Burgundy Mushrooms

We had these mushrooms for Christmas dinner along with our Roast Beast (like in the Grinch, get it?).  Now typically, I don't cook anything that takes nine hours.  But these mushrooms, YES! Next time I'll have them as a main course...they are so delicious and almost beef-y.

Oh, and I didn't use Burgundy wine.  I used a Cabernet, but any red wine will do.  If you don't drink wine, get some for this dish; there is no substitution.  It doesn't have to be expensive (you need an entire liter), but it shouldn't be sweet at all.

Burgundy Mushrooms
4 pounds white button mushrooms
1 cup of butter
1 liter of red wine
4 beef bullion cubes
4 chicken bullion cubes
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5 garlic cloves
1 tsp black pepper
2 cups boiling water
2 tsp salt

Rinse the mushrooms and then add them to a stockpot with all other ingredients, except salt. Simmer covered for 6 hours. Then simmer with the lid off for 3 more hours. Salt at the end if desired.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving comes once a year, you know.  Since we will be traveling on Thursday, ours came early this year.  Every family has dishes that are specific to them, be it dressing (that's what we call stuffing in the South, y'all, and we don't stuff it), cranberry sauce, or sweet potatoes.  My mom always cooks Thanksgiving, and she made this sweet potato casserole this year that was so good.  So if you're up for trying a new recipe this year, make this one!

"Another thing about Thanksgiving that is cool?  It's the only time you eat marshmallows at dinner!"-Alpha, age 8

Sweet Potato Casserole (this is a straight up Southern Living recipe)

4 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Bake sweet potatoes at 400° for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash sweet potatoes.
Beat mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, and next 5 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into a greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.
Combine cornflakes cereal and next 3 ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle over casserole in rows 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Ravioli with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Golden Raisins

 

This is the best left-overs meal I think I've ever made! I was trying to use up some stuff in the fridge and based the recipe on this Caramelized Brussels Sprouts recipe (which I thought was a little too sweet, by the way).

Ravioli with Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Golden Raisins

serves 4-5

1 package refrigerated cheese ravioli

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 cup golden raisins

salt and pepper

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Cook ravioli according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook garlic in olive oil for a few seconds and then add the Brussels sprouts.  Saute for 5-7 minutes, or until tender.  Add pecans and raisins and stir.  Toast the pecans in the pan for a minute or so. Take the pan off the heat, add the vinegar, stir, and toss with ravioli.  Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

This is such an interesting change from my usual brussels sprouts recipe.  Served with a little quinoa and my old standby, Simple Salmon, it was a quick and healthy meal.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts from Eat, Live, Run

12-14 large brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
pinch sea salt
1 1/2  tbsp brown sugar (I thought this was a tad too much sugar; I'd decrease to 1 tbsp)
1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted

Slice each brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of brussels sprout ribbons. Heat the olive oil over medium high in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another 4-5 minutes, until tender and a little browned. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

We went trick or treating in the hood last night, but it's still Halloween tonight, so the kids had Mummy Dogs for dinner.  They are just hot dogs cut in half and wrapped in crescent roll strips.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  My Mummy Dogs are kind of struggling, but I'm sure yours will be perfect.

John and I, however, had Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup.   It's got roasted garlic in it! Yummm.

1 butternut squash
1 head garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Fuji apple, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1/2-3/4 cup skim milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
shredded cheddar cheese
diced apple
fresh thyme

Cut squash down the center and remove seeds.  Drizzle squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast skin side up at 400 for 30 minutes, or until squash is soft.  When the squash is cool, the skin will just pull off.
Cut the top off a head of garlic.  Add olive oil and salt and pepper and wrap in foil.  Roast garlic in the oven with the squash. 
(I did all the roasting earlier in the day and finished the rest of the steps right before dinner.)
Saute onion and apple in olive oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and deglaze the pan and bring it to a boil.   Add squash and roasted garlic cloves to the pot (just squeeze the garlic to remove the roasted cloves) and simmer for 10 minutes, or longer if you have time.  Next puree the soup with an immersion blender (or you can use a food processor) until smooth.  Add skim milk to thin the soup to desired consistency.  Last, add 1/4 cup heavy cream, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls and top with chopped apples, shredded cheddar cheese, and fresh thyme. 

