Oven Roasted Potatoes

Oven Roasted Potatoes

2 large potatoes, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (oregano, parsley and basil)
1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons of Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Place all items except the cheese into a large bag. Shake until coated and place in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Top with cheese, heat until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Cheese Steaks (Gluten-Free)

Cheese Steaks (Gluten-Free)

2 lbs of steak, thinly sliced
6 baked potatoes
1 onion
Cooking oil (we use bacon grease or coconut oil)
Salt and pepper

Other Toppings:
Cheese (Cheddar or Provolone)
Mushrooms
Red or yellow bell peppers

Bake the potatoes in the oven for about 1 hour or until they are soft.

Cook the onions, mushrooms and peppers in oil until they are soft. Remove from pan.
Cook the steak in the same pan until it is brown, using oil if needed.

Mix your steak and veggies together and place them on top of a split baked potato. Cover with the cheese of your choice.

We used the leftover steak and veggie mixture for a stir fry. Just place the mixture in a pan with white rice and some butter. 

Coconut Oil French Fries

These have to be the best french fries we have ever tasted. Best of all, they are healthy and packed with flavor.

Coconut Oil French Fries

6 medium potatoes

1/2 cup of coconut oil

Season salt to taste

Wash the potatoes. Leave the peels on. Slice them to French Fry shape. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan. Lay the potatoes in the pan. Make sure that they are laid out flat and not overlapping each other. You might have to cook them in several batches depending on how many fries you want to make. Season the fries with season salt. When they are golden brown flip them over and cook until both sides are golden brown and they are soft in the middle.

Autumn Soup

I received this recipe in an email from my Aunt JoAnn. Chris and I loved it.

Autumn Soup

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 med. onion, chopped

1 lg. can of tomatoes (they can be crushed or whole, if whole you need to break them up)

1 can of water from the tomato can

2 potatoes, diced and peeled

1 1/2 cups of diced celery

1 - 2 tsp. of dried sweet basil

Salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the hamburger with the onion. Add it to a crock pot with all the other ingredients. Make sure that the liquids cover the raw vegetables. Put on low for 6 hrs. or less. Most of the stuff will be ready.

If your going to have company for dinner, add another potato, and some chopped celery.

Hearty Beef Stew

Stew is comfort food for me. I remember my grandmother making it when I was young and it brings back great memories.

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 lb stew meat

3 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into 1in pieces

1 large potato, cut into 1 1/2 in pieces

1/4 cup celery, cut into 1 in pieces

1/4 cup onion, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 dried bay leaf

2 tablespoons tomato paste

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Brown stew meat in coconut oil. Place all items in a baking dish. Bake for 2 1/2 hours.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Base Ingredients:
6 large potatoes, cubed
1 large onion, diced
1 quart homemade chicken broth
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup butter
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste


1 cup cream
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Garnish: chives, sour cream, bacon, and cheese


Cook the base ingredients in your crock pot for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Add the cream, cheese, and garnishes.

Spud Special Soup

3 tablespoons of butter
1 large onion
1/2 cup carrot, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic
4 cups diced potatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 cup browned sausage
1/2 cup cheese, grated

Brown sausage in a pot. Add butter, onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the onion is soft and clear. Add potatoes, broth, salt, pepper, parsley, and sausage. Cover and simmer until all ingredients are cooked. Stir occasionally. Turn off the heat and add the milk. Serve with cheese as a garnish.

Crockpot 7 Layer Dinner

4 potatoes sliced

1/3 cup rice

1 lb raw hamburger

1 onion, chopped

1 small carrot, sliced or chopped

1 lb mushrooms, sliced or chopped

1 tsp sugar

2 (14 oz ) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained

salt and pepper to taste

Mozzarella (or other) cheese. 

Layer each item item in the order listed. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Add cheese to individual plates.  

Last time we made this we forgot to add the salt and it still came out great. This is the perfect throw it all in the Crockpot and have dinner waiting for you when you get home from work meal. 

Cream of Spinach and Sweet Potato Soup

Chris does not like sweet potatoes or spinach so we thought he would hate this meal that a neighbor gave us, but one bite and he was hooked. He is still not sure why he likes a dish with so many items that he does not like in it. I think it is great because spinach and sweet potatoes both have a lot of nutrients and we need to keep them in our diet. Also it is beautiful when served.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large bunch of spinach
1 lb mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup rice
1 lb sweet potatoes, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium squash, chopped
2 cups beef broth or Better than Bullion
3 bay leafs
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups heavy cream

Cook oil, garlic, onion, and spinach until the spinach is bright green. Add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, rice, broth, bay leaves, salt and pepper.  Simmer for 30 minutes on low. Add the cream and stir until warm, then serve.

The vegetables in this soup are bright and delicious. 

The cream really makes it a comfort food. 

Baked Roast and Vegetables

1 Roast

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 lbs of sliced potatoes

2 sliced carrots

4 chopped garlic cloves

Season salt

Brown the roast on all sides in the olive oil to lock in the juices. Place in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add chopped onions, carrots and garlic. Sprinkle with season salt. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 1 hour. 

Crockpot Potato Soup with Clams

This recipe was for plain potato soup but the soup was bland so we added clams to it, which improved it greatly.

6 small potatoes chopped not peeled
1/2 medium onion chopped
water
3 strips of bacon
1/2 lb (200 grams) fresh shelled clams chopped
2 cups of milk
1 TBS Butter.

Place chopped potatoes and onion in crockpot. Add just enough water to cover the potatoes. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Add the clams and turn the pot to high.

