Tastes Like Gold Smoothie

1 cup of carrots
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
1 TBL honey
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
ice cubes

First I softened the carrots in the microwave for about 4 minutes. Then I put them in the blender first and puréed them.

Really puree the carrots for a long long time, until it is not pulpy at all. Use some of the pineapple juice to make it smooth. Then finish with the rest of the ingredients.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

*Note: If asparagus aren't in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoon oil and ¼ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes.

1 pound fresh asparagus spears
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon light or dark brown sugar
1 pound penne pasta
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the asparagus spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and ¼ teaspoon of the salt and ¼ of the pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

While the asparagus roasts, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until the vinegar is reduced to about 3 tablespoons, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salted water until just done, 11-13 minutes. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Stir in the butter and vinegar mixture. Toss to combine well. Add in the asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt.

Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese for serving.

Serves 4-6

Recipe From: My Kitchen Cafe

Broccoli Cauliflower Chowder

The site mentioned that this makes a lot, so probably cut it in half for a small family. Also, it said 3 cups of whole milk still made a tasty soup.

4 T. butter
½ c. flour
½ T. chicken soup base (chicken bouillon)
1 c. whipping cream
2 c. whole milk
2 c. water
1 c. diced carrots
2 c. diced potatoes
1 c. diced celery
1 clove fresh minced garlic (I use fresh, but you could also use ½ tsp granulated garlic)
½ T. salt
½ T. Worcestershire sauce
½ c. finely chopped onions
½ T. butter
1 c. fresh broccoli
1 c. fresh cauliflower
Fresh parsley for garnish

Melt butter in a soup pot. Add flour and mix well.

Add chicken base, then slowly and steadily mix in the whipping cream, whole milk, and water. Bring to a low boil; then add carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce.

Cook for 45 minutes (I only cooked for 30 minutes because the carrots and potatoes were nearly fork tender at that point). Sauté onions in butter for 3 minutes and add to soup along with broccoli and cauliflower.

Cook another 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender. (When I say fork tender, I mean that the vegetables give only a little resistance when pierced with a fork. You would say they are mostly tender, but not soft.)

Makes 6 servings.

Recipe From: Sisters Cafe

Cauliflower with Pine Nuts and Bacon Recipe

1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
1/4 cup pine nuts (I will be trying this without nuts.)
1/4 pound bacon or pancetta, cut into batons
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
Lemon juice to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While the water is heating, toast the pine nuts in a dry sauté pan until lightly browned. Keep an eye on them, as pine nuts go from toasted to burnt quickly. Set the pine nuts aside when they are toasted.

Add the bacon to the pan and fry gently over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside with the pine nuts. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute on medium-high heat, then add the cauliflower, pine nuts, bacon, oregano and red pepper flakes. Toss to combine and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Do not let the garlic burn.

Turn off the heat and add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Recipe From: Simply Recipes

Breakfast Burritos

1-2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1 tsp olive oil
salt/pepper

4 large whole wheat tortillas (pictures are small ones and the goodness kept falling out--so go for the big size!!)
8 eggs
2-3 Tb milk
salt/pepper/red pepper flakes

grated pepper jack cheese/cheddar cheese
baby spinach leaves
fresh avocado slices

Start out with tossing the tomatoes and onion in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Roast in a 400 oven for 15 minutes. There is something amazing about roasting tomatoes. I think the flavor is wonderful with the caramelized onions.

While these are cooking start you scrambles eggs. Crack all the eggs in a bowl, add your seasoning and milk and whisk until well combined. pour into a saucepan and cook slowly at medium heat. Eggs cooked slowly have a wonderful texture and remember you have time with 15 minutes before your tomatoes are done! When the eggs are almost finished cooking remove from heat and they will finish cooking while you get the tortillas ready.

Heat the tortillas in a fry pan on the stove with a teeny tiny bit of butter, for just a few moments on each side. Then put the warm and toasted tortilla on a plate and put the desired amount of cheese down the middle. Spoon on some of your scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes and onion, spinach and top with slices of avocado. Fold in the ends and roll up burrito style. Enjoy!!

Corn Chowder

1 lb. bacon, cut into one-inch pieces (or less bacon, if you prefer, and I do)
1 onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, cut into cubes
2 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cans of canned corn, with water (I've used creamstyle corn too)
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. water
Paprika

Brown bacon in large pot. Let drain on paper towel. Drain all but 2 tbs of bacon grease. Brown the onion in bacon grease. Add the chopped potatoes, 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add corn with liquid and canned milk. Mix 1/4 cup flour in 1/2 cup of water until smooth. Add to soup. Add the bacon and sprinkle with paprika.

