Garlic Home Fries - Pure Garlic Potato Love

Amazing.  Awesome.  Love.  Just a few words to adequately describe today's post.  The recipe, you ask?  Yes... the recipe.  But also the original blogger.

Today I bring you the October edition of my favorite group of food bloggers, the Blogger C.L.U.E group.  A wonderful group of ladies working together on a monthly theme while investigating one of the other member's blogs to find a recipe to meet that theme - This month our theme brings "Fall Recipes".

Years ago when I started blogging I met Christiane, The Mom Chef of Taking on Magazines.  And while we've never actually met in person, she's a friend.

Canadian Geese... I love them!

I've watched years of seasons pass on the other side of the country (spider season comes and goes), I've seen her daughter grow into a young lady, I've followed her travels and enjoyed tales of family visits.  I love the Canadian Geese that float on her lake (well... the lake in her neighborhood) and wander in her front yard, I don't understand why she doesn't really like chocolate, but I enjoy hearing about the thunderstorms she loves so long as they are not over me (we don't get those in San Diego).

You see, Christiane has an amazing heart.  She's full of love, humor, and passion, and pure and simple, she's just a really wonderful person.  And she takes the mystery out of recipes.  Her blog, Taking on Magazines, tests recipes from popular magazines in a real kitchen... one with interruptions, pets under foot, a daughter needing help with one thing or another and real ingredients that don't come pre-measured or prepped.

Describing the process, bringing a verdict and telling you what she would do differently next time helps incredibly, and on more than one occasion she's made a recipe I've had earmarked and with her advice I've avoided issues that may have occurred had I simply followed the original recipe in the magazine.

Occasionally her daughter gets in on the action, and I feel like I know this little girl as I've seen her grow through her videos.  Full of humor like her mom, Dudette will tell it like it is, and she will always make you smile.


Dudette bringing her verdict on Caramel Banana Pecan Bread Casserole

And today in addition to introducing you to Christiane, I bring you a fabulous recipe - Garlic Home Fries - originally from The Food Network Magazine, April 2015.  While the recipe may have been from April, it screams fall to me.  With the Idaho potato harvest occurring as I type, potatoes bring a hearty, warm side to any meal, and on occasion (like today) become a meal on their own.

 

We have a favorite restaurant here in Carlsbad, The Naked Cafe, which serves similar potatoes.  I've tried to recreate them at home to no avail.  Liv's comments are always noncommittal, but I know that they don't live up to the restaurant version.  Frankly, I think it's my trying to "healthify" them that makes them suffer (one really does need oil/butter to crisp potatoes).

So today I followed Christiane's recipe and actually used butter and olive oil.  And garlic.  And oh my heavens!  These potatoes totally rock.

 

Crispy on the outside (I will crisp even more next time) and fluffy inside, the garlic stirred in at the last minute is positively swoon-worthy.  Liv smiled in appreciation, and while they still aren't exactly like the restaurant, they are the closest thing we've had, and we'll have them again.  The Verdict?  This recipe is a keeper.  Just like Christiane.

Now join me as we travel the world to see what other Blogger C.L.U.E members are bringing for Fall Recipes!

  

Apple Coffee Cake by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies

   

Applesauce Cranberry Bundt Cake by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos

   

Baked Squash Stuffed with Homemade Applesauce by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme

   

Banana Peanut Butter Chip Muffins by Confessions of a Culinary Diva

   

Braised Chicken Leg Quarters by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm

   

Brussels Sprouts with Harissa, Honey and Lime by Stacy from Food Lust People Love

   

Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins by Lora from Cake Duchess

   

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch

   

Fire-Roasted Tomato Soup by Christiane from Taking on Magazines

   

Frangelico Squares by Kate from Kate's Kitchen

   

Garlic Home Fries by Kim from Liv Life

   

German Apple Pancake by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake

   

Honey Sriracha Sweet Potatoes by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook

   

Hot Curried Chicken Salad by Debra from Eliot's Eats

   

Pumpkin Bran Muffins by Anna from annaDishes

   

Pumpkin Bread with Pumpkin Ale by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch

   

Pumpkin Palmiers by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet

   

Raspberry Cointreau Syllabub by Kate from Kate's Kitchen

   

Witchy Finger Cookies by Sue from A Palatable Pastime

Super Potato Bowls (Bites) with Salsa, Black Beans and Avocado

The Super Bowl... what does it mean to you?  Football?  Shopping?  Commercials?

