potatoes – Loving Food, Fashion, & Life

Sangria & Spanish Tapas

Posted on April 19, 2015 by LFFL

Spanish Omelet made with potato and onion with red pepper aioli.

Another happy hour out with another girlfriend. I just can’t get enough of those girls’ nights. We decided to meet up at a Spanish tapas restaurant. And who doesn’t love happy hour?! Happy hour equates to “discount” and my eyes invariably light up.

Tapas are basically Spanish appetizers—and since you don’t have a full course meal in front of your face, the focus is meant to be more on the conversation among friends while snacking on these delights.

And happy hour is the best time to go! Half-price sangrias, half-price tapas—let’s just get one of everything, shall we?

Salsa with goat cheese and garlic crostinis.

Sangria

Meatballs with spicy garlic cream sauce.

We ordered a Tortilla Espanola which was a Spanish omelet made of potato and onion and had a red pepper aioli on top of it—so good.

We also had Queso de Cabra Al Horno which was goat cheese that was baked in a tomato fresco and served with crunchy crostinis.

Then we tried the Albondigas Caseras which were meatballs in a yummy spicy garlic cream sauce.

And, of course, if Sangrias are half-price—why order a glass when you can order a whole pitcher full at that price?!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, try a Spanish tapas restaurant with friends and family.

Take-Away Life Lesson: The small portions of tapas allow you to try pretty much one of everything—which is always fun to do.

Oh, That Sports Bar Food

Posted on January 1, 2015 by LFFL

Smokey Chicken Pasta with garlic bread; Maytag Potato Chips with smoked bacon & green onions; and Irish Nachos made with fried potatoes, jack & cheddar cheeses, bacon, green onions, and ranch dressing.

This sports bar has been in town here for a while but I never had a chance to try it out. So when they opened another new location closer to my whereabouts here, I decided to head down to try it out.

I loved the atmosphere and it’s a great place to watch sports—but I think I like my other sports bar better that I frequent.

The food was pretty good. But to tell you the truth, I wasn’t that thrilled with the appetizer potato chips. I did, however, fall totally in love with the Irish Nachos. Oh my goodness—they were delish! I had to get a second order of those suckers to take home with me since the ones on my plate didn’t last but a hot second.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, get a plate of those Irish Nachos from somewhere in your town. I’m tellin’ ya.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Don’t wait on folks to go out to eat with you either. The good thing about it is you get to eat all that marvelous food by yourself. There’s no such thing as ‘sharing’ when you’re eating out by yourself. Take advantage of it while you can.

Time For A Festival

Posted on September 24, 2014 by LFFL

So I took myself to a festival a few weeks ago so I could have some fun and get out of the house. I have to say I actually enjoyed myself even though I went by myself.

I chose to go bright and early in the morning to this festival and arrived right at opening time. That’s the best time to go, you know, because there’s not a lot of people everywhere yet. You know how I roll.

It was fun to people-watch and eat up a storm. You know how I LOVE food! Festivals are some of the best places to eat to your heart’s content. There were food tents everywhere! I mean, how do you even begin choose?!

Fried Potatoes.

Corn Dog eating.

Pineapple Cobbler.

Sitting on a street curb eating a Corn Dog & Funnel Cake.

My first stop was for potatoes and onions. They were pretty ‘meh.’ As I sat on a bench eating my bowl of potatoes and onions, I looked up and saw a FUDGE sign through a window that was directly across the street. Oh, MAN, you know where I headed next!! A piece of plain chocolate fudge was all I needed.

I later headed towards the carnival area. You know a carnival is not complete without funnel cakes, cotton candy, and corn dogs. So, since there was really no place for me to sit, I sat on the street curb and ate a corn dog and funnel cake.

The only thing I was baffled by was why they’d be selling hot chocolate at a carnival when it was almost 100 degrees outside! Really?!

That fudge sign through a window and across the street.

Oh, the fudge.

Selling hot chocolate and it’s 95 degrees outside!

Kettle Corn tent.

Taters & Onions.

Oh my, the cobbler.

At some point, I made my way to a COBBLER booth. No way was I passing that one up. I chose the pineapple flavored cobbler. It was to die for.

This was also the first time ever that I stopped at a psychic booth. I really just did it for grins. It was only $10 I was losing. It was hilarious though because the very first thing she told me to do was sit down and take $10 out of my purse, put it into my right hand, and ball up my fist.

Then she proceeded to open my fist and take my money. I couldn’t stop laughing on the inside because she was being so dramatic about it. Even I saw that one coming!

