It Inspired Me

This is a very versatile recipe. Try adding chicken or sausage. Try using whatever vegetables you have on hand. It's a good refrigerator clean out recipe. 1 medium zucchini 1 medium summer squash 1 medium red bell pepper 1 medium yellow bell pepper 1 lb fresh asparagus 1 red onion, chopped 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut zucchini, summer squash, red pepper, yellow pepper and asparagus into bite-size pieces.  Put all vegetables in a large roasting pan, and toss with the oil, salt and black pepper. Spread in a single layer.  Roast for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned and tender.

This is one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides.  It is easy and very tasty.  Enjoy with your turkey dinner.   1/2 c butter 8 oz sour cream 1 large can whole kernel corn 1 large can cream style corn 8 oz package cornbread 2 eggs Stir all ingredients together and place in a 2 1/2-3 qt casserole dish.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  

2 cups grated Parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 pounds red potatoes, very thinly sliced 2-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream Combine the first five ingredients. Layer a third of the potatoes and 2/3 cup cheese mixture in a greased 8-in. square baking dish; repeat layers. Top with remaining potatoes; pour cream over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture.  Cover and bake at 325° for 65 minutes. Increase temperature to 375°. Uncover; bake 25-30 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. (don't skip this part)

 This is a recipe from a very special lady, Hedvig Seeland.  These potatoes are to be made ahead, to make things easier on the day of your event.  They may not win a lot of healthy awards but they are easy and tasty.   5 lb potatoes 6 oz cream cheese 1 c. sour cream 2 T margarine or butter 1/4 t pepper 2 t onion salt Cook peeled potatoes in boiling salted water oil tender.  Drain.  Mask until smooth.  Add remaining ingredients. Beat until light and fluffy.  Cool.  Cover and place in refrigerator.  May be used any time within 2 weeks.   Day of -- when you decide you are ready to make these, dot with butter and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.   Makes 12 servings.  

These are an awesome spin on your typical carrots.  I will explain two different ways you can cook them.  Both were good.  Very different from one another but both good.  1 pound carrots, sliced 1/4 cup butter 1 1/2 T honey 1/4 tsp ground ginger (recipe calls for 1 pinch but I liked more) 1 T lemon juice Option 1 (following the recipe): Cook carrots in boiling water until tender, but still firm, generally around five minutes.  Drain.  While the carrots are cooking, in a large skillet, over low heat, melt butter with honey.  Stir in ground ginger and lemon juice.  Stir in carrots and simmer till heated through.  Option 2 (concept stolen from the Pioneer Woman): Melt butter with honey.  When about half melted, add carrots, ginger and lemon juice.  Cook to reduce the butter mixture and brown the carrots.  Serve immediately. 

Thanks to Shelly for sharing this one. It was a great refreshing treat. And with cucumbers growing like mad in the garden, it's a win win. 1 cucumber 1/2 onion, yellow sweet, sliced thin 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (I always use food gloves with these guys :) 2 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped 6 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar 2 Tbsp Water 1 Tbsp Sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt   1. Mix water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. 2. In a serving bowl arrange the cucumber, pepper, cilantro, and onion in layers. 3. Pour the vinegar mixture over the sald 4. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.   

4 cups sweet potato, cubed 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 3 tablespoons butter, softened 1/2 cup chopped pecans Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, white sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. In medium bowl, mix the brown sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly brown.

Prep time 15 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 45 mins Serves: 4-6 Ingredients 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces 1 large sweet onion, chopped into similarly sized pieces as potatoes 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tsp dried Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine potatoes and onion in a bowl. Add olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle rosemary, salt and pepper on potato mixture and stir to combine. Pour potato mixture on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, flipping potatoes and onions halfway through. Depending on the size of your potato and onion pieces, they may cook faster or slower. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Remove from oven and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4 Print Recipe Ingredients 1 bunch Asparagus 4 Tablespoons (up To 5 Tablespoons) Olive Oil Kosher Salt To Taste Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste Preparation Instructions Preheat oven to 425 degrees. After you wash the asparagus thoroughly, stack a bunch together and lop off the tough/thick bottom an inch or so. Spread out the asparagus in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pat it as dry as you can, as you don’t want any water to “steam” the asparagus in the oven. Begin by generously drizzling olive oil all over the asparagus and then sprinkle the asparagus generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the asparagus for about ten minutes. The secret here is for the oven to be very hot so the asparagus can begin to brown on the outside without overcooking and getting too flimsy. You want the finished asparagus to still h...

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 16 Print Recipe Ingredients 3 pounds Brussels Sprouts 1/2 cup Olive Oil Salt And Pepper 1 cup Balsamic Vinegar 1/2 cup Sugar 1 cup Dried Cranberries Preparation Instructions Trim/clean Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half if desired (or you can leave them whole). Arrange on two baking sheets and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown. Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on dried cranberries. Toss and serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the honey, olive oil, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Dump potatoes onto a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

Delicious!  Jean made this at our recent visit. It looked simple and the result was really good.  It's a keeper for sure. 1 bunch thin asparagus spears, trimmed 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 1 clove garlic, minced (optional) 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional) DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). 2. Place the asparagus into a mixing bowl, and drizzle with the olive oil. Toss to coat the spears, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper. Arrange the asparagus onto a baking sheet in a single layer. 3. Bake in the preheated oven until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes depending on thickness. Sprinkle with lemon juice just before serving.

After making my big pot of beans, I had to figure out what to use them for. I mean, a person can really only eat so many bean tacos. So, off to google I went to search for recipes using black beans. I came upon this black bean burger recipe. I have always been a fan of veggie burgers so figured, why not give it a try. I used my own black beans that I made two days prior and already seasoned with garlic, cumin, onion, salt and pepper so did not add more seasoning to the burgers.  Instead of bread crumbs, I used panko crumbs, as that's all I had.  I took the beans, bread crumbs, egg and pepper and threw it into the food processor.  Then, I poured out the pureed mixture into a bowl and added more black beans to add a bit of texture.  I baked them for way longer than the recipe stated.  They turned out good.  I will for sure be making these again.  Also, what a cheap dinner!! 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 green bell pepper, cut...

This recipe will always hold a special place in my heart.  The first time I had it was on a night we were able to have a date night where we cooked in and had a great night.  These beans were the start of the dinner.  I hope you enjoy them as well.  1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup sliced almonds 2 teaspoons lemon pepper Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

1 head broccoli 1 T olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 2 T grated Parmesan Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with grated the Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.