Simple Yet Gourmet

I have always loved Sweet Potatoes (AKA yams).  Growing up we really only ate them for Thanksgiving but these days I make them pretty frequently for my family. They are the perfect side for grilled steaks or chicken.  I love that they not only taste delicious but are also packed full of fiber and vitamins A and C.  My only issue? They take forever to bake in the oven. Besides needing to plan ahead, it really heats up the kitchen which is fine in the winter but not so much in the Summer. That’s why I love making these in the Air Fryer! It takes half the time to cook and leaves my kitchen cool. Can’t beat that!

Being an true Idahoan, I love my potatoes.  These were no exception.  However, they are different than any potatoes I've ever made before both in taste and preparation.  I mean, who ever heard of cooking mashed potatoes in the microwave?  It works though, and it made one less pan for me to wash.  Woot woot! I loved the combination of Swiss and Parmesan cheese in these potatoes and the broiling adds a really nice touch.  Try these sometime when you feel like changing up the ol' mashed potato routine.  They might just become a new favorite!

Ever since my first experience with Sweet Potato Fries after moving to Texas, I have been a huge fan.  Given the choice between regular fries and sweet potato fries, these always win.  I've had them fried, baked, savory and sweet.  I love them any way they come but I like them best when they are just sweet and salty.  Also, given the choice between baked and fried I choose baked. Just healthier that way, you know?  These are great as a side with any sort of burgers or grilled meats.  These will keep you going back for one more...until there are no more.

During the warmed months I love to do a lot of grilling with salads.  We never buy French fries, but always have a bag of red and Idaho potatoes in the pantry for a night when we need a quick side dish.  This particular evening we had made our favorite flank steak recipe, which I still need to post.  I had made a big green salad and cut up a bunch of fruit but was still needing something else.  So I cubed some little red potatoes, tossed then with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic salt and baked them in the oven for 30-40 minutes.  They were the perfect thing for the meal, plus they were easy and quick!

This treasure was found on http://www.mysisterskitchen2009.blogspot.com/ . When I saw it a couple of weeks ago I knew it was a recipe that needed to be tried. You do need to plan ahead, the chicken needs time to marinate, but only 30 minutes. I marinated mine for 3 hours because I like my meat a little strong. I cut my chicken into strips instead of chucks, thought it would be easier to eat. One last change, I toasted my buns on the griddle using a little olive oil, which really added to the sandwich. For veggies we had avocado, lettuce and tomatoes . This was a great alternative to hamburgers as we start the summer grilling season!