Garlic Herb Roasted Potatoes

My grandmother used to make the best roasted potatoes. She used to make them in a big stockpot - shaking them as they roasted. My mother tried to replicate them countless times - even watching my grandmother cook them - but couldn't pull it off - the potatoes would fall apart. There's a family rumor that it was chicken fat that made them better (and staying hole).

I have made roasted potatoes in the oven to some success - and would make these in a heartbeat. Via BuzzFeed.

Roasted Potatoes
Servings: 5-6

INGREDIENTS

• 13 4-lb russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• More salt & pepper to taste
• Small handful fresh parsley leaves, minced to garnish

PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.
• Fill a large pot with water and boil. Add salt, baking soda, and potatoes, and stir. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes after returning to a boil. A fork should easily pierce the potato pieces by the end. Drain and let sit one minute while moisture evaporates.
• Combine olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and a few grinds of black pepper in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Stir constantly until garlic just begins to turn golden, about 2-3 minutes. Immediately strain oil through a fine-mesh strainer over the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and mix.
• Shake the pot that the potatoes are in so that they slam against all sides of the pot, this will loosen the outer layer of the potatoes to form a mashed layer around each potato piece.
• Transfer potatoes to a large rimmed baking sheet and separate them, spreading them out evenly. Transfer to oven and roast, without moving, for 30-35 minutes. Using a thin, flexible metal spatula flip potatoes. Continue roasting until potatoes are deep brown and crisp all over, turning and shaking them a few times during cooking, 30 to 40 minutes longer.
• Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add the garlic-rosemary mixture (optional) and minced parsley. Toss to coat and season with more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

One Pot Taco Mac and Cheese

Tacos are a big hit, especially with LBA.  And Mac and Cheese is one of SoBA's favorites.  So this dish is sure to be a winner, right?  I did make it a few weeks ago and it went over . . . OK.  It might make it into the rotation but only in a pinch.  For SoBA it was too close to my mother's beefaroni.  Recipe from BuzzFeed.

One Pan Taco Macaroni and Cheese

INGREDIENTS

• Olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, divided
• ½ pound small, dry macaroni
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 cups shredded white cheddar (yellow cheddar works as well)
• 1 cup tomato, diced
• Green onions, diced, for garnish 

PREPARATION

1. In a large skillet, heat approximately 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the onions until they begin to soften. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
2. Add the ground beef and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. Using your spatula, break up the ground beef and stir until cooked. Drain the excess liquid from the pan.
3. Add water, beef stock, pasta, tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning back to the pan.
4. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring twice to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Increase heat to medium after 15 minutes, and stir pasta until most of the liquid is gone.
5. Turn off heat and add the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is completely melted.
6. Top with green onions, and enjoy!

No Selfies Here, yet

Today is the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing.  Earlier this year, NASA launched (see what I did there?) a new database of images.  From the press release, "The NASA Image and Video Library website consolidates imagery spread across more than 60 collections into one searchable location."

You can access the images here.  Here is an image I downloaded from the database, showing Neil Armstrong coming down the ladder of the LEM.

And another of the Earth taken from the spacecraft.

In this year, the centennial of the birth of John F. Kennedy, the Brave Astronaut shares with you, the 1962 speech in which the President laid out the plans to go to the moon.

Appetizers? Get 'em on the Dinner Menu!

These items are billed as appetizers for your next party.  But I could easily see any of these making it into the Brave Astronaut Dinner Rotation.  From BuzzFeed (there are six at the link - here is my favorite).

Chicken Parmesan-Stuffed Garlic Bread
Servings: 3-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 cups flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup oil, for frying
• 1 large baguette
• 10-12 mozzarella slices
• Garlic Butter:
• ⅓ cup melted butter
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Parmesan, grated
•  Marinara sauce

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180˚C.
2. Slice the chicken breast into 1-centimeter thick strips.
3. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into 3 separate bowls. Roll a chicken strip in the flour, dusting off any excess. Dip the strip into the egg, then place into the bread crumbs, coating it completely.
4. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
5. Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat to 350˚F/180˚C.
6. Fry the breaded chicken strips until both sides are golden brown. Remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.
7. Slice the baguette into thirds or fourths (each baguette piece should be roughly the same length of the fried chicken strips), and hollow out the insides of the baguette pieces with a knife.
8. Lay two slices of mozzarella on top of each other with a 1-inch overlap. Place a chicken strip on the overlapping region, then fold the mozzarella tightly around the chicken.
9. Gently fit the rolled chicken strips into a hollowed baguette piece.
10. Slice the stuffed baguette pieces into 1-inch slices, then place them tightly side-by-side on a baking sheet lined with foil.
11. In a small bowl, mix together ingredients for garlic butter.
12. Brush the garlic butter evenly over the baguette slices, making sure it drips in between the slices.
13. Wrap the foil over the re-assembled baguette and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and the top is starting to brown.
14. Remove the foil and serve with marinara. Enjoy!

James K. Polk - The Napoleon of the Stump

James K. Polk, the 11th President died shortly after leaving office, having served only one term in office.  But in those four years, he accomplished a great deal for the country.  A great deal more than any other one-term presidents that we have ever had, or um, currently have.

In the afterlife, James K. Polk has had several in[term]ents.  When he died of cholera at his home in Tennessee, he was buried outside of Nashville.  His remains were moved a year later to his former home.  Then in 1893, after the family home was sold and demolished, Polk (and his wife, Sarah) were disinterred and moved to the grounds of the Tennessee state Capitol.

Now, more than 100 years later, there is a movement to move the Polks again, this time to the Polk childhood home in Columbia Tennessee.  You can read more here.  This post is really just an opportunity to have this song appear on this blog.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil

Growing up, I spent a fair number of summers at my grandmother's home in Maine, with my family.  There were tales of big lobster bakes on the beach, which I didn't experience, but always had lobster at least once during our stay there.

Tomorrow would have been my father's 88th birthday and the Brave Astronaut Clan is in New York to settle some lingering affairs of my father's estate.  There is sure to be card playing, shouting, drinking, and good food.  Maybe we should have lobster.  If not, maybe a Shrimp Boil. From Damn Delicious Via BuzzFeed.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Boil
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound baby Dutch yellow potatoes
• 3 ears corn, each cut crosswise into 6 pieces
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until just tender and parboiled, about 10-13 minutes. Stir in corn during the last 5 minutes of cooking time; drain well.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic and Old Bay Seasoning.
4. Place potatoes, corn, shrimp and sausage in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in butter mixture and gently toss to combine. 
5. Place into oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and corn is tender. 
6. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, garnished with parsley, if desired.

This delicious recipe brought to you by Damn Delicious http://damndelicious.net/2017/02/13/sheet-pan-shrimp-boil/