Pink Sauced Beets

not my photo.  I got it here.

I always hated beets as a kid.  Basically because the only time I ever had beets was at Thanksgiving, and they were always pickled.  Blech.  I am very much not a fan of pickled beets.  The only thing that needs to be pickled are pickles.  End of story.

And then a month or two ago, my mother introduced me to non pickled beets.  I was surprised by the taste.  Yummy!  And so I went in search of some recipes for beets.  There really aren't many out there.  I was surprised.  And then my mother (the angel that she is) found this recipe for me.

What you need:

¼ cup sour cream

1 T vinegar

1 tsp finely chopped green onions

¾ tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

dash of cayenne

What you do:

combine above. Add to 2 ½ cups halved cooked beets drained. Heat slowly, stirring occasionally to coat beets evently. Do not boil. Serves 4-5.

Oh so good.  Try it!

Halloween Dinner

Graveyard Dip

Last night we had some friends come over for dinner and games.  Since it was so close to Halloween, I decided to spookify the meal.  So, I whipped up some of Jeffrey's bean dip.  I then made some of these crackers, but free handed the tree shape and tombstones.  I also used some Halloween cookie cutters for witches, bats, cats and pumpkin shapes to dip into the dip.  I chopped up some olives and salad to be dirt and fallen leaves.  The tomb stones didn't turn out very well in the photo but they looked pretty cool.

Mummy Pizza

I also used my pizza recipe but cut circles out of the dough with a cup, then used string cheese for the mummy wrap and olives for the eyes (obviously).

Pumpkin Fudge

Lastly, I used this recipe for the pumpkin fudge.  I am going to play with it the next time I make it.  It doesn't taste pumpkiny enough for my palate, though.  Still good but different.

What do you make for Halloween night?

Pumpkin Fudge

Last night I made some Pumpkin Fudge.  Delicious.  Absolutely delicious.  I got the recipe from one of my favorite blogs.  It is Be Different Act Normal.  She finds great ideas all across the web and compiles them onto her blog for my reading enjoyment.  I don't know if this is her own recipe or if she got it from another site, but either way, it is a definite must try.

What you need:

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup melted butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate morsels
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


What you do:

Stir together first 6 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer registers 234° (soft-ball stage) or for about 12 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining ingredients until well blended. Pour into a greased aluminum foil-lined 9-inch square pan. Let stand 2 hours or until completely cool; cut fudge into squares.

The next time I make it, I will absolutely be adding more pumpkin, though.  

Enjoy!

Old Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake

My mother has an abundance of rhubarb in her garden.  She keeps giving me a whole bunch of rhubarb, which makes me so happy.  I decided I need to find other things to do with it other than sticking it in a pie.
And then I found a recipe for Rhubarb Pudding Cake.  I am so excited to try it!  I love rhubarb and am sure this is going to scintillate the taste buds.

What you need:
4 cups diced fresh or frozen rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

What to do:
In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb and 1 cup sugar.  Cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes or until rhubarb is tender.
Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, cream shortening, and the remaining sugar; beat in egg and vanilla.  Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Beat just until combined.
Pour into a greased 9" square  baking dish.  Pour the rhubarb mixture over the batter.  Bake at 350* for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.

Garlic Spiked Broccoli

I cannot believe I don't have this recipe posted!  Seriously, one of my favorite ways to eat broccoli, and I didn't even list it.  *sigh*  What am I comming to?

At any rate, if you like broccoli, well, even if you don't give this a try and it will probably put a smile on your lips.

What you need:

2 Tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic

1-2 cups sliced mushrooms

2 tsp rosemary

A bunch of broccoli florets (can use frozen or fresh)

(I never measure the broccoli.  Just a bag of frozen florets, or a 2 bunches of fresh broccoli. Sometimes 3 bunches.  Depends on my mood and how big the bunches are)

What to do:

Heat oil in a large sauce pan.  Add crushed garlic.  Once it begins to brown, add mushrooms and rosemary.  Cook until mushrooms are soft.  Add broccoli.  Make sure to coat the broccoli with the garlic, mushrooms and rosemary that have already been in the pan, mingling flavors.  Cook for about 10 minutes on medium low, or until broccoli is soft with a slight crunch.  Remove from heat and serve.

Tastes so good!  I can never go back to just regular broccoli now that I know how it tastes with the garlic and rosemary. 

National Macaroni Day or Pasta with Aurora Sauce

Today was National Macaroni Dayor something like that.  So I had to make something pasta-ish. 

Cruising through some cookbooks, I found a recipe I thought I might add... if I changed it up a lot.  We liked it, but I think the next time I make it, I will be going a little easier on the garlic.  Loved it though.

