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Roasted Salmon with Beets & Herbs Recipe

The recipe I’m sharing in this post is part two of a fabulous birthday dinner I prepared a few evenings ago. To see the first part of the dinner, please check out the Curry & Greek Yogurt Vegetable Salad I made. That one was very good and worth trying out.

Roasted Salmon with Beets & Herbs Recipe

The Recipe

Even though the salad was quite filling and very hearty, I’d say this was the legit main course. After all, it includes a nice salmon fillet and it was oven roasted in my trusted cast iron skillet.

There are a few really great aspects of this dish. First are the beets. I don’t eat nearly enough of these, even though I love them and they’re particularly good for the health. These beets are roasted as well and come out of the oven tender and tasty.

Second is the salmon. Since the fillet is placed on top of the seasoned and roasted beets for cooking, it stays moist and tender. It’s also smothered by the pile of olive oil coated (and seasoned) herbs, keeping the top just as flavorful and, once again, tender.

Finally is the herb topping that coats the salmon fillet. Much of this dish’s wow factor comes from this area. When you cut into the salmon with your fork, it easily breaks apart – and each bite is accompanied by some of the topping. It’s flavor on top of flavor on top of flavor. I’m just glad we have enough ingredients leftover for the same exact dinner tomorrow night.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

1 Pound (4) Medium Sized Beets, Trimmed, Cleaned and Thinly Sliced
2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Teaspoon Regular Table Salt, Divided
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, Divided
1 1/2 Pounds Skinless Salmon Fillet
2 Tablespoons Scallions, Thinly Sliced
2 Tablespoons Parsley, Chopped
1 Teaspoon Dried Tarragon

Step-by-Step Instructions

I pulled this recipe from my new cookbook by Curtis Stone called Good Food, Good Life. This is an awesome recipe and I’d like to personally thank Curtis for all he’s shared in his books. I’m a huge fan.

Pre-Heat Oven

Go ahead and arrange one oven rack so it’s in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees.

Prepare the Beets

In a medium sized bowl, add the beets, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Toss until all the beet slices are coated with the oil.

Marinading Sliced Beets

Next, add the sliced beets to a large cast iron skillet and spread them evenly across its base.

Oil Coated Sliced Beets in Cast Iron Skillet

Once that’s finished, place the skillet in the hot oven for 20 minutes to roast.

Prepare Herb Topping

In a small bowl, add the scallions, parsley, tarragon and remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Also, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix well.

Mixed Herbs in Bowl

Cook Salmon

When the beets are finished cooking, remove the skillet from the oven, while keeping the heat on. Lay the salmon fillet on top of the beets and then spread all of the herb mixture evenly across the top of the salmon.

Raw Salmon Before Cooking

Then, return the pan to the oven and roast for 15 minutes. You’ll likely need the full time to properly cook the fish. I thought that was a bit much, but I realized that the salmon is being insulated on both the top and the bottom, so it does take a little time to get the heat in there.

The Final Dish

When the roasting has been completed, remove the pan from the oven and divide everything up with a metal spatula. You may plate from there.

I can’t wait to make this again. It really didn’t take much time at all and I enjoyed it immensely.

Roasted Salmon and Herbs in Cast Iron Skillet


Warm Vegetable Salad with Curry-Yogurt Vinaigrette Recipe

A few evenings ago, I had the pleasure of cooking a very important birthday dinner. Because of the nature of the day, I thought that I better find something special and somewhat out of the ordinary to prepare. I’ll tell you – this wasn’t the easiest endeavor because, as I’ve mentioned many times previously, I’ve been stepping out of the norm for over a year. I had to consider two aspects; first, what would be enjoyed the most and second, what don’t Laura and I eat on a regular basis. A few minutes of flipping through Curtis Stone‘s cookbook called Good Food, Good Life helped out a lot.

Warm Vegetable Salad with Curry-Yogurt Vinaigrette Recipe

The Recipe

I must say, Curtis is very talented at introducing and combining flavors. Whenever I use one of his recipes, I’m impressed at his level of knowledge when it comes to flavor profile. I’ve seen a lot of recipes over the past year and I have to admit, unfortunately, there are some folks out there who merely post recipes to post recipes. I’m a seeker for knowledge, so when I stumble across one of these types of things, I make sure to avoid the source in the future.

