Roasted Ranch Potatoes Recipe

How to Make Roasted Ranch Potatoes

I would basically describe these potatoes as a mashed potato encased in a crispy, ranch flavored outer shell that will explode in your mouth with the force not unlike a cool ranch Dorito chip. Now we don't eat Dorito's in our house, (not at all saying I'm immune to the deliciousness of a Dorito, just merely trying to keep our house free of processed foods) but we definitely like to eat a crispy, ranch-y potato now and then. I've been making this roasted potato recipe for a while now, which is NOT AT ALL like a regular old roasted potato. Boiling the potato first so it gets all soft and then baking it in vegetable oil and corn starch creates a magical effect that is probably a little unhealthy, but unhealthy in a way that is crispy and divine thereby making it totally worth it. Adding in the ranch seasoning has taken the recipe to a whole new level. A level that is definitely going to make everyone freak out the next time I make them for a dinner party, which is the goal of my entire life.

Katie MilesJune 30, 2014Side Dishes, Summer, Winter, Gluten Free, VegetarianComment

Grilled Watermelon Salad

Heat Up Your Summer Salad with Grilled Watermelon

Grilling watermelon is not a new thing for me. It was something I discovered last summer when my husband mentioned it to me and about lost my brain thinking about the amazing possibilities that grilling watermelon could bring to my dinner table. My first attempt at using grilled watermelon was the thai inspired Grilled Watermelon and Shrimp Salad which came out AMAZING and seriously wowed my dinner guests. This time around I wanted to make something that featured the watermelon so I created this salad. The warmth and sweetness of the cubed grilled watermelon is the star of the show in this arugula, feta and mint salad and the balsamic vinaigrette plays nicely off the sweetness of the melon, rounding out the flavor of the dish.

Katie MilesJune 26, 2014Summer, Side Dishes, Salads, Healthy, Vegetarian, Gluten FreeComment

Crispy Tofu Stars Recipe for Kids

When I find a new way to get my toddler to eat healthy food I feel like I'm the smartest person in the world. I want to call the president and be like; "Um hello. Did you know I just solved the problem of how to feed my toddler healthy food? Well, I guess you should put me on the next space shuttle to the moon because I'm a goddamn genius." And I totally deserve to feel this way. Cracking the code of finicky toddler eating habits is harder than I ever thought it would be. One minute she is like "Yum! Tofu!" and the next she is like "Tofu, floor, all done." But, cut that boring old tofu into star shapes, bread it and fry it up in healthy olive oil and she is like "Star! Tofu! Star! Yummy!!" and gobbles it all up like it's chocolate chip cookies. Genius I say.

Katie MilesOctober 2, 2013Family Meals, Vegetarian, Toddler FoodComment

Radishes with Creme Fraiche dip

Phew! It is HOTT with two T's out there and my poor oven is feeling awfully abandoned these days. But, who wants to turn on the oven when the A/C is running full blast and we are still sitting in a pool of our own sweat? My awesome neighbor recently had my husband and I over to their apartment for a "no cook" summer dinner with fresh veggies, fruits and charcuterie. She really inspired me to say goodbye to the oven for the last few blistering weeks of summer and embrace a fresh "no cook" style of eating for a little while. One of my favorite vegetables this time of year are radishes. I love the classic American round radishes and the French long and skinny ones alike. Serve this dish/ appetizer with a baguette and sea salt and encourage your guests to spread the dip on the bread, pile with radishes and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt. Add a charcuterie plate and some fresh slices of cantelope and your "no cook" dinner is complete!

Katie MilesSeptember 11, 2013Appetizers, Vegetarian, SummerComment

Easy Baked Ratatouille

There is a lot of debate surrounding the topic of traditional ratatouille. Some insist that the vegetables be stewed, others agree that it should be stewed then baked. My approach to ratatouille comes from a very American desire to make cooking quick and painless. There is no stewing involved in this ratatouille. Just layer and bake. I developed this ratatouille many years ago and have come up with a version for each season. This particular ratatouille uses summer vegetables and is probably my favorite because of the bright flavors. You can experiment with different vegetables, herbs and cheeses and find your own favorite version of baked ratatouille.