Makes about 6 servings

Recipe From: Sympley Good Recipes

Zuchini Red Onion Flatbread

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough
3/4 cup cream cheese
to taste: dill, pepper, garlic salt, italian seasoning, etc.
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 small red onion, cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
1 zucchini (yellow or green), cut into 1/8 inch thick rounds
3 T. chopped fresh parsley or your favorite herbs
olive oil

Chop veggies. prepare dough. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine cream cheese with dill, garlic salt, and other desired seasonings.

Brush a large baking sheet with olive oil, and stretch dough out in the pan.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough, sprinkle with parmesan.

Arrange 1 row of zucchini slices down 1 long side of the dough. arrange onion rounds in a row alongside zucchini. repeat until all is used. brush vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with s + p.

Bake until puffy and golden brown, about 24 minutes. sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Recipe From: Sisters Cafe

Bacon Ranch Zucchini Kebabs

1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch slices then quartered
1 large yellow squash, also quartered
pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons of Bacon drippings
1/2 teaspoon dry Ranch seasoning

Place all quartered zucchini and yellow squash into a large bowl. Season with salt, pepper, bacon drippings and Ranch seasoning. Mix to combine then alternate zucchini and yellow squash quarters onto skewers, about 8 total. Place onto grill and grill about 2 minutes per side. Remove and serve

Broccoli Bacon Salad

SALAD:
2 heads fresh broccoli, washed and cut into bite-size flowerets
½ cup chopped red onion
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup slivered almonds
½ cup roasted sunflower seeds
½ – 1 cup crumbled bacon (approx. 6 to 8 slices for 1/2 cup and 12-16 slices for 1 cup) * I like mine with lots of bacon!

DRESSING:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

If your local grocery store sells ingredients in a bulk bin, what I like to do is buy just what I need for 1 recipe. It’s often cheaper and you have no waste afterwords. Bulk bins are great for dried cranberries, nuts, sunflower seeds, etc. Most butcher cases also sell thick-quality bacon in bulk. Just tell them what you need!

Add broccoli, red onions, cranberries, almonds and sunflower seeds to a large bowl. Next, make the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the broccoli salad and mix thoroughly. Transfer salad to a large plate or serving bowl. Finish the salad off by garnishing with the crumbled bacon. If you prefer a bacon free version, omit bacon and garnish with ¼ of cranberries and ¼ of slivered almonds. Enjoy!

Serves 8-10
Recipe From: Sweet Savory Life

Wisconsin Cauliflower Soup

Found this recipe today. Nate ate at Zupas and had this soup. He said it was awesome, so I'm going to try and make it. And fresh bread, apparently. And bacon. He put bacon in it. They asked him, "Do you want bacon?" And he loves bacon. Bacon makes everything better.

When I made this it turned out a little bland. Salt and pepper helped, and I will be adding more pepperjack cheese when I reheat the leftovers. Nate and I are pondering what else we could add that would give it a little more flavor.... I think that cooking the onions in bacon grease instead of butter, and then adding some bacon at the end would help.

2 tablespoons margarine or butter (1/4 stick)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 can (13 3/4 to 14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 head (2 1/2 pounds) cauliflower, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I just used regular mustard and it was fine)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup pepper jack cheese

In 4-quart saucepan, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in flour and salt; cook 2minutes, stirring frequently. Gradually stir in milk, chicken broth, and 1 1/2 cups water; add cauliflower and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 10 minutes. In blender (with center part of blender cover removed to allow steam to escape), blend cauliflower mixture at low speed in small batches until very smooth. Return cauliflower mixture to saucepan; heat over medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Remove saucepan from heat; stir in mustard and 1 1/2 cups cheese until melted and smooth. Garnish soup with remaining cheese to serve.

Recipe From: Just Cook Already

Mom's Sloppy Joes

My mom is awesome, especially at cooking. But trying to get a recipe out of her is like pulling teeth. There are so many great things that she makes that she just "puts stuff in until it tastes right." Grrr. Here's my best attempt at her sloppy joes.

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. veggies—carrots, celery, onion—chopped super small so they are about the same size as the ground beef
(These amounts can be doubled or whatever depending on how much you want to make. I just try to use equal parts meat and veggies. Or even more veggies than meat just because I can.)
ketchup
brown sugar
lemon juice
mustard

Brown the ground beef, drain. While meat is cooking sauté the vegetables until soft. Add some ketchup to the veggies to keep them from burning if you like. Or some olive oil. Combine meat and veggies in large pot or crock pot. Add ketchup until desired consistency is reached (well, a little more soupy than desired since they will cook down). Add brown sugar until desired sweetness is reached. Add a bit of lemon juice and mustard to brighten up the flavor. The longer you let everything simmer together on the stove or in the crock pot the better the flavors will combine and the softer the veggies will be. Serve on hamburger buns.

This freezes really well and is a great meal to have in the freezer for days when life just isn't going your way.

