Oven-Roasted Vegetable Medley

                

                                            
This is one of our absolute favorite dinner sides - in fact, we have been known to make a whole meal out of it. The best part about it is you can use almost any vegetables, especially root veggies since they seem to work best. I will give you the ingredients as I used them last time. Sooooo tasty!

Oven Roasted Vegetables:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch pan with heavy duty foil.
              

Ingredients

• small red potatoes, cut into 4 pieces each (scrubbed, skin-on)
• baby carrots or washed and scrubbed regular carrots chopped into large chunks
• green peppers - wash, remove seeds and chop into chunks
• zucchini - wash and cut into chunks or thick slices
• onions - either whole baby onions or any other type peeled and cut into chunks.
• Garlic cloves if desired **I stopped here but you can also add turnips or rutabaga or parsnips (if you like them) **
• olive or canola oil
• Italian seasoning, rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper

Preparation

1. As you chop your veggies, place in a large bowl. Drizzle with about 1/4 c or so of oil along with your favorite seasonings. Toss gently to thoroughly coat
2. Dump carefully into a foil-lined pan and spread out evenly for consistent roasting.
3. Place on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven and roast for approximately 40-45 minutes, until vegetables are tender and turning golden brown.

Excellent when served with roasted turkey or chicken or with BBQ or grilled meat. This made enough for a few meals for us. Bonus!!

Fruit & Mixed Berry Pies and Crumbles

Once in a while, as those who know me may know, I go bulk when I am baking. No, that doesn't mean gaining weight (though that is a distinct possibility when there is baking in the house)! It means making a filling and using it in different ways, a little baker's secret I learned during the lean(er) years. This time it meant making up a delicious fruit medley with apples, pears and peaches and creating pies and "crumbles" a.k.a. apple crisps or brown betty. The berries came into play because I had a craving for another fruit crisp with a different flavor. So here you go, two-in-one recipe ideas. Note: I got a big bag of Envy and Cripp's Pink apples from Sam's Club so I used them in the pie mixture, but you can just as easily use Pink Lady, Fuji, Delicious, Mac, Gala or any other apple.

FRUIT PIES

Ingredients

• 6 apples - I like mixing varieties - washed, cored, peeled and sliced into chunks
• 2 peaches - washed, peeled and sliced into chunks
• 2 Bartlett pears (love this variety) - washed, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 c golden brown sugar, 1/2 c white granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon (we do love our cinnamon)
• 1/2 c water (enough to just cover the bottom of a medium to large sauce pan
• 1/4-1/2 c cornstarch mixed with approx. 1 c water
• Butter or margarine
• 1c. white sugar mixed with 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 4 prepared pie shells (I cheated and used commercial frozen shells)

Preparation

1. Cut fruit (as above) and place in sauce pan with water (as directed above). Simmer until soft (approximately 10-15 minutes), adding a bit more water to keep from scorching, then add sugars and cinnamon, stirring to combine. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes or so, stirring often until fruit releases its juice. Stir in cornstarch and water until mixture thickens to a pie filling consistency. Remove from heat.
2. Roll out pie shells and place in pie plates. This mixture will make enough for 2 pies plus a crumble (recipe to follow). Place about 2 big ladles-full of mixture in each pie shell and dot with butter or margarine. Cover with top pie shell and crimp edges, then score with a fork to let steam escape. 
3. If you use aluminium pie plates, like I did, place on a large cookie sheet (with sides). 
4. Sprinkle each with about 2 tbsp cinnamon/sugar on top and bake in 425 degree oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the fruit is simmering on the edges and the pie crust is golden brown.
5. Cool slightly before serving with whipped cream or ice cream.

If you want to freeze the pies, like I did, let them cool thoroughly and then mix in foil and place each in a freezer (Ziploc) bag until you want to serve them. Then just unwrap and place on a cookie sheet, heating at 350 degrees until heated through. They will be like fresh once more.