For me Super Sunday has evolved over the years.  As I find myself ever so slightly older than the Super Bowl itself, I don't have many childhood memories of the event, but entering my 20's the Super Bowl stood for one thing... Joe.  Montana that is.

You may remember him... handsome, young guy who could do no wrong (in my eyes) with a football in his hands.  Total calm under pressure, Joe led the 49ers to 31 fourth quarter comeback wins in addition to 4 Super Bowl Championships.  Nicknamed "Joe Cool", Montana remained a vision of calmness in the midst of chaos and simply marched his team down the field to earn those final few points necessary for the expected win.

ESPN's Larry Schwartz describes it best:

"Take the 1989 Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals. The San Francisco 49ers were down by three points with 3:20 left when Montana spotted -- no, not an open receiver -- but a personality. "There, in the stands, standing near the exit ramp," Montana said to tackle Harris Barton. "Isn't that John Candy?" And then he led the 49ers 92 yards, throwing for the winning touchdown with 34 seconds left."

Cool and calm under pressure, that's how I'd like to think of myself handling the appetizers at one of our Super Bowl Extravaganzas, and these Super Potato Bowls, much like Dwight Clark or Jerry Rice, make my job easy.

Roasted until tender, potato bowls are filled with either homemade or store bought salsa with added black beans.  These super potato bowls are then topped with diced avocado (did you know that Super Sunday sees the consumption of more than 158 million avocados?) and chopped cilantro... add a squeeze of lime if you like, then sit back and watch these bites disappear faster than Joe could have turned around a score in the last few minutes of a game.

Potato Bread and a Stylish Award

Something about the aroma of freshly baked bread warms my heart.  As the aroma seeps into every corner of the house visions of the finished golden loaf flash through our minds and activate our salivary glands.  Professionals advise waiting until the loaf has cooled before slicing, but that kind of willpower I don't have.

More often than not the breads in our household are filled with whole grains, but on this occasion with potatoes on hand and Catherine McMichael's award winning Potato Bread recipe on the counter my decision was made.  Assembling the ingredients, kneading the dough and then baking the loaf, I knew we had a winner even before I tasted the first soft, tender slice.  Fresh from the oven (no, I did not wait for it to cool...) and slathered with butter this bread literally had me groaning with pleasure and utter amazement that these few ingredients mixed together could bring forth something so exquisite.

Speaking of award winning bread, I am reminded that I have been remiss in acknowledging a few Stylish Blogger Awards that have kindly been sent my way!  One award was enough to make my day, but to have four bloggers I hold in high esteem pass this award my direction is beyond belief.  Thank you to Raven, of RavieNomNoms, Michele, of Fit Foodista, Susan, of The Spice Garden, and Hester, of Alchemy - Simple Ingredients Magical Food. Each of these bloggers authors a blog I frequently visit and I feel like I personally know them through their posts.  Thanks for thinking me stylish!

In receiving this award the responsibilities include:

• List seven things about yourself that people may not know
• Pass the award on to 10 additional Stylish Bloggers
• Notify the bloggers that they have received the award

7 things about ME!

