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Oven Baked Fries-Part 2

May 12, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Since I updated my Cheesy Steak Sandwich recipe last week, today I am bringing you another upgrade.  In the same August, 2009 post where I shared the sandwich recipe, I also shared my oven baked fries recipe.  I have also improved this so I wanted to let you all know how I do it now.  It’s not much different, but the little changes in the recipe have made big changes in taste.

This little gadget has been very helpful too! Finally, I have evenly cut fries every time!
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3 Idaho potatoes

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 – 1 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning depending on how spicy you want it

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Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Put foil on a rimmed baked sheet and spray with non-stick spray. Slice the potatoes into fries or use a handy dandy little gadget like mine.

Toss the fries with the olive oil and seasoning then pour them onto the baking sheet.

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I like mine pretty crunchy so I bake them for 30 minutes.  If you want yours a little softer, check them at 25 minutes. 

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I serve these with every kind of meat you can think of.  C LOVES them!!!

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 72 Comments »

Thoughtful Thursday-What’s In Bloom Edition

May 10, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

For this thoughtful post, I am turning to flower power.  Since it is May in Kentucky, now is the prime time to add color to your outdoor view.  This spring has seen a few new additions around here, both perennial and annual.  The raised flower bed behind the garage that we built this spring is going to be a perennial bed, but perennials aren’t cheap so I am starting slowly.

So far, I have planted 4 shasta daisies:

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Four perennial salvias:

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C & I also planted two knockout roses that my grandparents wanted moved from their landscaping.  They are still trying to settle in and right now look a little sad, but they are hanging in there.  In another bed are two new dwarf red Asiatic lilies that were a spontaneous purchase at Lowe’s.

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In the two flower pots I have on the back deck, I used hot pink geraniums with white summer snapdragons, white calibrachoa and a spike. 

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Oh, there is also a new little gem in there, a double calibrachoa called Calibrachoa Mini Famous Double Amethyst. I just love this little pot filler!

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On the front porch pots, I always do red, white and blue so this year it is filled with a spike, red geraniums (with the biggest blooms I have ever seen), white summer snapdragons, and blue fan flower.

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I can’t end this post without posting a photo of the gloriousness of my double red Knockout roses in the front yard.  These things are amazing!
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Posted in Gardening, Home, My Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , |

Menu Plan Monday

May 7, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Here we are again at the beginning of another busy week in Bluegrass Land.  The annual Run for The Roses was this past Saturday and I am sure many people around our great state celebrated accordingly.  I guess we did to.  We stayed home and watched it on television which is our usual method of Derby partying and that suits us just fine. 

The first few days of May have brought warm weather with a few storms thrown in.   We had a pretty strong storm EARLY Saturday morning that Ellie let us know about.  Our electricity was off for a few hours and some of my tender garden plants were flat for a little while, but they stood back up with minimal damage done.  This week looks to be a busy one for both C & I so the dinner menu is a little short this time so please forgive as we have more running to do than usual  the next few days.

Famous pork chops with oven baked fries

Banana pancakes with bacon (The pancakes didn’t get made last week.)

Pizza night

French dip sandwiches with oven baked fries

Egg muffins for breakfast (new)

Tunnel of Fudge Cake with non-dairy blackberry ice cream (both new)

Posted in Cooking, Menu Planning | Tagged , |

Cheesy Steak Sandwiches Revisited

May 5, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Way back in August, 2009, I posted my own recipe for Cheesy Steak Sandwiches and I have made them many, many times since then.  I realized the last time I fixed these sandwiches that I had tweaked the recipe quite a bit since I posted it.  That means it is time for an update!  This is one of C’s favorite meals and I fix it regularly.

One of the big things that I changed was the type of steak I used.  Back then, I just used whatever was in the freezer and sliced it as thin as I could before it was cooked.  Not anymore!  I now use a flat iron steak 99% of the time.  I just buy them when whey are on sale and keep them frozen until I need them.  Also, I grill first and slice later and found that it makes a wonderful difference.  Here is my new take on an old favorite.

