Sweet Potato Home Fries

My last post was ages ago. Horrible I know but I promise I'm about to pick up the pace very soon. You will hear all about my February Recipe Challenge and weekly recipe posts are part of the plan.

But in the meantime I just wanted to share a great recipe for Sweet Potato Home Fries.  I wrote it not too long after I wrote my Sweet Potato Cheesecake recipe because I made the dish with sweet potatoes I had leftover from testing that recipe.  One weekend I wanted to cook breakfast, and as I was gathering my bacon and eggs, I spied the sweet potatoes.  Then the foodie gods stepped in because I suddenly remembered a gorgeous sweet potato hash that one of my Instagram followers posted.  With that dish in mind, I realized I make home fries all the time so I thought that I would sub in the sweet potatoes for regular potatoes.

Well, that day, the home fries turned out great, but as I was eating them with the bacon on the side, I realized how nicely the salty and smokey bacon paired with the sweet potatoes.  So the next time I incorporated bacon into the dish and all I could think after I tasted was "perfection."

I suggest you make this if you are entertaining for brunch.  It's something different, delicious, and it looks beautiful on the platter (you see that picture don't you?).  Or you can switch it up one night and make breakfast for dinner.  The sweet potato home fries are hearty enough to satisfy your after-work hunger.  But let's be honest, it doesn't matter when you make it, just do it! Make it this weekend! :-)

Ingredients: (make 4-5 servings)

3 Medium-Large Sweet Potatoes

4 Strips of Bacon

½ Green Pepper, diced

½ Onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons Paprika (smoked is better, regular is fine)

Salt & Pepper, to taste

Vegetarians and Non-Pork Eaters: simply eliminate the bacon and sauté the veggies in 1-2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil.

Directions:

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes and add to a medium sized pot.   Cover the potatoes with cold water and place over high heat.  While you're waiting on the water to boil, chop your pepper, onion and garlic.  Once the water is boiling, set timer and allow potatoes to boil for 7 minutes.  (Any longer and the potatoes will be mushy)

While potatoes are boiling, cook bacon strips in a deep frying pan until crispy (about 2-3 minutes per side).  Remove bacon strips from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.  Then add the diced pepper and onion right into the bacon fat and sauté for about 4 minutes or until softened.  Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.

 

By this time the potatoes should be done.  Drain potatoes and then add them to the pan with the pepper, onion, and garlic.  Season with paprika, salt, and pepper and stir to combine.  Allow potatoes to fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then dice the bacon strips, add them to the potatoes, and stir to combine.

Transfer potatoes to a serving platter or bowl and serve alongside eggs (any style). 

Sweet Potato Cheesecake

 

I was going to wait and post this recipe closer to Christmas but after I got SO MANY requests, how could I resist?  Especially since this recipe has been a long time in the making.  Now I know there are tons of ways to make cheesecake and lots of options for ingredients but this is the recipe for you if:

• If you like your cheesecake melt-in-your-mouth creamy.  
• You're patient. (there's a 90 minute baking time and 24 hour chill time)
• You want to incorporate your favorite holiday flavors like cinnamon and nutmeg into your cheesecake.

Having said that, if you're still interested in making this cheesecake, here are a couple of tips:

1. Like with any cake, you should make sure all your ingredients are room temperature.  Take out your ingredients, including the eggs, 1-2 hours before you plan to bake.
2. This cheesecake is best when allowed to set overnight, which is why I said it's for the patient cook.  For the best results, make it the day before you want to serve it.
3. Sweet potatoes are called sweet because...they are! But some are sweeter than others.  I used 1 and a 1/2 cups sugar in this cake because my sweet potatoes weren't that sweet, but if you find those great, dark, super sweet ones, reduce to 1 cup of sugar.
4. You will need special cooking tools to make this cheesecake.  These include: a spring form pan, a food processor, and a large standing mixer.

Ok I think that's it!  I have shared everything you need to know to make this recipe a success.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Crust:

6-10 Graham Cracker Squares, crushed

1/2 stick Unsalted Butter, melted

1 tablespoon Light Brown Sugar

Filling:

2 Eggs

3 Egg Yolks

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract

1/3 cup Heavy Cream

1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Ground Allspice

20 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

1/3 cup Sour Cream

1 ½ cups Light Brown Sugar

2 cups Sweet Potato Puree (See recipe below)

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of a spring form pan; pushing some along the sides as well.  Bake crust for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees.