Pasta with Aurora Sauce

What you need:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 green onions, minced

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup cream cheese

1 lb pasta of choice (I used the veggie bow tie pasta)

cheese (I had longhorn on hand, so we used that)

What to do:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the garlic and green onions, cooking until fragrant (1 minute).  Stir in tomatoes and spices.  Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While sauce is simmering, cream the cream cheese until smooth.  Add 1 cup of the garlic tomato sauce from your saucepan and blend with cream cheese until smooth.  Return to saucepan, stirring to blend.  Be sure you taste and fix with any seasonings if needed.  Keep warm over low heat while your pasta is cooking until al dente.  Transfer drained pasta to serving bowl.  Add the sauce and toss gently to combine and cover noodles.  Grate cheese over top, and toss again distributing cheese evenly.  Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.

To be completely honest, this recipe isn't anything to phone home about, but for a good home cooked meal, it hits the spot.  The next time I make it, I will be adding some zucchini and spinach (staples in every meal) and any other veggie that sounds good.  Love loading my pasta with veggies!

Again, sorry for the lack of photos.  By the time dinner is ready, I am busy getting my family fed and so forget to take a picture.  However, here is a photo of a vegan version, same recipe.  Only she didn't use cheese, and used tofu instead of cream cheese. 

Mine looked better.  :)

Creamy Summertime Vegetables

Back into my groove again.  Can't wait to start the experimentation of new recipes again.  This week is chalk full of new experiences for the taste buds.  I decided to do a weekly menu again as that helps me with my budget.  This week we are going to enjoy the bounty of my cherry tree, and other summery foods.

I thought I would start off with a recipe I received in an email.  It looks delicious!

Creamy Summertime Vegetables This recipe works well with any mixture of veggies you find at your local farmer's market.  Get creative! 1.  Chop 6-8 cups of vegetables.  Good ones are carrots, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, kale, cauliflower.  (you don't need them all, choose 2-4 different kinds for this dish). 2.  Sautee fresh minced garlic in 2 Tbls of olive oil on medium heat. 3.  Add 1 tsp of Indian Curry powder or ginger and mix thoroughly. 4.  Add 1 cup of vegetable or chicken broth and 1 cup ofcoconut milk to pot. 5.  Add chopped vegetables (reserve quick cooking ones like kale, spinach, or asparagus for later), bring to boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. 6.  Add rest of vegetables for 3-5 minutes. 7.  Add 1 Tbls of dry basil (or a 1/4 cup fresh) to vegetables. 8.  Add sea salt to taste. 9.  Pour over bed of cooked brown rice.  Enjoy! I will take some pictures of it when I make it this week, and if they (the pictures) turn out, I will tack them onto the recipe.

Asparagus Frittata

I went to the grocery store last week and my jaw dropped.  Asparagus was $0.99 a bundle!  So of course we bought three.  I just love asparagus.  As luck would have it, I stumbled across this recipe from the 1930 Ladies Home Journal.  I can't wait to try it tonight.

Asparagus Frittata

What You Need:

 

1 green bell pepper, diced
12 thin asparagus stalks
3 green onions, ends removed, and chopped
1/4 pound Parmesan cheese, grated
8 large eggs
5 fresh thyme sprigs or a tsp. of dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon butter or olive oil

 

What To Do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Gently break the asparagus stalks off approximately 2 inches from the end. Slice into 2-inch pieces. Beat the eggs into a large bowl until frothy. Add the green onion, bell pepper, asparagus and grated cheese by the handful into the beaten eggs. Strip the thyme leaves from the stems and add to the bowl with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the egg mixture and cook until the eggs begin to set, approximately 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 more minutes. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and cook approximately 5 more minutes or until the eggs are set on top. Remove from the heat, cut into wedges and serve.

I will add a post script review once I have tried it.

Banana Bread

What You Need:

1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus a little more mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
3 T milk
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 350*. Cream sugar, egg, and butter together in large bowl. Beat until fulffy. set aside. combine bananas, milk and vanilla in small bowl. Set aside. combine flour, baking powder, and bking soda together in small bowl. Alternate adding flour and banana mixutre into reserved creamed mixture stirring by hand until flour is just moistened. Do not over stir. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans if desired. Grease one 9x5x3" loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Pizza Friday

A year or so ago I came across a great idea and decided to implement it.

This great idea was called Pizza Friday.

Meaning, every Friday I make a delicious pizza for my family. 

Since that time, I have been searching for the perfect pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes.  To no avail.

