Cooked Corn~by Kelsey

Easy, different, and good.

Ingredients:
Bag of frozen corn (around 14-16 oz)
2 tablespoons of butter
Parmesan Cheese (around 1/3 cup)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika

Melt the butter in a sauce pan.  Add the frozen corn.  Stir and cook for about 6-7 minutes.  Add the seasonings.  Mix.  Add the cheese, stir to melt a little.  Serve warm.

Roasted Veggie Sticks ~ by Sarah

This is a Pinterest recipe and Wes and I are addicted!  I wish the kids loved them as much as we do, but it doesn't stop me from making them.  I eat these sticks like candy!  I'm copying and pasting the recipe exactly as the Pinterest person wrote it.  But I always use seasoning salt, freshly cracked pepper, sea salt, and smoked paprika.  Don't be stingy with the seasonings!  They absorb!

Ingredients:
carrots (not peeled)
**zucchini

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Cut your veggies into 3-inch sticks, making sure they are even in thickness.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper (I don't do this) and a light layer of olive oil.
4. SEASON – go with the usual salt and pepper and branch out to one or two of the following (Choose Your Own Adventure-style): paprika, cumin, cayenne, crushed red peppers, thyme, rosemary, sage – really, whatever takes your fancy and suits your meal. Using premixed spice blends is a great option too – Italian, Mexican, Old Bay – you know, just not all at once. Lightly toss your vegetable batons with a tablespoon or so of olive oil (not too much) and the herbs and spices.
5. Spread your seasoned veggies over your lined tray and roast, tossing halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until golden and slightly browned at the edges.

**She mentions that any veggies will work with this method...

Make sure you let them cook until they start to caramelize.  You will not be disappointed!

Broccoli-Quinoa Casserole~by Kelsey

Another Pinterest find.  Even the kids like it!
http://eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/blast-from-the-past-with-a-new-twist/

Ingredients:

One 10 oz can condensed Cream of Broccoli soup (or mushroom)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (I will try Greek yogurt next time.)

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, colby-jack, etc)

1/2 teaspoon Splenda/sugar

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Dash freshly grated nutmeg

.
2 cups cooked broccoli

1 1/2 cups  COOKED quinoa (see note)

Feshly grated Parmesan cheese

.
To cook quinoa:

3/4 cup quinoa

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

 Rinse quinoa in a fine sieve until water runs clear.  In a small saucepan combine the quinoa, water, and salt.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for 18-20 minutes, or until fluffy and the white ring/tail is visible.  Fluff with a fork.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a shallow (8×8 in or 5-6 cups) casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine the soup, mayonnaise, milk, shredded cheese, Splenda, pepper, and nutmeg until well mixed. Stir in the quinoa and broccoli.
Spoon mixture into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle on a couple tablespoons of Parmesan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly on the edges and golden.  Makes 8 generous 1/2-cup servings.

Commissioner's Corn~by Kelsey

Another fine recipe from the Bring 'Em On Home cook book.  It's a really great cook book and I highly recommend it.

Ingredients:
30 oz frozen corn
2-8 oz packages cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 small can Jalapenos, or to taste (I used a full can, and it was very spicy.  I think I would recommend half a can.)

Combine all ingredients together in a crock pot and cook on low heat for about two hours.  Serve with crushed Ritz crackers on top.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts ~ by Sarah

I don't love Brussels sprouts. I can take them or leave them.  But Audrey has been begging to buy them whenever we go to the grocery store (I think she thinks they look like cute little lettuces), so I finally gave in and we bought a bag.  Sometimes steaming them makes them bitter, so I searched for a recipe and found one to try.  I got this from foodnetwork.com.  It appealed to be because I love roasting my asparagus and this looked a lot like it.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degreees.

Rinse Brussels sprouts well.

Cut ends off each sprout and peel off any yellow or loose leaves.

Toss oil and sprouts in bowl until well coated.

Add kosher salt to taste.  Sprinkle black pepper and mix well.

Pour on to shallow baking sheet and roast for about 30-40 minutes.  Shake the pan occasionally to brown the sprouts evenly.

I definitely liked these better than steamed Brussels sprouts.  I really liked the outer coating, so next time I do this I think I will cut each sprout in half so more of it is seasoned and crispy.

Oh, and Audrey ate one bite and didn't touch the rest!

Ranch Potatoes ~ by Kelsey

These are kinda like seasoned french fries, only I like to think that they are a little healthier since they are baked, not fried.

Ingredients:
About six red potatoes, cut into smallish pieces
Packet of Ranch dressing, the dry kind
About a tablespoon of olive oil

Cut up the potatoes and put them in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag.  Add the oil and the Ranch dressing packet.  Zip the bag and mix together with your hands.  Prepare a baking sheet (they can really stick, so I put down tin foil and then spray it liberally with cooking spray) and then spread the potatoes out in a single layer.  I am still experimenting with the cooking temperature.  It seems that about 350 degrees for about 40 minutes works, but it depends on how big the potato pieces are, so you just have to keep poking them with a fork until they feel soft.

Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Onions ~ by Kelsey

This is something we have literally EVERY night in the late summer.  We have so much zucchini from our garden that it's our regular side dish for months.  I recently noticed that you can actually buy zucchini in the winter at the store!  Ha ha!  Right next to it are some lovely-looking yellow squash.  Since I am longing for any reminder of summer, I decided to make this last night.

Ingredients:
Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Sweet Onions (I LOVE Walla Walla Sweets, but unfortunately this time of year I have to settle for other sweet varieties.)

Put just a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan over med-low heat.  Wash the produce and slice it.  Put it all in the pan and stir frequently, until the veggies are tender.