Buttered Herb Rolls

My most awesome mother in law got me a cast iron skillet for Christmas, after I dropped many not so subtle  hints.  I was so excited to get this skillet - you don't understand.  Since Christmas, both Matt and I have used the skillet quite a bit - to make everything from typical hamburgers or eggs to...rolls.

Rolls?  Rolls.  Buttered herb rolls, to be more precise.

Read on.

 

Buttered Herb Rolls

Ingredients:

Frozen, unbaked dinner rolls (I used Rhodes White, in the orange bag)

Melted butter

Fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped (you don't like rosemary?  Blasphemy!  I mean, try thyme or something.)

Coarse sea salt

Assembly:

Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil).  Place frozen rolls in the skillet - make sure to leave enough room for rising.  Cover and let rise for several hours.  (I covered with a dishtowel for about...5 hours.)

After rising, brush the rolls with melted butter.  Sprinkle with the chopped rosemary.  Brush with more butter.  Add the salt.  

Bake according to package directions (ours took about 20 minutes until they were a nice golden brown).  Serve on the table in the skillet.

Leave room for the rest of your dinner.

(Also, these re-heat really well!  Usually, I don't like re-heated bread, but I popped the leftovers in the microwave for 25 seconds & they were pretty good!)

The Second Best Potatoes You'll Ever Have!

As promised in an earlier entry, the recipe for the second best potatoes you'll ever have.  (If you recall, the best potatoes ever are these.)

This recipe was featured on Food Network's The Next Food Network Star.  I've made them twice now (once with swiss, once with provolone because that's all I had in the fridge), and they were fab both times.  Ben loves them, too.

I won't tell you how many of these I've eaten in one sitting...

Mini Potato Gratins

Ingredients:

Vegetable spray

3 large Russet potatoes, roughly peeled and thinly sliced

3/4 C grated Swiss cheese

3 green onions, finely chopped

1 C heavy cream

Salt & pepper

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees & spray a 12-opening muffin tin with vegetable spray.

Layer the potato slices, cheese, salt, pepper and green onions in each muffin cup.  I like to season each layer with a little S&P, rather than just topping with S&P like the original recipe recommends.  What can I say?  I like salt and pepper.  Top each gratin with 1 - 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.

Cover with foil and bake for 15 - 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 15 - 20 minutes.

These are sooooo good - try to save room for the rest of your meal when you make these!

The Best Potatoes You'll Ever Have!

I've made these potatoes several times, and for some reason, had never gotten around to posting them here. When my mom and grandma were in town, I made these potatoes for them. And everyone raved. And I got a decent picture. So, here you go...

The Best Potatoes You'll Ever Have

Ingredients:
Small red potatoes
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh chopped rosemary (or any other herb you've got...thyme, parsley, whatever...)

Assembly:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to a boil - you can choose to salt it, but I usually don't...add as many potatoes as you can fit / want to cook and cook them until they're fork tender.

Generously pour olive oil on a lipped cookie sheet. Place the potatoes on the cookie sheet, but leave enough room between them so you can smash them. It's very theraputic.

Using your potato masher (or, if you don't have a potato masher, get creative and use something like a glass, a meat mallet...) and smash the potatoes. (You can do it like I do and just crush them in one fell swoop, or you can do like the original recipe and smash a little, rotate the masher and smash a little more...I like doing it all at once. It makes me feel powerful.) Brush the tops of the potatoes with olive oil.

Season generously with salt, pepper and rosemary (or whichever herb you're using).

Pop in your 450 degree oven and bake until brown, golden and crispy...about 20-25 minutes. Try to not eat all of them straight off of the cookie sheet.

Tomato Salad

I like tomatoes. Ben likes tomatoes. Matt does not. Since Ben and I outnumber Matt two votes to one on the whole tomato thing, I've made this side salad a few times. To rave reviews, too. Take that, tomato haters!

Tomato Salad
(pretty, huh?)

Ingredients:
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp. grated orange zest (trust me on this)
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt & pepper

Assembly:
In a bowl, toss the tomatoes, scallions, orange zest, olive oil & 3/4 tsp. of salt and 1/4 tsp. of pepper.

That's it. The end. It'll take you longer to halve the tomatoes than it will to actually make the salad.

A few notes, though: I don't even measure the zest anymore...I just zest a whole orange and throw it in there. I know, I know - orange zest and tomatoes? I was skeptical at first, too, but it works. And it works well.

I also add more S&P if needed - use the measurements as a starting point, but season to taste after that. The last time I made this, I accidentally added about 2x the pepper the recipe calls for - and it was still fab.

This is one of those dishes that tastes better the longer it marinates, so don't be afraid to make it the night before. I was hesitant to make it too early before I needed it the first time (I thought the tomatoes might get soggy from the oil), but it was soooooo good after it sat for awhile. Which means, it makes super good leftovers, too.

If there's any left, of course.

Mexican Rice

I found this recipe on one of my favorite websites for recipes: The Pioneer Woman. Everything I have made from her website is FAB, and I highly recommend spending a few hours reading her blog.

Anyway, this Mexican Rice recipe is a part of the Mexican Lasagna recipe listed here (I will post my version of the lasagna, soon). I have altered the Mexican Rice to suit our tastes, so without further ado, here's the Y Family version of Mexican Rice...(don't make fun of my photography! This is a food blog...not a picture taking blog! Haha!)

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
2 C rice (I use Premium Minute)
2 C chicken broth (I like reduced sodium)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes or fresh tomatoes (I use canned w/chiles)
1 can whole kernel corn or fresh corn
1 package taco seasoning
1-2 tsp minced garlic (I use the kind in the jar with the blue top)
1 can black beans (optional)

Assembly:
Cook rice as directed on the package (I use Minute Premium rice, so 2 C rice + 2 C chicken broth, in the micro for 8 minutes).

While the rice is cooking, put the chopped onion, garlic & tomatoes in a large pan and cook over medium heat (I use a wok). Add your taco seasoning and mix. I tend to cook until the onions are just tender (not brown).

Add the corn (and black beans, if you want) and stir again. Cook until heated through.

Mix the tomato/corn/onion/other yummies with the rice.

Serve as a side dish, or in burritos and tacos. (Or, use in the Mexican Lasagna recipe...soon to come!)

***Note*** This recipe is super easy to customize. I tried to list everything we used in our version, but play around with it and make it your own. I have a feeling this recipe will be ever-evolving in our house!