Curtis is a step up from the rest. In today’s recipe called Grilled Vegetable Salad with Curry-Yogurt Vinaigrette, he combines a few different cooking techniques with ingredients I would never have thought would go together in a million years. Curry and yogurt? Really? Red onions? I’ll be honest, I didn’t think this one was going to work.

Luckily, the recipe was a success and Laura and I enjoyed half of a wonderful meal last night. I’ll be posting the other half next.

This dish uses two primary ingredients for the “bulk” of things. They are zucchini and red bell peppers. These ingredients create the meat of the dish, figuratively. As far as the vinaigrette goes, Curtis uses Greek yogurt, mint, red onion, lemon and vinegar. The end result was stunning, to say the least. We were both heartily satisfied with this unique and flavorful salad.

Ingredients

Serves: 8

For the Vinaigrette

1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1/4 Cup Mint, Finely Chopped
1/2 Small Red Onion, Finely Chopped
Zest From One Lemon
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

For the Salad

3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Curry Powder
2 Pounds Medium Sized Zucchini, Ends Trimmed and Cut on the Bias in 1/2 Inch Pieces
2 Red Bell Peppers, Cored, Cleaned, Quartered and Cut Into 1/2 Inch Strips
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
3 Cups Red Lettuce

Step-by-Step Instructions

I made a few alterations to Curtis’ original recipe. I switched out his lime for some lemon and changed up the cooking method. Since we don’t own a grill, I wanted to prepare this recipe the way most people have the opportunity to. Since it’s New Year’s Eve, I didn’t foresee myself, even if we did have a grill, standing outside in two feet of snow. All the changes I made were in an effort to simplify the method of preparation.

Make the Vinaigrette

In a medium sized bowl, add the yogurt, mint, onion, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar and salt.

Greek Yogurt Vinaigrette Unmixed Ingredients

Using a fork, mix the ingredients well. If you aren’t preparing the rest of this salad right away, you can cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and store the vinaigrette in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

Greek Yogurt Vinaigrette

Make the Salad

In a large bowl, add the olive oil and curry powder. Mix well. Then, add the prepped zucchini and red bell pepper to the bowl, along with the salt. Toss all the ingredients until the zucchini and pepper are well coated with the curry and oil mixture.

Curry Vegetable Ingredients

Next, warm a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is to temperature, add the ingredients from the large bowl to it.

Curry Vegetables in Skillet

Cook, while stirring, for about 10 minutes or until you see the edges of the vegetables begin to brown. You don’t want to go so far as to soften them too much, just warm them up and give them a light sear.

Cooked Curry Vegetables in Skillet

When finished, turn off heat and let ingredients cool for about 10 minutes.

Make Salad

In the same large bowl as used earlier, add the red lettuce. Then, drizzle just enough vinaigrette over the lettuce to coat each leaf when tossed. Toss. Once that’s finished, add the vegetables from the skillet and add a bit more vinaigrette. Toss again.

At this point, the salad is finished. You can either add it to a large platter and drizzle some more vinaigrette on top of it from there or you can plate it individually and do the same thing.

The Final Salad

Laura and I picked up with wonderful platter from a local store (Reny’s in Maine) this past weekend. We decided to put it to good use. Although I didn’t add any additional vinaigrette in the photo below, I eventually did when it came time to eat it. Enjoy!

Curry Yogurt Vinaigrette Salad with Zucchini and Red Bell Pepper


Almost No-Knead Beer Bread Recipe by Bread Illustrated

I sure wish I made this bread a few days ago. If I had, I would’ve been able to enjoy it with those Sam Adams mussels Laura and I ate for dinner. I guess I have to plan a little better next time.

Almost No-Knead Beer Bread Recipe by Bread Illustrated

I was just having a conversation with Laura about bread. During this conversation, I said, “What if a deli, or something like a deli, made their own bread to serve their sandwiches on? I think that deli would make a name for itself. Every day, make a few different styles of bread, cut the loaves into slices and sell some really awesome and memorable sandwiches. One of the benefits would be that the restaurant would smell like a bakery every day.” You know as well as I know, everyone loves bakeries. Real bakeries – bread bakeries.

Bread isn’t expensive to make. For the recipe I’m going to share below, the ingredients come up to less than a dollar. No mixer is needed. No fancy tools. Just a bowl and an oven. Almost all of us have these things. I vote to focus on bread much more often.

The Recipe

Central to the “almost no knead” method of making this bread is a high hydration level and a long resting period called autolyse. During this resting period, which can last anywhere between 8 and 18 hours, the flour in the recipe absorbs any liquid that’s used. In our case, the liquid is water and beer. This method fully hydrates everything. As a consequence of this hydration, enzymes in the flour encourage its natural proteins to begin developing gluten. If you aren’t familiar, gluten is what gives bread dough its elasticity. Traditionally, kneading encourages the development of gluten, but since we’re taking advantage of autolyse, there’s very little kneading involved.

The resulting bread is really nicely browned with a legitimately thick crust. After you break that open, you’ll be left with a chewy interior. I just ate two pieces with melted butter on them and I have to tell you – this is my kind of thing. I felt like I was a lumberjack sitting in the woods somewhere tearing bread apart with my teeth. It’s serious stuff.

The flavor is good. It’s slightly acidic from the use of white vinegar and it has somewhat of a yeasty edge to it from the beer. As I was baking this bread, Laura mentioned that the wonderful smell brought her back in time. She couldn’t pinpoint when, but she said it was definitely nostalgic.

Ingredients

Makes: 1 Loaf of Bread

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Instant or Rapid-Rise Yeast
3/4 Cup Water, Room Temperature
1/2 Cup Lager, Room Temperature
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Bread Illustrated for this recipe. Their Almost No-Knead Bread was just what I was looking for. I’m certainly learning a lot from this bread cookbook and suspect I’ll be a master by the time I’m through.

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, add and mix the flour, salt and yeast with a whisk.

Dry Bread Ingredients

Mix Wet Ingredients

Then, in a medium sized bowl or a 4-cup measuring cup, add and mix the water, beer and vinegar.

Wet Bread Ingredients

Add the Wet Ingredients to the Dry

Next, add the wet ingredients to the large bowl that currently has the dry ingredients in it. Use a rubber spatula to fold everything together, being sure to continue folding only until there’s no more visible dry flour.

Bread Dough

Let Dough Rest

When the dough is mixed, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature anywhere from 8 to 18 hours. During that time, the dough should rise slightly.

Risen Bread Dough

Knead the Dough

On a lightly floured counter, add the dough and knead for about 1 minute. The dough should become smooth and elastic.

Once the kneading is finished, form the dough into a ball by stretching the top and pulling it towards the bottom. Basically, you’re pulling the surface of the dough so it’s taut while moving the excess to the bottom. After you form the ball, place it on top of a piece of parchment paper that measures about 18 inches long.

Ball of Bread Dough

Let Dough Rise

Take the parchment paper by both sides and lift the dough. Lower everything into a Dutch oven.

Raw Bread Dough in Dutch Oven

Cover the pot tightly and let it sit at room temperature for about 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size.

Risen Bread Dough in Dutch Oven

Cook the Bread

Cover the Dutch oven with its heat proof lid. Then, arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position. Turn the oven heat on to 425 degrees and immediately add the pot to it. The dough will warm up as the oven does. Bake the dough for 30 minutes. Once that’s complete, remove the lid and bake for approximately another 30 minutes or until the top of the bread is golden brown.

Finally, when the bread is finished baking, remove everything from the oven, grab the edges of the parchment paper and lift the bread from the pot. Let it cool for an hour or so before slicing into it.

The Final Bread

I’m not sure what it is, but every time I make a basic bread like this, I feel like I’m living thousands of years ago. Each ingredient used here has been around forever and the result is timeless. If you decide to go ahead with this recipe, please let me know how it turns out in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Traditional Beer Bread


Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale Drunken Mussels Recipe

Drunken mussels recipes are very liberal with their application. Some of these recipes use white wine and some use beer. I use both (independently), but tend to focus less on the inherent flavor of the alcohol and more on how I go about coaxing as much flavor out of the ingredients before I add the mussels to the pot.

Old Fezziwig Ale Drunken Mussels Recipe

Lately, I haven’t been able to say no to those bags of cleaned mussels sitting in the seafood cooler at Hannaford. Mussels cost less than $2 per pound and bring me immense joy. They’re so simple to prepare, are good for you and are very filling, if served with an accompanying pasta. Laura and I tend to lean toward some sort of vegetable infused pasta, rather than the plain, more traditional, versions. I’ve seen a few pasta brands upping their games in the veggie arena and it’s fun to experiment with what’s new.

