Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate-Balsamic Glaze

 This was AMAZING!!!  Perfect Christmas side dish :)

INGREDIENT

For the glaze:

• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 2/3 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

For the Brussels sprouts:

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 to 2/3 cup pomegranate arils

METHOD

1 Make the glaze: Combine the pomegranate juice, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the liquid simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until reduced to a syrupy glaze that coats the spoon. Stir occasionally. You should have about 2/3 cup of pomegranate balsamic glaze when done. (Once cool, store the glaze in the refrigerator for up to a month.)

2 Preheat oven to 375F. Move the oven racks to the upper third and lower third positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

3 Roast the Brussels sprouts: Trim the ends of the Brussels sprouts and slice them in half. Chop very large sprouts into quarters. Toss with the olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Divide the sprouts between 2 baking sheets and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.

4 Toss the sprouts with the glaze: Let the Brussels sprouts cool for a few minutes before tossing them with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the pomegranate balsamic reduction and the pomegranate arils. Taste and add more glaze if you like. Serve immediately.

Chili-lime Mango Chicken Skewers

 We had VERY ripe mangoes so they got a little burnt and didn't taste the best...BUT this would have been delicious with the right mangoes hahaha.  We made this with cilantro pineapple rice :)

Ingredients

6 tablespoons olive oil
Zest of 1 lime
¼ cup fresh lime juice (about 2–3 large limes)
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (double that if you like spicy things!)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
3–4 ripe but firm *large* mango,  peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

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Instructions

If you’re using wooden/bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before you use them.

In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, chili powder, cayenne, salt and sugar. Place in a bowl, or zip-top bag  and add the chicken and mangoes, stirring gently to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Prepare grill (or indoor grill pan) to medium heat.

Remove the chicken and mangoes from the marinade and thread onto skewers, alternating the pieces and dividing them evenly.

*When you’re making any type of skewer, make sure not to smash everything together tightly. In order for the food to cook thoroughly and evenly, it needs a little room! The pieces threaded on should just barely touch each other.

Arrange the skewers on the grill and cook, turning until the chicken is nicely charred and cooked through, 6-10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Pesto and Mozarella

 I forgot a pic but this was delicious and a fun twist to cauliflower!!!

Ingredients

·       1 head cauliflower

·       extra virgin olive oil

·       kosher salt and black pepper

·       6 tablespoons pesto

·       1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

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Instructions

1.    Place a metal cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 425.

2.    Remove leaves from cauliflower and cut off stem. Using a large knife, slice vertically through cauliflower in 3/4-inch slices. Save crumbled florets for another use. Generally you can get 3-4 steaks from a medium head of cauliflower.

3.    Brush each cauliflower steak with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Carefully remove hot baking sheet from oven. Place cauliflower oil-side-down on the pan. Lightly brush the remaining sides with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper and return pan to oven.

4.    Roast for about 12 minutes and then carefully flip. Roast for an additional 7-8 minutes or so. Tops should be browned and crisp on the edges, cauliflower should look tender. Remove pan and spread some pesto on each steak and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven just until cheese is melted (a minute or so should do it.) If desired, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top before serving.

 

Roasted Grape and Brie Pizza

 This was pretty good -- not AMAZING like I wanted it to be, but I would have again!!  Just not a good meal for leftovers hahaha

Ingredients

·       2 cups grapes

·       1 tablespoon olive oil

·       kosher salt (about 1/4 teaspoon)

·       1/2 tablespoon finely minced rosemary

·       Neapolitan style pizza dough

·       1 wedge brie cheese

·       extra fresh minced rosemary

·       Additional olive oil and kosher salt.

·       optional: balsamic, or balsamic reduction

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Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Place grapes on a baking sheet, drizzle olive oil over grapes and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary and bake for (20-30 minutes) 25 minutes, until grapes start to burst and caramelize. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

3.    Stretch pizza dough out onto your prepared peel. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt. Slice brie (with or without the rind, I prefer it without) and place on crust. Dot with grapes. Sprinkle with a little extra rosemary and bake using one of the methods outlined in the pizza dough post.

