Cheesy Bacon Fries with Ranch Dip

A cousin to the loaded baked potato, Cheesy Bacon Fries often accompany our casual dinners of sandwiches or finger foods. But what makes these fries so delicious is not the bacon or cheese {though they both help immensely}. It is the ranch dip. Just a bit of this dip on fries changes them from good to insanely delicious.

Cheesy Bacon Fries

1 32 oz bag regular cut frozen French fries

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

1 lb bacon, fried and crumbled

ranch dipping sauce (recipe follows)

Cook fries in 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Turn half way through cooking. Remove fries to oven safe serving platter. Cover with 1 c shredded cheese and half of the crumbled bacon, then the remaining cheese and finish with the remaining bacon. Return to oven for five minutes to melt cheese. Serve with ranch dipping sauce. THIS IS A MUST! The sauce makes the fries!

Ranch Dipping Sauce

1 c mayo

1/2 c milk

1 0.4 oz pkg ranch dressing mix (recommend Hidden Valley)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients well. Refrigerate for an hour.

Super Heroes~ A Mighty Sandwich

Super Heroes, or an extra large sandwich, have been popular for years. I remember making these for my mother when she would have gatherings at the house with her coworkers. Layers or deli meat and spinach dip piled on an Italian bread loaf. That was about 1990. Ever since, these sandwiches are a go-to when I need a quick and satisfying meal for a large group or for our family's Friday night dinners.

At the end of the week, we are all looking for a break from our work {whether it be studies, house cleaning or helping parents at school}. A fun dinner and a movie is the way to wind down in our home. I don't worry about being to health conscious as you can see from the following menu.

Super Heroes

Bacon Cheddar Fries with Ranch Dip

German Chocolate Brownies

Simply frost your favorite brownie with coconut pecan frosting.

Super Hero
1 loaf of Italian bread
1 c spinach dip (recipe follows)
1 lb roast beef deli meat
1 lb turkey deli meat
1/2 lb sandwich pepperoni
1/2 lb provolone cheese slices

Cut loaf of bread in half lengthwise. Pull out some of the inside to make room for the filling. Spoon the spinach dip into the bottom piece of loaf. Spread evenly. Top with layers of meat and cheese. Place second piece of loaf atop sandwich and slice into 8-12 pieces. Secure pieces with toothpicks.






Spinach Dip
1 package vegetable soup mix (recommend Knorr)
3/4 c real mayo
3/4 c sour cream
1 2 oz jar of pimentos
1 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 8 0z can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

Mix all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate at least an hour.

Chicken and Cilantro Dumplings

I had never worked with dumpling {or wonton} or egg roll wrappers before making these and was a bit worried about the whole process. Much to my relief, they were fairly easy to work with. The most important thing is to keep the dumpling dough covered while it sits waiting for you to use it. Also, work in small batches. Continue for a step by step process of how to make Chinese dumplings, steamed or fried.






Chicken and Cilantro Dumplings
adapted from original recipe found at allrecipes

Ingredients
2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crushed red peppers
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems cut off
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
50-60 wonton wrappers
vegetable oil for frying
chicken broth for steaming

Directions
1. Cut chicken into cubes and place in food processor. Add ginger, garlic, red pepper, cilantro, soy sauce and sesame oil. Process to shred chicken and combine all ingredients well.

2. Set up your work surface with a tablespoon, small bowl of water, chicken mixture, and wonton wrappers. Separate and place the wonton wrappers on work surface. I worked with half of the wrappers, covered the others, and finished the recipe before using the remaining wrappers. This helped to keep the wrappers from drying out.



3. Scoop up chicken mixture with the tablespoon and place in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Dip your finger in water and run along the edge of the wonton wrapper.



Fold wrapper over, encasing the chicken filling. Press edges together and pinch to form little dumplings. If you want to steam dumplings, skip to step 6.



4. Frying- Set up a frying station with medium sauce pan of oil, protective screen, and a dish with paper towels for draining. Heat oil over medium-high to about 365 degrees. I don't usually measure the temperature. I just heat for about 5 minutes to get the oil very hot then start to fry. As food cooks, adjust heat if food is browning to quickly or not quickly enough.

5. Once oil is hot (check by dropping a few drops of water, they should immediately sizzle), place 3-4 wontons in pan. Cook about one minute and turn over in oil. Cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain.



6. Steaming- Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan. Heat over medium-high flame. Place about 15-20 dumplings in pan and cook about 3-4 minutes. Do not move the dumplings, they will sizzle and brown.

