Homemade Potato Chips

So I have a new baking bible and it isn't a blog (which is unusual for me). It started out when I saw this amazing cookbook at my friends house called "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila. First, I was excited because it came from the library and I didn't even KNOW you could get cookbooks at the library. Secondly, the recipes in this book were SO accessible and so easy to follow and for 90% of the recipes, I have the ingredients at home already!



Oh yea...she also had an amazing recipe for Potato Chips.

If you read my blog, you know that I have a bona fide addiction to chips. Chips are my vice. Some people smoke, I cram chips down my throat. However, I'm running a month long junk food free experiment (store bought junk food anyway) and anything that I want to snack on, I have to make myself.

You see where this is going :) Naturally, I took out the book from our Library and got to work right away!

Two great things happened. They were delicious AND after only a small helping, I was completely satisfied. I had NO desire to keep snaking after I had my little serving. Even better, they are baked, yet they taste like deep fried! I cannot WAIT to try more recipes from this book!

Homemade Potato Chips

from The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila

**NOTE: This recipe is for a big batch. I only used about 3 small potatoes and still came out with a serving. You can adjust this recipe for whatever works best for you!**

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 pounds of potatoes (any kind), scrubbed 

Method:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Using a touch of olive oil, grease 2 baking sheets.

Fill a large mixing bowl with water and 1/2 a tsp of salt. Stir to make sure the salt has dissolved in the water. 

If you have one (I don't) use a mandolin to cut your potatoes into 1/16th inch slices. I used a sharp knife to cook mine. I'm not sure how thick they were, but they turned out just great. Just try and slice them as thinly as you can! As you slice your taters, place them in the bowl and let them soak for 5 mins.

Remove the potatoes from the water and dry them off. Empty your bowl, dry it out, and place the potatoes back in the bowl and toss in the olive oil & remainder of the salt. Trust me when I tell you, it is enough salt. Any more and they will be too salty!

Spread the potatoes out on your baking sheet and try and spread them out so that there is almost no overlap. Place in the oven for 15 mins then reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Rotate the pans and bake for another 15 mins. Switch again and bake for a final 15 mins (total baking time of 45mins). 

As you're baking them, you may notice some of them are done sooner than the others (especially if you cut them by hand and some are thinner than the others). Remove them as they become golden and dry and start peeling off the baking sheet. Some may need to stay in the oven for another 5-10 mins after all the others are done. Just make sure you keep watching them!

Remove from baking sheet & enjoy! They have such a great crunch to them and a fantastic salty flavour. 

If you want to store them, you can keep them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks (good luck keeping them that long!)

Let me know if you try them, I'd love to hear how they turned out! Also, I HIGHLY suggest you check out this cookbook, it's fantastic! :)

Soft Peanut Butter Pumpkin Puppy Treats

We've MOVED! Recipe can be found at My Real Life Kitchen

Why I'm Taking a Month Off From Junk Food

My name is Lisa and I have a serious addiction to chips.

I know what you're thinking. "Oh totally, me too Lisa. I'm also addicted to chocolate, tee hee"

What I'm talking about is totally different. As I've told you before, I'm an anxious person. Some people quiet their anxiety with drugs, alcohol or other activities. I quiet mine with food and chips are my "Drug" of choice. 

I know I'm not alone in this either. Lots of people do it, food is comforting, doesn't talk back, and you're still able to function in a way that you can't if you're on drugs or alcohol. I would say that food is the most socially acceptable addiction out there. This is just my opinion.

In July, I posted "Dealing with my Food Demon" and I talked about my struggles with anxiety, food and junk food in particular. The good news is, since back on my meds, I've found the motivation to start working out again. Since I'm working out again, I'm able to be more focused and happy. Due to this, I'm able to keep my anxiety down or at least manage it better.

I still can't kick my addiction to junk. I'm also 100% serious when I call it addiction. Not in the same way drugs and alcohol can become addicting, but more in the sense that I can't go a day without having chips. I think about them all day at work, I think about what flavour I could try next, and I CRAVE the crunch and salt texture they have. I try and substitute with healthier options, but that craving is still there. I actually get aggravated if I don't eat them. It's actually something that I'm kind of embarrassed about.

However, I just chalked it up to being bored, or "just being a snacker" even though I knew it was more. However, I figured, aside from the health "risks" of chips, I could still function properly.

Then, as I was scrolling through Twitter yesterday, I saw this article about giving up junk food from The Huffington Post and read this...

"I felt tired. Sometimes I felt exhausted. My head was in a fog at the mere age of 24. My mood was one of apathy even though I had a full-time job, great friends, and shared a nice apartment. How did I know this dazed and confused feeling might be from my diet? Instincts, perhaps. I figured there had to be some correlation between my energy levels and the junk that I was consuming day in, day out. My lack of energy and slight listlessness was driving me crazy..." 

Shit...this was me. Even though I KNOW how junk food can have this effect on you, I never put two and two together (I'm blonde, alright??) I guess I just never thought about how MUCH the junk I put in my body was affecting me. I'm active, I eat right most of the time, but I was still pumping chemicals in me. DUH. No wonder I'm tired, lethargic and foggy headed. No wonder I'm still moody and cranky. EVERY DAY I'm stuffing my face with junk.

The Experiment

I have decided to try an experiment. For one month, I'm going to stop eating chips and other crap. If I want a snack/treat, I have to make it myself. That even include chips. I know I could make them on my own, but I've been too lazy. If I want cookies or chocolate - gotta bake it.

Since I will need support for this, my poor husband is going to join me. He's agreed to only eat snacks that we make from scratch. He's an M&M fiend, so this will be hard for him as well, but I think important that we both just give it a try. It's only one month. We will try to include more veggies and fruits into our meals as well (although, we're pretty good at this already).

Molly the dog (who probably could stand to loose a few anyway) will be joining us for this adventure. I will be making her treats from scratch for the next month. She's already on good food, so that's not a problem.

This adventure also requires that we don't eat out. This includes Little Cesar's Pizza (Hubby is also a big fan of that). If we want Pizza, we have to make it from scratch. Everything and anything we want to eat, we have to MAKE.

My hypothesis? That Hubs and I will feel better, have more energy & sleep better at night. It's going to be damn hard. Like, really, really hard. However, I have learned from a good friend of mine that instead of looking at the scary time frame, we will just take it one day at a time. It is, after all, only 1 month. 

A few exceptions:

I will allow myself Pop Chips every now and then (MAX 1 time a week)
Jon is allowed M&M's every once in awhile as well
If we go out for a meal, it will only be for a special occasion

I will post throughout the whole process and continue to share yummy recipes with you! I'm hoping this will require me to step out of my comfort zone a bit as well.

Wish us luck!