Eat Your Vegetables! {Recipe: Roasted Vegetables}

Oh the possibilities! Roasted vegetables are so good and can be served many ways. We have put them in grilled mozzarella cheese sandwiches and in pasta; we have served them on rice and on their own. They are simple to make, and, best of all, the kids love them!

There is no strict recipe for roasted vegetables. Here is the basic combination that we like:

1 bunch asparagus 
1/2 pint of mushrooms
1/2 of a large red onion
1-2 peppers (depending on size), I like to use yellow or orange for more color
2-3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 roma tomatoes or 1 pint of grape tomatoes

Chop or slice all the vegetable to about the same size (see picture above). Then toss them, except the tomato) in a large mixing bowl, toss with enough olive oil (start with two tablespoons) to coat. Add the tomato to the the bowl and toss lightly again.* Spread them on a baking sheet, drizzle with balsamic vinegar (about a tablespoon), and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Then roast in a 400F degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until al dente (test with a fork for doneness).

*This help prevent the garlic from all settling in the tomatoes. We have had it where a big clump of garlic winds up in one bite of tomato.

Enjoy!

For Those Hard to Please... {Chicken Enchilada Soup}

Everyone in our family loves this soup, even the most hard to please. It is one of the few meals that everyone is happy with when it is served. There are five of us at dinner time, and there is always someone who is not happy with what is prepared. That has never happened when this is served.

This is a recipe that is really difficult to get wrong. I have used onion powder and or garlic powder when I didn't have fresh of one or both of them. Also, I have used all thigh meat or all breast meat-either is good. I have even made a vegetarian version with no meat and used vegetable broth; it is still good.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Years ago I looked up a copy-cat recipe for Chili's Enchilada Soup. I have no idea what recipe I used, but it evolved into this. I no longer use a recipe; it is that easy. The measurements don't have to be precise with this. I usually just throw it together, and it always turns out delicious!

1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
1- 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken (I like a mixture of thigh and breast meat)
1 cup chopped onion
2-3 cloves of garlic (depending on the size), minced.
4 cups chicken broth
12 ounces of enchilada sauce (my favorite store bought is Trader Joe's, otherwise I use homemade)
1 cup masa (corn flour)
3-4 cups warm water (depending on how thick the soup gets)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
Salt to taste (I start with 1/2 teaspoon, but usually wind up adding about 1-1 1/2 teaspoons)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Toppings:
Pico de gallo or favorite salsa
shredded cheese
tortilla chips, nacho chips or taco chips

Saute chicken in a 5-1/2 quart dutch oven or stockpot until starting to brown. Remove from pan, then set aside. Saute onion until translucent in the same dutch oven, then add garlic. Saute for just a minute or two to prevent over cooking the garlic (garlic can get bitter if over cooked-I usually add the chicken broth just as I start to smell the garlic). Pour the chicken broth over the onion/garlic mixture, then add back in the cooked chicken. Add the enchilada sauce and stir. In a four cup liquid measuring cup, measure the cup of masa. Slowly add about 3 cups of warm water whisking as you do. This should help prevent getting lumps of masa. Add this mixture to the dutch oven. Season with the cumin and salt, then simmer for about 20 minutes. If the soup seems a little thick, add bit more water. Add the shredded cheese, then stir until melted. Ladle into soup bowls, then top with cheese and pico de gallo or salsa. Serve with tortilla chips.
Makes 6 generous servings.

Note: update for a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth and 2-15 ounce cans of black beans and 1 cup corn for the chicken. 

Pair this with a salad and it's a perfect dinner!

Enjoy!

Boys Belong in the Kitchen, Too! {Recipe: Bryce's Favorite Waffle Recipe}

This is my 15 year old son's very 1st waffle he has ever made. My son, Bryce, came bursting in my room one Saturday morning wanting me to make him waffles. It had been a long week and I was hoping to sleep in, or at minimum have a relaxing morning. Making waffles was not part of my plan, so I decided it was high time for him to learn to make them himself.

