Roasted Broccoli

This dish is a great side.  And, really, you could prepare any vegetable using this technique.

Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli

recipe from The Barefoot Contessa

4 to 5 pounds broccoli

4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons julienned fresh basil leaves (about 12 leaves)

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the broccoli florets from the thick stalks, leaving an inch or two of stalk attached to the florets, discarding the rest of the stalks. Cut the larger pieces through the base of the head with a small knife, pulling the florets apart. You should have about 8 cups of florets. Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss the garlic on the broccoli and drizzle with 5 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.
Remove the broccoli from the oven and immediately toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, Parmesan, and basil. Serve hot.

Picnic Corn

This recipe may be the best part of summer!  We have eaten it over and over again.  The first time we tried it, my cousin and her family were here.  They went home and made it for her in-laws the very next day.

 

{Picnic Corn}
originally from here

8 ears corn, shucked

1/4 cup melted butter or olive oil

1 tablespoon cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons chile powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

3/4 cup grated Romano cheese

Lime wedges, for garnish

Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high heat (or and indoor grill pan).  Brush the corn with melted butter or olive oil. Grill the corn until hot and lightly charred all over, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the temperature of the grill.

While the corn is charred, mix the cilantro, garlic, chile powder, salt, mayonnaise, and lime juice.

Spread the mayonnaise mixture evenly over the corn, and sprinkle with Romano cheese. Place corn under the broiler for just a few minutes.

Serve warm with lime wedges.

Dill & Cottage Cheese

As my husband and I spend more time trying to revamp our eating habits, I am having to be more creative with what we eat. I went back to this dip recipe from a dear friend of mine to help us with that. This recipe is easy to whip up, and you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen.{Dill & Cottage Cheese Vegetable Dip}
recipe adapted from my dear friend, Carol Loveless
1 C cottage cheese
1/4-1/3 C mayonnaise
1/2 T dried minced onion
1/2 T parsley
1/2 t dried dill
1/2 t seasoning salt

Mix all ingredients together. Place in the refrigerator for several hours prior to serving. Serve with vegetables.

Take Two: My mother often eats cottage cheese and tomatoes as a salad. I thought this dill dip would be a great way to add a little extra flavor to that dish!
{Tomato & Cottage Cheese Salad}
dill & cottage cheese dip
quartered cherry tomatoes
diced carrots

Top cottage cheese with tomatoes and carrots. Mix together and enjoy!

Polenta & Portabellos

{Portabello Mushrooms over Cheesy Polenta}
based on this recipe
1/4 C polenta
1 C chicken broth
1 oz shredded monteray jack cheese
1 portabello mushroom cap, cubed
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped shallot
pinch of thyme
salt and pepper

Bring chicken stock to a boil, and stir in polenta. When polenta is finished cooking stir in shredded cheese.
Saute portabello in olive oil and thyme. Add shallots for last 2 minutes of cooking. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over warm polenta.

serves 1

Spaghetti Squash with Spinach, Feta, and White Beans

Just so you know this was amazing! I loved the spinach and beans. In fact, I would probably eat that as a side dish on it's own.You can find the full recipe here.

Cranberry-Orange Couscous

I attended a healthy eating class this past Saturday, and I was inspired to add more grains into our diet and cut out a little of the meat. Normally, when I plan my menus, I try to vary what meat I am cooking each night. Now, I am shifting my focus to finding a better balance for my family - great flavor without all the meat for my husband, alternative forms of protein for my children, and more whole grains for everyone.

This recipe was so yummy that I had to make it again at home. It comes together quickly, so it make a great lunch or side dish.{Cranberry-Orange Couscous}
ratio of liquid to couscous should be 2:1
1/2 of your liquid should be orange juice
1/2 water
for every 1/4 C of couscous: 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and slice almonds; 2 Tbsp craisins

Mix the liquids and couscous together. Microwave for minutes. Toast the seeds until the almonds start to color. Fluff the couscous with a fork, mix in seeds, nuts, and crisins. Stir to combine and serve. This can also be stored in the refrigerator and serve cold or room temperature.

