Roasted Broccoli

I made this the other day, and Jacob probably ate at least 10 pieces of broccoli!

broccoli, cut into small florets

canola or olive oil (I had a mixture of the two in my Misto, so I just used that)

kosher salt to taste

fresh lemon (optional)

put the broccoli on a cookie sheet mixed with the canola (or just spray from Misto onto the broccoli). Sprinkle kosher salt over the broccoli. Put in the oven on "broil" (I set my broil to 450) for 4 minutes. Take out and mix it up and put it back in for 3 more minutes. It should be a little bit brown when it is done. Serve.

Cauliflower Soup

I probably never would have tried this recipe except for the fact that I happened upon it and I had a whole head of cauliflower that needed to be used sitting in the refrigerator. I'm glad I did try it because it is seriously good! Jake wasn't home the night we had it, which was probably good because he would have wondered where the meat was :), but he did try it the next day and liked it. Little Jake pounded a big bowl of it, and Ruby thought it was ok. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman's website, and will be repeating it.

1 stick butter, divided

1/2 whole onion, finely diced

1 whole carrot, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced

1 whole (to 2 whole) cauliflower heads, roughly chopped (I halved the recipe and used about 3/4 of a head of cauliflower)

2 Tblsp fresh or dried parsley

2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth or stock

6 Tblsp. all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk (I used 2% to cut a little fat, and it was delicious...next time I may try 1%)

1 cup half-and-half

2 tsp. to 4 tsp. salt, to taste (I omitted this, and just added a little to our own bowls of soup)

1 cup (heaping) sour cream, room temperature

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, melt 4 Tblsp. butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 Tblsp. butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly. It should thicken up fairly quickly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two or three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately.

Perfect Corn on the Cob

This recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe, which I love!

7-8 ears of corn, husked and silky threads removed

2 Tblsp. white sugar

2 Tblsp. white vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When boiling, add the sugar and vinegar and bring to a full boil again. Add the husked corn, submerging all the ears in the water the best that you can. Bring the water to a full boil again. This is important! It may take a few minutes for the water to come back to boiling temperature once the corn is added but let it come to a full boil before moving on. Once the water is at a full boil, cover the pot, remove from the heat and let the corn sit in the hot, steaming water for 10 minutes. (The corn can stay in the water for up to 20 minutes without becoming pithy and dry.)

Eggplant Parmigiana

1 small eggplant (3/4 pound)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tblsp. cooking oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Wash and peel eggplant, and cut crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Dip eggplant into egg, then into flour, turning to coat both sides. In a large skillet cook eggplant, half at a time, in hot oil for 4 to 6 minutes or until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels.

Place eggplant slices in a single layer in a 2 quart rectangular baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until heated through. Serves 4.

Corned Beef and Cabbage in the Crock-Pot

2 pounds small red potatoes
2 cups baby carrots
1 onion, cut in large wedges
1 (3 lb.) corned beef brisket with seasoning packet
water
1/2 head of cabbage, cut in wedges
1/4 cup butter, melted
salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes, carrots, and onions in a 5 to 6.5 quart Crock-Pot. Top with corned beef brisket; sprinkle with seasoning packet. Add enough water just to cover brisket. Cover with lid. Cook on high setting for about 8 hours or until meat is tender. Add cabbage wedges to Crock-Pot and continue cooking for about 15 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

To serve, remove corned beef from Crock-Pot; place on a platter and cut beef across grain into thin slices. Remove vegetables from Crock-Pot with a slotted spoon; place around the beef. Pour butter over vegetables, and salt and pepper to taste.

Caramelized Green Beans

1 lb. fresh green beans
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 red onion, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
olive oil
2 Tblsp. sugar
2 Tblsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Begin frying the bacon in a large skillet. Start boiling a large pot of water. Place beans in a colander and rinse them well. Then snap the ends off and snap them in half.

Prepare the sauce by mixing sugar, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl.

Make sure your onions are sliced, garlic is pressed, and everything is ready to go...the first time I cooked these, I wasn't quite ready with everything, and I slightly overcooked the beans...they were still good, but if your ready it's much easier!

Remove bacon from pan and drain on a paper towel. Pour bacon drippings out of pan, reserving 1-2 Tblsp. of bacon drippings in the pan(or drain all the bacon drippings, and use olive oil instead). Heat the pan back up, and add onions and garlic.

Add beans to boiling water. Place colander in a clean sink. Boil for one minute (you don't want them to cook all the way in the boiling water). Meanwhile, stir the onions and garlic so they don't scorch. After one minute, drain beans in the colander in the sink.

Once beans have been drained, add them to the onions and garlic. Stir fry 2-3 more minutes.

Stir the sauce and then pour on top of the beans. Keep stir-frying until the beans get kind of glazy. Do this for another 2 minutes.

Add crumbled bacon and lots of freshly-ground pepper to the beans. Keep stir frying until the sauce sticks to the beans and the bacon. Transfer to a serving dish and allow to stand a few minutes so the beans cool down a bit and the glaze thickens up a little.

Minestrone Soup with Pasta, Beans, and Vegetables

3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz.) can white beans, drained (I like Navy beans)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup ditalini pasta, cooked
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/2 tsp. dried sage
salt and pepper
small amount Italian seasoning
2 Tblsp. sugar
small amount fennel seed (optional)
1/2 lb. mild Italian sausage, browned
1-2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
grated parmesan or romano cheese

In a slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seed (if desired), and sugar. Meanwhile, brown the Italian sausage and add it to everything else. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

One hour before it is done, add the beans.

Thirty minutes before soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini, and spinach. Cover and cook for 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top. Garnish with basil, if desired.