1. I love the beach!  From some of my posts you may already know that, but even though I love the beach I really don't like to go into the water.
2. I really like office supplies!!  I don't have much use for them, but a visit to the local Staples Store makes me want to load up my basket.
3. My favorite movies are Buzz Lightyear and The Birdcage.  When Harry met Sally is a good one too...
4. I would live on a tropical island if I could.  A pair of floppies, a few sundresses, Jimmy Buffet... life is good. 
5. Tequila is my drink of choice.  I don't like vodka.
6. I worked as an Accountant and an Assistant Controller at a power plant before being promoted to the best job in the world, Mom.
7. I don't like tv.  If I had my way, I'd give our tv away.  (Liv has issues with this one and is thankful that I don't have my way!)

And now I would like to pass this award to some additional Stylish Bloggers.  These are a few bloggers (in no particular order) that we have not passed awards to before who truly show passion and style:

1. Judy at Tastemonials.  Judy's blog was one of the first blogs that I stumbled upon when I started blogging.  She personifies style!  Wonderful restaurant reviews, tasty recipes and posts, and the most adorable grandson!  Her recent trip to Peru was an example of her passion for life.
2. Bella from Bellabits.  This 11 year old girl has got it going on.  She's engaging and has a passion for food and food items.  Her recent visit and review of Williams-Sonoma had me smiling.  She has quite a future if the foodie world!
3. Sommer of A Mama with Flavor.  Sommer lives in Germany and I truly look forward to catching up with her in her posts.  Her little Sous Chef has the most adorable curly hair and is quite a help in the kitchen!  We are sending safe travel wishes to her husband!
4. Letizia Golosa, of Lesizia Golosa, For the Love of Food.  Letizia has the most amazing eye for photography and made a simple slather of Homemade Nutella look sensuous.
5. I couldn't pass this award without thinking of my friend, Dionne, from Try Anything Once.  Dionne's style and passion shows in each and every post she writes.  She has inspired me to return to bread making, something that I love to do, but just haven't made the time for lately.  Her true love of life shows in her prose and style!
6. Becky of Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves.  Becky's posts frequently make me smile.  We have little pups in common, and when I read her posts I feel like I'm sitting at the kitchen table with her sharing a cup of coffee.
7. Ang, of Life Given, Eat Well.  Ang is one of those people who seems to live life with style.  Her quest for balance in life is one I hope to achieve as well.
8. Sabrina, from Eat. Drink. and Be Merry.  Sabrina's blog is a new blog for me.  She was also our recent giveaway winner and I could have been happier that the giveaway went her direction!  Recently married, she had my daughter and her friends drooling over her gorgeous wedding photos in the "about me" section of her blog.  I'm looking forward to following her!
9. Zerrin of Give Recipe.  Zerrin has made some healthy changes of late and I'm truly enjoying her healthy recipes along with bits and pieces of her culture and life.  Zerrin resides in Turkey and seems to "Liv Life" with a smile!
10. Jean, of Lemon's and Anchovies.  Jean writes from her heart... her Valentine's Day post has stuck with me.  Gorgeous photos to go along with some wonderful posts, all done with style!

And I could go on!  This flood blogging community has won my heart.  My husband belongs to another online community and is constantly amazed at the support and kindness that flows through the people I visit with.  I feel lucky to be a part of it.

Potato Bread... one of those that's worth each and every calorie (and extra for the butter!!)

Marinated Flank Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Tiffany's Pinto Beans that Rock!

Marinated Flank Steak with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Pinto Beans that Rock!

My dear husband is a bona fide world traveler!  A week ago he explored the Pacific Rim, stopping in Shanghai, Qingdao, Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Shenzen and Taipei, to name a few.  He flew his own chariot out of Anchorage, AK, but not before he sent me some amazing, envy-provoking shots of his mouthwatering meals from a little place called the Glacier Brewhouse.  I think his co-workers thought he was a bit odd shooting his meals and sending them home to me, but I feel like I almost lived through every bite.  Fresh Blackened Alaskan Salmon, Macadamia Crusted Halibut and some sort of decadent Brownie Sundae all made the photo line-up, and also made me extraordinarily envious!

