Spaghetti Squash

Trying to eat a little healthier? Well, aren’t we all. I like to eat healthier, but I don’t like to really know I’m eating healthy. Surprise me! I want the food to still taste delicious and feel like I haven’t missed a thing. That’s probably what we all want. Well look no further, this little hidden gem, spaghetti squash is just the trick. We’ve been using it for years instead of pasta. It’s great as your main dish covered with a meat sauce, or great as a side tossed with some olive oil, parmesan cheese or even pesto. So many great things you can do with spaghetti squash. Since I was very excited when I discovered this little treasure, I hope you will be too. I’m just going to help you cook it correctly, and then you can get crazy with your toppings. All you need is a spaghetti squash to get started. Below is a picture of one in case you have no idea what to look for in the grocery store.

 

Can you tell how I knew this was a spaghetti squash???

Now the easy method for cooking spaghetti squash is to steam it, which is my preferred method. You can also bake it for about 45 minutes, but I prefer to microwave it for about 7 minutes. Take your spaghetti squash and cut it down the middle. They are thick, so get a big knife and be careful!

 

 

Now that you have it cut open, let’s clean the seeds out. The easies way is to just get a spoon and scoop out all the seeds and guts that are in the center. If you have a grapefruit spoon, that’s the perfect tool for this.

 

Voila!

 

Okay, it’s all clean and we are ready to steam it. My microwave steamer isn’t large enough to accommodate a squash this size so I just used a corning ware dish and covered with the glass lid. You don’t need an actual steamer to get this done. So many easy work arounds. Now, put about 1/2 inch of water in the pot you are using as a steamer, place the squash cut side down, cover and microwave for about 7 minutes. A squash this size is about 7 minutes, adjust the cook time for one larger or smaller. When you take the squash out, flip it over and test with a fork to see if it is soft. If it still feels hard, put it back in for another minute.

 

Once you are certain it’s done, let’s start making spaghetti! It’s magical! You just need a fork and your best scraping skills. The squash will be hot so you might want to use a hot pad to hold it. Grip the squash and start scraping with the fork. Little strands will come loose and you’ll be making spaghetti. Wasn’t the fun and easy?

 

I served mine with a little marinara sauce topped with basil. Like I said, there are so many ways to serve this. Next time, I’m serving with a little pesto. Let me know your creative ways of serving spaghetti squash.  Enjoy!

Roasted Chicken w/Garlic & Tomatoes

O-M-G! This is officially my new favorite chicken dish! I REALLY mean it this time. It was so delicious! I love dishes cooked with fresh tomatoes and thyme. It gives all of the other veggies such great flavor. One of my new girlfriends, Jess Seinfeld, taught me this recipe. I follow her on Twitter and Instagram so we’re friends, right? Shhhhh.....don’t tell me any differently. In my head we are friends and she tweets recipes to me. I did tweet her to tell her I made this dish. I’m sure she and Jerry will be coming over for dinner soon. I’ll blog about it when it happens. Until then.....back to this recipe.....I came home from worked, chopped up the veggies, threw the chicken on and popped it in the oven all in one pan. I love meals like that. It’s quick for a week night and it has all the food groups covered. No side dish needed. Check and check!!

 

Here’s what you need to get started.

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 pounds red potatoes or Yukon gold – peeled or not, however you prefer

4-6 carrots

1 medium yellow onion

6 cloves garlic

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes or 3 tomatoes diced

10 sprigs fresh thyme

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6-8 pieces cut up chicken. I only had 4 chicken thighs so that’s what I used. You can really use any combination you like.

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 425 degrees

Dice potatoes and carrots into 2 inch cubes. Throw in a baking dish, pan that can go in the oven or rimmed pan. Love the flexibility!

Chop onion into large chunks and add to pan. Smash garlic, peel and throw in with potatoes and carrots.  If you are using whole tomatoes, dice about same size as potatoes and add to pan. If using cherry tomatoes, just rinse and add to pan.

 

Come on, how beautiful is that??

