Roasted Root Salad

 

     If you want to celebrate all things grown in the earth without getting dirt under your fingernails, then this is one to try.  All the flavors, all the colors, all the nutrition just waiting for your belly.  Add or subtract as desired, if you love one more than another then feel free to go heavy with that ingredient.  This entree has no rules, just let your cravings guide your way!  :)

Ingredients~

Butternut Squash, trimmed and diced

Bunch of Radishes, trimmed and halved or quartered

Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved

Baby Potatoes, trimmed and halved

Parsnips, trimmed and diced

Carrots, trimmed and diced

Red Onion, diced

1/4 cup Olive Oil

Seasonings as desired, I just used Salt and Pepper

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Arugula

California Balsamic Vinegar, choose any flavor that tickles your fancy

     Add first set of ingredients to bowl or bag, toss til well coated and spread on parchment lined cookie sheet, I actually needed two cookie sheets.  Bake at 425 for 50 minutes, or til golden brown, stir half way thru.  Add Arugula to Salad Bowl, top with Roasted Vegetables and drizzle with Balsamic.  Enjoy  :)

Ross' Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

     Ross' Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls is a long title, but each of those words hold sentimental meaning, and I could not bear to leave out one syllable.  For almost 40 years my husband has been getting up on Christmas morning making fresh ooey gooey drippy  Cinnamon Rolls for our family to enjoy after opening gifts.  Not only for our family, but he also delivers them to a couple of families who have been special to us thru out the year.  Most often he catches them in their pajamas, but no one cares after first bite!  These "mini cinnys" are small in size but extra large in love, and my Sweetheart is the master at serving those he finds dear.  Do you have a family tradition that is meaningful to you!?  If so, please share, it warms my heart to see what other humans are doing in their homes!  Merry Christmas  ;)  PS.  Each of the 16 rolls are only 80 calories, 10.6g carbs, zero fiber, 1g protein and 3.6g fat.  PSS.  I will also link Grandma Mary's Ham and Beans below, as well as my French Silk Pie, and Cool Rise White Bread for our other Holiday traditions.

Ingredients for 16 rolls~

2 Tablespoons Butter, divided

2 teaspoons Water

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 tube of Crescent Rolls

2 Tablespoons White Sugar

1 heaping teaspoon Cinnamon, more or less to taste

     Line a 5X7 pan with parchment paper, add 1 Tablespoon melted Butter, Water and Brown Sugar to pan and stir til fully incorporated.  Unwrap Rolls, divide into 4 equal rectangles, brush the top of each rectangle with remaining Tablespoon melted Butter, stir together Cinnamon and Sugar, sprinkle equally on the four rectangles, roll each rectangle up tightly (roll starting from the short end), cut each roll into four equal portions, set loosely in pan as to not crowd each roll, they bake better if not over crowded.  You can double the batch in a 9X9 pan, but much more than that and the rolls tend to over cook around the perimeter and remain gooey in the middle...(#nobueno).  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, keep an eye on them towards the last 5 minutes as to not over brown.  Remove from oven, let rest 15 minutes, then flip upside down on serving platter, allowing the glaze to coat the rolls.  Enjoy...but share  ;)  

https://foodfitnessbypaige.blogspot.com/2020/12/grandma-marys-ham-and-beans.html

https://foodfitnessbypaige.blogspot.com/2014/12/french-silk-pie.html

https://foodfitnessbypaige.blogspot.com/2017/11/cool-rise-white-bread.html

Grilled Brown Sugar Salmon

     If you love Salmon, then you will want to keep reading.  My Hubby's Grilled Brown Sugar Salmon is famous far and wide, and often brought up in social situations when discussing food and playing the "remember when" game from previous gatherings.  It's that good!  I pick up all my Salmon at my local Kroger Grocery, Dillons Marketplace, they have the best price and quality. Add seasonal Corn on the Cob for the perfect compliment. Time to start making a guest list...  ;)

Ingredients for 4-6 servings~
1.5 pounds Salmon
2 Tablespoons Butter
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice

