Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I remember having a family dinner at our priest's home as a child and he served us brussel sprouts. To be polite my brother and I tried them, but didn't like them.  As an adult they are becoming one of my go-to vegetables. They are so easy to roast and my husband likes them as much as I do!

What you will need:
Brussel Sprouts, olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the sprouts and cut in half.  Tear off any leaves that are wilted or brown.  Toss the sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Throw them on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Serve warm.

Quinoa Broccoli Casserole

When I was in college the cafeteria served a dish called Chicken Divan Casserole.  It had chicken, rice, and broccoli.  Later, once I was married, I found a similar recipe in an old church cookbook.  Sometime along the road I lost that cookbook or got rid of it and never pursued trying to find the recipe again.  Then it happened, one day I saw something on Pinterest that caught my eye.  It looked like Chicken Divan Casserole, but not quite.
This recipe calls for quinoa instead of rice.  Brilliant!  There is no chicken, however, if you wanted to make this a dish with meat, you could definitely add chunks of chicken or serve a grilled chicken breast on top.
I thought this was a delightful way to serve up quinoa in a casserole.  Give it a try and see if you like it.

http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/blast-from-the-past-with-a-new-twist/

Cheesy Cauliflower

I love cauliflower. It's one of my favorite veggies.  My children, are another story.  First off, it's doesn't really have an appetizing smell and it can be a bit spicy.  So the other night while I was preparing dinner I thought I have to do something to this cauliflower so the boys will eat it.  I wanted to do some kind of creamy cheese sauce and then it came to me.  I would use the same sauce I do for my Au gratin potatoes.  I must be honest with you, I didn't measure any ingredients for the sauce so these are my guesstimates.  Use with caution.

What you will need: One head of cauliflower (washed and cut into little bunches), 2 tablespoons butter, 2+ tablespoons flour, 1 cup milk, salt and pepper, cheddar cheese

Put about an inch of water and a pinch of salt in a pot. Bring to a boil.  Place the cauliflower inside and put the lid on.  Let this steam for about 8 minutes. I check it periodically by sticking a piece of cauliflower with a knife to check the tenderness.  Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt the butter over a low heat.  Add the flour and whisk until it thickens. Add the milk and increase the heat.  The mixture should thicken quickly. If you feel it's too thick, add more milk.  Reduce heat to low. Add salt and pepper to taste and then throw in a handful of cheese.  The more cheese you use the cheesier it will be:)
Drain your cauliflower and place in a bowl. Pour the sauce over top and serve.

If you're wondering about the kids. No, they did not eat the cauliflower. Oh well, at least I tried.

The other items on the plate are salmon, the rub is posted in February 2011(A birthday meal) and the stuffing from stuffed peppers posted on April 2011.

Quinoa Cakes with Sweet Potatoes

Here's a recipe from November that I'm finally getting around to posting.  I've tried many quinoa cake recipes and still haven't found my favorite.  Maybe I'm just not a fan of quinoa cakes.  I wanted to try this one because it had veggies in it.  I found this recipe on Pinterest so instead of typing out the recipe I'll give you the link.

Quinoa Cakes
http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/love-my-quinoa-burger/

As a side I did sweet potatoes.

What you will need:  2 large sweet potatoes, olive oil, course salt, 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp brown sugar,
1/3 c. walnuts, crushed


Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and halve lengthwise; slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil; season with salt.

Transfer half the potatoes to a second baking sheet; cook both sheets until potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, 25-30 minutes.

Sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, pecan pieces and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly. Bake until sugar is caramelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Toss gently; serve immediately.



Sweet and Spicy Grilled Shrimp with Acorn Squash

I am going to start this next blog with an apology.  Last time I posted a recipe I promised I would try to take more pictures of my meals and I have failed miserably.  I have three new recipes to post and not a single photo.  I'm just going to be real with you...I like food and sometimes my sight is set on eating so I just forget to get the camera out.

My husband and I enjoyed this shrimp dish just the other night. We fed the boys frozen pizza, put them to bed, and had a 'date'

What you will need: 1lb shrimp (I used frozen and just defrosted it), 1tbsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup hot chili garlic sauce, 1/2 cup sweet chili garlic sauce, 1 cup honey, 1 cup lime, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup canola oil.

Mix everything except the shrimp in a medium bowl.  Set aside 1 cup of the marinade and transfer to a large Ziploc baggie and place the shrimp in the bag.  Let marinade for 2-12 hours.  Before cooking, make a very hot fire on the grill.  Line a grill wok or basket with tin foil.  Drain most of the marinade off the shrimp.  Put the shrimp in the wok.  Cook until the shrimp is heated through and the marinade starts to crystallize.

Our grill wok.  We use this for everything!

