Jo Jo Potatoes

I think it was back in the 80s that I first had Jo Jo potatoes.  They were at a local convenience store deli counter...actually more like a fried chicken counter than a deli.  I thought they were named after the owner "Joe".  Ha ha, I am so gullible like that!  Anyway, they were GOOD.

Since I liked them so much, I was excited to see them appear on the Sweet As Pie Cooking Club selections.    AND, thanks to the people at Cook's Country there is a simpler process to prepare
 Jo Jo potatoes than I had seen in the past.  Much lighter too, than the breading of the 80s.

Lizzie's Strawberry Cupcakes

These strawberry cupcakes showed up on the September Sweet As Pie Cooking Club menu.  Being in a mood for fall food, they didn't catch my attention until I realized I had local strawberries in the freezer.  And I had been saving them for some reason...not sure what...maybe just the right recipe to come along.

Trisha's photo shows that she used paper cupcake liners.  The recipe doesn't say to use them, and I'm not a big fan of them, so I didn't use them.  I didn't want to take a chance of half the cupcake sticking to the liner.  Have you ever tried to eat cupcake off the liner?  Oh, just me?  Ok, nevermind.

If the strawberries don't have syrup, just add a sprinkling of sugar and let them sit in the bowl for a few minutes while they make their own syrup.

The kitchen smells like one big strawberry as these bake!  Yum!

As for the icing, comments in the review say that folks had trouble getting it to blend well.  The butter needs to really be at room temperature and even then mine didn't come out looking as glossy as the photo.

They are VERY good!

Here have a bite.

Jack's Brunswick Stew

With fall in the air, despite 80 degree plus temps outside, Trisha Yearwood's uncle Jack's Brunswick Stew sounded really good!  My mother made Brunswick stew when we were growing up and it's been a while since I've had it.  Some BBQ joints around here make it, just be prepared for a "smoked" flavor though.  I was glad to see a stew on the Sweet As Pie Cooking Club.

The recipe called for 1 lb each of beef, pork and chicken.  Since it's difficult to get this small amount at the meat counter (unless you ask the butcher which I usually don't), I chose a package of beef for stew, a small pork roast, and a small package of chicken breast.

This recipe said to puree everything.  I guess I don't get out much because stew, in my opinion is not pureed.  Soups may be pureed, but not stews.  I guess it's a regional thing.  It took about 4 hours to make it so if I pureed everything it would have taken even longer!

I used less corn than it called for but other than that, I followed the recipe...well, except for puree.

Anyway, to make a 4 hour long story short I thought it was good.  The Bassman ate a bowl and didn't care for more.  

Huh?  He didn't like it?!

Not really.

Now what was I to do with the rest of it?  It makes a LOT!  These things have a way of working themselves out.  I took a bunch of it to his aunt's house since his uncle had just passed away and the family was coming in for the funeral.

I liked it, but won't make it again.  And that's a potato chunk in the photo, not pureed.

Sorry Jack and Trisha.

Skillet Rosemary Chicken

I can hardly believe September has come and gone as well as another month of Sweet As Pie Cooking Club recipes!

One thing I wanted to do with our meals this fall is to try more "one pot" meals.  Seems to me though, most one pot meals are really "almost one pot"!   So this Skillet Rosemary Chicken from Food Network fit perfectly in my plan.  It takes 2 pots.

I used chicken thighs because, once again, there were only chicken-zilla breasts at the store.  And I wanted tender chicken, not tough chewy chicken.  Dried rosemary from my herb pot worked well and I didn't need to buy fresh rosemary.  The lemon juice adds a nice zing, although I didn't include the halves in the final one pot.

The Bassman has a like/hate relationship with mushrooms.  I decided to put them in and he could decide to eat them or not.  I wish I had used cremini, like the recipe calls for, because I don't know that I've ever had cremini mushrooms before.   So that means, I'll try this dish again.

Here it is, right out of the oven.

Caramel S'mores Cups

A game day with a few college kids around is a perfect day to make these Caramel S'mores Cups.

They're cute and simple and were a hit!  That bite of chocolaty caramel from the Rolo in the middle was a surprise.

They're best popped in the microwave for about 10 seconds.

Skinny Tuna Cakes

After making these Thai Style Tuna Burgers I was excited to see another tuna recipe at the Sweet As Pie Cooking Club.

I would like to include more seafood in our meals but I am concerned about what I'm buying also.   I ran across this site which seems to be user-friendly and a helpful resource and I suppose it's credible...

On to the recipe, this one just wasn't as good as I had hoped.  Lots of onion inside and the tasty mayo on top helped.   I used the entire egg since I wasn't as interested in the "skinny" part of the recipe.  I knew the amount of mayo I might use would more than offset any fat/calorie savings by leaving out the egg yolk!

A great idea, but Sorry Charlie!

Provencal Cherry Tomato Gratin

Provencal Cherry Tomato Gratin was a recipe that I picked from Ina Garten's Foolproof cookbook for the Sweet As Pie Cooking Club.    I love tomatoes and they usually take over my countertops during the summer.   This is why I chose a tomato recipe so I might find a new yummy way to eat them!  Unfortunately, this wasn't such a good year for tomatoes, but I managed to have enough from my brother's garden to make this dish.  

It's very simple and SO tasty!  I took it to a potluck lunch and every.bite.was.gone.  And afterwards several friends asked for the recipe!   I used my own dried thyme and since I never buy country style bread I used whatever bread I had in the cabinet including the crusts. 

The dish doesn't look so appetizing in my photo.   Turns out 40-45 minutes in my oven is a tad too long and the bread crumbs got too brown.   I almost didn't take it to the potluck for that reason, but it didn't seem to stop folks from trying it.

I made it again a couple of weeks later and used dried basil instead of thyme.   Of course tomatoes and basil go good together so it was just as good.

I never would have bought Ina's cookbook for myself, a friend gave it to me.   I've always had the impression that what she calls simple is still over my head and took way too long.  But not this one!!   The more I look at her recipes the more I run across something that looks appealing to try.

These Jalepeno Cheddar Crackers were the first recipe from the book that I tried last year.   

I think the jalepeno and cheddar got my attention, because the thought of "making" crackers did not!!   They're similiar to cheese straws, except better.   Everyone tried one and then I ended up eating the rest....

Ina may have ventured out of the uppity Hamptons and into good ol 'Bama.