Scalloped Asparagus and Potatoes

I’m all about the scalloped recipes lately.  I think it is because it is cheesey and comforting.  We have been getting a lot of asparagus in our CSA and this was a great recipe to use it in. 

I took some tasty potatoes, sliced, and steamed them.

Then, I took the asparagus, sliced it, and lightly boiled it.

Once that was all done I got to work on the scallions.  I sauteed them in olive oil until they were soft and smelled delicious.

Then, I added in the flour, milk, and cheese!

I let it cook down until it was coating the spoon.

At that point, I added in the spices and seasonings.  

Once I mixed in the potatoes and asparagus, I poured it into a buttered dish, topped it with more cheese, and sprinkled it with scallions.

Once it was baked up, WOW!  Delish!

This post was shared on Fat Tuesday!

Cheesey Beaney Chili Pie

I have had this recipe saved since January and I am just now getting to it.  Does anyone else ever do that?  Every so often I really need to go through all the recipes I have marked to try and make a few!  This one was pretty easy and verrrrrry tasty.

First, I had to make chopped meat.  I put about 3/4 lb of meat in the food processor…

…and chopped it!

While it was in the food processor, I melted tallow in our cast iron skillet.

I browned the meat and set it aside.

Since the skillet still had tallow in it, I added in onions, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes.

When the onions were soft, I added the beef back in, along with 3 cups of red beans, a smidge of tomato paste, and 1 1/2 cups of diced tomatoes.

When all of the flavors were combined, I added one HUGE shredded potato.

After a sprinkling of salt, I added lots and lots of shredded cheese.  I used up all of the bits and pieces of cheese that were in the fridge.

 It baked in the oven for 20 minutes at 400*, and then we threw it under the broiler to brown it up.  

I loved almost everything about it.  The only thing I would tweak would be the potatoes.  I didn’t like the way they cooked up.  I think next time I would add some fat to the potatoes so they crisped up a bit more.  All in all, I would say it was a success!

This post was shared on Real Food Wednesday!

Leftover Veggie Frittata

There are a few recipes I keep in my back pocket for the nights that I feel like the fridge is empty or my creativity is gone.  One of my favorite is a frittata, or as we call it, a free-tot.  It is so easy!

This time, I started by cooking onions, garlic, and scallions in butter.  I used my favorite enameled cast iron pan.  It makes me so happy to cook in it!

When they were soft and fragrant, I added in lots of thiiiiiiinly sliced potatoes, a little olive oil, and some salt. 

After about 10 minutes they were cooked, so I added in some torn rainbow chard leaves.

When the were wilted, I poured 6 eggs over the top.

It went into the oven and baked at 350* for 35 minutes.  

When it came out of the oven, I shredded some sage infused raw milk cheddar on top and sprinkled on some more scallions.

Check out how good it looked!  Trust me, it tasted even better.

This was shared on Real Food Wednesday!

Celery and Potato Gratin

For some reason I ended up with lots of celery in the fridge.  That, along with a bunch of other things I had lying around the kitchen, became the side dish for the steak-n-kale salad I posted about on Monday.  

I made this in two parts.  First I made the breadcrumb topping and then I made the veggie mix.  It was good, because I was able to do it all in one dutch oven, but it had a down side. The topping was so good I kept snacking on it!

This recipe started the way most do (at least in my world).  I chopped a bunch of onions and sauteed them.

 When they were soft, I added in butter, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, and salt.  

 Then, I added in a few pieces of torn up toast. 

I added more olive oil and butter until it was brown and toasty.  

The topping was done.  It  was all scooped out into a separate dish and I started work on the veggies.  The celery was sliced and added to the dutch oven with chicken stock, salt, and rosemary.

When all the celery was softening, I added in a jar of cream of nothing soup and some more broth.

When it started to thicken, I added thinly sliced potatoes.

When the potatoes were coated with the sauce, I added in fresh scallions and shredded cheese.

Last, but not least, the bread crumb and onion topping was spooned on top and covered with shredded Parmesan cheese.

I baked it at 400* until it was dark brown and gooey.

 I know it doesn’t look to appetizing, but trust me, it was heavenly!

This post was shared on Real Food Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, and Fight Back Friday!

Stir Fry with an Unexpected Side

Hey, that title kind of rhymes!  A nice change from my love of alliteration.  Anyway, the stir-fry is pretty boring, the real star is the side dish.  

The stir fry is just:

Chicken

Red Pepper

Mushrooms

Bok Choy

… All cooked up together in nama shoyu, rice wine vinegar, and ginger.

