Ginger Orange Glazed Carrots

I think these are pretty standard all over the place, but I love them and they work great with the rest of the Easter menu I am going with.  And even better, it uses up the carrots my husband's worried we won't use up quick enough.  I am making enough for 10 people today, so I'll downsize the recipe for the blog (usually I don't feed that many people, I don't know about you readers out there...).

Ginger Orange Glazed Carrots

1-2 carrots per person (that's for whole carrots, you can use baby carrots too, just plan for about a cup of carrots per person)
2 oranges, juiced
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground ginger
a couple of shakes of allspice or nutmeg, if desired

Cut the carrots into sticks or sliced rounds.  Place in a medium saucepan with the orange juice, brown sugar, ginger, and spices.  Over medium heat, stir til carrots are tender and glaze has thickened.  Serve hot with your favorite protein and starch.  Delicious!

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

This is something that I originally ate at my Grandma's house and loved, and it's really a simple recipe.  Super easy, and super tasty.  And goes great with the chicken or lamb you decide to make from the recipe I am going to post next--great for an Easter feast for sure.  Or any other time of the year, for that matter.  Anywho, I hope you like them as much as I do.

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

1 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced
4 tbsp olive oil
pinch each of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium to large bowl, mix together rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper, potatoes and oil until the potatoes are coated well.  Dump contents of bowl into a large baking dish (I usually use a 13x9 pan).  Spread it out so they don't overlap and they all have enough space to brown nicely.   Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden brown, whichever comes first.   Make sure to let them rest for a bit before you pop the delicious bites of potato in your mouth, because if you aren't careful, you'll burn your mouth.

Serve with lamb, chicken, steak, whatever you like.  And a veggie of course...because a meal isn't complete without a good veggie.  Stay tuned for a great veggie recipe I plan to make next for Easter dinner....

Oven Steamed Salmon, Steamed Green Beans, and Mashed Potatoes

According to the planned menu for the week, I made salmon tonight.  Thanks to a neighbor who ended up not liking the frozen salmon she bought at the store, I ended up with a couple of fillets in my freezer.  I have done salmon a few different ways in the past but this time I tried something slightly different and a little bit healthier.  I paired it with still crisp steamed green beans and some mashed potatoes to use up the potatoes in the pantry.  I hope you like it as much as we did!

Oven Steamed Salmon

1 large salmon fillet (about a foot long)
1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp each: seasoning salt, black pepper, onion powder
1 tbsp butter, cut in half
1/4 c water
aluminum foil, for cooking
baking dish (keeps your oven clean--catches any leaky juices)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a large sheet of aluminum foil inside your baking dish (needs to be at least 6 inches longer than the fish) Place salmon in the middle of the foil, and then sliced the lemon into rounds.  Place lemon rounds on top of the fish.  Top with seasonings and dill weed.  Top all of that with dots of the butter.  Pull up the sides of the foil to make a pouch and then add your water.  Pinch together the tops and sides of the foil to close the packet, and bake for 25 minutes.  Serve hot.

Mashed Potatoes (simple recipe, but everyone has a different one, right?)

6 medium potatoes
water
1 tsp salt
1/4 c butter
1/4 -1/2 c milk

Peel and cut potatoes into wedges.  (You don't have to peel them, sometimes I don't.  Potato peels are actually really good for you--full of vitamins.)  Put potatoes into a large pot, and cover with water.  Add salt, and bring to a boil.  Cook for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until potatoes are tender and break when poked with a fork.  Drain, and then place them back in the same pot.  Add butter and milk, and mash til you get the consistency you want.

Green Beans-- so simple you'll laugh at how easy it is.

1 lb green beans
1/4 to 1/2 c water

Snap the ends off the green beans.  Place into a steamer basket inside a pot on the stove.  Add your water, which should be below the level of the basket, and cover with lid.  Bring the water to a boil, creating steam for the beans to cook.  Steam beans for 3-5 minutes.  Not long at all, just til they turn bright green.  You want them to still have their snap/crispness.  Steaming keeps as many nutrients in the beans as possible while giving you optimum flavor.  My favorite way to eat them.  Yum!

