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Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots

6/12/2018

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PictureI added par-boiled green beans.

      I’m roasting lots of vegetables these days—fewer carbs, more veggies--whatever is available, on sale and suits my pallet. This is the way I do it, but maybe you want to add other vegetables or use curry instead of cumin.     
    Last night, fifteen minutes into the roasting, I added broccoli flowerets that I had microwaved for a minute before tossing with olive oil. (Green beans is another nutritious and colorful addition.)
 
      Cut a cauliflower into flowerets.
      Dice four or so carrots.
      Add a heaping teaspoon of cumin
      Sprinkle with olive oil
      Mix and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes. Give it a stir once in a while.

                                                                    Delicious with sausage!!
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Baked salmon, simple and nutritious~

9/15/2015

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   I found the idea for this recipe on the internet, but at the moment I can’t locate the source. My apologies, but really it is too simple for anyone to claim, because it is all about the butter. Simply delicious and nutritious (a little butter is okay).

      I cook two pounds of salmon, and when it is just the two of us, I freeze some for cook-free evening, and still have enough for a meal for my husband when I am away.


Preheat oven to 575 degrees. In a Pyrex pan melt 3 Tablespoons of butter until sizzling.  Add dill, or your favorite herb.
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Add salmon, skin side up. Bake for 5 minutes.

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Remove skin, add salt and pepper; turn salmon, add salt and pepper.

     Bake 3 minutes.

That’s it. The salmon is done and so are you. Ready to enjoy.

I served this with risotto (I’ll post that recipe soon), and baked zucchini (see early post), and string beans.

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Baked zucchini

11/1/2014

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BAKED ZUCCHINI

    I discovered this recipe on http://www.anamericaninitaly.com/,  a blog written by Karen Mills who lives in Florence. Karen should be proud of her simple recipes,  most of which have only four ingredients. I’ve adapted this one a little, but all credit goes to Karen.

Ingredients:

2 zucchini
Olive oil
½ cup ptarmigan cheese
Italian seasoning

1.     Slice zucchini lengthwise and place in shallow pan (I use Pyrex)
2.     Brush with olive oil
3.     Spread with ptarmigan cheese
4.     Sprinkle seasoning
5.     Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
6.     Broil until brown

Make extra; this heats up well.

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Italian Sausage Soup~

5/25/2014

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I’m back into soup. This recipe is from my friend Barbara who got it from her friend Susan. I add more pasta shells, which makes it more of a stew than a soup. I served it with salad and corn bread.

Ingredients:

SUSAN’S ITALIAN SAUSAGE SOUP                                    Serves 6-8

1 ½ lbs. of Italian sausage, in ½ -inch slices
2 large onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
28-oz. can of Italian-style tomatoes, with liquid
42-oz. can of beef broth, unsalted
1 ½ cups of dry red wine
½ tsp. of basil
2 cups of uncooked bow or shell pasta
2 medium zucchini, in ¼-inch slices
1 medium green pepper, seeded and chopped
3 TBS. of chopped parsley
5 oz. of Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute sausage in large kettle until lightly browned.  Drain and discard fat.  Add onions and garlic.  Saute until onions are limp.  Stir in tomatoes, breaking them into small pieces.  Add broth, wine, and basil.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Cool, transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate.  Skim fat from surface and discard.  Return soup to kettle.  Stir in macaroni, zucchini, green pepper, and parsley.  Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until pasta and vegetables and tender-crisp.  Serve with cheese.

This soup can be too dry on the second day.  If so, add liquid then.


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Comfort Brown Sugar Brownies

12/24/2010

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Just seven simple ingredients that I always have on hand.
   Of course all brownies are comforting but these are especially so because after adding the first ingredient to the Cuisinart, it takes only 15 minutes before I am shoving the pan into the oven. How simple is that for comfort on a busy holiday morning?
    I got this recipe for brownies from a friend of my mother’s when I was a teenager and have been making them ever since. My mom, a proud-confessing chocoholic, always made chocolate brownies, the kind where you have to melt the chocolate, which takes time and produces another pan to wash. Ugh. We’d always tried to convince her not to add nuts, but she held strong to her idea that there was a right way, which was to follow the recipe exactly.
    For sure, these Brown Sugar Brownies are simple to make. But it is the taste that is the most comforting, all the way from the yummy batter, to the chocolate bits, to the finished product. Give it a try, unless, of course you don’t like brownies. In that case, how about comforting a friend?


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Comfort Brown Sugar Brownies. Yummy
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor mix:
3 eggs
2/3 cup margarine
2 cups light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix in
2 cups flour (if you want a little nutrition, substitute a cup of whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Add
1 cup chocolate bits
Put mixture a 9x11 pan and shove into the oven. (I use a Pyrex pan and spray it with Pam.)
Bake for 20-25 minutes.


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Comfort Chicken Soup

12/11/2010

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Recipe (Blog 12/7/10)
 Throw (not literally but I guess you could) into a crock pot:
• 3 pounds chicken breast, cut in bit size pieces
• 1 large onion, sliced           
• 6 carrots, diced           
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 3 celery hearts, diced
• 1 quart chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon tarragon (the blog says 2 teaspoons, but when I tasted it, I decided it needed more)
         I cook this for eight hours under low heat, but you can be flexible about the time and temperature.
          Before serving, add cooked noodles. I use wide one, but any size or kind will do.


Keep it simple
• It takes me about twenty minutes to cut and slice and get the soup simmering.
• Add other ingredients such as green beans, parsnips, parsley, ­­­­­­your favorite_______.
• To stretch it out, add more broth and noodles. Of course this depends on the size of your crock pot.
• Easy to freeze.
This recipe gives you
• a comforting meal for a large group of people
• plenty of meals for yourself and your family
• meals to share with others.

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    Picture
    Girl with Cherries, ca. 1491–95, Attributed to Giovanni Ambrogio de Predi

    About Comfort Food

        Whenever I long for silence, solitude and simplicity, I’m always hoping to find comfort food waiting for me.  My comfort food rules are simple.

    Comfort Food must be
    1) Easy to prepare
    2) Taste yummy in my tummy
    Comfort Food does not need to be
    1) Nutritious (although it often is)
    2) Prepared from scratch
    Comfort Food can be
    1) Fruit and vegetables
    2) Fried in bacon fat (my personal favorite)
    3) Chocolate
    4) Low in cholesterol
    5) High in cholesterol
    6) Add your personal favorite:­­­_____________

    Index
    Fresh Tomato Sauce
    Broiled Salmon
    Baked Zucchini
    Ministrone
    Italian Sausage Soup
    Simply Yummy Zucchini Bread

    Comfort Beef Stew
    Guacamole
    Broccoli-Cheese Soup
    Brownies
    Comfort Chicken Soup

    Comfort Carrot and 
         Cauliflower  Soup Comfort Cheese Appetizers
    Grilled Salmon

    Mac and Cheese
    Meatballs-Made-by-Her
    Yorkshire Pudding
    Broccoli-Cheese Soup


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