Brussel Sprouts

It seems like every time I open a food magazine

lately I see Brussel Sprouts.

What is the facination with these little leafy greens?

I don't really know but I am willing to give them a try-

now that I am a little more mature - when I was a

kid this type of vegetable made me gag

and "just try them" was NOT an option!

Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion

Chop a half of a red onion

Saute in vegetable oil

Add one clove garlic, chopped

Add brussel sprouts, washed and cut in half

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper

Saute for about 3-4 minute with the onion

Add a half cup of vegetable stock and cook

for about 2 more minutes until the

brussel sprouts are tender.

Serve and Enjoy!

I am submitting this delightful recipe to

Kayln's Weekend Herb Blogging Event which will

be hosted by Zorra from Kochtopf this week.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

My husband and I came home from church

on Sunday and we thought it would be nice

to have a batch of cookies around the house

this week for a treat.

MMM, how about some Chocolate Chunk Cookies?
or Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Sounds great, we thought until we came to

the unfortunate discovery that the bag

we thought was chocolate chips was butterscotch chips.

AHHH Man! what do you make with butterscotch chips?

Well, apparently there are thousands of butterscotch

cookie recipes. Here is the one we selected.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups rolled oats
1 2/3 cups butterscotch chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
In a large bowl beat the butter or margarine,

white sugar and brown sugar together.

Add the eggs and vanilla, beating well.
Stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the

butter mixture and stir until blended.

Stir in the oats and the butterscotch chips.

(The Batter)

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges begin to brown.

This recipe was very easy and the cookies turned out GREAT!!

Pizza Pie

Check out this beautiful Pizza Pie!
My husband decided to give home-made

pizza, crust and all a try.

His toppings: carmelized onions, mushrooms,

garlic, spinach, and goat cheese.

It was a very nice combination!

Now that we have both given

home-made pizza a try,

we have decided that we still

don't have a pizza crust

that we love.

The one I made was thin and a little crunchy

with very little flavor.

His pizza crust was thick - a little

more Chicago style- but a little bland.

I guess we are going to have to keep trying.
Or give in and buy an already made crust.

Anyone have a pizza crust recipe that you love?

Thai Soup - Trying Something A Little Different

I know it is really not cold in Georgia right now

and I know I have posted a few soup recipes lately

but this one is very different and very good!

It is worth a try !!

So many wonderful flavors combined into one great soup!

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup from Epicurious

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1–2 red Thai (jalapeño) peppers, seeded and finely chopped

3 cloves garlic,chopped

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon (or lime) juice

4 tablespoons Thai fish sauce, divided

1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced

3 cups boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup light coconut milk

2 cups baby spinach

2 tablespoon chopped cilantro

Place noodles in a bowl; add enough warm water to cover

and let sit until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.

Combine broth pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon zest,

lime zest, lemon juice and 3 tablespoon fish

sauce in a medium saucepan. Season with salt.

Bring to a simmer, add noodles and cook 3 minutes more.

Using tongs, transfer noodles to a bowl

and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add mushrooms to broth; simmer 3 minutes more.

Add chicken and coconut milk and simmer,

stirring, until chicken is just cooked, about 3 minutes.

Stir in spinach until it begins to wilt, about 1 minute.

Add chopped cilantro and season with remaining

1 tablespoon fish sauce.

This Thai Chicken Coconut Soup is absolutely

delightful. It is full of wonderful flavors!

Fish in Foil

Cooking fish in foil really seems to turn out well.

You can really take any fish and the seasoning of your

choice and cook it wrapped in foil and it will turn out great.

The foil helps lock in all the moisture and flavor while the fish cooks.

Rosemary, Lemon Salmon

I took my fish of choice: Salmon

and put a few dabs of oil, salt and pepper on it.

I chopped up a sprig or two of fresh rosemary

and sprinkled that over the fish.

I sliced a lemon and squeezed half of the lemon

over th fish and the other half I sliced thin and placed

the slices on the fish for the cooking.

Then into the oven it went.

I cooked it at 350 degrees for about 15 or 20 minutes.

The fish is so tender it just falls apart.

Nice light flavor!

I will be submitting this recipe to

Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging Event

which is being hosted by Erin at the Skinny Gourmet.

Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup

I am sick!

It has really been going around

lately and I have been lucky to avoid it

for the most part but NO, not this time.

I think I need some soup!!

Kale, White Bean and Sausage Soup From Epicurious

1 lb dried white beans such as Great Northern, cannellini,

2 onions, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 cups chicken broth
2 qt water

1 (3- by 2-inch) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf (not California)

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1 lb smoked sausage such as kielbasa, sliced crosswise

1/4 inch thick 8 carrots

1 lb kale (preferably lacinato), leaves coarsely chopped

* I made a few changes to the following recipe. I used Canneli and White Beans but they were from a can so I did not need to follow the first set of preparation directions. I also added a sprinkle or two of Sage.

Preparation Cover beans with water by 2 inches in a pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand, uncovered, 1 hour.

Drain beans in a colander and rinse.
Cook onions in oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add beans, broth, 1 quart water, cheese rind, salt, pepper,

bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer, uncovered,

until beans are just tender, about 50 minutes.
While soup is simmering, brown sausage in batches

in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, turning,

then transfer to paper towels to drain.
Stir carrots into soup and simmer 5 minutes.

Stir in kale, sausage, and remaining quart water and simmer,

uncovered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.

Season soup with salt and pepper.

This is a hearty soup with the Kale and Sausage. The kale is great in flavor and texture. The carrots and onions add a slight sweetness.

I would definately make this again!

Quick and Easy

It has been a busy week.
My husband and I have not

had an evening where we have both

been home for dinner yet this week.

Last night I found myself opening

the refrigerator and trying to figure

out what in the world

I could throw together for just me!

Here is what I decided on...I am going to call it

BowTie Pasta with Asparagus and Cherry Tomato

in a not so light cream sauce.

1. I sauteed asparagus and cherry tomatoes in butter, garlic and basil.

2. Then I added heavy cream and a little vegetable broth.
3. I let this come to a boil and then turned down the temperature.

4. Next I added fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

5. This wonderful little mixture was poured over bowtie noodles.

It made a great dinner for one!

Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Egg Sandwich

Valentines Day is right around the corner and I have
noticed that everyone is blogging about food that has
to do with the holiday. I was reading Mele Cotte
and decided to participate in her event,
Kitchen of Love and make
a recipe that contains a food aphrodisiac.


So, if we are going to cook recipes with aphrodisiacs
why not start off with one first thing in the morning.

Today I made an Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Egg
Sandwich for breakfast.

I started by making a super thin omlete.
Then I sautéed asparagus.
I sliced roasted red tomato
and chopped my goat cheese.

Real simple, because after I had all
my ingredients all I had to do is assemble
the sandwich.

The result:


Now, this is the way to start your day!

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

by Real Simple Magazine

2 pints cherry tomatoes object

3 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves,

Heat oven to 400° F. Combine all the ingredients

except the basil in a roasting pan.

Roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally,

until the tomatoes are just bursting.

Carefully transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and set aside.

Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat

(or transfer the liquid to a small saucepan)

and reduce the liquid until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Toss the tomatoes with the basil.

Drizzle some of the thickened balsamic sauce on each serving.

This is a great side dish. Every time I have made it people

have loved it! Lots of nice compliments.