Green Bean Bundles

So much has happened since I last posted a recipe.  The biggest one being that we moved to Texas.  Yes, that's right, y'all.  We moved out of Oregon and into Texas, and we are loving it.  Now we just need to buy some cowboy hats and boots and we are set.  We really have enjoyed our first three weeks of being here.  We are especially glad that we found a great rental considering that we were homeless for 3 weeks, livin' in a van down by the river.  (Okay, maybe we weren't living in a van, but it is still nice to have a house to live in.)  Side note:  Speaking of vans...we did purchase a mini-van.  Never thought I'd own one of those, but I have to say.  It's awesome!

I'm sure you'll all get to hear more about life in Texas and maybe even get a few Tex Mex recipes, but for now, here's my favorite new way to eat green beans.  So scrumptious!  And would y'all take a look at that bacon!  Doesn't bacon make everything better?  That it does! 

Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean Bundles

Ingredients:

1 pound green beans with the ends snapped off

8 slices bacon

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced red onion

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

a pinch of pepper

Directions:

1.  Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 

2.  If you're using fresh green beans (which I recommend), wash and snap the ends off.  Discard any sickly looking, overly skinny, or limp beans.

3.  When the water is boiling, briefly boil (blanch) the beans for 2-3 minutes or until you start hearing a popping noise and the beans have turned bright green.  Quickly drain and rinse the beans in cold water until they have cooled. 

4.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. 

5.  On a cookie sheet, divide the green beans evenly into 8 piles.  Carefully wrap each pile of beans with one slice bacon and return to the baking sheet. 

6.  Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and sizzling. 

7.  While the bundles are in the oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a small saucepan.  When the butter is bubbly, add in the onions and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened and fragrant.  Reduce heat to low and add in vinegar, sugar, and salt.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

8.  When ready to serve, place bean bundles on a serving platter and drizzle with sauce.  Serve immediately.

Recipe Source:  Our Best Bites Cookbook

Lemon Roasted Broccoli

Let me preface this recipe by saying that the hubs hates broccoli.  Even my daughter refuses to eat, "The trees..."  When I made this recipe, the hubs said, "Congratulations honey!  You just made broccoli edible."  Then, I saw him, and I kid you not, snitch a piece of broccoli off of the pan.  What the?  What's happening in my house?  My husband who eats Captain Crunch, Lucky Charms, or Frosted Flakes for breakfast every morning, snitching broccoli?  Either the world has come to an end or this broccoli is ridiculously good.  This is DEFINITELY a great way to eat broccoli. 

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:
1-2 heads of broccoli
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
1 medium lemon
zest of half of a lemon
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Wash your broccoli and dry completely. (It is essential that the broccoli is dry to crisp correctly.) Cut the broccoli into medium sized florets. Place broccoli on foil in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss this around. Sprinkle broccoli with lemon zest and squeeze the juice of half your lemon over broccoli. Add salt, pepper and chopped garlic and toss this all around getting everything well coated. Roast in oven for about 15 to 20 minutes. The broccoli should get crispy in spots and be a dark green color. You'll see it start to turn dark brown in spots and this means its getting good, really good.

Once the broccoli is fork tender and crispy to your liking take it out.  Squeeze the other half of the lemon all over the broccoli if desired. Sprinkle grated Parmesan over broccoli and let the heat from the broccoli melt it slightly.  Remember the broccoli is going to cook down so it may look like a lot initially but once it's roasted it will be about half the amount.

Recipe Source:  My friend Brook adapted this recipe from Ina Garten

Linked to:  Full Plate Thursday, Friday Food, Potluck Sunday

St. Paddy's Day Corned Beef

So my first thought when anyone would mention Corned Beef was...that stuff is Nasty with a capital N.  How many of you think the same thing?  Okay people, 'fess up.  I'd only seen Corned Beef in a can and HELLO, it is a little cat foodish to me.  Don't get me wrong, I don't think I've ever even tried it from the can, but I just had this bad perception of Corned Beef.  Then we made this for the first time last year and oh, how my perceptions have changed.  Now I only have 100 % pure love for this Corned Beef.  In fact, after we made it last year, the hubs and I were dying to eat it again and again and again.  So let me just tell you...throw all perceptions aside and try this. 

