21 Oct
How to Roast Garlic
Posted by Michelle as How-To, Vegetables | 25 Comments
In my previous post about the fabulous Potato Rosemary Bread you may remember that, aside from rosemary, the bread also included roasted garlic, which took the bread’s flavor to a whole new level of wonderful. I said that I would be following up with a tutorial about how to make it at home and, as promised, here it is! Roasting garlic is so incredibly simple and it can add robust flavor to countless dishes including breads, pizza, sauce, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and pasta, to name a few. Not to mention mixing it into things like butter or mayonnaise for a more “gourmet” condiment. Roasted garlic takes on a much milder flavor than raw garlic and as a result its uses are practically endless. With less than 10 minutes of active prep time, this is definitely a how-to that you’ll want to save and put to use again and again. Now let’s get roasting!
01 Sep
Potato Salad with Herbed Balsamic Vinaigrette
Posted by Michelle as Salads, Vegetables | 15 Comments
Potato salad is a summer staple, showing up at picnics and cookouts, accompanying burgers and hot dogs, but if you’re like me, you grow tired of the heavy mayo-laden dish rather quickly. This potato salad bucks the trend and is a bright, flavorful side dish that doesn’t compete with a main dish in terms of heft, and pairs well with everything from hamburgers, hot dogs and steak to Italian sausage and chicken. The white balsamic is milder than its traditional counterpart, and the fresh herbs bring this dish to life, with a flavor that is subtle and light.
14 Aug
Panzanella
Posted by Michelle as Salads, Vegetables | 10 Comments
This latest recipe for our Barefoot Bloggers group was chosen by Melissa of It’s Melissa’s Kitchen. This was a wonderful choice for these last few weeks of summer, as it included many fresh vegetables and tasted bright and fresh. Traditional panzanella originates from the Tuscan region of Italy and the original dish includes just bread, tomato, basil, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar. The dish has evolved over the years to include things such as vegetables, eggs, tuna, among others, and is sometimes referred to as a “leftover salad”, because, much like omelets, it’s easy to throw in any leftover vegetables you have laying around. The version we made this week included peppers, onion, tomato (which I omitted because I don’t like them), cucumber, basil, toasted bread, and dressed in a dijon vinaigrette. Absolutely delicious!!
13 Dec
Roasted Red Potatoes
Posted by Michelle as Vegetables | 14 Comments
I have made these potatoes at least a handful of times now but have never managed to snag a picture until tonight. So here they are, finally gracing my blog. These are by far the best roasted potatoes I have ever made. These are incredibly easy to throw together and complement most any meal. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
28 Aug
Weekend BBQ
Posted by Michelle as Salads, Vegetables | 5 Comments
This past weekend my family came to visit so we grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and I put together a number of salads to go with the meal. Because of the hustle and bustle of getting everyone fed, I didn’t get pictures of everything, but my menu was as follows:
- Burgers and hot dogs on the grill
- Corn on the cob on the grill
- Fruit salad
- Loaded baked potato salad
- Antipasto salad
- Apple pie for dessert
I did not get a picture of the Loaded Baked Potato Salad, but everyone raved about it – the flavors were phenomenal. Here is the recipe:
Loaded Baked Potato Salad
(Source: The Country Kitchen)
6 medium baking potatoes (about 2 pounds)
3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, drained and chopped
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Thinly sliced green onions (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Scrub potatoes thoroughly and pat dry. Prick potatoes. Bake 50-60 minutes or until tender. Remove potatoes from oven; cool completely.
2. Combine sour cream and mayonnaise in a small bowl. Chop bacon and red onion; add to sour cream mixture with the shredded cheddar. Stir in salt and pepper; cover and refrigerate.
3. Coarsely chop potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl; fold in sour cream mixture. Cover and refrigerate 4-6 hours or overnight. Garnish with sliced green onions and shredded cheddar cheese, if desired.
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I put together my antipasto salad on the fly and this is what I ended up using:
Antipasto Salad
1/2 lb. hard salami, cubed
1/2 lb. pepperoni, cubed
1/2 lb. mozzarella cheese, cubed
1/2 lb. provolone cheese, cubed
Small can artichoke hearts, quartered
Jar medium-sized green olives, drained
Can of large black olives, drained
Good Seasons Italian salad dressing (about 1/3 cup)
Combine all ingredients and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving to allow flavors to combine.
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My Grandma was sweet enough to have brought me a present when she came to visit, so I wanted to show it off here! She bought me the cutest pumpkin pie plate, with a cover. The bottom of the plate as an old-fashioned recipe for pumpkin pie. This is perfect for pie, or even as a fall candy dish! So cute 
20 Aug
Miniature Italian Meatloaves
Posted by Michelle as Meat, Vegetables | 8 Comments
Meatloaves!
(sorry for the dark pics tonight)
A classic American dish with more varieties than Heinz 57 (yes, a shameless plug for my hometown!). These individual-sized meatloaves cooked up significantly faster than a large traditional meatloaf and the seasoning mix made them taste like huge meatballs! An additional benefit is having leftovers ready to go and not needing to be sliced up.
I served these with garlic mashed potatoes – the recipe is also posted below.
Teeny Tiny Italian Meatloaves
(adapted from Amber’s Delectable Delights)
1 lb. ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1 cup spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Italian style breadcrumbs
1/4 onion, grated
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt & pepper to taste
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Gently mix 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce with the remaining ingredients.
3) Divide into four equal portions and form into desired shape. Place onto greased baking pan.
4) Smother each loaf with remaining spaghetti sauce and top with extra mozzarella cheese.
5) Bake for 40-50 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
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Garlic Mashed Potatoes
4 medium sized red potatoes (about 3.5 cups cubed), scrubbed
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste
1) Cube potatoes and place in pot with peeled garlic cloves. Cover with water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes; drain.
2) Place in a bowl with remaining ingredients and mash or beat with electric mixer.
06 Aug
Italian Stuffed Peppers
Posted by Michelle as Meat, Vegetables | 0 Comments
Tonight was a stop in Italy. Although stuffed peppers are not an inherently Italian dish (sshhh, don’t tell my Grandma!), this version certainly tasted like it was straight from the old country! The addition of the parmesan cheese and using spaghetti sauce versus plain tomato sauce made all the difference. This is my new official stuffed pepper recipe!
Italian Stuffed Peppers (adapted from Lunch with Lynn)
4 large bell peppers
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 large vidalia onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt
Pepper
Italian seasoning
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce (I used homemade that I had in the freezer)
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Cut the tops off of peppers and clean out seeds and membranes. Place in baking dish that has a small amount of water on the bottom (it will keep the peppers from sticking and keep them moist).
3. Brown the ground beef with the onion and garlic, crumbling the meat. Season with salt, pepper and a couple of dashes of Italian seasoning. Drain beef mixture.
4. Mix beef mixture, rice, parmesan cheese and almost all of spaghetti sauce in a bowl. Stuff an equal amount of filling into each pepper. Top with a spoonful of sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on each pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and continue to bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
**What I Would Do Differently**
The peppers were still pretty raw when they came out of the oven, so next time I would boil them quickly to get them started before stuffing them and baking them.