In a small bowl, beat together the eggs, yolks, vanilla, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice.  Set mixture aside.  Then, in a large mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream, at medium speed, for 1 minute, then add in cream cheese, brown sugar and finally add the sweet potato puree.  Once everything has combined, gradually add in the egg mixture in 2-3 batches, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl before each batch.  Once, everything has combined, stop the mixer.  Pour batter over the graham cracker crust. 

Place the cheesecake in the middle of a large roasting pan.  Pour boiling water (about a tea kettle full) into the roasting pan around the cheesecake to create a steam bath (this promotes even cooking).  Bake cheesecake for 90 minutes and allow it to cool.  Once cheesecake is room temperature, transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill overnight.  Gently remove from the spring form pan and serve.

Sweet Potato Puree

Ingredients: (makes 2-3 cups depending on size of sweet potatoes)

2-3 Large Sweet Potatoes

1 tablespoon Olive or Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet, rub the skin with oil and roast in the oven until softened (about 60-75 minutes).  Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel skin off the sweet potatoes and put the flesh into a food processor.  Puree for 2-3 minutes and empty into a bowl.

Puree can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Maryland Crab Soup

It's been a bit since my last blog post, but I promise haven't been slacking!  In fact, I have written what I think is one of my best soup recipes and if you've been following this blog for a bit, then you know I've written ALOT of soup recipes.  But this one for Maryland Crab Soup will go down as one of my favorites.

In fact, I was so excited about this soup that before I posted it on my blog, I decided to send it to my editor at Ebony.com.  Well, it's been posted on the site since November 5th, and besides the recipe being easy, healthy, and delicious, I also pay homage to my home state in my introduction.  So please click the link below to hop on over to Ebony.com to check it out!

Maryland Crab Soup

Apple Brown Betty

Last night, I got the opportunity to cook live on my very first cooking show.  I was invited by Chef James Robinson who hosts an online cooking show every Wednesday at 9pm.  Yesterday, he had me on as his guest and I was asked to make a dessert that would compliment his Halloween inspired dinner.  I figured that I could have racked my brain to think of some kind of spooky dessert or I could keep it simple and classic and make Apple Brown Betty, a dish that I would venture to say was my Grandpa's signature dessert.  Plus, apples are in season so this dessert may not be a typical Halloween dish but it's definitely perfect for fall.

Well, as it turned out the cooking show was the best environment for me to revive this recipe because we had an audience of about 15 people.  The Chef and I gave out all of the Apple Brown Betty that I made and everyone said that they liked it!  I even had one woman tell me she was thinking about making it for Thanksgiving.  Smart lady don't you think? ;-)

So I have copied and pasted my Grandpa's recipe below for those of you who are interested in trying this dish.  This is how I remember him making it, except I substituted graham cracker crumbs for bread crumbs.  I spotted some cinnamon graham crackers at the store and I thought they would compliment the cinnamon that I mix with the apples, but Grandpa always had plain breadcrumbs on hand so he would use those.

Anyway, I hope you all make it this fall while apples are plentiful and therefore cheap! And hopefully I will be able to update this with the video of the show soon!

 Ingredients: (Makes 5-6 servings)

1/2 Stick Melted Butter, divided

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs (approx. 6 graham crackers, ground) OR Plain Bread Crumbs

7-8 Medium Sized Apples, peeled, core removed, and diced

Juice of 1 Lemon

3/4 cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

¼ tsp Nutmeg

¼ tsp Ground Cloves

½ tsp Salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Grease the bottom and sides of a medium sized, glass-baking dish using about ½ of the melted butter.  Then, in a small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs or breadcrumbs with the remaining melted butter, until is becomes the consistency of wet sand, and set aside.

Add peeled and diced apples to a mixing bowl and add lemon juice and raisins and stir to combine.  (The lemon juice keeps the apples from browning so you may want to add it right after you dice the apples).  Next add the vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir again to combine.  If mixture seems a little dry, feel free to stir in more lemon juice.

Next sprinkle 1/3 of the cracker mixture on the bottom of the dish and pour half of the apple mixture on top.  Sprinkle some more of the cracker mixture over the apples, then add the remaining apples and sprinkle the remaining third of the cracker mixture on top.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 30 minutes.  Then remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 and allow to bake for another 15 minutes or until the top begins to brown and the apple brown betty is bubbling. (If you notice that the top is not browning, you could switch the oven to low broil for the last 3-4 minutes.)