St. Paddy's Day Corned Beef

Ingredients:
1 Corned beef brisket, flat cut (about 3 lbs.)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2-3 Tablespoons mustard
1 head of cabbage
9-10 small red potatoes
1/4 cup butter
parsley

Dipping Sauce:
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. horse radish
squirt of mustard

Directions:
1.  Cover the brisket with water in a kettle. Pour the spice packet in the water. (The corned beef comes with a spice packet.) Boil the brisket for about 4 hours.   When you boil it, be sure to check the water level occasionally.  You may need to add water throughout the 4 hours.  Bring the water to a boil and then you can reduce the heat to medium high so long as it continues to boil.  You can also use a crock pot instead of the kettle if you desire.  Follow the directions above and cook on high for 4 hours.  You probably will not need to add any water if you use the crock pot method. 

2.  After the meat is boiled, preheat the oven to 350.  Prepare a glaze by mixing about 1/2 cup of brown sugar with enough mustard to make a paste. Spread this glaze over the corned beef and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. The glaze will be bubbly.

3.  While the meat is cooking, wash, quarter and core the cabbage.  Cut the cabbage into smaller pieces.  Put the cabbage in a pot of water to boil.  I like to cook the cabbage in the excess water from the cooked meat because it has all the spices and flavors in it.  You can also boil it in fresh water if desired.  The water should come up at least halfway on the cabbage.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until it reaches your desired texture.  Some people like it crispier, some softer. 

4.  After putting the cabbage on to boil, peel off a little bit of skin from around the center of the baby red potatoes with a potato peeler.  (You don't have to do this.  It just makes it look pretty.)  : )  Boil the baby red potatoes for about 10-15 minutes or until tender when poked with a fork. 

5.  When everything is finished, arrange cabbage, potatoes and meat on a platter. Melt the butter in a small bowl and mix with some parsley.  Drizzle this mixture over the vegetables and potatoes (not the meat).  You can use as much or as little as you want.  Feel free to add more butter and even other spices.  *Leave out the butter to make it dairy free. 

6.  Dipping sauce:  Mix together the sour cream, horse radish sauce, and mustard in a small bowl for dipping.  (My husband liked the sauce for variety.  I preferred it the meat plain.  Yes, it was that good!)

7.  Enjoy, devour, make more!

Recipe Source:  Geri Rosequist, a dear family friend

 

Linked to: Potluck Sunday hosted by Mommy's Kitchen, Tuesday Night Supper Club hosted by Fudge Ripple, This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking

Creamy Peas with Tarragon

Don't be deceived...the cream is in there.

Sometimes I wonder if I am defeating the purpose of serving a healthy food by adding so many creamy calories to it... but then I taste it, and realize that I added to my purpose rather than defeating it.  That's the case with these peas.  They were so yummy!  They only take 10 minutes to cook.  Holla'!  I don't dress up my veggies every night, but every now and again, it's fun to make a new and tasty side dish in addition to a scrumptious main meal.

Creamy Peas with Tarragon

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound frozen peas (3 cups) *Do not thaw the peas
2 teaspoons sugar
salt and pepper

Directions:
Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the shallot, tarragon, and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Stir 1/2 cup heavy cream into the skillet and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Stir in the peas and sugar.  Cover and cook until the peas are heated through, about 4 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook 2006

Linked to:  Full Plate Thursday

Sweet Cream Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Oh my, was this chicken was fantastic with the cream sauce.  The cream sauce is smooth, sweet, and perfect.  We really enjoyed it!  You definitely need to make this with cream, don't try to lower the calories and use half and half.  The cream makes the sauce and the whole dish.  It really is super yummy!  You can also use the sweet cream mustard sauce on the roasted veggies. 

Sweet Cream Mustard Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. butter
12 sage leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
4 Tbsp. honey
3/4 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 dashes cayenne pepper

Directions:
Melt butter in a sauce pan.  Add garlic and sage.  Saute for about two minutes.  Add mustard, honey and whipping cream and stir.  Season with cayenne, salt and pepper.  Let simmer and infuse for fifteen to twenty minutes.  (Don't boil the sauce.)

Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups bread crumbs
salt and pepper

Directions:
Pound each breast until approximately 1-1.5 inches thick.  Dip chicken in whipping cream, sprinkle with salt and pepper and coat well with bread crumbs.  Let sit for 15 minutes so the crumbs can stick to the chicken.  On the stove top, on medium to medium high heat, sear chicken for about 3 minutes per side.  Remove from heat once cooked through. 

Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:
2 handfuls French green beans
2 parsnips chopped
2 carrots chopped
1 zucchini sliced
1/2 butternut squash cubed
2-3 cloves garlic
olive oil
seasoned salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Rinse and cut vegetables, assort on baking sheet or dish.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with garlic, salt and pepper.  Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Spinach Salad

This spinach salad is so easy and so good. I can't believe I haven't posted it yet. I've had the recipe for years. My sister-in-law Shalae made this for us at a family dinner and everyone loved it. I hadn't ever made it for the hubs yet. He couldn't believe I hadn't because it's such a tasty little thing. It's a perfect side for most meals. We had it with our Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Shells.

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

spinach (around 20-30 oz. of leaf spinach)

red onion, chopped (however much you like)

8 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

4 hard boiled eggs, cut and crumbly

Dressing:

1/2 cup oil

1/4 cup vinegar

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup ketchup

1 tsp. worchestershire sauce

Stir it up and you're done! This makes a large salad with dressing so half it if you have a smaller family.

Fancy Spaghetti Squash

I love when people donate their fresh garden vegetables to my kitchen. I love the fresh vegetable and the challenge of making something new with it. My sister in law gave us a spaghetti squash to use recently. We really enjoyed this recipe. My hubs is not a fan of the squash family, and he even conceded that it was a good side dish. I think this is a fantastic

dish for a fall dinner.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons sliced black olives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet

2. Place spaghetti squash cut sides down on the prepared baking sheet, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a sharp knife can be inserted with only a little resistance. Remove squash from oven, and set aside to cool enough to be easily handled.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, and cook only until tomatoes are warm.

4. Use a large spoon to scoop the stringy pulp from the squash, and place in a medium bowl. Toss with the sauteed vegetables, feta cheese, olives, and basil. Serve warm.

Recipe source: Allrecipes.com

Greek Salad

I am a huge fan of the greens. A delicious green salad is a great pairing for almost any main dish for me. This salad was very good!

Greek Salad

Dressing Ingredients:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. minced fresh dill (2 tsp. dried dill)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Dressing Directions:

In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients. Whisk together until well combined. Store leftover dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and shake well before using again.

Salad Ingredients:

Romaine lettuce

Sliced red onions

Sliced black olives (I left these out because the hubs greatly dislikes them.)

Grape tomatoes, halved

Cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Crumbled feta cheese

Salad Directions:

Add romaine lettuce to a salad bowl. Add toppings. Put dressing on side or on top as desired.

Recipe Source: Annie's Eats

Parmesan Zucchini

I've seen this style zucchini all over the web and my mom also makes zucchini this way. If you haven't yet tried it, it is delicious. I love zucchini so of course I enjoyed the dish. The hubs hates zucchini, but thought it was the best zucchini he had ever had.

Zucchini

Summer Squash (if you want)

butter

parmesan

garlic salt

pepper

Cut zucchini and squash into slices. Layer in the bottom of a baking dish. Place butter chunks on top of the zucchini. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Then top it off with parmesan. Cover with foil and cook at 400 for about 20 minutes. Take off foil and cook for about 5 extra minutes.

Veggie Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

If you like mushrooms and veggies, you'll love this! I loved this recipe. It is so delicious and healthy. If you want to reduce the fat even more, leave out the provolone. The cheese is so good on this though. I got this recipe from a Better Home and Gardens magazine.

1 small yellow sweet pepper, cut in bite-size strips

1 small red onion, chopped

1 medium zucchini, coarsely shredded

1 carrot, coarsely shredded

2 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil

1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 5-oz. pkg. fresh baby spinach

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
4 (4 inch) portobello mushroom caps, stems removed

4 slices provolone cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. In a skillet cook and stir sweet pepper, onion zucchini, carrot, and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat 4 minutes. Stir in basil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and ground black pepper. Top with spinach; cover. Cook for 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir crumbs and half of the Parmesan cheese into spinach mixture; set aside.

2. Remove gills from mushrooms, if desired. Arrange mushrooms, stemmed side up, on prepared pan. Top each with slice of provolone cheese. Divide spinach mixture among mushroom caps. Bake 15 minutes (mushrooms will water slightly). Top with remaining Parmesan. Bake 2 minutes more or until heated through. Makes 4 servings.

Scalloped Potatoes Supreme

These potatoes are absolutely scrumptious!

8 large potatoes or 12-14 smaller potatoes boiled and diced

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cube of margarine or butter

1/3 cup of grated onion (or 1/2 cup of chopped green onions)

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

1 pint (2 cups) sour cream

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ground sage

Boil potatoes until soft. Peel and dice. Place in a 9X13 pan or deep casserole dish. In a sauce pan add all the remaining ingredients (exclude potatoes) and stir until cheese is melted. Be careful not to let the mixture boil or the cheese will curdle. Add the sauce to the diced potatoes. Then sprinkle on topping.

