Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

You know those fabulous mashed potatoes they serve at restaurants such as Applebee's and Ruby Tuesday? The ones with the skins still in them that are so delicious you want to lick your plate when you are finished (but hopefully you don't, because that could be weird)? Well, this is how to make them at home.

Disclaimer: this is not a low-fat recipe. We try to save it for special occasions only. Feel free to make them more frequently (trust me, I understand, they are to die for!) but don't blame me if you can't fit into your pants next month.

Adapted from a recipe on foodnetwork.com by Ina Garten.

Parmesan Smashed Potatoes

printable recipe

3 pounds red new potatoes, quartered but not peeled
3/4 heavy cream
1/2 milk
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes and a little salt in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pricked with a fork. Drain potatoes.

I didn't take many pictures for this recipe because it was Christmas Day and things were crazy, but I did have to take this picture of the potatoes in my new 7.5 quart stock pot/dutch oven. Isn't she a beauty?!

In a small saucepan, heat the cream, milk and butter. Put the potatoes into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix the potatoes for a few seconds on low speed, to break them up. Slowly add the hot cream and butter to the potatoes, mixing on the lowest speed (the last quarter of the cream should be folded in by hand). Fold in the sour cream, Parmesan cheese, season according to taste and serve immediately. If the potatoes are too thick, add a little more milk.

Cranberry Lime Salsa Dip

Around the holidays, it's important to have a go-to appetizer recipe that you can bring to parties or serve at your own get-togethers. It should make an impression on both the eyes and the mouth, and be easy to make, because who has time to spend hours making one dish when there are so many good things to make and eat? This year, that recipe for me was Cranberry Lime Salsa Dip.

I got the original recipe from my friend Julie's blog and tweaked it just a bit for my own taste.

The important thing with this recipe is to let the salsa sit for a few hours so the flavors can blend together and the cranberry can sweeten before serving.

Cranberry Lime Salsa Dip

printable recipe

6 oz fresh cranberries (1/2 bag)

4 scallions, minced

grated fresh gingerroot (about a Tbsp worth)

3 Tbsp sugar

small handful cilantro, minced

1 Tbsp lime juice

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

8 oz brick of cream cheese

Don't you love the red and green colors?

Using a food processor, pulse cranberries until finely chopped but not mushy. I do not own a food processor so I used my blender, they were a little chunkier than they were supposed to be, but it worked. Place cranberries in bowl, add remaining ingredients, cover and refrigerate for several hours.

When ready to serve, place cream cheese in the middle of a serving plate. I love this plate that my sister Heidi gave me as a wedding present.

Cover cream cheese with salsa.

Arrange crackers around dip. Try to keep your fingers out of it until your guests arrive. 

On second thought, dig in! It will make me feel so much better.

Our Christmas Festivities

How was your holiday? Ours was wonderful.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner of Chicken Alfredo, French Bread and salad next to our tree.

Christmas morning we got up when our kids did (blessedly after 7 AM) and I mixed up some waffle batter while the kids patiently sat on the couch, waiting to dig into their stockings.

After, the stockings, we had a lovely Belgian Waffle breakfast, Jared and I showered and dressed, then we opened gifts.

Nathan was surprisingly adept at getting the packaging open on his new toys, something that his mother has yet to master! Seriously those toys are protected like Fort Knox, yet somehow my 3 year old had no problems.

Hannah would much rather climb on boxes than actually play with her gifts. Of course.

The Spiderman pajamas and snow boots were a big hit. I think they compliment each other well, don't you?

Hannah in her new outfit. So cute I could cry. She even has matching boots and hair pretties. Jared and I chased her around the house for about ten minutes trying to get a good picture, and this was the best we got. The kid is busy!

We had friends over for dinner. They have two boys, each a month younger than our two children, so no one has to be embarrassed when the toddlers won't sit still, or the preschoolers steal each other's toys then have meltdowns, or all the kids would rather talk loudly and play with trains than listen to the Christmas story being read from the Gospel of Luke!

I made a fantastic Cranberry-Lime Salsa Dip for an appetizer.

