Roasted Brussel Sprouts

I never had brussel sprouts growing up but based on comments from those around me, I figured I wasn't missing much. The one or two times I had tried them, they were a soggy mushy mess that only reinforced the bad rap this little vegetable seems to get. Then my sister-in-law made some for us that were roasted. Not only did they smell great, they tasted great. My boys gobbled them up and really enjoyed them. I was thrilled when I got two bags of them in my bountiful basket this week. I found this recipe on pinterest from the Cooking Photographer.

Why should you eat brussel sprouts you ask? Not only to teach your children to try (and like) different foods, but also because (among other things), they protect you against cancer, and with all the cancer causing agents in our environment we need a little something to fight back with!

2 lb Brussel sprouts, trimmed and halved (remove any yellow leaves)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced fine (I use a garlic press and squeeze right over the sprouts)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat to 425 degrees.
On a roasting pan or 9x13 inch baking dish, toss together Brussels sprouts, garlic, water, oil, salt and pepper and spread out in a single layer.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until caramelized and tender.

Sweet Buttered Carrots

Remember my friend's husband, that makes this amazing cauliflower? Well, he also made the most amazing carrots I've ever tasted. I'm normally not a fan of cooked carrots. I can eat them, but I don't love them. Until now. It's amazing how something so simple as a carrot can turn into such a fabulously tasty side dish! Cooking them with the butter really brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots- no sugar needed. My boys scarfed down the entire dish of carrots and were begging for more. In fact, I only served the cauliflower and carrots for dinner and we were all so full we had to go for a walk afterwards. Who knew veggies could be so satisfying and filling?

Carrots, grated
Small onion finely sliced
Butter, 2+ tablespoons
Salt & Pepper

If you grate the carrots and slice the onions by hand they will look much better as far as presentation and you'll feel more like a real chef, but I'm kind of lazy, so I cheated and used the food processor.

I used 4 carrots, one small onion (the size of a golf ball) and grated them both in the food processor. Next, saute butter in a saucepan over medium heat, I used about 3 tablespoons. The butter really adds the flavor here, so don't scrimp. I start with about two tablespoons, add the carrots and as they cook if they start to dry out I add more butter. You want them to be really moist. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover. Continue cooking covered until carrots are tender, 5 to 10 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts

So story...My friend from high school is the most amazing hair dresser, and I was at her house getting a cut and color. Her husband happens to be an amazing self-taught chef (I have learned so many things from him- and will be sharing another of his side dishes soon). I was super excited when I found that he would be making dinner for us. We came up to eat while my hair was processing and were greeted by the most amazing smell in the world. I was surprised to see that it was this dish. Who knew cauliflower could be so good? The roasted pine nuts really give the dish such an amazing (have I said that word enough yet?) flavor, it seriously is the best combination. I had to try it myself, and while mine will never be quite as good as his, it is pretty fabulous. Oh, and if you live in the Salt Lake valley and need a good hair dresser- email me, she is the best!

Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts

1 large cauliflower cut into large florets
1 head garlic, peeled and sliced lengthwise
Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup pine nuts (don't omit- they are the best part!)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 lemon

Preheat oven to 400. Toss cauliflower with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.

Roast pine nuts on baking sheet until golden brown, watch carefully, they brown in less than a minute. Add to cauliflower, squeeze lemon juice over cauliflower and toss with fresh parsley. YUM.

Cheesy Onion Bread

I've had this bread several times at baby showers and finally had to make it myself. It so fabulous! Just when you thought bread couldn't get any better...

1 round loaf sourdough bread
1 pound monterey jack cheese (I used a combination of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan)
1 cube butter, melted
1/2 cup finely diced green onions, including the white part

2 teaspoons poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350. Cut the bread going both directions, but do not cut through all the way to the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese between cuts (or if your cheese is shredded, sprinkle on top and make sure some gets in all the cracks.

Melt butter and spread evenly over bread. Sprinkle onions and poppyseeds evenly over bread, getting into the cracks. Wrap the top with tin foil and bake for 15 minutes. Unwrap and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

And in case you were wondering...if you get this craving (like I do almost every day!) and don't have any yummy crusty bread around, you can use a tortilla, dinner roll or any other bread like substance. It tastes amazing on just about anything!

