Vegetables & Sides Archives - Page 2 of 3

Baked Rice: The Easy, No-Mess Way to Cook Rice

May 31, 2017 by Susan 14 Comments

Cooking rice is messy! This easy, no mess, baked rice will completely change dinnertime for you. No sputtering. No babysitting. Just fluffy, perfect rice.

Cooking rice is messy. No matter how large of a pot I use, it boils over and leaves a starchy, sticky mess on my stovetop. I even tried a rice cooker. It sputtered the same sticky splatters and had parts that got coated in the muck that I had to wash each time. Gah!

Then I started reading about baked rice. Baking rice in the oven eliminates all the mess. It sounds too good to be true, I know.

But it’s not!

Roasted Vegetables: The Easiest Impressive Side Dish Ever

May 17, 2017 by Susan 4 Comments

These simple roasted vegetables are an easy and impressive side dish. You can use any veggies you’ve got on hand. And leftovers heat up fantastically!

Coming up with side dishes can be the worst. You want something new and different, but not difficult. Whenever I serve roasted vegetables there are ooos and ahhs. Like I took out the good china, or something. Is it because of the impressive presentation…huge baking sheets filled with colorful veggies?

They are pretty. The fact that it’s so special tells me that I need to do it more often. After all… it’s so easy!

Seriously, I made trays of roasted vegetables last night and my husband had some leftovers for lunch today. He just walked in and said, “Those were so good…like some of the best food you make. Ever. You can make those whenever you want.” He said that about vegetables. Vegetables! (This is from the guy who told me that my vegetable lasagna tasted “too vegetable-y”).

Sausage Bites: And a Lord of the Rings Marathon

April 19, 2017 by Susan 14 Comments

These sausage squares are savory and meaty and hearty….and ridiculously easy! They are equally delicious as an appetizer, or for a brunch menu.

Are you a Lord of the Rings fan? I’ll admit, I haven’t read the books. But I love the movie trilogy. They are so rich and full of wisdom and heart. I know, I know, I need to read the books. Right now I’m working my way through the Harry Potter series, and not very quickly, at that.

We love a party with a theme around here, so when my niece finished the book series, we had to get one on the calendar. What better way to spend a Saturday, than going on an epic adventure with tasty treats to fill your belly!

Vegetable Lasagna: Summer on a Plate

February 21, 2017 by Susan 10 Comments

A vegetable lasagna packed with loads of fresh veggies, creamy ricotta, tender pasta and gooey cheese. Customize with whatever vegetables you have on hand.

The snow is melting, the temperature is rising. Spring is most definitely right around the corner. I can almost remember that summer once existed. It was nice, if I’m remembering correctly.

And then, while tidying up my computer’s desktop, I came across some pictures of this bursting-with-freshness summer vegetable lasagna. Suddenly, summer felt real to me. I could remember not feeling cold, the smell of grilling meats, and bright green grass.

Not Your Average Wild Rice Soup

January 3, 2017 by Susan 17 Comments

Wild rice soup with a silky, creamy broth. It’s uniquely different from the other thick, hearty wild rice soups you’ve seen. You’re going to love it!

Winter is soup weather. If you’re a soup fan, you’re going to want to check this one out. It is unique to every other wild rice soup I’ve ever had. Most wild rice soups are thick and hearty. I love ’em. My creamy chicken and rice soup is thick like this. Yum! But this soup is not like that.

For some reason, decades ago, when my mom got the recipe for this wild rice soup, she didn’t thicken it as much as called for. What that leaves you with is a silky, creamy broth. It’s totally unique. And wonderful!

Dehydrated Carrots: Save Time & Money

November 22, 2016 by Susan 2 Comments

The thing about fresh produce is that it grows when it grows and then it grows no more. What that means is that when you get an abundance of apples or tomatoes or carrots, you need to figure out what to do with your stash, or it will spoil. Carrots last a pretty long time, but even so, they get soft and bendy after awhile.

I made a delicious creamy chicken and rice soup this weekend. It was my first time cooking with the carrots I had dehydrated this summer. We belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and get boxes of freshly picked vegetables each week. When the farm has an abundance, so do we. And this summer, we got piles of carrots!