Roasted Veges and Quinoa

Roasted Veges and Quinoa

OK, this is one of those made up ones that can take many different directions....different veges (whatever you have), different dressing (whatever floats your boat) and different add ins (different herbs, cheese or nuts etc), but this was the combination in this picture!

Roasted Veges
1 yam peeled and diced to about 1"
1 onion chopped (a little bigger chops than usual)
1 zucchini sliced thick and slices cut in half
10 mushrooms
10 brussel sprouts
1 red pepper diced to about 1"
1 carrot diced to about 1"
1/2 head cauliflower cut into chunks
1/2 egg plant diced to about 1"
1/4 C olive oil
1 t salt
1 t pepper

Place prepared vegetables in large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Mix to coat veges with oil. (I use less oil....just depends what the quantity ends up being)
Place veges on two cookies sheets.  Bake at 400 rotating sheets 2 or 3 times to create even cooking (or use convection, but watch them, they burn quickly on the edges) and stirring veges a few times. About 40 minutes. When done, take out and place back in the same bowl and add dressing and add ins.

Dressing
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pepper

* To punch up the lemon factor a bit, add the lemon zest of 1 lemon!  Or omit the lemon juice and lemon and go with a pesto paste, 2 T or so! Tons of options.

Add ins
4 scallions minced
1/4 C toasted pine nuts
8 fresh basil leaves cut into fine strips
1/4 C feta cheese

Quinoa
Prepare as directed on package. (We cook it in our rice cooker)
Serve veges, dressing and add ins over quinoa or mix all together!

Spicy Mexican Squash Stew

Spicy Mexican Squash Stew

1 1/2 T olive oil
2 C chopped onions
6 cloves minced garlic
1/2 t salt
1 butternut squash
1/2 small jalapeno
1/2 t cinnamon (I put in a little more, closer to a t)
2 t ground cumin
1/4 C brown sugar
3 C vegetable stock or broth
2 C chopped fresh tomatoes
2 C chopped red, yellow or orange bell peppers
2 C frozen sweet white corn
salt and black pepper to taste
sour cream and grated cheese for serving

Place the oil, onions, garlic, and salt in a nonreactive soup pot. Cover and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Stirring often, until the onions are translucent.

Meanwhile, halve and peel the squash, scoop out and discard the seeds, and dice into 1/2 inch cubes (if it's 5 Cor more, you made need to add more stock). Add squash, jalapeno, cinnamon, cumin, and water to the soup pot and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and bell peppers.  Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all of the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the corn and return to a simmer.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve each bowl topped with a dollop of sour cream and cheese if desired!

***My awesome friend Higgy gave me this recipe from a Vegetarian restaurant, but I changed it up a bit!

Tuscan Bean Soup

Tuscan Bean Soup

3 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 celery sticks, sliced
2 large zucchini, sliced
14oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 T pesto (homemade or store bought in a jar)
4 C vegetable stock
14oz can navy beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
fresh spinach (approximately 2 cups)

Heat oil in a large pan.  Ad the onions, carrots, garlic and celery and cook gently for 10 minutes on medium heat.  Add zucchini and cook 2 more minutes.  Add tomatoes, pesto, stock and beans and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Just before serving, stir fresh spinach leaves into soup and allow to soften. Yummy served with a little Parmesan!

**My kids don't like the spinach, so I just put it in mine and Hans' bowls and serve the soup over it.  It is so yummy and healthy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

Chocolate Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce

2 cups milk 

6 slices bread, cubed (I use 8 slices of normal white, 6 of a French loaf)

1/2 cup sugar 

1/2 cup cocoa
2egg yolks, slightly beaten 

2 tablespoons butter 

1 teaspoon vanilla
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten 

1 cup grated sweet chocolate

Scald milk. Remove from heat; add sugar, cocoa, and egg yolks. Beat until well blended. Add butter and vanilla. Fold in bread and let sit to soak up liquid for 15-30 minutes, stirring 3-5 times. Fold in beaten egg whites and grated chocolate. Pour into 8-inch square baking dish; set dish in a pan with about 1-inch of hot water. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, or until firm.
Top with whipped cream and warm butterscotch sauce.

