Spicy Chicken and Potato Waffles - total time 40 minutes

You know, there are a lot of fun kitchen gadgets out there!  I mean, you could have the world's largest kitchen and still run out of space if you bought every gadget that might be useful.  That's why I try to limit myself to gadgets that have at least a few uses and I see myself using at least once a season (here is a list of must haves).  So I must pass on that mango pitter despite how useful it would be that one time a year I break down and need some mango in my life (how far did that mango have to travel to get to my plate again?  ugh).

Introducing the waffle iron... used only for making waffles, right?  It's also good for making waffle sammies and potato waffles.  Potato waffles are great way for using leftover mashed potatoes!  I always make soooo much mashed potatoes because it's one of my favorites (I was once known to eat an entire plate of mashed potatoes at buffet-style dinners) so we always have some left.  Potato waffles are great for breakfast (they're like one big hash brown), a side, or with spicy chicken!

The traditional southern comfort meal of fried chicken and waffles gets a little twist.  Take out the fryer and add some potatoes for a gluten free waffles!

Campfire Potatoes - total time 40 minutes

Although our camping weekend was cut short due to storms and possible tornadoes (no real safe spot from lightning and tornadoes in a tent with metal rods), we still had a great time while we were there!

The first night was really just getting down there, setting up camp, making some dinner, and eating some s'mores.  :)  While we were sleeping, something took Snoop's water bowl... probably a raccoon.  And then Snoop was out wandering campsite for who knows how long before we noticed he slipped out of the tent!

The next day was full of kayaking, a short hike, and cooking on the campfire.  I don't have a lot of experience cooking with fire, but everything turned out really delicious.  Maybe it's because bacon was involved... maybe it was campfire.

These campfire potatoes are really easy!  Just slice everything up, layer it in a cast iron pan or dutch oven, cover it, and enjoy the fire and the smells of yummy potatoes.

Crispy Roast Potatoes - total time 45 minutes

Still trying to come up with another side for your Thanksgiving feast?  Tired of mashed potatoes?  (Although that has always been one of my favorites.)  These crispy roast potatoes are somewhere between a baked potato and home fries with soft, fluffy insides and a crunchy, buttery outside making this a perfect side dish!

I have been making these since I first saw Jamie Oliver make them on his holiday series on the Food Network a couple years ago.  I love Jamie's passion for food and food education.  It was so interesting to see on Food Revolution what is in school lunches and how easy it is to make a couple swaps without increasing the cost to make healthier meals.  And also to see how children aren't able to identify most produce.  I couldn't believe it... but at their age, my answers probably would have been pretty similar.  Now between Green BEAN delivery, our CSA, and summer garden... our kitchen is always packed with produce and I couldn't imagine it any other way.  Amazing how things change!

Back to the potatoes!  They are really easy and super customizable.  I love butter and potatoes together, but you could totally use olive oil or truffle oil... or bacon fat.  The herbs are the same way... rosemary, thyme, sage... whatever your favorites are.  Change up the potatoes too; fingerling, yukon gold, blue potatoes, red potatoes... really any potato works (my favorite are the blue potatoes, they are so pretty and are packed with flavor and nutrients).

Cauliflower Croquettes - total time 45 minutes

Some times you just get a craving for fried potatoes.  Does that mean you have to run out to the nearest fast food place that sells greased up french fries?  Actually, my french fry craving default is usually crispy roasted potatoes... but these croquettes are pretty awesome. And since I am not a huge fan of cauliflower, but still like to get a variety of vegetables in my diet, this recipe is perfect.  Kids will love it because it is potatoes, crispy, and finger food... you could serve them as appetizers, a side, or as a main dish with a salad.  And they are cute!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie - total time 50 minutes

Most traditional Irish food includes meat, but that doesn't mean it can't be transformed into a satisfying vegetarian meal.  Filled with root vegetables, this is a perfect winter meal or to celebrate the end of winter with Saint Patrick's Day.

Baked Purple Gnocchi - total time 1 hour

I feel like I say this all the time, but I just tried gnocchi for the first time two years ago.  Just like pretty much every other recipe or ingredient that is now commonplace in my kitchen today (like pesto, chard, taquitos, pierogies, winter squash, zucchini... I could keep going).  I think your palate is really shaped by your parents preferences until you are out on your own and you decide you want to try new things.  I was convinced bell peppers were spicy until senior year of college when I finally decided to try one (after some convincing from my roommate).  It is kind of crazy to about how much other people's opinion and preferences can shape our own opinions and preferences, even without trying it for ourselves.  It just reminds me to keep trying new things.  Your favorite meal, sport, hobby, etc could still be out there waiting for you to come try it!

So, if you want to impress someone with your chef skills, make your own gnocchi!  It really isn't hard, it is just a little time consuming.  But you have the satisfaction of knowing you made the little dumplings from scratch.  You could go ten steps further and make your own tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (I haven't yet, but I hear it is one of the easiest cheese to make yourself).  

