Roasted Spiced Cauliflower (or Veggies)

I have been making these veggies about once a week since we were served it at a church Valentine's dinner. The gal from church was gracious enough to share her recipe and I just adore my vegetables fixed like this.
1/4 C. olive oil
1 t. garlic salt
1 t. curry powder
1/2 t. ground cardamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/4 t. cayenne
1/4 t. pepper
1 Large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds) cut into florets*
I sometimes do a veggie medley and use 1/2 a cauliflower, a stalk or two of broccoli, a couple carrots cut into thick slices. You can also add leek, onion, or mushrooms.
Preheat oven to 450. Lightly grease a pan with oil. (9x13)
Combine olive oil with spices, toss together with veggies. Mix well. Spread veggies in a single layer in pan. Roast for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally til tender crisp and a bit browned.

Notes: I dump my veggies on my silpat to roast and it works wonderfully. My oven may run a bit hot, they are usually done in 12-15 minutes. I also cut back a bit on the spices. I usually double the vegetable amount for a family of 5 (plus we like leftovers) and double the oil to 1/3-1/2 cup, but still use the same measurements of spices. Otherwise, it is a bit too overpowering for the kids. If you don't care for a spice, just leave it out! I don't have any cardamon, so I have been making them without and they are just as wonderful.

Cornbread and Jiffy Dinner rolls

Here are two recipes that use a Jiffy yellow cake mix, the little 9oz. kind. I make both of these a lot this time of year to go alongside soups and chili.

Cornbread

1 box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 box Jiffy corn bread mix
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Blend ingredients, batter will be slightly lumpy. Let sit 4 minutes. Pour into greased square pan or muffins cups. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes (square pan) or 15-20 (muffins).

*Note: if I am just making these to feed my family I cut the recipe in 1/2 and use only 1/2 of each boxed mix, 1 egg and 1/3 cup milk.

This is my favorite cornbread, the cake mix makes it slightly sweet, so yummy with butter and honey!


Jiffy Dinner Rolls

1 9oz. box Jiffy yellow cake mix
1 pkg. active dry yeast (equal to 2 1/4 t. yeast)
1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 cup warm on wrist tap water
2 1/2-3 cups flour

In a large mixing bowl combine cake mix, yeast and salt. Stir in water and flour to make a soft (very sticky) dough. Cover and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Stir down and place on floured surface. Turn dough gently to coat with flour. Shape in rolls and place on a greased baking sheet, or shape in balls and place in muffin tins. *Cover and let rise again til doubled. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes til golden.

*At this point I often cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until I am ready to bake them. Just get them out of the fridge in time for them to fully come to room temp and bake as followed.

These are also a slightly sweet "crescent" type roll. They are yummy brushed with butter right from the oven!

Calico Beans

Make these for you next BBQ Potluck! They are practically a meal in themselves with the hamburger and bacon!

1 lb. hamburger
1 med onion, chopped
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 c. ketchup
1 t. salt
1 t. mustard
1/2-3/4 c. brown sugar
2 t. vinegar
2 can2 pork-n-beans
1 can baked beans (I used the larger size)
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans

Brown burger with onion, drain. Cook bacon til crisp, and crumble. Then add all ingredients (drain beans). Cook in crockpot (high 4 hours) or in a dish uncovered, 350 for 40 minutes.

Super Simple Onion Rings *****

I made onion rings from Sweet Walla Walla Onions last evening for dinner. I was fresh out of flat beer (the usual needed ingredient for the fritter batter), so I looked on allrecipes.com for some ideas. I came up with this recipe. The reviewers gave it 5 stars, but I was still skeptical. How could pancake mix really deliver a great onion ring? Well, it did. They were fantastic! I added a little Laury's seasoning salt to the batter and then salt at the end. I also give this recipe 5 stars!

Barbecued Baked Beans

4 slices bacon, chopped fine OR 1 ham bone 

1/2 cup minced onion

4 minced garlic cloves

1 pound (2 cups) beans, black and/or red

8 cups water

1 cup strong black coffee

1/2 cup BBQ sauce (Cattleman's)

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

4 tsp prepared mustard

1 TBS molasses

Tabasco

Salt and Pepper

Cook bacon (if using) and onion in a large dutch oven until bacon is crisp and onion is softened. Add garlic and stir until fregrant, about 15 seconds. Add beans, water, coffee, BBQ sauce, sugar, mustard, molasses, 1/2 tsp tabasco, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil, scraping brown bits off the bottom of the dutch oven as you stir. Cover and transfer to a 300 degree oven for 4 hours, stirring periodically. Remove lid and continue to bake, uncovered, until the liquid has thickened, 1 - 1 1/2 hours more. Season beans with additional Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste.

The original recipe is from America's Test Kitchen, but I didn't have some of the ingredients, so I improvised. The above is my version and it was a crowd pleaser. I've served it twice and had many people asked for the recipe. The original recipe calls for white beans, but I prefer the density of back and red. Also, I used a ham bone instead of bacon. 

Dinner tonight - Pasta Risotto

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting here (thanks for the invite Alysun!), so hopefully you all like this one. Let me start by saying that I have 2 boys (ages 4 and 1) and they both love this. The recipe is originally from Sunset mag., but I modified it a bit and added meat. Gotta have a little meat, right?

Pasta Risotto

1 chicken breast, sauted in butter and chopped (more if you REALLY have to have meat)
12 ounces sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup sliced green onion
2 cups dried orzo pasta
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry sherry (I use cooking sherry found near the spices in supermarkets)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
parsley, salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet on high heat, saute chicken with butter and chop into small pieces. Add mushrooms and green onions. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are lightly browned (9-12 min). Reduce heat to medium and add 2 more tablespoons butter and dried orzo pasta. Stir often until pasta is light golden (2 min). Add chicken broth and sherry. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, until pasta is tender to bite and most of the liquid is absorbed (9-11 min). If mixture becomes too thick before pasta is done, add a little more broth. Stir in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and additional parmesan cheese to taste.

Makes 4 adult sized main dish servings, but my husband eats like a real man, so it really just feeds our family of 4 plus leftovers for my lunch the next day.

Panzanella Salad Skewers

I made this recipe while camping last weekend. It was wonderful!