Appetizers and Snacks Archives - Simply Sells Kitchen

Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Sandra Sells — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 20:55:38 +0000

We Love Potatoes! One of our families favorite foods is potatoes. Growing up we consumed them in many different kinds of styles. For me I really enjoy a classic baked potato, which I think plays to my British heritage. My mother being from Colombia however prepares a similar dish called papas saladas (salted potato). My husband Kodi loves a good oven roasted potato with herbs and spices. Our children thoroughly enjoy french fries, potato wedges, and mashed potatoes. So, since we have a deep love for “spuds” in our family we figured creating another potato centered recipe that would keep you coming back for more. This is how the crispy smashed potato was born. In creating this crispy smashed potato recipe, we decided to keep it simple yet flavorful. This dish is great for entertaining and easy preparation. It’s deep and rich in flavor but light on the pocketbook. The recipe incorporates all the best styles of other potato recipes into one. We love making this for holiday meals, family gatherings, and weekly meals. Crispy smashed potatoes are a rustic and versatile dish that will go with almost anything. Crispy Smashed Potato Recipe To start preheat your oven to 400℉. Then, rinse and clean about 3 pounds of baby yellow or red potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add in the potatoes for about 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. The potatoes need to be fully cooked but not mushy or falling apart. Coat the bottom of a sheet pan with extra virgin olive oil. Strain your baby potatoes and place on the oiled sheet pan. Now using the bottom of a metal measuring cup or ceramic mug smash each one of the potatoes. Keep them about 1/4 inch thick making sure you press down gently, still keeping the potato in tact. On a cutting board de-stem and chop about 1/4 cup fresh rosemary and 6-8 cloves fresh garlic. Drizzle the top of the potatoes with extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, chopped rosemary, and garlic. You can also add red pepper flakes for extra spice if you desire. Place into the 400℉ oven for 25 minutes (rotating halfway). Depending on color place the broiler on high and roast the potatoes for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. These crispy smashed potatoes are best served warm and crispy right out of the oven. They will make the best side dish or pair perfectly with any of your favorite party dipping sauces. Try making for your next Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, it’s sure to be a huge crowd pleaser!

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Almond Flour Cheddar Biscuits

Sandra Sells — Sat, 03 Oct 2020 18:54:03 +0000

Biscuits traditionally have deep roots in southern kitchens across the USA; however, they first came to America from England before evolving into what we’ve come to know and enjoy today. In American Revolution and Civil War times “beaten biscuits” (a much less fluffy version) had their place. For those in New England there were “sea biscuits”, a variety that were extra whipped and portable to keep for long journeys or lunches. I can speak from deep experience and as Kodi’s wife that there is a special place in his heart for biscuits – the dense, flakey, and buttery kind. A few years ago, Kodi and I took a trip to Nashville, a region that we really love and have been to many times. During this particular instance we went driving and decided to dine at a restaurant called the Loveless Cafe. You could tell the cafe was a special place in Tennessee and was definitely a tourist site. It specializes in delicious southern cooking and the most indulgent comfort food – buttermilk fried chicken, country ham on biscuits, okra, pie, preserves, they have it all! We ended up purchasing their cookbook from the gift shop that day. That was a very naughty idea – haha! We spent lots of time skimming through the book, finding ourselves dreaming of how we could overindulge in an entire red velvet cake. It is highly inspiring as everything looks very delicious. In an effort to have his cake and eat it too, Kodi decided to experiment a little bit with a basic buttermilk biscuit recipe and switch out some of the ingredients to lessen the carb load. He came up with a biscuit recipe that was not lacking in flavor and, thanks to almond flour, is really enjoyable. We choose the Kirkland brand unblanched almond flour from our local Costco, but any other brand should do just fine. The recipe is especially great for those who are looking to reduce carbs and not eat gluten in their diet. However, regardless of what your diet is these biscuits are legit! The inspiration was part Loveless Cafe and part cheddar bay biscuits from good old Red Lobster. Using different flours can cause a different result in the final product so we did add a bit of xanthan gum to help keep the gluten texture and flavor like wheat flour. You do not get the sponginess of all-purpose flour but the full buttery, flakey biscuit experience is definitely present. We then took it to another level and made them with sour cream instead of buttermilk and added shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Hallelujah, we have a winner! We enjoy them right out of the oven with cold butter right on top that slowly melts as you bite right in or cutting them in half and enjoying them with eggs. Substituting savory ingredients with fresh butter and jam is always an excellent choice! These biscuits are very versatile, just like the everyday biscuits you’ve come to know and love. Try these almondy biscuits and let us know what you think.

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Sweet Corn Guacamole

Sandra Sells — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 01:21:35 +0000

Seasons come and go, times change, and connections can fade but the friendship between guacamole and salsa never loses its connection, haha! They can be the centerpiece at a gathering, the tasty treat that brings a smile to everyone’s face, and a food combo that always brings people together. If we’ve learned anything from a snack food, it’s that gathering together and keeping a connection with friends is vitally important in life. Guacamole and salsa are literally the perfect pairing of food. Add chips to create a dip, toss them into a burrito or salad, or whatever you fancy – salsa and guacamole always go well with many other foods! Avocados are a creamy nutritious fruit that we absolutely love in our house – yes, that’s right, they are a fruit not a vegetable! We recently discovered a love for Everything Bagel Seasoning on top of ripe avocados. It’s life changing, if you’re an avocado fan, which I’m going to assume you are if you’ve read this far. You can get the seasoning at Costco, Trader Joe’s, or any other major grocery store retailer these days. I’ll post a link to the seasoning in case you’re curious. 👇🏻😊 Back to avocados. They’re delicious on their own but our creamy guacamole recipe brings them to another level. This particular recipe has a lot of flavor and texture but you can add corn, beans, or even sweeter flavors like mangos or another fruit. We’ve tried many variations of this recipe and are wide open to new creative recipes. We enjoy adding the freshness of veggies to our guacamole. We’re sure you will enjoy it too! This guacamole recipe was a must to add to our Simply Sells recipe collection! Prepare it alongside our Simply Salsa, add some sour cream and tortilla chips, and then have a party! Quick tip: if you’re wanting your guacamole to last a bit longer, save the avocado pits on top and add bit of extra lime juice to prevent browning. We’re really looking forward to exploring more creative recipes with our Simply Sells family. Hope you enjoy the guacamole, we did!

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Simply Salsa

Sandra Sells — Fri, 12 Jun 2020 02:30:35 +0000

Chips, Salsa, and salsa music were a common theme in my home growing up. We always had a crowd at my parents home multiple times a week. We have a large family from cousins to aunts to uncles to friends that became family. My dad was an AC technician for many years. He would often go to factories for jobs. One particular job led him to a tomato plant. Let’s just say we had a lot of salsa. I mean he was blessed with cases of tomatoes! My mother’s salsa recipe was the inspiration for this simply salsa recipe. You gotta have the cilantro, the onion, the lime, and the jalapeño for the freshest salsa you will ever have! Salsa can be made in many ways. This particular salsa is our go to favorite because it has simple and fresh ingredients that we always have on hand. This recipe agrees with many diet plans as it has vegetables, is low calorie, and has zero fat. It’s healthy! What you pair it with is up to you but it can alter the health factor. Some great ideas to pair with this salsa recipe are of course tortilla chips, over chicken, or on tacos. Sometimes I slice cucumbers, sprinkle them with a little salt, and scoop this salsa right on top. It is a delicious and healthy snack with no guilt and tons of nutrition. We hope you enjoy! Please enjoy making this recipe as much as we do and remember to create long lasting family memories around that delicious chip bowl. Enjoy!

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