Mini Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes, and Asparagus

That's what we had for dinner tonight.  It was pretty good, so I think I will blog it for you all.  You can always use the same recipe to make a big meatloaf (or rather, normal sized meatloaf), I just had a husband who wanted what he called "pub steaks."  So I did my best and it was more like meatloaf, I just didn't add bell peppers or mushrooms or other things I sometimes add to meatloaf.  I should clarify that when I make meatloaf, it's never really a specific recipe.  It's more like whatever I have in the fridge that I think will be good in it, which means anything that tastes good with beef.  Sometimes I will even do half sausage and half ground beef....it just depends on my mood and what I want it to taste like...  So here is tonight's recipe.

Baked Potatoes

(not really a recipe, but we adopted this method from Alton Brown from Good Eats on Food Network and we will never go back)

1 potato per person eating (I did a few extra to make fries or hashbrowns with later)
olive oil
coarse ground kosher sea salt

Wash and poke potatoes with a sharp knife or fork.  On a cookie sheet or baking sheet, place your potatoes.  Pour a little olive oil on each one, and then rub it all over the potato, and then sprinkle the salt to cover all sides.  Place baking sheet in a 400 degree oven, and bake for an hour.  The result will be tender fluffy potato inside, and a nice crisp crusty peel....yummy!

Mini Meatloaf

1 lb ground beef
1/2 a white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 c oatmeal or plain breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/2 tsp dried rosemary

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl (I use my hands, but you can also use a spatula or something).  Shape into mini loaves or little football shapes, and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus, ends snapped off
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced fine
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
juice of half a lemon
1/4 c water

Over medium high heat, heat olive oil.  Add your asparagus and then your garlic.  Saute just til asparagus is almost bright green.  Add your water, and then the dijon, along with the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.  Continue to cook til asparagus is bright green and water is fully absorbed.  Serve hot with baked potato and your mini meatloaf.

Couscous with Asparagus

First, I apologize for not posting for awhile.  First there was Thanksgiving, and then there was Christmas crazy when all of my recipes I was using were already posted because they were all traditional.  Then we moved immediately after, and we have been having an interesting time getting settled in.  Not very good excuses, but there they are.

So tonight I felt like making something vegetarian with the asparagus I got in my Bountiful Basket.  Yep, I am still ordering baskets, and yes, I am going to try to start that series again, now that things are a bit more calm.  Tonight I decided to make couscous with some of the asparagus and mushrooms and onions I had in the fridge.  It turned out really tasty even though it was vegetarian.  You could easily serve this with some sort of protein, and I am sure it would have been really good with some of the fish I have in the freezer.  I just didn't have time to thaw the fish and cook it by the time I had already started on the couscous.  Here we go...

Couscous with Asparagus and Mushrooms

1 c couscous
1 c chicken broth or water (recommend the chicken broth, flavors the couscous well), plus 1/4 c
1 tsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp
1/2 an onion, sliced thin, or diced.
3 cloves garlic, or to taste (I like a lot of garlic, so I was quite liberal with it)
4 oz sliced button mushrooms
1/2 bunch asparagus, cut into about 1 inch pieces
1/4 c parmesan cheese

Bring 1 tsp olive oil and 1 c of the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat, stir in couscous, and cover and let stand for 5 minutes--all the liquid will be absorbed.  In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil, and then add onions and saute for a little bit till they are almost tender.  Add garlic, and then mushrooms.   Saute til mushrooms are cooked through.  Add asparagus and the extra 1/4 c of chicken broth. Stir and cook over medium high heat til all of the broth is pretty much steamed off and asparagus is bright green and tender.  Add your couscous to the skillet, and stir everything together til combined.  Transfer to a bowl and then add your cheese and toss til all is combined again.  Serve hot with your favorite protein, or just by itself.

Mashed Potatoes

I know this is a basic recipe, but everyone does these sorta differently and some people don't do their own mashed potatoes, period.  And my thought to that concept is....why?  They're super simple, take half an hour at the most, and they taste SO much better than the store-bought stuff you can get in a box or in the refrigerated section.

