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HEY GUYS. (Pretend I’m saying this with attitude, perhaps with a snappy hand gesture or two.)
So I know it’s been 6 months and all since I last wrote. And I could be all apologetic and whiny, but honestly, I hate reading those posts. And I could tell you in detail what I HAVE been doing while I’ve NOT been blogging but it all boils down to: I moved from Colorado to Virginia. From an apartment to a house. From no backyard to a garden-friendly one. And I think I might have even convinced Brad to let us get a dog to go with our picket fence (which is not white, but whatever, that’s just details.)
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I still squee when I look at my new house. It’s so sweet it practically gives me diabetes.
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The kitchen. Looks a little white to start with, but I’m painting it a bright, bright green. ‘Cause that’s how I roll.
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The backyard, where Dad and my brother and I have already installed four raised garden beds. I’m getting topsoil and compost delivered later this week, and have already bought some seeds and garlic to plant this fall, even though I know I’ll only get to grow some quick-maturing leafy greens with what’s left of the season. Having never grown anything before (not a single potted plant, people) I am slightly terrified that I’m going to find out I have the brownest thumb ever. But, I figure I can probably grow zucchini and summer squash pretty easily. And if we end up with 4 raised beds’ worth of zucchini each summer and that’s it, well at least I will have a lot of zucchini bread, right?
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There’s been lots of cooking going on in the new house, although I’ve fallen back on some of the old favorites rather than trying many new ones. But after what seems like the LONGEST SUMMER EVER, what with the hot Colorado sun and then the stifling Virginia heat, I’m so desperate for fall I’m about to rent a snow machine and spray paint my trees yellow. I’m pushing the fall season like Wal-mart pushes Halloween candy in August, and making butternut squash lasagna and roasted potatoes instead of hanging onto the last few days of summer with marinated tomato salads and such.
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I found this recipe on that time-suck-to-which-no-other-compares, Pinterest. It was so pretty I just HAD to try it. I added a pinch of paprika for extra flavor, but next time (and there WILL be a next time) I’m thinking of infusing the butter with roasted garlic first. The shallot just wasn’t enough for me in this instance, although the texture of the dish was SPOT FREAKING ON. Extra crisp top and smooth creamy slices of potato that fall apart on the plate. A dish made perfect with those last potatoes of the summer, especially on the first cold night of fall. (Or so I would imagine, considering it’s still 75 degrees here at night.)
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Crispy Potato Roast
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves 6
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Martha says there’s only 25 minutes of prep time for this recipe. Martha is full of lies. (But it’s totally worth it.)
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Gather:
3 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 pounds potatoes, peeled
4 shallots, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
a pinch paprika
a few springs of thyme, and
a mandoline or a sharp knife
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Prepare:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the potatoes on thinnest setting of a mandoline or as thin as you can with a knife. (The thinner the potatoes, the crispier they will bake up.) You can prevent them from browning by putting them in a bowl of water as you slice.
Combine the butter and olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the olive oil mixture on the inside of a cast iron skillet or other heavy baking dish. Arrange the potato slices in the skillet as you like. Wedge slices of shallot between slices of potato. Sprinkle with salt, crushed red pepper, and a pinch of paprika. Bake for 75 minutes. Arrange a few sprigs of thyme on top of the potatoes and bake for another 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are crispy on top. Serve.
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Fitz & the Tantrums / Don’t Gotta Work It Out
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Ew. It’s Monday. Mondays are so fail.
But…
I’m meeting the Pioneer Woman today!!!!!!!!!!! I’m SO EXCITED!!!!
Ahem. I apologize. I get a little more fangirl every hour closer I am to meeting Ree. Rachelle, my friend and macaron conspirator, is going with me to Ree’s cookbook signing tonight. Rachelle and I love the Pioneer Woman. We instant message during the day, and Rachelle will be like “Did you see PW is giving away a red Kitchenaid mixer today???” Or I’ll be all, “Did you see PW is giving away a Le Creuset set today???” You know, we like to keep each other informed of free cookware. Because that’s what friends do.
