Roasted Asparagus

I'm a huge fan of any recipe that requires this little work. Seriously, it's so easy that I only took the one picture. I didn't feel it needed a step by step photo guide since there aren't that many steps.

I used to blanch asparagus or steam it, but since I discovered this method I really prefer it roasted. The flavor of the asparagus is concentrated rather than leeching out into the cooking liquid and it takes on the flavor of the seasonings so much better. This is the simplest way to roast asparagus but it still leaves room for some creativity. Season it however you like and even add a little onion if you like onions. Try it for yourself and hopefully discover a new favorite vegetable.

Roasted Asparagus

Source: Original, inspired by the roasted broccoli from my birthday a few years ago

1 bunch (about 2 lbs) asparagus spears
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a small baking sheet with foil.

Take one of the asparagus spears and bend it until it breaks. Now line up the rest of the spears next to the broken one on a cutting board and cut them all roughly the same length as the broken spear.

In a mixing bowl combine the asparagus, olive oil, salt, and garlic and toss together with a pair of tongs (or your hands) until all of the spears are coated in oil and the garlic is evenly dispersed.

Arrange the asparagus on the baking sheet in an even layer and bake for about 12-15 minutes, until the asparagus and garlic begin to brown.

Serve warm, it's especially good alongside a nice, juicy, medium rare steak!

Sunflower Honey Wheat Bread

Baking bread is so relaxing for me. The measuring, mixing, and kneading have a rhythm that eases my stress and I get plenty of time while the dough rises to do other things around the house. I have a few go-to bread recipes for sandwich bread and rolls that I use regularly (regularly being at least once or twice a week), but this new recipe will probably be in my top 3 breads I've ever made.

It's not a heavy wheat bread, even with the sunflower seeds. It's probably not ideal for sandwiches just based on the variation of size and shape of slices, but it's great for toast or smeared with a little butter at dinner. I was also expecting the bread to be a little sweeter due to the honey, but it's not too sweet at all. Really it's just fantastic.

Sunflower Honey Wheat Bread

Source: Budget Bytes

1 1/4 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 Tbsp honey
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds (raw or toasted)
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg white

In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup combine the water and honey and mix with a fork until the honey dissolves. Sprinkle the yeast over the water/honey mixture and set aside to proof for 5 minutes.

Roughly chop the sunflower seeds, leaving some of them mostly whole.

In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl combine the sunflower seeds, whole wheat flour, and salt. Stir with a wooden or plastic spoon or a silicone spatula to combine.

Once the yeast has dissolved and swelled in the water add the oil and mix with a fork.

Pour the water mixture into the flour/sunflower seed mixture.

Stir until all of the flour is incorporated.

Begin adding the all purpose flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough becomes difficult to stir.

Switch to the dough hook on the mixer or turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface to knead.

Continue adding flour as you knead until you have reached between 1 1/2 and 2 cups of flour and the dough is springy and no longer sticky (smooth and elastic).

Form the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat, and cover with plastic wrap. Set in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours, until about double in size.

Punch the dough down and divide into two equal pieces.

Form each piece into a ball and place about 4 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Re-cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 1-1 1/2 hours, until doubled in size again.

Once the bread has doubled again, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the egg white with 1 Tbsp of water and beat lightly.

Brush the tops of the loaves with the egg white mixture and then use a very sharp knife to slice the X in the top of each loaf. Make sure when you cut the X that the knife is super sharp and that you use no downward pressure on the bread or it will deflate.

Once the oven is preheated, bake the bread at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.

Allow the bread to cool (Beth says completely but I couldn't wait) before slicing.

Serve with butter.

Nana's Macaroni and Cheese

Ooh! I've been dying to post this recipe since I first started the blog but I'm always too lazy to take the pictures when I make it for lunch. I ate this almost every weekday of my childhood. Nana made a pot every day at lunch for my cousin J and me to share. She's probably made it for me hundreds of times, if not thousands.

Basic Marinara Sauce

For spaghetti I almost always use Yaya's spaghetti sauce. It's hearty, meaty, and perfectly seasoned. But when a recipe calls for spaghetti sauce I like to use something a little more simple.

Broccoli with Garlic and Soy Sauce

It's probably pretty obvious if you read my menu plans that broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I've never been a fan of cheese sauce on vegetables. Well, if you asked my elementary school self she'd probably tell you a different story, but let's be safe and say that since I started driving I haven't been fond of it. The one exception is when Yaya makes broccoli and melts American cheese slices on top, but really I just like the taste of the broccoli and I feel the cheese flavor overpowers it.

Seasoned Oven-Baked Brown Rice

During the SNAP challenge I shared with you my favorite way to cook brown rice. It is still my favorite way to cook brown rice, but I have jazzed it up a bit in this recipe. I've made it twice for Nana and twice it has disappeared! This is my new favorite rice to serve as a side dish.

Nana's Creamed Potatoes (Update)

That's right! Updated with better photos and easier to follow instructions!

When I first posted this recipe I was quite new to blogging. My photography skills have since improved and to be totally honest I've kind of perfected this recipe. I still think this is one of those dishes where you're better off going by feel and taste than following a recipe, but I've tried my best to get some more accurate measurements for you.

