Roasted Vegetables

There are probably a lot of you out there who already know how to do this, but somehow I got by for 40 years not knowing how to roast vegetables well.

I work part time for a good friend, Rachel Nason. She is the owner of D'Lish a private chef and catering company. When Rachel does parties, she is nice enough to let me help out and I have been lucky enough to pick up some new techniques. One is roasting veggies.

The first time I worked a big party for Rachel she had the most amazing crudite I have ever seen. Say goodbye to cold carrot and celery sticks mixed in with cucumbers, radishes and cherry tomatoes. Rachel uses things like mini zucchini, mini squash, sweet peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower all roasted and arranged like a work of art. Don't like cauliflower? What about brussel sprouts? Everyone likes their veggies when roasted this way. I have proved many a picky eater wrong with Rachel's technique.

Recently I made some roasted veggies for Easter. Here is the recipe.

High heat 425 to 450 oven

Any veggie you can cut to have a flat surface on one side, cut. ie. Broccoli spears, Cauliflower spears.

Lay veggies onto a sheet pan and generously cover with olive oil

sprinkle with kosher salt

place sheet pan on bottom rack of oven and roast until bottom has a nice golden brown.

Careful, don't over crowd the pan, veggies will steam and not cook uniformly.

The finished product below looks nothing like Rachel's beautiful platters, but wanted to show you the array. I did some sweet potatoes at Lou's request

Thanksgiving Dinner in New Jersey

Lou and I headed to NJ this year for Thanksgiving because my sister Kira and her family were going to be there with us. Kira and I told my mom we would cook dinner this year. Here was our menu. Turkey

Grandma's stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
dinner rolls with cranberry butter
Carrots, Celery and Walnuts
Pat Peabody's cranberry sauce
and a family tradition, Turnips.

For dessert we did all homemade pies and topped
them with fresh whipped cream spiked with a little brandy.


Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Pecan Pie

Here is the feast with some recipes! Because my brother in law
Chris is lactose intolerant, we used smart balance and soy milk in all recipes, except the fresh whipped cream.

For the Mashed potatoes we don't have a secret recipe, we just beat the heck out of them with a hand mixer and add a little butter and milk. This year the smart balance and soy milk, didn't change the flavor at all.

Our turkey was a 19 pounder which my mom told me was 23 pounds. I woke up about an hour earlier than I would have for that extra 6 pounds! The price was actually $23, unless you are my frugal mom, who got it for free. When cooking a turkey, I don't do much. I clean out the parts, rub the inside with salt, stuff the heck out of it, and rub it down with olive oil. 325 degree oven and about 18 minutes per pound. Makes for a golden brown, juicy turkey! I do baste it about every half hour too.

The stuffing is my Grandma Burke's recipe. I don't know where she got the recipe from. It is simple compared to what a lot of people do today, but I love it! We just cube a loaf of white bread, add 1 1/2 cups of finely chopped onions, 2 cups of finely chopped celery, 1 1/2 sticks of butter(this year smart balance) and a whole lot of poultry season. I used about 1/2 of a container. Then we stuff that bird like crazy.

This was a new recipe. Kira made whipped sweet potato bake with two toppings, marshmallows, and a crunchy topping made of pecans, brown sugar, and frosted flakes. This was her Georgia influence since she lives there now.

This next picture is a family favorite, Turnips! These have been around for years, and I think my father's grandmother came up with the recipe. It is a family tradition, and no matter where we eat, who we eat with, or what we are eating, we all make these turnips. You start by peeling and cubing two large turnips. Boil the cubed pieces like you would boil potatoes until they are soft. You don't want them to fall apart, just soft enough to eat. Next you fry up about 5 pieces of bacon extra crispy. Set it aside and reserve about 2 tbsp of bacon grease. In the same pan you cooked the bacon with the reserved bacon grease, add one small sliced onion. push the rings out so they are separate. Cook the onion until it begins to get soft and transparent. Add the cooked turnips, and crumble the cooked bacon into the pan.