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for at least 10 minutes.  Serve the Apple Brown Betty warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup

Fall is officially here! I am not sure about you, but this is my favorite time of year and my latest recipe for Roasted Tomato & Red Pepper Soup is the perfect dish to welcome in autumn.  It's a spin on the classic tomato basil soup but instead of roasting just the tomatoes, I roasted the onions, garlic and I threw a roasted red pepper into the mix as well.

This soup is easy, delicious, comforting AND healthy.  It’s very low in fat and tomatoes and red peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C.  So if the change of weather has you feeling under the weather, this is an excellent soup to make.  Also, this is great for my fellow "Single Cooks."  The ingredients make about 2 entree portions or 3-4 appetizer or side portions.  So for all the ladies and gents who cook for 1 and hate a ton of leftovers, this is the soup for you! And if you're not cooking for 1 like me, simply double the recipe.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Tomatoes

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Small Yellow Onion

1 Head of Garlic

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

1 large handful of basil leaves (plus more for garnish)

2 cups Vegetable (or Chicken) Stock

Parmesan Cheese (for garnish)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil.  Quarter the tomatoes and arrange them in one layer on one baking sheet.  Then, cut the bell pepper in half, remove the ribs and seeds and place the halves on the second baking sheet. Peel and quarter the yellow onion and place them on the second sheet as well. (see below)

 The next step is to prep the garlic for roasting.  You only need 2-3 cloves for this recipe but I found that roasting the garlic while it’s still in the paper gives it so much more flavor.  So what I did was cut a 3-clove cluster of garlic from the entire head.  Then I cut about ¼ of an inch off the top of the garlic cloves. I poured a few drops of extra virgin olive oil onto the top of the cloves and added it to the pan with the onion and pepper. (see left)

Now toss the tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion in extra virgin olive oil (about 1/3 of a cup), season everything generously with salt and pepper and place the pans in the preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the vegetables (especially the bell pepper) have begun to get a nice char. (see pictures below)  Then, remove both sheets from the oven and, using tongs, immediately put the bell pepper in a Ziploc bag and seal it. 

Allow the pepper to steam and the other vegetables to cool for 10 minutes.  Then, remove the pepper from the bag, peel the skin off of the pepper and add it to a food processor or blender.  Add the tomatoes, onion and 2 roasted garlic cloves (they should pop right out of the paper) to the processor or blender and pulse until ingredients have been blended and combined.  Next add the basil leaves and pulse a few times more. Then add a bit more salt and pepper to taste.

Blended soup w/ stock added

Pour all ingredients into a medium sized soup pot and turn the heat on to medium high.  Stir in the stock, bring to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes.  Check the seasonings one more time and then ladle the soup into bowls.  Top with parmesan cheese and a chiffonade of basil leaves. (Chiffonade means to thinly slice, but torn basil pieces work too!)

Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes

It's been forever since I wrote a dessert recipe.  This is mostly because I eat so much already that the last thing my waistline needs is dessert lingering around the house.  But the inspiration for this dish came when I was trying to think of a dessert to take to an outdoor summer picnic.  I wanted something that could stand up to the heat and that screamed summer.  As my mind was churning, it just came to me! Pineapple upside down cake is tropical and colorful and there's no icing! So no melting and no mess.  And honestly, I got the idea to turn them into cupcakes because I've been putting everything in cupcake pans lately.  Some of you may remember my Mini-Meatloves and I learned then that when food is cooked in a cupcake pan, it cooks faster and the results are individualized, elegant and fun at the same time.

So here's my recipe for Pineapple Upside Down Cupcakes! After I posted the pictures a while back, I've gotten a few requests for this recipe.  I hope someone out there tries it and sends me pictures! :-)

Ingredients (Makes 24 cupcakes):

Non-Stick Cooking Spray

1 Can Diced Pineapples

12 Maraschino Cherries

1 Box Golden Cake Mix

2 Sticks Butter, divided

1 cup Whole Milk, at room temperature

2 Eggs, at room temperature

4 tbsp Rum, divided (preferably a spiced rum i.e. Captain Morgan or Myers)

1 cup Light Brown Sugar

Special Tools: 2 Cupcake Pans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray cupcake pans with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. First prep your fruit by cutting the cherries in half to make 24 halves.  Then (depending on the brand of canned pineapple you use) halve the pineapple cubes so that they are about the same width as the cherries. 

Next prepare your cake batter.  Begin by melting and cooling 1 stick of butter.  Then in a bowl, combine the cake mix, melted butter, milk, eggs, and rum.  Mix with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until all ingredients are combined, being sure to scrape the sides and get any ingredients lingering at the bottom of the bowl.  Set batter to the side while you make your caramel sauce.