FRUIT CRUMBLES

While the fruit pies are baking, ladle the remaining pie mixture into a pie plate. I found I had 2 extra pans left when I used the frozen pie shells, which was perfect for these 2 crumbles. Mix the rest of the cinnamon/sugar mixture (previous recipe) with about 2 c flour, 1/2 c brown sugar and 1/2 c butter or margarine. Mix into crumbs using a pastry blender or chop with 2 knives until crumbly (hence the name). Pour about 2 to 3 c of frozen mixed berries (I used a strawberry/blueberry mixture) into the other pie plate and then simply pour on and pat half the crumbs or crumbles on top of each. Place on a large cookie sheet. Once the other pies are finished, place these 2 'pies' on the cookie sheet and put in the heated oven (raise temperature to 400 degrees). The apple mixture crumble will take about 30 minutes to heat through and combine, baking until the crust is golden (as above) and the mixture is oozing out. The berry crumble (bottom) takes about an additional 10 minutes because the berries were put in frozen. If you use fresh mixed berries in season, they will take the same amount of time as the apple crumble. Don't under-cook, because the crumble will taste raw, but over-cooking will burn the crispy topping. Watch closely after 20 minutes.

This may be eaten right away with ice cream or whipped cream, or it may be wrapped in foil and Ziploc bags and frozen until you want a home-made treat without all the effort. Enjoy! If you want to freeze and reheat, follow directions in previous recipe.

Note: The cooked apple mixture also is delicious when placed on Pillsbury Crescents, rolled and baked as directed to make "Wormy Apple Crescents" with children. Just stick a couple of gummy worms in each crescent after they are baked. Kids love it! Imagine, 3 ways to use one recipe!

Shepherd's (Sheppard's) Pie

I always had a romantic vision of this dish: probably after watching "Heidi" when I was young. I envisioned shepherds sitting it their little huts eating this dish after a long, hard stint on the hills. Maybe that's not so far-fetched, but lately I have been seeing it written as "Sheppard's Pie," not "Shepherd's Pie." I think I like my lonely shepherd version more :)

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:

• 4 oz green beans, chopped in 1 inch pieces
• 2 each yellow corn cobs (cut corn from the cobs) or use 1 can corn
• 4 each Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 red and 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1/2 sweet onion, sliced and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb ground beef or chicken (I prefer beef)
• 1 c turkey gravy (the original recipe called for beef gravy)
• 1/4 c water
• 4 oz (1/2 an 8-oz pkg) Neufchatel or soft cream cheese)
• 1 c milk, divided
• 4 -5 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed,boiled and drained
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Blanch green beans and cut corn in salted boiling water. Drain and set aside
2. Brown meat with garlic and onion. Pour off the excess fat. Stir in gravy, vegetables and water; simmer for 5 minutes or heated through, stirring occasionally. 
3. Microwave cream cheese and 1/4 c milk in medium microwavable bowl on HIGH for 30 seconds; beat with whisk until blended.
4. Mash potatoes with cream cheese mixture to make a creamy texture (not runny)
5. Spoon meat mixture into bottom of a large, greased casserole (I used "Pam"). Top with mashed potato mixture, spreading to edge of casserole. Sprinkle with Parmesan, swirling it gently into the potato mixture to give it a bit of texture and taste. 
6. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30 min. It gives the potatoes a nice golden edge and combines the flavors. 
7. Let sit for 10 minutes before spooning out of the dish. Serve with a green salad or your choice of side dish. It's literally a meal in a casserole.

Note from The Little Cook: The original recipe called for potato flakes. I prefer the 'real deal' to commercial. It also had the potatoes spooned on top of the meat combination to look like little ghosts, with pea eyes. Cute, but with just the 2 of us, we prefer it as a casserole. I have discovered that Neufchatel is much creamier for dishes such as this and tastes every bit as good with half the calories. I actually enjoyed cutting the corn from the cob, but some folks prefer canned or frozen corn. Whatever suits you best, or even better, whatever you have in the house to save you a bit of cash! Also, I think beef gravy would be very strong. I deliberately used turkey gravy (commercial) and we preferred the taste.

