Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes
November 18, 2012 - Written by DianaThis is low fat brussels sprouts because it does not have any bacon or any type of fat. I’ve found that brussels sprouts are the best when prepared simply without much other than a little olive oil for roasting. If you are looking for a great side that doesn’t require a lot of prep or messing around, this is it and truthfully, my son could do this one, no problem. It takes ten minutes at most to throw together, stick it in the oven and it is ready in about 20 minutes. My kids used to tell me that they didn’t want brussels sprouts because I bought the frozen boxes and heated it up. No, more. I buy fresh and give it a little roast with some olive oil.
Thanksgiving is coming and it’s good to have some dishes with sauces and then have some simpler dishes for those who don’t like it complicated. While you are making the dishes with many steps, the kids or your spouse could make this, easily.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes …
Fast and Easy – Steamed Sausage and Vegetables
August 30, 2012 - Written by Diana
My son came home and asked what we were having for dinner. It’s a fun game we play. One of us asks what we are having for dinner and the other responds -”I don’t know, what are you making?”. If he’s cooking, sometimes I’ll tell him what to make, and if it’s me – I’ll figure something out. Tonight, I didn’t want to slave over the stove, but I remembered something my husband said when he brought home the market bag. He said that we should cook up the green beans and corn fresh and fast while we have them and not wait because they’re always best when they’re fresh.
I have a metal strainer insert that I use when I want to steam or blanch. Then I can either keep the ingredients from getting waterlogged because it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pot, or in the case of blanching, I can raise the strainer draining the water off without getting burned pouring it off. Tonight I filled the strainer with corn on the cob, green beans, potatoes, sausage (from an area farmer) …
Chicken, Kale and Potatoes
February 25, 2012 - Written by Diana
Cooking from what you have on hand can sometimes feel like a chore because we can’t always make what we have a taste for and instead have to make our tastes fit our refridgerator and pantry. Lots of greens in the fridge right now – which means I need to make sure to get them into our dinners and lunches. We receive a bag of groceries each week that have local, and non-local seasonal produce and artisan goods that are also mostly organic. I wondered if I would be able to keep up with the produce – and the greens have started to pile up because my husband and son don’t throw it in as often as I do. So while I was on a trip to Vermont, the greens weren’t used – except for arugula, my son loves that on his sandwiches. Today I used my dutch oven to use some of the produce I received in my Weekly Fresh Market Bag.
Kale, shallot and potatoes along with chicken and some white beans are not only delicious, but packed full of good stuff; just what I …
Potato, Celery Root and Broccolini Soup
December 16, 2011 - Written by Diana
This is a great farm market soup using vegetables that are still growing in the area as the choices get smaller and smaller at the farm markets. The number of stalls at some of the farm markets are dwindling, but trying to buy and use local as long as possible also means trying to be seasonal in your recipes.
There are a lot of nice late fall veggies in this potato soup hopefully making it nutritionally filling as well as warming you up on a cold day. I cut the broccolini into thirds. The bottom third of the stalk, I put away in the freezer for when I am making vegetable broth. The middle third I used for the soup and the top third I stir into the pot after steaming in white whine vinegar. I love having the whole veggie to bite into a nice morsel in the mostly smashed potatoes and celeriac broth. The celeriac I peeled and diced into bite size pieces to fill about 2 cups. I rough peeled the potatoes – because I’m a fan of skin and had …
Quail Eggs Over Taters
June 23, 2011 - Written by Diana
I’m lucky. I try out new things and my family goes along with it. I bought some quail eggs at the farm market and made breakfast for my family. I shredded some potatoes and onions, partially cooked them, then put them into ramekins and put some quail eggs over top then finished baking them. This was my father’s day surprise breakfast for the family.
Here’s my opinion of quail eggs – they’re small, really small; about 6 eggs equal one regular egg if that. The shells are cute and speckled with different brown hues. The membrane that is right under the egg is thicker than a regular egg. At first I would crack it, then run a knife just under the egg and try not to poke the yolk. By the time I was finished, I was sticking my finger through the membrane successfully without breaking the yolk.
