Grandma's Kitchen Table

Eating with Ellie: It's Not Easy Being Green - Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Hazelnuts and Dried Apricots

       The sixty-eighth recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Hazelnuts and Dried Apricots, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book Weeknight Wonders, on page 31.  The theme for the week was chosen by Gaye: It Isn't Easy Being Green.  

       Ingredient list:  hazelnuts, Brussels Sprouts, olive oil, sherry vinegar, orange juice, Dijon, honey, salt, pepper, and dried apricots. 

       In keeping with the theme of it not "easy being green," I figured Brussels sprouts were definitely in that category as so many people say they don't like Brussels sprouts at all and will not eat them.  Ever.  I live with one of those people.  I happen to love Brussels sprouts so I knew even if I had to eat the whole salad by myself, it would be just fine.  That said, I served it up, called it "slaw" and Mark ate his whole serving declaring it delicious.  I waited until after he had finished to tell him it was shaved Brussels sprouts and not the cabbage he thought he was eating (which is another thing, how can one like cabbage and not Brussels sprouts as all they are is little bitty cabbages...just saying). 

       The dressing for the salad is light and flavorful, the nuts give it a pleasing little crunch, and the sweetness of the apricots are like little treasures buried in each bite.  Definitely a repeat, Brussels sprouts are so good for you! 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Next week's recipe theme was chosen by me and is Melons, Melons, Everywhere.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you. 

      NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes.  We know you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Veggie Harvest - Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

       My 143rd recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Spiced Sweet Potato Soup, was chosen for the theme, Veggie Harvest, and is found in Donna Hay's book Simple Dinners on page 158.

       The ingredient list:  olive oil, cumin, coriander, dried chili flakes, sweet potato, chicken stock, slivered almonds, cilantro (I used parsley) and Greek yogurt.

       There are those who say that there is something called a "soup season," and I say to them, "every day is soup season."  It doesn't matter if it is 90 degrees outside, I still enjoy soup for lunch 90% of the time.  Vegetables are my chief go-tos for soup, it's the one place I don't mind if too many things are touching.  This recipe, however, was simple, easy, and has so few ingredients that you can make it when the cupboards seem virtually bare.  There isn't any salt and pepper in this recipe, and I thought I would miss it, but I didn't as the cumin, coriander, and dried chili flakes were all so flavorful that you can just go with thosse alone.  The cilantro and Greek yogurt were listed as optional ingredients, but although I subbed in parsley for the cilantro, I felt they added an excitement to the whole mix.  I would make this again, it tasted good and is good for you.  Definitely a repeat. 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is What's on the Side?  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.
        NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Donna Hay's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes.  We know you will enjoy using Donna's books again and again as we all do and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

 

Eating with Ellie: Eat Your Veggies - Garden Penne Bake

       The sixty-seventh recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Garden Penne Bake, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book You Have It Made, on page 283.  The theme for the week was chosen by Margaret: Eat Your Veggies.  

       Ingredient list:  penne pasta, garlic, olive oil, zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes, carrot, basil, salt, pepper, marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella. 

       This recipe is definitely full of vegetables, and although it looks like a complete mess in the photo, it was tasty and delicious.  There are a lot of ingredients touching in this one, I'm not really too keen on that but my guys love that sort of thing so I might make it again for them if I happen to have a lot of vegetables on hand in season, which was this case this week.  For myself, you can line up all those veggies separately on a plate and I would happily eat them all, they really don't need much else other than their little selves.

       If you want to feed a crowd, this recipe is it, I made 1/4 of the recipe and it was a huge amount. We had enough for two other meals with this amount as we served it as a side with some sliced chicken. In this book, Ellie's recipes are all make ahead recipes if you choose, and she also gives instructions for freezing them and reheating them, which are nice features of the recipes in this book.

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Next week's recipe theme was chosen by Gaye and is It Isn't Easy Being Green.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you. 

       NOTE:  In our posts, we do not publish the recipes from Ellie Krieger's books as those belong to her, we like to honor that and encourage you to buy her books to get the recipes.  We know you will enjoy using Ellie's books again and again, as we all do, and that your money will be well spent.  :-)

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Wake Up Call, Breakfast - Bacon Egg Rolls

       My 142nd recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Bacon Egg Rolls, was chosen for the theme, Wake Up Call:  Breakfast, and is found in Donna Hay's book Simple Dinners on page 18.

       The ingredient list:  bacon, eggs, cream, salt, pepper, and tomato jam (I made her version found on page 174 of Modern Classics 1 which is tomatoes, onion, malt vinegar, salt, pepper, a very little sugar, rather than use store bought as it is easy and simple and I can control the amount of sugar in it as I don't like it overly sweet).

       We don't usually go to a lot of effort around here for breakfast as Mark prefers to eat cereal or muffins or cookies and I don't really like anything sweet early in the morning so I usually go with a simple scrambled egg and an orange.  We do make omelettes for dinner once a week and this recipe will work nicely for a weeknight omelette. 

       When I saw the recipe name "Bacon Egg Rolls," my mind went to something like an Asian egg roll so when I saw the photo, I was pleasantly surprised that this was actually just bacon rolled inside an egg mixture.  It's all very simple, easy, and quick with the most time-consuming part being cooking the bacon.  I also make the tomato jam (she listed store bought tomato jam in the recipe) and that takes about 20 minutes but you don't really have to keep much of an eye on it until the end so it doesn't burn or stick, the first 15 minutes are free time for you to use as you choose (like cooking the bacon and getting the eggs ready). 

