Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Looking to up your mashed potatoes game for Thanksgiving? Or just looking for a delicious recipe? I've got you! 😉 

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 head garlic
• olive oil
• 2 pounds potatoes, red or baking, washed and cut into similar sized pieces
• 4 T butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

1. Preheat your oven to 425° and line baking pan with aluminum foil.
2. Cut the very top of the garlic head off and place on a sheet of aluminum foil. Fold the foil up like a bowl, and drizzle the head of garlic with olive oil.
3. Enclose foil packet around garlic head and place on baking pan.
4. Bake about 35 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant and tender. Let cool.
5. Remove garlic cloves and mash with flat side of knife or wooden spoon.
6. Put your potatoes in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Salt water and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork tender. Drain in colander.
7. In the same stockpot, melt your butter and heavy cream. Add potatoes and garlic to pot and mash to liking.
8. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.

TIPS

-Don't want to peel your potatoes? Don't. The skin mashes up beautifully here!

-I've used red or russet potatoes in this recipe and they both turned out delicious. So use what you have, or prefer.

-You may need to alter the butter and heavy cream based off of how much potatoes you actually use. So taste and season and add more if needed.

-Don't over mash or whip your potatoes! They will take on a gummy texture and consistency and it's not great here.

Cranberry Sauce

If you’re not a canned cranberry fan (that’d be me 🙋🏼‍♀️👈🏼) then I’m here for you!! 

Homemade cranberry sauce is one of the easiest Thanksgiving food items to make! Less than 15 minutes and can be made a few days in advance!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 12oz bag of cranberries, picked through (pull out the bruised and bad ones)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/3 cup brown sugar 
• 1/2 cup orange juice 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cinnamon stick plus one pinch ground cinnamon (1/8 tsp)
• 1 - 2-3 inch orange peel strip

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE 

1. Add all ingredients to large sauce pan and stir to combine. 

2. Cooking on medium/high heat, bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Stirring frequently and breaking down the cranberries.

3. Remove from heat and let cool before covering and refrigerating. It will set up more in the fridge.

Can be made a few days in advance.

TIPS

- Break up your cranberries as you stir. They will pop and open up as they cook, but use your spatula to help them along.

- Taste and alter your spices as needed. Some cranberries can be more tarte than others and you may need more sugar or more cinnamon. 

Blistered Chiles and Onions

 This is my take on Chiles Toreados. The salty, spicy, delicious sautéed onions and hot peppers that should really go on all Mexican food. 😋 

My take definitely leans more towards the onion than the pepper. BUT!! You absolutely can alter this to your tastes. I also slice my peppers, instead of keeping whole. Purely for ease of serving! 

Use up your jalapenos, or maybe a serrano or two! A little spicy, or a lot. Your choice! This is a combination of flavors you never knew you needed!! 

WHAT YOU NEED:

2 medium or 1 large onion, chopped

1-2 large jalapenos or serranoes, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

juice of 1 lime

cooking spray

HOW TO MAKE BLISTERED CHILES AND ONIONS

1. Heat heavy bottom pan over medium heat, spray with cooking spray.

2. Add in your onions and peppers and let sear for a few minutes. Cover with lid and allow to steam cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Once onions and peppers are softened, removed lid and add in your soy sauce and lime juice. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and recover. Serve hot or cold.

Serve over your tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas. Mix in your salsa(try with my super easy Restaurant Style Salsa!), or add to soup. Or, grab some chips and go at them! So many ways to enjoy these!!

Homemade Butter Biscuits

These are the *PERFECT* homemade biscuits! Cover them in gravy, add a slab of butter and jam, load them up with bacon, eggs and cheese.. whichever lane you are in, these are for you!!

 This recipe is from sugarspunrun.com - the ingredients are the same, a great basic biscuit! I did go the easier route with how I made them. I used a pastry cutter, not the preferred method, and I doubled the recipe. Which, I think should be a normal recipe! 😃 (Original recipe HERE)

WHAT YOU NEED - this is a double recipe, makes 14-16 biscuits using a 2 3/4" cutter.

