Roasted Vegetables

These veggies are so tasty and definitely a keeper!  However, they are tedious to make with having to chop all the veggies.  And squash is not easy to cut!  It all paid off in the end when I tasted these delicious veggies.  I could see making these in the summer to go with brats and burgers from the grill.  The original recipe came from allrecipes.com.  I altered it a little though and used suggestions from people who had reviewed this recipe.

Roasted Vegetables

1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 Yukon Gold potatoes ( I used russet potatoes)
1 red onion, quartered
1 tsp chopped thyme or 1TBSP fresh chopped thyme
2 tsp chopped Rosemary or 2 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice OR balsamic vinegar.  (I used lemon juice because I had it on hand.)
salt and pepper


In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.               

In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.               

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes at 475 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.               

Roasted Seasoned Cauliflower

I got this recipe out of a new cookbook I got called "Pillsbury Annual Recipes 2012."  This is the first thing I've made out of it so far, but it does seem to have a lot of good recipes.  The recipe is also on the Pillsbury website.  I'm going to try this recipe with broccoli or do a broccoli/cauliflower blend.


1 head cauliflower (1.5 lbs) divided into large florets (about 6 cups.)
4 tsp olive or canola oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp salt


Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a 15x10x1 inch pain with foil and spray with cooking spray.  Cut cauliflower florets into 1/2 inch slices.  Place in a 3 quart bowl.

In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Pour over cauliflower, tossing to coat cauliflower.  Spread in pan.

Roast uncovered 20-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes, until cauliflower is tender and slightly brown around the edges.

Honey-Mustard Glazed Carrots

This was a hit in our house, even with the kids!  I got this recipe is from a Pillsbury booklet or you can go on their website.

1 bag (1 pound) ready-to-eat baby carrots
2 TBSP honey
1 TBSP olive or canola oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 TBSP chopped fresh parsley.  (I used dried)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper


In a 2 pt saucepan, heat 1/2 cup water to boiling.  Add carrots.  Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes or until tender.  Drain.

In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients.  Add carrots; toss lightly to coat.

Rockin' Salsa

Today was the day!! I canned my first batch of salsa for the year!

This is my third year canning salsa. If you have never canned, it's not a hard thing to do but it can be time consuming depending on what you are canning. Canning salsa is a little more tedious and time consuming then something like pickles.

This is the recipe I've been using for the past three years.

It's versatile as in you can alter the onions and peppers you use as well as the amount of spices you put in. There's been times I only used yellow onions because that's what I had on hand. As for peppers, I usually use Anaheim peppers as well as the three green peppers. With this current batch I used some hot peppers my mom gave me from her garden. Sorry! I can't remember what kind they were. So you can adjust the peppers to the spice level you prefer. I also adjust the spices and add a little extra cumin and cayenne pepper because I like spice!

I'm going to post the recipe as written, but just keep in mind you can change it up a bit.



Rockin' Salsa

1 red onion, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 white onion, chopped

6 lbs fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped. If you have never peeled tomatoes, allrecipes has great step by step instructions here:

2 banana peppers, chopped
3 green bell peppers, chopped
18 oz tomato paste. I usually get a 12 oz and 6 oz can.
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
8 pint canning jars with lids and rings-I've only ever gotten 7 pints out of this recipe.
You will also need a canning pot and other supplies like a jar grabber and magnetic wand are also helpful.

1. Combine red onion, yellow onion, white onion, tomatoes, banana peppers, green peppers, tomato paste, white vinegar, garlic powder, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, brown sugar, and white sugar in a large pot. Simmer until thick, about 3 hours.

2. Sterilize the jars, lids, and rings in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. You can also do this in the dishwasher and just put the lids and rings in a small saucepan of boiling water. Pack the salsa in the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they been filled, to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top the jars with lids and screw on rings.

3. Fill the canning pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Start heating the water about an hour before it's needed. It takes quite a while to get this large amount of water to boil. Also keep it covered to contain the heat inside the pot. Carefully lower the jars into the pot using the jar grabber. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil. Process for 10-15 minutes.

4. Remove the jars and place onto a cloth or wood covered surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight. Refrigerate after opening.

Glazed Dijon Carrots

This is a good carrot recipe I came across last year on allrecipes. I typically make frozen veggies since they are so easy, but this recipe is worth the "extra" work. This recipe calls for baby carrots but I have made this using regular carrots as well.



Glazed Dijon Carrots



1 (16 oz) package of baby carrots.
1/2 cup water
3 TBSP butter or margarine
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt

In a saucepan, bring carrots and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 10-12 minutes or until carrots are tender. Drain. Place carrots in a serving dish and keep warm. In the same pan, melt butter. Add brown sugar, mustard, ginger and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Pour over carrots and toss to coat.