Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Just dropping in to share a simple side dish we decided to whip up to accompany club sandwiches. I'm a big fan of fries, but oven fries are not really my thing. A bit too bland, I would say. However, sweet potatoes … a different story. I always have difficulty resisting a sweet and salty combo.

I was in too much a hurry today to cook completely so they didn't have time to crisp up. I did not complain as they were still very tasty but I might have to crank up the heat (or broil) for the last few minutes next time I make them.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

• 4 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 teaspoons salt
• Pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Simply mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Make sure to coat every strip. Refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake for around 35 minutes, , or until crisp and slightly brown, turning halfway through.

Spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce

The past two weeks have been quite hectic for me. A new semester started and is already in full spin. On top of studies, I have to start applying for clerkships and internships by next week. Basically, I’ve been home one night since. All this combined to the lack of a kitchen resulted in no posts.

But I’m back. We celebrated the boyfriend’s birthday yesterday. We had first planned on making a batch of root beer but apparently root beer extract does not exist in Montreal (if you know a place, tell me!). We still wanted to have a fun time cooking together so we headed to the Asian supermarket and stocked up on supplies to make spring rolls. I had never worked with rice paper before but the method happened to be pretty straightforward. The first few were pretty loose and not so visually appealing but we quickly got the trick.

Walnut, Date and Banana Bundt Cake

I was browsing the web this morning looking for a recipe to use up extra walnuts and dates. I got a little too exited at Costco before Christmas and bought industrial sized bags of walnuts to bake cookies and dates to makes goat cheese stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Both were excellent but too much of a good thing … is too much.

Fleur de Sel and Thyme Breadsticks

I just got back from a lovely Christmas visit in Boston. We just ate and ate for 4 days straight, yet here I am, baking breadsticks. Yes, as if we hadn’t all eaten too much starch in the past week or so, I am baking bread. I have no ideas why, as I had vowed to myself last night that I would only eat salad for the next month. I guess I’m not so good with resolutions.

Bread making has always scared me, so much I have never attempted baking any. I started small, with just breadsticks, but this recipe proved to be very simple. Patricia and John from Cook Local inspired me with their easy peasy rosemary breadstick recipe (as I didn’t have any rosemary on had, I used thyme and it turned out just as good). I was so new to this that the reaction between the milk and baking powder startled me. I though I had done something wrong right from the start! In just a few minutes, the batter was ready, then wait a while and bake the breadsticks for a couple minutes. Really, I don’t think there are many error possibilities with this recipe, so it was a great way I think to overcome my fear.

I am hosting some family members later today so I will serve these with this great crab dip and a few crudités. What a great way to recover from holiday food lethargy, haha!

Chocolate Pecan Thumbprint Cookies

This should be the last installment of my cookie marathon as I am burnt out and because my electric bill must have exploded with the oven on all day for a week. I keep saying each cookie is my favorite but this one might as well be the one. They are a good mix of flavor, sweet and bitter, and textures, soft and crunchy. Guests seemed to be impressed and my mother in law’s Christmas party yesterday night. These thumbprints take a little more time to realize than a simple drop or icebox cookie but they are well worth it.