Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

I used to think I didn't like Brussels Sprouts. I'm really not a big fan of steamed vegetables. Some people hear that and think I'm nuts. And maybe I am. But I can't help it. I just can't love it. And since that was the only way I had ever been introduced to Brussels sprouts, I didn't think I liked them. However, this recipe is just another example to me of how vegetables can become so tasty if you just prepare them a different way. {I first learned that with asparagus.} We got some Brussels sprouts in our bountiful basket a couple weeks ago and since we really do want to try everything I decided to look up other ways to eat it besides steaming it. And holy moly am I glad I did! I liked these so much, I made them two nights in a row {for those of you who know how much I hate having the same thing two days in a row, you know this is a big deal}. My mouth is watering as I look at all these pictures. I think I need to go make some more.

First, it's a nice, bright green.

Then we'll add some sugar for sweetness.

It begins to add some more golden color.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
Recipe from Eat, Live, Run!
serves 2-4 as a side-dish
Time: 20 minutes

12-14 large brussels sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Shake of kosher salt
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup almond slivers, toasted

Directions:
Slice each Brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of Brussels sprout ribbons. I also made sure to chop up the center part of the sprout really well. It doesn't create "ribbons" like all the leaves of the sprouts and I didn't want huge chunks. So just chop it up, too. 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 bright green and tender. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.

Don't forget the delicious nuts.

Eat up! So yummy!

Spinach and Sausage Egg Strata

This strata may just knock your socks off! Okay, maybe it won't. It's not that powerful. But it is yummy! We made this for a family potluck a couple months ago and everyone really liked it. There is a little bit of preparation time, but the nice thing is you can prepare it when you have the time, pop it into the fridge and then bake it when you're ready to cook dinner. Or you could make it a day ahead and have it for breakfast. You won't be sorry!








Spinach and Sausage Egg Strata
Recipe from Rachael Ray
Yield: 6-8 servings

1 box chopped frozen spinach
3/4 pound breakfast sausage

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Nutmeg to taste
1/2 pound stake white or French bread, cubed {about 7-8 cups}
12 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 cups shredded cheese

Directions:
Defrost the spinach in the microwave and then wring out any excess liquid.
In a skillet, brown and crumble the sausage, drain, then remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Return the skillet to heat and add the onion and garlic {it shouldn't stick because your pan will still be greasy from the sausage, but if it does stick, add a little butter}. Cook until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add the spinach and season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg. Turn off the heat and combine with the sausage crumbles.
Arrange half the bread cubes into a 5 quart casserole dish.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper.
Scatter half of the sausage-spinach mixture over the bread, top with half the shredded cheese, pour over half the eggs; repeat for another layer. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
Bring the strata to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the center of the oven.
Set the casserole on a baking sheet and bake uncovered for about 1 hour. Let stand 10 minutes and serve.

Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus

Have you ever known one of the vegetables that you just haven't had a good relationship with? You know the kind. The ones that always make you want to gag every time you eat them? The ones that just don't taste good. Period. You don't like it. Period.

Asparagus is that vegetable for me.
Or at least, it used to be.
Since discovering this recipe, I've made this several times.
And you know what?
I think I may actually like asparagus.
This is a big deal.

Asparagus was the vegetable that would keep me at the dinner table for hours after the rest of my family had finished eating. We had that rule that you had to eat everything on your plate growing up. And silly me. I'd save the worst part for last and by that time it was cold and even yuckier than usual. And I would sit at my chair. Refusing to eat it. For hours. Honest.
The sad truth is I don't remember whether I ever actually ate that asparagus or if my mom gave in.
All I remember is sitting at the table, tasting that cold asparagus in my mouth before it even passed my lips.

So you see, asparagus and I have had a hate relationship.
I hated it because it was terrible, awful, slimy, icky stuff.
It hated me because I refused to eat it.

And now I'm all grown up and actually eat everything on my plate because I know better. I also know better to eat my least favorite things first, though that's a different story. Anyway, one day we got a big ole' bunch of asparagus in our Bountiful Basket. And I thought, "Oh, really? What am I going to do with this?" See, we have this policy to try everything we get in our baskets, even if it's not something we usually buy or even enjoy. But with asparagus I was on the losing end. How could I bring myself to eat it? And then, as if the angels knew of my plight, a beautiful recipe practically fell in my lap. Well, actually it fell into my blog reader, but you get the idea. And I am forever grateful to Your Homebased Mom for this recipe.

I also just want to say that if you ever eat something you don't like, try cooking it a different way. That could change your mind.

Parmesan Oven Roasted Asparagus
Recipe from Your Homebased Mom

Ingredients:
Asparagus
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Parmesan Cheese
{there are no specific measurements because everything is to taste}

Directions:
Thoroughly wash and dry your asparagus. Cut about an inch or so off the bottom. If your asparagus is particularly thick, I recommend peeling the bottom half of the outer skin off. This helps remove the toughness that can come from asparagus. Place your asparagus in a small bowl and toss with olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake at 350 degrees for about 7 minutes {this is the magic time in my oven - any less than that and it isn't done, any longer and it's too mushy - and trust me, you don't want mushy asparagus!}. At about 5 minutes, remove from the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven for remaining two minutes. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Fries

This was my first experience ever with sweet potato fries. I had heard several people who either loved them or really didn't so I figured I needed to try it out for myself someday. And then when we got some sweet potatoes in our Bountiful Basket, I decided it was "now or never". Am I glad I did, or what? These were so tasty! In fact, I craved them for days afterward and almost changed my mind about the sweet potato I had saved to make food for my baby and make it into sweet potato fries instead! I didn't - but I almost did.
It's important for me to note that I have never before in my life tasted a sweet potato that I liked. This here recipe, this is proof that different ways of cooking a vegetable can make all the difference in the world as to whether or not you'll like it. So if you're like me and don't love sweet potatoes, give these a try and maybe you'll change your mind. :)

