{made for dinner} Pesto Linguine with Green Beans & Artichoke Hearts

This caught my eye on Pinterest because it uses an ingredient we hardly ever cook with - green beans. And I'm happy to report it was deeeelicious. The artichokes added a nice saltiness, and the green beans gave it a great crunch. It's an easy weeknight dinner, and definitely makes the binder.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package fresh linguini
  • 1 1/4 cups fresh green beans, cut in half
  • 1 container of basil pesto (or make your own)
  • 3/4 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
  • Pinch of ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp freshly shredded parmesan
  • Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to package directions, cooking green beans with pasta; drain. Transfer pasta and beans to large serving bowl; toss with pesto, artichoke hearts and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with basil.

Recipe courtesy of NestleUSA

{made for dinner} homemade french fries

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Well, homemade fries AND burgers, but who cares about burgers when there are FRENCH FRIES?!? Not me, and hopefully not you. I was inspired to make these after the Pioneer Woman posted her version a couple of weeks ago. We try not to bust out the deep fryer very often, but I just couldn't help myself when I saw that crispy golden goodness (I may have drooled a little). We cross referenced PW's approach with our main man Alton Brown's recipe and here's what we came up with...

Ingredients:

  • 1 Russet potato (plenty of fries for 2 people)
  • Lots of vegetable oil (any cooking oil will do, but safflower oil is supposedly the best)

Directions:

Cut the potato into fries (we aimed for 1/2 in. thickness). Soak the fries in cold water for at least an hour - the longer the better. (Do not skip the soaking part!) Drain potatoes thoroughly, removing any excess water.

When oil reaches 320 degrees, submerge the potatoes in the oil. Working in small batches, fry for 3 to 5 minutes until they are pale and floppy. Remove from oil, drain, and cool to room temperature.

Increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees. Re-immerse fries and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and drain on roasting rack. Season with kosher salt while hot and hold in a 200 degree oven until ready to eat.

Enjoy!