It's Roasting in Here!

Have you ever roasted vegetables before? If not, you MUST try it! I used to shy away from roasting vegetables because I thought it was too time consuming. Well, let me tell you how silly that thought was! I tried roasting asparagus back in June and it was so good that I made it almost 2 times a week for awhile. And just this past week I tried roasting other vegetables like carrots, onions, potatoes, and celery. I actually roasted vegetables 4 times in the past 6 days! The roasting process caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables and brings out their flavors along with making them very tender. The flavor is amazing! Below are my favorite roasted vegetable recipes. You've just got to try them! Yum!

Roasted Asparagus:

1 bunch of asparagus (look for medium thickness and that the bottoms are fresh looking with no big holes)

1 tbsp melted butter or cooking spray (can be regular or butter flavored)

salt & pepper

hand full of pine nuts or sliced/slivered almonds (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. Cut about 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus and discard. Then peel the bottom half of the remaining asparagus. (I never used to do this and it turned out fine but they get SO tender when you peel a little bit of the skin off the bottom.) Spread the asparagus out on a rimmed baking sheet and coat with the butter or spray. Then sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you are using pine nuts put them on now, but wait 5 minutes into the baking for the almonds. Bake for 10-12 minutes turning once half way through.

Roasted Veggies and Meat:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts (figure 1 per person. I make 2 more than I need to have on hand for another recipe later in the week.)

vegetables like carrots, potatoes, celery, onions, and fennel cut up in uniform chunks (use whatever veggies you like or have on hand)

2-4 cloves of garlic

4 sprigs fresh thyme (you can use dried too)

2-4 sprigs of fresh rosemary (dried works just as well)

salt & pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Coat both sides your chicken with salt, pepper, and a little of the thyme and rosemary leaves pulled from the sprigs or a couple dashes of dried. Put a little of the oil in a skillet and brown both sides of the chicken. Once the sides are golden brown transfer to the center of a roasting pan or ridged baking sheet. Add the vegetables and garlic around the sides of the chicken and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Tuck the sprigs of herbs into the the veggies and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the veggies. Put the pan into the oven for about 35-45 minutes.

(You can also make roast beef instead of chicken. Do the exact same steps of the chicken.)

If you try this let me know what you think!

Straight from the Picture

You might have noticed that I put a picture of 2 loaves of bread on my banner. Well, since I put the picture up I figured I'd give you the recipe. This bread is light and fluffy and very yummy. Especially when it's still warm. Yum!

Farmhouse Bread Recipe:

Ingredients
2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 1/4 cups boiling water
2/3 cup shortening
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Pour lukewarm water into a bowl, sprinkle yeast on top and set a side for 5 minutes or till fermented. Bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil remove from heat. Add shortening and let sit until the mixture becomes lukewarm. In a bowl add beaten eggs, sugar,salt and 1 cup of flour. Add the shortening mixture that has cooled down and mix. Pour in the yeast mixture. Now continue to add the rest of the flour 1 cup at a time. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for 7 minutes. Place dough into a greased bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. place in a warm area. Till doubled in size, about 1 hour. Punch down and place on a floured surface. cut dough into two equal parts. Form dough into to round loaves and place on a cookie sheet. Cover and let rise till double. Place dough in oven at 350 F for 40 minutes or till golden brown. Brush top of bread with melted butter.

From Ina

Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa, is my favorite celebrity chef. Last night I tried a dip recipe of hers while I was waiting for my macaroni and cheese to finish baking. It turned out amazing and it was so easy to make!

So if you're looking for an easy appetizer for a holiday party you've just got to try this one!

Sun-dried Tomato Dip

1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (8 tomatoes)
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (I used the 1/3 less fat kind)
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
1/2 cup good mayonnaise (I used light mayo)
10 dashes Tabasco sauce (I used the hot sauce we had on hand)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, thinly sliced - white & green parts (I didn't have any on hand so I skipped this)

Purée the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, Tabasco sauce, salt, and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the scallions and pulse twice. Serve at room temperature.

HR = "At least a 9!" is what he said.

I wasn't a fan of the new mac 'n cheese recipe I tried last night so once I tweak it a few more times I'll post that recipe for you as well.

One for the Crock-Pot

I love using my crock-pot! It makes supper so easy at the end of a busy day. I found this recipe in the recipe booklet that came with my crock-pot. I've made it twice and both times my husband has loved it.

African Style Chicken on Couscous
(9) from the crock-pot recipe book that came with my crock-pot

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into slices
1 onion, chopped ( I used 1/2 an onion cause I'm not a huge onion fan)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (I add more cause I like it spicy!)
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced (I grate it instead)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. lime juice
cooked couscous

Combine all ingredients, except couscous in the Crock-Pot. Cover; cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours. Serve over the couscous.

(You can make a double batch of this and make another meal out of the chicken by putting it in tortillas or over rice.)

HR (husband rating) = 9.5

Hot Orange Cider

This is a childhood favorite of mine. Growing up, every fall and winter my mom would make this cider. It would simmer for 3 hours and make the house smell amazing. It's great when you are having a bunch of people over. You'll love this easy cider recipe!

Hot Orange Cider

1 gal. apple cider
1 - 46 oz. can of pineapple juice
4-6 Cinnamon sticks - to your taste
1 cup orange juice

1 orange

whole cloves

Poke whole cloves into the orange - use as many as you want.
Heat & simmer for 3 hrs. (If you can wait that long)

HR = I haven't made this for him yet, but I give it a 9!

Finally, a Recipe!

Ok, when did September turn into December? And I'm just now getting around to posting my first recipe. Sheesh! Well, I won't keep you waiting any longer. Here is the first recipe for my blog.

I was craving granola but I wanted something healthier than the store bought stuff. So I went in search of a yummy granola recipe on www.allrecipes.com After reading suggestions and making many batches myself, here is my granola recipe.

Honey Nut Granola

What you'll need:

1/3 c. canola oil

1 c. honey (you can add a little more if you like your granola with bigger chunks)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 c. dried cranberries

4 c. oatmeal

1 c. sliced almonds

1 c. sunflower seeds

1.c chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 c. wheat germ (optional)

1/2 c. flax seed (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and cranberries. (Letting the cranberries soak in this mixture makes them stay soft during and after baking.)

In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients and then add the first mixture into the large bowl.

Line 2 edged cookie sheets with wax paper. (Or you can use one non-stick roasting pan. Much easier clean up!)

Spread the mixture on the pans and bake for 21 minutes stirring every 7 minutes.

When the granola is done pour it onto paper towels to cool completely.

Enjoy!

HR = 8.5

This makes a lot!!! I just made a batch and sent it off for Christmas gifts. A yummy, budget friendly gift that everyone will love!