Monthly Archives: May 2020

Italian mini baked potatoes – San Francisco style

 in Entertaining  tagged cathys original recipes / lifestyle / recipes / side dishes by

mini baked potatoes

Looking for an easy side dish to pair with a main course? Here it is! I tweaked my Mother’s Italian mini baked potato recipe in order to ensure my kids would love them; and it worked! Since my kids love it, I wanted to share it with you in the hopes that you love it too!

This is a really easy recipe, which tastes amazing. At Whole Foods, you can buy a bag of mini potatoes; they come in two colors! My kids thought the multi-color potatoes were fun 🙂 If you don’t live near a Whole Foods, or don’t shop there, you can find these mini potatoes at any supermarket. You can buy one color, or mix two together like I do. It’s up to you! Here are the ingredients:

  • 3 lbs mini potatoes
  • 1 pat butter
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Salt, basil, oregano, paprika (or black pepper)

My Mom uses ground black pepper, but my kids don’t really like pepper, so I switched the pepper out for paprika. If you prefer pepper, you can make it like my Mom and switch the paprika for pepper. If you really want a crazy kick, use both!

How to cook mini baked potatoes

It’s really easy to cook mini baked potatoes. Before you start, pre-heat your oven to 350.

The first step will be to slice the mini potatoes in half, and spread them out in your casserole dish.

Then, slice up the pat of butter and place the parts apart from each other in the casserole. After you spread out the butter, add the olive oil, and season to taste with oregano, basil, salt, and paprika (or ground pepper). My basil and oregano are dried because we are currently under a shelter-in-place order and I am trying to limit my trips to the grocery store. You can use fresh or dried-it will taste yummy either way! I just spread the seasonings out so that they cover the potatoes; like in the photo above.

When the oven hits 350, put the casserole dish, uncovered, in the oven for 50 minutes. This will give you plenty of time to cook your main course, and vegetables.

Yummy! When the potatoes are done, they should be slightly brown on the edges. The potatoes will be soft inside, and very warm. Be sure to let them cool off for five minutes before serving. Serve with your favorite main course, and a vegetable!

Voila! Instant yummy side dish!

Things you need to cook Italian mini baked potatoes San Francisco style:

I hope you enjoy these Italian mini baked potatoes as much as my family does!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Not the pink panther

 in General Fashion  tagged casual style / mansur gavriel / outfits / spring 2020 by

wearing: gold statement earrings / summer lipstick / black tee / pink blazer / black snake buckle belt / light wash skinny jeans / summer nail polish / bold statement ring / soft black clutch / wedges espadrilles (on major sale!) /

Oh heeeeeyyyy!! I’m wearing bold earrings and a blazer outside of a Zoom meeting! Yay! I decided I am tired of my ultra-casual, quarantine wardrobe. It is time to wear outfits again! This outfit made life feel normal-despite being paired with a mask. I couldn’t bring myself to photograph the mask with the outfit. I took these photos in front of my garage door so that I could smile and feel normal; at least in the photos.

Last week was the busiest week I have had since we started our shelter-in-place here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Like the idiot that I am, I was running in my house in socks; we have a hardwood floor. I think you know where this is going. Long story short, I had to go out into the world and get an x-ray. It looks like I injured my leg muscle, but nothing too bad. I know better than to run in the house; I mean, I tell my kids that all the time. Not quite sure what I was thinking, but it happened! haha I guess this quarantine thing is messing with my brain!

I have to admit, it was weird out there! I have only been going to the supermarket near my house, so going several miles away to my doctor’s office, then an imaging office, was weird. Everyone was in masks, and when I entered the building they took my temperature and had me use hand sanitizer. Everything appeared really clean; so I felt safe. Despite feeling safe, nothing will feel normal until businesses can reopen, and people are back to work.

Shop my spring blazer outfit online:

At least wearing an outfit while going out made me feel good, and normal. Everyone is out and about in sweats and workout clothing. I need to get out of that cycle, and start dressing up a little bit; even if it’s still a super casual look. I’m watching other states and areas starting to reopen. I am looking forward to the day we get there too! How are things where you are?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

Graduation gift ideas 2020

 in General Fashion / Shopping  tagged graduation / Holiday Gift Guide 2020 / holiday gift ideas by

graduation gift ideas 8th grade high school college

Graduation gift ideas from top left: dangle earrings / Gucci bag / pearl earrings (classic grad gift!) / Gucci sneakers (hot summer trend!) / record player / watch (classic grad gift!) /

It is graduation time! While most schools are not having ceremonies this year, graduates still deserve something special for this momentous occasion. A graduation gift needs to be something special which the grad can keep as a long-term memory. I still own, and wear, the Gucci watch my Mom gave me for high school graduation! Why not get something special she will cherish forever?

I love timeless gifts, but not every grad is into something classic. If your grad likes trendier items, then flatform shoes or a record player could be the perfect gift. If your grad likes the classics, look for a watch or pearl jewelry.

Without further ado, here are some great graduation gift ideas for 2020!

Graduation gifts for 8th grade:

Graduation gifts for high school or college:

My daughter graduates from 8th grade this year, I hope she likes what I picked up for her! I can’t post it here-she might read it, then it won’t be a surprise!! What do you plan to give the graduate in your life?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy