(Kid Approved) Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I'm not going to let Jan 10th, 2017 happen without blogging!  

How has it been 362 days since I've blogged a recipe?

I'll tell you how... I got pregnant and gave birth to this little sweet thing:  Mackenzie Jane Ritter.  Born Oct 18, 2016 weighing just over 8 pounds and is so delicious I have to restrain myself from nibbling her sweet toes. 💜

Oh sweet Jesus, thank you for this little love muffin.

Speaking of sweet things... I thought I'd talk about my sweet potato fries... But first, my confession...

On New Years Eve, I mumbled to Chris, "What if I decided to start food blogging again?  Say at least once a month?  Am I crazy?  With two kids?"

It's already crazy, and I'm still cooking up a storm, so why not?  Colton is still helping in the kitchen quite a bit.  Maybe this year I'll teach him to take my food photos too?

Someone thought it was funny to poke an ingredient out of the line.

Red Wine Beef Stew

A few years ago we were dining at a friend's house.  Sharon "threw together" a stew for us.  It was unbelievable and I won't soon forget it.  A few months ago, I went to Sharon's daughter's house for dinner.  Again, Whitney made her version of a beef stew.  I looked wide eyed and said "is this your family's stew?"  She shrugged it off, just like her mother, and said it wasn't really much of a recipe.  These are my favorite types of recipes.  Meat.  Veggies.  Wine.  Cook a while while you put your feet up.  Invite friends over.  Done.

Persimmon Vanilla Cobbler

Oh Persimmons!

We had a rough start, you and me.

But after a few years, playing under your tree,

I've come to love thee!

Really though... when we first moved in, we had no idea what kind of tree it was that provided such beautiful shade and stood as the figure piece for our backyard, that was not yet a yard at all.  After a season, we learned it was a persimmon tree!  So fun!  After doing some poor research, and giving it an undeserving hack job, it went through a bit of a rough season.  But this year... THIS YEAR... I fell in love with our little tree and the harvest was plenty.  Maybe trees just need to be loved to produce well (and we added it to the drip system this year... poor thing).  And by loved, I mean embraced as a part of our yard: yoga under the tree, using it as a "secret look out," and it acting as a "fielder" to our son's line-drives.  It's a part of our yard now, which is a part of our family space.

Roasted Poblano, Corn and Potato Chowder

Well it's not cold yet here, but I figured I could start practicing for when this supposed "El Nino" hits.  But whether the rain is pouring, or you're just praying for the rain, this chowder will make all things better.

Roasted Poblano, Corn and Potato Chowder

adapted from Iowa Girl Eats (easily serves 8 people)

2-3 poblano peppers, 

2 tbls olive oil

6-8 slices of bacon, chopped

4 leaks, white and light green parts, cleaned and chopped into half moons

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups whole or 2% milk, separate out 1 cup for mixing the roux

2 cups sweet corn, frozen or fresh

4 tbls flour

3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of cheddar and jack)

cilantro for a cooling garnish

Salt and pepper throughout to layer the seasoning

Crostini with Blue Cheese Butter and Roasted Balsamic Grapes

Can we talk appetizers?

I'm a huge fan of them.  It's always a party when dad gets home for the day, so why not pair his homecoming with a fabulous snack to kick off dinner?  Toasted bread with fine toppings is usually a hit with most folks.  But this crostini is a home-run.  Wowsa.