Until about three weeks ago when I stumbled upon my sister's recipe. My search has come to an end.  And the best part of this recipe, the dough doesn't have to rise, so I don't have to plan ahead a couple of hours.  And it is so delicious!

Pizza Crust

What You Need:

1 Tbsp dry yeast (1 pkg)
1 c warm water
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp oil
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt

 1/4 c parmesean cheese

2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

What To Do:

Mix all ingredients and set aside for 5 minutes. Oil pan or pizza stone, then sprinkle with corn meal if desired, and push dough out out onto pan/stone (or cookie sheet.) Bake crust for 15 minutes at 400*. Add sauce and toppings and bake until crust is golden brown (approx. 15 more minutes.)

Pizza Sauce

What you need:

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

6 fluid ounces warm water (tomato paste can)

3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp minced garlic

2 Tbsp honey

3/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried marjoram

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes

salt to taste

What To Do:

In a small bowl, combine tomato paste, water, Parmesan cheese, garlic, honey, anchovy paste, onion powder, oregano, marjoram, basil, ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and salt; mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.  Sauce should sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors; spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Top with veggies.  I generally go with zucchini, mushrooms, olives, leeks, spinach, tomatoes, and green peppers. And cheese.  Delicious.  

Buen Provecho!

Surprising Cauliflower

I despise cauliflower. I can't help it, I always have had an aversion to it. I try to like it.  At parties I eat the broccoli and cauiflower.  Growing up I would always eat it if there was cheese covering it.  But really, not my cup of tea.

Until today.

See, I found the best recipe ever.  I am now converted.  I want some more!

I found the most amazing recipe on Country Living, and am going to share it with you!

Roasted Cauliflower with Cumin 

What You Need:

• 1 head cauliflower florets separated into 2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed 
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar (I didn't have sherry vinegar, so I used rice vinegar)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

What To Do:

pre-heat oven to 425*.  Place cauliflower in a large roasting pan and toss with oil, salt, pepper, and cumin seeds.  Roast until florets are tender and lightly

golden 30-40 minutes (20 minutes was sufficient for mine).  Meanwhile, met butter in a small pan over medium heat and continue to cook until golden brown.  Sprinkle with vinegar and pepper.  Transfer the cauliflower to a serving dish and toss with the brown butter and parsley.  Serve immediately.

Absolutely surprising.  The cumin seeds and vinegar really give it a pop of flavor while roasting it mellows out the flavor.  Wow, I am even salivating just thinking about it now.  Wow.

Buen Provecho!

Goblin Pie

I went to the grocery store last night and loaded up on groceries. While there, I was shocked at the price of fresh spinach. $6.99 lb! Ridiculous, right? So I didn't buy any and after I left my neighborhood market I headed down the street for the health food store. Spinach there was $2.49 lb. I bought two pounds.

Two pounds may sound like a lot of spinach... okay, it is a lot of spinach, but for what I am planning on cooking this week, it is just enough. Really, spinach is a staple in our home. One recipe calls for 10 cups of spinach, another calls for four and yet another calls for six! So, buying that much spinach didn't bother me. It wont be going bad.

Today I decided to make a souffle for dinner. I am trying out another recipe in my vegan cookbook. Spinach souffle! I love that stuff, and make it with tofu and the nutrients and vitamins that I need just skyrocket! So, with a little bit of tweaking to make it perfect for my family, here is my recipe:

Goblin Pie

What you need:

4 Tbsp olive oil
1 med yellow onion, minced
4 cups fresh baby spinach
handful of mushrooms, sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb firm tofu, drained
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup veggie broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly oil a 3 qt casserole or round baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium low heat. Add the onions, cover, and cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Stir in the spinach and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes.

In a food processor (or blender) combine the tofu and the onion/spinach mixture and process until well blended. If you are doing this in a blender, add the vegetable broth and blend. Add the baking powder, soy sauce, remaining 3 Tbsp of olive oil, and the broth if you have not yet added it. Blend. If you have a heavy duty blender, go ahead and add the flour and blend it all together. My blender would choke, so I after everything else was blended I had to mix the flour in by hand. Regardless of how you do it, when it is all blended together, pour into your baking dish. Add cheese if you would like. Or not. Put in the oven and bake until firm, about 60 minutes. Serve immediately.

This souffle looks disgusting. Really. Jeffrey said it looks like a cow pie turned over. But man oh man, is it good stuff! This is definitely added to our rotating dinner menu. Okay, lets be honest, I don't have one of those, because I am constantly trying new recipes. But if I did, it would be added. We loved it! The tofu has lots of protein, as does the spinach, so that is great. They both also have lots of calcium, so you nay sayers about the vegetarian diet, there you go. A simple dinner that has tons of the two nutrients that are supposedly lacking. Next time I am going to add some ground up flax seed just for fun.