1 flat iron steak (This was was just under a pound and I got 4 or 5 sandwiches from it.)

1/2 tsp. Montreal steak seasoning

1 tbsp. olive oil

A-1 steak sauce

Sliced Provolone Cheese

Buns of your choice

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Preheat the grill.  I just use a little George Foreman for this and it works great.  Season the steak with the olive oil and steak seasoning.

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Grill the steak for about 8 minutes if it is completely thawed.  Don’t worry if there is a little pink left in the center.  It still has to bake in the oven for a few minutes.  Let the steak rest for about 10-15 minutes, then slice as thin as possible.

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Pile the steak on a bun, then add the A-1 and cheese.

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Wrap each sandwich in foil and bake in a hot oven for about 10 minutes.  I didn’t put an exact temperature on here because it really doesn’t matter.  I usually make oven baked fries with these so I just throw the sandwiches in the oven for the last 10 minutes the potatoes bake.

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Please join me at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , | 23 Comments »

Book Beginnings

May 4, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Come on over to Rose City Reader every Friday for her link party called “Book Beginnings”.  That is where I and other book loving bloggers talk about the books we have around us by leaving the first few lines and then giving our opinion about these.

Today I am bringing you the lines from “The Sugar Queen”, another book by Sarah Addison Allen.  I received three of her books as Christmas gifts and I have loved every one of them.

"When Josey woke up and saw the feathery frost on her windowpane, she smiled.  Finally, it was cold enough to wear long coats and tights.  It was cold enough for scarves and shirts worn in layers, like camouflage.  It was cold enough for her lucky red cardigan, which she swore had a power of its own."

Can you tell Josey is trying to hide behind all those clothes?  This is another wonderful book by Ms. Allen that is full of Southern quirkiness and charm along with a dose of make-believe and magic.  Great read!

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments »

Menu Plan Monday

April 30, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Happy Monday and happy almost the first of May, everyone!  As April winds down, I realize that C & I have gotten quite a bit accomplished around here this month.  We helped his parents update their landscaping, built another raised garden bed, and a raised flower bed just in a few short weeks.  I count that as a very successful month! 

This past Saturday, I mulched the strawberry bed and planted some cucumber seeds.  The lettuce and carrots are starting to sprout so that just leaves the tomatoes, sweet peppers, watermelon and sunflower plants/seeds to go in.  Oh, I almost forgot about the six flower pots that are still left to fill, but that will just be fun.  This week is supposed to be nice and warm so hopefully I can get most of that accomplished after work.

My co-worker is having a yard sale in a couple of weeks and told me that I could put whatever I wanted to in it.  She probably shouldn’t have said that.  I am off from work this Thursday and plan on spending most of the day sorting and pricing some items that have lost their usefulness around here.  I have quite a pile of old clothes and a few other odds and ends that are ready for a new home.  I also hope to start on a garage clean-up soon as well.  Whew, there is just not enough time in the day to get it all done.  Let’s face it…there’s not enough time in a 100 days to get it all done.

Grilled pork chops with Oven Baked Fries

Pizza puffs (new) with salad

Tacos

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes with bacon

Apple Braised Pork Loin with Butter Roasted Potatoes

Pizza night

Bakerella’s Peanut Butter Brownies (These didn’t get made this past weekend.)

Please join me at I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday.

Posted in Menu Planning | Tagged |

Pizza Dippers

April 28, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

I may need a Pinterst intervention, because this is yet another recipe I found on there.  It originated from the blog, The Farm Girl, and it is a simple and good dinner or lunch option.  The Farm Girl calls her pizza pancakes, but I preferred pizza dippers for mine because they turned out a little too thick to really call them pancakes.  Next time I make them, I will add just a tad more milk to make them more like pancakes.

The Farm Girl also used pepperoni in hers, but I chose Italian sausage because that is what I had.  I bet pepperoni would be awesome.  C liked them, but thought they weren’t quite enough for a supper but would be good with chili.  We had the leftovers with chili the next day and he was right.  They were great dipped in chili!