The Recipe

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale is considered a “winter warmer,” which means that it’s rich and balanced, has hints of cinnamon, citrus and spices that carry into the overall flavor. Oftentimes, these beers are backed by a sweet caramelly breadiness, if that makes any sense. In the most basic sense, winter warmers are ales that are blended with spices. If you haven’t tried one yet, you really should. They definitely add to the feeling of the season.

Old Fezziwig Ale

Since this ale is so robust and since I enjoy it so much, I wanted to see what would happen if I used it as the primary ingredient for my drunken mussel recipe. One of the techniques I employ during the preparation of these types of dishes is to boil the liquid down to add richness. There’s lots of caramelization and fond creation with these recipes. Those, coupled with the cooked down alcohol, create a deeply rich and flavorful collection of mussels on the plate.

Ingredients

Serves: 2

2 Pounds Mussels, Cleaned
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Medium Sized Sweet Onion, Chopped
3 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 12-Ounce Bottle of Winter Ale
1/2 Teaspoon Table Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

I was looking through one of my older mussels recipes last night and was reminded that I used an entire stick of butter for that one. While it was certainly delicious and was very rich, I decided to reduce the amount of butter used. Laura and I can’t be eating a half stick of butter each in one night. Butter injects creaminess into many dishes. If this is your desire, you can add more butter to this recipe. Double up, triple up – whatever you want. It won’t hurt things in any way.

Sautee the Onion

Warm a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Then, once the pan is to temperature, add the butter and swirl it around until it melts. Once it does, add the chopped onion to the pan as well.

Sauteed Onions in Cast Iron Skillet

Continue cooking the onions until they are thoroughly browned. Don’t go so far as to burn them, but the browner you get them, the more flavor there will be. After the onions have browned, add the garlic, red pepper flakes and lemon juice to the pan as well. Cook and mix well for about 1 minute. The goal here is to blend the flavors and to break down the potentness of the garlic without going too far. You don’t want to brown the garlic, just soften it.

Add the Beer

Next, add the beer to the skillet, along with the salt and pepper. Keep the pan uncovered and let the liquid reduce by half. This will most likely take about 5-7 minutes.

Onions & Beer in Cast Iron Skillet

Cook the Mussels

After the beer has been reduced, add the cleaned mussels to the skillet.

Mussels in Skillet

Cover the pan and let everything steam for about 2 minutes. Then, remove the cover, mix well so the liquid can get inside the opened mussels and then cover again. Cook for another 2 minutes. When that’s done, remove the cover and discard any mussels that didn’t open.

Finally, divide the mussels between two bowls and scoop out the juice and add that over the mussels.

The Final Dish

If you taste the liquid before adding the mussels to the pan, it will taste just “okay.” It’s not until you add the mussels and their flavors combine with the liquid that the entire dish becomes magical. Enjoy!

Steamed Drunken Mussels


Roasted Tomato & Garlic Tart Recipe

Here we are at the end of the road for this year’s Christmas recipes. This season has been nearly perfect and I hope to make it even better next year. Both Laura and I have discovered many new dishes and are appreciative for the oodles of great recipes that people all over the world have come up with. Hanging out in the kitchen preparing tasty and attractive breakfasts, lunches and dinners certainly has turned into a favorite hobby for me. The possibilities are endless.

Roasted Tomato & Garlic Tart Recipe

The Recipe

Today’s recipe is quite simple to prepare and the final result is bursting with flavor. I think the garlic is what does it. As we were cooking this dish in the oven, I went outside to collect some firewood from our wood shed. When I came back inside, I said, “Wow, that’s pretty awesome smelling.” It was like I walked into a really great Italian restaurant or a pizzeria. The smell of the roasting garlic and tart nearly knocked my socks off.

The concept of this dish is simple. Use puff pastry as a platform for a variety of flavored vegetables. The veggies are actually prepared before they ever touch the pastry, so like I mentioned above, the assembly is simple.