Gnocchi
2 lbs potatoes (cut into one inch squares if not fingerlings)
2 eggs
3 garlic cloves
1 stem rosemary, minced
1 cup flour
salt and pepper

1 cup tomato sauce
.5 cup fresh mozzarella
2 tbsp parm, shredded

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil potatoes for about 15 minutes or until tender.  Remove from water and let cool.  Skin should easily peel off (the skin helps keep nutrients and color in the potato while boiling).
2.  Use the grater attachment on food processor to grate the potatoes.  Saute garlic in pan with a little olive oil.
3.  Combine grated potatoes, eggs, garlic, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and one cup of flour in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir together until dough forms.  If dough is still sticky, add about two tablespoons of flour at a time until it is no longer sticky.
4.  Roll dough with hands into thin strips, between a half inch to one inch thick.  Cut off piece that are about the size of your thumbprint.  Shape the little dough ball with fork tines to give the sauce something to stick to.
5.  Sprinkle flour over the dough balls and boil for about two minutes.
5.  In four ramekins, spoon enough tomato sauce to cover the bottom.  Fill ramekin with gnocchi, cover gnocchis with half cup of tomato sauce, and top with fresh mozzarella and a sprinkle of parm.  Bake fore 25 minutes or until mozzarella starts to get golden brown on top.

Breakfast Cups - total time 40 minutes

I love the idea of cooking in individual serving sizes.  It is so easy to serve and then get seconds and thirds.  These are also great to make on a Sunday and enjoy throughout the week.  You get a savory breakfast (the whole deal; potato, eggs, and cheese) and all you have to do is warm it up in the toaster oven or microwave.

2 large potatoes, shredded (I used Yukon Gold)
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
.5 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
6 eggs
.25 cup sour cream
2 green onions
salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Shredded potatoes and cheese.  Squeeze out excess liquid from shredded potatoes.  Combine shredded potatoes, half of the shredded cheese, chopped onion, garlic, salt, and pepper into a mixing bowl.
2.  Spray muffin pan with olive oil.  Place a scoop of potato mixture in each muffin cup, then form into cups with fork.  Bake for 12 minutes.
3.  While potato cups are baking, crack open eggs into mixing bowl (optional: remove half of the egg yolks). Add salt and pepper and then whisk together with a fork.
4.  Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.  Pour in egg mixture into each muffin cup.  Top with remaining shredded cheese and bake for 18 minutes.
5.  Add a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of green onions on top of each breakfast cup and serve!

Baked Potato Soup - total time 45 minutes

The cold weather has come and it is soup and stew season.  I looked through my posts for our favorite soup recipe wasn't on here yet!  I couldn't believe it.  We love baked potato soup... what a comfort food when you need to get warmed up.  It is easy to keep it vegetarian too... just don't put the crunchy bacon pieces on top.  And it really doesn't take too much effort... the time is all in the baking of the potatoes (which you can use your microwave as a shortcut).

5 yukon gold potatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 cups vegetable stock

1.5 cup milk

.25 cup cream

1 cup cheese, shredded

2 tbsp butter

green onions

2 pieces organic bacon (optional)

salt & pepper

1.  Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or 15 minutes in microwave.

2.  Melt butter in a pot.  Saute onions with salt and pepper for five minutes.  Add broth.  Cut up baked potatoes into half inch sized squares and add to pot with milk and cream.  Bring to a boil for five minutes while smashing potatoes in pot.  Add half of the cheese and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.  Cook bacon (if wanted).  Spoon out soup, add a dollop of sour cream, sprinkling of cheese, some green onion slices, and a few small pieces of bacon.  Yum!

tip: run a metal skewer through bigger potatoes to bake evenly (the metal gets hot and bakes from the middle)

Potato Puffs - total time 40 minutes

This is a great recipe for leftover mashed potatoes... maybe after Thanksgiving.  Or just something different to try for a side dish or appetizer.  Essentially it is mashed potatoes rolled into balls, dipped in egg and bread crumbs, then toasted to get a crispy shell.  Sounds tasty, right?!

1 lb potatoes

3 tbsp butter

2 clove garlic, roasted

1 green onion, chopped

.25 cup cream

.5 shredded parm, divided

2 egg whites

1 cup bread crumbs

salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil potatoes about 12 minutes.  While potatoes cook, roast garlic in a ban with a little olive oil.  Drain potatoes and mash the potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Add butter, garlic, green onions, cream, .25 cup parm, salt & pepper, and any additional herbs (I added rosemary).  Put potatoes in the fridge to cool down.

2.  Crack eggs into a bowl (remove yolks).  Combine bread crumbs and remaining parm on a plate.  Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, roll into balls, dip into egg whites, roll in bread crumbs, and place on lined baking sheet.

3.  Bake for 12 minutes and serve!

Fluffy Scrabbled Eggs - total time 15 minutes

Make your breakfast even more tasty with a little sour cream and a splash of heavy cream in your scrambled eggs.  The sour cream makes it fluffy, the heavy cream makes it rich... add one or both.  No real directions here... just whip it together and fry it in a pan!

I always remove half of the yolks... mostly because of preference, but also less cholesterol.

Remember, cast iron handles are HOT!

Crash Potatoes - total time 45 minutes

The idea for these crash potatoes came from Pioneer Woman's blog.  Essentially they are the same as the crispy roast potatoes recipe.  However, this recipe is a bit more fun and kids could help in the kitchen smashing and 'painting' the potatoes.

2 lbs potatoes

2 tbsp butter, melted

rosemary, oregano, parsley, salt & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash potatoes and cut large potatoes into big chunks.  Cook in boiling water for 10-12 minutes.  Melt butter in a bowl and add herbs.

2.  (here's the fun part)  Smash... or crash... the potatoes with a potato masher on a baking sheet.  Then 'paint' the melted butter on to each smashed potatoes.

3.  Put the tray of potatoes in the oven for 25 minutes.