• 4 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter (very cold) (1 1/2 sticks)
• 1 1/2 cups milk

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BUTTER BISCUITS

1. Preheat oven to 425° and cover baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine your dry ingredients (Flour, baking powder, sugar and salt). 

3. Cut your butter into flour mixture using a pastry cutter. Make sure your butter is good and cold (straight out of the refrigerator, or a 10 minute session in the freezer).

4. Cut the butter and combine until your mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Add in your milk and combine with a wooden spoon. (Spatula works, too) Don't overwork the dough.

6. Drop your dough onto a floured work surface. Using your hands, work your dough into a ball. Add flour if its too sticky. 

7. Once your dough is manageable, fold it over onto itself and flatten together. Rotate and fold in half again. Repeat this 5-6 times, flattening out after each rotate and fold. Be gentle and not over work the dough.

8. Using your hands, not a rolling pin, flatten dough out to 1" thickness. Lightly flour your cutter and cut your biscuits. Make your cuts close and use as much dough as you can. Drop your biscuits onto your prepared baking sheet 1/2" apart.

9. Rework your dough and flatten out to 1" thickness again. Cut the rest of your biscuits and drop onto baking sheet.

10. Bake for 12 minutes or until tops are turning a light golden brown.

11. Remove from oven and brush with melted butter, if desired. Serve warm.

12. Enjoy!

TIPS
-Make sure your butter and milk is good and cold before starting! Leave it in the fridge until you are ready for it. I put my butter in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before I'm ready for it.

-When mixing your ingredients, you want to see your chunks of butter in the dough. You do not want it fulling combined like a cookie dough would be. (See my photo above of prebaked cut biscuits.)

- The fold over process when pressing out your dough is to make flakey layers in your biscuits! While it is a little tedious, it is absolutely worth it! Just make sure to not overwork your dough, or warm up your butter!

How would you eat these golden beauties?!? Let me know in the comments!! 👇

Oven Baked French Fries

Universally loved (at least in my home 😉) and honestly so easy to make!! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside! Perfect side dish to so many meals, or make it the star and load them down with all kinds of toppings! 

WHAT YOU NEED

• 2-3 lbs potatoes, cut into fry strips
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

HOW TO MAKE OVEN BAKED FRENCH FRIES

1. Preheat oven to 450° F

2. Scrub potatoes, then cut into french fry strips

3. Put in large bowl or container of ice water for 30 minutes - 1 hour.

4. Remove from water and thoroughly dry potato strips

5. Pile on baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil. Add seasonings, then toss with hands to coat fries. Spread out into a single layer. (use 2 baking sheets if needed)

6. Bake for 35 minutes.

TIPS

-Don't skip on soaking in water! It helps make the fries nice and crispy!!

-Cut the potatoes into shoestring, steak fries, wedges, or whatever your family prefers! (just be aware different thicknesses will alter the cook time)

-Alter the seasonings for a little less heat - or a little more 🤷

-Trade out for sweet potatoes! 😋 These would be amazing with this recipe, or with some cinnamon/sugar!

Restaurant Style Salsa

 Who would have known making salsa at home would be so easy?! This recipe takes all of 5 minutes and a few ingredients!

It's fresh and delicious and perfect for so many meals! We make it almost weekly around here!

WHAT YOU NEED

• 2 - 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes 
• 1/3 cup onion, chopped (about 1/4 of an onion)
• jalapeno
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pinch of sugar
• juice of one lime
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• TOOLS - blender

HOW TO MAKE RESTAURANT STYLE SALSA

1. Add onion and jalapeno to blender and pulse a few seconds.

2. Add in rest of ingredents and blend until thoroughly mixed.

3. TASTE it then add more spices, if needed. 

LIKE IT HOT??

Add a couple jalapenos, or substitute in a serrano or 2. OR, go for a habanero! That's what my hubby likes! I usually make a regular batch, then add a habanero to half of it for him.

LIKE IT MILD?

Add less jalapeno or omit it all together! You can add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes instead. It will give a little flavor, but not as much heat!

TIPS

-Make it early in the day, or even the day before. The flavors really build as it sits! 

-It will be good for up to 4-5 days in the fridge.

-If you'd like it a little more chunky, simply pulse or blend it for less time.