2 cups Bisquick baking mix

1 c. milk (Next time, I will add just a little more. Maybe another 1/8 of a cup.)

2 eggs

3/4 c. shredded Italian (Pizza) cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cooked

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. Garlic Salt

Pizza sauce, for dipping

Parmesan Cheese, garnish

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Heat griddle or skillet and grease, if necessary.  In a large bowl, combine the Bisquick mix, Italian seasoning and garlic salt. Combine eggs and milk and stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the cheeses and Italian sausage.

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Pour approximately 1/4 cup onto hot griddle, cook until bubbles form on top and edges are dry. Flip and cook until golden brown.

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Cut pancakes with pizza cutter in to 4 triangles, garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired, and serve with pizza sauce for dipping.  Enjoy!

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Please join me at Miz Helen’s Country Cottage for Full Plate Thursday.

Posted in Cooking | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments »

Thoughtful Thursday: Garden Edition

April 26, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Despite having extra-warm temperatures for most of March and the first part of April, Mother Nature has gotten back to normal.  Our area has been having its share of little “winters” the last couple of weeks, which means much cooler temperatures.  Normally, this is no big deal, BUT when all of the plants decided to come out and enjoy that early warm weather, it could spell trouble.

C & I had trimmed some grapevines in his parent’s yard a couple of months ago and they were coming out in full force.  They covered them in burlap to protect them from the freeze, but, sadly, they got burned.  Oh, well, they are recovering nicely now so hopefully no great harm was done.  Our new grapevines got nipped, too, but they are starting to show signs of life again.

I am so glad that I didn’t jump the gun and try to sow seeds of veggies that need the warmth.  I guess I had better confess that I didn’t do this because of my smarts, but because I just didn’t have the beds ready.  God watches over us all the time!  The early warm weather has given us time to do a few projects around the house.  Last year, we had a concrete driveway and two sidewalks poured so this year we built a raised flower bed between one sidewalk and the garage.  We still like a few more details, but here is a sneak peek:

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I plan to have a how-to post on how we built our wall in the coming weeks.  C also built another raised bed for me so now I have even more room to grow fresh veggies and fruits…

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I have visions of paste tomatoes, green peppers, and small watermelons in here.  See all that beautiful dirt?  That is thanks to my wonderful father-in-law who took time out of his busy farming schedule to put his front end loader to work.  He brought me four huge scoops of composted dirt/leaves/cow manure/hay that has been sitting undisturbed for a few years.  It is gardener’s black gold!  Thanks, R!  You saved us a lot of back breaking, or at least back bending, work.

Well, that’s about it for now. In just a few weeks, I’ll be seeding cucumbers and watermelon, not to mention planting my tomatoes and green pepper plants.  Oh, and how could I forget the flower pots that decorate my front porch and decks?  They are coming soon, too.

Posted in Gardening, Home, My Thoughts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Almost Wordless Wednesday

April 25, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Our first small harvest of the season and the promise of more to come…

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Posted in Gardening, Home, Photography | Tagged , , |

Menu Plan Monday

April 23, 2012 by pictureperfectcooking

Another week has flown right by and we have had another busy but successful weekend.  C & I are helping his parents update their landscaping this spring and God has smiled down upon us the last two Saturdays making them cool enough to work all day without burning up.  Everything is looking so pretty and refreshed.  Can’t wait to see the final product!

I changed last week’s menu just a tad.  Orange juice cake was the dessert originally listed, but Pinterest got in my way once again.  Enter the Deep Dish Gooey Cookie Pie and Vanilla Frozen Yogurt recipes.  I just HAD to try them!

Here is this week’s plan:

Bubble Up Pizza

Cheeseburger bundles with Oven Baked Fries (2 nights)

Basic Meatloaf with Butter Roasted Potatoes

Pizza night

Grilled Hot Dogs and Chips

Bakerella’s Peanut Butter Brownies (new)

Please join me at I’m An Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday. Have a great week, everyone!

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