Veggie Pizza

From my lovely mama :)

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. crescent rolls
2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese
1 env. Ranch House salad dressing mix
1 c. mayonnaise

3/4 c. green onions, finely sliced or red onion chopped (i only use 1/4 cup)
3/4 c. carrot, grated
3/4 c. chopped tomatoes
3/4 c. cauliflower, finely chopped
3/4 c. broccoli, finely chopped
3/4 c. ripe olives, finely chopped

Directions:
Place crescent rolls flat on a cookie sheet, pinch seams together, forming a crust. Bake crescent roll crust according to package instructions, then cool completely.
Mix cream cheese, Ranch House dressing and mayonnaise. Spread mixture over crescent rolls. Layer vegetables on top. Let sit in refrigerator until ready to serve. Remove wax paper and cut into small squares to serve.

**I don't always have all the vegetable so I don't always use all of them. And I just kind of guess on how much. I chop and then sprinkle on top until its covered as much as I want.

Corn and Butternut Squash Chowder

I took this from my Sister Alicia's Blog and it is so yummy!! But then again, what isn't good with creamy butternut squash??

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 5 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
Nutmeg

In a large heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high; add squash and onion. Cook until onion is soft, about 6 minutes. Add corn and curry powder; cook until curry is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add broth and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 minutes. In a blender, blend half the soup until smooth. Return to pot and stir in cream; Add nutmeg to taste, a dash or so. heat through over medium-low (do not boil).

Roasted Veggies

Mmmm... One of the easiest and yummiest side dishes ever!

Ingredients:
Vegetables such as: butternut squash, mushrooms, zucchini, potatoes, etc.
Olive Oil
Seasoning Salt

Direcions:
Preheat oven to 475.
Cut veggies into chunks (the smaller you cut, the faster they'll cook) Place on cookie sheet or in cake pan and drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on top. Sometimes I use Johnny's, sometimes I use Mrs. Dash, it all depends on your mood. Toss your veggies around so they get mixed around in oil and seasoning. Bake at 475 for about 20 minutes depending on how thin your veggies are. Check after about 15 minutes for tenderness.

Fresh Spring Salad

Since I am about to go home for lunch I thought you ought to to know that I am going to be making this salad:

Because it truly is the best salad ever.

Ingredients for Salad:
Spinach leaves
Romaine chopped
Craisins
Feta cheese crumbled
Diced pears (not quite ripe)
Small can of mandarin oranges

Combine everything, as much as you'd like and put this dressing on it:


Or oil and vinegar alone is good, or any kind of balsamic vinegar or vinaigerette. Or, frankly just leave some of the mandarin orange juice in there and its yummy too =)

Roasted Tomato and Herb Pasta

What you need:
12 ounces pasta
5-6 cups cherry tomatoes
5-6 smashed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh chopped herbs, i.e. basil, parsley, oregano, chives etc.(I've used dry when I don't have any fresh and its still yummy)
Parmesan for serving if you want
Chicken grilled and cut in strips if you would like

Directions:
Turn on your oven to 400°
Meanwhile: Cook the pasta as normal, strain and return to pot when done
Meanwhile: On a cookie sheet, stir and toss around the tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons of the oil, half teaspoon salt, and a little less than half a teaspoon pepper.
Roast the tomatoes in the oven... about halfway through toss them once, until they begin to pop open, (20 to 25 minutes)
Add the oven mixture to the pasta with the chopped herbs and remaining tablespoon oil.
Serve with the Parmesan and oil if you would like. Chicken can easily be added to this dish if you want!

Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 bay leaf
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
3/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until onion is translucent. Stir in tomatoes, salt, sugar and bay leaf. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 90 minutes (you can simmer less than this if you would like, 90 minutes is enough time for the flavors to fully merry but if you're on a time crunch, shorten it!). Stir in tomato paste, basil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer 30 minutes more (again, less is okay, just until the flavors are how you like them). Serve.

Recipe also found here

Paula Deen's Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients
•2 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained
•1 cup mayonnaise
•1 cup grated sharp cheddar
•1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
•2 eggs, lightly beaten
•2 cups crushed crackers
•2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine broccoli, mayonnaise, cheese, soup and eggs. Mix well with a metal spoon. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with the crushed crackers and pour the melted butter evenly over the crackers. Bake for 35 minutes or until set and browned.

A few snack and side ideas

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

All you need is Asparagus and Prosciutto! Just wrap one peace around each asparagus spear. Steam or boil the asparagus as normal and then chill before wrapping the prosciutto around. You can hold it in place with a toothpick or lay it down


Apples and Feta

One of my favorite snacks when I come home from a long day is just apples with feta. Sometimes, I even just put it all in a bowl and eat it with a fork. The feta takes the sour edge off the apples leaving still just enough flavor that its still a refreshing snack or side -- and good for you too!


Frozen Blueberries and Milk

I love pouring a little bit of milk over frozen blueberries. Just enough that they're coated and the milk will freeze in the bowl with the blueberries. Great for breakfast even!


Couscous

You can cook it in your rice cooker if you buy it in bulk or you can buy the quick and easy kind I like. Buy plain couscous and just add some mint leaves torn up along with some peas and maybe a dash of some of your favorite seasonings. The mint gives it just the right amount of flavor!

Rosemary-Garlic Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 tbls olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary or 1/4 tsp dried
1 1/2 pounds red new potatoes scrubbed and thinly sliced or chopped
salt and pepper

Combine oil, garlic, and rosemary in a 2 quart microwave and oven-safe baking dish with a lid. Cover and microwave on high until garlic is fragrant (1 minute) Stir in potatoes. Roast in the oven on 400 for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add rosemary sprigs for garnish

Serves 4