Roasted Vegetables

Everyone knows they need 5 serving of fruits and vegetables a day.  At least it used to be 5.  Maybe it's more now.  It probably depends on who you talk to.  It's tough to keep up with everything in the dietary world that changes all the time.

Eat margarine, it's lower in calories.  No!  Eat butter now, it's not made of fake ingredients like margarine. I'm definitely an advocate of this...you'll never, never, never see me make anything with margarine.

Grill your food so the fat burns off.  No!  Charred meat can give you cancer. Nowadays, it seems like everything gives you cancer.  I do grill meat though. 

It does seem like most things that would be considered diet foods such as diet soda, margarine, and Sweet and Lo, are actually not that good for you because of the chemicals in them.  This makes it difficult to make good choices for some folks.  Everyone has a different opinion and different things that work for them.

But, you know what's always a good choice?  Vegetables.  God given vegetables.

Now, I'll not profess to liking all vegetables, but there are quite a few of them that I love.  Broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, onions, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage, avocado, artichoke, mushrooms, beans, peas, corn...the list continues.  On the 'not my favorite' list are zucchini, squash, eggplant, and cucumbers.  Although I'm almost there on the cucumber category.  I do keep trying these veggies in the hopes I will someday like them.  I had a victory in New Orleans with cantaloupe and honeydew melons, however, which sadly fall on the 'not my favorite' list.  I had them every day for breakfast and hallelujah I loved them.  Maybe it's a regional thing. 

Speaking of New Orleans and vegetables, it was our last night on vacation and I realized that we hadn't eaten a single vegetable the entire trip except for the batter fried ones we had one night.  Fortunately, my dinner that last night came with a serving of vegetables.  Unfortunately, they were zucchini and yellow squash.  I ate them anyway. 

Here's one way to make your favorite vegetables.  Roast 'em!  Place a heavy roasting pan in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Once the oven is heated, remove the pan and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter and melt them together. Add the vegetables that will take longest too cook, such as carrots, cauliflower, and onion and stir them to coat in the oil/butter mixture.  Return the pan to the oven and cook for about ten minutes.

Add in the rest of your vegetables.  In this case I did red pepper and sugar snap peas.  Also add a few cloves of crushed garlic, about 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, as well as plenty of salt and pepper.  Stir them around and return them to the oven for another 7-10 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender, but not overdone. 

I know I tried to cook too many vegetables in too small of a pan.  If I hadn't there would be better roasting marks on these beauties.  The good news is they were delicious!  Always remember to try a bite before serving it and adjust seasonings if necessary. 

Trust me, just like going to the gym, you won't regret eating more vegetables.  They're always a good idea!!

Pickles-The Verdict

Sorry I haven't posted for a while.  I've been on a fabulous vacation to New Orleans with my handsome fella.

Some of you may recall one of my first posts about canning Misti's Pickles.  Well, today was the unvieling...or opening, whatever you want to call it. 

I had a bit of a bummer day.  Maybe it was the dog eating the living room carpet while I was gone, maybe it was the gray day that looked like dusk all day, or maybe it was just the blues...sometimes they happen.  Whatever the reason, I decided I needed a pick me up.  The pickles weren't due to be opened until Thanksgiving, but I called my mom and opened a jar with her on the phone to cheer me up.

At first, they were super tangy, then a little spicy.  I really like them!  The onions are extra tangy and spicy.  I like how each bite tastes different.  I think it depended on where they were in the jar.  The ones on the top were different than the ones on the bottom, were different from the ones that were pickling next to garlic. 

Here's my six year old's review.  'At first they're kind of fluffy and not so good, but then they're spicy and super tasty.  Can I please have a bowl of them?'  I guess they turned out well, although, I'm not sure how 'fluffy' tastes. 

Crispy Oatmeal Cookies

The older I get, the more I like strong flavors.  In recent years, I've learned to like spicy food, mustard and beer.  This is exciting because it opens whole new world of culinary fabulousness (yes, I know this isn't a real word) for me. 