Drizzle all veggies with olive oil. Add springs of thyme, half of the salt and pepper and red pepper flakes and toss the veggies to coat. Spread out into a single layer.

 

Once chicken is washed, season both sides with remaining salt and pepper and nestle in with all the veggies. Give the chicken and veggies a final drizzle of olive oil.

 

Place pan on middle rack in oven and cook for 50-60 minutes or until veggies are soft and chicken is fully cooked.

 

While is was cooking our house smelled divine!! This was so beautiful going in the oven I couldn’t wait to see it come out.....voila! It was just as pretty coming out! And let me tell you, this is just as good as I thought it was going to be. It was easy, one pan, veggies included, it met all my requirements. Oh, and delicious! Seriously, trust me on this one, give it a try. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did, and my girlfriend Jess.  Enjoy...we did!

Roasted Squash

Boy have I enjoyed having all the fresh veggies from my Daddy’s garden. I’ve been trying to cook them a few new ways for us so we don’t get bored with them. But seriously, who can get bored of fresh deliciousness?? Squash is one of my favorite vegetables, I love it cooked anyway you can possibly think of. I’ve been roasting a lot of veggies lately, but haven’t ever tried it with squash. Well guess what.....it’s time to roast some squash. Tonight was my lucky night because I found a new favorite way to eat squash. I think roasting is my new favorite way to eat every veggie. I headed to Pinterest to find the perfect recipe. I ended on one of Martha Stewart’s recipes, appropriate right? Of course, I changed it up, but it was a nice start. Thanks Martha, but my version is just a touch better.  Ha! I’m sure she’s never heard that before. Don’t tell her I dissed her on my blog. Let me tell you the best way to eat squash....but first, take a moment to admire my Daddy's garden. A beautiful site!

Now that you've admired let’s get those ingredients together:

 

2 pounds squash – mix yellow with zucchini if you have it

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sea salt

fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

crushed red pepper flakes, just a sprinkle

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice squash, about an inch thick. Throw the squash in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, salt, pepper, toss to combine. Once thoroughly coated, add parmesan cheese and mix until evenly coated.

 

Spread squash evenly on baking sheet that has already been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place on middle rack in oven and roast until caramelized, about 12 minutes. Half way through, stir squash and rotate pan. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Transfer squash to platter, drizzle with 2 T olive oil, season with sea salt and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately.

This was such a great way to prepare squash! I don’t know why I’ve never tried this before, but it certainly won’t be the last! Try it and let me know if you liked it. Enjoy!

Fried Okra

We went down to see my parents last week and everything in Daddy’s garden was in season! I was in hog heaven!  I love fresh vegetables. It’s very ironic because growing up I was a very picky eater…..allegedly.   Corn and tomatoes and squash…oh my! I love going down to their house in the country. So beautiful and peaceful there. Here’s just a little shot of the few things we brought home.

 

Look at all that goodness! Beautiful!

I have experimented with fried okra and fried green tomatoes with this batch of freshness and was very pleased with the outcome of each. I am most excited about the fried okra though. I always order fried okra if I’m at a restaurant that serves it,  but I’ve never made it at home. Well, I’ve bought it frozen, already battered and fried it, but never from fresh okra, picked from the garden the day before! That’s just crazy talk……well not anymore my friend! Also, when I order and it comes out sliced lengthwise, that’s just another special treat for me. So I had to cut my okra that way in my first attempt at frying okra. Let’s see how I made this picture of beauty come to be…..

 

Ingredients:

 

1 cup Buttermilk

Desired about of fresh okra, sliced

1 cup corn meal

2 tablespoons self-rising flour

Vegetable oil

 

Directions:

 

First of all wash and slice the okra and prepare it for frying. I get so excited by the concept of frying. I rarely fry foods, but I will make an exception any day for okra! I’m so excited! Doesn’t it look pretty sliced this way? Of course you can slice it in rings as well. My Daddy prefers it sliced in rings. You get a better batter to okra ratio that way. I'm not against that idea at all!