How to cook pumpkin or butternut squash

I'm posting this information because I used to be intimidated by real pumpkins but have learned how easy it really is. And since it's the time of year, I'll be posting several recipes with pumpkin. I highly recommend using fresh, it tastes sooo much better. Also, butternut squash is an excellent substitute for pumpkin, in fact I think it makes better pumpkin pie than pumpkin. So you can exchange butternut squash for pumpkin and vice versa.

To cook either of these, simply cut off the stem, cut in half, remove all the seeds, place cut side down on a microwave safe pan (the pampered chef small bar pan works perfect for this) and microwave on high for 10 minutes (if you're using a large pumpkin you'll need to increase the time- you can usually tell because the top will start to cave in and the flesh will be soft). That's it! Let cool a bit then scrape out the flesh, mash or puree and use in your favorite recipe. I prefer a bit of texture in mine just because it feels homemade. You can also scoop into freezer bags and freeze, makes it easy to pull out and make yummy recipes like these pumpkin muffins.

 

Crunchy Broccoli Salad

I love the broccoli salad at Ruby Tuesday's and this recipe is pretty close.
1/4 cup mayo
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
2-3 heads of broccoli washed and chopped
bacon (I used half a jar of real bacon bits)
sunflower seeds (can also use pecans)
raisins or grapes halved
frozen peas, thawed

Mix the dressing or mayo with the red wine vinegar & sugar. Chop all vegetables and stir together. Refrigerate one hour to let the flavors soak in. Serve cold.

Wallaby Smashers

One of my favorite places to eat when we lived in happy valley was Wallaby's in Linden- they have the best pulled pork and these yummy garlic cheese bbq mashed potatoes called smashers. This is my version of what I remember them tasting like- granted it's been almost 8 years since we lived in Utah, but this is what my tastebuds remember...Don't judge them by the picture- they are so delicious!

8 red potatoes, washed- keep skins on
1 cube butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cheese
2-3 tablespoons bbq sauce
Boil potatoes until soft. Drain water, mash with potato masher- skin and all. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Stir in sour cream and butter until fluffy. Mix in a bit of bbq sauce and cheese and eat warm. If you need to thin them out just add more milk or sour cream. Perfect accompaniment for our pulled pork.

Baked Potato Skins

Use the potato skins from the sweet potato layer bake to make yummy potato skins. Most of the nutrients in a potato are in the skin so smother them with cheese for a tasty treat.

4 baked potatoes, with flesh scooped out
grated cheese
bacon bits
olive oil
seasoning salt (or salt & pepper)

Turn oven to broil. Toss potato skins with olive oil and seasoning salt (or salt & pepper) place open side down on baking sheet. Broil for 10 minutes or until crisp. Turn over and stuff each skin with cheese and bacon bits. Broil for another 10 minutes or until crisp.

Layered Sweet Potato Bake

The only time growing up I ever ate sweet potatoes was at Thanksgiving with marshmallows on them and they were so sweet it almost made you feel sick. I've since discovered eating them like a regular potato tastes so much better (although I do have a few sweet crunchy recipes I love as well) and they are heathier than white potatoes. This is a fun mix of both potatoes. You can use flavored cream cheese spread in place of sour cream and lipton onion soup mix. Save the skins on the white potatoes- up next are crunchy potato skins followed by mile-high biscuits...

4 white potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 cube butter
2-3 tablespoons lipton onion soup mix
1 cup sour cream (or 8oz cream cheese)
1/2 cup grated cheese (mozzarella or parmesan)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup French's fried onions (optional)

Cook and peel potatoes (microwave, bake or boil). Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In one bowl mash white potatoes, add 1/4 cube butter, 1-2 tablespoons lipton onion soup mix, 1/2 cup sour cream or 1/2 package cream cheese, 1/4 grated cheese, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1-2 tablespoons milk, mix until potatoes are smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl mash sweet potatoes with remaining ingredients (except cheese and fried onions). Spread the potatoes in layers in a small casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and fried onions. Bake for 15-20 minutes.