Anyhoodle, because today is such a momentous and holy day, I made two (count ‘em, TWO) P-Widdy recipes for dinner last night. I made her Ranch-Style Chicken, which is a chicken breast marinated in lemon juice, honey, dijon mustard, paprika, and crushed red pepper, topped with bacon and melted cheddar. Mr. Kitchenette devoured this one; P-Widdy is right when she says this is “Cowboy Food.” I liked the chicken best by itself without the bacon, but I think maybe the bacon I used was just too strong in flavor. Regardless, this chicken will now be part of my Poultry Rotation (the few recipes I make over and over again) along with the Balsamic-Roasted Chicken I love.
I also made PW’s Fluffy New Potatoes, which were kind of DE.LI.CIOUS. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned my love for potatoes before, but they are my Kryptonite. For serious. I would eat potatoes with every meal, if my thighs wouldn’t balloon to the size of tree trunks. In light of my desire to fit my thighs into my favorite jeans, I relegate my potato consumption to Thanksgiving, and the occasional Holy Day. Today is a Holy Day. So I ate potatoes to celebrate. And I’m so glad I did, because these potatoes were WORTH IT. Basically, you halve the potatoes, bake them, scoop out the middle of each half, and mix the potato with cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, chives, and monterey jack. (Yes, I know. These potatoes are the Devil’s creation.) Then you fill the potato halves back up with the mix and bake until the middle is all warm and gooey.
I tried to restrain myself, and I still ate 4 halves of these potatoes. I totes have a muffin top consisting entirely of sour-cream-and-potato this morning. That’s how good they are.
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Ranch-Style Chicken
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
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Ingredients:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices bacon
canola oil
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
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Directions:
Mix the mustard, honey, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes in a Ziploc bag. Pound the chicken with a mallet or heavy saute pan until 3/4 inch thick. Add the chicken to the bag and close; toss to cover the chicken with the marinade and refridgerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Saute the bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat, until crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set on paper towels to drain. Add canola oil to bacon fat (you want about equal parts bacon fat and oil). Add chicken to pan, and sear until browned and crispy on one side. Repeat sear on other side of chicken. Remove chicken and lay on sheet pan; cook chicken on sheet pan in oven for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Lay bacon on top of chicken, and garnish chicken with grated cheese. Return chicken to oven for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
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Fluffy New Potatoes
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman
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Ingredients:
1 pound red potatoes or Russet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sour cream
2 ounces cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 garlic clove, grated
salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rinse and dry the potatoes; cut in half. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes (or until you can hold a potato without withstanding 1st degree burns). Scoop out the insides of the potatoes into a bowl and mash, or use a potato ricer, such that the potatoes are a fluffy consistency. Mix mashed potato with sour cream, cream cheese, cheese, chives, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fill the potato halves with the filling, and bake for another 10 minutes or until the filling is melted. Hoover, and don’t let anyone steal the last piece.
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Now Playing in the Kitchenette: Bon Iver and St. Vincent / Roslyn – This is from the New Moon soundtrack. Yes, I’m excited for the New Moon movie to come out. Yes, I’m 25 years old. Are we done now?
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A note for some of my less-tech-savvy readers: click on the title of this post, and scroll to the bottom of the new page, to leave a sweet comment telling me what you think of this recipe. Or to tell me to stop posting Gossip girl clips. Or to tell me to post MORE Gossip Girl clips. Or whatever you want, really.

At exactly 11:59 on Thursday night, I arrived in Virginia for a whirlwind 10 days of bachelorette parties, beach-hopping, and weddings. I’m staying with my BFF of all time/partner-in-crime “Banana” for a few days, and we decided to celebrate my return to Virginia with a meal fit for a king. And by celebration, I mean… Banana unleashed her most powerful recipes on my jetlagged butt. It was totally awesome, if I do say so myself. Included in her Collection was this gem.
Potatoes are held on a pedestal in my family – seriously, it’s one of those favorite foods that I don’t have very often – so in my opinion, the hit of the night was this delicious recipe for mustard potatoes. It’s fast, delicious, and made with simple ingredients. Roast the potatoes long enough so that you get nice crispy edges on the potatoes. In my opinion, that’s the best part!