I mean, why is she pretending the money in my palm is part of the psychic act of my palm reading—as if the spirits need the money in my hand first for my future to get predicted? Just take my money and read my palm already! Who are we really kidding here?

The psychics that read my palm.

Indian man playing a musical instrument.

Headed towards the carnival.

Entering the carnival.

Carnival rides.

This dome was spinning 100 miles per hour. No thanks!

So, if you have nothing else to do today, take yourself to a festival full of fun, food, and laughter—even if you just go by yourself. You’ll have lots of fun, trust me.

Take-Away Life Lesson: A psychic is obviously only there to give you a generalization about your future life—not specific details like you’d hope for. Saying you’ll have “happiness in your future” is something you can probably predict yourself. In that case—we’re ALL psychic. But giving detailed dates, times, places, and names of people and things that are going to happen in your future—now that’s a psychic.

I'm Loving These Italian Home Fries

Posted on April 4, 2014 by LFFL

Made with butter, smashed garlic cloves, onion, red bell pepper, yellow pepper, new potatoes, Italian sausage, paprika, salt & pepper, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, and olive oil.

There’s my love for the potato again! I loved this dish so much that I had to buy the ingredients to make this potato dish a second time because it didn’t last long at all. Like I say—fresh is always better than frozen.

Recipe for—Italian Home Fries

So, if you have nothing else to do today, cook your own fresh potatoes just the way you like ’em.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Double up on the ingredients list to make yourself a huge moundful from the start.

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Ooooo—A New Hometown Cafe!

Posted on March 15, 2014 by LFFL

Baked goods at their finest.

Oh, I just LOVE when new little cafes pop up around town. I had the fortunate pleasure of being invited to a “Grand Opening” of this new cafe in town. Meaning FREE FOOD for the invitees. O-kaaaay! Who am I to turn down a free meal?

I just happen to know the manager who will be running this little shindig called Corner Bakery Cafe. The place is marvelous and I could not possibly speak enough about the baked goods that I saw through the glass case as my eyes got bigger and bigger.

Egg Scrambler with potatoes, toast, and muffin.

French Toast with bacon and fruit.

Egg Scrambler made with eggs, applewood smoked bacon, tomatoes, green onions, cheddar cheese, and avocado; served with potatoes, toast, and a cinnamon muffin.

French Toast made with cinnamon-swirled brioche bread baked in vanilla custard and a side of maple syrup; served with applewood smoked bacon, and fruit.

I was offered the chance to come to either breakfast, lunch, or dinner and I chose to go early morning to breakfast. My, my, my—how I just LOVED my egg scramble. That sucker was amazingly good. I’m definitely going back for another helping of that at some point.

Why do all of these hometown cafes have to be so good? I mean, now we’re talking this makes the THIRD different cafe I will now be shuffling back and forth to. All three of them literally make a big triangle in my city—or at least a funny looking shaped triangle, but a triangle nonetheless.

They are spaced country miles apart from each other—which doesn’t help ME any! Who’s bright idea was this? I don’t understand why they can’t all be right next door to each other to make MY life easier.

So, if you have nothing else to do today, search high and low for new cafes/hometown diners opening up in your part of town and give them a try. You just may discover some new deliciousness in your part of the world.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Running around between three different cafes in town spaced miles and miles apart from each other is a lot of work—but someone’s got to do it so it might as well be you.

Divine Hot Potatoes

Posted on February 9, 2014 by LFFL

Made with small yellow potatoes, olive oil, salt & pepper, butter, and Parmesan cheese.

This was one of the most quick and simple things I’ve ever made. I love when I find recipes like this. They didn’t last long at all once they came out of the oven. I just couldn’t get enough of them. They became my snacks throughout the day.

These potatoes were SO good that I had to make a second batch of them the very next day. But I used cheddar cheese instead of Parmesan for the next go round. Those didn’t last but a hot second, too.

Boil potatoes in water.

Line potatoes on a baking sheet.

Mash and top with all the fixins.

I did have to add a little extra salt for a tad more flavor once they hit my plate but, nonetheless, I had a good time!

I try not to over-salt things during the cooking process because I can always add more salt after it’s done to suit my taste level. Once you over-salt in cooking, you’ve pretty much ruined it—helpful tip to keep in mind.

Recipe for—Hot Potatoes

So, if you have nothing else to do today, get to know the small yellow potatoes in your local grocery store because you might really want to try these.

Take-Away Life Lesson: Sometimes it’s the least complicated recipes that really can come out the best.

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