How well a restaurant makes French fries will absolutely be a deciding factor in whether we visit there again. Floppy fries, fries crunchy the whole way through, or under-salted and bland fries earn an automatic no vote the next time..

Thankfully, this isn’t a problem at home since I’ve perfected making delicious, crispy homemade fries the past couple of years. The method is simple and only calls for basic ingredients and no special equipment.

(Though I will say that having a large quality baking sheet is really helpful. I LOVE my extra-large corrugated baking sheets from William-Sonoma. They are seriously big and hold enough fries for our family of seven).

Perfect Crispy Homemade Fries

The fact that I can make a large amount of really good fries with minimal prep and no oil or fryer is huge. There’s not a big mess to clean up or oil to cool and put away. Preparing the fries is as easy as slicing and seasoning potatoes. And I just need to stir them once– after about twenty minutes.

It’s easy enough that I’ve been making these fries regularly recently, and will continue to all summer to enjoy with smash burgers, grilled hot dogs, pulled pork sandwiches, and so on.

Making crispy fries at home isn’t very complicated, but there are a few important guidelines to follow:

• Cut the fries to be as close to uniform in size as possible. This ensures even cooking time for all the fries, keeping some from being undercooked or too crispy.
• You can only make as many fries as will fit in a flat layer on your baking sheet. All the fries should be in direct contact with the pan so they will achieve the crispy exterior that makes them so good.
• Wait to salt the fries until they have finished cooking. Salt draws moisture out of the potatoes, which can keep them from crisping up during the cooking process. Salt the fries while they are still hot when they are done cooking.
• Preheat the pan with your fat (I recommend ghee). Placing the fries on a hot, greased pan helps to keep them from sticking to the pan and tearing.
• Related to above, it’s essential to wait to stir the fries until they develop a crust (crispy layer). This allows them to release from the pan when it’s time to stir/flip the fries. It usually takes about twenty minutes, but you can check one or two first to see if they’re ready.

(This method also works well for cubed potatoes, like the picture above).

Recipes that go well with perfectly crispy homemade fries:

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• Victorinox Chef Knife :: my favorite knife I’ve used for over a decade
• Titan Peeler :: the BEST peeler
• Ghee :: clarified butter is amazing for roasting and sautéing since it can be used at higher heat

Crispy Homemade Fries

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• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 5-6 servings
• Method: Roasting

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Description

Perfectly crispy homemade fries– soft and tender on the inside and crisp and salty on the outside! These fries are easy, minimal prep and oven roasted!

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Ingredients

• 3–5 large Russet potatoes, washed and peeled
• 2–3 tablespoons ghee
• granulated garlic
• paprika
• kosher salt for finishing

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Drop 2-3 rounded tablespoons of ghee on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven to heat and melt the ghee.
2. Slice the potatoes into thin fries, taking care to make sure the fries are all close in size. (About 3/8″ wide is ideal). 
3. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and tilt it so the ghee coats the entire pan. Carefully lay the fries out on the pan in a flat, even layer– they should all be touching the pan and not be overcrowded. Season the fries with the granulated garlic and paprika. (No salt yet). 
4. Place the pan of fries in the oven and let them roast for about 20 minutes without stirring, until the bottoms of the fries have developed a crisp layer. Once the bottoms are crispy, remove the pan from the oven to toss/flip the fries so the crispy layer is now on top. Return the pan to the oven and finish roasting the fries for another 10-15 minutes, according to your desired doneness. 
5. Generously season the fries with kosher salt once you have removed them from the oven while the fries are still hot. 

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 Necessity is the mother of invention, and this is especially true at the lunch hour.

Our lunches run the gamut here– from lunch trays assembled to share while we do lessons, packed lunches on co-op or adventure days, YOYO days in which the kids are on their own for figuring out what they want to eat…

… and hot lunches that are both deliciously satisfying and simple enough that we almost always have the ingredients on hand.

These twisted breadsticks fit the last description. I can easily stir together a quick pizza dough, and twist together whatever mix of meat, cheese, and veggies is in the fridge. All done in about 30 minutes.

One portion of my homemade pizza dough can make 10-12 breadsticks. Last week for my crew of 6, I made 2 dozen breadsticks– half twisted with ham and half with spicy pepperoni. It was the perfect lunch to make when I really needed to get to the grocery store.

If you haven’t tried my pizza dough before, it’s hugely popular for a good reason. It comes together very easily and very quickly, making it perfect for lunches and simple family pizza nights. (I use it for Stromboli, too!) All you need is flour, sea salt, active dry yeast, and warm water.

Give these breadsticks a try this week! Lunch or dinner, they are sure to please. Serve them with dipping bowls of marinara sauce for extra tastiness. (My favorite homemade marinara recipe is in my Instant Pot cookbook. It’s super easy and SO good!)