Butterscotch Sauce

1 pound light brown sugar 

1 cup butter 

1 cup heavy cream 

3 tablespoons corn syrup
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Serve warm.

**Picture was a pudding ready to give a friend.  Because I didn't want her to worry about a pan, I greased a 8 inch spring form pan and placed parchment paper in the bottom and greased the parchment paper.  Before putting it in the water bath, I put foil underneath and up around the sides to prevent water from getting into the pudding.

Twice Baked Potatoes

Twice Baked Potatoes

4 Big potatoes              
1 C sour cream
½ C soft butter              
3 oz cream cheese
2 green onions              
1 t salt       
½ t pepper              
¾ C grated cheddar cheese

Bake potatoes at 425* for one hour. Slice in half lengthwise and scoop out potatoes.  Put in mixer with all ingredients except cheese.  Mix well.  Fold in cheese and scoop back into potato skins.  Sprinkle with paprika and bake at 350* for 20 min.

**For a bigger crowd, and not as much time... Peel potatoes, dice and boil potatoes until soft.  Mix with ingredients following instructions above and then place in an oven safe dish and bake 20-30 minutes. Pictured below.
**The picture below doesn't have onions, due to Truman's birthday request.

 

BBQ Ribs

BBQ Ribs

Ribs ( I use the baby back ribs pre-packed at Costco)
Onion
Salt
Breanna's BBQ Sauce

Place ribs in a large stock pot. If needed, cut slabs in half to help fit into pot.  Cover with water.  Slice onion and pour in some salt (2 T ? Depends on how much water).  Turn on heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours, or until the meat on the ribs is fork tender.   Place ribs on a platter and cover, or wrap in plastic wrap and tin foil.  Refrigerate for  3-5 hours or over night.

About 30 minutes before serving time, heat BBQ to high.  Arrange ribs on the preheated BBQ, and cook, turning and basting with Breanna's BBQ sauce, for about 20 minutes or until heated through.  Remove from heat, slice and serve.

**Most requested birthday dinner at our house!

Flying Biscuits

Flying Biscuits

3 C flour
1 T plus 1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
2 T plus 1 1/2 t sugar
6 T unsalted butter @ room temperature
2/3 C heavy cream
2/3 C half and half
2 T half and half for brushing on top of biscuits
1 T sugar for sprinkling on top of biscuits (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl.  Cut butter into 1/2 T sized bits and add to the flour.  Using your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in all the heavy cream and the half and half.  Stir the dry ingredients in the cream and mix with a wooden spoon until dough just begins to come together into a ball.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 2 or 3 times to form a cohesive mass.  Do not overwork the dough.  Using a rolling pin , roll the dough to a 1-inch thickness.  (The correct thickness is the key to obtaining a stately biscuit.) Dip biscuit cutter (I use 2 inch, they recommend 2 1/2 inch.) into flour, then cut the dough.  Repeat until all the dough has been cut. Scraps can be gathered together and rerolled.  Place the biscutis on the prepared sheet pan, leaving about 1/4 inch between them (I leave about 1-2 inches, because I like mine tall and sometimes they tip over). Brush the tops with the half and half.  Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Biscuits will be lightly browned on top and flaky in the center.

**These are from one of our favorite Atlanta spots. The Flying Biscuit...great breakfasts!

Bacon and Cheddar Biscuits

Just before adding the wet ingredients, add:

1 C sharp cheddar cheese (I prefer extra sharp white cheddar.)

1 C precooked bacon cut into pieces.

Bake as usual.

Breanna's Coleslaw

Breanna's Coleslaw

2 1/2 lb green cabbage, cored and cut into 3-inch chunks, then finely shredded

1 medium sweet onion finely chopped

1 large yellow, orange or red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 large carrot, coarsely grated

OR

A bag of coleslaw mix

A bag of matchstick carrots

1 medium sweet onion finely chopped

1 large yellow, orange or red bell pepper, finely chopped

Dressing:

1 1/4 C mayonnaise

1/3 C cider vinegar

2 t sugar

1 t salt 

1 t pepper

Whisk together mayo, vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss with slaw mixture.  Chill, covered, stirring often, for at least 1 hour. (One day ahead works great too.)

