Rutabagas

This thanksgiving once again, we had a HUGE assortment of veggies! One of those veggies is the understated Rutabaga which we caramelize and make very very sweet! :) Hope Everyone Had a Fantastic Thanksgiving!!

Ingredients:

3 – 4 large rutabagas

Butter

Honey

Maple Syrup

Light Brown Sugar

Be careful! Rutabagas are extremely hard to slice! Have someone who know how to do it if you do not!

Peel Rutabagas. Slice into ½ inch pieces.  Place pieces in pan with water.  Add some butter and brown sugar to the water and bring to boil.  Keep on slow boil until rutabagas are soft. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place rutabagas in a greased 9x13 inch pan without the liquid, but keep the remaining liquid in case needed. 

Sprinkle honey, maple syrup and brown sugar on top of rutabagas.  Drop dollops of butter on top and bake in oven for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  

It is done when slightly browned and caramelized.

Cranberry Sauce

 I know most people just buy the canned cranberry sauce for the holidays; however I find that homemade is incalculably better! However make sure to leave plenty of time to congeal, preferably a night or two before it will be served.

Ingredients:

3 cups Fresh Cranberries

1 cup Sugar

1 cup water

First, rinse the fresh cranberries in strainer.

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Add cranberries and leave at a low boil.  Continue boiling cranberries until all cranberries have popped (about 5 minutes).  It should look very saucy and not see very many full berries.   

Take sauce off of stove and strain it.  Use a fine strainer and strain into bowl or container.   

Once finished refrigerate over night for best results or at least several hours. 

The less time you leave it in the refrigerator, the less thick it will be!!! Be warned, it took me multiple times to get it to congeal correctly!

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!! *gobble gobble* haha

Sweet Potato Medallions

 I know everyone always has sweet potato casserole or yams or some sort of sweet potato dish during the holidays, but this is one of my favorite recipes for sweet potatoes, it’s soft, sweet, and melts in your mouth!

Ingredients:

3 lbs sweet potatoes

1 stick butter or more if needed

Light brown sugar

Honey

Pecans (optional)

One a side not, be careful when slicing, the potatoes can break apart. However do not get mad! It still tastes good in irregular shapes haha!

Boil sweet potatoes until cooked but not too soft.  Cool and then peel potatoes leaving whole.  Carefully slice potatoes into ¼ to ½ inch circles.  Place on cookie sheet.   

Place pat of butter on each circle.  Lightly sprinkle sugar on each circle.  Drizzle honey on top (However since honey is a natural sweetener, I usually use less sugar and cover it with honey haha).   

Place cut pecans around the cookie sheet and drizzle them with honey (If you have a nut allergy, don’t use nuts of course, they are not critical). 

Place in oven on broil for about 10 minutes or until potatoes look caramelized.  Remove and serve. If you burn the edges a bit, they surprisingly taste better! And the charcoal is better for your digestive system, which most people do not know!)

Apple Pecan Crisp

So for holidays, apple deserts are typically a big deal.  One of my family’s favorite apple deserts is the apple pecan crisp dish.  Instead of doing cookies like the original recipe called for, we modified it into one giant dish that you just cut for each serving to keep its gooeyness. :)  

However if anyone has nut allergies, do not make!

This recipe serves about 12 people!

2/3 c maple flavored syrup

¼ c all purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

8 large baking apples peeled and cut in ½ inch slices  (about 12 cups)

½ c cold butter or margarine cut into pieces 

1 pouch Betty Crocker oatmeal cookie mix

¾ - 1 cup chopped pecans

Before doing anything, you’ll want to preheat oven to 375 degrees. And then slice the apples.

In large bowl, stir together the syrup, flour and cinnamon until well blended.  Add in the slices of apples and toss together until evenly coated.  Spread apple-mixture into un-greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish evenly.

In same bowl, using the mixer, mix butter into cookie mixture until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Then stir in the pecans.  Crumble this mixture over apples in baking dish. And then place in the oven.

Bake for 30 minutes.  Then very loosely cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 10 – 15 minutes longer or until the apples are tender.

Then voila! Serve it to your friends or keep it all for yourself haha! (By the way, it is really good with a little bit of cool whip!) ^_^

Pumpkin Pie

 Now I think everyone will agree with me when I say that no holiday season, whether  Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, can go without a Pumpkin Pie! I’m not that big of a pumpkin person, but I LOVE homemade pumpkin pie! It makes the season special! :)

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked pumpkin  ( I try to use fresh pumpkin but you can use  canned if needed)

2 eggs slightly beaten

¾ c sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 can  Evaporated Milk

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell- Deep Dish

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Mix the filling ingredients together in the order listed above (pumpkin > eggs > sugar > salt > cinnamon > ginger > ground cloves > evaporated milk). 

Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes more or until pie looks done.   Test with a dry knife.  When removed it should come out dry, not covers in pie filling.