Salt and pepper to taste. Toss until well mixed and hot, then serve. These turnips always taste better the second day, so feel free to make them ahead of time and heat them in the microwave before serving.

This next dish is a new tradition, about 5 years now, and I have to thank my colleague Pat Peabody from Texas for giving me the recipe. It is homemade cranberry sauce. After the meal it is GREAT over icecream!

1 pkg fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cinnamon sticks

3 to 4 whole cloves

Juice of half an orange.

Bring all ingredients to a boil then cook on low until cranberries pop.

Set off the stove and add 1/4 cup brandy.

This dish has become tradition like our turnips, but was started about 15 to 20 years ago in our generation. We take equal parts celery and carrots. Boil

or steam them until they are al dente, put them in a frying pan with a little butter and toss in walnuts. The ratio is about 1/3 walnuts, 2/3 carrots and celery.

Kira took some of the cranberry sauce I made this year and stuck it in the cuisinart with smart balance to make cranberry butter! No measurements, she just eyed it.

These were our store bought dinner rolls, I could leave them out:)

And finally, the Thanksgiving dinner of a 4 year old! My 4 year old nephew that is. He isn't a big fan of turkey. Apples, Carrots, Ham Steak and a Chocolate Crescent roll. What can I say, the kid is adorable, he can have whatever he wants. .

Vegetarian Collard Greens

A few months ago, Lou and I went to see Food Inc. to see where our food really comes from. I hear about it more and more in the news these days, factory farming, animals being fed hormones, mass producing food... I think everyone should make their own informed choices about what they eat. This movie definitely made me shop for us a little differently. One of the things we decided to do was check out

Boston Organics.

http://www.bostonorganics.com/.

Boston organics is a company that delivers fresh organic produce right to your door. You can choose to have produce delivered weekly or every other week. There are different size boxes depending on your needs. We get the $39 box, but there is also a $29, and $57. You can also choose from different mixes, all fruit, all vegetables, 1/2 and 1/2. 2/3 and 1/3, and lastly you can add other items to your order each week, like coffee, tea, bread, dairy, cheese.

I first heard about Boston Organics from my friend Tammy on her blog http://www.bostonfoodandwhine.com/. I had wanted to try it out for a while and I think Food Inc. finally gave me the push.

When I started receiving my produce, I decided I wouldn't add anything to the do not send list without trying it at least once. This, I thought would force me to try new recipes, and vegetables in those recipes I haven't used before. So far, it has worked out pretty well.

One of the first items I got when I started with Boston Organics was collard greens. I had eaten collard greens many times in my life and really like them, but I had never made them myself. I know that one of the things you need to make collard greens is a big ham bone. I was too lazy to search a ham bone out, so went on a search to find a recipe for vegetarian collard greens. I found the recipe on the website Recipe Zaar. http://www.recipezaar.com/, and I think they were just as good as any collard greens I have had.

2lbs collard greens

4-5 garlic cloves minced

1 large onion

3 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

Wash greens well submierging in a sink full of cold water to remove any dirt and grit. Drain well. Cut off the stems right where the leaf starts. STack about 5-8 leaves on top of eachother, then roll lengthwise. Cut rolled up leaves into 1" slices widthwise. Repeat until all the greens are done and add to a large pot.

Add all other ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45 minutes or until greens are extremely tender. Serve hot. using a slotted spoon to drain the liquid from the greens.

The finished product!

When Life Gives You Old Banana's Make Banana Bread!

Old Fashioned Banana Bread

I used to have this roommate years ago, Jess. She would save old bananas all the time with the ambition of making banana bread. I had no idea back then, that old bananas were the best for making banana bread, so I should thank Jess for making me aware of this. I have to say though, I never, in the several years I lived with Jess, witnessed her baking ANYTHING, especially not banana bread. If she only knew how often I make it these days.