Celebrating the Holiday Season

We had a few fabulous meals together with family surrounding the Christmas holiday. To me food is love, and I really wanted this year to be special. Our Christmas Eve Dinner included Pumpkin Orecchiette with Goat Cheese and Toasted Pepitas

I love this dish. I love pumpkin and the combination of crunchiness from the pepitas and creaminess from the goat cheese are fabulous.

Herb Garlic Bread from The Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics
Christmas Salad

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Basil Curry Mayonnaise

And, due to a small change in plans, I ended up hosting Christmas dinner also - which was fabulous. We snacked on brie with fig jam and crackers. Then, we had our traditional ham, "lightened" potato casserole, homemade rolls, carrots, asparagus, and salad. And, finally, dessert was Peppermint Layer Cake.

Layers of white and red velvet cake with peppermint cream cheese frosting and sprinkled with crushed canes.

Christmas Morning Breakfast

We had a fabulous breakfast on Christmas morning. Fabulous in that most of the prep was done the night before and, then, baked off Christmas morning while we opened presents. Tuck these ideas away for next year! Simply plated Christmas breakfast.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, which I found here, but the source is Williams-Sonoma's Family Meals cookbook.

Fresh Fruit Salad with Honey Vanilla Yogurt ala Ina Garten. Found at foodnetwork.com.

{Christmas Casserole}
recipe from The Lybbert family
7-8 slices of bread, cubed or broken (Iused French bread
2 C shreddedcheese
1 1/2 to 2 lbs pork sausage (I used ham)
4 eggs
2 1/4 C milk, plus 1/2 C
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 can crm of mushroom soup.

Place read in a greased aserole dish. top with meat, then cheese. Mix 21/4 C milk with eggs and dry mustard. Pour egg mixture over casserole. Cover and refrigerate overnight. in the morning dilute soup with other 1/2 C milk and spread over casserole. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Sunday Dinner with the Family

The Menu
Salmon
Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Sweet & Russet Potatoes (This was a great "trick" - something my little one were familiar with and a way to sneak in something new.)
"Grandma's Rice"
Salad - spring greens, pears, red onion, blue cheese and toasted pecans
Apple Crostada
Baguette with Avocado & Salt or Hot Chocolate

Salmon Marinade - Becky Rands

1/4 C butter

1/3 C sour cream

zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 tsp salt and pepper

1/8 tsp garlic salt and lemon pepper

Spread over one salmon fillet and sprinkle with Rub with Love. Bake in a 350 degree oven (or on BBQ) for 10-12 minutes, checking after 5-6 minutes.  Remove when it separates easily and is still translucent in the center.

Christmas Eve & Christmas Dinners

{Christmas Eve}

Northwest Harvest Salmon

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Broccoli

Christmas Salad

{Christmas Day}

Ham

Lion House Dinner Rolls

Green Beans with Carmelized Onions

Potatoes with Cheese and Seasoned Breadcrumbs

Aunt Terri's Salad

Apple Crisp ala mode

Apple Crisp

12 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Layer in a 9x13 pan. Mix together:

1 C butter

2 C brown sugar

1 C wheat flour

3 tsp cinnamon

3 C rolled oats

2 C chopped nuts

Sprinkle over apples in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes. This recipe is not very sweet, but with lots of "granola" it is great for breakfast topped with milk.

More recipes will come as I get them or find links . . .

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

I hope that everyone is enjoying their Thanksgiving week. We sure are enjoying our vacation time in Utah! Our Thanksgiving plan is to have a late breakfast and, then, an early dinner. I am making our traditional Banana Cream Pie and Roasted Asparagus for one of the sides.

Mom's Banana Cream Pie
¼ C corn starch
2/3 C sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 C scalded milk
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
2 Tbsp butter
½ tsp vanilla
Sliced bananas
Pie Crust
Whipped cream

Cook pie crust. Line bottom of pie shell with sliced bananas. (This can also be done while the custard cools.)

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Scald milk. Gradually add milk to corn starch mixture. Cook over moderate heat stirring constantly, until thickened and boiling. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Add small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks, temper. Stir back in. Cook 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla. Stir. Cool slightly and pour into cooked pie shell. Press wax paper onto custard filling to prevent "skin" from forming.

Chill. Spread top with whipped cream prior to serving. Or, top each slice with a dollop of cream and a sliced banana.

