Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! It was more complicated than I originally thought it would be, so I'll include my tips:

1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1/4 c plus 2 T grated parmesan cheese
2 T butter, melted
1 1/2 t Italian Seasoning, divided
16 oz broccoli pieces (I used fresh cuz it was on sale, but the recipe calls for frozen)
16 oz cauliflower pieces (same as broccoli)
2 T butter
1 large onion, chopped (I used a handful of chopped onion from Costco)
2 T flour
1 t Garlic salt
1/4 t pepper
1 1/4 c milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed

Preheat oven to 350. Mix bread crumbs, 2 T parmesan cheese, 2 T melted butter, and 1/2 t Italian seasoning in a bowl and set aside. Cut up any large pieces of broccoli or cauliflower into smaller bite-size chunks.

Melt 2 T of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Add onion, cook and stir about 5 minutes until tender. (This is a lie, if you use the chopped onion it gets done in about 30 seconds. This was the tricky part for me, I had to start over.) Stir in flour, remaining 1 t Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and pepper. (I assembled all of these into a little bowl and had all of the other ingredients ready to go before starting the onion. That way when it was done before I was ready I didn't burn it trying to get everything else assembled.) Add milk, stir and cook until thickened and bubbly. Add cream cheese and remaining 1/4 c parmesan cheese. Cook and stir until cream cheese is melted. Add veggies, toss to coat. Spoon into two quart baking dish, sprinkle evenly with bread crumb mixture.

At this point I put it in the fridge and took it to Monroe the next day. It was kind of watery, I don't think it would have been if I'd have immediately baked it. Bake 40 minutes or until heated through and top is lightly browned.

Beef Stew

Ok, I borrowed this recipe from Jamie that I work with. I tweaked it a little, but for the most part, I used this method.

• 5 to 7 lb chuck roast, I used about 3 lbs of stew meat that I purchased
• 6 to 8 oz of corn, I used a frozen bag
• 6 to 8 oz of peas, I used a frozen bag
• 12 to 16 oz of carrots, baby carrots work, but I like to cut mine up, it's good for the soul to chop
• 6 to 8 oz of fresh cut green beans, drained
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic flavor. (My family doesn't really eat tomatoes, so I omitted these and just added the spices to the stew.)
• 1 large onion chopped
• 4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 beef stew seasoning packet, I took Jamie's advice and used McCormick's brand seasoning.
• 2 to 3 beef bullion cubes
• Garlic Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 4-6 cups of water

I did this the easy way, I put the meat, the water, the bullion cubes, basil, oregano and garlic powder, carrots, onion and corn in the crock pot and set it to low for about 6 hours. I'm kind of picky about the consistency of my potatoes, so I boiled the potatoes for about 7 minutes and added them about 2 hours before dinner with the peas and beans. That way when it was ready, the potatoes were perfect and not over cooked. I also added one cup of cold water mixed with some flour when I added the potatoes to thicken up the soup. Thanks to my mom for that idea. (This required that I remove about a cup of soup from the crock pot.)

It was excellent stew for a cold day and it made a ton, so there will be lots of leftovers. You will need a large crock-pot to fit everything in, or you will need to reduce the water and meat portions. You can never have too many veggies!

Easy Minestrone

I made this for a work lunch we had...it's tasty!

1 pound Sausage
1 pint green beans
1 can kidney beans ( I double these because I omit the garbanzo beans)
1 can garbanzo beans (I omit these because I don't care for them)
carrots, celery and onion, diced as many as you feel necessary, I add lots.
1 tablespoon parsley
1 can tomato paste
1 quart tomatoes
1 quart water
1 can beef consume
2-3 cups noodles (I used th garden colored rotoni)
1/2 teaspon basil
1 clove garlic


Brown meant, saute' vegetables. Add water, spices and beans. Simmer.
Add tomatoes and consume.

Boil noodles seperate and add about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Mint Brownies

I got this recipe from my friend Ashley's mom when we were in high school. It's super tasty!

Brownie:

(I cheated, I used a brownie mix and made it to a cake like consistency)
2 cups Vegetable Oil

4 cups White Sugar
1 1/3 cups Coco

2 cups Chopped Walnuts (I always omit these because I don't like them.)

8 Eggs

2 teaspoons Salt

4 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

3 cups Flour

Mix together and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Mint Frosting:

6 cups (or less) Powdered/Confectioners Sugar

6 Tablespoons of butter or margarine

6 Tablespoons condensed milk (I use sweetened condensed milk)

2 teaspoons Peppermint Extract

Green Food Coloring to liking

Combine butter and milk until smooth, add powder sugar until you have a smooth frosting like consistency. Mix in peppermint extract and food coloring until it is a nice mint green color. Spread over slightly cooled brownies.

Let this sit until frosting is hard to the touch. You can even pop it in the freezer for about an hour.

Chocolate Topping:

10 Tablespoons Butter

12 oz Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips

(I cheated again and used a can of chocolate frosting that I whipped and stuck in the microwave for a few seconds.)

Melt butter and chocolate chips together and stir until smooth. Spread over mint layer while still warm.

Let brownies sit over night or freeze for another day.

Brownie without Chocolate topping:

Brownie with Chocolate Topping:

Easy Breadsticks

By request, here is the recipe for Quick Bread Sticks. They are yummy!

1 Cube Butter
1 TBS Yeast
1 1/2 cups Warm Water
2 TBS Sugar
3+ Cups Flour
3/4 tsp Salt

Melt butter on cookie sheet in a warm oven, once melted, set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar. Stir in salt and flour until the mixture looks like sticky bread dough. Once you have a ball of bread dough, place on the cookie sheet with melted butter. Smooth out dough to corners of pan and cover evenly with butter. (Your hands should be covered in the butter by the end!) Once you have spread the dough, cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Top with a mixture of parmesan cheese, garlic based season all salt and parsley flakes. Let rise on warm oven for 30 minutes to an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and top.

I promise to post pictures of these the next time I make them!