 

Turn on pan to medium high to heat oil. I used an iron skillet because they just make everything better. Pour about 1 inch of oil in the pan to make sure you have it deep enough to fry, but not too deep. Now, prepare two shallow bowls. One with the buttermilk and one with the corn meal mixed with the self-rising flour. Add a touch of salt and pepper as well.

 

Dredge the okra in the buttermilk, then coat in the corn meal mixture and place in the hot oil.

 

Let the okra brown on one side, then flip it and get the other side brown. It does not take long. Then  take  out and place on paper towels to soak up some of the excess oil. Keep on going until it is all fried up and looks good enough to eat. While you are busy cooking, be sure to keep an eye on your okra because some people (David) might sneak up and keep sampling.

 

Look at that bubbling pan of heaven!

I was very pleased with my first stab at fresh fried okra! It was delicious. Crispy and full of flavor. Be sure to give this method a try!

Next up......squash blossoms and fried green tomatoes! Stay tuned!

Baked Parmesan Asparagus



This picture makes me crave steak, but the asparagus is pretty too!



I’ve noticed since the holidays that my blog lacks any nutritional value. It’s all about Nutella, cookies and cake. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! I could blog about and eat that ALL day. That actually might be my problem though. Hmmmmm.....wonder why I can’t lose weight??? Oh well, that’s a topic for another day. I doubt it’s my food choices, must be a slow metabolism. Today I am going to share an asparagus recipe! Yes, a vegetable. I know, I hope those following my blog for desserts won’t run screaming now. I need to keep mixing it up. Don’t worry, I made an awesome chocolate cake a few days ago that I’ll be blogging about soon. You will really like this method to cook asparagus. I usually steam asparagus, but this method is WAY better. It seems to make the asparagus taste like a totally different veggie than when I steam it, of course the parmesan cheese doesn’t hurt either. Okay, let’s get some nutrients in our body and start cooking:

Ingredients:

Bunch of asparagus

salt and pepper to taste

drizzle of olive oil

about 1 Tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese

Directions (this is super simple):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I lined my baking sheet with parchment paper the first time I made it, just in case things got messy, but you don’t have to. I’ve cook this since and didn’t like the pan and it was fine. The olive oil drizzle helps it not to stick to the pan. Arrange asparagus on cookie sheet, drizzle olive oil and toss to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese and bake!

How easy is that? Cook about 10-15 minutes. If it’s the fatter asparagus you’ll need a few more minutes, but the skinny ones should be ready after 15 minutes. Ta-da! A delicious vegetable that is super simple to make and super delicious! This is the only way I cook asparagus now. I think once you try it, you'll feel the same way. Enjoy!

Roasted Potatoes and Onions

 

Who doesn’t love a good potato recipe? If you don’t, you’re not normal! Potatoes are delicious, an all American food, right? Well, I’ve roasted them with rosemary, parmesan, herbs and just salt and pepper so I thought I’d throw in some onions, lots of garlic, more herbs and make roasted potatoes seem new with a roasted potato AND onion dish. Throw in the onions and it’s a totally different dish. It’s like it’s brand new and you’ve never seen it before. Okay, if you don’t think it’s creative and fresh, don’t tell me! Either way, this was really tasty and the onions caramelized a bit and made it even better. And oh, don’t forget the punch from the garlic. De-lish! Give this one a try. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds red skinned potatoes, cut in 1 1/2 to 2-inch chunks
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in large chunks
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or whatever herbs you choose, I added rosemary too)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation:

Spray a large shallow baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease. Heat oven to 400°.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl or food storage bag; toss to coat thoroughly.

Arrange in the baking pan or cookie sheet

 

and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and nicely browned.
Serves 4 to 6. Enjoy!