Quinoa with Roasted Fall Vegetables and Pistachios

Quinoa. Pronounced KEEN-wah.  If you're not eating it yet, now is the time.  It's super healthy and finally readily available in regular grocery stores.  I like this recipe a lot.  And I'll bet the leftovers will be great tomorrow for lunch..

Quinoa with Roasted Fall Vegetables and Pistachios
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 butternut squash, seeds and skin removed
1 medium sized eggplant
2 cups crimini mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, whole
juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (this just thickens the sauce a little, you can leave it out)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup pistachios
salt and pepper

Cut vegetables into bite sized pieces, place on a sheet pan, and drizzle with olive oil.  Add whole garlic cloves and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.  Toss everything together and roast at 450 for about 30 minutes, turning once.  Vegetables should be brown.

Prepare quinoa according to package directions:  bring quinoa to a boil, add a pinch of salt, lower heat to simmer, put a lid on it, and cook for 10-15 minutes. 

In a large bowl, mix lemon juice with mustard and add salt and pepper.  Whisk until combined and then whisk in about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Add quinoa and vegetables, then stir to combine. Add a few pistachios to the top when serving. 

My Healthy Eating Soapbox and Spicy Garlic Spinach

 

For me, the key to staying healthy, is a combination of not eating too much and daily exercise.  If you struggle with healthy eating or weight loss I would suggest reading Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food.  That book completely changed the way I see food and eating.  He says you should eat real food, not processed food-like substances (I always think of Veleveeta) and not too much of it.   Nothing is really off limits and he neither condones nor condemns being a vegetarian or vegan.  He says you should eat chocolate cake if you want it, but don't eat Little Debbies.  Get up off the couch and make a cake from flour, sugar, cocoa, and eggs.  Having to make from scratch chocolate chip cookies will make you think about how badly you want cookies!  And for exercise, I say do the best you can.  I don't always exercise every day.  I do what I can when I can; some weeks I do great, and sometimes I don't...It's about moderation in everything...

Enough of my soapbox, right?  We had tenderloin steaks for dinner (the same recipe from a few weeks ago minus the butter).  The Baby and Beta split a steak and I spit one with Alpha (John had his own).  When you cut any meat and fan it out like this, it tricks your eye into thinking you're eating more than you are.   So really, I only ate a couple of ounces of steak and most of my plate was spinach and sweet potatoes.

Spicy Garlic Spinach

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 big bag of baby spinach, more or less is fine

1 tablespoon olive oil

big pinch of red pepper flakes (I knew my kids wouldn't touch it, so I went heavy on the pepper)

salt

Heat olive oil in a skillet until hot.  Add the garlic and saute for about a minute, but don't let it brown.  Add the red pepper flakes and then the spinach.  Toss spinach until it wilts and then add salt. 

Garlic Lemon Roasted Cauliflower

We try to eat locally as much as we can, but you know how expensive (not to mention time consuming) it is to buy fruits and veggies from local farmers. So in reality, we eat regionally with produce mostly from Walmart, and I buy in season as much as possible.  

Since fall is finally upon us, crunchy apples, cranberries, and pumpkins have replaced juicy red tomatoes, watermelon, and basil.  Yellow squash is over for the summer, as are strawberries and fresh white corn.  Kale, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and butternut squash are in the store this time of year, so that's what we eat!  And we've always got carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower....

Tonight John and I had Lemon Pepper Tilapia, Garlic Lemon Roasted Cauliflower, and Spinach Salad with Red Peppers.  The kids ate fast food for a school fundraiser (good parenting, huh?). I'll tell you about the fish and salad later this week.  Here's how I did the cauliflower:

Garlic Lemon Cauliflower

1 large head cauliflower
olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
zest and juice of one lemon

After washing and drying the cauliflower, cut it into small pieces.  You can spend time separating each floret to make it beautiful, or you can just chop it up into similar sized pieces (like I did).

