Corn with Basil & Feta

We're getting a babysitter in 2 hours and 56 minutes. 55 minutes. Not like I'm dying to leave our baby boys, but I kind of am. They are so fun and cute and busy but the day is just about 6.5 hours too long. And also, does anyone have any tips for re-implementing a 3rd nap into the day? Besides ambien?

Actually, I think I don't feel quite as trapped as a lot of new moms do. I have lots of places to walk to for lunch or other things, and I think my threshold for being home/not in a social setting is higher than most. That is probably the engineer in me coming out...someone that could sit in their cubicle and write code all day and be perfectly content. Or maybe that's why I chose engineering.  It actually makes me think about an interview I had when I was trying to get out of engineering and into sales..when they asked me why I wanted to leave Lockheed Martin I said that I needed much more social interaction. What? No I don't. I'm a terrible fit for sales.

All of that being said, I do in fact truly enjoy social events on a sporadic and reasonable basis, and tonight I am thrilled to be getting out. I also love to have people over for dinner, and that was the inspiration for this side dish. Picking the main part is easy...what to go with it is really the age old question.  This is perfect because it is fast, easy, and pretty. All the things you need when entertaining.

Recipe

• 4 ears corn
• ~2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3-4 tablespoons crumbled Feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil
• S&P

Start by cutting the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.  Heat the olive oil and butter in a saucepan, then add the corn.  Cook through, stirring frequently, about 12-15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with S&P, and throw in the feta and basil. That's it! 

Grilled Corn with Salted Lime Butter

Cinco de Mayo is truly a remarkable holiday. I mean, so many of us in the U.S. celebrate it, talk about it, blog about it, IG about it... (and by celebrate it I mean go sit on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and drink Margs)...and I know at least in my case, I have nothing to do with Mexico's military victories on the historical 5th of May. And I bet they don't celebrate the 4th of July in Mexico. But you know why that is? BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE BEST STUFF.

Margaritas. Tacos. Nachos. Carnitas. Guacamole. And it doesn't stop at the food. Sombreros. Bright Colors. Festive Music. Great beaches. What's not to celebrate? They really got things right.

In fact when I was in Mexico a couple weeks ago, I discovered they even have a Fritos product that we don't carry. Salty lime Fritos. I can't explain to you how much I loved them, and I'll never understand how I fit so many little bags of them into my suitcase (speaking of - was I supposed to declare those?) But they're gone now so I had to take the fundamental flavors - corn, lime, salt - and create my own recipe. Enter: Grilled corn with salted lime butter. Hello, summer.

Recipe

• 4 ears corn, husks removed
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
• Juice from 1 lime (about 2 teaspoons)

Let butter come to room temperature. Mix together with salt and lime (I used a fork).  Heat the grill to medium. Grill over direct heat for 10-15 minutes, rotating to get perfectly charred sides.  Smother with the lime butter.

Wild Rice Salad

Sorry for the blogging absence, but I've been laying on the beach for several days with lots of margaritas and zero babies. That's right.  1 Sun + 3 infinity pools + 72 margaritas - 2 babies = paradise.  Temporary paradise, because we were definitely excited to get back to our little munchkins. But the break. Oh, the break. Ahhhh.  My parents' weekend was considerably less relaxing, as they so amazingly took on the task of babysitting.  They handled it like a boss and honestly I think they had a hard time relinquishing control when we got home. Although I am convinced my parents fed the boys Indian food all weekend because the number of dirty diapers today truly seems absurd. Someone is sabotaging me and I just haven't been able to pinpoint who yet. 

But before I left, we have a really fun family cookout. Do you say cookout, or barbecue? In Wisconsin we always said cookout. We grilled really delicious chicken, and I made this wild rice salad. It's a fun and different side dish and great when you have a gluten free guest like my dad (although when we serve anything but mashed potatoes he acts a bit stunned).

Recipe

• 1.5 cups wild rice
• 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
• 2 cups chopped oranges
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or cashews
• 3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint
• Salt

Dressing

• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons orange zest 

Prepare the wild rice and brown rice according to instructions. Drain and let cool.  Mix the dressing ingredients together, then combine in a bowl with the rice, oranges, craisins, nuts, mint and salt. That's it! Serve cold or room temp. 

