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It is sooooo easy to roast garlic, and so worth the minimal effort. I have only ever used roasted garlic for mashed potatoes, but I'm sure there are many other uses I have yet to try (pasta sauces, pizza topping, garlic bread...). There are 4 simple steps to roasting garlic--try it! The smell alone will make your mouth water.
Roasted Garlic
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1. Cut about 1/2 inch (maybe a little more) off the pointy side of the garlic to expose the garlic inside.
2. Put on aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
3. Wrap the aluminum foil up and twist the top closed.
4. Bake at 350 for about 30-45 minutes. The garlic should be soft. To remove the roasted garlic, simply squeeze it and they pop right out. Let the garlic cool before handling it!!! (I have burned myself many times because I couldn't wait that long)
The oven temperature and time it takes to roast can be tweaked around a little bit. I usually throw in the garlic when I'm already cooking something else. If my oven is hotter than 350, I just roast the garlic for a shorter time, and if the oven is cooler than 350, I may leave the garlic in a little longer...you get the idea!
To use in mashed potatoes, I just mash up the roasted garlic with a fork and then beat it right in with the potatoes. Roasted garlic has a much milder and sweeter flavor than regular garlic. I use the ENTIRE bulb for about 2 1/2 pounds of potatoes.
Have you ever tried making cranberry sauce instead of serving it from a can? I tried it for the first time last year, and I couldn't believe the difference! I also couldn't believe how easy it was! How come it took me so long to figure this out? Here's the recipe that I found from America's Test Kitchen. It is a little different from the recipe on the back of the cranberry package. It has a bit less water to make it the ideal consistency, and it also has a touch of salt to bring out the flavor. I can't wait to have this with my Turkey!
Basic Cranberry Sauce
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3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
12 oz. cranberries (picked through)
Bring water, sugar and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cranberries and simmer until slightly thickened and two-thirds of berries have burst, about 10 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Serve.
note: can be refrigerated for 1 week
This is my FAVORITE stuffing recipe. It is very simple and has no weird ingredients. The secret that makes this stuffing the best I've ever had is the sourdough bread and the FRESH herbs. I can't wait to make it for Thanksgiving this year! You must try this recipe if your food assignment is the stuffing, and I guarantee everyone will LOVE it!
Sourdough Bread Stuffing
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1 pound loaf sourdough bread
8 Tbsp. butter, divided
10 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
2-4 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
10 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stems
10-12 fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 Tbsp. chopped Italian parsley leaves
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Cut or tear the bread into 1-inch cubes and spread it evenly on 2 baking sheets. Toast the bread in the oven until completely dry and beginning to crisp and brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and a few pinches of salt and saute, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 6-8 minutes. Add celery, onion, 2 Tbsp. butter and thyme. Once the butter has melted, cook until the vegetables have softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add sage and remaining 4 Tbsp. butter. Add chicken broth to skillet and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the chicken broth mixture over the bread cubes and toss to combine until the bread cubes absorb the liquid. Pour the mixture into the greased baking dish, and sprinkle with parsley. Bake until heated through and the top is golden brown, about 40 minutes. Remove the stuffing from the oven and allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.
I made these scones the other day for my family. Believe it or not, I have never made scones before--probably because I love them so much and I can't imagine how many calories are in them! We ate them with this honey butter--the BEST honey butter ever! So simple to make, and so dang delicious!
Honey Butter
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1 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Whip together with an electric mixer. Serve at room temperature.
I have never made baked beans before and I was assigned to bring some to the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet. This recipe came from a trusted source so I knew they would be good. And I have to say that they were the best baked beans I have ever had! I changed the beans a little from the original recipe according to what I could find in the grocery store, and now that I've had them I would never make them another way.
Baked Beans
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1 lb. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 (15 oz.) cans cannallini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
27 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
52 oz. can + 28 oz. can pork and beans
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup liquid smoke
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
Tobasco sauce to taste
Cook bacon, drain and chop. Brown hamburger and onion, drain. Mix all ingredients together in a 5 quart ovenproof pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook for 2 hours in oven at 300 degrees with the lid on. Remove lid and cook 3 more hours at 250 degrees. If the beans are too thick you can add water to get the right consistency.
notes:
- I used my Le Creuset enameled dutch oven for this, my favorite pot in the whole wide world!
