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.

Dump Cake

It is soo easy! It's called dump cake because you literally just dump everything in.
I got this recipe from my college roommate years ago. We love it and usually make it on fast Sunday. Not sure why, but that is what has happened.


3-4 cans (15 oz each) canned peaches, drained
Yellow cake mix
1 cube butter
Berries (fresh or frozen) - raspberries or blackberries (optional)


Lightly grease 9X13 pan. Drain peaches and dump in pan.

Pour yellow cake mix into a bowl. Add butter to cake mix and cut into cake mix until butter is in small bits. I use a pastry cutter, but you can also use a fork or knife.

Sprinkle on top of peaches.

Bake 350 for 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve with ice cream.

That's it!


Notes:
If you can find canned peaches that are firmer, they tend to hold up better during cooking, but any kind work just as well.

If you want to use berries sprinkle a few on top of the peaches before the cake mix. It tastes really good and turns the liquid bright purple.

If you have more people over, just add more peaches.

Cool Whip Cake

This cake is delightful and easy to make. I have been asked several times for the recipe. Taylor tells me this is his favorite.



Mix 1 German chocolate cake mix according to package and pour into sheet cake pan.

Mix 8 oz. softened cream cheese with 1 beaten egg and 1/2 c. sugar. Fold in 1 heaping cup of mini chocolate chips.

Dot cream cheese mixture on top of cake batter. Zigag through with table knife being careful not to touch the bottom of the pan.

Bake according to directions. Note! When I baked this the first time it was raw in the middle. It takes at least 40 minutes in my oven. Make sure the middle is pretty well set before you take it out.

Topping:
Mix 1 small package of vanilla instant pudding with 1/2 c. milk. Fold into 8 oz. of Cool Whip that has been softened in the fridge. Frost and refrigerate cake.

Other Notes:

Before folding in the chips, mix them with a small amount of flour so they don't all sink to the bottom while cooking.

I like to serve this cake after the chips have had enough time to harden again. For some reason I like the firmness of the chips mixed in with the softness of the cake and topping.

Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

I loved this recipe! Especially when you make your own noodles.

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can vegetable broth
1/2 pound chopped cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cups egg noodles (or make your own)
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter. Cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes. Pour in chicken and vegetable broths and stir in chicken, noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

Next time I make it I will use low sodium broth. I also had some fresh parsley on hand so I tossed in some of that as well.

Carne Guisada

Mexican beef stew. Another winner. This one was so easy to make and very good! I served it over some red potatoes that I had, but next time I will use warm tortillas. Also a little sour cream on top is nice.

I thought the 2 serrano peppers would make it really spicy, but it didn't. It was just right.

2 T. cooking oil
1 lb. beef stew meat
1/2 (6 oz.) can tomato paste. (I used the whole can)
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
1/2 cup water
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. chili powder
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. black pepper
salt to taste
2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped
2 T. cornstarch

Dredge meat in flour. Heat oil and sear outside of beef. Put in crockpot. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook for 8-12 hours. You can shorten the cooking time, but the meat won't be as tender. At the end dissolve cornstarch in a little bit of water and add to the stew to thicken.

My New Beef Stew

This is the Beef Stew that I made the other night. I have made stew numerous times, but was ready for a new recipe. This one was really good. All the boys loved it and the only thing they picked out of it was the mushrooms. I wish I had doubled the recipe.

1 1/2 pounds cubed beef stew meat
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
1 cup sliced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 can beef consumme

1 bay leaf
2 cups cubed potatoes
1 1/2 cups diced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a bowl, toss cubed beef with flour to coat.
2. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a bag or bowl, and add beef cubes. Toss to coat with flour. Place coated cubes in the skillet and fry until well-browned on all sides; remove from pan and set aside.
3. Cook onion and garlic in same pan until tender. Return meat to pan with water, parsley, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed. Stir in potatoes, carrots, celery, and green pepper, and continue cooking another 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in mushrooms.
4. In a small bowl, mix together baking mix, 3 tablespoons melted butter, and milk until just blended. Drop dough by the tablespoonful into stew. Simmer, uncovered, approximately 10 minutes. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes more, or until dumplings are cooked through, but not dry.

**I did not try the dumpling part, just threw it in the crock pot. That will be next time.