7. Add about 1/4 cup of chicken broth to pan. Cover with lid and steam the dumplings for about 2-4 minutes, until most of the liquid evaporates.



Wontons are delicious as is, or they may be served with your favorite Asian dipping sauce such as a plum sauce.

Twice Baked Potato

While trying to eat well, I don't want to abandon all of the tasty foods I have enjoyed for so long. Therefore I will try to take some of my favorite fattening foods and give them a makeover, keeping the tasty side but changing the ingredients and preparation. When an attempt is successful, I will share the results.

Here is the first contestant: potato skins. Next to Buffalo wings, my favorite junky snack is potato skins- deep fried with bacon and cheese, then used to scoop up sour cream. My lips are smacking and drool is dripping!


These potato skins are delicious, don't get me wrong. What about the nutritional value of them, though? One serving has 250 calories, 17 g of fat, and 510 mg sodium, without the sour cream!

Here is my alternative which can be enjoyed as a meal, not just a snack: the twice baked potato. One serving, which I am saying is 1/2 of a potato (or one side stuffed), has 275 calories, 11 g fat, and 239 mg sodium. Okay, so the makeover recipe doesn't have fewer calories per serving, but the serving of twice baked potato is larger than the skins. A yumilicious alternative to the fried potato skins. I calculated the nutritional value by looking up the ingredients in the recipe and calculating the total, so the calories may be even fewer!

Twice Baked Potato Recipe
Ingredients
2 large baking potatoes
salt
1 c low fat plain yogurt
2 tbsp butter
1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions
1. Rinse potatoes and scrub to clean.


2. Place potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.


3. Bake potatoes in 400 degree oven for 1 hr. Cool for about 15 minutes.

4. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the inside flesh of the potatoes. Place potato flesh in large bowl.


5. Add yogurt and butter to potato flesh. Mash together and stir.


6. Spoon potato mixture into skins, distributing evenly. Sprinkle tops of stuffed potatoes with cheese.


7. Bake in 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Enjoy with a dollop more of yogurt.


I was a skeptic about using plain yogurt to replace sour cream, but it really tastes great. My younger children, who are extremely picky about what they eat, could not tell the difference when it was mixed into the potatoes or served on top of them.

You could decrease the fat and calories more by omitting the butter and using nonfat yogurt too. I also added more flavor and virtually no calories by scattering a few fresh chives over my potato.

This was such a satisfying and flavorful dinner. Try it and let me know what you think.

Mock Turtle Soup

Then the Queen left off, quite out of breath, and said to Alice, `Have you seen the Mock Turtle yet?'
`No,' said Alice. `I don't even know what a Mock Turtle is.'
`It's the thing Mock Turtle Soup is made from,' said the Queen.
`I never saw one, or heard of one,' said Alice.
`Come on, then,' said the Queen, `and he shall tell you his history,'

From Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Chapter 9



There may not be an animal that is a mock turtle, but there is a wonderful soup known as mock turtle soup.  Turtle soup was a delicacy in the past. But as the turtle population diminished, many sought something to replace the turtle meat in their favorite soup.  Most used various parts of calves since the texture was similar to turtle meat when cooked. Thus the calf head atop the turtle in the above illustration.

That may sound just a tad peculiar.  The version of Mock Turtle Soup you'll find below is in all actuality delicious.  Even my children adore it {of course having mini turtle rolls doesn't hinder their affections}.  This recipe uses beef, pork and chicken.  I have found that I truly prefer the combination of pork and chicken in this soup.  And the dash of lemon juice or a slice of lemon really adds the finishing taste.

If you are interested in making your own turtle rolls, here's what I did.  First I divided the dough into 5 pieces. Each piece was then divided into two equal pieces. The first piece {of the second division of dough} was shaped into a ball for the turtle's body, and the second piece was shaped into five pieces: a head and four legs. Using a sharp knife, I scored the body of the turtle in crisscross shapes and the legs with lines mimicking claws.  I pinched the outer edge of the head piece to form a little beak for the turtle's mouth.

Mock Turtle Soup

Recipe from literature guide for Alice in Wonderland sold by Veritas Press

Ingredients

1/2 c vegetable oil
3/4 lb beef, cubed
1/2 lb pork, cubed
1/2 lb chicken, cubed
2/3 c all-purpose flour
1 c chopped onion
1/2 c finely chopped green onions
1/2 c finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped celery
1 tsp dried thyme
10 c beef broth, hot
1/2 c tomato sauce
hot sauce to taste
salt to taste
lemon slices

Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown all the meat. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Cook onions, green onions, parsley and celery in pan used to brown meat. Add more oil if needed to make about half cup in pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook until onions are translucent.

