roasted potatoes

I've always really loved potatoes, but for some reason I have always been really underwhelmed by roasting them.  They were never flavorful enough, or too mushy, or there wasn't enough cheese.  However, potatoes are relatively inexpensive and I thought that I would try a roasted potato recipe to go along with my slow-cooked pork loin from the entry below.  I was really determined to have a wholesome home-cooked meal.  I was also incredibly hungry, so I didn't take any photos.  The picture below is an extremely accurate representation of what my potatoes looked like before roasting.

Image from Lovin' From the Oven

One of the great things about cooking for myself is that I am completely in charge of how I prepare my food.  Sure, this is kind of a drawback sometimes like when I turn pancakes into burnt pucks or perhaps burn myself with flying grease but I'm feeling optimistic today.  So, you know what?  I don't like my potatoes mushy: cook them longer.  I don't like them bland: add more garlic and salt.  I got my love of cheese from my Dad: add more cheese.  Always add more cheese.

Parmesan Roasted Potatoes
Adapted from: Lovin' From the Oven


Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes, rinsed and diced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 4-6 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 2-3 tsp shredded parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pour the potatoes into a baking dish.
3. Drizzle olive oil on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the rest of the seasonings on top. Use a large spoon to evenly coat all of the potatoes.
4. Bake for 45 minutes, making sure to move the pieces around every 15 minutes.

corn soufflé

If we were still operating under the guise that there were any rules left to this blog, I would say that this entry was going to be a little bit of a cheat.  I have made this recipe several times already and I didn't make anything new last week.  But it is so delicious that I can't store the recipe away forever.  This recipe will be new to you.  At least I cooked something at all, okay?  Get off my back.

The 21st was my third annual Pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving.  This is an event that I host every year the weekend before Thanksgiving, whereupon I invite all of my friends over to share a pot-luck style dinner.  I have normally seen these kind of events referred to as "Friendsgiving," but I do not find this cute and there is no need to make myself feel bad if no friends show up to my Friendsgiving.  In my usual fashion, I went into hostess overdrive, preparing far more dishes than were necessary, fretting over tablescapes (despite them being non-existent year after year), and wondering if anyone would show up.

I catered to a smaller crowd than is the norm this year, which actually worked out for the best as my apartment is a cozy size (read: small) and barely enough room for me and my excessive amount of belongings.  This was also my first year without a full-sized stove and someone to coerce into roasting the turkey.  I opted instead to purchase a rotisserie chicken, which took off some of the pressure and allowed the stove to be used for the last minute preparation of literally everything else I was making.  Independent woman, and all that.

I made candied yams, stuffing, expired garlic and cheese biscuits, and a bowl of corn souffle.  Do not let the name fool you, corn soufflé is not actually a souffle.  Answers.com tells me a soufflé is: A light, fluffy baked dish made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a main dish or sweetened as a dessert.  Corn soufflé has eggs in it, and is not "light and fluffy" by any stretch of the imagination.  One of my guests referred to it at "corn pudding," but I do not find this name to be particularly accurate either.  I guess no one would want to eat it if it was called "corn mush," which is what I'd name it if I were in charge of such things.  Luckily, I am not.  I have a hard enough time getting people to try this dish with even its fancy name.  It is not very appetizing looking.

Corn Soufflé

• 8oz Sour Cream
• 1 can of corn niblets
• 1 can of creamed corn
• 1 package of Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 stick of butter

Mix all ingredients together in a baking dish.  Heat oven to375 and cook for 45 minutes or until center is cooked through and something inserted into the center comes out clean.