Grilled Veggies

Little helping hands... good technique, if I do say so myself!

To quote Jack: "Ta da!"

Ingredients:

squash

zucchini

yellow onion

mushrooms of your choice 

bacon

olive oil

salt 

pepper

lawry's seasoning salt

worchestire sauce

To do:

• Coarsely chop the zucchini, squash, and onion
• Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and lawry's. 
• Drizzle/Rub the mushrooms with worchestire sauce and wrap each individual mushroom with bacon before spearing it (that just sounds violent) with a tooth pick or other small wooden skewer. 
• And grill. We like to use a grilling basket... nothing better!

Shepherd's Pie...

Baking away.

While it may seem like a labor of love, as my mother would say, the good old food processor saves a ton of labor. So by all means, put those veggies through the processor and use the extra time to make homemade mashed potatoes. 

One other recommendation: Double or triple this recipe and freeze it! You will not regret it.

The only Shepherd's Pie you'll ever make again...

Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP unsalted butter

1 onion, diced

3 carrots (or more!), peeled and sliced

1 stalk of celery, sliced

1/2 lb. cremini mushrooms, quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 TBSP salt

3/4 tsp. dried oregano

3 TBSP tomato paste

1 lb. ground beef (or turkey, if you're feeling healthy)

1/4 c. low sodium beef broth 

1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce... spell that 5 times. yikes! 

pepper, to taste

4 c mashed potatoes (see recipe below)

a few handfuls of grated parmesan cheese

To do:

Preheat oven to 375.

• Brown your beef. Heat the oil in a medium skillet. Brown your beef, and drain. yes, drain it. Here's where I deviate the most significantly from the original recipe, but personally, I'd rather sacrifice just a bit of flavor not my cholesterol. But that's just me.  Set your beef aside.
• Cook the veggies: Add a little more oil and butter to your pan. Once heated, add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, half your salt, and the oregano. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
• Add red. Stir in tomato paste and cook about 8 more minutes.
• Put it all together: Stir in the beef, broth, the rest of the salt, the worcestershire, and pepper. 
• Transport the filling: Transfer your meat and veggie mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish (personally, I find pie plates to be much more fun and inspiring). 
• Add your topping. Spread the mashed potatoes (see below) over the top of the filling. The original recipe suggests leaving a 1/4 inch border around the edge... can anyone enlighten me as to why that could possibly matter? 
• Top it all off: Don't forget the cheese! Sprinkle it generously right on top. Oh, and you can always dot it with some more butter.
• Bake away. Bake about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are a golden brown and juices are bubbling.
• Cool off. Let it cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

Mashed Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs. russet potatoes... or reds or yukons, peeled and quarter
3/4 c whole milk
6 TBSP unsalted butter
2 TBSP fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
pepper and salt, to taste
if you're feeling adventurous, throw in a little sour cream or cream cheese. mmmm....

to do:

• Place your peeled and quartered potatoes in a pot of cold water and add a generous palm-full of salt. As I learned by watching the food network, it's not a bad thing if your water tastes like the sea when boiling potatoes or making pasta. In fact, I'd almost say it's a goal. 
• Bring your potato sea to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered, and boil about 15 minutes. You want the potatoes to be soft but not mushy.
• Simultaneously, combine the milk and butter in a small pot and warm. Cover.
• Drain the potatoes and return to the pot, tossing over medium heat until the potatoes are dry.
• Add the headed milk mixture and mash the potatoes, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves: 4-6

Adapted from The Food Network

Grilled Cheese with Spinach, Garlic, and Artichoke

Not your average grilled cheese.

Another triumph in the meatless meals department around here. Even if we don't have artichoke hearts on hand, the spinach and garlic made this sandwich! Now if I can just resist the urge to add cream cheese or heavy whipping cream to the filling...

Ingredients:

several handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, washed
one can of artichoke hearts, drained
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 c cheese of your choice (I used mozzarella and monterrey jack)
3 TBSP sour cream
butter
6 slices of bread
salt and pepper, to taste

To do:

• Prep the ingredients: mince the garlic, wash the spinach, drain and roughly chop the artichoke hearts, grate your cheese, butter each of the slices of bread, melt a little bit of butter (a couple tablespoons) in your skillet.
• Very briefly sauté the garlic in the melted butter before adding your spinach. Once the spinach begins to wilt, add the artichoke hearts, heating all the ingredients through. 
• Drain any juices from your pan, and place the veggies in a bowl, adding about 3 TBSP of sour cream to bind the ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Stuff your sandwiches: layer cheese, the veggie mixture, some more cheese, and place the sandwiches in your skillet until the bread is browned on both sides and the cheese is melted.

