Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar

My children, and actually, my husband too, ADORE asparagus. I happen to love it as well, but fresh, not that awful looking canned stuff.

I don't remember if I came across this recipe, or just made it up on my own, but whichever it is , it seems we never have enough.

~1 bunch fresh asparagus *

~Olive Oil

~Salt- I use a grinder, I will never go back to the other kind for the table again

~Pepper, fresh ground, or I use corse ground

Wash and dry asparagus, trim the ends. The easiest way to know where to trim is to take one stalk, hold each end and gently bend 'til it snaps. Cut the rest at the same place.

Drizzle a shallow baking dish with olive oil, add the asparagus, and roll around to coat thoroughly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to what ever your guess at taste is.

Place in oven on broil (so I guess technically this is broiled asparagus...) and keep a close eye on it. You want them a nice brilliant green. You'll just *know* when that is. Remove from oven and drizzle around a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar over the asparagus. Serve to your impatient family.

* I like the slender stalks, I find them to be less woody and more tender. Also look for nice full heads.

B's Favorite BBQ Sauce

A few years ago, B. asked me to make ribs for dinner. Having never made ribs before, I was in a bit of a quandary. How do you do this exactly? I started looking for a sauce recipe, not being one to think to buy a bottle of sauce, and made up the rest as I went along.. B. nearly cried when he tried these (with joy). If you just want to make the sauce it doesn't take long at all, but if you're planning on making ribs too, count on being home all day.

1/2 c. maple syrup (the real kind, naturally is better, but the fake works just fine too)

1/2 c. ketchup

1/4 c. orange juice

1 Tbsp. dried minced onion

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp. steak sauce

 1 tsp. grated orange peel

1 tsp. prepared mustard

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce

3 whole cloves

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered for 15 minutes or until the flavors are blended. Remove from heat, discard cloves, and cool.

That's the sauce, and it makes 1-1/3 cups. 

Now, if you want to make ribs, read on:

For just us, a rack is fine, if they are a good price, I buy 2, so B. can have the leftovers in his lunches. If I am doing 2 racks, I triple or quadruple the sauce. For one rack, I double it.

Preheat oven to about 325 F.

Line 2 cookie sheets with foil ( ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!!!!!! I destroyed 2 baking sheets not lining them.). Lay a rack of ribs on each sheet. Spread about 2/3-3/4 of a cup of sauce on each rack.  Cover with foil, and place in oven. When doing 2 racks, I switch shelves and baste with sauce and/or drippings every 30 minutes. If  just one rack, baste every 30 minutes.

I bake them roughly 2-1/2- 3 hours, depending on how thick they are. I have found that if you can twist one of the bones (easily), they are done. I like to finish them on the grill for about 15-20 minutes, you're really just going for the grill flavor. Slather on sauce as you see fit.

Serve with lots of napkins.

French Dressing

Homemade dressings are (usually) SO much better than store bought. B. really likes French, I think its okay. Until I tried this one. It is delicious, and makes a vat of dressing.

1/2 a medium onion, quartered

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 c. ketchup

3/4 c. vegetable oil

1/2 c. vinegar (I use cider vinegar)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2-3/4 tsp. salt

In a food processor or blender, puree onion and lemon juice until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Store in refrigerator, shake well before using.

Yield: 2-1/2 cups.

Smoked Sausage Skillet

Really good, and really easy. Also, a great way to get cabbage down non-cabbage lovers.

1 lb. fully cooked kielbasa OR Polish sausage, sliced

3 c. shredded cabbage

1 celery rib, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. oil

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard ( I used a grainy deli- mustard, because that's what I like)

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp. rubbed sage

2 c. cooked noodles

In a large skillet, saute the sausage, cabbage, and celery in oil for 5 minutes. add the mustard, garlic salt, and sage. Cook and stir over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in noodles and heat through.

Serves 4 generously.

Cobbler

I'm getting hungry just looking at this picture. I have vague memories of not liking cobbler as a child. I don't know why, because this could easily rank as one of my favorite desserts.

Fruit Cobbler

5-6 cups fresh fruit (I use a mix of fresh, frozen, and canned.  The last 2 times I've mixed together frozen blackberries,frozen blueberries, fresh strawberries, canned SOUR cherries, and canned peaches. As long as it measures 5-6 cups, use what ever single fruit or combination sounds good.)

2 c. flour

1/2 c. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 c. cold butter or margarine

1 cup cold milk

Topping:

2/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. boiling water

 Preheat oven to 350.

Arrange fruit evenly in 9X13 greased baking pan. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk, just until blended. (sometimes, this is runny, and sometimes stiff. Its been fine no matter what the texture.)

Spoon over fruit. Combine sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over batter. Pour boiling water over all. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes, or until fruit is tender, and the topped nicely and lightly browned.

Serves: 12-16

Creamy Noodles

I really wanted to re-name this recipe, mostly because I think the name is boring. But "Heart Attack Noodles" doesn't sound so appetizing, even though that is nearly what they are with all the butter, cream cheese and sour cream in them. But oh buddy are they good. It was, at one point, a low fat recipe, but wheres the fun in that? and besides, I don't buy low-fat products for the most part, since they aren't really that great for you anyway. You decide how you want to make it.

Creamy Noodles

~ 8 oz. uncooked spaghetti

~3 cloves garlic, minced

~3 Tbsp. butter, divided

~6 oz. cream cheese (fat-free if you so choose)

~3 Tbsp. sour cream (again- low fat blah, blah)

~3 Tbsp. milk (need I say it?)

~3/4 tsp. salt

~1/2 tsp. onion powder

~1/4 tsp. Cajun seasoning

~1/4 tsp. pepper

~4 1/2 tsp. minced fresh parsley (or eyeball a bit of dried- I think I did a generous teaspoon)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute garlic in 1 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add the cream cheese, sour cream, milk, seasonings, and remaining butter. Cook and stir over low just until smooth do not boil. (oops)) Remove from heat. Drain spaghetti; toss with cream sauce. Serve immediately. 

                           Serves :6

Roasted Vegetables

I love roasted veggies. Besides fresh, they are my favorite way to eat them. I stumbled across this recipe a few months ago, and it is fantastic!

You could change the vegetables too, if you wanted, I think asparagus, and zucchini would be great in here.

Roasted Veggies

(I didn't measure any of these vegetables, just eye-balled it)

1 1/2 c. fresh baby carrots

3 c. unpeeled , quartered red potatoes

1 medium onion cut into thin wedges

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

14 oz. frozen green beans

Heat oven to 425.  Spray 15x10 pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, combine carrots, potatoes and onion.  Add oil, basil, thyme, garlic salt, and pepper; mix well. Spread evenly in pan. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Remove pan from oven. Add green beans, toss to mix.

Return pan to oven; bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

 Yield: 6 (1-cup) servings