Homemade Home Fries

A little tired of the same old Sunday morning scrambled eggs & toast that we always seem to make, I thought home fries would be a nice change of pace. I've only ever had them at restaurants, but after coming across this recipe, they looked easy enough - and they were. There are endless possibilities that you can experiment with to jazz up the basic recipe, we'll definitely be making these for future weekend breakfasts.


Home Fries
Seen & adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Loosely adapted from Cook's Country

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes
4 tablespoons salted butter
1 onion, finely chopped

I added 1/2 large green bell pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
Seasoning of your choice: I added some salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika in the last 5-8 minutes of cooking

1. Arrange potatoes in large microwave-safe bowl, top with 1 tablespoon butter, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until edges of potatoes begin to soften, 5 to 7 minutes, shaking bowl (without removing plastic) to redistribute potatoes halfway through cooking.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in large regular or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.

3. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in now-empty skillet over medium heat. Add
potatoes and pack down with spatula. Cook, without moving, until underside of potatoes is brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn potatoes, pack down again, and continue to cook until well browned and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring potatoes every few minutes, until crusty and golden on all sides, 9 to 12 minutes.

Three Reasons For My Blogging Laziness...

....I am having triplets - 2 girls & a boy! Many of my readers already know....but I thought I'd share a couple of ultrasound pictures. I guess it's not really an excuse for being a slacker on my blog....and while my pregnancy has gone pretty well so far, my appetite has decreased (go figure!), making it more difficult to make and try new meals. I do have a few blog entries to catch up on, hopefully they'll be up in the next couple of days.

Happy 30th Birthday!!

The title of this post refers to my wonderful hubby...unfortunately I've already hit that milestone last year :(

About a month ago, we were at the Cheesecake Factory where he enjoyed a gigantic slice of Key Lime Cheesecake. So in honor of this momentous occasion, I decided to try and re-create on of his favorite desserts. Now since I didn't have any of the "professional" cheesecake, it was difficult to say if it was an accurate copycat recipe, however the birthday boy loved it. It was great (and tasted even better the next day), but I also loved the fact that I made another cheesecake that turned out pretty darned good. I may have overcooked it by a couple of minutes, only based on the top coloring, and I did have a couple of cracks in the top...but it didn't affect the flavor. I am determined to make the perfect cheesecake, I guess practice will make perfect, and I'm sure that the hubby won't mind one bit :)

Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Cheesecake
Copycat Restaurant Recipes

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. sugar
3− 8oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes) If using key limes or juice,use half as much.3 eggs
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine crumbs, butter and 1 Tbsp. sugar in a bowl.Stir well to to coat all crumbs.
Keep it crumbly.

Press the crumbs onto the bottom and half way up the sides of an 8" springform pan.
Bake crust for 5 minutes and set aside.

In large bowl combine cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Mix with electric mixer till smooth.

Add the lime juice and eggs andcontinue to beat till smooth and creamy.

Pour filling into crust.

Bake for 60 to 70 mins. If top is turning light brown it's done. Remove from oven and allow to cool till room temperature. Put into fridge.

When chilled, remove the pan sides and cut.

Serve with whipped cream.