ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

★★★★★ 4.8 from 26 reviews

•  prep time: 5 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 20 MINUTES
•  total time: 25 MINUTES
 
•  yield: 6 -8 SERVINGS 

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DESCRIPTION

My favorite way to make classic roasted Brussels sprouts.  See notes above for ideas on how to customize yours with different seasonings or sauces if you would like.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved- smaller the sweeter, bigger cabbage taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spread the Brussels sprouts out on a large baking sheet and drizzle with the oil.  Toss until the Brussels sprouts are evenly coated, then spread them out in an even layer on the baking sheet.  Sprinkle evenly with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.  Then go around and flip each of the Brussels so that they are cut-side-down.
3. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the Brussels sprouts are lightly charred and crisp on the outside and toasted on the bottoms.  (Be sure to keep an eye on your sprouts while baking, though, since different ovens and different sized sprouts may affect baking time.  Any loose leaves will also get charred and crispy.)
4. Taste and season with extra salt and pepper, if necessary.
5. Serve warm.

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HOW TO CUT BRUSSELS SPROUTS:

While your oven is pre-heating, give all of those sprouts a good rinse, and then pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel.  Pluck off and discard any outer leaves that are looking a little browned or wilty.  Then trim off the tough ends and cut each sprout in half lengthwise, being sure to save any of the leaves that fall off (<– especially if you’re like me and love those crispy little charred pieces).  If you would like a visual, here’s a quick 1-minute video for How To Cut Brussels Sprouts (3 Ways!).

POSSIBLE VARIATIONS:

Want to add some extra seasoning to your roasted Brussels sprouts beyond the usual S&P?  Consider adding:

• Dry seasoning mixes: Feel free to sprinkle on any other seasoning blends that you love, such as:
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Cajun Seasoning
  • Za’atar Seasoning
  • Taco Seasoning
  • Everything Bagel Seasoning
• Fun salts and peppers: I really love sprinkling mine with smoked sea salt.  But any fun seasoned salts or peppers would be great here.
• Citrus: Fresh citrus juice (i.e. lemon, lime, orange) and/or grated citrus peel is always a winner.
• Vinaigrettes: This is a great use for leftover salad dressing, or you can whip up a quick homemade vinaigrette to toss with your sprouts either before or after roasting.  I’m also a big fan of drizzling on a thick glaze for balsamic Brussels sprouts.
• Fresh Herbs: Any number of fresh herbs would be delicious mixed in, such as chopped rosemary, sage, cilantro, parsley, basil, thyme, or oregano.
• Cheese: Grated Parmesan is always a winner with baked Brussels sprouts.  Or feel free to sprinkle on some crumbled soft cheeses, such as goat, feta, or blue cheese too.
• Nuts: Pine nuts, chopped almonds, walnuts, pecans, almonds, or pepitas would be delicious additions.
• Bacon: If you eat meat, crumbled bacon bits taste heavenly with roasted Brussels.

Basically, there are countless ways that you can customize your sprouts.  So have fun experimenting, and happy roasting this Brussels sprouts season!

“EVERYTHING” ROASTED ASPARAGUS

“EVERYTHING” ROASTED ASPARAGUS

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

•  prep time: 3 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 9 MINUTES
 
•  total time: 12 MINUTES
•  yield: 4 SERVINGS 

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DESCRIPTION

Kick your roasted asparagus up a notch with some everything bagel seasoning!  Feel free to sprinkle on as much as you’d like.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, ends trimmed*
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon everything bagel seasoning, or more/less to taste
• fine sea salt

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 425°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place the asparagus on the baking sheet and drizzle evenly with the olive oil.  Toss briefly so that the asparagus are evenly coated in the oil.  Then arrange them back out in an even layer, and sprinkle evenly with the everything bagel seasoning.
3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the asparagus reach your desired level of tenderness.
4. Taste and season with extra salt if needed.

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NOTES

*To find out where the ends need to be trimmed off, just give your asparagus a good bend and the woody part at the bottom will snap off.

SCALLOPED POTATOES

SCALLOPED POTATOES

★★★★★ 4.7 from 286 reviews

•  prep time: 15 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 55 MINUTES
•  total time: 80 MINUTES
 
•  yield: 10 -12 SERVINGS 

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DESCRIPTION

My favorite recipe for garlicky, cheesy, perfect scalloped potatoes.

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INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 small white or yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 cups milk (I recommend 2% or whole milk)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, divided
• 4 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
• 2 cups freshly-grated sharp cheddar cheese*, divided (feel free to add more cheese if you’d like)
• 1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

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INSTRUCTIONS

• Prep oven and baking dish: Heat oven to 400°F.  Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set it aside.

• Sauté the onion and garlic. Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, and sauté for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant.  Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined, and cook for 1 more minute.

• Simmer the sauce. Gradually pour in the stock, and whisk until combined.  Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined.  Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce just barely begins to simmer around the edges of the pan and thickens.  (Avoid letting it reach a boil.)  Then remove from heat and set aside.

• Layer the potatoes.  Spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan.  Top evenly with half of the cream sauce.  (I usually strain out all of the onions and add them here too.)  Then sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese.  Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the other half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1 cup of cheddar cheese.

• Bake: Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  The sauce should be nice and bubbly around the edges.  Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.