Totally Tasty Brunch Patties

Totally Tasty Brunch Patties

Tasty, totally yummy deliciousness

Getting creative in the kitchen can sometimes yield some pretty yummy treats. And then again, sometimes not. These were on the totally tasty side of things. With sausage, mashed potatoes, squash, peppers and onions, not to mention grated cheese and seasoned bread crumbs, you get the full blend of everything lovely for breakfast, brunch or a light lunch or dinner. For breakfast, these patties are delicious with sliced apples, pear and peaches, or even a fruit compote. For lunch or dinner, a side of spinach or green salad (or even a nice tart coleslaw or Waldorf salad) would be ideal. Like Mike said, "It's everything in a patty." Yes, indeed.

Ingredients

• 4 medium to small potatoes, cubed, boiled in lightly salted water until tender
• 2 medium butternut squash: halved, seeded and baked in 350 degree oven for half an hour (until tender).
• 1/2 small sweet or white onion (about 1/2 c) - finely chopped
• 1 large yellow pepper, seeded and chopped into small pieces
• 1/4 c light golden (or brown) sugar
• 2 c fine Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 2-3 mild Italian sausages
• 1/2 c grated mixed cheese (I used Mexican cheese blend)
• 1/4 c evaporated milk mixed with 1/4 c water
• 1 large egg
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine
• 1 tbsp canola oil + 1/2 c canola oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (or red pepper flakes)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method

Shaped patties just begging to be cooked!

1. Prepare potatoes and squash as directed. 
2. While they are cooking, remove sausage meat from casings and break into small pieces, placing in cold frying pan sprayed with cooking spray, along with 1 tbsp canola oil, chopped onion, chopped yellow pepper, sugar, garlic, parsley, thyme and ginger. Cook until no pink remains in the sausage, and the onions are cooked through and translucent (about 10 minutes). Add apple cider vinegar, stir thoroughly and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes. Drain and let stand.
3. Let squash cool for 10 minutes before scooping out the flesh and chopping into cubes. Mash together with mashed potatoes, salt, pepper, meat mixture, margarine/butter, egg, evaporated milk and water, and grated cheese
4. Stir in 1 c finely crushed Italian seasoned bread crumbs.
5. Let cool in fridge for approximately half an hour. This makes it easier to handle
6. Spread remaining bread crumbs on a sheet of waxed paper. Remove mixture from fridge and shape into 8 patties. 
7. Place approximately 1/2 c canola oil  in a medium frying pan which has been sprayed with Pam or an alternate cooking spray. It should just cover the bottom. Heat on medium high. 
8. Dredge each pattie in the bread crumbs, patting gently before flipping to the other side, and place carefully in frying pan. Cook on high for approximately 1-2 minutes on the first side and 1 minute on the second, until the pattie is golden and sizzling. Press pattie gently as it cooks so it holds together. You should be able to cook 4 at a time in a medium frying pan.
9. Place patties on absorbent paper (paper towel) or preferably parchment paper (so no sticking) for oil to drain. You want the flavor, not the grease!
10. Voila! Let patties drain for a couple of minutes before serving. Warning: It smells so delicious it's difficult to keep your fingers off them before they cool slightly!

Especially decadent with Crescent Danishes with homemade apple filling - recipe in next blog entry. The total brunch experience.

Cheesy Zucchini Boats

Here's a recipe for the cheese-lover in your home who may or may not be fond of zucchini (almost all of us have 'one of those' in the home). It's easy, impressive looking and tastes delicious.

Cheesy Zucchini Boats

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 2 medium zucchini
• 1/2 lb ground turkey
• 1 bell pepper, red or green, finely chopped
• 1/4 c chopped red onion
• grated cheddar cheese (or your favorite)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 c salsa, commercial or home-made
• 2 crusts of bread torn into crumbs (you may prefer croutons)
• approx. 2 tsp canola oil

Preparation

1. Halve, clean out and scrape zucchinis, leaving approximately an inch all around
2. Cut zucchini innards into cubes (after discarding seeds and stringy bits)
3. Brown ground turkey in oil with onion and pepper until no pink remains. Mix in garlic and zucchini cubes and saute for approximately 2-3 extra minutes (until soft)
4. Transfer mixture to bowl and add remaining ingredients, except cheese, folding together gently.
5. Pile into zucchini shells, topping with grated cheese
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and zucchini tests 'soft' when poked with a fork.
7. Cool 5 minutes to 'set' and then serve as a main or side dish.