Here are some ideas to keep your kiddos busy, while you're working away:
Cute Turkey Cookies
Indian Corn
Mayflower Picture
And, here are TWO great turkeys to preserve just how your little ones were this Thanksgiving.

And, I'm sure this is what we will be singing at the end of the night.
The Turkey Dinner Song (sung to Frere Jacques "Are You Sleeping?")
Turkey Dinner, Turkey Dinner, Gather Round, Gather Round
Who will get the drumstick? Yummy Yummy Yum-stick
All sit down, All sit down

Cornbread muffins, chestnut stuffin’, pudding pie ten feet high
All of us were thinner until we came to dinner
Me-o my, Me-o my!

Corn Cake Toppers

{from thisweekfordinner.com}

These are awesome with chili! Mix Jiffy cornbread mix, following the corn pancakes directions on the box. Sometimes I add a bit of sour cream. I also add chopped green onion and shredded cheese. Cook on buttered griddle like pancakes. Top your chili and enjoy!

Sometimes I don’t but the cheese in the batter… makes the pancakes a little stickier on the skillet, so I’ll put the cheese on the chili, then the corn topper on top of that.

{Thanks, Jane! Can't wait to try them.}

My Birthday Dinner!

Caitlin made dinner for me tonight. Here's what we had:

Lemon and Garlic Roasted Chicken
Gorgonzola and Porcini Mushroom Risotto
Warm Vegetable Salad
Vanilla Icream topped with Grilled Pineapple and Bananas Sauce with Honey and Lime

How special do I feel?

Two Meals at Mom's

We spent Tuesday night through Wednesday's dinner at Mom's house. And, the food was so yummy!

Tuesday we had:

Blue Cheese Burgers - These were amazing! And, I'm not a big burger person.

Blue Cheese Souffles with Fig and Honey

Grilled Peaches over Mixed Greens with Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Salad

Wednesday we had:

Balsamic Chicken Drumettes

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

Sweet Potato Fries with Basil Salt and Garlic Mayonnaise

Chopped Mexican Salad with Roasted Pepper, Corn, Tomatoes and Avocado

Memorial Day Weekend

I know, I know . . . I have failed to get up a dinner menu for this week. What can I say, our life is always on-the-go. We spent a wonderful four-day weekend out at Lake Chelan with my family. We had a BBQ, pizza, and many other "yummies".

Here's what it looked like, food-wise:
Friday night: local burger shack for dinner
Saturday: Pancakes for breakfast; leftovers for lunch; Dinner was Dad's Famous Burgers, tomato & corn salad, Caitlin's Asian Crunch salad, and Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert
Sunday: Dad's scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast; leftovers and sandwiches for lunch; pizza and more salad for dinner (we came up with some great new combos)
Monday: French toast for breakfast; "Clean out the fridge" leftovers for lunch

Dad's Famous Burgers
ground beef
diced onions
worchestershire sauce
liquid smoke (if you have it)

Dad's Scrambled Eggs
eggs
milk
green onions
red peppers
Johnny's salt
pepper

Tomato & Corn Salad
tomatoes (red and yellow cherry)
4 ears cooked corn, blanched
2 peppers (red or orange)
4 green onions
1/2 c. basil
salt and pepper
Dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced (can subst. garlic powder)

Cut tomatoes in half (or quarters depending on size). Blanch corn, and cut kernels from the cob. Dice the peppers. Slice the green onions. Chop the basil. Mix all together. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a screw top jar, shake well. Pour dressing over salad.
I only used the half the dressing when we had it and it still tastes great! If you use it all, it can get to liquidy.

Caitlin's Asian Crunch Salad
lettuce
canned mandarin oranges, drained
sliced almonds
craisins
toasted sesame seeds
broken, uncooked ramen noodlesand
Newman’s Own Light Ginger Sesame Dressing

Katie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 sticks butter
6 T sugar
2 c. brown sugar
Mix until smooth.
2 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
Add eggs one at a time, beating in between.
Combine:
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. flour
Slowly add to butter mixture.
Add chocolate chips to taste.
Bake at 375 for about 10 min. Don't overbake.