Mashed Potatoes

2 potatoes for each person eating, at least.  washed, peeled, and quartered lengthwise
1 tsp salt
1/2 c milk, or 1/4 c cream and 1/4 c milk (half and half)
3 tbsp butter

Place potatoes in a stockpot and cover potatoes with water and salt.  Bring to a boil, and continue to boil til potatoes when you stick a fork in them, it goes through but it doesn't break the potato.  Don't over boil them because if you do you'll get mushy potatoes or potato soup.  Drain your potatoes and return them to the pot.  Add milk or cream, and butter, and salt and pepper, and either mash with a potato masher or whip in a mixer or with a hand mixer.  Serve with your favorite protein and veggie.

Roasted Cauliflower

I found this on Food Network, and it was delicious.  The only think I might change is how much red pepper flake is in it....a bit too spicy for me.  I am always looking for more creative ways to use different veggies, so this was a fun one to try.  I hope you like it like we did.

Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
1/4 c olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flake
salt and pepper to taste

Cut cauliflower into florets.  Toss it with all the other ingredients.  Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes.  It should be golden brown on the outside.  Serve hot with your favorite protein.

Are Brussels Sprouts REALLY good?!

All my life as a kid I HATED brussels sprouts.  My mom liked them so she would make them at least once a year.  And every time, I detested them.   So when I saw them in my basket, I will have to admit the thought "WHAT am I going to do with these?!"  I quickly determined that I would need to find a way to use them and try them again.  I needed to find a recipe that would somewhat mask their flavor, because I was still nervous about them.  But I have to also admit, after eating this, I would actually eat it again.  So for all of you brussels sprouts haters out there, give it a try.  You may find you like them, too.

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Hash

4 slices bacon, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
fresh thyme, about a sprig
about 10 brussels sprouts, trimmed, bottoms cut off, and quartered.
1 lb red potatoes, cut in halves or quarters, depending on size
1/2 of a big red onion, sliced thin
salt and pepper
3/4 c chicken broth
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 c chopped flat leaf parsley

Cook bacon over medium heat til pieces are crispy and fat is rendered.  Add the olive oil.  Add your brussels sprouts, potatoes, and onion.  Stirring occasionally, cook til potatoes are browned and onions are tender.  Add salt and pepper, thyme, and chicken broth, stir to combine and then cover and steam for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender and broth is absorbed.  Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook til reduced and mostly absorbed.  Fold in parsley, and serve warm.

Bacon and Onion Collard Greens

Alright, so I never thought I would like collard greens because they always look soggy and weird on Food Network whenever I see them.  Not the prettiest food out there.  But I got them in my basket this week and so I needed to try to do something inventive with them.  I looked on Food Networks website, and I found something someone posted on Facebook, and changed it to my liking.  See what you think, you might find you like them, too.  Surprised me, too!

Collard Greens

4 slices bacon, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
1 bunch collard greens, washed and stems removed

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add collard greens and boil for 10 to 15 minutes.   Drain, and let cool.  In a skillet, heat bacon til fat is rendered and meat is crisp.  Add onions and saute in the bacon fat, and then add your drained greens.  Cook til moisture is absorbed and everything is heated through.  Serve hot with your favorite protein.  We had it with fried chicken and cornbread.

Caprese Salad

So last night we had scones, which in Utah is the term used for fried dough, usually stretched out like a pancake, but fried in oil.  Some people might call it fry bread or whatever the local term is.  Here we call them scones.  Typically served hot with honey and butter on them, but also used for savory flavors too.  Last night I made a caprese salad to go on top of them, and it was a pretty tasty combo.  For the recipe for the dough we used, see the pizza dough recipe I posted here (referencing the "basic pizza dough").  Caprese is super easy to make and very tasty.  Enjoy!