This tart tastes good. That’s all there is to it. The drier pastry adds the perfect contrast to the more moist textures of the topping. The oil, combined with the salt, pepper and cheese that encapsulates the vegetables ties everything together. This is something I’m sure not many folks come across very often, so I really encourage you to give this recipe a try. Especially because we’re not making the pastry from scratch. It’s store bought and the most work that has to go into it is thawing it and rolling it out.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

1 Pint Grape Tomatoes
1/2 12-Ounce Jar Roasted Red Peppers, Chopped
3 Scallions, Sliced Thinly
2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Tablespoon Regular Olive Oil
Regular Table Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 Frozen Puff Pastry, Thawed (From 17.3 Ounce Box)
3 Ounces Asiago Cheese, Shredded

Step-by-Step Instructions

Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Woman’s Day for this recipe. It was developed in their kitchen and I think they did a super job.

Pre-Heat Oven

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Then, arrange one rack so it’s in the center position.

Combine Ingredients

In a large bowl, add the tomatoes, roasted peppers, scallions, garlic, oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Mix well until everything is coated.

Mixed Vegetables in Large Glass Bowl

Prepare Puff Pastry

Roll out a piece of parchment paper that’s about 18 inches long. Then, spread the pastry on it. Using a rolling pin, roll the pastry so it’s a bit thinner than it initially was and about an inch larger than it was on all sides. Then, carefully pick up the parchment or slide it onto a large baking sheet.

Rolled Puff Pastry

Finally, sprinkle 1/3 of the shredded Asiago cheese evenly on the pastry.

Add Topping to the Pastry

Pour the contents of the bowl onto the pastry and spread the ingredients out evenly, leaving a 1 inch margin around the edges of the pastry. After that, sprinkle the remaining cheese across the topping.

Uncooked Tomato Pastry Tart

Beautiful Grape Tomatoes

Cook the Tart

Add the baking sheet to the oven and let the tart cook for about 30 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry begin to brown nicely. When that happens, remove the baking sheet and turn off the heat. Cut the tart into 6 pieces and serve.

The Final Tart

I used a lot of veggies on my tart, so things sort of migrated to the edges of the pastry. That had no effect on my ability to cut the pastry and remove each piece of tart from the parchment paper. I had no issues with sticking whatsoever.

Please give this recipe a try. If you do, let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Thanks for reading!

Tomato & Asiago Cheese Puff Pastry Tart


Holiday Apple & Walnut Stuffing Recipe

I’m not sure how long stuffing has been part of holiday dinners, but I’m sure glad someone came up with the idea. I love stuffing. I love all the varieties that people have thought of and I love the fact that there’s always lots of leftovers. Stuffing, the next day, may very well be better than stuffing the day of.

Holiday Apple & Walnut Stuffing Recipe

The Recipe

This recipe is another one that Laura found online. She did a wonderful job of locating everything we’d need for the perfect holiday season. I’ve already shared the recipes for the Spiced Eggnog Pancakes with Sweet Cranberry Syrup and the Italian Roasted Mushrooms & Veggies, so I figured I should keep going with this awesome apple and walnut stuffing recipe.

Here’s the deal with this – I used regular sandwich bread as the primary ingredient. I can well imagine that I could have gotten a lot more creative and used a more robust bread type. Perhaps even something that has whole grains or something that was artisanal. I’m sure that would have really taken this side dish over the top. That being said, the bread I used was great. I pulled it apart rather than cutting it because I wanted a rustic look to the final product. After the fact, I think I made a good choice there. The pieces can be seen in the casserole and they’re random as opposed to obviously cut. You can do it either way.

This is a serious stuffing recipe. It uses apples. garlic, walnuts, herbs, broth and butter. I would put this up against any other recipe in the same class. It offered an interesting texture and some great flavors when it was finished. We’ll definitely be making this one again.

Ingredients

Serves: 8 to 10

Regular Olive Oil
1 Large Sweet Onion, Chopped
2 Granny Smith Apples, Cut Into 1/2 Inch Pieces
1 Cup Celery, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Garlic, Minced
1 Cup Walnuts, Toasted
1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Dried Sage
2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
12 Cups Bread, Broken Apart or Cubed
2 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/4 Cup Melted Butter
Parsley For Garnish (Optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Marian Cooper Cairns and Mary Allen Perry from Woman’s Day for this recipe. They did a great job putting it together and sharing it. That’s much appreciated.