 

Roasted Broccoli

I wouldn’t normally get excited about broccoli, but let me tell you, I’ll never go back to the old way I cooked broccoli! This way was delicious and now there is no turning back! I found this on Pinterest a few months ago and have been meaning to try it, but always forget. Well, tonight was the night and boy am I pleased about it! It couldn’t have been easier and roasting it in the oven gave it such great flavor.....the garlic didn’t hurt either! I mean, it is broccoli and how excited could we all get about broccoli, right? Well, now I’m not going to eat broccoli because my body needs a green vegetable in it, now I’m going to eat it because it’s delicious and I love it! How about that?? My dad my be fainting right now because I was a very picky child. Not anymore, I’m all grown up!

 

The pinner who pinned this said she’d never cook broccoli any other way and I was like....”yeah right. What’s so great about roasting some broccoli??” Boy was I wrong. This was crunchy and flavorful and just delicious. I highly recommend giving this a try! It’s so easy, you can’t mess it up.

 

Ingredients:

 

Fresh broccoli crowns (whatever quantity you need)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

 
Chop up the into edible size pieces and place in a bowl or large zip lock bag. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and add minced garlic. Toss so that broccoli is well coated with all ingredients.   Then spread on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. 

Roast at 425 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and enjoy! Trust me, you’ll love it!

Brussel Sprouts

Who would have thunk it?? I'm writing a blog about brussel sprouts! People will be shocked and amazed, but it's true....I like brussel sprouts! I'm not going to get crazy and say I love them, but I do like them. I've made them at home a couple of times and I've even ordered them at restaurants. My parents will be most surprised since I pretty much only ate corn on the cobb and french style green beans growing up. I was a picky child, but I'm all grown up now and can make brussel sprouts! Are you impressed? You should be.

My hubby prefers the brussel sprouts a little soft so I found this recipe from a friend of mine, Rachel Ray. Thanks Rach!


Ingredients:

3 slices bacon, chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 shallot, chopped (I used a small onion because I never have shallots)
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, small sprouts left whole, larger sprouts halved
Salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

Trim brussel sprouts and cut in half. Aren't they just a cute little veggie??

Add EVOO to the pan, about one turn of the pan. Add shallots to the pan and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add Brussels spouts and coat in EVOO.

Season with salt and pepper. Cook Brussels sprouts 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften, then add broth. Bring broth to a bubble, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10 minutes, until tender.

Transfer sprouts to a serving dish with a slotted spoon and top with cooked bacon bits.

 This was a quick and easy and most delicious dish. The hubby was very pleased!

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!

 

 

Braised Ribs

My friend, Giada, taught me how to make Braised Ribs back when I used to get to watch the Food Network every day. I miss those days. Why do we all have to work anyway?? We’ll ponder that another day. I have made them many times since. This is one of the husbands’ favorite dinners now. He’s always loved Country Style Ribs, but braising them is just the icing on the cake. It takes a lot of time, but it is well worth it. You can use beef short ribs, but using bone in country style ribs is the bomb! I love when your entire dinner is all in one pot too! The broth this creates is awesome so you’ll want to spoon that over the ribs and veggies. Save it, it's Delish!

 

 

Here’s how you can make this delicious dinner:

 

 

Ingredients
 

4-6 Country Style Ribs, bone in

2-3 celery ribs, largely diced

3-4 carrots, largely diced

1 cup chopped tomatoes

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

red wine (about 1/4-1/2 cup)

2 bay leaves

bunch fresh thyme

1 spring rosemary

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

About 2 cups chicken stock

Olive oil

 

 

Directions

While you are chopping veggies, brown ribs on stove top in Dutch oven and remove.

Heat about 2 T olive oil in Dutch oven, then add diced celery, carrots, onion, tomatoes and sauté. Add 2 cloves garlic after veggies soften. Stir and add 2 T of tomato paste. Again, the squeeze tube is the best invention ever!

Once veggies have softened, deglaze with red wine, just a bit.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes over veggies, add bay leaves, thyme and rosemary. Add meat back to pot and pour in chicken stock until it is about half way up the meat. Do not cover it totally.

Bring to a simmer on stovetop then cover and put in 350 degree oven. Cook 2 hours with lid on.

Take it out and enjoy one of the best dinners of your life! Yes, it splatters and gets the Dutch oven all dirty, but it sure is worth it! So yummy!