Roasted Sweet Potato Bites

Lately, in light of North Korea, I've been wondering if I want to just let myself go and eat Dairy Queen Blizzards for breakfast lunch and dinner. I mean how good are those things? And if we were all gone tomorrow do we want to live with the regret of eating healthy? Not me. And to be fair, I would also throw in a cherry Dilly Bar or two to balance things out. But think how fun life would be if your hardest meal decisions were M&M or Oreo? Butterfinger or Butter Cup? Fudge center or not? Of course even just typing those options gives me anxiety. What WOULD I choose? Both, I suppose. Always both. Life is short, guys.

But for now I'm going to continue throwing reasonably healthy recipes at you. Mainly because the closest DQ is about 17 miles away so it's not really an executable dream for me. 

These are so simple and delicious and go with everything. We ate them with salmon the first night, then threw them on a salad the second night. 

Recipe

• ~2 lb sweet potatoes, cleaned and peeled
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Fresh cracked pepper

 Preheat the oven to 400.  Chop the sweet potatoes into small cubes, and place them on a foil line baking sheet.  Toss them with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and brown sugar.  Roast for 25 min, stir them around, then roast for 10 more min.  Done!

Avocado Mango Cole Slaw

SUMMER, I AM READY FOR YOU.  Now that I made this avocado mango cole slaw that screams Summer BBQ, I am ready.  Just kidding! We live in Texas. I hate summer! Summer in Texas makes me want to crawl back to my beautiful lake-filled-cool-summer-nights Wisconsin roots. Texas has a lot to offer, but in my opinion Summer just isn't one of them.

But, talk about a fun way to add color to cole slaw. Cole Slaw is sort of notoriously bland looking. We all love it, but it looks boring/borderline gross in the picnic setup. So, here's mine with lots of fun color and flavor.  Tip - the cabbage blend at Trader Joe's is a great base. Love the mix and pretty purple cabbage!

Recipe

• 4 cups cabbage/cole slaw blend
• 1 cup chopped mango
• 1 avocado
• 1/4 cup light mayo
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (or 1/4 milk with a dash of lemon juice)
• 1.5 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher/coarse salt
• poppyseeds (optional). 

Make the dressing by combining the mayo, buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, salt and poppy seeds.  Mix in the cabbage and mango.  Let marinate for at least 1 hour.  Prior to serving, add in the chopped avocado.

Roasted Parmesan Cauliflower

It's the weekend! And I'm off to Nashville with my sisters! Baby free! I actually can't believe how good it feels like to have two functional arms again. Two functional arms that I can do whatever I want with. I can even read the news on my phone in one hand and drink a cup of coffee in the other at the same time!!  (just kidding no coffee this weekend - I'm only doing wine.)

I miss those little boys already, but the freedom feels nice. Shout out to my husband for taking on a weekend of mobile 8-month old twins in stride - and even being excited about it. (sorry for saying 'shout out;' I couldn't think of a more appropriate term).

Anyway, it's the weekend and if you're cooking dinner, here is your side! So good! Obviously so easy. There is no reason I used purple cauliflower here other than the fact that I could. I was at the grocery store, and it was pretty. Use whatever you want!

Recipe

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 teaspoon kosher/coarse salt
• Fresh cracked pepper
• ~2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano (I used a combo)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Chop up the cauliflower into individual florets, and transfer to a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick spray.  Include all the little tiny pieces of cauliflower that break off during the chopping process. They get really brown and delicious. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and toss to coat. Season with a little fresh cracked pepper.  Roast for 25 min, then toss on the cheese, and roast for a few minutes more until melted.

Roasted Cheesy Tomato Bites

I can't tell you how many times I've gone to the store to get stuff for Caprese salad, only to come home with every ingredient but the mozzarella. I don't know why that one ingredient is so hard for me to remember, particularly because I tend to spend a lot of time in the cheese aisle. The good news, though, is that I have an incredible go-to backup.  These roasted tomato slices topped with Parmesan are oh-so-good and so easy. And topped with fresh basil and balsamic make them pretty, too. Great roasted in the winter, grilled in the summer. Plus if you sprinkle the cheese recklessly enough, some of it lands outside the tomatoes and melts into perfect chewy little cheese bites that you can snack on in your free time (see photo above. lots of cheese bites).


Recipe

• About 8 medium/small tomatoes on the vine (I used Campari)
• Olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan
• Balsamic glaze (store bought)
• 6-8 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange thick-cut tomato slices on a greased baking sheet (I had about 20 slices). Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt.  Roast tomatoes for about 15-20 minutes. Sprinkle parmesan on top, then roast for about 3-5 minutes more, until melted.  Let cool for several minutes, then transfer to your serving dish.  Drizzle with balsamic glaze and chopped basil.  I buy my balsamic glaze and it is THE BEST pantry staple (Caprese sandwiches, caprese salads, caprese flatbreads, I could go on...)...but you can also make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar until it reduces into a thick glaze.

