Garlic Red Potatoes

I've not really found a red potato side that we actually liked all that much. Turns out, we don't care for rosemary, and most recipes that have red potatoes also call for rosemary. Now that I've figured that out, I'm much happier with my results! I adapted this recipe using flavors that we do like and it was by far the best red-potato side dish I've ever made. I call that a blog-worthy success. (I also attribute the success to using butter instead of vegetable oil, which I almost always use because it's easier and less expensive - but the butter really did make it better.)

Garlic Red Potatoes

6 medium red potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp seasoning salt

1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Additional parmesan cheese to top.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, parmesan cheese, seasonings, and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle additional parmesan cheese over potatoes.
Bake, covered, in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes more.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

In an attempt to help our kids appreciate healthy food, we frequently look up the physical benefits of the specific vegetable we are eating and summarize it for our kids. Every child knows that carrots help you see better, right? (you know, because of all that K12?) Broccoli has loads of health benefits, but at our house "Broccoli helps you run fast." (because of all the benefits to muscles and the cardiovascular system). And even though it's covered in bacon and cheese so it may not be truly "healthy", our kids always run races after finishing each and every bite of broccoli on their plates.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

Source: Adapted from Julia's Album

Ingredients:
8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper

garlic powder

seasoning salt
2 cups broccoli florets , blanched, chopped
3 strips bacon , cooked, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese , shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese , shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, when ready add broccoli and leave for about 2 minutes. 

Add chicken breasts to the casserole dish. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.  Top with chopped and blanched broccoli florets.
Add chopped cooked bacon, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.