Tangy Broccoli Salad

1 bunch (6 cups) cut broccoli (wash, rinse, drain)
6-10 cooked and crumbled bacon strips
1/2 cut-up red onion
1/4 cup craisins (or raisins)
1/2 cup salty sunflower seeds
1/2-1cup grated monterey jack cheese

Dressing:
1cup miracle whip
3 TB sugar
2 TB vinegar

Mix and pour over broccoli mixture. Mix thoroughly. Refrgerate at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Chicken Chowder

1 pkg bacon
1 onion chopped
1 cup water
10-12 potatoes
3 lbs chicken tenders
2 cans corn (undrained)
2 cans evaporated milk
2 cans water
4 cans cream of potatoe soup
2% milk
2 tablespoons parsley
Salt and pepper

Cut bacon into 1-2 inch strips and fry in a stock pan until crisp. Meanwhile, put chicken tenders in pot and cover with water adding salt, pepper and garlic- cook until done.

Also, cook potaoes whle in pan of water (like with funeral potatoes but I peeled them first).

When bacon is crisp drain off most of the grease but cook chopped onions and 1 cup water in same stock pot with crisp bacon and drippings. Stir in 2 cans evaporated milk and rinse the cans with water for the 2 cans of water listed above. Add 4 cans cream of pototoe soup and rinse each can out with water, adding a little more water to the soup base.

Stir in chicken tenders cut into chunks with broth. Chop up the precooked potatoes and add to chowder. Add corn. Add 2% milk for chowder consistancy with parsley and salt and pepper.

Note: this makes lots! It filled the pot I use to cook corn on the cob in. Probably want to 1/2 the recipe for family use.

Corn Casserole

1 can cream-style corn
1 can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 (8 oz.)carton sour cream
1 box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 T sugar
1 egg (beaten)
1 stick butter

Mix all together in a large casserole dish. Bake @ 350 for 1 hr. or until golden. Onion, celery, green pepper and/or cheese may be added if desired.

Recipe from: Gina Moran

Seasoned Red Potatoes

12-14 small red potatoes - scrubbed and cut into 1 inch cubes. (I used about 6-8 bigger red potatoes)
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Place potatoes in ungreased 9x13 glass baking dish. In a bowl, combine oil, butter, and seasonings. Drizzle over potatoes. Bake uncovered 350 for 50 minutes to an hour, or until tender. Stir every 15 minutes.

Zucchini Mozzarella Medley

3 c. sliced zucchini
1 c. sliced onion (I just sprinkled on a little onion powder because I didn't want to cut up any onion.)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tomato, cut into 12 wedges (I just threw in some halved cherry tomatoes because that's what I had from the garden.)
4 oz. mozzarella (I just threw on some cheese, kind of a lot of cheese, because I thought Nate would like it better that way.)

Sauté vegetables and seasonings in oil in large skillet until crisp/tender (about 5 minutes). Gently stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Remove from heat. Serve after cheese melts.

Roasted Bell Pepper Soup

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 red bell peppers
4 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon white sugar
6 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
1 dash hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sour cream

Roast peppers: rub oil on peppers and put them under the broiler until blackened, turn to get all sides. Put into paper bag and seal. Let rest for 15 minutes, then peel will come right off and core and seeds will fall out. Chop peppers. Reserve one chopped pepper; set aside.

Heat olive oil over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato, bell peppers (except reserved), thyme, paprika, and sugar. Cook over medium-low heat until all the tomato juices have evaporated, about 25 minutes.

Stir in chicken stock, salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce (if using). Bring to boiling, lower heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Strain soup, reserving broth. Place solids in food processor or blender, and process until fairly smooth. Add puree back into broth.

Melt butter and stir in the flour, cook for 1 minute. Stirring slowly, add the broth/vegetable mixture. Add reserved chopped pepper and bring to boiling. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes.

Ladle into bowls and add 1 tablespoon of sour cream to each bowl. For a lighter soup, this is also delicious without the sour cream.

Recipe from: Allrecipes

Butternut Squash Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 (32 fluid ounce) container chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.

Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe from: Allrecipes

Broccoli Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 (10 ounce) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
2 potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in broccoli, potato, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

With a hand mixer or in a blender, puree the mixture until smooth. Return to the saucepan, and reheat. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Serve with some grated cheese (especially if you are serving Nate).

This recipe is really versatile. Tonight I made it with an extra potato, a chopped up zucchini, several handfuls of fresh spinach, and however much broccoli I dumped in. And I had a little evaporated milk, so I threw that in. And a little crushed red pepper. Once it was all blended up no one could tell that I had added other veggies. I also sprinkled a little season salt in each bowl as I served it. It was awesome. Go me.

Recipe from: Allrecipes, adapted by me