Macadamia Crusted Halibut with Mango Salsa from the Glacier Bay Brewhouse in Anchorage, AK

On to Asia he enjoyed numerous restaurants serving a plethora of fresh sushi in addition to a highly regarded German Pub featuring the best Schnitzel he's ever tasted.  iChat became our communication, and he would occasionally face the computer camera out of his hotel windows, almost making me feel like I was there.  This trip had him visiting Seoul, South Korea where he took advantage of a fascinating excursion to the DMZ, exploring the third of four North Korean-dug tunnels discovered by the South under the DMZ... he was physically <170 meters from North Korea!  Another stop had him viewing the Olympic Torches in Qingdao (the site of the yachting and rowing competitions for the 2008 Olympics), and the next shopping in Shanghai.  Liv was thrilled with his return and a special bag full of Japanese and Korean sweets!

Singapore soared to the 2nd spot on his favorite cities list!

Qingdao, China - Olympic torch and flags (site of yachting and rowing competitions in the '08 Olympics)

Shot of the bridge to Kansai Airport, Japan (built entirely on a man-made island!)

Heading home after 14 days on the road had him carrying all of his wonderful new experiences, but also craving a good steak.  One of our favorites, an all American meal, is Cooking Light's Bourbon and Brown Sugar Flank Steak with good old Garlic Mashed Potatoes.  Flavorful steak is tenderized with a bourbon laced marinade which combines beautifully with fluffy, garlicky mashed potatoes.  

As the steak soaked in its marinade, I stumbled across the perfect side dish in Tiffany's (I Don't Cook, But my Boyfriend Does) Pinto Beans that Rock.  And rock they did!  The comment that got me was, "Or, you can make these amazing pinto beans that your guest will not only remember, but rave about during the meal, and even better, quietly ask you for the coveted recipe."   

I can't find the words to adequately describe these extraordinarily tasty beans, but they totally made our meal.  Spicy with hot peppers, bursting with flavor from a few slices of crumbled bacon and seasoned to perfection with a simple dose of thyme and cumin, these beans are a keeper for sure. With an amazing photo to match the amazing flavor of these beans, I'm going to send you to her site for the recipe for Pinto Beans that Rock and I will post our old time favorite steak marinade recipe below.

Baked Potato Soup

Tag!  I'm it!  The food blog world has recently been hit with a round of tag where bloggers answer a series of questions about themselves and then move on to tag others with a round of new questions.  I must apologize as I have been remiss in acknowledging my tags and will answer all my questions below our recipe!  

Becky from Baking and Cooking, a Tale of Two Loves was the first to tag me.  Reading through the questions she answered I discovered that we actually have a lot in common (one of the benefits of this tag game!)... I also wanted to be a teacher when I was younger and given the opportunity I would love to cook with Rick Bayless!  

Dionne, from Try Anything Once, was the next person to tag me.  Dionne's blog is one that I read nearly every day.  She has a wonderful way of putting a good spin on everything and always brings a smile to my face.  On more than one occasion her Facebook or blog comments have materially improved my mood!  Again, I found things in common... summer definitely being my favorite season and the fact that we both have no problem eating food cold.

RavieNomNoms, authored by Raven - our recent giveaway winner - tagged me next.  Raven's posts often include wonderful recipes and I love seeing the photos of her life.  While I agree with Raven that Ireland is definitely on my wish list to visit, I'll just have to wish that my favorite food was carrots!  As much as I'd like to think I'd make a healthy choice, my favorite food would most likely end up including things like flour and probably butter.

Trying to lose a pound or two before my upcoming weekend on Oahu (bikini in December??) has had me see a reduced carb intake.  However... a few cold, rainy days here in San Diego have unfortunately given me cravings for potatoes.  Potatoes have not really been on my menu for months, but walking through Trader Joe's I couldn't resist grabbing a bag of russets from the endcap, thoughts of creamy Baked Potato Soup running through my head.  Bacon is another ingredient not high on my list, but without the signature salty crunch, this soup would be lacking.  Sour cream provides a creamy tang and a sprinkle of cheese, green onions and avocado make this soup comfort at it's best.