Roasted Beets and Carrots

I was just about to take a nap, when I decided to quickly browse a free magazine I got at the grocery store yesterday. It had a picture of the most delicious looking cheesecake on the cover, which should have been the first sign that there would be no "quickly" browsing of said magazine once it was opened. And of course, I kept texting Brittany pictures of all of the goodness I was finding inside, adding items to our thanksgiving feast.

 I haven't tried this yet. All I know is it looks amazing, and I needed to write this recipe down before something tragic happens, like I loose the magazine, and all of the recipes contained inside. This magazine is mouth watering...and it's just the grocery stores own magazine for the holidays.

 On with the recipe:

3 medium red beets
1 pound carrots, cut diagonally
1/4 inch thing Olive oil no-stick cooking spray
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp course salt Freshly ground black pepper
2 TBSP white balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
2 TBSP minced shallot
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey

Peel and trim beets; cut in half from stem to root. Place cut-side down; slice 1/2 inch thing. Place beets and carrots in single layer on foil-lined jellyroll pan. Lightly coat with cooking spray and season with sugar, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Roast in 450 degree oven stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender; about 20-25 minutes.

In small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; toss with hot vegetables. Makes 6 servings.

Sounds good, right? I mean, who doesn't love vegetables that are so sweet they state like candy, but ironically are totally healthy for you?

San Francisco Style Bread

My sister-in-law, Sue, called me on Saturday and said, that we needed to try this recipe for San Francisco style bread which has only four ingredients. She stated that the crust has just the right texture. 

This is one recipe that you'll need to plan ahead to make if you want to have it with your meal because it takes 8 - 18 hours for the bread to raise.   

So, here's what I did, right before I went to bed (and I'm not telling how late it was but before midnight),  I mixed-up the batter and left it on my counter to raise.  I woke-up around 6:30 a.m., turned the oven on and placed my little roaster pan in the over to heat up. 

While the oven heated up, I put the dough onto a pile of flour and kneaded it a little.  Once the oven was hot, I took the roaster pan out and placed a pre-cut piece of parchment paper on the bottom of the roaster. Then I carefully lifted the dough and placed it into the hot pan.  I put the lid onto the pan and placed the roaster back into the over. Thirty minutes later, I removed the lid and let the bread bake for an additional 15 minutes.  My oven cooks a little hot so I think about 12 minutes would have been perfect.  

By the time I left for work this morning, my house smelled wonderful and look how this bread turned out!  I broke off a few of the crusty top pieces and nibbled on it hot and oh my goodness, it was so so good.  Do you think my husband will notice that a few of it's pieces are missing?

So excited to have with with our dinner tonight.  I'm wondering if I used buttermilk, would the bread have a sour flavor?  I'm going to try that next.  I'll keep you posted on the results.

Update: I substituted buttermilk for 1 1/4 cups of the water.  I dissolved the yeast in 1/4 cup of water and the bread was even closer to the SF flavor.

Deluxe Mud Pie

Ingredients:                                                                            Time to prepare:  15 minutes 
Ice cream - Cookie Dough, soften about 5-10 minutes
Cookies - Fudge Stripes, crushed
1/3 cup of butter
Skor bar or English Toffee - crushed in the package
1 can of whipping cream

1. Crush the cookies right into the pie pan.  
2. Melt  butter and stir into the crumbs.
3. Add one carton of ice cream
4. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer over night.
5. Cut into serving pieces
6. Top with whipping cream
7. Sprinkle on the candy bar pieces
8. Enjoy!

Preston & Amy are enjoying their Deluxe Mud Pie!  Will you like some too? 

Eggplant Tomato Sauce

When Isaac and I were in Bethlehem, we had lunch in the main square (called Manager Square) right outside the Church of the Nativity. It was Arabic food and it was amazing. My lunch came with a delicious eggplant-tomato sauce to pour over my chicken and couscous. When we got home, I tried to find a similar recipe. I tried out the below recipe, and while it didn't taste near as legit as the Bethlehem experience, it was still pretty good. If any of you like eggplant, then you'll enjoy this dish too. Now, if only we had fresh-squeezed pomegranate juice...

The eggplant-tomato sauce is in the upper right corner in a bowl. Oh my, was it delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

5 pounds ripe plum tomatoes (I used a large can of tomatoes, both crushed and stewed)
3½ pounds firm eggplants
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups onions, finely chopped
¼ cup garlic, finely chopped
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
½ teaspoon dried peperoncino, or to taste (I have no idea what this is, and therefore did not use)
4 sprigs fresh basil with leaves

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the tomatoes for sauce.  (since I had no idea what "prepare" meant... I stuck with canned tomatoes)

Trim and peel the eggplants. Cut them lengthwise in 3/4-inch wide slices, stack the slices and cut them into 3/4-inch wide strips, then chop into 3/4-inch chunks.

Stir together the oil, the onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the saucepan. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, add the garlic and let it caramelize it in a hot spot, then stir in a couple tablespoons of water and cook the onions and garlic together for a minute or two.

Now pour the eggplant pieces into the pan, sprinkle on 1 teaspoon salt, and turn to coat the pieces with the oil and sautéed onion and garlic. Cook over low-medium heat, uncovered, stirring and turning the eggplant frequently. If the pan gets dry and the pieces start to brown, stir in several spoons of water; lower the heat if needed.

Cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the eggplant chunks are very soft, almost mushy, but still retain their shape. Pour in the prepared tomatoes and juices, rinse the tomato bowl with 2 or 3 cups water and pour it into the pan (the eggplant needs the additional liquid). Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the peperoncino and stir to blend everything together. Submerge the basil branches in the sauce, cover the pan and raise the heat to medium.