Loaded Baked Potato Galette

How many different ways can we load a potato with bacon, cheese and sour cream? That's really what I should call this blog (as evidenced here, here, and here, to name a few). When it comes to potatoes I have tried a lot of things, but my husband and I always reach the same conclusion: nothing beats the BCS (bacon, cheese, sour cream) combo. One of our favorite date nights is going to our favorite steakhouse and splitting the ribeye and loaded baked (+ wine + chopped salad + a loaf of bread). And every time the waitress brings the lazy susan full of potato toppings and asks us how much cheese, John says 'keep it coming. She's from Wisconsin.' Literally every time. 

He's right though! Keep it coming. Anyway, for blogging and dinner party purposes I can't always just make loaded baked potatoes. I have to get creative. So I load them all sorts of different ways. This way was awesome, and cool-looking, making it dinner party worthy. 

Recipe

• 6 large russet baking potatoes, peeled
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup light sour cream 
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
• S&P

Slice potatoes into thin rounds, as thin as you can...about 1/8 inch thick.  Place in a bowl, and sprinkle with tablespoon salt. This will help draw out excess water. Let sit for about 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375.  Drain potatoes and pat dry with a towel.  Grease whatever your baking dish of choice is...I found a spring form pan to work perfectly, but a pie or round cake pan could work too.  Mix the sour cream, milk and tsp olive oil in a bowl. Pat the potatoes dry again and toss them in melted butter in another bowl.

Next, layer the potatoes. This will create three layers of potatoes, with sour cream, bacon and cheese in between.  Lay the first layer of potatoes down, overlapping each potato to create one thin layer of potatoes. I started on the outside and layered in. Generously salt and pepper. Spread half of the sour cream on the potatoes and sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Next add 1/3 of the bacon. Add the next layer of potatoes with S&P, followed with the remaining sour cream, another 1/2 cup cheese, and 1/3 bacon.  Add the final layer of potatoes and salt and pepper. We'll add the remaining 1 cup cheese and bacon towards the end (no sour cream on this layer).  Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes. Stick a fork in to make sure potatoes are fork tender, baking a bit longer if needed. Top with remaining cheese and bacon, and bake for another 10 minutes. Let cool for at least ten minutes before slicing. Serve with more sour cream, of course.

Healthy Weeknight Broccoli Mac N Cheese

My cravings for mac n' cheese lately are out of hand.  I really wanted it last week for dinner, but felt like I should eat something a tad more nutritious than the Kraft version (though I loooove the Kraft version).  So,  I made a few substitutions and wound up with a very tasty mac n' cheese that does offer some nutritional value. I kept it pretty cheesy because I needed it to be, but if you wanted to trim that down you could cut back on calories there. My husband loved this!

Recipe

• 3 cups dry whole wheat elbow macaroni
• 1 3/4 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash dry mustard
• Dash nutmeg
• 2 cups shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar
• 2/3 cup low fat cottage cheese
• 2 cups cooked broccoli

Cook pasta according to directions in generously salted water. Meanwhile, steam broccoli (you want 2 cups AFTER the broccoli is cooked).

In another pot, bring 1 1/2 cups of the milk to a simmer. Whisk the corn starch in the remaining milk, and stir into the simmering milk until thickened. Add salt and seasonings. Turn off heat, and add in the cheddar and cottage cheese.

Drain pasta and mix with sauce and broccoli.  Place in 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Delicious Creamed Corn with Green Chile

It’s hatch pepper season in Texas! They are taking over the grocery stores! And forcing Central Market to sample 5,000 hatch chile products daily - forcing me to stop in Central Market for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  The marketing strategy works; each year, hatch pepper events at the store inspire me to cook something different with them. This year, the victim was creamed corn. And I don't think it would complain.

This was delicious, and could be an all-time favorite summertime side dish. My husband loved it too, but he thinks corn is so good I could have added even less mayo (it was just BARELY creamy, so I have to say I respectfully disagree with that critique). But, add more or less mayo based on your personal capacity for creaminess.

