Butternut Squash Fries

From: Here

Ingredients:
1 2-lb butternut squash, halved, peeled and seeded
salt

Preheat oven to 425. Peel the squash. Cut the squash into sticks like French fries, making sure it's seeded. Arrange on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through baking. They are done with they are browning on the edges and crispy.


What I did differently from the recipe:
I drizzled them with a bit of olive oil, and then used Kosher salt and pepper on them. I also baked them in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes (I was cooking something else at the same time) and then broiled them about 2 minutes to get them crispy.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! Mmmm, so good!! I only made one squash because I wasn't sure if we'd like them. When the whole plate was gone, Brianna was saying, "More fries??", Hunter was grunting, "Mmm! Mmm!" (i.e. "Feed me more!") and I was wishing I had another butternut squash sitting around. Yummy side dish that I'll be making more of in the future!

French Fries

We were on the way home from out of town tonight when we passed a Wendy's. Stephen commented how good some hot, steaming, fresh Wendy's french fries would be. I ignored him because eating out is not a necessity for us, and we really can't afford to eat out every time we have the urge. But after thinking about it a second, I said, "I bet I can make those." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I thought, "Uhhhhhhh..... why did I say that?"

Behold, the best homemade french fries you will ever have. I made up this recipe which is why there are no measurements and everything is guesswork. But trust me. So good and so much cheaper than fast food.

Ingredients:
potatoes
oil (I used veggie because it was open already)
pepper
garlic powder
salt (I used both sea salt and kosher salt; couldn't tell the difference between them; it was an experiment)

Slice up the potatoes. See on the left side of the picture? I sliced some of mine in wedges and some in "french-fry" style just to have a variety. Just remember, the thicker they are, the longer they will take to cook.

I made two bowls to dip the potatoes in. I covered just the bottom of the small bowl (these were custard dishes) with oil, sprinkled (pretty moderately) with salt (again, one bowl was sea salt, one was kosher salt), and just a dash of garlic powder (it can be pretty overwhelming). Any fries that were small enough to dip, I thoroughly dipped in the bowls. Any that were too large I slathered with the mixture with a brush.

Into the frying pan! I put about 1/2-inch of oil in the skillet and warmed it while I was chopping the potatoes. You want to hear that sizzle when you throw the fries in!

Just fry and flip a few times! Should take around 4-5 minutes for one batch. Serve fresh!

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! Stephen said these were some of the best fries he's ever had and definitely compared to restaurants. It's much cheaper to make your own, although it is time consuming. But trust me, these are WORTH IT!

Outback Cheese Fries

From: LB

Ingredients:

Frozen seasoned french fries
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon pieces

Dressing:

1 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix it all together and chill.

Bake fries at 450 for 15 minutes or so. Salt and pepper. Add as much cheese as you like. Top with bacon. Put back in the oven for about 5 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Well, I had leftover fries from Ruby Tuesday, so I thought - what better way to put them to use?? I used Colby-Jack and Cheddar cheese because that's what I had on hand.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! You'll never need to leave your french fries at the restaurant again. Bag them up and take them home, then give them a makeover! They weren't soggy or anything. It was delicious! Also, I didn't make the dressing but I've had it and it's wonderful.

Printable version:

Ingredients:

Frozen seasoned french fries
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon pieces

Dressing:

1 Tbsp Hidden Valley Ranch powdered dressing mix
1 cup mayo
1/2 cup milk
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix it all together and chill.

Bake fries at 450 for 15 minutes or so. Salt and pepper. Add as much cheese as you like. Top with bacon. Put back in the oven for about 5 minutes.