4.    After the pizza cooks, if desired, drizzle with additional olive oil and/or balsamic.

Quick and Easy Herb-Butter Penne with Salmon

 This was delicious - love finding ways to make salmon that doesn't taste too fishy.  Kiddos loved this too!!!

Ingredients:

1 lb. salmon fillets
1/4 c. salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
8 oz. penne pasta
3/4 c. mashed Oven Roasted Tomatoes

Preheat grill to medium or the oven to 425. If cooking in the oven, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside

 

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

 

While the water is heating, rinse the salmon fillets and pat dry. Set aside.

 

In a small bowl, combine butter, garlic, parsley, oregano, and basil. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of the butter mixture. Spread the remaining 2 Tbsp. over the salmon. Place the salmon on the baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the oven.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain and then return to the pan. Add the reserved butter, mashed tomato, and toss to combine. Place the pasta in individual bowls and then top with a piece of salmon. Serve immediately.

Santa Hat Martini - Pomegranate Martini

 This was delicious and such a cute idea for Christmas!!  Could have drank these all night long!!

Ingredients

·      1.5 OZ. Pama Liqueur

·      1 OZ. Vodka

·      .5 OZ. Cointreau

·      1.5 OZ. Cranberry Juice

·      Combine all ingredients into a martini shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a martini glass.

Spicy Honey Whole Roasted Chicken

This was AMAZING!!!!  This tasted so great and was so easy to make!!!  This is a favorite for us!!!

Ingredients

4lb box Ice Cream/Rock Salt
3-5lb whole chicken, insides removed and cavity rinsed
1 whole lemon
big handful fresh parsley
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon Bacon Extra Virgin, or oil of your choice
2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 9×13 baking dish with foil and empty entire box of salt into it, spreading out in an even layer.  Cut lemon in half and stuff inside cavity, along with garlic and parsley.  Rub chicken with olive oil.  Combine all spices in a bowl and then sprinkle over chicken, rubbing in on all sides.  

Place chicken on top of salt, breast-side down and bake for 40 minutes.  Flip chicken over and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 in the thickest part of the breast.  Remove from oven and tent with foil for 5 minutes.  Combine honey and vinegar.  Use a silicone brush to brush glaze over chicken and then slice.  Use any extra glaze, and that accumulated on your cutting board, to drizzle back over the cut chicken.

Easy Weeknight Chili

 This was easy and delicious!!  The boys loved it too :)

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (I use 10% lean)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3–4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 can light kidney, black, or pinto beans, drained

1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 15-ounce can beef broth or equivalent concentrated beef bouillon dissolved in 15 oz. water

TOPPINGS: pepperjack cheese, saltines, cheezits, green onions

 

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and green pepper and cook, stirring frequently. When the meat is cooked about halfway, add the seasonings and stir to coat the meat completely.

When the meat has cooked completely, add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Garnish with desired toppings.

Shrimp Scampi

This always reminds me of my Dad and the boys actually picked this for dinner tonight so they made it all themselves :)  Turned out yummy!!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine or broth
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
•  Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 ¾ pounds large or extra-large shrimp, shelled
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
•  Freshly squeezed juice of half a lemon
•  Cooked pasta or crusty bread    

• PREPARATION

  1. In a large skillet, melt butter with olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wine or broth, salt, red pepper flakes and plenty of black pepper and bring to a simmer. Let wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add shrimp and sauté until they just turn pink, 2 to 4 minutes depending upon their size. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve over pasta or accompanied by crusty bread.

Italian Sausage Flatbread Pizza

 This was delicious and quick to make!!!  The boys weren't huge fans so made them a pepperoni/sausage pizza!!

