Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Who doesn’t love a good potato recipe?? Potatoes go well with every dish and everyone loves them. If they don’t, they might have a screw lose. Don’t trust them. We love our meat and potatoes around here. I was making a beef dish for dinner the other night for dinner and I wanted a quick and flavorful potato recipe and luckily Ina came to the rescue. I referred to my Barefoot Contessa cookbook and voila, there was just what I was looking for. Thanks Ina! Not only do we love potatoes, we love rosemary too. Especially fresh rosemary. You really can't beat the flavor it adds to a dish. Luckily I’m growing a lot of fresh rosemary this year so I just clipped some, tossed in olive oil and had a yummy dish in time for dinner. If you don't have your own rosemary plant, of course you can use dried, but you can also pick up a little bunch for about $1 in the grocery store. Now let's get started on a new quick, go-to, recipe for your box as well:

 

Ingredients:

 

• 1 1/2 pounds small red or white-skinned potatoes (or a mixture)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the potatoes in half or quarters and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary; toss until the potatoes are well coated.

 

Dump the potatoes on a baking sheet and spread out into 1 layer; roast in the oven for at least 1 hour, or until browned and crisp. Flip twice with a spatula during cooking to ensure even browning.

Remove the potatoes from the oven, season to taste, and serve and enjoy! It doesn't get easier than that, does it??

 

Squash Casserole

Being a  nice southern girl, like I am, you must know how to make a good squash casserole. I love me some squash.  Make it into a casserole, throw some cheese on it, and it’s one of the best thing you’ve ever tasted. My Daddy grows squash in his garden and I miss living close by and getting a regular supply. His just seem to taste better. But until I can make a trip to collect some fresh veggies, I’ll have to keep frequenting the local produce stand.

 

Now I found this squash casserole many years ago, before I found the Food Network or there were a million food blogs out there. This is Art Smith’s recipe (slightly enhanced), Oprah’s chef, from his cookbook Back to the Table. He used to come on her show and make some delicious recipes. I’ve had his cookbook for some time now, but had forgotten about it. I pulled it out the other day and found my squash casserole recipe waiting on me. I was so happy! Art didn’t add cheese, but everyone knows you’ve got to have cheese in a squash casserole! See if you like my enhanced version of Art’s squash casserole:

 

Ingredients:

3 medium yellow squash , cut into 1/2-inch half-moons

1 medium onion , chopped

2 cloves garlic , minced

1/2 cup chicken broth or canned low-sodium broth

1 1/2 cups reduced-fat sour cream

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (make in the blender or food processor)

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (+) shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish. Slice squash and dice onion.

Bring the squash, onion, garlic and broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.

 

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the broth evaporates and the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Stir in the sour cream and oregano and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

 

Stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese and spread in the baking dish. Sprinkle with a little more cheese, then breadcrumbs and drizzle with the oil.

 

I usually have breadcrumbs on hand, but this time I didn’t so I made my own. I was pretty excited! I toasted a couple of slices of bread, threw them in the blender and viola! Bread crumbs! Pretty cool. I’ll definitely make them again.

Bake until the juices are simmering and the top is crusty, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve hot. I served with some yummy grilled chicken and rice with kale. What a delicious and healthy meal, right?? Have I mentioned.....I love food?? I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

 

 

Sausage & Cheese Muffins

I’m always looking for a good appetizer recipe to take to parties or serve to my guests. When I saw this one on Pinterest, it caught my eye.....anything with sausage and Bisquick HAS to be good, right?? These two ingredients combined can’t possibly make a bad recipe. The recipe calls it “all purpose baking mix”, but we all know it’s Bisquick. No pantry should be without it. You never know when it will come in handy. These taste very similar to my sausage balls, but the fiesta cheese soup gives it a different flavor. A perfect breakfast treat or a great appetizer as well. It’s super easy to throw together too, which is always a plus in my book.  Let’s get started with this tiny little treat.

Ingredients:

 

• 1 lb. hot ground pork sausage
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 3 cups all-purpose baking mix (aka Bisquick)
• 1 (10.75 oz) can condensed fiesta nacho cheese soup
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup milk (water will work too)

Directions:

Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet over medium to med-high heat, stirring until it crumbles and no longer pink. Drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 375. Combine sausage, baking mix, and shredded cheese in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Stir together the soup and milk; add to sausage mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon until lightly greased mini muffin tins, filling to tops of cups.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they look like lightly browned little morsels from heaven. This recipe made 5 dozen mini muffins. Share and enjoy! 

 

Italian Chicken & Pasta Bake

You might have noticed that I love pasta with red sauces. I love them both dearly! I can't live without my carbs! When my friend, Paula Deen, tweeted me this recipe, I had to give it a try. It sounded like a chicken lasagna, but without the fuss of lasagna noodles, which caught my attention. Who doesn't love lasagna, right? If you don't, something must be wrong with you! It wouldn't be a Paula Deen recipe without butter, but I substituted olive oil and will do so in the recipe below. I made this for dinner tonight and we both loved it! We both went back for seconds and I think David went back for thirds, but don't tell him I told you that. Let's get cooking....

Ingredients:

3 T olive oil
 1 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 (16-ounce) package bow tie pasta, cooked according to package directions and kept warm. I used tri-color because they were pretty.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a very large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until onion is tender.

Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Stir in milk, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce; cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Stir in chicken, 3 cups cheese, salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir in pasta. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  This made a very large casserole! We'll be having left-overs tomorrow.

Doesn't that look like a yummy dinner? It was! Be sure to serve with some nice crusty bread. Delish. Enjoy!