Add 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, the zest of a lemon, juice of half the lemon, then drizzle with olive oil to coat, and toss it all together.

Cook at 450 for 20-25 minutes.  When it comes out of the oven, squeeze the other half of the lemon over the cauliflower.

Chili Lime Broiled Salmon with Avocado Corn Salad

I found my broiler pan the other day when I was cleaning out my cabinets and realized I didn't even know how to use it.  And wow, why did I wait so long to figure it out?  Talk about an easy way to cook fish.  And FAST!

Chili Lime Broiled Salmon
Drizzle both sides of thawed salmon fillets with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and juice from half of a fresh lime.  Broil on the broiler pan for 5 minutes.  Flip the salmon and broil for 5 more minutes.  When it comes out of the oven, squeeze the other half of the lime over the fillets.

Avocado Corn Salad
 4 ears fresh corn
2 ripe avocados
1/2 orange bell pepper
1/4 chopped cilantro
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Cut the corn off the ears using a serrated knife.  Steam the corn in a glass bowl covered with plastic wrap in the microwave for 5 minutes.  You want the corn to remain slightly crunchy,  Combine the avocado, corn, orange bell pepper, cilantro and stir.  Add the lime juice (add more if the lime isn't very juicy) and salt and pepper. 

Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

This is one of my go-to meals when I have zero time for dinner, like tonight.  It's super quick, healthy, and only requires one pan (easy cleanup).  The kids got Egg Toast (that's what we call it when you cook an egg inside a piece of toast) while the tomato sauce was cooking.  We also had Parmesan Roasted Broccoli.

I learned this recipe from Martha Stewart years ago, and she said it's an old Italian dish called Eggs in Purgatory.  I think I like that name better, but anyway...

 

Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce

1 large can crushed tomatoes (I like to use fire roasted tomatoes)

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

pinch of red pepper flakes

4 large eggs

4 slices toasted bread (thick country style bread is best)

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and bring to a boil, and then season with salt and pepper.   Cook the sauce for 10 minutes.  Gently crack the eggs into the tomato sauce, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes.  Transfer each egg to a piece of toast.  Spoon over extra sauce, garnish with cheese, and season with salt and pepper.

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

Did you know that my kids love broccoli?  They are weird, I know.  I cannot stand it, myself, but they eat just regular frozen broccoli, steamed in the microwave, with a little salt.  Yuck.  But THIS broccoli recipe has made a broccoli lover out of me! Excellent.  This guy says it's the best broccoli of your life, and he's not exaggerating.   We also had baked chicken and roasted potatoes, but the broccoli stole the show!

Parmesan Roasted Broccoli

2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
4 garlic cloves, sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
juice of half a lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place broccoli florets on a sheet pan, and drizzle generously with olive oil.  Toss in the garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast at 450 for 20 minutes, or until browned. 
Remove broccoli from oven, and add lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, and extra salt and pepper to taste. 

Vine Ripe Tomato Pie

This recipe encompasses two of my favorite things: tomatoes and pie. I've always wanted to try the Paula Deen tomato pie, but my disdain for mayo has always stopped me.  So I decided to edit the recipe a little, and I really like how it turned out. 

Vine Ripe Tomato Pie

1 refrigerated pie crust (or make your own if you can, I cannot)
ripe tomatoes, enough to fill crust
3 green onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1/3 cup mayo
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
2/3 cup sharp cheddar, grated
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup fresh mozzarella, grated
salt and pepper, to taste

Roll out the pie crust and bake unfilled at 450 for 5-7 minutes, or until lightly brown.  Lower oven temperature to 350 and assemble pie. 

Mix cheese, mayo, and yogurt.  Layer tomatoes, onions, herbs, and cheese mixture, finishing with cheese.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Uncover and bake another 15-20 minutes, or until brown and bubbly.  Let the pie cool just warm before cutting. 