When the sauce reaches the boil, lower the heat to keep an active simmer and cook, covered, for 40 minutes or so. The eggplant should now be broken down and melting into the tomatoes.

Uncover the pan and let the sauce bubble gently and gradually reduce. Stir carefully as it thickens, to make sure the eggplant doesn't stick to the pan bottom, lower the heat if necessary. Cook uncovered for a total of 45 minutes to an hour, until the sauce has the consistency you like, and then turn off the heat. Pull out the basil before using, and store in the refrigerator for about a week, or in the freezer, in a properly filled and sealed container, through the winter.

Chili Relleno Casserole

I made these for dinner tonight, and they were really delicious. I suppose it's easy to please just two people, but Isaac had never had chili relleno's before, and these babies made a big impression. He stated twice, "These are good." Yes, twice. And he even went back for seconds. I was also watching him from the reflection in our living room window as he made his way to the kitchen to drop off his dish, and watched him sneak a few more bites. So, there you have it. It was pretty simple to make too. I served it with Mexican rice. If I would have had refried beans to dish up with it, I could have closed my eyes and thought I was eating a meal at El Farol. 


Chili Relleno Casserole 

l lg. can whole green chilis*

l lb. each shredded cheddar and Jack cheese
3 eggs
3 T. flour
l 5 oz. can evaporated milk
l regular size can tomato sauce**

DIRECTIONS: Rinse chilis, remove seeds, slice them open so they lay flat and drain on a paper towel. Make 3 layers of chilis and cheese in a square baking dish (or use more chili's and use an 8x11 pan). Mix flour and milk together with a wisk. Beat the eggs separately and add to milk mixture. Pour over layered chili and cheese and bake at 350 for 30 min. Remove from oven and add another thin layer of cheese and drizzle the tomato sauce over that. Return to oven for 10 min.

*Had a hard time finding a large can of these, so instead ended up buying three (should have bought four) small cans. They are right next to the small cans of diced chiles (and look just like the small can of chilis, except they say "whole" on the can instead of "diced), if that helps you locate them easier at the grocery store.

**I added the sauce to the blender with 1/2 a can of diced tomatoes (that I already had in our fridge) to make it more tomatoey, and added a dash of olive oil, a teaspoon of minced garlic and a shake of salt. 

Deluxe Grilled Ham & Cheese with Jam

Okay, I know this isn't a real "recipe," but this quick and easy version of the grilled cheese sandwich has changed my view on the American staple. I don't think I can ever eat a grilled cheese sandwich without jam, ever again.

Ingredients:
2 slices of sour dough bread (or more if you're making this for multiple people)
Slices of cheddar cheese (or whichever kind of cheese you prefer)
Several slices of thin cut deli ham
Raspberry or strawberry jam
butter for spreading on bread

We all know how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, so I won't elaborate on the instructions, but before you grill the sandwich, add a big slab of jam to the side of bread that touches the ham. It sort of makes this taste like a Monte Cristo sandwich, which is one of my all time favorites, but this takes 1/10 of the time and is still incredibly tasty. The added grilled fruit burst is delicious!

I discovered this gem when trying to figure out easy things to make after we both got off work. Isaac is one of the most impatient eaters I know. "If you can't make it in 30 seconds, it's not worth waiting for," kind of mentality. So, I've had to learn how to whip up some really quick, easy things, otherwise he makes his own creations (which aren't good). I actually made this for myself one night, after I came home from work and Isaac had been home for a while and had already made himself "cheesy bread"... microwaved bread with slices of cheese on it. Boring. So, I came up with this for myself, and ooohed and ahhed over it the whole time I was eating it. I let him have a bite, being the nice wife that I am, and he wanted his own.  It's just good. That is all. Try it some time if you're not in the mood to make something elaborate, but are in the mood to eat something delicious!

Asian Noodle Salad

I could have sworn I had posted this recipe a long time ago, but when I went to search for it today nothing came up. Tragic I've kept this recipe from being in your lives for so long. It is delicious and every time I have made it people have asked for the recipe. Not only is it delicious, but for those who are health-minded, it is also healthy. Furthermore, for those who are into aesthetically pleasing food, it is also very colorful. Without further adieu, here is the Asian Noodle Salad...  Mmmm...

Asian Noodle Salad

I got this recipe from the Pioneer Woman blog, if I mustn't claim it for myself.

Serves: 6-8  (can also add chicken for extra protein, or to make it a meal)

SALAD INGREDIENTS:

1 package Linguine Noodles, Cooked, Rinsed, And Cooled

½ heads Sliced Napa Cabbage, Or More To Taste

½ heads Sliced Purple Cabbage, Or More To Taste

½ bags Baby Spinach, Or More To Taste

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 whole Yellow Bell Pepper, Sliced Thin

1 whole Orange Bell Pepper, Thinly Sliced

1 bag Bean Sprouts (also Called Mung Bean Sprouts)

Chopped Cilantro, Up To 1 Bunch, To Taste

3 whole Scallions, Sliced

3 whole Cucumbers Peeled And Sliced

1 can (about 10 Oz.) Whole Cashews, Lightly Toasted In Skillet

_____

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 whole Lime, Juiced

8 Tablespoons Olive Oil

8 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons (up To 3 Tablespoons) Sesame Oil

⅓ cups Brown Sugar

3 Tablespoons Fresh Ginger Chopped

2 cloves Garlic, Chopped

2 whole Hot Peppers Or Jalapenos, Chopped

Chopped Cilantro

Preparation Instructions:

Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter.

Note: dressing keeps for up to three days before serving, without cilantro.