Pre-Heat Oven

Warm your oven to 350 degrees. Place one of the racks on the center position.

Dry Out Bread

If you bought fresh bread, go ahead and either cut it into cubes or tear it apart into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Then, spread those pieces out on a large baking sheet. Add the sheet to the oven for about 30 minutes or until you can feel that the bread is thoroughly dried out. Make sure it’s not still flexible by running your fingers through the pieces.

Stuffing Bread

When it’s finished, remove the tray from the oven.

Just an FYI – I used one large loaf of normal sandwich bread. I thought there was more bread in the bag because it looked so big, but once I pulled it all apart, I realized it actually wasn’t that much. Plan accordingly.

Sautee Ingredients

Warm a large heavy skillet over medium heat. When it’s to temperature, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then add the onion. Cook the onion, while stirring, for about 5 minutes or until you see the onion begin to brown. Then, add in the apples, celery and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.

Sauteeing Stuffing Vegetables

Next, mix in the walnuts, chopped parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.

Cooked Stuffing Vegetables

Finally, transfer all the ingredients from the skillet into a large bowl and turn the heat for the skillet off.

Stuffing Vegetables in Bowl

Add Bread, Broth & Mix

Next, add the bread to the bowl, followed by the broth. Mix until you don’t see anymore dried bread.

Add Mixture to Casserole

Grease a 8×13 inch casserole. I used more olive oil to do this. Then, transfer the stuffing mixture to the casserole, making sure it’s flat. After that, brush the melted butter evenly across the entire mixture.

Uncooked Bread Stuffing

Bake the Stuffing

Add the casserole to the oven and let everything bake for about 45 minutes or until you see the top begin to brown. When it does, remove the stuffing from the oven and turn off heat. Garnish with parsley if you wish. Then, with a large spoon, scoop some stuffing out and serve.

The Final Stuffing

Again, this is a really great recipe. The stuffing comes out moist and I can’t say enough good things about the texture of the bread and the walnuts. There are a few ingredients here that truly make a difference. Enjoy!

Perfect Holiday Stuffing


Italian Roasted Mushrooms & Veggie Recipe by Jo Cooks

I have three more recipes from our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners that I’d like to share with you. Today, it’s going to be a really nice side dish. Tomorrow will be the main course and the next day will be some awesome apple stuffing. I’ll try to stay focused on the roasted vegetables today though – but still, they were all memorable.

Italian Roasted Mushrooms & Veggie Recipe by Jo Cooks

The Recipe

If you decide to prepare this as a side one day, it’ll likely be the easiest side you’ve ever made. During the process, I kept asking Laura, “That’s it? That’s all I have to do?” She would tell me yes and that I should try not to get distracted.

This dish is full of flavor. I’m not going to lie to you – it’s got some garlic going on. The best part about that is the garlic is baked so some of the “lasting” effects are minimized. I’ve been eating this for the past two nights and I feel like I didn’t eat any garlic at all in the past week. That’s a good thing.

While there are only a few ingredients, this is a somewhat unique and appealing dish in that many of the vegetables are kept whole. That’s fairly rare and it adds to the simplicity of the preparation.

Ingredients

Serves: 6

24 Ounces White Button Mushrooms, Cleaned
2 Cups Cauliflower, Cut Into 1 1/2 Inch Pieces
2 Cups Grape Tomatoes
12 Garlic Cloves, Peeled (or 6 Teaspoons Minced Garlic)
2 Tablespoons Regular Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 Teaspoon Table Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Step-by-Step Instructions

I’d like to thank Jo Cooks for this recipe. She did a great job of sharing and explaining it on her website.

Pre-Heat Oven

Before you do anything else, go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Also, adjust the racks so one of them is in the center position.

Coat the Vegetables

Add the cleaned mushrooms, cauliflower, tomatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Then, add the olive oil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and mix everything together well until the vegetables are coated with the oil. When adding the oil and the rest, be sure to distribute it evenly over the tops of the vegetables, so there are no salty or peppery surprises at the end.

Mixed Vegetables in Large Bowl

Cook the Vegetables

Pour the contents of the bowl out onto a large baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven for 30 minutes or until you see the mushrooms and cauliflower begin to brown.