Caprese Salad

2 large beefsteak tomatoes, either sliced or wedged
10-12 fresh basil leaves (important to use fresh basil, not the dried)
about a cup of fresh mozzarella, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Roll the basil leaves together into a log shape, and slice thin.  Toss tomatoes, basil, and diced FRESH mozzarella with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.   Let stand in fridge for about 20 minutes minimum.  Serve on the side of pasta, with garlic bread, or whatever else you like.  You can also slice the tomatoes, slice the cheese and then place the tomato, cheese, and basil on a piece of toasted bread, and drizzle with the oil and sprinkle the salt and pepper before eating...good open face sandwich for lunch!  We put this on top of our scones and ate it like an open faced sandwich.

NOTE:  It's important you use the fresh herbs and the fresh mozzarella.  Fresh mozzarella is softer and says specifically on the package.  Mostly the difference is more moisture and not aged at all.  You might have to look in the special cheese kiosk in your grocery store, rather than just the cheese section near the lunch meat because its slightly more specialty than regular mozzarella.

Roast Chicken with Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

Okay, so tonight was about using a chicken I bought a few days ago and the sweet potatoes and parsnips that came in my Bountiful Basket.  It took twice as long as I expected, so next time I will start earlier.  Anyway, it turned out well, so here is my recipe so you can try it too.

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 onion, peeled and cut into medium wedges
3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
olive oil, salt and pepper
1 can chicken broth

Rinse chicken well and pat dry with a paper towel.  Rub with olive oil over whole thing and then sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and maybe some sage if you have some.   Place breast side up on a roasting pan rack, and then stuff the cavity with half the onion and all of the garlic.  Spread the rest of the onion and the carrots onto the bottom of the pan and then pour the can of chicken broth over it.  You'll use the broth to baste the chicken every 20 minutes.   Set oven to 450 degrees, and place chicken in oven for 10 minutes; reduce heat in oven to 350.  Bake for 50 minutes.  Raise heat again to 450 and bake another 15 minutes.

Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

3 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
5 sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
1 tbsp butter, 1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Set oven to 450 degrees.  Place parsnips, sweet potatoes, garlic, oil, butter, and salt and pepper in some aluminum foil on a baking sheet.  Fold into packet and then bake for 1 hour.

Serve chicken with sweet potatoes and parsnips and carrots and onions.  :)

Funeral Potatoes (aka Cheesy Potatoes)

Here in Utah we have a tradition of bringing a large casserole dish of cheesy potatoes to funerals.   Thus the coined phrase "funeral potatoes."  But you don't have to wait til someone dies to eat these!  We also have them at church parties, for Christmas, for Thanksgiving, generally with our ham for Easter....pretty much whenever we feel like eating them.  Everyone around here has their own recipe, and here is mine.  I made them last night and they were a hit.

Funeral Potatoes

2 lbs frozen southern style hashbrowns (country fried potatoes)
1 1/2 c sour cream (you can use the light stuff if you want, I did)
1 lb shredded cheese (I used a mix of pepper jack and cheddar, but traditionally it's just cheddar), plus extra for the top
1 can cream of mushroom soup (one of the few recipes I use this for)
1/2 c milk
2 c finely diced ham
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chives, dried or fresh
1 c french fried onions (some people like to use corn flakes, but I like the flavor of this better)

In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, cheese, cream of mushroom soup, and milk and spices.  Mix well.  Add potatoes and ham, and then combine til everything is coated and mixed well.  Spray a 13x9 casserole pan or baking dish with cooking spray and then pour the whole thing into the dish, and spread evenly into the pan.  Top with more cheese, the french fried onions, and then cover with foil.  Bake at 375 for 35 minutes, removing the foil half way through (prevents burning the onions, but lets them stay crispy at the end).

Serve with ham, chicken, whatever you like, or just by itself.  Generally I like to have a healthy serving of some green veggies to keep myself from eating piles of the potatoes--helps me keep my blood sugar in check!

**NOTE**  I don't thaw the potatoes before I mix them with everything else.  They defrost while cooking in the oven, and it turns out just fine.  You can also use Potatoes O'Brien, which adds more flavor.

What do you do with ALL of that ZUCCHINI?!

So, being an LDS member who has been encouraged to have a garden since I was born, zucchini has always been the curse from September.  It's a doorbell ditch gift that nobody celebrates.  We always had to find inventive ways to use it before it went bad.  So this is how Mom came up with this recipe...she was trying to find other ways to get her kids to eat the stuff.  Oddly enough, even though I didn't like zucchini as a kid, I like it now, and this recipe has A LOT to do with it.   I hope it has the same effect for you!