Topping:

2 cups finely crushed corn flakes, corn chex, crispix, or other similar cereal

2 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix these two topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top of potato mixture. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Tangy Taco Salad

I am a sucker for a delicious salad with homemade dressing. The dressing absolutely makes this salad in my opinion. It is a tangy dressing and oh so yummy!  Mmmm....I think I'll be having salad tonight.

Dressing:

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Process all of the above ingredients in a blender.

Salad: (Add as much or as little as you like.)

Head of Romaine Lettuce

4 small tomatoes (chopped)

Can of Black Beans (drained)

Can of Corn (drained)

Cheese (any kind you like)

Can of black olives (chopped)

Avocado Slices

Green onions

Shredded Chicken (leave this out if you want to go vegetarian)

Hint of Lime Tostitos Tortilla Chips (One of the best tortilla chips ever created.  I'm addicted!)

Recipe Source:  My fabulous sister-in-law Beth Merrill.  (I tweaked the dressing recipe a bit.)

Linked to:
My Meatless Mondays
Tuesday Night Supper Club

Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe is so easy and so good. These are great for a large crowd. My mom always made these for parties growing up. I love them!

2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese

1 12-16 oz. package bacon

about 30 mushrooms

Preheat oven to 350. Cook bacon until crispy. While bacon is cooking, take the stems out of the mushrooms. Soften cream cheese. Crumble the bacon and mix in with the cream cheese. Fill the mushroom with the cream cheese and bacon mix. Cook for 20-25 minutes. (The original recipe called for 40 mushrooms, but my mushrooms were big and I filled them very full so I only got 25 mushrooms out of it.)

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I have been craving broccoli cheese soup. I thought this recipe was delish! My hubby doesn't even like broccoli, and he really liked it. In fact, he ate the leftovers the next day, and left me with none! I got this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 can chicken broth

1 small onion, diced

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese

steamed chopped broccoli (I steamed about 3 cups of raw broccoli florets.)

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan, until onions are soft. Heat milk in microwave for 1-2 minutes. In a separate medium-sized stockpot, melt butter then add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, then whisk in warmed milk. Stir and heat together on medium-high heat until soup starts to thicken. Next add chicken broth and continue to stir until well blended. Add cheeses and steamed broccoli. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. It is so delicious served in Italian bread bowls.

Unfried French Fries

These fries are light, tasty, and easy.

5 baking potatoes

Vegetable Oil Cooking Spray

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon cajun spice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the potatoes so they look like french fries. Coat a baking sheet with vegetable spray. Combine the egg whites and cajun spice in a bowl. Add the potatoes and mix to coat. Pour the coated potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them out into a single layer, leaving a little space between. (I always sprinkle a little cajun spice on top after I do this. It makes them spicier. If you don't like too much spice, you might not want to add any extra.) Place the baking sheet on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the fries are crispy, turning them every 10 minutes with a spatula so that they brown evenly. Serve immediately.

Honey Glazed Carrots

Photo courtesy of: www.familyoven.com

I am a huge sucker for honey glazed carrots. This recipe was really delicious. Even my husband liked them, and he hates cooked carrots. In his own words, "Anything cooked in tons of butter with sugar and honey has to be good." This recipe comes from cooks.com.

HONEY GLAZED BABY CARROTS

2-3 cups small baby carrots (pre-peeled)

1/2 cup butter (I only put in 1/4 cup butter.)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

fresh minced parsley and/or chives

In a medium skillet, melt butter. Add brown sugar, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon; mix together. Add Carrots. Cover; cook on medium low to medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When finished cooking, the carrots should be firm, not mushy.
Remove from skillet and sprinkle with fresh parsley and/or chives. Serve.

Baked Beans

So I am laughing at this picture because it has beans sloshed all over the sides of the plate. Hey, I'm happy just to get the picture on here. I just tried these beans, and they are super scrumptious. I am a sucker for baked beans. The best part about them -- you throw 'em in the crock pot. It can't get any better than that. I got the recipe from a cook book called The Essential Mormon Cookbook.

1 pound bacon, cooked and cut into small pieces (bacon makes everything better)
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 (15 oz. cans pork and beans)
1 tablespoon mustard
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup

Combine all ingredients in a 2 1/2 or 3 quart casserole dish or in a crock pot. Bake at 325 for 2 hours or 200 for 6 hours. For a crock pot, I cooked it on high for 1 hour and on low for 3-4 hours. You could just cook it on high for 2 hours or on low for 6 hours also.