Raw Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Cauliflower on a Large Baking Sheet

When finished, remove the tray from the oven and turn off the heat. You should have some really good looking roasted vegetables sitting in front of you.

Roasted Vegetables

The Final Dish

All that’s left is to transfer the veggies from the baking sheet to a nice platter. Once that’s done, you can sprinkle the chopped parsley over everything and serve. Enjoy!


Spiced Eggnog Pancakes with Sweet Cranberry Syrup Recipe

Now this is one heck of a breakfast. Laura and I just finished putting it together and boy does it look good. It’s actually the second part of the cranberry syrup recipe I shared yesterday, so if you haven’t read that post yet, you can right here.

Spiced Eggnog Pancakes with Sweet Cranberry Syrup Recipe

Cranberries have got to be the absolute easiest things in the world to take pictures of. When I run photos of anything that has to do with them through Photoshop and my other editing programs, I have to do very little to make them look great. I feel like I could stand on my head in a snowstorm and take pictures of these things and still have them come out bright and colorful and looking scrumptious.

The Recipe

I talked about how tasty the cranberry sauce was in yesterday’s post, so I won’t do that again. Today, I’d like to focus on the pancakes. These aren’t any regular old pancakes – they are eggnog pancakes. That makes them special. They’re rich and flavorful and perfect.

Laura actually found this recipe on the Better Homes & Gardens website a while ago. It was shared by a woman named Jocelyn Delk Adams, who, I must say, developed the perfect Christmas morning breakfast. Just the looks of it alone is a win. That, combined with the fluffy texture of the pancakes and the small hint of eggnog and nutmeg brings them home. I’m fairly certain that no one in the world would have one bad thing to say about them.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
2 Cups Eggnog
1/4 Cup Cooking Oil (Plus More for cooking)
3 Cups Cranberry Syrup (See Recipe)

Step-by-Step Instructions

If you’re using a large 12″ cast iron skillet like I did, you may want to start warming it up now. At least put the stove top on low to get things going. I don’t enjoy waiting for that pan to warm up and since it needs a full five minutes to do so, it needs to get done early. Putting these ingredients together really takes no time at all.

Prepare Ingredients

Laura did a wonderful job getting everything ready for this one. She added the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg to a large bowl. Then, she added the remaining ingredients to other containers.

Pancake Ingredients

Stir the dry ingredients that are in the large bowl well. Then, combine the remaining ingredients in the next largest bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. When finished with that, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until there is no dry flour left. Don’t make the mix totally smooth. Just go until there’s no dry left, but it’s still lumpy.

Cook the Pancakes

Warm a large skillet over medium heat. When it’s to temperature, add 1 tablespoon of oil to it. Then, using a 1/4 cup measuring device, scoop out that amount of batter from the bowl and add it to the skillet for each pancake.

Raw Pancakes

Cook each side of the pancakes for about 2 minutes. Use a fork to lift the edges of each pancake and when you see that they’re golden brown, use a hard spatula to flip them. Cook for another minute or so and then stack the finished ones up on a plate. Continue adding oil and batter to the skillet until all the batter is gone.

Cooking Pancakes

Stack of Pancakes

Plate & Serve

This recipe will yield about 15-16 pancakes. If you’re serving three, place 5 pancakes on each plate. If serving four, go with 4 on each plate. Then, warm the cranberry syrup up if it isn’t already and scoop some of that out and add it to the tops of the stacks of pancakes.

Adding Cranberry Syrup to Stack of Pancakes

The Final Pancakes

You have to admit, these pancakes look good. I’m thrilled with the results. If you have company or are trying to impress someone, these might be just the ticket. Really, the whole thing isn’t challenging at all. It will just steal some time from your morning, but the reward is worth it.

Beautiful Pancakes


Sweet Cranberry Pancake Topping Recipe

Today is Christmas Eve. As you can imagine, lots of people around the world are in their kitchens, putting together dishes for the big day. Laura and I certainly are. We’re trying to get as much finished today as possible so we can sit back and relax tomorrow.

Of course, I can’t let a good recipe go to waste. It’s like I’ve become obsessed over the whole thing. Every time I hear clanking and banging in the kitchen, I get up and run in there to see what’s she’s doing. “Is there a possibility for pictures?” I ask. Lots of times there are. Sometimes there aren’t. In this case (and the last one), I thought sharing how to prepare a really fast “accessory” to a dish would be worthwhile.