I probably would buy quail eggs again to do something fun with my food, but functionally it left me wanting more for less work. I can see making small scotch eggs, or as a garnish to a salad. You can do …
Garlicky Smashed New Potatoes with Spinach and Lamb Mint Sausage
March 27, 2011 - Written by Diana
Lamb Mint Sausage is my new favorite sausage. We bought it at Blues Creek Farm Meats when we were at the Lamb Cutting Class and discovered that we love it . The mint is sort of subtle, and when you throw it into an Alfredo sauce like my daughter did last week, you might not taste the mint at all. However, if you cook it on it’s own and serve it without any sauce, you can get the nice mint flavor that’s subtle, but it’s there. As a result, I don’t like to mix this sausage with other foods and serve it on the side. Tonight, to go with the sausage, I made one of my husband’s favorite sides – potatoes, though he likes potatoes almost any way you can think of to prepare it. I did a rough smash, mixed it with some garlic and shallots that were sauteed in oil, and some fresh spinach that wilted down. I threw in a couple of tablespoons of butter and some garlic olive oil …
Turkey Chili
February 5, 2011 - Written by DianaDelaware North is the company that provides a lot of venues – such as sports, music, national parks, gaming venues etc with their concession fare. I gave my older brother the sports fanatic my copy of Homeplate after I reviewed it and he liked it. It was a book based on recipes at their different sports arenas and parks. Chef James Major and Chef Jeramie Mitchell sent us two of their favorite Superbowl recipes to share including a healthier Turkey Chili recipe to fit in with our revised healthier Superbowl swaps we’re trying out this year.
BUFFALO, N.Y (Feb. 5, 2010) Delaware North Companies Sportservice, which serves fans at more than 20 major pro sports venues, knows that food is the best part of any Super Bowl party. Just days before the big game, football fans can still huddle up with two of Sportservice’s regional executive chefs for great party recipes that you can whip up in a hurry to impress your guests.
Sportservice Regional Executive Chef James Major, top chef for the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field, helps you score big with a healthy-but-hearty turkey …
Kielbasa, Peppers and Potatoes – a Fast Family Meal
March 10, 2010 - Written by DianaThis is one of my favorite quick tasty dinners. Maybe I take too many shortcuts, but this one is good. I can do this meal in under a half an hour, which is more time than my son gives me before he asks about dinner. Seventeen year olds who run track are always looking for food; the quicker I get it into him, the less likely he is to fill it with junk or fillers. You can parboil the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove or a bowl of water in the microwave. I do this because it will absorb less oil since it’s partly cooked already. The kielbasa is turkey kielbasa, and it’s a little lower fat too. The peppers – are mine. We grew peppers last summer and froze them. I haven’t run out of peppers yet, so I like to find as many meals I can to use them in and the peppers though wilty are still delicious and full of flavor. I don’t put a dressing on it because my son isn’t a big fan, and we just use our preference of mustard or ketchup. If I had my way I would pour …
My Superbowl Pick – Steak Sandwiches and Parslied Potatoes
February 8, 2010 - Written by DianaI’ve been posting lots of superbowl recipes lately, but dinner tonight is my pick for a nice easy to eat sit in front of the tube dinner. (We never actually do that at home – just so you know.) My son was going out, so I just wanted something quick and easy that we could munch down on. Weird little tidbit – when my son is gone, my husband and I usually fill only one plate with food and share instead of separate plates. Hey – at least he’s not eating out of the pot, like he would if I weren’t around. I made a steak sandwich and parslied potatoes that were so filling, and delicious. Some of the potatoes are put away for tomorrows breakfast, because it was too much food. I added some Redwood Creek Cabernet Sauvignon to the steak bits, and some beef broth, to make a nice sauce for the beef. I bought french bread from the grocery store that needed to be toasted and didn’t slice it open, but baked it closed, so that the soft insides would sop up any juices. The steak was round steak cut into four smaller steaks. If you have …
Idaho Potato Quick and Easy Superbowl Recipes
February 2, 2010 - Written by DianaI’m trying to load all you hard working folks up with some quick and easy recipes that have funneled my way. Sometimes when there’s a big gathering of people who want to eat while sitting in front of the tube, you want something that’s not going to take all day to prepare, and maybe food that can be eaten with your fingers. Here are some from the Idaho Potato Commission.
Idaho® Potato Pesto Bites
Recipe courtesy of Bonnie Cooper, Carrollton,GA Photo courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission
Beat mid-meal hunger with these nutritional, bite-sized snacks sure to satisfy your appetite. Yield: 8 servings Estimated Cost per Serving*: $1.15 Ingredients:
- cooking spray
- 2 pounds Idaho® potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/3 cup prepared pesto
- 1 8-ounce package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup oil-packed, sun dried …
