Orange-Dill Pasta Salad

Mix the following and refrigerate overnight, if possible:

2 C. mayonnaise
1/2 C. orange juice
1 tsp. minced garlic
2-3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tb. dried dill weed
2 dashes Tabasco sauce
1 Tb. sugar
1 tsp. black pepper
*Optional:
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar (I think I prefer it without)

The next day toss the dressing with the following:

16oz box/package (approx.) of pasta - whatever shape you prefer, cooked & cooled
1/2 C.- 3/4 C. of the following (depending on your taste):
sliced, chopped, or shredded carrots
sliced celery
chopped red onion
frozen peas (they thaw quickly)
salt to taste


This recipe came from my Mom's friend, Pam. She recommends using this as a base recipe and adding whatever veggies you like, but I like it just as listed. And it really does give it a good boost of flavor to let this dressing marinade overnight, or at least for a few hours. Let me know what you think, if you get the chance to make it.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Most sweet potato dishes are full of bad-for-you ingredients (deep frying oil, brown sugar, butter, marshmallows). And sweet potatoes are very very good for you. They're packed with vitamin C, fiber, and tons of antioxidents, just to name a few. They're also lower in carbs than regular potatoes. If you battle with blood-sugar issues, regular potatoes are disastrous, but ironically "sweet" potatoes are much better. The sweetness comes from complex carbohydrates (the good kind) and not simple carbs (the bad kind). Also, they're tossed in olive oil which is well known for it's healthy qualities. This is a great, healthy alternative to french fries and they taste fantastic.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes*
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t parsley
fresh ground pepper (about 10 turns of a pepper mill)

*you want 1lb sweet potatoes after they are peeled, sliced, etc. If you weigh them at the store make sure you have a little more than a pound to allow for the peeling, and tossing of small pieces.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. (Do you need to spray it? Probably not. But I feel safer doing it!) Don't use a silpat, or parchment, or anything like that. You want them right on the cookie sheet.

Slice your sweet potatoes into french fry shape and size. I like mine to be 1/4", or maybe a tad bit bigger. Cutting them larger, like steak fries, will sometimes result in a big soggy mess, so stay small to get the best results.

It's important that all of the pieces are evenly sized to ensure even cooking. So toss any irregular pieces aside (or eat them in another dish). When you're ready, you'll have something that looks like a pile of carrots.

Put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and drizzle the olive oil over them. Use your hands to make sure each one is coated. If you've got more than a pound of sweet potatoes, add a little extra olive oil. They should all be glistening.

Then sprinkle on all of the herbs and spices and continue to toss until well coated.
Place the fries on the baking sheet. It's very important that they are not touching, but can be pretty close together.

*if you end up needing more than one cookie sheet, make sure they are spaced more than one rack apart in your oven to prevent steaming. Also, rotate the pans when you take them out to flip.

Place cookie sheet in pre-heated oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Don't open the oven door, not even for a peak! Let them do their thing.

After 15 minutes take pan out of oven and flip the fries. If you try to do it one at a time, it will take forever. Flip a bunch at time then make sure they're spaced out again. Be careful because at this point they're quite soft.

Put the pan in the oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Just keep an eye on them. They should be nice and golden brown. Click on the picture below so you can see the nice caramelization in detail! Mmmm...I want to eat that up right now. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and sweet and soft in the middle.

Take them out of the oven and serve immediately. They cool off very quickly so they're best eaten right away. Serves about 4.
http://www.ourbestbites.com/

Wild Rice Pilaf

2 C low-sodium Chicken broth

2 bay leaves

8 sprigs thyme

1 C wild rice, rinsed and drained

3 Tbs unsalted butter

2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine

1 Onion, minced

Salt

1 1/2 C long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained

2 1/4 C water

3/4 C dried cranberries

3/4 C pecans, toasted and chopped coarse

2 Tbs minced fresh parsley

Pepper

1. bring broth, bay leaves, and 4 sprigs of the thyme to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the drained wild rice and return to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the wild rice is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, 35-40 minutes. Drain the rice and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Return the wild rice to the pot and cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and 1 1/2 Tsp salt. Cook until the veggies are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained white rice. Cook until the edges begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the water, cranberries, and remaining 4 thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 17 minutes. Transfer the pot to a cold burner or trivet and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and discard the thyme sprigs.

3. Combine the cooked wild rice and white rice, toasted pecans, and parsley in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I typically don't put much effort into side dishes, because I don't have time for sides and a main dish with all my little ankle biting helpers. But when all I had to do was squirt a little EVOO and lemon onto some salmon, I decided to break open the cook book and this is what I found. It is from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (which Jimmy gave me for my birthday and I'm loving). I had to do a little altering with just the ingredients I had on hand, and I thought it still turned out yummy! (of course most meals do on fast Sunday...) So I used a box of Uncle Ben's wild rice and cooked the rice to the box directions (without the seasoning), and used ground thyme and omitted the pecans...