Fry the bacon in a frying pan. When crispy, crumble it and place it in the pot. Add about 2 cups of milk or cream and the butter.

Stir just until the milk or cream is warm.

You can add all the ingredents in the morning. We don't because we often forget to buy the clams early. We like to use only fresh clams and we often forget to buy them the night before. (Except the bacon, it is best added just before serving.

You do not have to use a Crockpot to make this meal. Just boil the potatoes like you would for mashed potatoes. When they are soft add the other ingredients. Heat until warm and serve.

Chris likes this as a soup. I prefer clam chowder. So I took the leftovers (only one serving) the next night, and put it in a frying pan. I brought it to a boil slowly being careful not to scorch the milk. Then I took half a cup on cold water, added 1 TBS flour and shook it up. I added it to the pan and stired until it became thick. So I had a nice filling chowder.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

5 to 7 Potatoes (2 per person)

Butter

Milk

Salt

Decide if you want your potatoes peeled or not. We like ours with the skins on because that is where all the nutrients are. If you are not peeling them scrub them real good. If you do peel them rise them after you have removed the peels.

Cut the potatoes into bite sized diced pieces.  Put them in a large pan. Add enough water to cover them and then turn the burner onto high. Cook the potatoes until you remove one and you can smash them easily with a fork. Or you can taste one and see if you like the texture.

When the potatoes are done to your liking, strain them in a colander removing all of the water. Place the drained potatoes back into the pan and add several pats of butter, at least ¼ a cup.  Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes. When the butter is melted add the milk, at least half a cup. Then add salt. Taste the potatoes and keep adding these three ingredients until you like how they taste. Be careful with the milk because you don’t want them to be too runny. Also don’t add the milk while the potatoes are still steaming or the texture will come out wrong. If you don’t have a potato masher you can mash them with a large spoon or a fork.

Goes great with chicken gravy

If you need to make the potatoes ahead of time you can keep them warm in the crockpot for up to 3 hours on a low setting. Try to stir them every hour. You will have steaming potatoes when it is time to eat. 

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes

One thing that we can find a lot of in South Korea are potatoes. I had to get used to vegetables that still had dirt on them though. Tonight when my husband went to wash the potatoes his hands turned black with dirt.

5 potatoes, rinsed and chopped. Don't peel them.
1 whole large onion, diced
1/2 cube of butter (I used a whole cube and it was too much)
2 sliced green onions
Lots of mushrooms of your choice, there are plenty in Korea (I used 3 different kinds)
Garlic, minced
Season salt, or regular salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup diced ham or tenderloin (optional)
1/4 cup colby jack cheese (optional)
1/4 cup chedder cheese (optional)
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (optional)

1. Mix the onions, green onions, mushrooms, garlic and meat together in a bowl. I was going to layer these items like a lasagna, but didn't have time and it turned out great like this. 
2. Layer your mixtures in the following order potatoes first, then add a dash of salt or season salt
3. Next add the veggie/meat mixture. 
4. Place a pat or two of butter on the next layer.
5. Sprinkle with cheese. You can mix all three cheeses together. I choose one cheese for each layer.
6. Continue placing the layers in the above order until the pot is full. 
7. Pour the 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of milk over the top. 
8. Cooking on high for at least 3 hours or until the potatoes or soft. You can also cook it on low for eight hours. 

When I made this recipe it was very delicious. I let it cook all day on low. You can use it as a classic potato side dish or add the meat and cheese to make it a one dish meal.

We think this meal might work well without the cheese, but have yet to try it that way. I have found that cheese is very expensive in Korea, so I am trying to reduce my use of it. The original recipe that I based my recipe on did not call for cheese.

Time Saving Tips:

Prepare your vegetable and meat mixture ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready for use. You can pull it out of the freezer the night before you make the dish.

I buy my cheese in 2 lb blocks from Costco. When we first open it my husband grates all of the cheese and then places it in gallon sized freezer bags and put them in the freezer. Whenever we want cheese we just reach in and grab what we want.

 Here are some of the ingredients. Right after I took this picture I looked in the fridge and found several other items that I wanted to add.

This is what the pot looked like after I filled it up and before cooking it.

Skillet Fried Potatoes

This is one of the first recipies that we made in Korea. Why did we choose it? It had simple ingredients and it reminded us of home. Plus when we went shopping we were able to find the ingredients with out reading Korean.

5 baking potatoes sliced or diced

2 tbs. olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 table spoon minced garlic

Salt or Season Salt

Ketchup

Cheese (optional)

1. Wash the potatoes. Don't peel them. Then cut them.

2. Heat the oil in the frying pan.

3. Add the poatoes, onions and garlic.

4. Season to taste.

5. Cook on a medium temperature until the potatoes are soft, about 20 to 30 minutes.

6. Top with Ketchup and Cheese.

Sometimes to make this a more filling meal we add what ever meat we have available. Usually bacon or ham.

Crockpot Baked Potatoes

4 potatoes (or as many as you need that will fit in the pot)

Foil
Cheese
Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
Butter
Salt

1. Wash each potato

2. Stab potatoes with a fork several times.

3. Wrap in foil

4. Place in the bottom of the crock pot and cook for 8 hours on low.

5. Do not add water.

6. When soft remove foil and top with cheese, plain yogurt, butter and salt.

7. You can also place your foiled potatoes on top of other items that you are cooking in the Crockpot. They don’t need water so don’t submerge them.

8. If cooking the potatoes with other items just give the outer layer of foil a quick rinse before removing it to help prevent messes.