My dad will eat anything.  Literally.  I cannot think of a single food he won't eat.  I'm both in awe of this and yet at times during my life have been a little concerned about this.  When I was a teenager, our family went out to eat at an Asian restaurant.  Each menu item had up to five dragons next to it.  The more dragons, the spicier the dish.  My dad ordered the spiciest thing on the menu, though the waiter tried his darnedest (to my surprise, spell check confirms that this is, in fact a word) to talk him out of it.  Half way through the meal, the chef came out to meet my dad because no white dude had ever been able to eat it.  Granted, by that point he was pretty red in the face. 

Some people like spicy food, mustard and beer.  Some people don't.
Some people like thick, chewy cookies, some people like thin, crispy ones.

Some people like salt on their sweet stuff.  My grandmother liked to salt her watermelon. 
Try these tasty cookies from Smitten Kitchen.  Here's the link.  They're more for people in the thin, crispy, adventurous camp.  You don't have to add the salt on top.  But it adds a lot to them.

This little ninja sure liked them!

I used regular chocolate chips this time because that's what I had. I've made them with white chocolate and they're scrumptious!

Cocktail Time!

This is my mother.  Isn't she classy?  And pretty?  And  ultra cool?

She visited me last weekend.  After the kiddos went to bed, we set up cocktail time.  I love cocktail time.  It's a nice respite to look forward to at the end of the day. 

My husband and I love this cocktail.  The original recipe is called a White Lady.  We've modified it a bit to make it a longer drink.  It tastes fresh and sweet, but not too sweet.  Watch out, though, they go down smooth, but are a lot stronger than they taste.  One is enough.

We also had some sweet potato fries.  This brand is super tasty! 

White Lady

2 shots gin
1 shot triple sec
1 shot lemon juice
tonic
ice

Rim a glass with sugar.  Mix the liquor and lemon juice in the glass.  Add ice and top with tonic, then stir gently.

Applesauce

All my life, I've not really been able to answer 'what's your favorite color.'  I like a lot of them for different reasons and I like different colors depending on my mood.  Recently, however, I've come to the realization that I absolutely love the peacock blue color that has been popular the last couple years.  I suppose if I was made to answer the popular question, I'd have to chose this color.  It's the same blue as the one in my sweater here:

Now, this is not to say that blue...any old blue would be my favorite color.  Since before we were married, I've teased my husband about what I like to call 'bachelor blue.'  It's kind of a navy, I suppose.  It seems as though every time we tried to pick any towels, sheets, anything...he gravitated to this color.  I also noticed that many bachelors I know seem to love this color as many things in their house.  Do I tease him about this simple to be ornery?  Yes...yes I do.

Now, you may be thinking 'why is she talking about colors under the title applesauce?'  

Your guess is as good as mine.

If I had to pick a favorite food, it would be applesauce and toast.  Technically, that's two foods, I know.  But the buttery wholesomeness of toast coupled with the tart goodness of applesauce, well it's just a match made in heaven.  I eat this when recovering from the stomach flu, when I'm sad or just whenever I can't think of anything else.  Come to think of it, I also like fried eggs and toast...but this post is about applesauce so I promise to stick to the point from here on out. 

Growing up, we had several apple trees in the yard.  This meant for lots and lots of canned applesauce every year.  My brothers and I would take turns pushing the cooked apples through a sieve.  It seemed to take days, but I'm sure I'm being dramatic here.  Imagine my dissapointment when I left home and tried to buy applesauce in the store.  All I found was white, tasteless stuff.  I remember asking my mom how to find the brown applesauce.  She replied 'well, dear, we used to make our own, remember?'  Oh yes, I remembered.



This is about 24 apples, washed and cut into quarters.  You can make applesauce with as many apples as you have, however.

Place the cut apples in a pot and add half an inch or so of water to the bottom of the pan.   Cover and cook over low heat until they are soft and mash easily.  It took my 24 apples about an hour and a half. 