Fluffy Rosemary Garlic Knots

Finally another bread recipe! I had gotten out of the habit of making bread for awhile. It used to be relaxing but then it became a bit of a chore and would wear me out. It's time consuming, takes up the entire counter, and if I don't get started early enough we wind up waiting for the bread to bake while dinner gets cold.

Lazy Alfredo Sauce

I have several Alfredo sauce recipes and most of them could be classified as lazy, but this one is really the easiest one I've ever tried. I have a one recipe where you cream together softened butter and Parmesan cheese with a mixer and add cream that I thought was as simple as it could get. Then I came across this recipe which is basically the same except there's no need to waste your time with the bowl and the mixer.

Candied Pecan Sweet Potato Casserole

Years ago my Grandmother used to make sweet potato pudding that was like heaven on a plate and even though I have her recipe (in her handwriting) I can't make it like she did. Either the recipe is wrong or the directions are wrong or I'm not reading it right. I'm not sure what the problem is but mine always turns out soupy. I've tried everything from adding extra eggs to doubling the cooking time and it's still just not good. Even Admiral (who has probably made it dozens of times) can't get it to come out right.

Perfect Brown Rice in the Oven

I'll admit I make some of the worst rice you've ever eaten. It comes out too sticky and starchy or it doesn't cook through and turns out crunchy or it runs out of liquid and sticks and burns on the bottom of the pot. I know the directions say you should cover it and not stir it but I worry that it will stick so I take the lid off and then the steam escapes and the liquid all evaporates too fast and I can't seem to get the stove temperature right so if I leave the lid on tight the water boils over... it's really just a horrible mess.

Creamy Garlic Shells

I've noticed that I rarely post recipes for side dishes. I guess it's because I'm always so focused on the main dish. It might also be because we usually eat the same sides with every meal I make.

Yaya's Herb Roasted Potatoes

Aaron loves potatoes. He likes mashed potatoes, hash browns, french fries, you name it. I think he would be happy with a meal of just potatoes. We could have loaded potato casserole with french fries and mashed potatoes on the side and he would be in potato heaven.

Yaya's Broccoli Casserole

What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

I love spending time with family we don't often see and I love the delicious food. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days of the year that I get to have pumpkin pie and it's my absolute favorite pie. I do enjoy the turkey, and the ham (especially when we get honey glazed ham, oh-my-yummy-goodness!), but my favorite part of dinner is definitely the broccoli casserole.

Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Florentine

Whenever I find a recipe that I know Aaron won't eat I volunteer to cook dinner at Yaya's house.  I use them as guinea pigs and if dinner turns out well I trick Aaron into trying it by making it for his parents.

This recipe will never fly with him.  He won't eat spinach or diced tomatoes and he definitely won't go for a meal with no meat so he will never ever try this, but I thought it was fabulous!

Spiced Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Sweet Potatoes

Happy New Recipe Night!

When I put this recipe on the menu I had no idea how hard it would be to get my hands on a pork loin.  It just never went on sale at the grocery store so I had to improvise.  I used a pork tenderloin instead and I could not be happier with the results.

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

Back before Bailey was born, when Aaron and I lived in an apartment and ate mostly fast food because it was just easier to pick it up on our way home from work than to actually take the time to go grocery shopping and cook dinner after work, one of the few things that Aaron actually wanted to eat at home was (of course) macaroni and cheese.  Now, everybody has those weird food combinations that they like.  Mine is Wendy's french fries and a frosty.  I like to dip my fries in the frosty.  My brother used to (not sure if he still does) like Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls with nacho cheese.  Pregnant women are notorious for wanting strange things like pickles and ice cream.  Aaron's strange combination is ranch flavored Wavy Lays chips and macaroni and cheese.  He likes to use the chips as a scoop for the macaroni and cheese.

Twice Baked Potatoes

I may have mentioned this before, but a month or so ago I made twice baked potatoes for the first time in six years.  They came out so perfect that I almost forgot why I had ever stopped making them in the first place.  Then I saw Aaron's plate after dinner and realized why... He only eats the inside and throws out that wonderfully crispy, salty skin!  No matter though because I don't mind to eat his shell with a tiny bit of cheese melted into it for lunch tomorrow so I tossed it in a container and put it in the fridge.

Mamaw's Fried Okra

Fried okra just tastes like summer to me.  I remember being 5 or 6 years old and Nana had picked the okra out of her garden (which was more like a farm it was so big) and she and Mamaw were frying it in large batches to freeze.  They would lay it out on a sheet pan to cool and I would come in and steal bites.  I say bites... Nana says I stole handfuls.  She said she was afraid they wouldn't have any to freeze because I would eat it all.

Fresh Green Beans and Corn Off the Cob

We spent all day Tuesday freezing corn.  It's all the corn my Nana is getting this summer so we had 7 dozen ears of corn to put back.  It had to be shucked, silked, cut off the cob, cooked, cooled, and bagged for the freezer.  I know my Nana and Mamaw used to do this every year when I was little, but this is the first time I've ever done more than help shuck the corn.  I got to do most of the cooking (which is way too easy because it cooks in the microwave) and bagging.  Each bag gets about 3 ears worth of corn in it and is enough to feed 2-3 people.  It's already cooked and seasoned so all you have to do is thaw it and heat it up before you serve it.  I had a blast but it is hard work.  I'm glad I don't have to do that every day.