Roasted Potatoes

These are Greek Roasted Potatoes. A recipe right from one of Mandees friends in Greece!!! Super tasty, and yes shortening makes them taste the best. The more lemon the better too. Enjoy.
12 Peeled and chopped potatoes
4-5 Lemons
2-3 Cups Chicken broth
1/4 cup shortening
olive oil
Garlic (fresh or powdered)
Oregano
Salt
Pepper


Wash the potatoes. Cut into quarters lengthwise, and place in a large and deep enough baking pan. Sprinkle or lightly brush the potatoes with olive oil. Put the chicken broth in the pan, add the juice from 3 lemons and top off to about 1 cm deep with water if needed. Season the potatoes with salt, pepper, oregano, and finely chopped garlic or garlic powder. Turn the potatoes over and repeat the seasoning. Cut 1/4 cup of shortening into cubes and place evenly around the potatoes. Cover the pan and place in the oven at 375 for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are tender inside. Uncover the potatoes and broil for a short while to brown and crisp them as desired. Squeeze a lemon or two over them for an even better taste!!!

Artichokes with Lemon-Butter Sauce

Artichokes are a favorite at my house and recently they have been on sale for 10 for 10! It never fails when I am at the store picking some out, somebody will ask me how I cook them. Such a great deal and I have been having them for lunch. We all fight for the heart of the artichoke. Actually when I was pregnant with Mia I craved them more than normal (which is alot) and the kids were home for Christmas Break. I opened the fridge and saw I only had one artichoke. I thought to myself, "HMMMM. How can I sneak this past Logan and BayLee." They take 45 minutes to cook so I had it cooking and trying to keep them busy so they don't notice. YES I was having a selfish moment. So it was finally done! I snuk past them and went into my room (FOOD IN THE ROOM MAJOR NO NO!) and quietly shut my door and locked it. I was successful UNTIL BayLee went into the kitchen and looked into the pan that was sitting on the stove and all of a sudden I hear "LOGAN MOM HAD AN ARTICHOKE!! I SEE GREEN WATER". Sure enough it was just in time for the heart so I ended up sharing the best part of the dang thing!!!!! I just had to share that story. We love artichokes.

Fill pan with water. Cut stem off of Artichoke right up to the base of it. Place in pan with water. Bring to boil. Boil for 30-40 minutes until leaves can easily be pulled off.
Melt 1/4 margarine for each artichoke and add 1/2 lemon juice for each artichoke.
Once Artichoke is finished pull leaf off one by one,dip into sauce, and scrape the "meat" with your teeth. Once the leaves get way to small (you will know what I mean) cut below the leaves right on top of the base. This is the heart. Make sure you get the fuzzy part off too (forget to tell people that and they end up eating it).
BEST PART!!!! Cut up heart in bitesize pieces and dip them in the butter sauce and SAVOR the moment. Good stuff.