Our Pizzas
standard pepperoni
ground beef, turkey pepperoni, sauteed onions
greek style pizza - onion, artichokes, feta, ricotta, parsley, mint

Build-Your-Own-Panini Night

Tonight, for dinner it was build-your-own-panini night. I put out:

Bread (Ideally, ciabatta bread)
deli ham
deli roasted turkey
lettuce tomatoes
cheese
roasted red pepper spread

But, you could add any sandwich toppings that you like. We also tried the Carrot and Apple Slaw recipe found here with a few alterations, of course.

Carrot and Apple Slaw
Not knowing how well it would be received, I cut the recipe way down like to 1/4 its original size. I didn't have apple jelly or golden raisins, so I put in regular Coleslaw dressing and raisins. Then, I just sprinkled individual servings with the chopped cashews. Well, I enjoyed it and, since I'm the only one who tried it, it was a success. I will be enjoying the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Cinco de Mayo, Again!

Due to a whole slew of doctor's appointments, we stayed at my parents' house on Tuesday night. They had gone to a baseball game on Monday, so we had their Cinco de Mayo celebration on Tuesday. It was delish! But, what else can you expect when Caitlin is planning the menu? Try it out, it was so yummy.

The Menu
Beef-and-Chicken Fajitas with Peppers and Onions
Fruit Salad (apple, strawberry, banana, grape, kiwi, and "cara cara" orange)
Shiree's Summer Salsa with Tortilla Strips

Shiree's Summer Salsa
1 can corn, drained
1 can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
2-3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 avocado, pitted and diced
large handful of cilantro, chopped
Zesty Italian dressing

Combine all ingredients except dressing. While stirring, add dressing just until "wet". Be careful not to stir too much or the avocado will get mushy. You can also add finely diced red onion to taste.

Our Easter Dinners

We had an "Easter Dinner" with my family on Friday night. Here's what is was:

Roast Lamb

Caitlin's Risotto with Mushrooms

Carrot Souffle (This tastes a lot like sweet potatoes.)

Salad

Then, on Sunday, we had true Easter dinner with my cousins. Here is the run-down of what we had:

Flank-Steak

Salad

Asparagus

Roasted New Potatoes

50/50 Lion House Dinner Rolls

Double-Coconut Cake

Pineapple (straight from Hawaii)

Guest "Chef" Recipe: Classic Risotto

She's back! Caitlin is back with another wonderful recipe for a classic comfort food.

Classic Risotto
1 tablespoon margarine
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup uncooked Arborio or regular long-grain rice
3 ½ cups chicken broth,divided (up to ½ cup additional broth may be needed at end of recipe)½ cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

In a nonstick 10 inch skillet or 3-quart saucepan, heat margarine and oil overmedium-high heat until butter is melted. Cook onion and parsley in oil mixture about 5 minutes, stirringfrequently, until onion is tender.
Stir in rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until edges of kernels aretranslucent. Stir in ½ cup chickenbroth. Cook about 3 minutes, stirringconstantly, until broth is absorbed.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in 1 cup of the broth. Cook uncovered about 5 minutes, stirringfrequently, until broth is absorbed. Repeat, adding another 1 cup of broth. Stir in remaining 1 cup broth. Cook about 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste rice. If rice is still“crunchy,” add more broth and continue to cook until rice is soft.
When rice is just tender andmixture is creamy, stir in cheese and pepper.

Caitlin says: "Definietly add mushrooms and you do not need to use as much parmesan cheese which will make it healthier. I like to add more onion."

Easter

Okay, here is the plan for Easter. We've got to get going there are only 6 more days!!!

Monday, March 17th - Dye Easter Eggs for FHE (kind of an anti-climatic end to our St. Patty's dinner, but what can you do?)
I would love to make these cute t-shirts with Andrew, we'll see if we get that far! Maybe He'll have to do it with Grandma Leavitt.

Sunday, March 23rd (baby cooperating) -
Easter breakfast:
Carrot Cake Waffles or Orange Rolls
Hashbrown/Egg Casserole
Low-Fat Strawberry-Banana Yogurt Smoothie
Easter Lunch:
Easter Egg Open-faced Sandwiches (recipe to be posted)
Easter Dinner (I'm not in charge, but here are the traditional dishes):
Ham
Salad
Funeral Potatoes (Cooking Light has a "Lighten Up" version I would like to try)
"Bunny" Bread
Easter Egg Jell-O or "Jellobeans" (get your molds here), and innumberable other yummy things!