Zucchini Fritters

5-6 c shredded zucchini, squeezed dry (the stuff holds a lot of liquid, needs to be wrung out after you shred it)
1 c breadcrumbs
1 c parmesan cheese
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
pinch each of salt and pepper
2 eggs
1/2 c flour

Mix all ingredients together until well combined.  Heat griddle over stove top or use electric stove.  Grease it well, and then spoon the zucchini mixture like pancakes onto the griddle, and cook until golden, then flip.  I recommend heating the oven to about 175 degrees, so they stay warm while you cook them all.  You'll have to do them in batches of about 5 at a time.  Makes about 25 medium sized fritters, or 40 small ones (for snacks or party appetizers).

Serve warm with ranch dressing, cream cheese, cottage cheese, or just butter and salt and pepper.

And for good measure...

My sisters are coming tomorrow, and I am making up for lost time. So here is another today. Jeff and I like to try and experiment with different recipes and make them better. One of those recipes is french fries, and another example is fried fish. Put the two together and you get: Fish and Chips! I LOVE fish and chips! So here are the recipes for that.

Fried Fish

4 cod fillets
1 c instant biscuit mix like Bisquick
1/2 c water, plus more
1 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp cornstarch
vegetable oil for frying
salt
malt vinegar (optional)

Much like fried chicken. Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees. Whisk together biscuit mix, water, cornstarch and cajun seasoning. Should be pretty thin batter (like tempura or crepe batter), so add more if not quite thin enough (you dont want pancake batter for sure). Add fish to batter, coat well. Fry in deep fryer for 3 minutes. Should be golden on the inside and heated through. Serve with french fries, recipe below.

French Fries

4 large russet baking potatoes
salt, pepper to taste, or seasoning salt
frying oil

The night before you want to make these, bake potatoes at 400 degrees for one hour. Chill overnight in refrigerator. The next day, preheat fryer to 375 degrees. Cut baked and chilled potatoes into strips for french fries. Fry in batches in deep fryer for 2 minutes. Salt and pepper as you like.

**Note** This is one twist we have found that has worked. I asked Jeff if it would be a good idea to make french fries out of our leftover baked potatoes and one night he tried it (while I was out of town, darn it) and said it worked beautifully. The reason we liked the baking of the potatoes first is because it cooks the inside completely, so all you are doing when you fry them is crisping the outside, and heating it through. So you're not under or over cooking them--the texture turns out fantastic! As if you fried them twice like restaurants do, but instead its a bit healthier beause they were baked first. Instead of expressly baking the potatoes for this recipe though, when we bake potatoes we generally make a couple extra for hashbrowns or something for another day. Try it out, we're pretty sure you'll like them.

and because I missed yesterday...

Another family favorite, from my fantastic grandma, Marilyn. This one is a favorite for the holidays, and it's okay to have this much butter because sweet potatoes are so good for you...haha!
I love sweet potatoes any way, and I LOVE this recipe...it is soooo good. A bit savory, but the salt and the sweetness of the potatoes balance nicely and taste fantastic.

Sweet Potatoes Anna

2 lbs sweet potatoes or yams
6 tbsp parmesan cheese
1/2 c butter, melted. (1 stick)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel potatoes, and using food processor or salad shooter, slice potatoes into 1/8 inch slices. Completely coat bottom of a 9 inch cake or spring form pan with 1 tbsp butter. Arrange 1/6 of the potato slices in an overlapping layer on bottom of the pan, pour one tbsp butter over top, then sprinkle with cheese. Sprinkle with pinch of salt. Repeat process til all of the ingredients are used, and then top with more butter and another sprinkle of cheese. Push down with hand to compress into pan. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then bake for another 40 to 45 minutes, til edges are brown and slightly crispy. Let stand for 5 minutes. Using spatula, drain off any extra butter. Use a butter knife to loosen potatoes around the edge of the pan, then invert onto platter. Cut into wedges and serve.