Simple Roasted Potatoes

I swear, this is the last recipe for a while (if you can call what I plop on these pages "recipes"), but there was a lot of eating and cooking over the holidays and if I don't write it down here, I'll forget how to do it. (And, yes, there will be no formal measurements here. Sorry.)

Simple Roasted Potatoes
3 enormous sweet potatoes or yams
4 big "baker" Idaho or Russet potatoes (or any mix of potatoes/squash you like, I suspect)
Olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 of one of those clear plastic containers of fresh Rosemary
1/4 to 1/2 of one of those clear plastic containers of fresh Thyme
1/2 to 1 full head of garlic (or several cloves)
1 sweet onion, big dice
Salt and pepper

Peel and chunk up the sweet potatoes/potatoes. If I had to guess, 1 inch-ish pieces. Put them in a big kettle, cover with water. Bring to a boil on stove top, adding an ample amount of salt as water comes to a boil. Let them roll away for 15-20 minutes, depending on how big your chunks are. You DO NOT want them totally fork tender. The idea is to just give them a head start on the stove so you don't have to roast forever in the oven.

While they're boiling, prepare your herbs. Rosemary looks like pine needles. Pull the green part off the stems and chop finely. Thyme leaves are really tiny already. Pull them off the stalks and give them a quick once-through with your knife, allowing them to release the essential oils. Separate one head of garlic. Smash each clove with the back of your knife so the papery peels come off easily. Then give the whole pile a rough chop.

When the potatoes are done, drain and spread in a single layer on cookie sheets/jelly roll pans to let the potatoes cool a little so you can handle them. Make sure there's some room for the heat to circulate ... two pans is better than one crammed full pan. Then drizzle some olive oil over the potatoes, drop your herbs, garlic, salt and pepper over them. Add the onions and mix it all up. Spread back out to one layer, roast at 375 until done fork tender. I took mine out once and flipped them around just so the bottom didn't get too burnt.

This will make your house smell SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD!

Holiday Carrots

I made these for the first time Tuesday and really liked them. They're a little more special than everyday glazed carrots and would be good, I think, for Thanksgiving/Christmas or Easter holidays.

Orange Ginger Maple Glazed Carrots
1 lb. baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (though I'm sure regular orange juice from concentrate or a bottle would work) ... this worked out to 1.5 naval oranges for me, BTW
Zest from 1 orange
1 T (or a big spoonful) of grated ginger (I keep a jar of prepared stuff in my fridge ... it's sold by the chopped garlic in a jar in my grocery store)
2-ish T of real maple syrup
1-2T butter
Salt to taste

In a large, shallow skillet, dump carrots and cover them with water. Bring to boil and let them bubble away until they're done to the texture you like. I like mine with a little snap in them. My mom likes hers mushy. Drain. In the same pan, add juice, ginger, syrup and butter. Let it bubble away and reduce. As it reduces, the liquid gets more syrup-y and glazes the carrots. Add the zest about halfway through. Before serving, add some chopped fresh parsley to make it pretty.

Butternut Weird, But Good

I roasted a butternut squash yesterday with plans of turning it into soup.

But then I didn't want to drag out my food processor and I don't own an immersion blender.

So I got creative instead.

Butternut Yum
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Sliced onion
Feta cheese
Optional: candied walnuts or butter toffee almonds?

Toss squash in olive oil, salt, pepper and cumin. Roast in oven on cookie sheet at 375 degrees until fork tender, a little brown on the bottom. You'll smell it when it's ready. I did this on Sunday afternoon, then finished it on Monday night.

Heat a saute pan with some olive oil. Toss in the sliced onions. Add a little salt and pepper. Let the onions get soft and translucent. Throw in the squash and let it heat through. Just before you are ready to serve, put a little feta in.

I didn't actually have candied walnuts, but I think the sweetness and crunch would be the perfect sprinkle on top of this yumminess.

Great Grillin'!

How I love the grill!

You can make ANYTHING taste fabulous with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. On last night's menu was smoked pork chops (from Rocky's favorite meat market in Fennimore), zucchini, summer squash, mushrooms, red pepper and red onion. Tossed a little chopped garlic in for good measure.

So simple. So delicious. And ... enough leftovers for a kick butt skillet scramble now on the Monday night menu!

New Dip

Yesterday's Super Bowl party invitation required me to bring a dish to pass. A quick survey of the fridge and pantry showed an abundance of dairy products and some leftover tostadas. Here's what I came up with. It was kind of like the base for Taco Dip, but a little different.

Fiesta Dip
2/3 package light or fat free cream cheese, softened (or 1 whole 8 oz. brick ... I just had leftovers)
1 8 oz. fat free Greek yogurt
1 8 oz. fat free sour cream (or you could do 16 oz. of one or the other ... I just had leftovers)
1 pkg. dry Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch mix
Red onion, chopped fine
Red pepper, chopped fine

Mix. Eat. I broke up the tostadas to use as chips, but would recommend baked Scoops. Also really good with raw veg ... cauliflower and carrots. I even used it in place of "cheese" on a turkey burger for dinner tonight.

Edamame Salad

With a nod of thanks to my Aunt Karen. I think I scared her when I called her and asked her for the recipe. It was kind of early on a Saturday morning. (I made a couple of adjustments to match what I had on hand.)

Edamame Salad
5 c blanched broccoli florets (this is one big bag from the freezer section, but fresh is better if you have the time)
1 c light edamame (from freezer section ... and you can add more if you want to)
1/2 c chopped red onion

1/2 c dried cranberries
1/2 c dry roasted peanuts

1c light mayo (or 1/2 c light mayo, 1/2 c Greek yogurt)
2 T sugar (or Splenda)
2 T cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

If using fresh broccoli, blanch the florets and pop them in an icebath so they retain a little snap and neon green color. If using frozen, drop them in boiling water for literally a minute and remove them to an icebath. (You DON'T want mushy broccoli!) Prepare the edamame according to package instructions ... I think mine says drop in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Again, you don't want mush.

Mix broccoli, edamame, onion and set aside. Make dressing. This makes MORE than enough dressing for the veg volume.

If you have more people to feed, stretch it with more veg. The dressing seems like enough for more veg than I have listed ... so I mix the dressing in a separate bowl and only add as much as I need.

If you're eating it right away, toss in peanuts and crasins and mix everything together. Chow down. If you're not serving until the next day, keep the three categories separate (veg, peanut/craisin combo and dressing) and mix it all together just before serving. The peanuts get soft if they're in the dressing too long and the dressing kind of thins out.

Veggie Pitas

Portabello mushroom caps, sliced
Roasted red peppers, sliced
Carrots, sliced
Onions, sliced
Cauliflower, sliced
Olive oil
Mrs. Dash, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste
Grated Italian Four Cheese blend
Whole wheat pitas

Heat oil in skillet. Toss in veg and seasonings. Sautee until just a little bite is left. Add vinegar if you like it. Toss the cheese in and let it get all melty. Cut a pita in half. Heat it up a little in the microwave. Stuff it full of veggies and cheese. Yum!