I'd Rather Be Over at Mommy's Idea Book

Okay, I've given blogger a whirl for about a month and let's just say, I'm less than impressed. I had two main reasons for starting this blog:

1. To keep all my healthier recipes in one place and more organized
2. To see how the blogspot.com blogs work. (I've had friends ask me about options for free web hosting, so I figured the only way to answer them was to try it out for myself.)

Anyway, I'm just not feeling it here. I would rather be posting at home over at Mommy's Idea Book. I figure I can post my recipes there and keep up with them as good, or better, than I can here. (My husband is working on MIB to make it easier to navigate and one part of that is organizing my recipes by sub-category. I can't wait!!)

That being said, I'm going to just move these recipes to Mommy's Idea Book and pretend this blog never existed. Does that sound cruel, or what? Although, I will admit, it was fun creating Amanda's Tasty Kitchen and learning something new.

Well, I guess that about says it. See you over at Mommy's Idea Book!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Cinnamon

 

If you like baked sweet potatoes with cinnamon and sugar, you're gonna have a fit over these! Every bite has that buttery, sweet cinnamon flavor.

Several years ago, I got a pretty good recipe for Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes from Food Network. However, I've made a couple of modifications that make them taste more like the baked sweet potato I love, but still a healthy side dish.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey & Cinnamon

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs sweet potatoes
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel and dice sweet potatoes.
3. In a small bowl, combine all other ingredients.
4. Pour mixture over sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
5. Spread potatoes evenly in a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until potatoes are tender, stirring about every 20 minutes.

Yield : 6 servings

These are so good! I've even eaten them as a snack, cold, right out of the refrigerator.

How do you like your potatoes? Do you prefer sweet potatoes or regular potatoes on the side?

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

 

Okay, I know beef stew is generally considered a fall or winter comfort food, but we pretty much like to eat anything year-round at our house. 

And when it can be made in the slow cooker, it's even better. I simply love the smell of the vegetables and beef lingering through the house all day as they cook. That's comforting to me anytime!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds stew meat or boneless round steak, cubed
• 5 medium potatoes, washed and cubed
• 4 medium carrots, washed and sliced
• 1 large stalk celery, sliced
• 1 small onion, cut into small chunks
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) fire roasted crushed tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic)
• 2 cups beef broth or water (or a combo of the two)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen whole kernel corn

Directions:

1. Place first six ingredients into the slow cooker.
2. In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix broth and cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved.
3. Add broth mixture, salt, pepper, parsley and oregano to slow cooker.
4. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours.
5. About 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the peas and corn, and check to see if you need to add more salt or pepper.

Yield : 6 - 8 servings

Serve this hearty dish with cornbread or crackers, or eat it all by itself.

Do you only eat some foods at certain times of the year, or do you eat anything anytime?

This post is linked to Tasty Tuesday.