Serve on BBQ Pork Sandwiches.

BBQ Pork

BBQ Pork

boneless pork roast
BBQ sauce (recipe below)

Place roast in crock pot on low. Pour 1-2 C BBQ sauce over roast and let cook.  After about 6 hours, check roast and see if it is ready to shred.  Add more sauce if needed.  Can cook up to 8 hours depending on size (I know very scientific).

Serve on buns that have been buttered and toasted (a must at our house) and if you want to take it a step further into bliss, serve it with Breanna's Coleslaw (yes, in the sandwich).

Breanna's BBQ Sauce

2 C ketchup
2 C tomato suace
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1 1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/2 C unsulfured molassaes
4 t hickory or mesquite flavored liquid smoke
2 T butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t chili powder
1 t paprika
1/2 t celery seed
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 t salt
1 t coarsely ground black pepper

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together the ketchup, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, molasses, liquid smoke and butter.  Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, celery seed, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to low, and simmer for up to 20 minutes. For thicker sauce, simmer longer, and for thinner, less time is needed.  Sauce can also be thinned using a bit of water.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 C butter
1 C brown sugar
1 C sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 C crunchy peanut butter
2 1/2 C flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 t vanilla

Mix butter, sugar and peanut butter together.  Add eggs, flour, baking soda and vanilla. Mix well.  I add flour slowly until dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Use a 1/4 C of dough and roll into balls.  Only 8 per cookie sheet. Smash with a large fork making traditional peanut butter cookie marks.  It helps the cookies to cook evenly.  Bake at 350 for approx 10 minutes.

**Make them even more special and add some reese's peanut butter cups!
**1 batch makes 90 (1T)  or 45 (2T) or 22 (1/4C)

Cuban Black Beans with Carrots

Cuban Black Beans with Carrots

2 T olive oil or butter
1 onion, small diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t cumin
1 t ground coriander
1 t paprika
4 large carrots, small diced
1 yellow, orange or red pepper, small diced
1 8oz can tomato sauce, plus one can of water
2 T chopped fresh parsley
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper to taste
limes
sour cream
cooked brown rice or quinoa

In a large skillet or enameled dutch oven, saute onions, garlic and spices in the oil until the onions begin to soften.  Add the carrots and saute for a few minutes.  Add the peppers and saute a couple more minutes.  Add salt, black pepper, parsley, tomato sauce and water.  Simmer until the vegetables are tender. About 10 minutes.  (I prefer my carrots to maintain a slight crunch.)  Add black beans and simmer until heated through. Salt to taste.  Serve with fresh lime and sour cream over brown rice or quinoa.

***This doesn't look too impressive, but all my kids love it!  The original recipe called for sweet potatoes instead of carrots.  We've loved it so much with the carrots, I haven't tried the sweet potatoes yet!

Bran Muffins

Bran Muffins

2 C Kellogs Bran Buds

2 C boiling water

1 C +2T  applesauce

2 C sugar

4 eggs
1 qt buttermilk

4 C Kellogs All Bran

5 C flour ( I use a mixture of Oat, Wheat and White)

1 t salt

5 t soda
1 T vanilla

Pour boiling water over bran buds.  Mix applesauce, sugar,

eggs and buttermilk.  Add both brans.  Sift flour, salt and soda.

Mix well. Add vanilla. Bake at 400 for 14-16 min. Large muffins 20 minutes.

**Especially delish if you grease muffin tin and sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar.  Then after putting in the batter, sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar also.  Makes a yummy sugary crust.

This original recipe used 1 C + 2 T oil.  I use applesauce so I can have a lot of butter on the muffins!

Also, this batter can be stored in the refrigerator up to a week.
**I made this today and used canned pumpkin instead of the applesauce. They were more fluffy and I dare say, yummier. Pumpkin is so packed with vitamins, I love it when no one notices you've gone healthier!

Pumpkin version with cinnamon/sugar, no topping and just sugar.