Bruschetta, again

I made these marinated tomatoes the other day, then I made them again, and tonight I made them again.  They are just so darn good, especially on top of garlic toast and topped with goat cheese.  I got some tomatoes at a farm stand yesterday, but they started going bad really quickly.  I knew I had to eat a bunch of them today, and this was the best way I could think of.  Yum.  The kids ate macaroni and cheese, though.  I wouldn't say this Bruschetta is exactly kid friendly...

Farmers' Market Tomato Bruschetta

We have a Farmers' Market in our town on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings on the downtown square.  I personally prefer to do my actual shopping on Tuesday or Thursday, and keep Saturday for walking around with the family, getting the girls' faces painted, buying flowers, and people watching. 

So the kids and I went this morning and picked up a ton of beautiful, multi colored, cherry tomatoes.  Then, we dropped by Little Bread Co., my very favorite local bakery, to get a baguette.  I knew just what I was going to do with them......

Farmers' Market Tomato Bruschetta (adapted from PW's Marinated Tomatoes)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 whole green onions, sliced
9 whole basil leaves cut into a chiffonade (roll 'em up longways and then cut into strips)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound tomatoes, cut up
1 whole baguette sliced
goat cheese, to garnish

Mix the oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices, and add tomatoes.  Allow to marinate 2-3 hours or longer. 

Slice baguette, drizzle with olive oil.  Broil for 2-3 minutes, until they start to brown. Turn them and broil for 2-3 more minutes.  Top each piece of bread with the tomatoes, using a spoon to allow for some extra juice to drop onto the bread.  Garnish with goat cheese.

Grilled BBQ Chicken with Sauteed Fresh Corn

This meal epitomizes summer to me.  Fast, simple, cooked outside, and healthy.   It helped that the kids were starving and worn out from a fun day, but they still ate every bite!

The Sauteed Fresh Corn with Basil is always a hit! And I made Pioneer Woman's marinated tomatoes (which were fantastic by the way), but I'll talk about those later.

 

BBQ Grilled Chicken

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin (or buy the thin ones in the store to save time)

1 cup bottled BBQ sauce

salt and pepper

Salt and pepper chicken.  Heat grill to HOT, and grill chicken, brushing with BBQ sauce until it's done.  HEALTH NOTE: remember the brush has touched raw chicken, as has the BBQ sauce you dipped the brush in.  Throw away any extra sauce and don't use the brush to put sauce on the cooked chicken.  Always be careful not to cross contaminate!

Grilled Corn with Lemon Thyme Butter

I'm a hamburger purist when I make them at home.  Ground chuck. Salt and pepper.  Hot grill.  Cheddar cheese.  Toasted bun.  That's all. No recipe. No fancy sauces, French cheeses, or caramelized anything.  Meat, cheese, bun.  I don't even do lettuce and tomato (and NEVER pickle, EVER).  John likes all that, but he wasn't here, so we had them my way.  :)

Now, on to the corn on the cob.  I just grilled it until it was brown, about 10 minutes total (with really fresh, sweet, summer corn you don't have to cook it forever) and slathered it with Lemon Thyme Butter.  Delicious. 

Lemon Thyme Butter

1 stick salted butter
1 teaspoon salt
zest and juice of one lemon
3-5 springs fresh thyme, leaves removed

Soften butter to room temperature (or in the microwave for 30 seconds or so).  Add zest and juice of one lemon and salt.  Mix it all together and add thyme.  Serve soft and spread on grilled corn.

Wax Bean and Potato Salad with Creamy Basil Vinaigrette

I went to the Farmers Market this morning for tomatoes, and came home with the tomatoes, but also purple and yellow baby potatoes, green onions, and yellow wax beans.  I wasn't sure what I was going to make, so I searched the interwebs and found a great recipe, but I changed it up a little bit.

John tasted the salad and said in a surprised way, "wow, that's so good!"  He fessed up that he couldn't believe a salad with wax beans, potatoes, and arugula could be very tasty.  But it is (and healthy, too).  