  
Tasty Sweet Potato Fries
Recipe modified slightly from All Recipes
Directions
2 sweet potatoes
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 to 2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste {we thought they were tasty with and without the salt and pepper so if you wanted a low-sodium treat, these would be yummy!}
3 Tbsp. light olive oil

Ingredients
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and scrub or peel your sweet potatoes as desired. Cut them into fry shapes. Rinse the fries in cold water and drain. Spread onto a baking sheet that has been spread with a bit of oil or sprayed with non-stick spray to keep your fries from sticking.
In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger and brown sugar. Sprinkle it over the fries. Drizzle the olive olive oil over fries and sugar mixture.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender {I cooked mine until they were a tad crispy - and I liked them that way. Now whether or not I did that on purpose is to forever remain a mystery}. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Yummy!

Black Bean and Corn Salad

This salad is absolutely wonderful! It is fresh, cool, and the perfect variation on a "typical" salad. I love salads that are different and I'm glad I've come upon this recipe. I looked for this salad specifically because I had a jicama I needed to use. Have you ever had a jicama? Mm, I love jicama! It is a sweeter vegetable that looks a lot like a turnip and tastes a whole lot better. It is delicious raw and can also be cooked in any dish with other vegetables. A stir fry or fajitas with jicama would be delicious. Just sayin'. It can be a bit starchy; I'm no expert but I'm thinking that it gets starchy quality when it is old. I've linked a video below that you can look into to see how to prepare jicama. In the video you'll be able to see what a jicama looks like {since I forgot to take a picture before I excitedly cut into mine}.



As much as I love jicama raw, I didn't want to just eat the whole thing by itself {it was a large jicima!}, so I decided to put it in a bean and corn salad. I found this recipe on AllRecipes and with just a few modifications, I've got the perfect summer salad.

Black Bean and Corn Salad
Recipe Modified from All Recipes
Ready in 25 minutes
4-5 servings {I think you may be able to get 6 depending on the size of your serving}

Ingredients:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 bell pepper, green or red, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup jicama, chopped
1 tsp. ground cilantro or 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:
Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic and salt into a container with a tight lid. Cover with the lid and shake until ingredients are well mixed. Set aside.
In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, green onion, jicama and cilantro. Shake the lime dressing once more and pour over the salad. Stir salad to coat all ingredients and serve.

Delicious!

Note: If you want this salad to go further, serve over a bed of lettuce.

PS - check back tomorrow for an introduction to a new contributor to this little 'ole blog! I'm excited to have her cooking along with us!

Hash Brown & Pepper Jack Quiche

The first exposure I had to quiche was this recipe. I actually hadn't had the "real" quiche, you know, with a pie crust, for several years after trying this recipe. Now, don't get me wrong, I actually really like "real" quiche, but I love this recipe using hash browned potatoes as the crust instead. Sooo yummy. This is a recipe my husband's family makes and we all love it!

Hash Brown and Pepper Jack Quiche
Recipe from Olive Harwood

20 oz frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup diced ham
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt

Directions:
Press the hash browns into a well greased pie tin or round cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 425 degrees.
Put the cheeses and the ham on top of the potatoes.
In a small bowl, mix the eggs, milk and salt together. Pour over the rest and bake for 25-30 minutes at 425 degrees. It is done when a knife inserted half way from the edge to the center comes out mostly clean. Let stand for a few minutes and serve.
We like to eat this with fruit. Mmmm. :)

Country Potatoes

Many in my church call these "funeral potatoes". I guess it's because this is an easy, quick meal to take to a funeral. However, regardless of what you call these potatoes, they are scrumptious! One of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes. The corn flakes on top do make it hard to store these but I have found that if I need to store leftovers in the refrigerator that I just add some extra corn flakes right before reheating and then I don't have to worry about losing that crunch that comes from the flakes.

Country Potatoes
Recipe from Diane Bingham

6 potatoes, baked and cooked, peeled and shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup crushed corn flakes

Directions:
Mix the chicken soup, chopped onion, butter and sour cream together until creamy. Add the potatoes and cheese and stir until well incorporated. Put in a well greased 9x13 baking pan. Top with the crushed corn flakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the inside is warm. Serve topped with extra cheese and sour cream.

Delicious!

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

I really love good mashed potatoes. But I really hate not-so-good mashed potatoes. I personally love creamy, whipped, homemade mashed potatoes. One thing I hate: lumps in my mashed potatoes. If your definition of good potatoes doesn’t fit into that description, perhaps you should stop reading this post! 

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

Time: 1 hour

Makes: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

2 large potatoes

1/8-1/4 cup milk, cream or half-and-half {using cream or half-and-half will give you thicker, slightly more flavorful potatoes} 

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

First you must boil the potatoes. Scrub or peel them {I like some peel on my potatoes but it’s whatever you like} and cut them into small cubes. The smaller your cubes, the faster your potatoes will cook. Put the potatoes in a sauce pan and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-40 minutes or until a fork inserted into a potato goes through easily. You want ‘em nice and soft. Drain the water off {you can save the water if you like to make pancakes or something with the potato water}. 

Mash the potatoes using some kind of masher. Mash ‘em up about as good as you can with that. 

Yes, I am aware that my "masher" isn't really a potato masher. Actually, to be honest, I don't know what it is really for.

Add the milk, sour cream, butter and salt and stir it around until well incorporated and the butter is melted. 

Use less milk if you prefer a stickier, stiffer mashed potato and more milk if you like them thinner.

Now use a hand mixer and whip the potatoes up for 3-4 minutes or until they are nice and fluffy. 

Voila! Perfect, non-lumpy mashed potatoes!