Check out these other healthy and easy lunch ideas too:

• Garlic Orzo with Bacon & Greens
• Instant Pot Ramen Noodles
• Homemade Pigs in A Blanket
• Sheet Pan Nachos
• Our Favorite Tuna Salad
• Stovetop Popcorn

Twisted Cheesy Breadsticks

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• Author: Lisa @This Pilgrim Life

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Description

A simple pizza dough twisted up with herbs, Italian meat, and cheese! Enjoy these delicious breadsticks for a quick lunch or snack!

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Ingredients

• simple thin crust pizza dough
• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
• 1 handful (about 1 C) spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
• Italian meat– salami, capicola ham, prosciutto, etc
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 500° (to use with a baking stone/steel) or 450° (to use with a baking sheet).

2. Make the pizza dough. (One portion per 10-12 breadsticks).

3. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 10″x15″. Drizzle olive oil across the top of the dough, then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and spices on top. Distribute the chopped spinach, cheeses, and meat evenly across the dough.

4. Fold the bottom third of the rectangle up towards the middle. Fold the top third down, to form a sealed “envelope”. Use a dough scraper or knife to divide the dough envelope into 10-12 strips.

5. Twist each strip twice and place on a piece of parchment paper. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 500°, or 12-15 minutes at 450°.

6. Let cool slightly and serve with marinara dipping sauce.

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The post Twisted Cheesy Breadsticks appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.

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Last month I was looking for a master muffin recipe to use in my Baking Basics class at our co-op. I had plans to develop one based on the countless muffins I’ve baked over the years, but did not have time to put it together before class.

Instead, I grabbed a master muffin recipe from a popular, trustworthy baking site and grabbed all the ingredients we would need to bake. The muffins were delicious, it’s true. But they were much more like cupcakes than the muffins I usually bake. They were loaded with butter and sugar, where my preference is to sweeten with natural sweeteners as much as possible, and often to use healthy subs and ingredients like applesauce, yogurt, etc.

I promised my class I would add to their recipe notebooks with another muffin option the following week. (You know, in case a group of kids wanted a less-cupcake-like version).

We eat muffins regularly for breakfast, lunch, and snacks because they’re so portable, easy, and the variations are endless. This master muffin recipe makes it even easier to play around with different flavor combinations and allows you to use the ingredients you have on hand.

Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe

The base of this recipe is a mix of flour and old-fashioned oats. You could also substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour to make the muffins gluten-free.

After the dry base of the muffin mix, you have a few different options. Each option will yield a slightly different taste to your muffins, so have fun and try several variations. 

For the “fat”, you can use butter, coconut oil, applesauce, or Greek yogurt. Pick honey or maple syrup as a liquid natural sweetener. Keep the vanilla extract for a traditional flavor, or substitute another extract like almond, lemon, orange, etc.

Once your batter is mixed together, you can gently stir in your additions. I provide several ideas in the recipe like nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate, and more. You can even divide the batter at this point and make a few different combinations in one pan! 

A personal favorite muffin combination of mine is orange, sliced almonds, and almond extract. So good.

I also highly recommend parchment muffin liners for the easiest clean up ever. I try to always have them on hand, and miss them whenever I’m out and have to wash my muffin pans out.

More Like This :: 

• 50+ Lunch Tray Ideas
• 12 Easy Homemade Bread Recipes
• From Scratch Breakfast Biscuits

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Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review

• Author: Lisa @ This Pilgrim Life
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 18 minutes
• Total Time: 28 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins

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Description

A naturally sweetened muffin recipe with endless options! Use this one recipe to make all kinds of muffins, with easy, healthy ingredients. Choose from butter, coconut oil, or applesauce for your “fat”, then sweeten the muffins with honey or maple syrup. Finish with any combination of add-ins you’re in the mood for!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter/coconut oil/applesauce/Greek yogurt (pick one)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 cup milk or whey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract*
• 1 1/2 cup add-ins**

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt). Stir to incorporate. In a large liquid measuring cup or another mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients until well-blended.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until almost no streaks of flour remain. Dump in whatever add-ins you are using, then stir until everything is evenly distributed and no streaks of flour remain. (If the mixture is too wet, you can add 2-4 tablespoons of flour to the batter. You want the batter to be wetter than bread dough, but not runny).
4. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or add parchment muffin cups. Fill each muffin cup with the batter, until each cup has the same amount. (Optional) Top the muffins with turbinado or demerera sugar before baking.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back when gently pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

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Notes

*vanilla extract is the most all-purpose extract to use in baked goods, but you can also sub for a different extract to try other flavor combinations

**Add-In Ideas:

• nuts & seeds (chopped walnuts or pecans, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, etc)
• dried fruit (raisins, dried blueberries, dates, etc)
• fresh fruit (chopped apples, mashed banana, blueberries, diced strawberries, etc)
• chocolate (dark, semi-sweet, white)

Favorite Combos:

• banana & walnut (w/ honey and coconut oil)
• blueberry & white chocolate (w/ maple syrup and applesauce)
• mandarin orange & almond (w/ almond extract, orange zest, butter, and maple syrup)

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The post Naturally Sweetened Master Muffin Recipe appeared first on This Pilgrim Life.