Boys Cowboy Meal

My oldest had a Birthday last week and I had text messaged him while he was at school and asked him what he wanted me to make him for dinner.  I had a one word response, which is typical of boys/men in general.  He texted me the word "MEAT"!  I'm still laughing because he gets plenty of meat, but I secretly knew he wanted a steak and/or ribs!  So, off to the store to make him a special meal and make it "MAN" style for the 17 year old!  I decided last minute to make it a cowboy meal for him!  Here's what I did, but first I had to show you this picture...It's SO cute!

He likes different cakes so I did two separate cakes and put them together!  17 candles REALLY make a cake light up:)

   HOMEMADE COWBOY STEAK RUB

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon Chipotle

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried garlic

Place all ingredients in a coffee grinder that you only use for herbs (Or make sure it's REALLY clean).  Mix well and you are ready to use on beef, chicken, salmon, roasted potatoes...or anything your little heart desires! I used this rub on both the ribs and steak.  I also, incorporated a little of it in the roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary.

For the Steak:

I seasoned each rib steak with the above rub then wrapped a piece of bacon to make it extra special boy style before I placed it on the grill.

For the Ribs:

I covered the ribs in a little olive oil and then used the remainder steak rub, when the ribs were just about ready to come off the grill I put a little barbecue sauce on both sides. 

For the Potatoes:

I diced the potatoes and wrapped them in foil.  I drizzled a little olive oil, placed fresh diced up rosemary, salt, pepper and a little of the rub.

All of it went on the grill for easy clean up for me:)  Ha, Ha  After all, I had to "dude" up the table for the birthday boy:)

I even made him a strawberry protein drink and bought his favorite A1 sauce I NEVER buy:)

He ate almost the whole rack of ribs...PIG!

The potatoes were my favorite part:)

    

My Swedish Roots Potato Salad (Potatissallad)

8 Potatoes

2 Apples

8 Green Onions

4 Celery Stalks

Dressing

1/2 cup Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Sour Cream

2 Teaspoons Stone Ground Mustard

1 Teaspoon Coarsely Ground Pepper

1 Teaspoon Salt

Method:

Boil Potatoes and cut into cubes.  Cut peeled apples, celery, and onions into small pieces and combine with potatoes in large bowl.  Mix the dressing up by mixing all the ingredients listed above and then pour over vegetables and fruit.  Chill well before serving.  This tastes best the next day.  Serves around 6-8 people.  

Fingerling Potato Salad with Apples

My husband was home this weekend so I made things I was trying to stay away from, but knew he would enjoy!  This version of the old stand by potato salad was really simple to make because there was no need to peel the potatoes!  The fingerling potatoes can be purchased at any store these days.  They are a fun alternative to the small basic red or yellow potatoes.  Hope you're able to find time to put this together! 

4 cups fingerling potatoes
1 large red apple, peeled and diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
1/2 small sweet onion, diced small
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup alterative mayo or real mayonaise if your diet allows
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of both salt and pepper (prefer to use freshly ground)

Method

1) Boil potatoes and cut in half.
2) Place potatoes, onion, apples, celery and parsley together in a bowl, you would like to serve in.
3) Mix the dressing ingredients together in a seperate bowl.
4) After you have mixed the dressing together, pour over the potato mixture and mix together well.
5) Place finished product in the refrigerator for an hour, or longer, then serve.

****NOTE****This can be made a day in advance if you would like!

Herbed Fingerling Potatoes

Are you wondering if I fell off the planet?  Well, something like that!  Our family has been praying for over a year for a job for my husband and one 'finally' came through!  Yea haw!!!  It seemed everything this Christmas turned out wonderful!  So here is one of the potato recipes I made Christmas Eve night...this one is yummy!

2 lbs small fingerling potatoes
6 rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher Salt to taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1) Preheat oven to 425.  Put potatoes in pot and cover with water.  Add 3 sprigs rosemary, 2 teaspoons thyme, 1 clove garlic, and season with salt.  Boil until the potatoes are tender but not soft.  Drain, discard the herbs you boiled the potatoes in.  Place the potatoes in a oven safe dish you can serve in.
2) Mix together in a separate boil the remaining rosemary, thyme, garlic and salt.  Also, the olive oil, and red pepper flakes.  Pour this mixture over the boiled potatoes and place in the oven for 20 minutes.  Take potatoes out of the oven, sprinkle with parsley and serve at once! Enjoy these smell wonderful!

Homemade Baked French Fries

This recipe is really not a recipe at all, but rather something we all tend to overlook when we want to add a starch to a meal.  Or maybe I should rephrase this and say, "I" forget about making them.  I usually think about rice, Quinoa (pronouced, keen-wa), egg noodles, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes or quite frankly, anything along these lines.  However, baked homemade french fries are a healthy alternative to the others with little "bad" fat added if you don't deep fry them!  Here is a simple way to enjoy a french fry without the guilty feeling after you eat them!

3-4 large baking potatoes, washed and sliced perpendicular to the length of the potato (the fries should be
       long and slender in shape).
1-2 tablespoons olive oil or a mixture of flax seed oil and olive oil (remember I'm thinking healthy)
Salt & Pepper to taste (sometimes I add garlic salt if we are 'in' the mood)
1 sheet of parchment paper

Method:

1) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the potatoes from sticking, preheat the oven to 425.
2) Next, place the potatoes on the baking sheet not allowing them to over lap.  Brush (using a pastry brush) the potatoes with your choice of oil and salt and pepper to your liking.  Place in the preheated oven for up to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your potatoes and serve at once.  This should serve 4-5 people depending on the size of the potatoes!  Enjoy, these are easy and good!