Remove from the heat and either run the apples through a food mill like this (It was my grandmothers): 

Or, mash the apples through a sieve with the back of a large spoon.  Discard the skins and cores. 

At this point, you can reheat it and add some sugar, cinnamon and/or nutmeg to taste.  I like it just like it is.  Plain old apples.  My youngest, Christian, likes it so much he couldn't wait...little stinker. 

You can can this applesauce if you have a ton of apples or just freeze it.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

8 potatoes peeled, rinsed and diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter
1/3-1/2 cup milk
1/4-1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until tender, then drain.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook, stirring occassionaly, until golden brown.  Don't over cook or the final product will taste burnt.

Mash the potatoes together with the butter/garlic mixture, milk, sour cream and salt and pepper.  Add more milk, sour cream, salt, pepper to reach your preferred consistency and flavor.

Serve these beauties with a roast such as this:

Find this recipe here on my favorite food blog.

And serve to fabulous people such as these:

My sister-in-law, Lauren and her fella, Brent (Hadley's parents)

My son, Christian and my pretty little niece Maddie

Recently, I said that one of my favorite seasonal recipes is molasses cookies.  The same could be said about this fabulous dessert.  I have friends who wait for it every year.  Delani (mentioned in the stuffed mushroom post) actually made a special trip to my house after work yesterday for her share of the goodies. 

Special Notice!!!  Delani is now engaged to Christian who was our stuffed mushroom test subject.  Sooooo exciting!  I'm absolutely beside myself!  Do the abundance of exclamation points prove my happiness? Well...here's some more for you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I'm really happy.

Anyhow...back to cake.
This makes a ton of cake.  Lots to share.  It calls for a tube pan, but I use my spring form pan with the hole in the center.  That way, I have a regular sized cake plus enough for a loaf pan, or as I did yesterday, a dozen cupcakes.  I like the idea of making them look like muffins.  Makes it more healthy, right?  It's the Costco 'muffin' theory I suppose.  I may or may not have had one for breakfast.  It can't be proved either way. 

I used mini chocolate chips this time.  For best results, warm up your piece of cake in the microwave for about 10 seconds.  It'll melt the chocolate a little and make it extra tasty!

I've not ever made the molasses glaze or whipped cream, though I have served it with regular whipped cream.

 Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Cake

Non-stick spray for baking

3 cups flour

2¼ cups granulated sugar

¾ cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1½ teaspoons soda

½ teaspoon salt

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet baking chocolate,

chopped into chunks OR 1 ½ cups chocolate chips

15 ounce can pumpkin

¾ cup butter melted

6 eggs, slightly beaten

1 recipe Molasses Glaze

1 recipe Molasses Whipped Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With the nonstick spray for baking, generously coat a 10-inch tube pan or fluted tube pan.  Set aside.  In a small bowl set aside ½ cup of the flour.  In a large bowl combine remaining flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, soda and salt.  To the reserved ½ cup of flour add the chocolate chunks and stir to coat.  In another bowl combine pumpkin, melted butter and eggs.  Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture; stir until combined.  Add chocolate mixture.  Stir until combined.  Pour into tube pan.  Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes.  Remove cake from pan and cool for 30 minutes.  Brush with Molasses Glaze; cool.  Serve with Molasses Whipped Cream.

Molasses Glaze:  In a small saucepan melt ¼ cup butter; stir in 1/3 cup packed brown sugar, ¼ cup dark-color corn syrup, and 2 tablespoons molasses.  Bring to simmer.  Cook, uncovered, 3 minutes or until slightly thickened.  Cool 5 minutes; spoon over cake.

Molasses Whipped Cream:  In a chilled mixing bowl combine 1 cup whipping cream, 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, and 2 to 3 teaspoons molasses.  Beat with electric mixer until soft peaks form.  Spoon into serving bowl.  Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice, apple pie spice, or ground cinnamon.  Pass with the cake.