       The taste is very good, that little bit of vinegary tomato jam pairs so nicely with the bacon, and believe it or not, I didn't even mind that eggs-and-tomatoes-should-not-be-touching, it really was a delicious combination.  (The only thing I can think is that they say you have all new taste buds every seven years so maybe my "eggs with tomatoes taste buds" just showed up recently.  Maybe my chocolate and coffee taste buds will be along soon!  Lol.) Definitely a repeat. 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Veggie Harvest.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required. 

 

 

Eating with Ellie: Red, White, or Blue, It's Up To You - Muesli Parfaits

       The sixty-sixth recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Muesli Parfaits, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book So Easy, on page 36.  The theme for the week was chosen by me: Red, White, or Blue, It's Up To You in honor of Independence Day.  

       Ingredient list:  almonds, milk, yogurt, oats, honey, vanilla, and mixed berries. 

       Finding something red, white, or blue for this week was easy, Ellie has a lot of recipes in her books that are full of fresh fruit and veggies and encourages everyone to "eat the colors."  I settled on this recipe as it worked nicely for breakfast this time of year with all the fresh berries on hand this season.  You let the milk, oats, yogurt, honey, and vanilla sit overnight in the frig together and dress it all up with the almonds and berries in the morning, making for a quick assembly on a busy morning when you are in a rush to eat and get going.  I think this one will be a recipe that I keep on hand and eat often in the summer months and I am thinking the stone fruits and apples of later summer would be nice with this as well.  Filling and refreshing, this was a hit.  Definitely a repeat. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Next week's recipe theme was chosen by Margaret and is Eat Your Veggies.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you.  :-)

Eating with Ellie: The Color Purple - Grapes Simmered in Port Wine Sauce

       The sixty-fifth recipe I made with the Eating with Ellie group is Grapes Simmered in Port Wine Sauce, and can be found in Ellie Krieger's book Weeknight Wonders, on page 287. The theme for the week was chosen by Margaret: The Color Purple.  

       Ingredient list:  orange, ruby port wine, cinnamon stick, honey, grapes, and Greek yogurt. The theme was to pick something colored purple and I was thinking of eggplant (which Mark won't eat no matter how cleverly I try to disguise it) and purple grapes...I'm sure there are other purple things as well but those things came to mind as I remembered Ellie had a recipe for grapes in the dessert section of this book.  And, as luck would have it, I had all the ingredients on hand! 

       This is really simple and quick...you just simmer the wine, orange, cinnamon, and honey for the time it says, add the grapes, boil for the time it says, and let it rest for five minutes.  Even without the Greek yogurt topping, it all reminded me of Greek food: the wine, the orange flavor, the grapes, the honey, the cinnamon...definitely Greek flavors.  It was delicious.  Definitely a repeat. 

       If you wonder how the others did this week, click here to follow their post links.  You can also find the recipe schedule for the coming weeks there. Next week's recipe theme was chosen by me and is Red, White, or Blue, It's Up To You.  Please come and join us at any time, just leave the link to your post that week so we know where to find you.  :-)

Wednesday with Donna Hay: Marvelous Meat - Juiciest Roasted Pork with Salt and Pepper Crackle

       My 141st recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Juiciest Roasted Pork with Salt and Pepper Crackle, was chosen for the theme, Marvelous Meat, and is found in Donna Hay's book The New Easy on page 68.

       The ingredient list:  boneless pork loin, fennel seeds, sea salt flakes, cracked black pepper, vegetable oil, sage, apples, and maple syrup.  (I chose not to make the crackle part which was cooking the fat of the skin separately and serving it with the pork, not happening here ever.  I did add a sweet potato into the mix as it seemed like a good time to roast one to eat with the pork and apples and if the maple syrup happened to touch it, that would be okay with a sweet potato as they kind of go together.)

       Don't I just love cooking on parchment paper like this, everything on one tray cooked at the same time but still kind of separate and not touching on the pan, and the cleanup was heavenly, toss the paper and all the gunk in the bin when you are finished! 

       Truly DH was correct, this was so juicy and tender prepared this way, and the leftovers were excellent in sliders during the week as well. The fennel and sage flavored it all in the best ways, I'm doing this again soon as I have a whole lot of sage in my herb pot. The apples were a surprise as I thought they would be kind of dry and not very interesting with just a tiny bit of maple syrup drizzled on them...they were moist and delicious and just a little sweet, everything a lovely baked apple should be.  Sweet potato caramelized nicely (I flipped it over for the photo as I bake them cut side down always with nothing on them whatsoever).  This recipe is so simple and quick and would work great for guests as you can make it all up, slide it in the oven, forget about it for 45 minutes.  It is easy to serve and eat.  Definitely a repeat. 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Wake Up Call: Breakfast.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required. 

 

Wednesday with Donna Hay: I've Got a Sweet Tooth - Raisin, Oat, and Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
       My 140th recipe with the Wednesday with Donna Hay group is Raisin, Oat, and Chocolate Chip Cookies, was chosen for the theme, I've Got a Sweet Tooth, and is found in Donna Hay's book The New Easy on page 143.

       The ingredient list:  brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, butter, egg, flour, baking soda, rolled oats, raisins, and chocolate.

       The usual lineup for cookies and the add-ins, the unusual process of mixing it all up in the food processor.  I had never used a food processor to mix up cookie dough before and it worked just fine, at the end you just needed to stir in the chocolate and raisins. 

       This was a really good cookie, chock full of add-ins to make it gooey and interesting.  It was easy enough to swipe enough dough for two cookies for me before adding the chocolate and bake them chocolate-less.  A good move as oatmeal raisin cookies are definitely a favorite and these were very high on my "favorites of all time" list.  Mark said the cookies were "excellent with a nice texture and not overly sweet," a big hit with him, which is all that really matters here.  :-) Definitely a repeat. 

       Wonder what the others made?  You can find that by clicking here.  Next week's theme is Marvelous Meat.  Join us and leave a link to your post at the website, no commitment required.