Recipe

• 5-6 ears fresh corn, corn kernels shaved off the cob
• ½ sweet onion, diced
• 1 medium-sized green chile (or jalapeno), chopped and seeded
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 tablespoons light mayo
• Pepper to taste
• Queso fresco/paprika for topping (optional)

Start by cooking the onions in a bit of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the corn kernels and green chile (add a few seeds for more heat), and season with S&P. Cook through, stirring every few minutes until corn and chiles are tender.  Reduce heat to low, and mix in the butter and mayo. Transfer to a serving bowl, and top with plenty of queso fresco and a sprinkle of paprika.  This dish makes me wish summer wasn't coming to an end. 
Oh wait, summer doesn't seem to end until November in Texas.

Fresh Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter, Queso Fresco and Ancho Chile

Does it bother anyone else when something is called 'fresh' in the recipe? I did it here just to test it out.  

I mean, wouldn't you always assume the ingredients to be fresh? Or should it be specified that in fact this recipe was made with week old corn on the cob? 

"Week old Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter, Queso Fresco and Ancho Chile.'

I suppose 'fresh' could also imply not canned or prepackaged.

"Canned Corn on the Cob with Lime Butter, Queso Fresco, and Ancho Chile.'

For the record, this was indeed made with fresh corn on the cob. My only point is that in most cases 'freshness' should be implied and shouldn't have to be stated. 

I feel the same way about 'homemade.' Like when someone posts something like 'Making homemade chicken rice casserole for dinner!.'  Um, yeah. You're making it.

Anyway, onto this corn. THIS CORN.  We love corn on the cob and it was fun to trick it up a bit.  Or is it trick it out? My street lingo is getting worse with age.  

Just a few simple ingredients made this corn super delicious and special and pretty, but still let the FRESH CORN flavor shine through.

New summer staple.

Recipe

• 4 ears corn on the cob, peeled and soaked in water
• 1/2 stick butter, room temp
• 1/2 lime
• Queso Fresco
• Ancho Chile powder
• Salt

After soaking the corn in water, grill the ears on med-high for about 10-20 min, turning frequently to get charring on all sides.

While the corn is grilling, set out two small plates. On the first,  mix the butter and juice from half a lime. Spread the butter out to prepare for rolling the corn.  On the second plate, crumble plenty of queso fresco.  When the corn is done, let it sit for a couple minutes to cool down a bit, then roll it in the lime butter.  Season with plenty of salt. Follow with the queso fresco, then top off with a sprinkle of Ancho chile powder to taste.

Southwest Spaghetti Squash

When someone first told me about spaghetti squash, I felt confused. WTF. There's no way a squash can do that. And that confusion festered over the next year or so and prevented me from ever really acknowledging the squash's existence.  Then I was eating at True Food Kitchen a few weeks ago and ordered the spaghetti squash casserole. And guess what? SQUASH CAN DO THAT. AND IT DOES IT WELL. And now I've been making something with spaghetti squash at least once a week. As it turns out, there's not much that spaghetti squash CAN'T do.

This has been my favorite to date - a southwestern twist complements the flavor and texture of the squash perfectly.  

Recipe

• 1 large spaghetti squash
• 1/2 cup diced sweet onion
• 1/2 jalapeno, diced and seeds removed (or more jalapeno for added heat)
• 2/3 cup black beans
• 1 cup corn
• Tad minced garlic (jar)
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1.5-2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Dash hot sauce
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• ~3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used a combination of cheddar and mozzarella)
• Avocado and sour cream, for topping

Start by roasting the squash.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and cut the squash in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt, then place face down (skin side up) on a baking dish.  Roast for 35-40 minutes, until it can easily be poked with a fork.  Let cool.

In a large pan, saute the onions and jalapeno in a bit of olive oil - about 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, corn, and tomatoes.  Stir in the seasonings and turn off the heat.  

Scrape out the spaghetti squash using a fork (YES - it really is that easy) into a large colander and let the excess liquid drain out.  Then, mix the corn mixture with the spaghetti, and add the hot sauce and  sour cream if you like (I liked the creaminess).  Pour the mixture back into the squash halves, top with cheese, and broil until warm and slightly browned.  Serve with avocado and sour cream.

Spring Pea Pesto Risotto

In case you think I will ever run out of ways to make risotto, let me assure you: I won’t.  Everything goes well in risotto. Everything.

This past weekend I made my standard risotto recipe, but instead of mushrooms and asparagus I added frozen peas and store bought pesto.  You could probably add all of the above and make your own variation. Risotto doesn’t discriminate.

