I did a bad, bad thing ;)

I learned how to perfect a baked potato… in an air fryer! Potatoes covered in avocado or canola oil covered in course salt. These are good high smoke point oils, which means they can be cooked at high temps without burning. Course sea salt, because potatoes and crunchy salt are besties. Cook at 400 for 40 minutes flipping at the 20 minute mark. Once done, cool for just few, then break open these bad boys for the rest of the party! Tons of butter, cheese, and sour cream. We were not even mad that bacon didn’t show up. Such a show off! No potato skins left behind!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Trying to catch up here! Cooking so many yummy meals! Here is an oldie, but goodie 😉 I have a few different versions of this, but this time I covered it in cheese!

Pounded out 4 chicken breasts. Rebecca really loves helping me with this. She says it helps her anxiety 😉 Then I placed one piece of deli ham and 1 1/2 pieces of Swiss cheese.
Rolled them up and stuck them together with a toothpick.
Covered with more Swiss cheese and baked for 40 minutes at 350. I served them with mashed potatoes. My trick is to cook the potatoes in milk and a stick of butter. Then I whip them up with the liquid a little bit at a time until they are super creamy and lump free!
The link at the top has a great leftover use for this in a baked pasta dish. Rebecca ate all the leftovers for our weekly clean out the fridge night. The rest of us CRUSHED all the leftover spaghetti and meatballs.

Wings 2 Ways and Thyme Potatoes

Hey guys! Wing night was a hit per usual! I typically separate the wings myself or have the hubby do it, but this time I made the butcher do it. That is the hardest part. I like to try new concoctions with my wing sauce, so here is what I made this time…

Buffalo Sauce- 1 stick of butter melted, an entire bottle of hot sauce (mine was not full, so I added a bit of the Piri-Piri sauce), a few squirts of honey, and a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I dipped mine in some blue cheese at the end. Classic combo to me, but if you prefer Ranch, I guess that is ok =)

Teriyaki-Sesame- I didn’t measure. I sort of just used up a little bit of this and that from my Asian pantry plus some honey to add a touch of sweetness. The only extra thing I put in the sauce that is not pictured was the last of the hoisin that I had already rinsed out and recycled. I added a bit of minced garlic as well.

Some people brush the chicken with the sauce, but I just cook mine plain with olive oil and season them with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. I prepare the sauces while I am cooking the chicken and then when they are done, I coat them in the sauce. I always leave a few plain ones for the girls, although Becca really liked the Teriyaki-Sesame flavoring.  They cooked at 400 for about 50 minutes.  Only 3 wings were left. 

As I was making the wings it dawned on me that we needed something else to go with them, so I  found some red potatoes in the pantry. I cut them in thin slices, coated them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and  fresh thyme. I put a few pats of butter in my cast iron and a bit more oil and fried up them up until browned and crispy on the outside and cooked through on the inside, about 20 minutes. There were no leftovers…

Potato Pancakes

Hello again! Yesterday I made these yummy little potato pancakes using the leftover mashed potatoes from meatloaf night. This is a super easy recipe. You can make them even better by adding cheese or maybe even a little bacon. You can add scallions or garlic…the possibilities are endless! The girls like to eat them with applesauce, but I love dipping them in a little bit of sour cream with some chives. Simple perfection!

POTATO PANCAKES
Leftover Mashed Potatoes (about 2 cups)
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper

Crispy Chicken Thighs and Pan Roasted Potatoes

Hello, friends! Last Monday of the school year for us, so we are all ready for this week to end…then on to SUMMER BREAK! I guess you guys can tell I’m just a little bit excited about that one.  So last night I made this delicious one pan dish (plus a couple of sides). Crispy chicken and perfectly cooked buttery potatoes? Yes, please! It was a big hit and I have just enough left for a leftover meal this week!

Crispy Chicken Thighs and Pan Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

4-6 chicken thighs or breasts (bone in and skin on)
1 small bag, about 20 small whole yellow potatoes
1/2 stick of butter =)
liberal amounts of salt and pepper to your taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron pan. Season each side of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken skin side down and cook until it is crispy, about 10 minutes depending on the size of your chicken. Flip to other side and cook for 5 minutes. Remove chicken and add the rest of the butter to the pan. Then add the potatoes.

Situate the chicken on top of the potatoes. The potatoes should be like a bed for your chicken. Place in the oven and cook for about 45-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender and chicken thighs are cooked to 165.

Serve with another veggie and in possibly macaroni and cheese. This is a Sunday dinner, so why not!

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