Ingredients

2 large Naan loaves (like 1 8.8 ounce package of Stonefire Naan)
1/4 cup pesto (I like the fresh stuff that you get in the deli section of the grocery store rather than the shelf-stable pesto in jars; you can also make your own!) mixed with 2–3 tablespoons of water (enough to get a nice drizzling consistency)
1/2 pound Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked
1 small zucchini, halved and thinly sliced
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
About 1/2 cup pizza sauce (we love this recipe!)
Ricotta cheese to taste (about 1/4-1/3 cup will probably do)

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a baking sheet with foil, place flatbreads on the sheet, and set aside.

If you haven’t cooked your sausage yet, crumble it into the pan and cook completely. When the sausage is done cooking, remove the sausage from the pan, but leave about 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan. Cook the zucchini over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, just enough for it to soften. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt and pepper.

While the sausage is cooking, spread pizza sauce on the flatbreads. Top with the sausage, zucchini, and shredded mozzarella. Bake in preheated oven for 5-6 minutes or until the cheese is melted but not burned.

Remove the pan from oven. Add a few dollops of ricotta cheese evenly distributed over the pizzas. Drizzle with pesto. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pastry Pockets

We had some time at the cabin to make a new recipe and this was DELICIOUS!!!  Reminded us a little of Chicken in Crescent Roll - I will make this again for sure!!!

Ingredients

·       1 box puff pastry (2 sheets)

·       1 8oz container Philadelphia Chive and Onion flavor Cream Cheese

·       1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

·       1 1/2 cup cooked shredded chicken breast

·       1/3 cup cooked crumbled bacon

·       3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes

·       1 egg

·       1 tablespoon water

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Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.    Warm cream cheese in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to soften. Place in a mixing bowl with mozzarella cheese, chicken, bacon, and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and set aside.

3.    Defrost puff pastry sheets according to package directions. Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll one sheet at a time into a 12 x 12 inch square. Cut 4, 3 inch strips each direction to make 16 squares, 3 x 3″ each.

4.    Place about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture onto each square. With your finger, brush a dab of water around the edges of each square and fold over diagonally to make a triangle. Press edges together and crimp with a fork to seal.

5.    After stuffing and folding each pastry, place on a baking sheet. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water together and brush over the top of each pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Can also be served at room temperature.

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Notes

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS

·       Follow directions through egg wash. Place baking sheet in the freezer. When pastries are solid to the touch, transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer. When ready to bake, place frozen pastries directly on a baking sheet in preheated 400 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden.

BBQ Ranch Salad

This is now my FAVORITE salad!!  It was SO delicious!!!  The whole crew loved it and can't wait for leftovers!!

Ingredients

·       leftover BBQ (such as bbq chicken, steak, or pork). We used this

·       1–2 heads romaine, clean and chopped/torn

·       2–3 ears corn on the cob

·       2 large tomatoes, diced

·       1 bell pepper, diced

·       1/2 red onion diced or sliced thin

·       1–2 avocados, diced or sliced

·       1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

·       1 package french fried onions (or make your own)

·       chopped cilantro, optional

·       Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

·       BBQ Sauce

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Instructions

Slice leftover BBQ meat, or grill up your choice of BBQ meat.

Corn:  If using leftovers, simply slice off the cob.  You can add it to the salad warm or cold!  If using un-cooked, cut off the cob and saute in a pan with a pat of butter for 4-5 minutes until golden.  You can also defrost fresh frozen corn from a bag.

For Dressing:  You may enjoy just our classic Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, as-is!  OR try my BBQ Ranch by placing 1 cup of ranch dressing in a bowl and whisking in your favorite BBQ sauce 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go until you like it best. (Pro Tip:  This makes for a really great dipping sauce for fries, as well.)

