Oven Roasted Yukon Potato Wedges

Start to Finish: 55 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon of paprika
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large roasting pan toss potatoes in olive oil. Add thyme, lemon zest and paprika. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes or until potatoes are golden and tender. Toss occasionally to prevent potatoes from sticking. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Servings: 4

Notes: I have to say I love potato wedges so I was excited to find this recipe that actually works and is very good! We make fries a lot and now I can make potato wedges with out bags of potatoes.

Variations: Really you can use any flavoring instead of or in addition to paprika. Our favorites are lemon pepper, Montreal steak, and mesquite barbecue. Yum!

Estimated Price: $2.00

Source: Food Network Canada
Nutrition Facts per serving: 275 cal., 7.2 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 171 mg sodium, 48.8 g carbo., 5.5 g fiber, 5.8 g pro. Daily Values: 7% vit. A, 38% vit. C, 5% calcium, 20% iron

Mashed Potatoes

Start to Finish: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes; peeled and quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3-5 tablespoons milk

Directions:
In a medium saucepan cook potatoes and the 1/2 teaspoon salt, covered, in enough boiling water to cover for 20-25 minutes or until tender; drain. Mash with a potato masher or beat with an electric mixer on low speed. Add the 2 tablespoons butter. Gradually beat in enough milk to make potato mixture light and fluffy.

Servings: 4

Notes: Mashed potatoes are my favorite and homemade mashed potatoes are the best!

Variations: Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. You can add more butter as well. You can also add ranch dressing mix for a ranch taste, 2 tablespoons pesto for a pesto taste, add 4 garlic cloves to the water while boiling the potatoes and then use 2 tablespoons olive oil instead of butter for a garlic taste, add 1/2 cup sour cream and 2 tablespoons fresh chives for a sour cream and chive flavor, or stir in 1/4 cup Monterey Jack or Smoked Cheddar cheese and 1 teaspoon finely chopped chipotle pepper for a cheesy chipotle taste. Yummy!

Estimated Price: $2.50

Nutrition Facts per serving: 157 cal., 6 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 16 mg chol., 344 mg sodium, 23 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 3 g pro. Daily Values: 4% vit. A, 30% vit. C, 2% calcium, 5% iron

Easy Risotto

Start to Finish: 35 minutes

Ingredients:
1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2/3 cup uncooked arborio rice or long grain rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
Dash black pepper
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:
1) In a medium saucepan cook onion in hot butter until tender; add rice. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in water, bouillon granules, and pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes (do not lift lid).
2) Remove saucepan from heat. If desired, stir in peas. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Rice should be tender but slightly firm, and the mixture should be creamy. (If necessary, stir in a little hot water to reach desired consistency.) Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Servings: 3 or 4 side dishes

Notes: This was great. It was creamy, tasty, and pretty filling as well.

Estimated Price: $4.00

Cookbook: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Nutrition Facts per serving: 179 cal., 6 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 10 mg chol., 571 mg sodium, 25 g carbo., 6 g pro. Daily Values: 5% vit. A, 21% vit. C, 12% calcium, 11% iron

Fried Rice

Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (1 stalk)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups cooked white rice
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sliced green onion (2)

Directions:
1) In a small bowl combine eggs and the 1 teaspoon soy sauce.
2) Pour the sesame oil into a wok or large skillet. Preheat over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and garlic; stir gently to scramble. When set, remove egg mixture from wok and cut up any large pieces. Remove wok from heat.
3) Pour the cooking oil into the wok or skillet. (Add more oil if necessary during cooking.) Return to medium-high heat. Stir-fry celery in hot oil for 1 minute. Add mushrooms; stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
4) Add cooked rice, carrot, and peas. Sprinkle with the 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes until heated through. Add cooked egg mixture and green onion; cook and stir for about 1 minute more or until heated through.

Servings: 6 side-dish servings

Notes: This was quick, easy, and had good flavor. Served with pot stickers.

Variations: It's stir fry, you can really add or delete any vegetables you want.

Estimated Price: $4.00

Cookbook: Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook
Nutrition Facts per serving: 141 cal., 6 g total fat (1 g sat. fat), 71 mg chol., 418 mg sodium, 18 g carbo., 2 g fiber, 5 g pro. Daily Values: 31% vit. A, 8% vit. C, 3% calcium, 5% iron

Classic Macaroni Salad

Start to Finish: 4 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:
4 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup grated carrot (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped pimento peppers (optional)

Directions:
1) Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain.
2) In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, celery, green pepper, carrot, pimentos and macaroni. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving, but preferably overnight.

Servings: 10

Notes: I was looking for a recipe for a macaroni salad and came across this one online. I had all of the ingredients handy (except macaroni noddles) so I made it with pinwheel pasta. It was delicious. It is a sweeter pasta and I love that. Katie gobbled it up and Damien really liked it as well. Then, for a barbecue I decided to make this again. I didn't have all of the ingredients, but it still turned out great and I got a lot of compliments (although with just the sauce it was not as good as with the veggies in it).

Variations: You can really add or delete any of the veggies- green pepper, celery, and onion; but it may not taste quite as good. Also, if you find it too sweet then add 1/3 to 1/2 cups of sugar instead.

Estimated Price: $5.00

Source: allrecipes.com
Nutrition Facts per serving: 390 cal., 18.7 g total fat, 8 mg chol., 529 mg sodium, 49.3 g carbo., 2.8 g fiber, 6.8 g pro. Daily Values: 15% vit. A, 22% vit. C, 3% calcium, 16% iron