Julia's Beef Bourguinon

Julia's Beef Bourguinon

6oz chunk of bacon (have yet to find this...I use thick cut)
1 T olive or vegetable oil
3 lb lean stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes
1 sliced carrot (used 2)
1 sliced onion
1 t salt 1/4 t peppre
2 T flour
3 C full bodied red wine or grape juice
2-3 C beef stock
1 T tomato paste
2 cloved mashed garlic
1/2 t thyme
1 crumbled bay leaf

18-24 pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 T butter
1 1/2 T oil
1/2 C beef bouillon
Herbs for bouquet: 4 sprigs parsley, 1/2 bay leaf, 1/4 t thyme tied in cheesecloth

2 T butter
1 T oil
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, wash, dried, whole, sliced or quartered

Boiled potatoes for serving.

Take chunk of bacon and remove rind, cut bacon into strips 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long.  Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water.  Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450.

Saute bacon in a 9-10 inch fireproof casserole (enameled cast iron works great) in the 1 T oil for 2-3 minutes to brown lightly.  Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.  Continue to heat oil until almost smoking before sauteing beef.

Dry beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp.  Sate a few pieces at a time, in hot oil and bacon faut until nicely browned on all sides.  Add it to the bacon on the side.

In the same fat, brown sliced carrot and onion.  Pour off the sauteing fat.

Return beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper.  Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour.  Set casserole uncovered in middle position of the preheated oven for 4 minutes.  Toss the meat and return tot he oven for 4 more minutes. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.)  Remove casserole and turn oven down to 325.

Stir in the wine or juice and enough beef stock so that the meat is barely covered.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind.  bring to simmer on top of the stove.  Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of oven.  Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when for pierces it easily.

While beef is cooking, prepare onions and mushrooms.

(Brown -braised Onions) Add 1 1/2 T butter and 1 1/2 T oil to saute pan (or enameled skillet) over medium heat. When the butter and oil are bubbling, add onions and saute for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible.  Be careful not to break their skins.  You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.  Pour beef bouillon, salt and pepper to taste and add the herb bouquet.  cover ans simmer slowly for 40-50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated.  Remove herbs. Set aside.

(Sauteed Mushrooms)On high heat, melt butter and oil.  As soon as the butter foam has begun to subside, add the mushrooms.  Toss and shake the pan for 4-5 minutes.  During their saute the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat.  In 2-3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushroom swill be gin to brown.  As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. Set aside.

When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan.  Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it.  Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.  Skim the fat off the sauce.  simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises.  you should have about 2 1/2 C of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.  If too thin, boil it down rapidly.  If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock.  Tast carefully for seasoning.  pour sauce over the meat and vegetables. Cover casserole and simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Serve over or next to boiled potatoes.

**Magleby New Year's Tradition
**I made this once again, 1.1.2012 and the kids were wolfing it down much more than usual....oooing and aaaawwing over it's deliciousness,  and then I saw the bowl of mushrooms and onions that I had forgotten to put it. Hmmm....that would save me a lot of time, if I didn't love those darn little onions so much! :)

Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup

Bahama Mama Tortilla Soup
Step 1
1 T Olive oil                 
½ C diced white onions
1 t chopped garlic              
1 t diced jalapeños
Cook in pan until onions are translucent.  Add:

Step 2
8 C chicken broth              
1 Can coconut milk
2 C julienne carrots               
1 C diced tomatoes              
½ C diced red onions
1 t salt
1 t brown sugar
Bring to a boil and then add 3 cups cooked chicken (shredded or cubed). Enjoy.

Garnish with:
Corn chips
Lime wedges
Mozzarella cheese

** Sometimes I add a little fresh parsley for the color!

Wrigley French Bread

Wrigley French Bread

2 T yeast
2 T sugar
2 ½ C warm water

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water. Or use instant yeast and just add when you add the flour.

2 T oil
1 ½ t salt
5-6 C flour

Mix all ingredients until elastic.  Place in oiled bowl and let rise for 1 hour.  Shape into 2 loafs and let rise 40 minutes.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack so bread stays crisp. (Best if you use a french bread pan!)
Also rolls can be made and put in loaf pan to shape loaf. Less crumbs.


My dearest friend Shannon Wrigley gave me this pan and recipe. It is a family favorite!