My daughter is always willing to learn in the kitchen and loves to cook. I think it is important for her to know her way around the kitchen, but I know it is just as important for my son as well. So, we are not stopping at waffles. This is just the very beginning of his culinary adventures.

Anyway, I did have to get up that Saturday morning and show my son step-by-step how to make waffles. And, of course, this took longer than if I made them myself. But, in the long run he can now make them himself and now I can sleep in on Saturdays...

Bryce's Favorite Waffle Recipe:

This recipe was found on Pinterest. It is attributed to The Brook's Family that has been making them since 1971, but there is not website attached with the recipe. We made a few minor wording changes to the recipe, but the recipe is essentially the same. It is a very good basic Belgian waffle. 

Mix together:
2 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt

Mix together in a separate bowl:
4 Egg yolks (put egg whites in a separate bowl)
2 tablespoons granulated Sugar

add:
2 cups Milk
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
4 tablespoons Butter (melted)

Mix dry and wet mixtures together,

In the separate bowl with the 4 Egg whites, beat the egg whites until light and fluffy.

Gently fold egg whites into the main bowl with a spatula. 

Pour batter into heated deep well waffle  iron* (we used an ice cream scoop-one scoop for each section). 

Serve hot with heated maple syrup and a dusting of powdered sugar (optional). 

I am particularly fond of this recipe because it is very similar to what my mother always made, although they were regular waffles not Belgian.

Enjoy!

*Side note, if I had known better, I would have purchased a round Belgian waffle iron-the batter never goes to the corners on a square waffle iron!

For the Love of Anything with an 'Errie' in it... {Recipe: Vanilla Scented Mixed Berries}

"I love berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, anything with an 'errie' in it! -Jordin Sparks

Couldn't agree with Ms. Sparks more! We are a family of berry lovers. I believe it comes from our Oregon roots. My mother was from Oregon and we traveled there every summer.  Before we would leave, my grandmother would load us up with berries: strawberries, marionberries, and raspberries. We would bring home berry jam, frozen berries, and fresh berries. There were enough something "errie" to last until our next visit.

Before kids, my husband and I travelled to Oregon to visit the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, OR. One day when we were exploring the area, we passed a fruit stand that had a sign that said they had "fresh local strawberries." I insisted we stop and get some. My husband did not believe that these strawberries could be any different that any other strawberries, but stopped to appease me. Then he tried one. He will now tell you that there is no better strawberry than a local grown Oregon strawberry. Unfortunately, the season for these strawberries is very short and we have yet to be there at the right time for them again.

What makes these strawberries so good is that they have not been hybridized. Most strawberries in the grocery stores are hybrids so they have a longer shelf life, they are bigger and they look nicer. The problem is the taste has been sacrificed for these benefits.

Hopefully someday my kids will be able to try Oregon strawberries, until then we will have to enhance the ones we can get. My favorite way to add flavor to berries is to add a vanilla scented syrup to them.

Here is the recipe:

Vanilla Scented Mixed Berries

This recipe adapted from: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/mixed_berries_vanilla_syrup.aspx

• 1/2 vanilla bean
• 1/4 cup organic evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 pint (2 cups) fresh organic raspberries
• 1 pint (2 cups) fresh organic blueberries
• 1 pint (2 cups) fresh organic blackberries
• 1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh organic strawberries

Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife and scrape out the seeds
with the back of the knife. Put the seeds and pod in a small saucepan, along with the
evaporated cane juice or sugar and water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat,
stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 7 minutes
to let the vanilla infuse. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the vanilla pod and
any fibrous pieces of vanilla pod or clumps of seeds. Let cool and refrigerate until
completely chilled.

Rinse the raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries and spread them in a single layer on
a towel to dry. Hull the strawberries and cut them into halves or quarters, depending on the
 size of the berries. 

Just before serving, combine all the berries in a large serving bowl and pour the syrup over
the berries. Toss gently.

These berries are delicious on pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or vanilla ice cream.
They are also great on their own!

Enjoy!