Baked Spicy Sweet Potato Fries

It's no secret that potatoes are my favorite food, and sweet potatoes are one of the best! I love the sweet flavor of them, it's like a dessert in a vegetable. I've been dying to make sweet potato fries, and I came across this recipe for a spicy version. Flavored with chili and smoked paprika, these sweet and spicy fries did not disappoint!

Asparagus & Gruyere Tarts

Spring is finally starting to show itself. One sure sign of the season is the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. One of my favorite spring veggies is Asparagus. With Easter right around the corner, I thought this Asparagus Tart was perfect for a Spring/Easter dish.

I found this recipe on Closet Cooking, I LOVE Kevin's blog - he always makes the most delicious foods. What first caught my eye about this recipe wasn't the asparagus, it was the Gruyere cheese. Gruyere is by far my most favorite cheese, I would kill for it. Despite how expensive it is, I try to buy a small block any chance I can get. It's definitely not a cheap habit, but to me it's worth every penny.

This recipe also adds a spread of honey dijon mustard, I used honey mustard instead 'cause it was what I had on hand. I was pretty skeptical about the addition of mustard, seemed kind of odd to me, so I made a few tarts without mustard. Boy, was I wrong -I should have known better than to question Kevin's recipe. Shame on me. :/ The mustard tasted fantastic! The tarts without mustard weren't nearly as flavorful as the ones with mustard. Do NOT shy away from the mustard. Trust me :)

Irish Soda Bread

Keeping it traditional with a simple Irish Soda Bread. This bread is probably the easiest bread I have made in that it doesn't require kneading, and goes from bowl to oven in less than 10 minutes. Simple! Irish Soda Bread has a nice crispy crust, and a fantastic, moist center. This is definitely my new go to recipe whenever I'm in the mood for bread. It was perfect paired with Irish Stew. :)

Slow Cooked Tequila 'Refried' Beans

These beans aren't actually refried because they are made completely in the slow cooker, not fried. They are much healthier than traditional refried beans and pack a lot more flavor. These beans are thick and creamy with a hint of lime and a kick of tequila. You could definitely keep out the jalapenos and tequila if that's not your sort of thing, but I would recommend sticking to the recipe. Trust me. These are by far the best refried beans I've ever had. If you haven't tried homemade refried beans yet... Do it. Now. :)

-Jess

Sweet Honey Cornbread

My favorite recipe for cornbread.

This Sweet Honey Cornbread is really yummy. The texture is nice and moist, not overly dry like some others, and it has the perfect sweetness. The Man took a bite and asked 'Why haven't you made this before?!'. Even my 9 year old sister kept coming back for more. Actually, I'm damn sure she ate more cornbread than the chili that I served it with.

I will definitely never have a need for another cornbread recipe. :)

Blue Cheese and Garlic Hasselback Potatoes

Hasselback. My new favorite way to enjoy a potato. These fancy looking potatoes seem like they'd be hard to make, but they are actually really easy and they taste fantastic! Once cooked, hasselback potatoes have some great textures. On the outside they are lightly crisp, while the inside is very soft and creamy. Definitely unlike any other potato!

While these potatoes can certainly be eaten plain, I wanted to add some flavor so I chose to put some garlic in. You want to be sure to slice the garlic as thin as you possibly can. This allows it to cook up nicely, giving the potato the right amount of flavor. I had sliced some too thick and we ended up having to pick out the garlic slices before eating because the flavor was just too strong. So slice it THIN!

It doesn't stop there!

I thought some blue cheese would be the perfect thing to top these off. Blue cheese is fantastic! It adds a wonderful tang to the potatoes that I just can't get enough of. :)