Steamed Broccoli

Steamed Broccoli

This is one of the easiest side dishes I make, and one I make pretty often.

Sometimes I focus on the main dish, and then realize I don't have a side dish planned.

This one can be done in under 5 minutes, and it's so, so healthy.

I usually keep fresh broccoli on hand.

David and Thomas don't like the stalks, so I take a moment to chop up the broccoli and remove most of the stalks. 

Then I place it in this microwaveable steamer that I've had for YEARS from Pampered Chef.

Cover the broccoli with water, latch the top and cook for 3 minutes in the microwave.

Drain and serve.

Sometimes I toss it with a little olive oil or salt or Parmesan cheese.

More often than not, I just serve it plain.

This is my family's favorite way to eat broccoli!

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Brussels Sprout Leaves with Bacon

Brussels Sprout Leaves with Bacon

I found this recipe in the November 2011 Redbook magazine "All-Star Thanksgiving" section and decided to try it out. 

Fresh Brussels sprouts are a vegetable my entire family will eat (if not too often) and this different approach for coring the sprouts and separating the leaves looked interesting!

(I thought they were "brussel sprouts" - turns out they're "Brussels sprouts")

David really liked it.

The boys thought they were good - the bacon helped!

I use turkey bacon so it was a very healthy dish and everyone had two helpings.

Here is a batch I made awhile back where I had not cored the Brussels sprouts, just trimmed them.

For this dish you'll want to cut out the little core before blanching them in boiling water.

You then cool the sprouts by running cold water over them and letting them sit while you cook your bacon, leaving the drippings in the pan.

You separate the leaves and place them, along with the chopped bacon, back in the frying pan and heat through for two minutes.  Season and serve.



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Smakelijk!

(Flemish for Bon Apetit!)



Chicken Rollatini

Skinnytaste's Chicken Rollatini

I've shared before my love of Gina's Skinny Recipes on her blog Skinnytaste.com.

She shared this one recently and I tried it this week.

Although it's a multi-step process, it was rather quick to assemble and bake.

And really tasty!

You cook shredded zucchini and garlic together, adding Parmesan and mozzarella.

You add this mixture to a thin chicken cutlet and roll up.

Dip in a lemon juice/olive oil mixture and then in Italian breadcrumbs.

Bake for 30 minutes at 450* and you're ready to serve with your favorite vegetable.

I modified the recipe slightly.

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Delicious!

Barbecue Black Bean Chili

The Fast Foodie's

Barbecue Black Bean Chili

The final recipe that I made for our Halloween Costume Party was Amber's Barbecue Black Bean Chili.  She mentioned this dish on facebook one day and I knew it would be a huge hit at our house.

I wanted to take a nice Fall dish to the party, and this worked perfectly.

I'm never sure with a new recipe, but the pot was empty! 

I had several requests for the recipe (always a thrill!)

I served my boys a bowl that night too and they really liked it - better than "normal" chili, they said.

Really, you don't have to tell me twice.

You combine all the ingredients and once and cook this on the stove for an hour, or in the crock pot on low for 1+ hours.

I only served tortilla chips and salsa this time but will do sour cream, chiles, and shredded cheddar next time as well.

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Y'all Enjoy!



Caramel Halloween Mix

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherrys'

Caramel Halloween Mix

I found this delicious Halloween snack on Life is Just a Bowl of Cherry's blog.

I made it for our Halloween Costume Party over the weekend.

This recipe makes a lot and it's perfect for kids.

I put black cups out so it would be easy to scoop up and snack on as people were mingling.

I modified the recipe slightly.

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Happy Halloween!