Enjoy your holidays!

Carrot Cake

As the holidays draw closer together, desserts will have to be made; one common holiday favorite is Carrot Cake.  It’s actually one of the healthier cakes. J I make it for one of my friends on his birthday every year! It’s super fast and very light!

For this recipe you’ll have to make two separate mixtures and then after they are made combine them.  

Mixture 1: Mix all ingredients together in one bowl.

1 ½ c. grated carrots (nearer to 2)

1 c. chopped walnuts

1 sm. Can drained crushed pineapple

Mixture 2: Mix all ingredients in a bigger bowl.

2 c. flour                        2 tsp. baking soda

2 c. sugar                      1 c. oil

2 tsp. cinnamon            4 eggs

                   2 tsp. vanilla

Beat mixture 2 for 2 minutes.  Add mixture 1 to mixture 2.    

And then Bake. To bake:

 either put it in a 4 inch deep round pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour, (then test)

 OR

 in a greased 10 inch pan at 300 º for 1 ½ hours.

Cornbread

 I know this isn’t super healthy, but it’s perfect for a quick snack, or for dinner parties!

Ingredients:

1 stick margarine (melted in 9 x 13 inch pan)

3 Jiffy Corn Bread Mix

4 Eggs

2 cans regular size creamed corn

1 cup sour cream or slightly more

First preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in bowl (order truly doesn’t matter in this dish).   

After margarine has melted take pan out of oven and while hot add mixture into pan and bake for 35 – 45 minutes.   

Remove and cut in squares and serve.

 However be careful and watch it the last 15 minutes at least because it can and will burn quick if you’re not quick :)

Chicken Crepes

 One delicious dish that my family loves is my mother’s Chicken Crepes. This amazing dinner dish is paired great with steamed veggies or even a salad!  It’s very healthy (if you wish to go healthier, use less of the sauce), however it takes a little longer to prepare than most dishes.

 Ingredients:

Crepe Batter:

 2/3 cups flour

2 eggs

3 Tablespoons cooled, melted butter or margarine

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

 About ½ tsp. vanilla (to taste)                                       

 Note:  I usually at least double the recipe when I make it for  breakfast

Chicken filling:

¼ cup butter or margarine

¾ lb. mushrooms, chopped

½ cup chopped green onion

2 ½ cups diced cooked chicken

½ cup sherry

½ teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Sauce:

¼ cup flour

2/3 cup sherry

1 can (10 ¾ oz) condensed chicken broth, undiluted

2 cups light cream

½ teaspoon salt, dash of pepper

Salad oil

½ cup grated Swiss cheese

1. Batter:  In medium bowl, combine flour, eggs, butter, salt, ½ cup of milk.  Beat with rotary beater until smooth; beat in rest of milk and vanilla.  Refrigerate, covered for 3 hours or overnight.  (I rarely ever have the time to refrigerate, so I don’t unless I plan ahead and fix it the night before)

2. Make Filling:  Heat butter in a large skillet.  Add mushrooms and onion; sauté 10 minutes.  Add chicken, sherry, salt, and pepper.  Cook over high heat, stirring until liquid is gone.

3. Make sauce:  In saucepan, blend flour with sherry.  Stir in broth, cream, salt and pepper.  Over medium heat bring to boiling, stirring.  Reduce heat; simmer, stirring 2 minutes.  Add half of sauce to filling; stir until blended; set aside.

4. To cook crepes: Slowly heat 7 inch skillet; brush lightly with oil (or spray Pam) Pour in 2 Tablespoons batter (I use between a ¼ and ½ cup) and an 8 inch skillet, rotating to cover bottom.

5. Cook over medium heat until golden; turn; brown other side.  Cool on rack or plate.  Repeat (makes about 15 if using original recipe) Heat oven to 425 F.

6. Place ¼ cup filling on each crepe; roll up.  Arrange seam side down, in a single layer in buttered, 3 quart shallow baking dish.  Pour rest of sauce over crepes; sprinkle with grated cheese.  Bake 15 minutes or until bubbly.  Serves 6 to 8 servings.

Typically it’s a dinner dish, however one thing we’ve learned to do is just use the Crepes for breakfast and use cream cheese or jelly, or both! Try it sometime! ^_^

Zucchini Bread

 I found one odd breakfast food that I love is zucchini bread! I use it in place of muffins.  I know it sounds weird, but it’s a lot healthier without the preservatives of factory made muffins. And you can eat it on the go just like a muffin too… not to mention it’s cheaper!

Ingredients:

1 large unpeeled zucchini

4 eggs

2 cup sugar

1  cup oil

1  tsp vanilla

3  cup flour

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1  tsp salt

1 tsp  baking powder

1 tsp  baking soda

1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

1 cup chopped raisons

(NOTE: use of shredder is dangerous, don’t let little kids make it.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Use shredding blade of food processor.  Shred the whole zucchini and put in a bowl. 