Well, what are you waiting for? Go on and make it! Surprisingly easy, and enormously delicious!

Buen Provecho!

Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes

I have some zucchini sitting in my fridge waiting to be used. And I am craving vegetables without pasta. So glad I found my cookbook (do I talk about it too much?). I found a recipe in it for Roasted Zucchini and Tomatoes. Since I have all the ingredients it calls for, I decided I would make it. I will come back and post (if I can remember to take one) a picture, and my reviews. I am hoping it will turn out good! But of course it will, it is zucchini and tomatoes!

Without further adieu,

What you need:

4 small zucchini, halved lengthwise
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

What to do:

Turn on your oven to 400*. Lightly oil a 9x13 baking pan. Cut the zucchini inot 1/4 inch slices and place in the prepared pan. Add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, oil, basil, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste, tossing to coat.
Roast, uncovered until tender, stirring once about halfway through, 30 to 40 minutes.
Transfer to a serving bowl, toss with the parsley, and serve immediately.

Sounds good, doesn't it? So I am now off to make it. And as always

Buen Provecho!

Baked Pasta Shells with Broccoli

I got a new cookbook on a date with my hubby last week. I finally made a recipe out of it last night. It was pretty good, but not what I was expecting. For some reason I thought that it would be a very elegant meal. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. At any rate, it was very much a home-style cooking kind of meal. But Jeffrey liked it a lot and requested I make it again, so that is a good sign. I forgot to take pictures of it, so you are going to have to use your imagination on this one. Also, I didn't follow the recipe exact as I didn't have all the ingredients it called for, but I think it turned out pretty well regardless.

What you need:

1 medium bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into small florets (I would use two bunches of broccoli the next time I make this)
8 oz small pasta shells (I used curly noodles as I didn't have shells)
3 cups Mornay-Style Cheeze Sauce (recipe below)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs
1 tsp sweet paprika

What to do:

Steam the broccoli until just tender, about 5 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Lightly oil a 9x13" baking dish and set aside.
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta over medium-high heat until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain well and return to the pot. Add the steamed broccoli, the Mornay sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently to combine, then spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the bread crumbs and paprika.
Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is lightly browned, about 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

*** I just mixed everything in the baking dish rather than return it all to the pasta pot and then mixing it before putting it in the baking dish. Also, we were impatient to eat so I baked it for 15 minutes with the foil on and about 10 minutes with the foil off.***

Mornay-style Cheese Sauce

What you Need:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp turmeric (I didn't have any so I used worchestshire sauce. I don't recommend doing this )
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp water
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk (I only had vanilla, so I used regular milk)

What to do:

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the broth and nutritional yeast, turmeric, and salt and pepper and simmer, stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken.
Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice, mustard, and milk and blend until smooth. Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Return the sauce to the saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring, until hot. If not using right away, cool the sauce to room temperature, then transfer it to a container, cover, and refrigerate until needed. Properly stored, the sauce will keep for 2 to 3 days. Reheat the sauce in a saucepan over low heat.

Again, it was a very comforting meal, but I will definetly add more broccoli next time, and not try to replace the turmeric, because that gave it a really funny flavor. I also added some shredded cheese and mixed it in with the casserole. All in all, it was yummy but nothing to wow the Jones'. If you do decide to make this, let me know now it goes, and as always,

Buen Provecho!

Pumpkin Bread

This Pumpkin Bread is not your typical pumpkin bread. It is far better than any other you could ever taste. It is divine and phenomenal. Every time I make this I get requests for the recipe. It is absolutely delicious! I love to make it in the fall, and just realized I don't have the recipe posted. What a horrible oversight on my part! Never fear, for what would be the purpose of this post were it not to share the scrumptious bread (it is true, I have probably been watching too much Jane Austen if my speech is begining to imitate theirs. Oops!)

At any rate, here it is:

What You Need:
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 bag craisins

What To Do:

Heat your oven to 350* F. Grease and flour your bread pans (about 3 7x3" loaf pans.
In a large bowl mix the pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, and sugar until it is well blended. In a seperate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices and craisins. Stir the ingredients into the pumpkin mixutre until just blended. Pour the batter into bread pans. Bake for about 50 minutes. Loaves are done when they pass the toothpick test.

They are best the day after baking for some odd reason. But even fresh out of the oven they are divine. I hope you all enjoy this, and feel free to play with the mix ins. The recipe didn't call for craisins but I added them anyway, and have decided that they are necessary. Absolutely wonderful! Enjoy.