Recipe

• Risotto Recipe
• ~ Half bag frozen peas
• ~1/4-1/2 cup prepared pesto (more or less to taste)
• Balsamic reduction/syrup (optional)

Prepare the risotto, and before adding the Parmesan cheese (mozzarella might be good too!), stir in the peas and allow to cook for a few minutes.  Add the cheese and allow to melt. Swirl in the pesto, then serve and drizzle with balsamic reduction (optional).

My guacamole....

...is GOOD. Finally, my guacamole is GOOD.  I've spent years making guacamole for different festivities, and finally decided that I never liked it as much as the store bought kind. But then, I decided that I didn't like a lot of store bought kinds because they had too many red onions. So, with my back up against a wall (so to speak), my hand was forced. I had to give it another whirl.  And guess what? I will never eat another guacamole again. This is simple - really simple, and I guess that's how I like my guacamole.

And, it's Cinco de Mayo so I thought I should blog about guacamole!! What better way to celebrate the Mexican army's unlikely victory against Napoleon's French army in the 1800s than a good ol' bowl of guacamole.****

Recipe

• 2 large ripe avocados
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped tomatoes (seeds removed and patted dry)
• 3-4 tablespoons chopped SWEET onion
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1/2 lime)
• Several dashes hot sauce
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste

And....mash it all together. I like it a little chunky, so I don't over-mash. Serve with bite-size Tostitos, THE BEST TORTILLA CHIPS OF ALL TIME.

****Did you think Cinco de Mayo was Mexico's independence day? It's not.  
****Do you think Cinco de Mayo is a huge holiday in Mexico? It's not. In fact, they barely celebrate cinco de mayo at all! 

Marinated Grilled Vegetables

Once in a while I can make my food look good rather than just taste good.  This is one of those moments, and I hope everyone can recognize that.  Because tomorrow I am going to post some terrible looking but delicious tasting fish tacos. 

Grilled vegetables are a summer staple at our house (and it officially feels like summer in Texas).  And sometimes, we marinate them first.  This combo was particularly good!

Recipe

• 1 cup soy sauce
• ¾ cup balsamic
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• Lemon pepper or pepper
• Mixed vegetables of choice 

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together (all except the lemon pepper and mixed veggies).  Slice your vegetables of choice and place in two large Ziploc bags (I had two full bags of eggplant, red bell pepper, zucchini, onions, and asparagus).  Season with lemon pepper or pepper, marinate for several hours, then remove from bags and grill 20-30 minutes over medium-high grill. Yay nice weather!

Mashed Cauliflower

We love mashed potatoes.  We love cauliflower.  We love eating healthy during the week.  So it makes perfect sense that we would love to make this mashed cauliflower (in lieu of potatoes) during the week.

So much healthier than mashed potatoes, equally as delicious, and unbelievably easy and fast.

DISCLAIMER: I am not going to pretend these taste just like mashed potatoes and that you should substitute them always.  I love creamy, rich, fatty, mashed potatoes.  But once you reach your 30s, your body needs to pick its battles.

Recipe

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup skim milk

Steam cauliflower about 10-15 minutes until very tender. Drain water and keep over low heat for several minutes to dry it out (the dryer the better).  Mash with a mashing utensil, or for a creamier consistency puree with a food processor.  Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Yep. That's it.

Kale Salad with Creamy Poppyseed Dressing

People got on the kale bandwagon a long time ago.  In fact so long ago I think they have moved on to something else.  Well, I'm late to the game but HOLY $%#@ I LOVE KALE. THIS SALAD WAS SO GOOD. Like so good I never want another salad again.  I dressed the salad a couple hours before serving to help relieve a little bit of bitterness and crunch from the kale – and I think that was the secret to liking it so much.  The super sweet dressing pairs perfectly with the bitter crunch, and after a few hours of marinading the kale turned into a perfect little bowl of deliciousness.  You can actually even dress the salad several hours or the night before serving, making this a super easy make ahead dish.

Recipe

• 1 bunch kale
• Handful (or two) Craisins
• Handful (or two) Slivered Almonds
• 1-2 Avocados
• 3/4 cup light mayo
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons skim milk
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1.5 tablespoons poppy seeds
• Pinch salt

Mix the kale, craisins, and almonds in a large bowl.  Make the salad dressing of mayo, milk, sugar, vinegar, poppy seeds, and salt.  Toss the salad with about half of the dressing.  Before serving, add the avocado to the salad and toss with the remaining dressing (or less to taste).  I ate this the next day and it was sooooo good leftover (with grilled salmon on top!).