With mixing blade in food processor, mix eggs, sugar, zucchini, oil and vanilla – process until well mixed.  In a large mixing bowl mix remaining ingredients.  Pour zucchini mixture over flour mixture and mix well. 

Put in 2  9x5 greased loaf pans.  Bake about 1 – 2 hours. 

Creamed Onions

Growing up I always hated the creamed onions! However I actually grew to like them. And surprisingly are fairly healthy, like all onions are healthy for you (when not deep fried and breaded haha).

Ingredients:

2 or 3  pkgs frozen onions or 2 bottles onions

6 T butter

6 T flour

½ tsp salt

3 cups milk

First:

Pan Fry the onions to get them slightly browned.  Remove from stove-top and place on the side.

Then make the sauce:

Melt butter in saucepan on low heat. Add flour and salt and stir until mixed thoroughly. Stir in milk all at once. Cook quickly and continue stirring until sauce thickens.  (Sauce should be medium thickness)  Add onions, mix together and place in greased oven proof pan.  Sprinkle nutmeg on top and bake at 350 until slightly browned about half hour.   Serve HOT. (I tried it cold… I would not recommend it!!)

Brussel Sprouts

Yes I know, everyone hates brussel sprouts… However I actually like them! Well provided they are cooked right ;) Here’s one simple, quick, and healthy way to cook them, and make them delicious! ^_^

Ingredients:

2 pkgs fresh Brussel sprouts

Olive Oil

1 lb bag of small Carrots

Grape Tomatoes (optional)

Coat a 9 x 12 inch baking dish with olive oil.  Clean the brussel sprouts and cut them in half lengthwise.  Place the brussel sprouts in pan and stir to coat them with oil.  If needed add a bit more oil.  Slice carrots lengthwise into small strips and add them into the dish.  Add grape tomatoes sliced in half if used (This gives the dish a sweeter taste, but I usually make it without it, however my vegan friends love them put in the dish).  Then bake it in oven on 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the oven).  Make sure to stir occasionally.  Remove when the sprouts are soft and edible. Enjoy! :)

Chicken Caesar Salad

One of my favorite dishes to fix in a pinch is a chicken Caesar salad. It’s easy to fix, healthy, and refreshing. You can add ingredients to your liking, and if more people show up it’s not hard to add more servings.

1 package of lettuce

1 Handful of Croutons

1 Handful of Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1 Jar of Caesar Dressing

1 Can of White Chicken Meat (Or fresh roasted/Grilled chicken breasts)

 First prepare the chicken, by either draining the water out of the can or slicing the fresh chicken breasts.  Once the chicken is ready, the rest is simple. All you have to do is mix the lettuce, the croutons, and the chicken in a bowl.  After this, pour the Caesar dressing as much as desired, the less you use the healthier it will be. Finally sprinkle the cheese over the salad.  Mix and enjoy.

However, if desired, you may turn this into a wrap for on-the-go needs.  All you do is place the salad in a wrap of your choice; I recommend either a whole grain or a spinach wrap. Then fold the wrap in your desired style, whether that’s burrito, lunch wrap, or whatever. 

Rigatoni in a light tomato-parmesan sauce (Vegetarian Friendly)

 This week my friend had come over and was hungry; however she is a vegetarian, so I decided to finally try one of the recipes my other friend had given me that she had created from a pre-made dish and wanted to figure out its recipe.  It’s originally a Bowtie and vegetables in a tomato-parmesan sauce. However I was out of bowtie and forced to use rigatoni, and since she is allergic to mushrooms I withheld them on this round. 

Ingredients:  (feel free to substitute or add any of the ingredients, A/N= as needed)

1 Box     Noodles (Rigatoni or Bowtie work best)
1/2         Red Pepper (Chopped)
1/2         Yellow Pepper (Chopped)
1 Cup     Fresh Spinach
1 Can     Mushrooms (optional)
1 Can     Tomato Paste (Small can)
1 Jar       Parmesan Sauce
1 Tbsp   Butter
A/N        Tarragon
A/N        Basil
A/N        Salt

 Procedure:

First, start by boiling the water for the noodles. Once boiling, add the noodles, and cook until tender.

Start on the sauce by heating up the pan and melting the butter in it, and then add in the tomato paste and the Parmesan sauce, if it is not creamy enough for your liking, add some milk.

Chop the peppers, and put the peppers, spinach, and mushrooms and sauté in  the sauce pan and mix in, then add the noodles.  Cook until spinach is fully cooked.

Finally, add tarragon, basil, and salt.  Rosemary also works, but I would substitute it not compliment it with it.  Use as needed, and season to taste.

And there is a quick vegetarian-friendly dish.  Don't forget that the key to every recipe is to make it your own with a little something extra. :)