Add flour to pan of onions. Stir. Slowly whisk in two cups of the hot stock and stir to form a thick paste, then stir in the tomato sauce. Stir in the remaining stock, then add the meats, salt and hot sauce. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer another hour.

Cool soup slightly and skim off any floating fat. Reheat before serving. Serve with a slice of lemon.

Organizing Your Life: Some Tips

My children are back at school, the daily preparation for parties is over, the Christmas decorations will all be put away. I am hoping to take advantage of each of these to get my house, and my day to day life more organized.

I have so much to organize that the mere thought of figuring out where to begin is exhausting. Coming up with a list of tips has been encouraging and has helped keep all of the tasks I need to do under control, a bit more organized.

Here are some tips I have found helpful:

Make a Priority List
I have decided that I would make a list of what needs the most attention then work from there. This has helped me to make quick decisions about where to start. It also has kept me from being discouraged by thoughts that there is just way too much to do.

Lost and Found Basket
Have a basket or plastic container that you carry to an area you are cleaning. This is used to place items that do not belong in that area as you clean. This has kept me from wasting time going in and out of the room I am cleaning, as well as keeping my thoughts focused on finishing what I started. After I have finished cleaning, the contents of the basket are returned to the correct places.

Categorize: Keep, Give Away, or Trash
When cleaning out closets, dressers, or storage areas, you need a quick system for sorting. Keep a bag or bin or just a pile on the floor as you clean up an area for each of these categories.

Many may want to add another category, "Sell", if they plan to consign items or have a yard sale in the future. I am too short on time to do this and find that others often appreciate me giving them items I no longer use. As a rule, I try not to keep things I have not used for a year. There are always exceptions.

Set a Time Limit
Set a timer as you work; don't take all day for a task you planned for 1 hour or you will get discouraged. I take time to do at least one thing on my priority list and be happy with getting that done. If there is time and energy, I move on to something else. This way I plan to do certain tasks on specific days and know that I will still have time for other things.

Plan Meals
I find the most time consuming job of the day is making all of the food to feed my family, not only dinner, but breakfast and lunch as well. The biggest help with this is knowing what I will be making for each meal. Planning meals for a week at a time has been most helpful to me. I find planning meals further ahead can be somewhat overwhelming, but friends I know find this quite satisfying. As meals are planned, make a grocery list; double check this before going to the store, because you may already have something or you may be out of something you need but not for cooking.

I plan meals around what I can buy in bulk at stores like Costco. I will buy Italian sausages and plan to make sausage and pepper sandwiches, sliced sausage with pasta, and jambalaya for example. Also, I keep a list of what my family has especially liked so my time preparing food is not wasted.

Save Your Steps
My grandmother, who lived through the depression, was very frugal, not only with money but with time. I know, time is money. As we did chores around the house, she would remind us to save our steps. She would point out that while we carried the laundry from the room, we could also take the glass from the dresser to the kitchen. This is just as true with bigger chores.

When you get home from the grocery, rinse and chop vegetables before putting them in the refrigerator. Having some onions or lettuce pre-chopped in the refrigerator saves time and money; you won't be tempted to buy that pre-washed salad mix or any of those convenience items found in the produce or meat sections of the grocery.

Laundry Helps
I also try to save steps with laundry; this is crucial with nine family members. Each person has his own laundry basket with his name on it. When the basket is full, all of his laundry is washed on cold. There is no need for separate washes and no need for sorting clothes into piles for various persons. The laundry is folded and put in the basket then returned to the correct room to be put away. The only exception to this is gentles; they are washed separately.

Plan for Company
Looking over the past year, I would like to change something for this new year. I would like to have others over more often to fellowship with. I think the only way I will succeed at this is to "schedule" visitors. I hate using that word because it sounds so unpleasant and visitors are not unpleasant. Visiting with others is uplifting and energizing.

Something else I have found is that having visitors to our home forces me to clean things I do not usually notice. Preparing the home for frequent visits will not only keep it clean, but it will useful in keeping our home prepared for unexpected visitors.

Helpful Links
These 15 minute room cleanups have been very helpful in our house. They give a list of specific chores the children can easily follow. Also, they help us all to see that cleaning doesn't take long, not much longer than 15 minutes a room.

Here you will find some terrifically helpful ideas about how to organize your home.

This site has some simple but very helpful time saving tips.

Here you will find inexpensive storage container ideas.

Next Week: Ideas for Organizing the Pantry