Wax Bean and Potato Salad with Creamy Basil Vinaigrette 
1/3 cup walnuts
1 1/2 pounds small potatoes, cut in half
1/2 pound (or so) yellow wax beans
3 or 4 green onions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
fresh basil, chopped, to taste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces baby arugula

Toast walnuts quickly in the microwave for one minute.

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add potatoes, and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a colander to drain and cool. Set aside.

Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside. Return pan of water to a boil. Add wax beans, and cook until just tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath to stop the cooking. Drain.

Whisk together vinegar, yogurt, mustard and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; season with pepper. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking until emulsified. Add basil. Set dressing aside.

Arrange arugula, potatoes, and green beans on a platter. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with toasted walnuts; toss to coat.

Mint and Rosemary Quinoa with Roasted Beets

I'm kind of on a quinoa kick right now.  It's quick, so healthy, and great cold as leftovers.  But my kids don't like it. At all.  So I've been making them pasta instead.  They all gave it a good try though, and I'm satisfied that they aren't fond of the texture.  They'll come around...

Mint and Rosemary Quinoa with Roasted Beets  (adapted from Eat, Live, Run)

Beets get a bad rap.  Those weird magenta things on salad bars are technically beets, but they are nothing like roasted beets.  Roasted beets are hard to describe, but they are earthy and kind of sweet.  You should try them for yourself!  Just remember they will stain anything and everything, including your hands.

Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Quinoa
3 large beets, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
4 heaping tablespoons goat cheese
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
fresh rosemary and fresh mint to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon chopped total)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scatter the chopped beets on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  Roast for 25-30 minutes, until tender.

While the beets are roasting, prepare quinoa according to package directions, it takes about 12 minutes to cook.

When the quinoa is done, add the goat cheese, walnuts, and herbs, and stir until melty and creamy. Add the beets.  Add a little more goat cheese to the top before serving.

Quinoa Citrus Salad with Avocados

This salad was perfect for the excruciatingly hot and humid weather we're having this week.  It's cold, creamy, crunchy, tangy, and healthy.  You can see perfect pictures and descriptions here, but here is my adapted recipe.   I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Quinoa Citrus Salad with Avocados
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
for the salad:
1/2 red onion, minced
2 large grapefruits, divided into segments and chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
3 ears fresh corn, kernels chopped off (I microwaved the fresh corn for one minute to get rid of the starchy taste)
1 cup uncooked quinoa
1 large (ripe but firm) avocado, diced
1 small bunch cilantro, minced

for the dressing:
juice of 3 limes
1 tsp cumin
3 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Bring quinoa to a boil with 2 cups water with a pinch of salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed and quinoa is light and fluffy. Remove from stove and let cool while you prepare the rest of the salad.
Place red onion, grapefruit, cilantro, bell pepper, avocado and shucked corn kernels in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Add quinoa to salad then pour over dressing. Toss well and serve.
Salad will keep in sealed tupperware containers for up to five days in the fridge.

The World's Best Sandwich

I don't know how many calories are in it.  A lot would be my guess.  But it truly is the world's best sandwich.  I've changed the recipe a little from Thomas Keller's original, only because I don't like mayo and I find the cheese unnecessary. 

4 large eggs
8 thick slices of bacon
8 thick slices of bread, toasted and hot
1/4 cup BLT dressing (recipe follows)
8 tomato slices
8 leaves of butter lettuce

Place bacon on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, or until crispy.  Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Toast bread and spread the dressing on each slice of toast, then top with the bacon, tomato and lettuce.

In a nonstick skillet, melt 1 tsp of butter. Add the eggs and fry over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp around the edge, about 4 minutes; the yolk should still be runny. Slide the egg onto the lettuce; close the sandwich and eat right away.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

BLT dressing

3 tablespoons real mayo (Hellmans)
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
one clove of garlic, grated
juice of half a small lemon
salt and pepper to taste