Banana Bread is one of Lou's favorite things I make. I often catch him leaving a few bananas to overipe in the hopes I will make him a loaf. When I make banana bread, I often think of my grandmother. I don't remember many people in my life making banana bread, but I remember she did. She stayed with us once while my parents were away, and showed me all the ways she used food so there wouldn't be any waste. She had grown up in the depression when I am sure it was unheard of to waste anything. One of the things she showed me was to put fresh cucumbers into the left over pickle juice. It made extra pickles for less than half the cost. She also showed me how to let bread get stale, then food process it for bread crumbs. I am sure making banana bread was her way of not letting bananas go to waste. The other reason I think of my grandmother is I use her old mixing bowl, and her old glass bread pans when I make it. When my grandmother died, my mother took some of her kitchen items in case we needed them someday. My grandmother was a great cook, and call me crazy, but I feel like my banana bread comes out just a little bit better because I am using her pans.

The recipe I use for Banana bread is right out of the Better Homes and Garden's cook book. I make it so much, I should have memorized the recipe, but instead, the page is worn with flour stuck to it.

Preheat the Oven to 350

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. cinnamon( I usually add a little more, I like cinnamon!)

1 egg

1 cups mashed bananas, (3 medium, or 2 large)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cooking oil

the recipe also calls for finely shredded lemon and chopped nuts, but I don't add those in.

Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a loaf pan, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp salt. Make a well in the center and set aside.

In another bowl combine the egg bananas, sugar, and cooking oil. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir until just moistend, batter should be lumpy.

Spoon batter into baking pan and cook 50-55 minutes at 350, or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Banana Bread, one of life's simple pleasures:)

Paella for Easter

My Paella story

I was looking through some pictures I took of food before I started writing this blog and came across this delicious Paella my mother in law asked me to make last Easter. Linda, had gotten the recipe from a woman she knows on the Vineyard. It is pretty ambitious and I found the directions a little crazy, but if you know how to cook you can get through it. This took me about two hours to make start to finish. The final product was well worth the wait.

Chicken:

1.5 lb. chicken tenders, or 10 wings split after browning, or 10 thighs, or 5 chicken legs, or one whole frying chicken cut into 10 pieces. ( to make it simple for my self, I used skinless breasts)

- 8 oz. Chorizo, remove casing and cut on the bias about 1/4 inch slices

-1 lb. shrimp peeled and deveined

- 1 1/2 dozen mussells or small hardshell clams

- 1 red bell pepper

- 1 large Spanish onion chopped fine

-Garlic, at least 4 cloves chopped fine

-Can of diced tomatoes drained

-Olive oil

-3 Cups rice

-5 cups chicken broth, simmering,

-white wine

-1 cup peas fresh or frozen

-1 bunch parsley(garnish)

-5 lemons(garnish)

-1/2 bunch scallions(garnish)

-thyme

-saffron ( if can't find saffron, use goya paella rice, or another boxed paella rice and use the seasoning packet as if it is the saffron)
-Salt and pepper

-You will need a very large skillet or pan to cook the paella in the oven once all the ingredients are combined. I have about a 24 inch iron skillet for the final product

Heat small skillet and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Brown Chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, do not over cook, set aside.

Add Olive Oil to the pan to make soffrito: Add onions, peppers, garlic, and drained tomatoes. cook until onions are softened. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon.

Add Chorizo to the same pan, cook until edges are brown. Remove from pan and place with the onion, pepper, tomato mixture.

Delglaze the pan with a small amount of white wine.

Heat oven to 375

In a large flat pan add 2-3 TBSP of Olive Oil, Add Rice and stir to coat with Oil. Add lots of chopped garlic, add Tomato-onion-chorizo-pepper mixture. Add the simmering chicken broth, and the saffron ( I didn't have time to hunt down saffron, so I bought paella rice by Goya and the season packet acted as my saffron. I prepared everything the same way as stated) Bring to boil on stove top. Add Chicken pieces on top. Place in oven covered for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes remove from oven. Check to make sure the rice is just done. Add Clams or mussels, and add shrimp. Set them into the rice. For clams place them hinge down. If mixture is dry, add a little more liquid. Be careful because clams and shrimp will give off some moisture. Add Peas. Cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until clams or mussels open. Allow to site for 5-10 minutes, garnish with parsley, scallions, and lemon wedges.

Bon Appetit!