Cilantro Lime Rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 (15 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 2 teaspoons of lime juice, broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, sugar, and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice. Serve warm.

Makes about 3 cups cooked rice

Sparkling Orange Jello

from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
*Note: Fresh squeezed orange juice would work here, as well as bottled, but I would stay away from the overly sweetened concentrates. I prefer Simply Orange but you could play around with brands to suit your preference.

*Serves 6-8

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (1/8 cup)
1/4 cup cold water
1 1/2 cups plus 1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 cups ginger ale
15 ounces drained mandarin oranges
8-10 fresh strawberries, sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries

Place the cold water in a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water and let it soften for five minutes then heat it gently on low heat, stirring slowly, until the gelatin dissolves. Add the 1/2 cup orange juice and the sugar. Warm gently until the sugar dissolves, stirring. Do not overheat.

In a large bowl, place the remaining 1 1/2 cups orange juice with the ginger ale and whisk in the gelatin mixture.

Pour the mixture into a 3-quart baking dish (about a 9X13-inch size). Gently stir in the fruit. Refrigerate the mixture until set, about 4-6 hours. Cut into squares and serve as a side dish or simple dessert.

Hasselback Potatoes

from Kitchen Cafe

5-6 medium baking potatoes
4 garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic pressed or finely minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the potato on a cutting board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, making thin slices.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet and sprinkle the garlic in between the slits. Scatter some butter on top of each potato (it doesn't have to be exact - I just pinched off pieces of butter and put them on top of the potato and in random slices). Then drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potoates.

Bake the potatoes for about one hour or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

Baked Potato Wedges

3 potatoes
Vegetable or olive oil
Johnny's Seasonint Salt (or any kind of seasoning salt)
Parmesan cheese

Scrub potatoes well, slice into wedges and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle generously with seasoning salt and parmesan cheese. Bake at 450-degrees for 30-35 minutes (or until cooked through and golden brown) stirring about every 10 minutes or so. Serve with ketchup, fry sauce, or ranch dressing.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

from Kitchen Cafe

Makes 14-16 taquitos (served our family of two adults and three kids with three or four leftover for lunch the next day)

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup green salsa
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 green onion, sliced finely (white and green parts to equal about 2 tablespoons)
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I cook large batches of chicken in my crockpot with a little chicken broth and salt, shred it and freeze it for meals like this)
1 cup grated monterey jack cheese (use pepperjack if you like a little heat)

small yellow or white corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix softened cream cheese, green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare this step ahead of time (which I did - I made it the morning of). Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Working with a few tortillas at a time, place 3-4 between two damp paper towels and microwave for 30-45 seconds, until tortillas are soft and pliable and don't crack while rolling. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture on the lower third of a soft tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges. Then roll it up as tight as you can. (A few of mine wanted to rebel and come unrolled so I stuck a toothpick through them to keep them right and tight.)

Place filled taquitos seam side down on the baking sheet, making sure they don't touch each other. When ready to bake, spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and lightly sprinkle some kosher (coarse) salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown. Serve immediately. Taquitos can be dipped in in salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or any other combination you can dream up

Crashed Hot Potatoes

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil.

Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make, and cook them until they’re fork-tender. And yes, I realize my pot is a little full, but listen: my boys filled my large dutch oven with a combination of dog food, potting soil, and gravel yesterday, and then they placed it on top of our garage. I have to learn to make do around here.

Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan.
This will mean the difference between the potatoes sticking and not sticking, so don’t be shy here.
When the potatoes are tender, place them on the cookie sheet…
…Giving them plenty of room to spread out.

Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes…
Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Of course, you don’t want to absolutely smash it into the pan—you want it almost to resemble a cookie.
Repeat until all are flattened. And really, I don’t know why you couldn’t use the bottom of a glass for this step if you don’t have a potato masher. The surface might not be as textured and interesting, but I think it still might work.

Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil.
Next, grab some Kosher salt. You can use regular salt, but I’d really recommend using kosher. It adheres to the potatoes more easily and really flavors them nicely without getting too salty.
Remember: potatoes need salt. Don’t skimp!
Be ye ever as generous with fresh ground black pepper.

Now, you can grab some chives…or thyme…or whatever herbs you have available.
Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes…

Garlic Parmesan Roasted Potatoes

5 lb bag of russet potatoes, washed, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Lawry’s Garlic Salt
½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
½ teaspoon Fresh ground black pepper
¼ Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Divide cubed potatoes onto a large baking sheet with edges. Drizzle potatoes evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle garlic salt, salt, pepper and parmesan cheese over potatoes. With hands, gently rub ingredients together so potatoes are well coated. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and golden brown. Take a nibble then season accordingly if it needs a little more salt.