Roasted Veggies

My roasting obsession started last summer when I had oodles of tomatoes on my vines. Roasted tomatoes are divine.

Since the tomatoes are a distant memory I have branched out a bit. Forget boiling and steaming, roasted vegetables are the way to go. It takes a bit more time, but it is easy and definitely worth it!

Here are my two latest favorites. I have never been a big fan of cauliflower. It has always seemed a bit bland when steamed and a bit hard when raw. So I roasted. And you know what? I could easily eat a whole head by myself. Yum.



Slice cauliflower
Put on cookie sheet. Drizzle with a few T. olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Use your hands and mix the cauly to evenly coat it. Spread out in a single layer on sheet. Bake 425 for 25-30 minutes.

I tried broccoli the other day. Um....Just as good.



Place dry broccoli on cookie sheet. Drizzle with a few T. olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use your hands and mix the broccoli, evenly coating it. Spread out in a single layer. Bake 425 for 25-30 minutes.

Drizzle another T of olive oil onto cooked broccoli. Grate some lemon peel on top. Squeeze out the lemon juice. Add 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese.

What shall I roast next?

Best Spaghetti Sauce

I have a confession to make. Up until about 4 months ago, I had never made my own spaghetti sauce. It's true. Me and Prego go way back. For some reason I had always thought that good spaghetti sauce meant a lot of chopping, dicing and simmering a bunch of ingredients that I would have to go out and specifically buy. Plus, in my book, spaghetti dinner is an easy "go to" dinner. You know, the kind that takes about 10 minutes preparation, because you are too lazy or too late to make anything else.

That all changed when I came across this recipe from a recently purchased cookbook called "Basic Italian Tomato Sauce." It had a total of 4 ingredients, all of which I always have on hand and it consisted of a total of 2 steps.

I gave it a try and I will tell you right now, me and Prego are no longer an item. We have broken up for good and I will never go back.

Really, it is that good and that easy to make. And while it simmers, your house will smell like you are cooking something that took hours to make. So here is the recipe if you would like to make your break from Mr. Prego. He's a phony.

Basic Italian Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 28oz. can tomatoes, pulsed in a blender
1/2 t. coarse salt
1 sprig of fresh basil (optional) I have never used this yet
1 T. unsalted butter (optional)


1.Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Swirl around the olive oil to coat the pan. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir constantly for 30 seconds, just long enough to release the garlic's fragrance and transform it slightly from its raw state. Don't cook it to golden.

2.Raise the heat to high and stir in the tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. In the last 5 minutes of cooking add the basil sprig, if using. Remove the basil before serving and swirl in the butter, if using.

OK now there has to be a downside right? Let me tell you the only thing. It definitely needs to simmer, just so it isn't runny.

That's it. Now go try it. I promise it's a keeper.