The REAL star of this meal was the side dish.  Roasted sweet potatoes and pineapple!!

The were cut into bite-sized pieces, tossed with salt and olive oil, and roasted at 425* until they were lightly browned.

They were a delicious complement to the main dish. 

Carrot Potato Soup

Yet another warm and yummy soup for this chilly winter.  I have really been on a roll with making soups using the new immersion blender.  It’s so much fun!  This particular soup was just a mix of veggies we had lying around.  Onion and Garlic, of course…

and carrots and potatoes!

While I chopped them up, I defrosted 2 cups of chicken stock. 

When it was all melted, I added in all the veggies and some sea salt and let it all cook up.

When the veggies were nice and soft, I blended them all together with the immersion blender.

I stirred in some milk and butter to make it extra tasty!

This soup was a great way to use up extra veggies!

This post was shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop!

Sweet Potater-tots

MMmmmmmm…. Sweet potatoes!  I love ’em in any form, but this recipe was a new one for me.  Based upon this post at Fab Frugal Food, it is not only delicious, but also easy to make and freezer-friendly! 

I started out with 4 potatoes.  

 I sliced them up so they would fit into the food processor, but I didn’t peel them.  It is too much work and I kinda like the skins.  

Slowly, they were jammed into the food processor to be shredded.

FYI, I doubled the recipe right off the top.  It made for a LOT of shredded potatoes.  

Then, I baked the shreds in the oven to dry them out a bit.

While they baked, I gathered together some spices.  I also found some cornstarch and flour to help bind the lil’ tots together.  

When the shreds were a little drier, I threw them into a (much bigger!) bowl with the seasonings.  

John helped out by shaping the potato-spice mixture into little golf-ball sized tots.  We froze some just like that, and the rest we fried in coconut oil.  

Wow, wow, wow… and I am not talking about my lack of photography skills!  These little suckers were deeeeelish.  Bigger than traditional tater tots, and a bit sweet, these hit the spot.  Having a bunch ready to defrost and eat later is a bonus, too!

This post was featured on Tasty Tuesday at 33 Shades of Green!

I’m Back!

I haven’t been blogging much lately, and I’m sure you will understand why.  I spent the better part of last week in Florida meeting my best friend’s beautiful daughter!  Isn’t she perfect?!

Sigh.  I miss her already.  

While we mostly just lounged around, we did do a BIT of cooking.  What did we cook up?  Some yummy sauteed chicken!  

We sliced up some chicken breasts and mixed them together with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, salt, and pepper.  We sprinkled flour in to thicken it up and help it stick to the chicken. 

Once it was well-coated, we sauteed it on the stove until it was done but still juicy.  

What did we have on the side?

Baked Potato Fries!

It was a delicious meal with my best friend and her perfect little girl!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Always on the lookout for crockpot recipes that use ingredients we have on hand.  This recipe popped onto my radar recently, and it was perfect for me to tweak and use. 

I started off by chopping up 1 onion, 3 potatoes, 3 stalks of celery, 3 carrots, and some garlic cloves and throwing them into the crockpot. 

Then, I mixed about a pound and a half of grassfed stew beef with some flour, salt, and pepper. 

It went into the crockpot and I poured the liquids in.  What liquids, you ask?  

1 cup of tomato sauce and nearly 3 cups of red wine.

It cooked on low for about 7 hours.  Then, when it was almost ready, I mixed up 1/3 cup of flour with water to make a slurry, or thick mixture. 

I took a little of the liquid out of the crockpot and mixed it in.

It was mixed back into the crockpot to help it thicken up.  After about another 1/2 hour it was ready to serve.  

Served over rice?  DELISH!
This post was featured on Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS!

Spaghetti Squash

Some of the best meals are the simple ones.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love to spend time crafting complicated things like egg rolls or pop tarts.  But when life gets stressful, it is comforting that the easiest meals taste so good.  

Spaghetti squash is one of those quick easy meals that are a treat after a tough day.  I made it just last week.  First, grab a good sized spaghetti squash. 

Then, poke it.  The recipes I have read say that you only have to poke it once or twice.  I stab it all over.  

It is a great way to get your aggression, too.  Just so you know.  Anyway, stick it in a dish and into the oven at 375*.

When the skin is soft, let it cool and cut it open.  

Scoop out the seeds, and then the insides.  I like to eat it with butter and Parmesan Cheese… MMMMM!

I was really lucky last week.  John was awesome enough to make us some fries… FRIED IN COCONUT OIL!!  YUM!!

This post was featured on Simple Lives Thursday with GNOWFGLINS!