     Bring coals to white hot.  Meanwhile, melt Butter in microwave, stir in Sugar and Lemon Juice.  Baste Salmon, place on grill skin side down for approximately 4 minutes, flip and remove skin, baste again and grill another 4 minutes, then flip one more time and baste and finish grilling for about another 4 minutes.  Remove and baste one last time.  Serve and Enjoy  :)

Grilled Ribeye Corn and Edamame Salad with Bluecheese Dressing

      One of the biggest pro's of the warming weather is that I can get The Hubs out there on the grill, ... and he is the GRILL MASTER !!!  Its hard to ever want to go out to eat when I can have the best right here at home !!!  I lucked out with this guy  ;) ... and so did you because I will be sharing a lot more of his recipes as time goes on!  I don't know a thing about the grill ( I'm no fool, you have to be careful in a marriage because once you do something there is risk of it becoming your job)  Anyhoo, what he tells me is that after you make your pyramid of coals and get them to the red and white hot stage, then you spread them out and sear your steaks for 2 minutes on each side, close the lid and check after a few minutes ( The Hubs says you can cut off a piece to sample along the way for another way to check on level of doneness), flip and grill the other side another few minutes and check again. Also, you can test the meat for firmness, we like our beef medium rare and so the meat remains softer to touch, if you want your beef more done then your steak will be more firm to the touch.  And his biggest secret is Lawrys Seasoned Salt, it's the only spice he uses on his meats and it turns out perfectly every single time !!!  There have been times we experiment with other things, but we always return to our tried and true method.  If you have grilling tips you would like to share, I would love to hear them !!!  ;)

Ingredients for Salad~
Make a mixture of Greens of Kale, Spinach Leaves, Romaine, Green Onions, Baby Carrots, Cilantro
3oz  grilled Ribeye pieces
1/3 Cup Corn and Edamame Steamable's Vegetables
1 Tablespoon Brianna's Bluecheese Dressing
Salt and Pepper to taste

     Fill your dinner plate with mixed fresh salad. Top with steak pieces, corn and edamame, salt and pepper, and top with Bluecheese dressing. I didn't count the calories of the greens, but I'm guessing 50-75 calories at the most.  So for the beef, corn, edamame, and dressing the nutritional stats are 331 calories, 11 gms carbs, and 26.5 gms protein.  Beef is higher in calories, but also in protein.  We don't eat red meat that often, but I have no problem with it every once in a while. Again, portion control is where common sense comes in when we eat things that are a touch higher in fat and carbs than our staple diet. This salad was so full of rich flavor, you will want this once a week!!!  Enjoy  ;)

Beef Tenderloin to die for !!!

     How lucky am I to have a Hubby that is a Master when it comes to preparing meats !!!  His usual go to is always on the grill, the smoker, or THE BIG GREEN EGG !!!  He first bought that EXPENSIVE EGG when our youngest daughter, Chelsea, was about 8 years old ( shes now 22).  The "incident", as we refer to it,  occurred when I left him in charge of babysitting while she had a friend over.  Not sure how your husband does when he's in charge of babysitting, but before my Sweetheart knew what was happening, he heard a VERY LOUD crash coming from the driveway.  Upon inspection, he witnessed about one MILLION little porcelin green egg shreds and two little girls frozen in fear!!!  Chelsea and her friend decided it would be a good idea to push the BIG GREEN EGG from the garage to the Basket ball hoop in the driveway so they could climb up it and dunk the ball just like her older brothers...... So long thousand bucks ... and no more baby sitting gigs for Dad ... Luckily, all this dish requires is a Cast Iron Skillet ... and we are grateful Chelsea happens to be in Russia for Spring Break right now !!!  ;)

Ingredients:
1 pound Beef Tenderloin
Juice of one Lemon
1 Cup Italian Dressing
1.5 oz of Scotch
EVOO


      Combine all ingredients in ziplock bag to marinate for 24 hours.  Cover bottom of cast iron skillet with EVOO and bring to simmer, then remove meat from bag and sear on each side til light brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.  Finish by roasting in the cast iron skillet in 350 degree oven for 35 minutes for medium rare.  Enjoy the heck outta this!!! It's the best tasting meat I have ever had!!!  Cheers ;)