Homemade French Fries!

Yes I know this is an old trade made by many.....but my new discovery is quite exciting! 
So.......if you have a cooling rack(meant for cookies) you can make your fries this way and save yourself many many calories AND make enough for 1, 2, or how ever many!
1 baking potato actually makes 2 servings.....oh a generous serving for one. (I love a fry so I eat a whole potato)
Preheat your oven to 425.
To prepare your fries. Take a baking potato and cut in half. Cut each half into 1/2 inch slices long ways. If you want fatter fries feel free to cut them thicker. Then cut each of those slices into shoestrings. Sorry, I am not one of those bloggers that will give you step by step pictures. If you don't know what a shoestring french fry is......Google it. haha One tip I will give you is that a sharp knife is key! It makes a world of difference. In a large bowl toss your potatoes with EVOO and ANY spice you want. Old Bay is delicious, Janes Krazy Mixed Up Salt is tasty too. You could also toss with fresh herbs! yummy!
Next cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Place your cooling rack on top. Lay your potatoes on top in even layer. 
Bake your fries for about 30 minutes, or until brown and crispy. Obviously the longer you bake them the crispier they will be. The genius of the cooling rack is that you never have to flip your potatoes and they get crispy all the way through. These are the best fries you will ever eat, and I promise that you will never buy Ore Ida again! I don't even need ketchup.
Feel free to try this with a sweet potato too. They are yummy with salt. Drizzle with honey when they come out of the oven! 

Childhood favorite made healthy

As a child one of my favorite meals was Pecos casserole, so much so that it was my birthday dinner request. There is something oh so comforting about a casserole. Pecos casserole was a hamburger helper like dinner with Hormel chili as its base. Needless to say it was not a healthy meal, but boy was it yummy! A few weeks ago I had a craving for it, but Pecos and losing weight do not go together so I got to brainstorming a new, healthier version that would still take me back to great childhood memories. The similarity in taste of the new recipe to the original is spot on! SO excited!  I will first provide you the original recipe so that you are able to compare the difference. This recipe makes enough for 4 portions or a great dinner for 2 with leftovers and believe me the leftovers are just as tasty! Serve alongside a yummy salad. 


Pecos Casserole: The Original


1 can Hormel Chili(with beans)
1 can corn
1/2 onion diced
1/2 bell pepper diced
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni


Cook noodles according to package directions. In large skillet saute onion and pepper in EVOO. Add corn and chili. Stir in cooked macaroni and cheese. Serve! 


Pecos Casserole: Revamped Healthier Version


1 can chili beans(rinsed)
1 cup Birds Eye corn with bell peppers(Steamfresh)
1/2 cup diced onion
1 pkg Reduced Sodium Old El Paso Taco Seasoning
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese(if you really want to cut calories feel free to use that nasty rubber fat free cheese:) )


Cook macaroni and drain. In skillet saute onion and corn. Add can of beans and taco seasoning. Stir in elbow macaroni and cheese. Enjoy! 

Em's Oatmeal Raisin-et Cookies ;)

So any of you out there that know me well know that I love a Raisinet. There is a bag of them in my fridge as we speak. Love love love them. Anyways, so I was craving a cookie tonight (not on the diet) and wanted to use what I had in the house. I had some plain instant oatmeal but no raisins......this got my brain churning. I love an oatmeal raisin cookie, I love an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.....why not blend the 2?! Hence my new creation of the Oatmeal Raisinet Cookie. You will never go back to the original. I promise!


Oatmeal Raisinet Cookies

4 Tbs softened unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup plus 3 Tbs flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup toasted pecans chopped
1/4 cup Raisinets
2 packets Instant Oatmeal( I would say about 1/2 cup to 1 cup oatmeal.....til cookie dough consistency)


Toast your pecans at 350 for 5 minutes. Chop. Combine butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Add flour baking powder, salt, cinnamon and combine. (I never do the ridiculous step where you dirty up another bowl to combine your dry ingredients first) Stir in your oatmeal, pecans and Raisinets. I like to refrigerate my dough for about 30 minutes but that is personal preference.
Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes. Makes about 12 cookies, depending on size. The best part is you can make a few, then freeze the remaining dough for another day! A-mazing cookies!

Hello fellow food lovers!

So in the past few months, I have found myself in the kitchen quite often as a means of comfort and therapy. Cooking relaxes me and is one of the few things I can control in my upside down life! I often find myself sharing my "recipes" or creations and decided I might as well create a blog and share with everyone! I am also on a mission to create meals and desserts to accommodate a household of 1 or 2 people. Not so easy! I will start with my quick and easy pasta dish I created tonight! 


Fresh Tomato and Spinach Pasta Toss


1/4 lb whole wheat angel hair pasta or thin spaghetti
5-6 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1 handful of fresh spinach
1 heaping Tbs inched garlic or 3 cloves diced
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 pinch dried basil: if you like fresh....more power to ya!
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
2-3 Tbs EVOO(if you don't know what that is.....tisk tisk)
salt/pepper to taste


Go ahead and boil your pasta water, add pasta and cook while you combine the fresh ingredients.
In large skillet, heat EVOO on medium heat. Add garlic and all other spices. Add fresh tomatoes and spinach and cook til tomatoes and spinach are semi wilted. Once pasta is cooked, drain and add directly to skillet with other goodies. Add about 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Toss. Enjoy!