Balsamic & White Wine Roasted Vegetable Pasta

I have enjoyed following this blog lately and found this post that looked so good. I made it for dinner tonight and we all really enjoyed it.

Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli(cut into florets)
1 lbs brussels sprouts(halved)
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t montreal seasonings
olive oil
1/2 of a yellow onion, chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T butter
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
12 oz penne pasta, cooked

Preheat oven to 425. Place brussels sprouts on baking sheet and toss with a little olive oil and the garlic powder. Roast for 30 minutes, turning after 15 minutes. Place the broccoli florets on another baking sheet and toss with olive oil and montreal seasoning. Add to the oven when you are turning the brussels sprouts and roast for 15 minutes. So the brussels sprouts end up roasting for 30 and the broccoli for 15. While the veggies are roasting cook the onions until soft( about 5 minutes) and then add the garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes and then add the wine, balsamic, and butter. Simmer and reduce. Add roasted veggies, sundried tomatoes to wine sauce and toss with cooked penne. Sprinkle with parmesan and enjoy!

Sour cream muffins with poppy seed streusel

I came across this recipe last night and realized I had all the ingredients on hand. So this morning James and I made them since we had a lazy snow day today. They were also the perfect thing to deliver to our neighbors for shoveling our driveway. :)
James and Todd gave them 2 thumbs up! Todd asked, "When can you make these again?" I subbed yogurt for the sour cream and I bet you could use lemon rind rather than orange and that would be good too!


Sour cream muffins with poppy seed streusel, by Cooking Light
Ingredients
Streusel:
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
Muffins:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 (8-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
Cooking spray
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.

To prepare streusel, combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.

To prepare muffins, lightly spoon 2 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine buttermilk and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a small bowl; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 15 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 375° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove muffins from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Caramelized Onion & BBQ Quesadillas

This is one of our favorite uses for leftover chicken or shredded beef.
Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
your favorite bbq sauce. We like Sweet baby Rays with these.
leftover meat, chicken or shredded beef
shredded cheese of your choice
whole wheat tortillas

The most time consuming part of this recipe is caramelizing onions which takes about 25-30 minutes. I start out with a little olive oil in a skillet at med-high heat. Add the onions and stir frequently. As they start to caramelize you can turn down the heat and add a little honey/sugar to increase the caramelization. Once they are done, set aside and let cool for a few minutes. You can even make these ahead and store in the fridge for a few days in advance.

Now it is time to build your quesadilla. Start with a tablespoon of bbq sauce. Then add your meat, cheese and caramelized onions. Cook in a skillet or quesadilla maker.

Coconut Bread

This recipe is from Tyler Florence. It yields 1 loaf.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Toast the coconut on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes stirring frequently for even browning. Let cool.

Increase oven temp to 375. In one bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest. Pour in coconut milk and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together. Gently folded in the toasted coconut. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Peppermint Bark Fudge Chewies

This recipe is adapted from the Dec 2010 Costco Connection magazine. Costco makes some yummy peppermint bark!
Ingredients
1 20 oz package brownie mix (I used ghiradelli)
2 T flour
8 T butter, melted
2 eggs
1-1 1/2 cups chopped peppermint bark

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine brownie mix, flour, melted butter, and eggs. Fold in the peppermint bark. Using a scoop or spoon, drop cookie dough by generous tablespoons or 1-inch balls about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes and let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before cooling on a wire rack. This makes about 4 dozen cookies.

French Dip Sandwiches

Jami made these back in December and they were fabulous. I knew I had to try them myself, plus I love the crockpot. It is so nice coming home to dinner at the end of the day! This recipe is adapted from All recipes.

Ingredients
1 (4 pound) boneless beef roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
Remove and discard all visible fat from the roast. Place trimmed roast in a slow cooker. Add all ingredients on top of roast and add enough water to almost cover roast. Cover, and cook on Low heat for 10 to 12 hours, or until meat is very tender.
Remove meat from broth, reserving broth. Shred meat with a fork, and distribute on bread for sandwiches. Used reserved broth for dipping.