Brown Sugar and Cracked Pepper Chicken

This recipe is so ridiculously easy, there isn't much to write.  It's a simple three ingredient recipe, but one that you'll remember for a long time.  The brown sugar caramelizes and gives it a crispy sweet and savory skin and the cracked pepper brings out the flavors. What a combination!  The chicken has been slow roasted so the inside is moist and tender and juicy and out of this world good!

Brown Sugar Cracked Pepper Chicken 
(aka Three Ingredient Chicken)

3-4 pound chicken cut up

3 tablespoons light brown sugar 

2 tablespoons of cracked pepper blend ( I use Wegman's Blend)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Rinse and pat dry chicken pieces.  Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or a silicon mat. The sugar mixture is very sticky and will ruin your pan without a lining.

Prepare your rub by mixing the brown sugar and cracked pepper together in a small bowl. Dredge chicken in sugar/pepper mixture and pat the seasoning down well so that it sticks to the chicken.

 

 

 

Put chicken in oven and bake at 450 for the first 10 minutes.  Then turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for about 45 minutes or until chicken is crispy and golden brown and registers 165 degrees with meat thermometer inserted in thickest parts.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Delicious Meatless Baked Ziti

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

Looking for a creamy, cheesy meatless baked ziti recipe to effortlessly to throw together? Baked ziti with ricotta and mozzarella uses only six ingredients and so simple to make. I love this easy recipe. Its creamy and delicious without being too heavy.  It’s so full of flavor without tons of fat. And I always make two and freeze one so I can pull it out and bake it for a quick week night meal. Serve with garlic bread and a side salad.  So good!

 

    Delicious Meatless Baked Ziti 

      16 ounce box of Ziti Pasta

       2 large eggs

       1 - 15 ounce container of whole milk Ricotta

       3 cups grated whole milk mozzarella, divided

       1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

       24 oz pasta sauce or make homemade, divided 

 

      Preheat the oven to 350°F.

 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to one minute less than called for al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. 

 

                    While the pasta is boiling, make the ricotta filling. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then stir in the ricotta, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan until well combined. 

Spread about 1/4 cup marinara on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Add half the pasta, top with all the ricotta mozzarella filling, then spread on a heaping cup of marinara.  Top with the remaining pasta, marinara, and mozzarella cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes, or until bubbly and hot throughout, and the cheese is melted on top. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

  Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.

Crispy Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crispy Garlic Rosemary Smashed Potatoes

18-20 small red or yellow potatoes

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Salt the water generously. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender, about 20 minutes; drain and cool slightly.

In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic and rosemary. Drizzle a large sheet pan with olive oil.

Arrange potatoes on the pan, leaving about an inch of space between potatoes. With a potato masher or fork, press down on each potato until it flattens, but is still held together by the skin.

Drizzle the butter mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle with additional rosemary, if desired.  Season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown.

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Mashed Potato Bites

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always make too many mashed potatoes.  I don't plan to, but it seems there is always some leftover that I never want to throw away.  So I try to be creative in how I use them the next day.  Sometimes I reheat them, other times I fry up some potato pancakes, and if I have enough leftover I use them for a casserole like Shepherds Pie.   But this time, I decided to bring out my cupcake tins and make up something clever.  These are absolutely delicious!  So creamy and buttery on the inside and slightly crisp on the outside.  They are just perfect with any meal! 

     Mashed Potato Bites

2 cups mashed potatoes  (or buy the ready made kind)

3 large eggs, beaten

1 cup grated Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Parmesan

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon oregano

2 tablespoons sour cream 

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Scallions for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray cupcake pan with butter flavored nonstick spray.  Or grease each cup well with butter.

In a large bowl, combine your mashed potatoes, eggs, cheddar cheese, Parmesan, garlic powder, basil, oregano, 2 tablespoons sour cream and salt & pepper to taste.

Using a small measuring cup, divide potato mixture evenly in the cupcake pan. You want to fill them just to the top.

Bake for about 25 minutes.  Then turn the oven to a low broil for a couple minutes, watching them carefully until they turn a golden brown on top. 

Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Then using a fork or spatula, carefully remove each potato bite from your cupcake pan.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle on some fresh or dried scallions.   Serve with any meal! 

 Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love baked potatoes. I love casseroles. Put them together and you get all the comforting flavors of potatoes, butter, sour cream, bacon, chives, and cheddar cheese.  This is a winner my friends and I promised you will make it often.

 Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

3 large russet potatoes

1/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cheddar cheese, (shredded)

½ cup Gruyere (you can use Monterey Jack or Swiss too)

3 slices crisp bacon, cooked and crumbled

 1/4 cup green onions, (diced)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reserve two tablespoons of the onion, bacon and cheese for later.  Set aside. Wash your potatoes and prick them with a fork. You can either roast your potatoes in the oven at 400 degrees for about an hour or you can put them in the microwave until soft.  

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare a small casserole dish by spraying it with non-stick cooking spray. I used a 7.5" x 6 baking dish which will feed 4 people easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 When potatoes are finished baking or cooking, take them out to cool enough that you can handle them.  Once cooled, peel and dice them into ½ inch pieces and place in a medium sized bowl. Gently fold in the melted butter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the sour cream, onions and bacon being careful not to break up the potatoes too much.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Pour mixture into your prepared casserole dish. Cover tightly with Aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from the oven and top with the remaining cheeses, green onion and bacon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Serve hot and enjoy!

 So good!

 

 

 

Photography is the property of and copyrighted to Welcome Home.