I feel a little self-indulgent throwing my own 29th birthday party, but the truth is, I’m just looking for an excuse to dance, dress up and make miniature versions of my favorite foods.

I’ve thrown my fair share of parties and think I’m slowly starting to get the planning process down to a science. [...]]]>

I feel a little self-indulgent throwing my own 29th birthday party, but the truth is, I’m just looking for an excuse to dance, dress up and make miniature versions of my favorite foods.

I’ve thrown my fair share of parties and think I’m slowly starting to get the planning process down to a science. I’ve found that the more I plan ahead the smoother things go the day of, which sounds really obvious, but it’s taken me awhile to get there. I like parties that aren’t stuffy or super planned out with lots of room for dancing and chit-chatting.

Of course, I’m going to start with the food planning. I have about 15 people attending the party which means I will plan for six to eight varieties of finger foods with two to three servings each,  two to three batches of a mixed drink like sangria, four bottles of wine, and two non-alcoholic beverages.

Baked Brie Bites | Salted Caramel Apple Pies | Cheese Plate | Bunting Cake | Sangria

There’s a very short list of things that Josh will get out of bed for and I count these pancakes as one of them.

I purchased a bag of Bob’s Red Mill whole gain pancake mix a week ago knowing that some Sunday morning I could use them as get out of bed bribery.

I have a hard time passing up Buy One, Get One Free deals. Even for things that I shouldn’t eat, like Doritos or Lucky Charms. I usually don’t cave, but with potatoes I justified the purchase by telling myself I could make fries! and mashed potatoes! and gratin! I probably shouldn’t buy dirty dozen [...]]]>

I have a hard time passing up Buy One, Get One Free deals. Even for things that I shouldn’t eat, like Doritos or Lucky Charms. I usually don’t cave, but with potatoes I justified the purchase by telling myself I could make fries! and mashed potatoes! and gratin! I probably shouldn’t buy dirty dozen potatoes, but I did and then I made french fries. Not just any fries. These are baked with a healthy layer of grated Parmesan cheese.

This recipe got in my head from a title I read, probably somewhere in the abyss that is Pinterest. I just couldn’t shake this idea or the new-to-me information floating around on that internet that the best fries are soaked first to remove excess starch.

These were fan-freakin-tastic! Crunchy and cheesy on the outside. I enjoyed the tang from the Parmesan cheese.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m the worst at writing recipes, mainly because I change my mind a million times and keeping track of those changes gets me flustered. I managed to put my neurosis aside to get this one down.

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes

4 T olive oil (or vegetable oil)

1 C grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 t sea salt

1 t garlic powder

Directions:

1.) Cut potatoes into strips (I keep mine on the thick side because they shrink.)

2.) Soak the potatoes in warm water for at least an hour

3.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees

4.) Drain and rinse potatoes

5.) Pat potatoes dry with a dish or paper towel (don’t forget this step like I did!)

6.) Toss potatoes in a large bowl with olive oil, salt, garlic and 1/2 C. parmesan cheese

7.) Arrange potatoes on a large cookie sheet in a single layer

8.) Bake  for 15 minutes

9.) Remove potatoes from oven, turn over and cover with 1/2 C. parmesan cheese

10.) Crank oven to 500 degrees and bake potatoes for another 15 minutes

Enjoy!

I didn’t realize how much I liked to cook until I moved to Brooklyn. This had [...]]]> This is a week late, but as it goes I just uploaded these photos today. The holidays are in threes around here, but I only took pictures of the second one. Cooking had something to do with that.

I didn’t realize how much I liked to cook until I moved to Brooklyn. This had nothing to do with Brooklyn but more with my influences. As it turns out most creative bloggers are not only great with a paint brush or the sewing machine, but also masters of the kitchen. This inspired me and made me realize that cooking had less to do with frozen or convenience foods and more to do with passion and creativity.

And so I cooked and learned and documented the process. A process that is still evolving and growing and one that keeps me excited about the 1,176 meals (give or take) I consume each year.

Thanksgiving was the usual suspects: turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, mixed greens salad, broccoli, stuffing and pumpkin pie. The turkey was heritage and local. The broccoli and salad were local too. The stuffing had bacon, though good, needed to be more crispy. The potatoes and rolls were from the pioneer woman, of course, the master of comfort food. And the sweet potatoes and pie were from Josh’s mom and step-dad.

The blue dishes were my grandmother’s. It’s nice to have connectedness through them and as a little tradition with myself. I used them in Brooklyn when it was just me and Josh and again here in Virginia.

The other two Thanksgivings were great too. One in West Virginia with my family and some pretty hilarious antics going on this year with my aunt. And another with Josh’s dad with delicious roasted lamb and potatoes.