If I had to pick a favorite way to prepare potatoes, it would have to be oven roasting them. I love how they get perfectly crisp on the outside, but still soft on the inside when baked at high heat in the oven. I love seasoning them up real well too; potatoes can be like a blank canvas with endless possibilities with help from your spice cabinet.

This potato side dish is one of my favorite recipes to make – and one of my family’s favorite to eat, it’s one of my main go-to recipes. I can’t tell you how many times I have made them for my family. (Another family favorite are these Cheddar-Dill Roasted Red Potatoes – you’ll have to give them a try too).

Like this Side Dish Recipe? Pin It Here!

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My kids have been telling me to post our healthy baked potato soup recipe for a long time. This healthy potato soup made with cauliflower might be one of the most requested dinners every time I ask my family the question – what do you want for dinner this week? How do I say no to that??

Any time I can get my family to eat a healthy soup is a win in my book. This Slow Cooker Cauliflower Potato Soup aka Baked Potato Soup is one of the best weeknight meals since it comes together simply and can be reheated easily for those of us who are in a season of life where dinner time is a bit staggered due to sports practices and other activities with our kids.

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There are two foods my kids are obsessed with right now – potatoes and rice. This is a new thing for us. And it’s keeping things interesting for me because before this obsession I really didn’t cook potatoes and rice regularly. Now I find myself bookmarking recipes like this homemade rice-a-roni from Heather because I just know it will be a hit amongst the fam.

Now if I could get sweet potatoes onto this obsession wagon I would be a very happy cooking mama. Something about the orange is making the kiddos turn away from their plate. If they only knew and remembered how much they loved that weird orange food just a couple of years ago when they ate them all the time.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

There are a million ways you can season and roast potatoes in the oven. This little roasted red potatoes with smoked paprika recipe has become quite popular on Pinterest. I’ve made it plenty of times, as I have already made this dill version a few times in the past month. I like to change up the shape of how I’m cutting them (crinkle cut is fun like in my perfectly baked Italian herb French fries) as well as the combination of spices every time I cook them.

When you are cutting your potatoes make sure you are using a strong, sharp knife (like a chef’s knife or santuko knife). If you’re looking for a crinkle cutter to change up the shape of your fries, there are some great ones out there!

You all loved these grilled bison burgers, and that made me (and my hubby) happy. We think you’ll also love these potato wedges that are perfect alongside any burger you cook up this summer.

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Click here to pin this recipe for later! 

Friends, I’m excited to share with you today a recipe from my dear friend Liz‘s new cookbook and passion project, Food From Our Ancestors: The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner. Reading through her book and her husband’s family’s recipes gave me such nostalgic feelings of my own Italian family and our traditions (that revolve around food). The food I grew up with is a big part of who I am, and I treasure it. What Liz has done for her family by pulling it together in a beautiful cookbook like this is truly a gift.

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Click here to pin this delicious one-pot meal!

We are into the second of week of school in these parts and are finally starting to settle in our new routine that entails 3 kids in 3 different schools. That is, until next week when I start my fall classes at our local community college (for those that don’t know, I’m back in school working towards my second Bachelors degree, this one is in Nutrition and Dietetics). I’m so excited about getting back to class, but next week will be the true test of my sanity!

Like every year during the back to school season, I’m feeling refreshed, excited and determined to send my kids off to start a successful and fun new school year.

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Apparently it’s soup week here in my kitchen! That’s not a bad thing, right? Today I’m sharing a Lightened Up Broccoli Cheese Soup that is heavy on the veggie and light on the cheese. A good balance.

I recently picked up way too much broccoli at the grocery store (those sales always make me think I need more than I actually do, I’m a sucker for sale pricing). We can only eat so much roasted broccoli no matter how much we love it. Since I’ve been craving soup I searched around and found one that worked for me on one of my favorite healthy blogs, Skinnytaste (Gina’s Skinnytaste Cookbook is one of my favorites!). What I loved about Gina’s Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup recipe is that it wasn’t super heavy on cream or cheese, but was bulked up instead with vegetables that were eventually pureed so it got the creamy texture I was looking for. I made adjustments to the ingredients based on what I had on hand and the soup eaters in the family gave this one a big thumbs up.

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My kids don’t believe me that Thansgiving is next week. Actually, they believe me now, because they looked into their school planners this weekend and saw that a 2-day school week is just around the corner. It creeps up pretty fast doesn’t it?

As we were discussing our Thanksgiving plans, of course we talked about what we would be eating. I love that my kids are now old enough to really get excited about food holidays like Thanksgiving and remember traditional parts of our menu, like my family’s Italian Thanksgiving Stuffing, which was the first thing they requested. The second thing they requested? Mashed potatoes. My kids love mashed potatoes so I decided to try out this Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes recipe out on them this past weekend.

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I shared these baked old bay fries on the blog a few years back but wanted to share the recipe again because they are one of my husband’s favorites. Before my husband and I got together, I honestly don’t think I knew what Old Bay seasoning was. My husband and his family introduced me to the world of Old Bay (through crab cakes, crab and shrimp boils, salmon cakes, shrimp salad and these fries). I’m thinking if you are from the Maryland area you are pretty familiar with it as well. 😉

The best part of these easy baked up french fries (other than the Old Bay)? The splash of malt vinegar right before serving. They make the perfect side to grilled burgers or broiled fish. Enjoy!

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Over Spring Break my sister in law, my niece and I spent a morning out on Park Avenue in Winter Park. If you are from Central Florida then you probably are familiar with this part of town. It’s a perfectly quaint and cozy brick lined street full of shops and restaurants, perfect for walking – especially on a gorgeous Spring day in Florida. You seriously can’t beat it.

I’m not much of a “shopper” (I like to get in and out of stores, no lingering for me), but something about Park Avenue always draws me in. The stores are different, there is something for everyone – it’s a very relaxing way of shopping in my opinion, I think the scenery and walking in the open air have a lot to do with it. On this particular day of shopping spices and jewelry were on the agenda.

I treated myself to my first Alex and Ani bracelet ensemble…perfect for spring and summer don’t ya think?

and a spontaneous stop at one of my favorite places to eat happened too.

(Lunch at Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine: we ordered their famous Lavas bread, hummus plate and 2 lunch specials to share – Doner Kebap and Chicken Adana Kebap – so delicious and SO MUCH FOOD!)

On that shopping trip I came home with a new spice blend that combined cayenne & ground black pepper. I’ve been sprinkling it on so much stuff (eggs, tuna, salads) and it was even more awesome on these potatoes. I made them a second time making them without the spice “blend” but with actual measurements of cayenne and black pepper just so I can share it with you.

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We love breakfast for dinner in our house (and breakfast for breakfast of course!) so anytime I can squeeze a BFD in is good! I have always been more of a savory breakfast gal so if I had my choice of BFD foods it would definitely be eggs, a breakfast turkey sausage and some sort of potato dish…and a little fruit on the side for good measure. 🙂

Eggs are quick to whip up obviously so when we go the eggs route a hasbrown side dish recipe like these Cheesy Pepper and Onion Hashbrowns recipe is a perfect addition. All I did was quickly saute peppers and onions, then add half a package of frozen Alexia hashbrowns (this is NOT a sponsored post btw) to the mix and brown it all up. Before serving throw in some cheese and voila – you’ve got yourself a fancy hashbrown dish to eat up alongside your favorite eggs.

Don’t forget the hot sauce!

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