Greek Avgolemono Soup

The only bad thing I have to say about this soup is the spelling of the name.  Isn’t it anxiety-inducing? I have to say that even as a person with a pretty high aptitude for spelling/reading/pronunciation, this one stumps me. I wonder how many people don’t order this soup at restaurants because they don’t want to say it out loud.

I think, THINK, it is pronounced a-vo-lem-en-o.

Anyway, wow! Love this soup and it’s so easy. This is a simple version, as I think some versions can take hours and hours. I truly can't imagine what happens during those hours to make it that much better, although I love the idea of living in a small seaside town in Greece spending my days eating Tzatziki sauce and making Avgolemono soup.

Recipe

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 5-6 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• Dill, for garnish  

Cook the onions in oil until cooked through. Add the chicken broth, bring to a boil, and add the orzo.  Cook the orzo according to instructions (bring down the boil once it's done).  Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice.  Once the pasta is cooked and the heat is on low, you will need to temper the eggs before adding to the broth.  Slowly add a couple ladle fulls of broth into the egg mixture, whisking constantly.  Turn off the heat for the soup.  Slowly whisk the tempered eggs into the broth. Keep heat on low and do not boil the soup again (this will cause the eggs to clump up - it will still taste fine but will look more like greek egg drop soup).  Season with pepper, serve, and top with fresh dill.

Sweet Potato Rolls

How is that photo for artsy? Artsy, or, that was the only photo I could find with evidence of the sweet potato rolls. Sorry guys.

Growing up, our family dinners ALWAYS included one thing: bread. Or carbs, as some call it. Bread, dinner rolls, popovers, etc were a staple in our family since my birth and I'm pretty sure it's part of our DNA. I looooooove love love it. In fact, I never even started using butter until a few years ago. I like bread so much I prefer to eat it plain.  And if a dinner doesn't include bread, my stomach shrinks into nothing and I pretty much die of hunger afterwards.

But, the real star amongst all of the dinner rolls/breads/popovers in our family has been my mom's sweet potato rolls. Every Thanksgiving, we had these. So I had to continue the tradition and include them in my Thanksgiving dinner this year as well. 

Now, when I asked my mom if these were hard she replied, 'No! Really easy!!.'  I was thrilled, it seemed too good to be true. And it was.  Not that these are necessarily super difficult, but when she sent me the recipe the generational difference was glaringly obvious.  To me, 'really easy' means 3 ingredients, no mixer, no rising, and under 20 minutes. Maybe even the inclusion of some kind of pre-made mix.  To my mom, I think 'really easy' must mean no grinding your own grain and churning your own butter. 

These are not 'really easy!' .  They're not hard, either, but they're not 'really easy.'  Love this recipe all the same and will make them forever.

Recipe

• 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled
• 1/4 cup warm water 
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch
• 1 cup milk, room temp
• 1 stick melted butter
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 4.5-5 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan, and boil until fork tender. Drain and mash.

Using a standing mixer, whisk together the water, yeast and pinch of sugar. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.  Mix in the potatoes, milk, 1 stick melted butter, and salt. Slowly mix in the flour to create a slightly sticky dough. Transfer dough to a large buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until it doubles in size - about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400.  Punch the dough down, and line several large baking sheets with parchment paper.  Roll dough into 2-3 inch balls and drop on the baking sheets. Brush with remaining melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.

Cauliflower Gratin

If you are trying to identify the cauliflower gratin, it is the bowl on the lower left-hand corner. In the midst of Thanksgiving madness we just simply didn't get a picture. I was embarrassed for a second to even share this one, but I'm over it. It looked good and pretty, I promise.

I had my whole Thanksgiving menu planned, until John came home with cauliflower gratin from Central Market. %$#@ it John. 

Although in the end, it was one of the things I was thankful for on that day. Soooo delicious (and easy the way I made it!)

Recipe

• 2 heads cauliflower, chopped into large florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cup milk
• ¾ cup asiago cheese
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• Fresh ground pepper

Steam the cauliflower until tender. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the flour. Add the chicken broth and stir to thicken over medium heat.  Reduce heat to low, and mix in the milk, cheese, and nutmeg. Pour over cauliflower and serve. 

PS – if I wasn’t cooking for multiple gluten-free people, I would have topped with some breadcrumbs as well and then baked until golden!