Acorn Squash
This isn't really a recipe, it's just how I cook my squash.  There is no culinary genius to this, but in case you wanted to know how to cook acorn squash, here you go!

Preheat oven to 350.  Cut the squash in half. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard.  place upside down on a baking sheet which is lined with tin foil.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Turn the squash over and place a pat of butter and a spoonful of brown sugar inside each shell.  Bake for another 10-15 minutes.  That's it; enjoy!

Whole Grains

I feel like I've been super lazy today even though I took Connor to swim lessons, did two loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen (this is a daily task), and went to the grocery store. Oh, I took the garbage out and cleaned the laundry room and the master bathroom.  *sigh* I guess I did more than I thought.  I was up until midnight last night because my Bible study group met until 11:00.  I guess I'm just tired and sick of the summer heat.

So, it's 4:45pm, the children are at the neighbor's playing and I feel like I should do something, anything!  Well, I guess I'll blog about the latest recipes I've tried.  They both came from Lorna Sass' Whole Grains Everyday, Every way.  I love whole grains.  I'm enjoying learning about them and cooking with them.  Oh, and Lorna has a great website http://lornasass.com/home Check it out!

Barley

So the first recipe was.....Farro Salad with prosciutto and asparagus

This one sounded really yummy and the picture in the book looked great, but I didn't really care for it in the end.  I may have used too much lemon juice, but the dressing was too bitter.  Next time I would add a bit of sugar.  I also used barley for this because it is really hard to find farro in the Midwest.  Cook according to directions.  You'll need about 4 cups.



An ice bath



After washing and cutting the asparagus, steam them in boiling water for about six minutes; until bright green.  Immediately transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

Mix up your dressing.  I always use a pint jar with a tight fitting lid.  Shake to combine the ingredients.  3 tablespoons olive oil, grated Parmesan, 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and the zest, 1/2 Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste and here is where my taste buds ask for a little sugar.

The finished product

The next recipe was Hominy with shredded chicken and peppers

This one was superb!  I've always been curious about hominy and while I didn't cook it from scratch (I used canned) it was still good.  I didn't take pictures of this one, I'm sorry, but here is what I did.

To prep slice an onion really thin, seed and slice up a green and a red pepper into thin sliced, seed and mince a jalapeno.
Heat olive oil in a pan and toss in the onions and bell peppers.  After they start to soften add in the jalapeno and two cloves of minced garlic.  Cook for about a minute.  Add 2 teaspoons of dried oregano and cumin.  Stir. Add one can of diced tomatoes with the juices and one can of drained and rinsed hominy (yellow or white).  Cook until heated through.  At this point, I added shredded chicken, but sauteed shrimp or sausage would be delish as well.  Whatever you feel like.

That's it!  It was so good:)

Summery Salad and To Good to Be True Dessert

I've become addicted to Pinterest.  It's a cool site (http://pinterest.com/) to find things that interest you. You can 'pin' them and put them into your boards (kind of like online files).  Of course I've been pinning recipes left and right.  Today I made a Martha Stewart dessert and a nice salad for dinner.

Martha Stewart has this recipe on her website so here is the link for you.  They are called Chocolate Coconut Bars. Super easy and delicious!http://www.marthastewart.com/313038/chocolate-coconut-bars#slide_17 


Next up was a nice summery salad.  If you want to make this, remember that the beans need to be marinaded for 6-8 hours to put them in the fridge before bed time.  Here is the link from Kalyn's Kitchen.  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2006/06/weekend-herb-blogging-35-oregano.html
I did change a few things in the recipe (of course).  I didn't add any extra balsamic vinegar.  I chopped up fresh basil as I have it growing on my deck right now.  Instead of feta, I threw in some mozzarella balls that I had soaking in oregano basil infused olive oil.

Served over a quinoa cake.

Here is the recipe for the quinoa cakes.  I think they lacked flavor and will work on them in the future. They did work well with the cucumber tomato salad.  http://www.handletheheat.com/2011/06/quinoa-cakes.html
Enjoy!  And don't forget to check out Pinterest:)

Black Bean, Edamame and Wheat Berry Salad

Lately I've been interested in trying new grains.  The latest one I've picked up at the store is wheat berries.  Here's a little information for you http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatberry  I have also started cooking my own beans instead of buying them canned.  You will save money if you buy them dry and after being cooked, they will keep for up to six months in the freezer.  Plus, I have the time to soak and simmer them all day so why not!?

What you will need: 4 cups water, 1/2 cup dry wheat berries, 1/2 cup of dry black beans or 1/2 can of black beans, 1 cup frozen edamame (cooked and shelled), 4 tbsp salsa, a drizzle oil olive, salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the water and wheat berries in a 3 qt sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cover. Allow to simmer for 55 minutes or until the wheat berries are tender. Cook the black beans if using dry.  I soaked mine for 6 hours and then simmered for about 90 minutes.  Strain the wheat berries under cold water. Drain the beans from their juices as well. Combine the wheat berries with the remaining ingredients.