The Recipe

Cranberries are one of those fruits that look really great after cooking. I made a nice apple pie a few weeks ago that I was supposed to use cranberries in. Instead, I used wild blackberries that we picked up in the woods. Let’s just say that I should have used the cranberries. Apparently, blackberries turn into an awful dark purple and brown color that bleeds through all the apple mixture. I think if I had used the cranberries, they would have actually brightened the interior of the pie. I sure won’t be making that mistake again.

Tomorrow morning, we’re having pancakes. On top of those pancakes, we’ll be putting a nice sweet cranberry topping. This topping is rich and sweet with tons of cranberry flavor. Since it’s going to be Christmas, I think the cranberries are appropriate.

Cranberry Pancake Topping

This is a super simple recipe to prepare and what’s even better, you can make this topping early and store it in the refrigerator. The ingredient list is short and the cooking method is easy. The only excuse someone might have for not making it is that they couldn’t find cranberries for sale in the grocery store after Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

Makes: About 3 Cups of Cranberry Topping

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Real Maple Syrup
2 Cups Frozen Cranberries

Step-by-Step Instructions

I would guess that the ingredient amounts in this recipe would be suffice for three people. If you’re having more, definitely double up.

Cook the Cranberries

Warm a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Then, when the pot is to temperature, add the butter and let it melt. After that, add in the syrup and mix it well with the butter. The goal here is to meld these two ingredients because later on, you won’t be mixing all that much. Wait a minute or so to heat the syrup up nicely.

Next, add in the cranberries.

Cooking Cranberries

Give the pot a few swirls until the cranberries are completely coated with the butter and syrup mixture.

Cranberries, Butter & Maple Syrup in Saucepan

Let the ingredients cook for about 5 minutes. Give the pot another swirl and lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.

During this cooking time, you should hear the cranberries begin to pop. When they do this and when the popping begins to slow down, you’re done. Remove the mixture from the heat and either serve immediately or save for later.

Be careful towards the end. The cranberries are very soft and if you mix or disrupt them too much, you can lose the “half and half” look. Half of the cranberries have broken apart and have mixed with the sweetness of the syrup and the other half haven’t completely broken apart, leaving you with the tartness of the berry. It’s a magical combination that I’m looking forward to on Christmas morning.


How to Make Caramelized Pecans

This is one of those posts that many, many people around the world look for, but not many food bloggers take the time to write. It’s for a part of a recipe, not for a recipe in its entirety. I actually love this kind of stuff because for years, I’ve been searching for answers such as these. You know, the stuff in between.

Today, I’m going to quickly discuss how to make caramelized pecans, or what some would refer to as “candied” pecans. The process is so simple and the result is, let’s just say, memorable. Adding candied nuts to salads and desserts is a win in pretty much everyone’s book.

The Recipe

There are a few different versions of candied pecans, but only one version of caramelized pecans. When you candy something, you may take certain liberties. For instance, many candied pecan recipes call for sugar, cinnamon, salt, egg whites and the like. These types of recipes can be tweaked to fit specific needs and tastes. When it comes to caramelized pecans, there’s a lot less liberty. The definition of “caramelization” is:

…the oxidation of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting nutty flavor and brown color. Caramelization is a type of non-enzymatic browning reaction.

Caramelized Pecans

So really, all you need to is the nuts, some sugar and a process. In reality though, whether you candy something or caramelize something, you’re going to end up with an awesome tasting nut. You just need to be sure not to burn them.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Pecans
1/4 Cup White Sugar

Step-by-Step Instructions

Warm a small skillet over medium heat. When it’s to temperature, add the sugar and the pecans to it. Stir gently until the sugar melts and the pecans are well coated and glistening. When this happens, immediately remove the pecans from the skillet and place them on a piece of waxed paper. Let everything cool.

After that, you can either add the pecans to a dish as is or you can fold the waxed paper over and hit the nuts with the back of a large spoon to break them up. Then, you can add the pieces to whatever dish it is you’d like.

Here’s what your skillet should look like after caramelization. See? No burning whatsoever.

Skillet with Caramelized Sugar In It

That’s it! Next time, I’ll offer a nice easy recipe for preparing the “candied” pecans I referred to above. Thanks for reading!