Katie MilesSeptember 4, 2013Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Summer Comment

Heirloom Tomato Tartlets

This past weekend Ruby had a play date with an adorable little boy named Stellan. He and his lovely parents came over to our house and the adults pretended it was a play date by listlessly looking over in the general direction of our children every once in a while and and saying "oh, look how nicely you two are playing together." In reality, the play date was just a guise for the adults to drink white wine, eat the most luscious heirloom tomato tartlets and enjoy the gorgeous summer day. After a while, I think Ruby and Stellan were on to us and so they began to try and capture our attentions by looking impossibly cute in Mr. Potato Head's glasses and drinking out of our empty wine bottle (not sure if I should have let the wine bottle drinking continue, but it was cute, right?). We remarked on how adorable they were, snapped a photo and then just went right on ignoring them. The tomato tartlets were unbelievably, melt in your mouth, delicious with fresh from the farmer's stand heirloom tomatoes in 3 different varieties, goat cheese from a local dairy, fresh garlic and basil picked from the plant on my porch. They make perfect summer afternoon hor d'oeuvres and couldn't be easier to whip up.

Katie MilesAugust 13, 2013Appetizers, Vegetarian, SummerComment

Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas with Lemon and Cream

The farmer's stand is rolling out new vegetables every week. New on the shelves this week: Sugar snap peas! Sugar snap peas are sweet, crispy and full of flavor. This recipe keeps the crispiness of the peas intact and brings out the flavor with some fresh lemon juice and heavy cream.

Katie MilesJuly 24, 2013Side Dishes, Vegetarian, SummerComment

Rosemary and Garlic Infused Potato Salad

WHOO HOO! GO AMERICA!!! Party on. Excellent. Don't show up to the Fourth of July party empty handed. If you want to set off some taste bud firecrackers you should definitely make this crazy flavorful potato salad. I love a good German potato salad, so I kept most of the ingredients but added a pretty amazing twist. What we are going to do here is replace that boring mustard and mayo mixture with rosemary and garlic infused aioli (mayo made with olive oil), fried rosemary and garlic chips, whole grain mustard and healthy and delicious red potatoes. I mean, come on, what else could you possibly make that would top this side dish? Do it!

Katie MilesJuly 3, 2013Vegetarian, Side Dishes, SummerComment

Spicy Bluecheese Celery Boats

So, I have a confession to make.... I didn't actually live in the 70's. But, my husband did live through the 70's and when I asked him what he would consider to be a quintessential 70's appetizer he said, without hesitation, celery boats. Celery boats! I immediately started visualizing ants on a log and celery with that disgusting canned pimento cheese spread on top. Yuck! But then Emily and got to thinking and we came up with a gourmet version of the old celery boat. With quality blue cheese and a little spice, this boat is sure to float any party.

Katie MilesFebruary 26, 2013Appetizers, VegetarianComment

Cheese Fondue

A cheese fondue is the perfect way to start a fondue party. It's a great first course because it's a classic fondue dish that will immediately get your guests into the fondue spirit. (Although, I'm relatively certain that you could coerce your friends into any spirit with a pot full of delicious melted cheeses.) Emily and I did a little research on cheese fondues and came up with our own recipe. We decided to omit the Kirsch (cherry brandy) because we felt it didn't really add that much to the flavor and we hate having to buy a bottle of liquor for a recipe when you only use a few tablespoons of it and the rest ends up sitting in your pantry collecting dust. The rest of the ingredients are pretty standard for cheese fondue except that we chose to use three different types of cheese. Really nutty swiss cheeses are delicious so we wanted to have both Comte and Emmental. And, of course, you have to have Gruyere cheese to make it a traditional Swiss fondue.

Katie MilesFebruary 25, 2013Dinner, Vegetarian, WinterComment

Mushroom, Pine Nut and Goat Cheese Crostini

Katie MilesJanuary 3, 2013Appetizers, VegetarianComment