recipe didn't call for any salt on the fries, but after they were done baking I sprinkled a tad of salt on them and tossed them around a bit. Also, I added a bit more sriracha to the dip because I like things spicy. ;) If you give it a go let me know how you like them too! Enjoy!

Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe and My Finished Tester Bag

So last Sunday was the Super Bowl and we went over to Tom's aunt's house. I wanted to make something to bring but they always have so many goodies already so it's tough to think of something that won't already be brought by someone else. In my family my aunt always makes stuffed mushrooms, and then it dawned on me, that usually nobody in Tom's family makes those! My aunt's recipe is super easy, so I thought I'd share it here! This recipe makes a lot of stuffed mushrooms, but for a big party they're perfect. You can always halve the recipe if you don't as many :) Also, apparently you can make these up to 2 days in advance without baking them. Then, when party-time rolls around pop them in the oven and add a few extra minutes of cook time. Yummy!

Ingredients:  

1 lb of spicy Italian sausage removed from casings

4 crates of mushrooms (about 4 dozen total)

block of cream cheese

1 Tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:

1.  Carefully remove stems from mushrooms and trim off the woody part and throw it away. Chop the non-woody part of the stem.

2.  In a large saucepan, start cooking the sausage over medium heat. Break up the sausage so it's in pretty small chunks as it cooks.  Add the chopped up mushroom stems to the pan of sausage as it cooks.

3.  Add the Worcestershire Sauce to the sausage and mushroom stems.

4.  Once the sausage is cooked and the chopped stems are tender turn off heat. 

5.  Add the block of cream cheese and stir in completely. The heat remaining in the saucepan should help to melt the cream cheese a bit and make it easier to stir. 

6. Lay all of the mushroom tops upside down on a cookie sheet that has a lip so the juices won't run off of the pan. ( I also tried using muffin tins to prevent the mushrooms from tipping over

7.  Use a teaspoon to put a bit of the mushroom/sausage mixture into the mushrooms. 

8.  Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

9.  Serve hot and enjoy!

 Waiting to be put into the oven!

All cooked and ready to serve!

I finished the tester for my mom's bag yesterday! Halleluiah! I love a good challenge, but trying to figure out how to construct this thing was tough for me! I know the fabrics/colors are not the greatest but keep in mind it was just a tester so I could figure out how to make it. Below are a few pictures of it.

Being displayed by my car. Outer pocket and straps are as long as she wanted. I don't know why the sides stick out a little like that, I think I'll need to interface those in the final bag I guess. :-/

Inside with dividers. My Mom wanted a skinny side (bottom part in picture) to put her laptop. Then 3 compartments for her water, papers to sit upright, and her coffee thermos. She gave me exact dimensions and I have to brag that it turned out exactly as she requested! :) Also there are two flaps that can be snapped on the top in case it rains or something, but when not in use just fold into the bag.

The bag sitting up on it's own.

What do you think of it? Any feedback/ suggestions are always welcome!

Yummy Modified Thai Fried Rice Recipe

So I had some leftover rice I was trying to figure out what to do with. I was talking to my sis-in-law and she told me I should look up a recipe for Thai fried rice. After searching around online a bit I found this recipe over at realthairecipes.com After reading some of the comments under their recipe it seems as though maybe it's not 100% authentic since it doesn't have fish sauce in it. Well, I didn't have fish sauce on hand anyways, so I went for it. I made some changes so I thought I'd share my recipe with you here. Warning, this recipe isn't super specific as far as measurements. I usually just gauge how I make food depending on how it looks, smells and tastes as I go, so bear with me I'm not a cookbook author. :) 

Ingredients:

• 3 T. Olive oil (divided 2T. and 1T.)
• 1 cup sliced onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 lb. of uncooked chicken breasts
• 2 1/2 cups cooked rice (About a day old is good since it's better if it's a little dry apparently)
• 4 diced roma tomatoes
• 2 T. Soy Sauce
• 3 T. Sriracha chili sauce
• 2 eggs cracked into a bowl but not stirred
• about 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 5 chopped green onions
• 1/2 cucumber chopped
• 1 lime quartered

Directions:

1. Prep all ingredients. Chop, mince, slice and dice all of the veggies. Cut the raw chicken breasts into bite-size, thin slices. If the rice is cold from being refrigerated heat it up a bit in the microwave so it's closer to room temperature.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on high until hot. Add the sliced onion (don't add the green onion yet). Stir well and when it’s softened add the garlic. When the garlic is slightly browned add the chicken. Stir well. Keep flipping the chicken until it’s white on all sides.
3. Stir in the rice and tomatoes.
4. Add the soy sauce and Sriracha and stir well.
5. Push the rice to the outside side of the pan so that there's an open hole in the middle. Add the remaining 1 T. of olive oil into the hole and drop the 2 eggs into the hot oil. Let set for a minute or two then stir it all together. Make sure that the eggs are fully cooked as you continue to stir everything together.
6. Stir in the cilantro and green onions. Turn off heat.
7. Serve with a quarter of the lime and some cucumbers on top. 

This recipe made 4 entree servings. Also, I'm not completely sure how much of the olive oil, soy sauce and Sriracha I actually used since I just added it as I went, so you may want to use your better judgement depending on your tastes.

I hope you enjoy it! I know I'll be making it again soon. :) Please feel free to comment or ask questions if there's anything you'd like to me to clarify.


And for good measure here's a video of my sweetie :)

My Kid Is Spoiled

Seriously, as I was preparing Jack's dinner tonight I thought to myself, "Man, this kid eats really well. If I ate what he did I'd be skinny."
Today his menu consisted of
     Breakfast: Fruit, spinach and yogurt smoothie. Oatmeal.
     Lunch: Turkey. Mozzarella. Peas and Corn. Applesauce
     Dinner: Spinach, ham and cheese quiche. Eggplant. Pears.
     "Dessert": Graham cracker with peanut butter.
He really is spoiled. He's never eaten a jar of baby food in his life (once when he was 9 months old I had to try since I didn't have any homemade with me and he refused) everything he's ever eaten has been fresh ingredients and homemade. I don't puree much for him anymore, but certain veggies he won't even try whole, but loves pureed, like carrots. I don't know if the next kid will get this kind of treatment so I figured I might as well do it while I can. Back to my original thought though, I want to eat what he eats. Why not? I'm making it anyways right? Don't know if I'd eat pureed sweet potatoes mixed with oatmeal, but at least if I eat the same foods it would be good for me. Don't get me wrong, we eat pretty healthy, fresh foods and I don't plan on doing the "baby food diet". But, I know I don't eat nearly as many veggies and fruit as I should, especially compared to how much Jack eats. So that's a new goal for me this year. Eat more fruits and veggies!! I'm so inspired by Kath over at KERF and if you haven't checked out her blog I encourage you to see the journey she's been on to get and stay healthy. Here are some pictures of the boy enjoying his yummy food :)

This was taken mid-December, he was practicing feeding himself applesauce with a spoon.  He's actually gotten pretty darn good at it lately! He doesn't really even make a mess anymore!

 This last one was taken a few days after Christmas. I know it's terrible quality, but I love his big grin and the way his hair was standing up :) Eating some scrambled eggs that had ham mixed in since he wasn't willing to eat the ham by itself, which is why there's a pile further in front of him.