Beets! Roasted root vegetables

 

I never thought I'd actually like beets! My in-laws grew A LOT of beets this year, so we thought we'd try some. My husband and I have had them pickled before, but don't like it. He found this recipe for Roasted Root Vegetables, so we gave it a try. I was surprised by how good it was! Now, it's not my favorite dish ever, but I did really like it. We also grew some turnips, so we had to put some in. (That was a new vegetable for us this year too, which we like roasted, grilled, or sauteed with sausage.) The picture above is the finished dish, the one below is the before picture.  It sure is pretty!

 

You can see some canned beets in the background of this picture. My husband canned several jars for his mother, isn't he a nice son? We tried some of the canned ones too, they were NOT good. Funny how the cooking method makes such a difference! Do you like beets?

Super Easy Chicken Fajitas

I had an avocado on the counter that was getting soft, so I had to think of something to make.  My solution: chicken fajitas with sliced avocado on them!  I also used some chopped spinach in place of lettuce because that's what I had, and it has more vitamins in it.  Even Caleb had some in his (although I didn't tell him it wasn't lettuce).  Here's my quick recipe:

Super Easy Chicken Fajitas
2 chicken breasts, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced (or green)
1 packet of taco seasoning
olive oil
Tortillas, white or wheat
Toppings (avocado, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, spinach, olives, salsa, etc.)

Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium high, add chicken and cook until it's done.  Add onions and peppers and saute for a few more minutes until tender.  Turn the heat to medium and add seasoning packet.  Cook and stir for another minute or two until it's mixed well.  Serve in tortillas with desired toppings.

Homemade Bread from Scratch

Gotta love the smell of homemade bread baking!  I decided it would be fun to learn how to bake bread from scratch.  I have a bread machine, which I love, but I wanted to try to make bread that would be good for sandwiches.  Homemade bread is usually denser and crumblier, which isn't always good for a sandwich.  I found this recipe from Moonberry Farm.  I love that Julie titles it Our Daily Bread!  The taste is great, so I've been trying to tweak what I've been doing to make it rise better.  This weekend was my best attempt yet (of 3)! 

I was hoping that it would rise higher to be a taller loaf!  The first time I think my yeast was too old and it didn't rise much at all.  So, the second time I used a new jar of yeast and it rose great in the bowl, but after I punched it down and put it in the pans, it barely rose at all.  Because Julie mentioned in the recipe that she skips that step if she's rushed, I thought I'd skip it too and just put the bread in the pans right away to rise.  The loaves rounded on top, just above the edges of the pans, but somehow shrank some when I baked it...  So, anyone have any tips for me?

Our house temperature is about 65 degrees, but I let the loaves rise on top of the stove while the oven was on, so they were warmer.  Could the temperature be the culprit?

It did make a great pizza crust though!  I let the dough rise for about 20 minutes and then baked it right away.  After it cooled I wrapped it and threw it in the fridge.  Sunday after church it was quick and easy to add our toppings and pop it in the oven until the cheese melted.  Yum, I love pizza!

Linking up with Motivate Me Monday at Keeping It Simple!

California Medley Soup with Chicken

I have made this soup a few times for church functions and have had a few requests for the recipe, so here it is.  It's a delicious cheesy soup that is wonderful on a cold night with crusty bread.  The original recipe did not call for chicken, but we prefer it.  I usually omit the celery (just because I don't normally have it on hand) and add extra frozen veggies, like frozen carrots so I don't have to peel and chop them.  The recipe also calls for bouillon cubes, but I use a couple spoonfuls of Orrington Farms Chicken flavored soup base.  I never measure, just add some and then taste it.  Enjoy!

California Medley Soup with Chicken (makes 5 quarts)
1 qt. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 cup each: onions, celery, carrots
2 1/2 cups chopped potatoes
1 20 oz bag frozen broccoli and cauliflower
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 chicken breasts

Boil the chicken in the water until cooked through, remove chicken and skim the fat off.  Simmer in the water: bouillon cubes, onions, celery, potatoes, and carrots for 20 min.  Meanwhile, chop the chicken into bite size pieces.  Add frozen broccoli and cauliflower and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Add chicken, soup, and cheese, simmer until cheese is melted and all vegetables are tender.

Cajun Pasta

I had to post my recipe for Cajun Pasta.  It makes my husband very joyful, it's his favorite meal!  The thing I love about this recipe is that I can add or take away from all the veggies depending on what's in my fridge, or what's on sale at the store.  I made it a couple days ago without onion or asparagus, but I did add some green onions and chopped spinach (No one noticed).  I always change the spice combo too; I never measure anything!  Let me know if you try it and what combination's you come up with!

It was published in the Family Circle magazine, Sept 2008.  I was very excited to have my only original recipe published.  They even paid me $50.  This is the link to it on the RecipeZarr website: Cajun Pasta