Arrange greens in bowls.  Add BBQ meat and vegetables on top.  Sprinkle with french fried onions and top with dressing.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

This is DELICIOUS!!!  Ross said this should be used with everything!!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon dry mustard

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Instructions

1. Combine mayo and buttermilk in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Add all seasonings and whisk to combine. Add additional buttermilk if desired for consistency. (see note below) For best results, let chill for an hour or more for flavors to intensify. Store in a lidded container in the fridge.

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Notes

Note: Different mayonnaise brands produce different consistencies in this recipe. I have purposely kept the amount of buttermilk called for quite low to allow you to add more depending on the consistency. For me, about 2/3 cup buttermilk seems to be perfect, but that same amount is sometimes incredibly thick or incredibly thin for others. So just keep that in mind. Mix everything together and then add more buttermilk until it’s perfect for you.

Note: all spices and herbs listed below are dried. If substituting fresh, use the ratio 1 part dry = 3 parts fresh.

Apple Cider Smoked Pulled Pork

This was amazing!!  I love when I can find a recipe that lets Rossy use his smoker :)  We all inhaled this!!

Ingredients

·       7–9 lb bone-in pork butt/shoulder roast

RUB

·       4 tablespoons brown sugar

·       1 tablespoon garlic powder

·       1 tablespoon onion powder

·       1 tablespoon kosher salt

·       1/2 tablespoon pepper

·       1.5 tablespoons smoked paprika

·       2 teaspoons dry mustard

·       1 tablespoon coriander

·       1 tablespoon chili powder

SPRAY

·       1/2 cup apple cider

·       1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

BRAISING

·       2 cups apple cider

·       3–4 sweet, crisp red apples, peeled and sliced

·       2 onions, sliced

SAUCE

·       1 cup ketchup

·       1/2 cup apple jelly

·       1/4 cup apple cider

·       1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

·       1 teaspoon liquid smoke

·       1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

·       1 teaspoon chili powder

·       1/2 teaspoon onion powder

·       1 cup pan juices from roast (fat separated)

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Instructions

1.      Pat roast dry. Combine all rub ingredients and pat on all sides of roast, rubbing in well. Cover roast and let sit overnight in the fridge.

2.      When ready to cook, preheat smoker to 225 degrees and smoke roast directly on grill for 5 hours. While cooking, combine spray ingredients in a clean spray bottle and spritz roast all over once every hour.

3.      While roast is smoking, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together in a pan. Set aside until pan juices are ready.

4.      After smoking, transfer your roast to either your slow cooker (if it will fit, remember you have more stuff going in there!) or a roasting pan, or disposable roasting pan (if you’ll continue cooking on the smoker.)

5.      Place apples, onions, and 2 cups apple cider around the roast in the roasting pan. Cover with lid, or tightly with foil. Cook in slow cooker on high for 6-7 hours (or low for more like 8-10 if you want/need to drag it out, overnight for example.) If you are cooking in the oven, set temperature to 275 degrees. In the smoker, you can increase temperature to 275 as well. Cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210 degrees, usually about 6-7 hours.

6.      Let pork rest, covered for at least 15 minutes (longer is just fine) before discarding bones, separating fat, etc.

7.      Pour pan juices into a fat separator. Pour 1 cup of juices into your BBQ sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes until slightly thickened.

8.      Pour a little of the remaining juices over shredded pork. Use a slotted spoon to grab the onions and apples and mix them in with the pork. Serve alone or on rolls or over rice. Freezes great! Excellent on nachos, pizzas, and more.

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Notes

·       If you don’t have a smoker, you can cook the entire recipe in the oven. Simply discard the smoking step and instead rub the roast with the spices, sear in a pan, and then place directly in a roasting pan or slow cooker with cider, apples and onions and cook until internal temperature reaches 200-210. (I would plan on 8-10 hours) To add the smoky flavor, add 1 tablespoon liquid smoke with the cooking liquid.

·       You could also easily use a smaller, boneless pork shoulder roast, which cooks much faster, simply use as much of the rub as you need, you’ll have extra.