Zesty Sweet Potato Fries

Spring is here, and that means more practices and games than I can count.  We're in the 2nd week of spring lacrosse(WD,) the last week of winter soccer(SB,) and heading into baseball(SB.)  That means that meals are going to be a lot more simple with a lot of grilling.  Tonight we had some barbecue chicken and Zesty Sweet Potato Fries.

WD isn't a big fan of sweet potatoes(weird, I know,) but he loves these.  They're so easy to make.  I mix together 1/4 cup of olive oil with 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper.  I peel and slice 3 or 4 sweet potatoes into wedges and toss them in the oil mixture.  Spread them out onto a foil lined baking sheet,

and bake at 450 for about an hour, flipping them over part way through the cooking time.  Nothing could be simpler.  I love the sweetness of the potatoes contrasted against the heat of the sauce.

Thanks for popping in and cooking with me.  I'm linking this up to Real Food Forager's Fat Tuesday, Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Oh Joy!

One of my friends' son is currently a cadet at West Point Military Academy.  He looks forward to receiving packages from home, and since his mom doesn't bake, he especially loves when I send him a care package.  My friend popped over to say that he was jonesing for some real cookies, so I started on a baking spree.

Along with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies and Caramel Apple Cookies, I made some homemade Almond Joy knockoff candies.  They were really simple to make and so tasty.  I started with a cup of organic shredded coconut.

I mixed in 1/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk,

formed spoonfuls of the mixture into bricks, and pressed a dark chocolate flavored almond into the top of each.  I love snacking on these and always have them on hand.

After freezing them for half an hour, I dipped them into some melted chocolate and sprinkled them with some kosher sea salt.  Maldon salt would be fantastic, but I didn't have any on hand.

These are little bites of happiness.

Thanks for popping in and indulging with me.  I'm linking up to the Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.

Blonde Ambition

I love chocolate.  Chocolate cake, chocolate cookies, chocolate pie, hot cocoa and brownies - love them all.  CG, however, really just tolerates my chocolate addiction.  I love chocolate, but I love CG, too.  These Ultimate Blondies are one of his favorite treats.

I start by mixing together 2/3 cup white chocolate chips, 2/3 cup butterscotch chips, 2/3 cup toffee bits, and 1 cup chopped almonds.  I accidentally bought the Heath toffee bits that are chocolate and toffee, but usually I use just the toffee bits.  Set this aside.

I whisked together 3/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/2 cup white rice flour, 1/2 cup potato starch, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt.

In my stand mixer, I cream together 2/3 cup of butter and 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, before adding 2 eggs and 2 tsps vanilla.

Beat in the dry ingredients.

Then mix in 1 cup of the nuts and chips mixture by hand.  Spread into a 9x13 pan that has been greased and lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Add the rest of the chips mixture to the top, pressing into the batter. 

Bake for another 20 minutes.

Let cool in the pan before removing(done easily with the parchment sling,) and cutting up into bars.

These are so good with both crunch and chewiness.

Thanks for popping in and baking with me.  I'm linking this up to Remodelaholic's Anonymous' Recipe Swap and Gluten-Free Homemaker's Gluten-Free Wednesdays.