Roasted vegetables Greek style!

This is a recipe I have been roasting for years. This time of year, during fall harvest,
You will have too much of a good thing like eggplant, squash, tomatoes, potatoes,
Onions, garlic, maybe even carrots!In addition you will need some Olive oil, salt and pepper, oregano and mint.
Also use 1 large can of tomatoes, chopped and layered on bottom of the pan.
This recipe is so easy, simply wash and cut vegetables into large chunks.
Drizzle with olive oil, toss with crushed garlic, salt and pepper, sprinkle with oregano and mint.Use any vegetables you can find.
I would use beets, but only golden or white.
Simply place in a greased roasting pan, cover with foil and roast for at least 20 min in 400 degree oven. Take off the foil and continue roasting for another 40 minutes!
Enjoy! And happy cooking! Serve with a great sourdough to soak up all the
Tasty juices!
 This is adapted from my kitchen and Giada Delourentis! Love her show,
Everyday Italian! 

Chocolate and pecan mini pies

This is a great fall recipe

 pecans are in season!

5 T Butter softened, plus 1 T melted butter

4 0z Cream cheese

1 C Flour

1 T Powered sugar

1/4 t salt

3/4 C Brown Sugar

1/3 C Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 large egg

1 t vanilla 2/3 c chopped pecans

Mix butter and cream cheese until smooth. Blend in flour, just a little at a time, powered sugar and 1/8 t salt. Form into disk. Cover in plastic wrap and chill 3 hours, or day before. Heat oven to 325. Divide dough into 24 balls of even size. Press into 2 12 cup mini muffin tins, making a hole in center and pressing up over rim. Chill. Mix brown sugar, chocolate chips, egg, melted butter, vanilla, and remaining salt until mixed. Place some chopped pecans into the tins, top with mixture and more pecans. Bake 20 minutes. Let stand and run knife around edges to loosen. Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

112 Calories per Mini pie, 7g fat, 2.8 sat fat, 11.3 g carbs, 0.5g fiber,1.7g protein

Happy Cooking!

Cream of chicken and green chile soup

This soup was a special request from my BFF Lisa Stifel

This recipe can be adapted to make a very large portion, say for a party, or a catering job. This one serves about 6 people.

6 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 onion

1/2 stick butter

1/2 t garlic crushed

3 T flour

4-6 cups chicken broth (I prefer better than bullion) look for it in a jar. It is a paste like flavoring.

For the broth, add about 4T of better than bullion to 4-6 cups of water.

1 cup heavy cream or half and half

1 cup peeled and chopped green chile more or less to taste.

Salt and pepper

Sautéed the onion in the butter till softened. Add flour to make a rue. Slowly stir in broth, chicken, garlic, and green chili. Cook and stir for about  5 minutes.  Let reduce just a bit. Turn off heat  and add cream or half and half. Heat but do not boil. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with homemade Tortiallas! I like to add shredded cheddar cheese and croutons on top!

Happy cooking! 

You can make a quick version by only using the chicken and green chili. Add to cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup! You can thin the soup a bit with some stock, milk or cream!

Candied Citrus Peels

This is a wonderful time of year to preserve some summer for later use. Citrus is in abundance and I love to put the candied peels in my hot tea on a cold winter day. You can also candy ginger this way!

 From this months edition of Organic Gardener!

Organic candied Citrus peels/Ginger too!

A few tools you will need before you begin...

Organic Citrus and or Ginger

toothbrush or veg scrubber

cutting board

chef knife

peeler

scissors

saucepan

bowl ice water

organic granulated sugar

cream of tarter

thermometer

gallon size zip loc bags

The best peels for this are Meyers Lemons, Clementines, Minneolas, Pomelos, or Honey Tangerines.

Scrub fruits well, rinse and dry. Cut peels from fruit, removing as much white as possible. Boil peels in saucepan for about 1 hour, drain and place in ice bath. Return peels to pan with as much water and sugar to cover in equal amounts 1 for 1. So if you need 4 cups water, use 4 cups sugar. Dont mix peel types in order to keep them separate. Add 1 t cream of tarter for every 4 cups water/sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, reduce heat and cook for a total time of 1 hour, or when temp reaches 230 degrees. Drain and reserve syrup. Dry on wire rack or wax paper, till cooled. Place in gallon size bag with 1 C sugar and toss to coat. Leave out to let dry or cook in low oven set at 200, then turn off, let sit overnight. Return to bag and recoat. Store in airtight container with a little sugar. Enjoy in tea with honey.....Happy fixin! 

While you are at it, check out these great peelers from Sur La Table! I love the one that looks like a razor! It works great!

Kuhn Rikon Swiss Peelers, Set of 3 (Google Affiliate Ad)The Perfect Peeler by Kyocera (Google Affiliate Ad)

Salsa Verde

Salsa Verde

This time of year, I find our household with an abundance of green Tomatoes.

Two of my favorite things are fried green tomatoes and Salsa Verde.

I travel to Mexico fairly often and love the green salsas (Salsa Verde) they use. My favorite breakfast is Huevos, Beans and Salsa Verde.

In a blender or food processor, blend several green tomatoes, say about 5 medium size.

Add 2 cloves of garlic, or more to taste.

Add 3 to 5 green fairly hot peppers, i.e. sorranos, jalapeños etc...

Add 1 about 1/2 C Cilantro

Add about 4 T Lime juice.

Salt and pepper to taste

Blend until smooth or you can rough chop and make this more like Pico de Gallo.

Salsa Verde is normally made with Tomatillios, however, I find that green tomatoes work just as well!

Happy Salsa Making! Happy Eating! Happy Saturday! PS A really good Margarita goes very well this wonderful salsa~! PSS! This freezes really well, making it a great festive treat in the middle of the cold dark winter! 

Quick no bake chocolate peanut butter cookies!

This recipe is a favorite of mine from when I was a little girl. My Mother used to make these for us and she always let us help! A great project for kids!!!!

1 3/4 c sugar
1/2 c milk
1/2 c butter
4 T cocoa
1/2 c crunchy peanut butter
3 c oats
1 t vanilla

In medium saucepan combine sugar, milk, butter and cocoa. Boil and stir, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add peanut butter, oats and vanilla
Remove from stove and drop onto waxed paper by teaspoons. Yummy! Enjoy! Happy cooking! 

Tip of the Day From Carolyns Kitchen!

How to Preserve the taste of Summer!!

This idea and recipe came from this months copy of Organic Gardener! Love this Magazine! Cannot cannot did I say cannot live without it! Laurie H. Constantino is the Author of this wonderful piece!

This recipe can be used for Basil, Cilantro, mint, parsley, dill, chervil.

Herbs are oil based and need either an unsalted butter, or light or even an extra virgin olive oil. You can use just a plain light, very light oil for the mint. You can use these herbs in butters, sauces, even Mojitos in the middle of the winter. 

Wash and dry herbs in salad spinner

Place in food processor 1/3 cup oil to 2 cups leaves, or 1 stick butter to 1/2 cup leaves. Add citrus rinds, ginger or garlics for extra flavor! You can salt the butters when ready to use. You should have a chunky paste that you can place in a freezer sip-lock bag, flatten and freeze. Just break off chunks to use as you please! Be sure to label and date. Keep for only 1 year. Make fresh. This is the perfect time to make these, as you will see lots of herbs in your growers markets! You can even make ginger butters~! Enjoy! Happy preparing! Thanks for your support! Please check out my latest cooking gadgets and share my blog on Facebook, twitter, or email!