- I cut my bacon into 1/2-1 inch pieces and cooked them on the stovetop until crisp. I drained the grease but left the little brown pieces in my pot while I browned my hamburger and onion to give it a little more flavor.
- next time I will try to use even less white sugar--maybe 3/4 cup
- I used 6 or 7 dashes of tobasco sauce (because sometimes I am afraid of Tobasco sauce), next time I will use way more
This is a great salad for a large gathering. It makes a ton and everyone loves it! The "frog-eyes" are pasta called acini di pepe. They are just little tiny things, and I love the texture that it gives to the salad. Enjoy!
Frog-eye Salad
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1 cup white sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1 3/4 cups unsweetened pineapple juice (measure from drained juice from canned pineapple)
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 quarts water
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 (16 oz.) pkg. acini di pepe pasta
3 (11 oz.) cans mandarin oranges, drained
2 (20 oz.) cans pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 (8 oz.) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups miniature marshmallows
In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, pineapple juice and eggs. Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Remove from heat; add lemon juice and cool to room temperature.
Bring water to a boil. Add oil, 1 tsp. salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. Rinse under cold water and drain.
In a large bowl, combine the pasta, egg mixture, mandarin oranges, pineapple and whipped topping. Mix well and refrigerate overnight or until chilled. Before serving, add marshmallows. Toss and serve.
The pork taco recipe came from a cookbook that I haved called Bliss. It is a nice variation from regular tacos! The beans recipe I found online somewhere--sorry I can't remember where. It's a simple way to give a can of black beans a little extra flavor!
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Sweet Pork Tacos
4-5 pound pork roast
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp. salt
1 can green chili enchilada sauce (I used the big can)
1 cup brown sugar
Place pork roast in a crock pot and sprinkle with crushed garlic and salt. Cook on high (I did mine on low) for 6-8 hours, or until the roast easily pulls apart. Remove roast from crockpot, drain juices, and shred. Place back into the crock pot.
In a bowl, combine the green chili enchilada sauce and the brown sugar. Pour over the shredded meat and stir to combine. Cook on high for one hour or low for 3 hours.
Serve with corn or flour tortillas, shredded lettuce, black beans, shredded cheese, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole.
Black Beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cup tomato juice
1/2 tsp. salt (to taste)
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro
In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. Serve with slotted spoon!
(note: I didn't have any tomato juice so I put in tomato sauce with quite a bit of hot water to water it down.)
I got this recipe from my sister. Corn bread is soooooo much better made from scratch than from a mix, and this is really easy!!! A perfect compliment to chili (or any main dish, really)!
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Corn Bread
1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, you can "make" it using 1c. milk plus 1 Tbsp. vinegar)
1 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Melt butter in medium sized pan. Let cool to lukewarm, then add sugar and eggs and beat together. In separate bowl, mix together baking soda and buttermilk, then add it to egg mixture and blend just a little. Add cornmeal, flour and salt and stir with spoon or whisk. Bake in greased 8x8 pan at 350 (glass pan) or 375 (metal pan) for 30 minutes.
Honey Butter
1 c. butter
7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
4 c. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or pan and melt together either on the stove or in a microwave. Refrigerate.
I love vegetables, and my favorite way to eat them is roasted. This isn't really a "recipe" but just a way to cook vegetables, and not just asparagus. Just substitute your favorite vegetable. Brussel sprouts are yummy, or a mixture of your favorites--zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, sweet peppers, even broccoli (but I will warn you that the smell of roasted broccoli lingers forever in your house!)
Roasted Asparagus (or any other vegetable!)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry asparagus. Bend each spear from the bottom until it breaks at its natural breaking point (to get rid of the rough bottom part). Place in a baking dish in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Toss asparagus spears to coat evenly with the oil. Sprinkle with sea salt (you can use pepper too if you want--I don't). Place in preheated oven and cook about 15-20 minutes. About halfway through, I gently toss the veggies so they brown more evenly. I like to have a bit of brown on my asparagus, you can take it out sooner if you want it more crispy. Brussel sprouts need to cook longer (about 35 minutes).
note: I recently came across a recipe for roasted asparagus that is basically the same as this, but they also added about 1 Tbsp. basalmic vinegar with the olive oil. I think I'll try that next time!