In a small frying pan, melt the remaining stick of butter over medium heat.  Once it’s completely melted, add the brown sugar and stir until sugar is completely combined.  Increase the heat slightly, and stir the mixture constantly until it begins to bubble.  When the mix begins to get lighter in color, almost frothy, remove the pan from the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of rum, and stir to combine.

Spoon about 1 teaspoon caramel sauce into each cupcake round.  Then press a cherry in the center and 2 pineapple chunks around the cherry.  Lastly pour the cake batter evenly into the cupcake pan, trying to only fill each round ¾ of the way full (if you pour too much your tops will round and remember your tops become your bottom!)

Place the cupcakes in the oven and bake until golden brown 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a cupcake. Once cooked, take cupcakes out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.  Once cooled slightly, invert cupcake pan over a large cookie sheet.  Tap the tops of each cupcake round to ensure that the cupcakes come out.  Gently lift the cupcake pan and you should be left with your upside down pineapple cupcakes on the sheet. 

Place cupcakes on a nice plate or platter and serve with vanilla ice cream.  If some fall apart, it’s ok, simply piece them back together or use the crumbles as an ice cream topping.

Grandpa's Gazpacho (Revisited)

My family caters and every summer it's almost tradition to make gazpacho when it gets hot.  A few weeks ago my Uncle made it, which then inspired my mom to make it.  He used a recipe he found online and when I tasted it, I thought it was good but it wasn't my Grandpa's gazpacho.  This was when I decided to make gazpacho and I knew it had to be Grandpa's.  I remembered that I posted a copy of his recipe on this blog, completely forgetting that it was my very FIRST blog post!  It was 2010 and you can see the original post HERE.

Before I get to the recipe, I just wanted to share what an amazing process it was to go back and reread my very first post. I couldn't believe how far I've come! When I saw the picture the first thing I thought was, "I can do better than that!"  As I read the recipe, I realized I wouldn't change a thing, but then I got to my serving suggestions.  I knew even back then that this soup would be great with seafood and avocado, so this time around I would follow my gut, literally.  I decided to combine shrimp, crab, and avocado to make a seafood garnish and I must say... It was perfect.  

I have reposted my Grandpa's Gazpacho recipe below and I've added the recipe for the Seafood Avocado Garnish.  Make it while it's hot! Outside ;-)

Gazpacho

Ingredients: Makes About 6 servings

7 Plum Tomatoes (seeds removed)

1 Green Pepper (ribs and seeds removed)

1 Cucumber

1 Small Red Onion

2 Ribs Celery (wipe off any dirt with a damp cloth)

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Lime (juiced)

3 ½ Cups Low Sodium V8

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbsp. Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp. Tabasco Sauce

1 tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley

Seafood-Avocado Garnish (find recipe below)

Directions:

FINELY dice the first 5 ingredients and put them into a large bowl or pot. Next using a micro plane, grate the garlic on top of the vegetables (finely chopped garlic is fine too) and add the V8. Then add the extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, limejuice, salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce.  Stir to combine and chill the soup in the refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours (the longer it sits, the better). Right before serving, stir the fresh chopped parsley into the soup and serve in chilled bowls or cups.  Finally, top each cup or bowl with a few spoonfuls of the seafood-avocado garnish.

Seafood-Avocado Garnish

Ingredients (Makes About 2 Cups):

½ cup cooked shrimp (roughly chopped)

½ cup lump crabmeat (picked over)

¼ cup freshly squeezed limejuice (approx. 2 limes, divided)

1 tbsp. chopped cilantro

2 tsp. minced canned chipotles in adobo, including sauce, or 1 teaspoon Chipotle Chile Powder

Salt to taste

1 ripe avocado

Directions:

In a bowl, add the first 5 ingredients, a pinch of salt and gently stir to combine.  Allow this mixture to chill and marinate for at least 20 minutes or even overnight.  Then, right before you are ready to serve, cut the avocado in half and remove the seed.  Scoop the flesh of the avocado out of it’s skin and chop into small pieces.  Toss the avocado with the remaining limejuice and then gently fold it into the seafood mixture.  Check the seasoning here, and add a little more salt if necessary.  To serve, scoop approximately 2 tablespoons of the seafood mixture over each serving of gazpacho. 

This mixture can also be served with tortilla chips or served in chilled martini glasses for a refreshing shrimp and crab cocktail.