Dinner was amazing, I promise to post those recipes in the coming week, but for now take a peek at our beautifully set table.

It was the first time we had a chance to use our beautiful china, passed down to me by my Great-Aunt.

I do not have a Christmas tablecloth, so I improvised with some wrapping paper, an idea which I found here. I think it turned out quite pretty, and I didn't have to worry about spills! Just rip it off and throw it away.

I hope your Christmas was as lovely as mine was. I got to spend it with my sweet little family, and it could not have been better!

Our Menu this Weekend

There is no official menu for next week. I will still be posting recipes (and cute random kid pictures, I'm sure) but I am looking forward to the chance to relax with my husband - maybe even let him cook for me again - and be a little more casual while he is on vacation. If you need menu-planning help, check out my previous menu plans.

Here is what I plan on serving tonight (Christmas Eve):

Chicken Alfredo
French Bread
Salad

My parents started a tradition of eating on the floor next to the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, and we plan on continuing it with our kids this year. There is something magical about eating next to the light of the tree on the night before Christmas.

Our menu Christmas Day:

Breakfast: Belgian Waffles (using our new waffle maker, yippee!)

Lunch: light, probably sandwiches, fruit and veggies, I'm sure we will be snacking all day, haha

Dinner: Pioneer Woman's Filet Au Poivre, Parmesan Smashed Potatoes, Old-school Green Bean Casserole, rolls, fruit, Chocolate Cream Pie, and Pumpkin Pie.

I will be blogging about these recipes for sure, so stay tuned!

I am sending warm wishes to you and yours for a joyful Christmas and a wonderful New Year. As someone more eloquent than me once said...

"Happy Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!"

Peanut Butter Blossoms

This is a great recipe, straight from the Hershey's website. These were my favorite holiday cookies growing up. I remember I had to eat the cookie all around the Hershey's Kiss, then finish with the chocolate. I was a strange child.

Now that I am a mature, somewhat normal adult, I have re-discovered my love for these cookies. They are especially fun to make with kids, and one of the few cookie recipes that I have found that don't have to be adjusted for high-altitude, at least here in the Mile High City.

Hershey's Peanut Butter Blossoms

 
48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Granulated sugar

 

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

Pout when your mom asks you to pose next to the KitchenAid. Pretend you don't have chocolate all over your face from unwrapping eating Hersheys Kisses.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges.

I love my December Linnea Poster Calendar!

Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack or sheet of foil/parchment paper. Cool completely. The yield to the original recipe says 4 dozen, but I only get about 3 dozen.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Look what my husband got me for Christmas!

I desperately needed a new bag. My old purse was one I bought at Target several years ago and was in bad repair.

We were on a tight budget this year so he used his frequent flyer miles to get this Burberry bag. Isn't it pretty? I love it.

Yesterday the kids and I had a fun afternoon in the kitchen. We made Chex Mix and Peanut Butter Blossoms (those recipes to come):

Nathan loved helping me measure ingredients and mix the cookie dough:

The best part was unwrapping the Kisses to put on top:

Although there is a teeny tiny possibility that more chocolate ended up in their mouths than in the bowl for the cookies:

The best part is sampling the end result:

While they stuffed their faces, I packaged some goodies for the neighbors. You don't think I could keep all these carbs here at my house and still be hungry for Christmas dinner, do you?

Smoky Black Bean Soup

Look who cooked dinner for me a couple of nights ago? My awesome husband, Jared! He made his amazing black bean soup, adapted from a recipe on foodnetwork.com. It is a Southwestern-style soup that we garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese and scallions.

 
*Note: with most soup recipes I like to make extra for leftovers but the garlic and onion get pretty strong as this one sits. The recipe serves 3-4, so only double it if you have a crowd to feed!

Smoky Black Bean Soup

printable recipe

5 slices bacon
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, pressed
1 cup chicken broth or stock
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (like Rotel)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a handful of cilantro
1 Tbsp lime juice
Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish

Chop the bacon.

At this point, your dog will run over to see what that amazing smell is. Or maybe that is just our dog.

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes.

Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, and chili powder. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely.

Stir cilantro into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice.

Serve with the garnishes.