Roasted Beets n Sweets

My kids long ago declared a fatwa on beets as a source of enjoyment or even nutrition.  I suppose they do not appreciate the color or texture, but I haven't given up.  I continue to introduce this vegetable into the household menu hoping to broaden their horizons.  The original yummy recipe was shared with me by one of my girlfriends, but I'm tweaked with it a little just because I didn't have garlic powder.  Also, where I live, beets are sold in bundles of four instead of six.  Here's what I did.

4 beets, peeled and diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 sweet onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 1/2 Tbs of olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp on course salt (cooking salt or kosher is fine)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper


Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).  Toss the beets in 1/2 Tbs on oil to coat.  Spread in a single layer in a large casserole dish. 

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Add the sweet potatoes, onion, and garlic.  Seal the bag and shake to evenly coat the sweet potatoes.

Bake the beets for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.  Add the sweet potato mixture and continue baking for 45 minutes or until all the vegetables are done, stirring the mixture after 20 minutes.

Garlic Roasted Asparagus

 

I first used this recipe to make Penne with Roasted Asparagus.  The kids liked it so much (and asparagus is pretty cheap right now) that I've made it a few times as a side dish. Yummy!

Ingredients:
4 bundle of Asparagus
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
sea salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).

Wash the asparagus. I usually buy four bundles of Asparagus for my family of four, but the bundles over here are small.  You can adjust accordingly.  Hold each stalk near the end and break off the "woody" part. It should snap off naturally. Spread the asparagus on a cookie sheet. I covered my cookie sheet in foil for easy clean up. Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus. Move the asparagus around a bit so it coats evenly.  Add the minced garlic and (again) move the asparagus around so it's evenly covered in garlic. Sprinkle with plenty of sea salt and pepper. Bake for about 7 minutes.  Serve immediately and watch that asparagus disappear!

Thanksgiving Yams

This is my great grandmother Ireda Heath's recipe. It was one of my favorites when I was a little girl. My mother would make it every Thanksgiving. She would put the corn flakes in a baggie and one of us would get the job of crushing the corn flakes with Mom's rolling pin. Oh, how we argued over who got to do this job! The rest of the day, the lucky girl would covertly and smugly remind her sisters that they had not gotten to crush the corn flakes. Isn't it strange which memories float to the surface when you eat a dish from your childhood?

For this recipe you will need:

6-8 fresh yams or 1 large can yams, well drained
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2c walnuts
9-12 large marshmallows
2-3c corn flakes, crushed

Peel and boil the fresh yams until soft. If using canned yams, you can skip this step. Mash the yams and brown sugar together with a fork until smooth. Fold in the walnuts. With wet hands, pack a small amount (about 1/8 cup) of yam mixture around a large marshmallow. Roll the yam ball in corn flake crumbs. Be sure to call one of my sisters and remind her that SHE didn't get to crush the corn flakes this year. Place in a shallow baking dish. Bake at 375˚F for 10 to 15 minutes (just until the marshmallows begin to melt.) Serve warm as a side dish.

Fried Green Tomatoes

3 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 eggs
1/2c milk
3 cups canola oil (Bacon grease is better if you have it.)
1/2c flour
3 Tsp cornmeal
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper


Pour oil into a skillet. Heat it on med-high. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. Pour in milk and whisk together. In another small bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and pepper.

Dredge the slices of green tomato (one a time) in the flour mixture. Shake of the excess and dip into the egg mixture. Now back in the flour mixture. Place the tomatoes in the hot oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Place the tomatoes on a paper toweled plate to drain the excess oil.

Serve with Ranch dressing. If you forgot the ranch (or don't like ranch) no worries...eat these little puppies plain and they are still the best thing you'll eat today.

Green Bean Casserole

1 (16 oz) package frozen whole green beans, thawed
4 slices bacon, fried
1/2 med onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sedded and diced
1/4c dry white wine or vermouth
1/4c milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 can Campbells cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2c mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2c canned French fried onions

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Fry up the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Crumble bacon and set aside. Drain most of the bacon grease from the pan. Over medium heat, saute onions and bell pepper until tender. Stir in the wine, scraping all of the bits of bacon from the bottom of the pan. Mix in butter, milk, soup, and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in green beans and bacon. Fold in the cheese and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle with French fried onions. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes.

Pumpkin Soup

When we were in Germany we went to a Pumpkin Festival. We had some Pumpkin Soup that was AMAZING! I've been searching for a good Pumpkin Soup recipe ever since. This is the first Pumpkin Soup recipe that has brought back memories of Autumn in Germany. This soup is amazing. I really love the flavor of the pumpkin and onions. I think I can taste the mace, too. I think this soup would well complimented with some cheesy or buttery dinner rolls.

3 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced
5 cups chicken broth or 5 cups of water with 5 bouillon cubes
1 onion
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp syrup
1/2 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste

Bring broth to a boil. Add pumpkin and simmer until tender. Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add onion to pumpkin mixture. Move soup to blender and puree it. Return soup to pot and add salt and black pepper. Add the honey, syrup, mace, and nutmeg. Stir in the cream for a richer flavor.

Sweet Potato Casserole

My daughter had a writing assignment. The question was, "What is your favorite season and why?" I'm sure that my third grade teacher posed the same question to my class. I have no idea how I answered it in the third grade, but if Ms. Martz asked me that question today I'd say that my favorite season was fall. I love fall. Have I ever mentioned that? I love watching the leaves turn colors. I like the crunchy sound that fall makes when you are walking in the leaves. I used to bring the leaves home and decorate my desk with all the oranges, reds, and yellows. I love my cloth pumpkins made with their Halloween and autumn fabrics that decorate my mantle. I love the smell of baking in the fall...Sweet Potatos, Pumpkin, Cinnamon...it's the most homey, comforting, safe smell. Here is a dish that is perfect for celebrating autumn and it's tasty, too. I like this recipe because the sweet potatos aren't smothered in marshmellows...not that marshmellows are bad...I think I've just outgrown them.

2 1/2 lbs sweet potatos
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
1/4 c pecans, coarsly chopped

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce sweet potatos a couple times with a fork. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Set aside to cool. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F. Peel skin off the potatos and slice into about one inch chunks. Put into a med bowl and mash. Add eggs, butter, brown sugar, and spices. Mix until smooth. PAM a 8X8 casserole dish. Add mixture. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Baked Beans

Can we all just agree that there are very few things in this world that don't taste better after you add bacon? My husband loves pork and beans. He hates anything else that contains beans. Go figure. When I first made this recipe for the man of my dreams...well, lets just say that some accusations were made. We'd been married for five or six years and he was of the opinion that I was holding out on him. I'm of the opinion that I've got a secret weapon to wheedle my way back into his good graces the next time I'm in the doghouse.

3 cans (15 oz) pork and beans
1/3 c ketchup
1/3 c brown sugar
1/2 med onion
3 tsp mustard
1 lb bacon

Fry bacon and cut into small pieces. Combine all ingredients into a 5 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.