• Cool. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack, and sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of thyme and extra Parmesan.

• Serve. Serve warm.

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NOTES

Shredded cheese: As always when melting shredded cheese into a recipe, it’s best if you grate the cheese yourself just before adding it to the recipe.  Store-bought shredded cheese usually contains a coating that prevents it from melting smoothly.

MAKE-AHEAD INSTRUCTIONS:

Over the years, I’ve had lots of you ask if you can prep this recipe in advance — and the answer is yes!  For make-ahead scalloped potatoes, just bake the scalloped potatoes and let them cool completely to room temperature.  Then cover tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  And on the day you are ready to serve them, bake the pan covered (with foil) at 350° for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are warmed through.

POSSIBLE RECIPE VARIATIONS:

There are all sorts of delicious ways that you can customize these homemade scalloped potatoes if you would like.  For example, feel free to…

• Add bacon or ham: Diced cooked bacon or ham would be a delicious addition here!  (Or go for the gold and make scalloped potatoes with ham and bacon!)
• Add greens: Fresh kale or baby spinach would also be delicious.  Just stir a large handful to the sauce before layering the potatoes.
• Add pesto: For an extra herby twist, feel free to stir 1/4 cup of basil pesto into the sauce.
• Use half sweet potatoes: I also love making a version of this dish with half Yukon gold and half sweet potatoes.  The sweet/savory combo is such a winner.
• Use a different cheese: Mozzarella, gouda, fontina or gruyere would also be delicious in place of the sharp cheddar.  Or you could also sprinkle some extra crumbled/diced brie, goat cheese, or feta into the casserole.
• Make it gluten-free: Just use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (in place of the standard AP flour).  Or whisk 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the cold milk before adding it to the sauce.

THE BEST MASHED POTATOES!

THE BEST MASHED POTATOES!

•  prep time: 20 MINUTES
 
•  cook time: 25 MINUTES
•  total time: 45 MINUTES
 
•  yield: 10 -12 SERVINGS 

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INGREDIENTS

• 5 pounds potatoes (I use half Yukon Gold, half Russet potatoes)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• fine sea salt
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• toppings: chopped fresh chives or green onions, freshly-cracked black pepper

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INSTRUCTIONS

• Cut the potatoes.  Feel free to peel your potatoes or leave the skins on.  Then cut them into evenly-sized chunks, about an inch or so thick, and transfer them to a large stockpot full of cold water.

• Boil the potatoes.  Once all of your potatoes are cut, be sure that there is enough cold water in the pan so that the water line sits about 1 inch above the potatoes.  Stir the garlic and 1 tablespoon sea salt into the water.  Then turn the heat to high and cook until the water comes to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-high (or whatever temperature is needed to maintain the boil) and continue cooking for about 10-12 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of a potato goes in easily with almost no resistance.  Carefully drain out all of the water.

• Prepare your melted butter mixture.  Meanwhile, as the potatoes are boiling, heat the butter, milk and an additional 2 teaspoons of sea salt together either in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the butter is just melted.  (You want to avoid boiling the milk.)  Set aside until ready to use.

• Pan-dry the potatoes.  After draining the water, immediately return the potatoes to the hot stockpot, place it back on the hot burner, and turn the heat down to low.  Using two oven mitts, carefully hold the handles on the stockpot and shake it gently on the burner for about 1 minute to help cook off some of the remaining steam within the potatoes.  Remove the stockpot entirely from the heat and set it on a flat, heatproof surface.

• Mash the potatoes.  Using your preferred kind of potato masher (I recommend this one in general, or this one for extra-smooth), mash the potatoes to your desired consistency.

• Stir everything together.  Then pour half of the melted butter mixture over the potatoes, and fold it in with a wooden spoon or spatula until potatoes have soaked up the liquid.  Repeat with the remaining butter, and then again with the cream cheese, folding in each addition in until just combined to avoid over-mixing.  (Feel free to add in more warm milk to reach your desired consistency, if needed.)

• Taste and season.  One final time, taste the potatoes and season with extra salt if needed.

• Serve warm.  Then serve warm, garnished with any extra toppings that you might like, and enjoy!

HOMEMADE CRUNCH WRAP SUPREME

 

Beans, pulled pork, cheese, tostada, lettuce, tomato and sour cream, wrap it all up in a little gift package of a flu tortilla

HOMEMADE CRUNCH WRAP SUPREME

yield: 8 SERVINGS

prep time: 20 MINUTES

cook time: 10 MINUTES

total time: 30 MINUTES

A complete copycat version from Taco Bell! Except completely homemade and made so much more healthier! Get your fix now!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1.25-ounce) package taco seasoning
• 4 (12-inch) flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup nacho cheese
• 4 tostada shells
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 Roma tomato, diced
• 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; stir in taco seasoning. Drain excess fat; set aside.
2. Heat tortillas according to package instructions.
3. Heat nacho cheese according to package instructions.
4. Working one at a time, place ground beef mixture in the center of each tortilla. Top with nacho cheese and tostada shell. Spread sour cream in an even layer over the tostada shell; top with lettuce, tomato and cheese. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
5. Fold the edges up and over the center. Continue to work your way around the tortilla, folding as tight as possible.
6. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet. Place wrap seam-side down and cook until the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook wrap on the other side, about 1-2 minutes longer.
7. Serve immediately.