Instead of salsa, you can add a chopped tomato, red onion, and add a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar.

Mango Cucumber Rice Salad and appetizer.

 Here is my newest vegetarian salad.  I found this 'side' dish in the Food Network Magazine, but of course I altered it just a bit.  It called for red jalapeno, which I've never heard of.  I used red pepper b/c that is what I had on hand.  I also substituted parsley for cilantro, red onion for scallions, and pistachios for salted roasted peanuts.

What you will need: kosher Salt, 1 1/2 cup rice blend, 1/4 cup quinoa, juice of one lime, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sugar, freshly ground pepper, 1 cup chopped mango, 1 cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced), 1 red pepper ( diced), 1/4 chopped red onion, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1/3 cup chopped pistachios.

Bring a large saucepan  of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the rice (I used 1 cup white and 1/2 cup brown) and cook, stirring until tender. 
Meanwhile bring another saucepan of salted water to a boil and add quinoa. Cook until tender.
In a jar with the screw top add the lime juice, oil, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Shake to combine.
Place all ingredients in a large bowl and combine.

We served this up with some grilled shrimp and it was fabulous.  As leftovers, I cut up extra mangoes and tangerines to add.  We ate this for dinner tonight. The heat index was 116 degrees so we wanted something 'light'.


This appetizer was made with garden fresh tomatoes and basil.  I halved the mozzarella balls and tomatoes and stuck them on a toothpick with a basil leaf.

Chicken Piccata with sauteed veggies

I'm  a big fan of Ruby Tuesday's Chicken Piccata.  I love that they put capers in the dish, it really adds a spark of flavor.  In the past year I've enjoyed making restaurant quality food at home.  My husband and I believe that we can make almost anything that is made in a restaurant and it always taste just as good or even better.  It is always less expensive, which is an added bonus.  The only downfall of making your own restaurant meals is that you have to clean up afterwards.

One of my favorite chefs is Ina Garten, also known as the Barefoot Contessa. She is down to earth and boast using fresh and 'good' ingredients.  When I decided to make chicken piccata I wanted to test her recipe first, even though it doesn't call for capers.  I've added the link to the recipe below to save time on typing.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe/index.html

I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn't have fresh lemons on hand.  I did have (I'm embarrassed to say) the little plastic lemon that is filled with lemon juice.  The recipe was good; a nice light meal and I served it with sauteed veggies.

What you will need:  your choice of veggies, olive oil, salt and pepper

Prepare your veggies before heating the oil.  I used carrots (julienned), asparagus, red onion (sliced), red pepper (sliced).  I like to use veggies that give a nice mix of color in the pan.  Once I have everything cut the way I want it, I heat my olive oil and the carrots go in first. They are dense so it takes them longer to cook.  Once they start to feel tender I add the rest of the veggies and saute adding salt and pepper to taste.  I like my vegetables to have a little crisp to them so I keep a watchful eye.  I hate it when they are over cooked and get mushy.

Sloppy Joes: "I made them extra sloppy for ya!"

First I must apologize to my sister in law who asked last night,"what did you make for dinner?"  I skipped the blog last night because I didn't feel the sloppy joes were anything special, but after another request here they are.

Sloppy Joes

What you will need: 1-2 lbs ground beef, 1 can tomato soup, ketchup, mustard, sugar, salt

Brown the ground beef and drain off the grease.  Add half a can tomato soup.  You can add more if you want them 'extra sloppy' or if you are using 2 lbs ground beef you might need it. Next comes the tricky part....I don't measure the rest of the ingredients I just add them according to taste.  A big squirt of ketchup, a tiny squirt of mustard, probably 1 1/2 tsp sugar, and a sprinkle of kosher salt.  Let it simmer, taste and then add more of whatever you want.  Serve on a bun with lots of pickles and tator tots on the side!

That's it. See it's nothing special, but my boys love it.

I am always looking for side dishes to serve so last night I made Glazed Carrots from America's  Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.   http://www.americastestkitchen.com/  You can't get the recipe on their website, but thought I'd attach the link in case you were interested in visiting their site.  And of course, I have changed the recipe just a little bit;)

Glazed Carrots

What you will need: 1 pound carrots (I used the carrot chips that come in a bag in the produce section), 1/2 cup chicken broth, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon butter

In a saucepan place carrots, chicken broth, and 1 tbsp sugar. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer with lid on until carrots start getting tender.  Then uncover and boil once more until most liquid is gone. Add the butter and remaining sugar and stick until it's dissolved/melted.

Check back tonight for a new blog.  I have no idea what I will make-maybe I'll test a brand new recipe.