Serve immediately. 

Servings: 3 sandwiches

Recipe from A Couple Cooks blog

THE Fudge Brownies

oh yes, please.

Back in the days of gestational diabetes, I think I dreamed about these brownies.  I have the most fond memories of eating them at my best friend Kelly's house,  coupled with a generous serving of vanilla ice-cream. Mine never quite turn out looking as pretty, but the fudge sauce that sits atop the brownies makes up for it.

1 box of brownie mix (follow the directions on the box). One of these days, I'll try my own batch of homemade brownies. I happen to have it on good authority that The Pioneer Woman's Mocha Brownies are pretty amazing.

Fudge Topping:

One stick butter

4 TBSP cocoa powder

6 TBSP milk

1 box confectioner’s sugar

Melt one stick of butter over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a boil. Add the powdered sugar. Stir and remove from heat.

Pour the hot fudge topping over the brownies. Allow the fudge to set, and then serve with vanilla ice cream.

Note: I usually put the pan of cooled brownies in the fridge to help set the fudge sauce. Or, we love to heat them really hot and gooey before the fudge has fully set.


Recipe from Kelly Ashburn

Honey Bread

The "Old Faithful" of homemade breads around here

Top six reasons I love this recipe in no particular order:
6. It's forgiving. I don't always let it rise for the suggested time, and 3/4 of the time I completely forget to add the salt.  and it still turns out fine. It's my dream loaf in that way!
5. My sister made it for me the very first time, and I fell in love with it. Plus, she served it with homemade lasagna, which just so happens to be another favorite. yum!
4. Irony: the original recipe card Kristen gave me calls it "Whole Wheat Bread." I just find that funny!
3. It's the first homemade bread that I ever attempted, and Sam had to rescue it as I got a little carried away with the flour (He, who by the way had never baked a loaf of bread, suggested that I add water... and he was right. You gotta love those marital moments:).
2. It freezes well
1. Jack gets involved, and it becomes entertaining... dough snakes, dough balls, dough on the windows...
0. "I would never say this myself, but my friends tell me... "it tastes pretty dang amazing with butter and honey!

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups water

6-9 cups bread flour

3 TBSP oil

4 TBSP honey

1 ½ tsp. salt

2 packets yeast

Preheat oven to 400.

In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups warm water with two yeast packets. Add oil and honey. Add flour—start with 6-7 cups and then add as needed. Add salt. Get bread out of the bowl and knead about 10 minutes.

Put the dough back in the bowl for about 1 to 1 ½ hours, covered with a kitchen towel.

Punch 30 times. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for about three minutes. You want the dough to be a little sticky.

Cut the dough into two loaves, pinching where the knife sliced the dough and shaping the loaves. Put the bread in two oiled pans, and cut three slits in the top. Brush the top of each loaf with some egg.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes and 300 for 20 minutes. 

Balsamic Chicken Salad

We are forever indebted to Aunt Cat for introducing us to the wonders of Balsamic Chicken. Thank you, thank you! It's our favorite salad topper! It's also pretty amazing over pasta or all by its lonesome.

Ingredients:
Balsamic vinegar
olive oil
fresh garlic (one clove per breast, minced)
crushed rosemary
salt and pepper

chicken breasts, pick your number (boneless skinless or bone-in)

Favorite Salad Toppers:

blueberries and strawberries

or 

apples and raisins/craisins

feta/blue cheese/goat cheese 

pecans/almonds/walnuts

Balsamic vinaigrette/Red wine vinaigrette

For the chicken: 
Place the chicken breasts in a casserole dish and lightly coat them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Rub your garlic onto the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with crushed rosemary.

Bake at 350 approximately 45 minutes or until your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees.

Once cooked, allow to cool slightly and then slice. Dredge each slice in the juices in the bottom of the pan for all those flavors that are too good to be missed.