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Crock-Pot Sweet Potatoes
There’s something about potatoes that feeds my soul. So no matter what, this is something you will find me cooking. More often than not, I’ve swapped out Idaho potatoes for other alternatives and definitely sweet potatoes. (Don’t worry, I still like a good baked potato or my mom’s garlic, herb parm roasted potatoes).
So when hosting a dinner especially, when space may be limited, Crock-Pot Sweet Potatoes have become an easy go-to. Now you can certainly season these any way you like, if you want to make a more traditional sweet potato casserole or spice it up… I recently roasted some sweet potatoes with cumin and ginger which was delicious so feel free to experiment with what suits you.
The broth is another piece of this that you can take or leave. Personally I think it adds a little depth to the flavor and you get more soft and yummy potatoes, but that’s another component that’s adjustable depending on what you’re looking for. It’s a great alternative to adding butter which many recipes typically call for and instead of an alternative, some homemade bone broth packs some extra nutrition.
No matter what, this one is easy to throw together and let it go while you prepare other parts of your meal or take a break to relax.
Ingredients:
– Sweet Potatoes (6 medium potatoes)
– Bone Broth (1/2 cup)
– Cinnamon (1 TBSP)
– Ginger (1 TBSP)
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Knife
– Cutting Board
– Crock Pot
Cooking Instructions:
1. Wash and dry sweet potatoes.
2. Slice potatoes into 1/2″ slices (or desired thickness) and mix with cinnamon and ginger.
3. Place potatoes in crock-pot and pour broth over top
4. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Roasted My Turkey
with Brine and Baste
“People who love to eat are always the best people” – Julia Child
There is something about the holidays that makes cooking for our crew even more exciting. Life throws a lot of things at us, and they’re not all pleasant – all the more reason to take time out to get together and celebrate family. I truly enjoy the ability to provide a table where we can gather together not only to spend time, but appreciate things in life that are worth being grateful for. And I pour that love and gratitude into everything I prepare.
We stopped eating ham for Easter longer ago than I can remember. Packed with salt that was not ideal for some family health concerns, we’ve turned to other proteins for our holiday dinner – turkey, brisket, lamb. Due to a variety of circumstances, this year we had a smaller crew and an ‘extra’ turkey in a freezer which was perfect! Since hosting our first Thanksgiving, I have tried a few different methods, there is nothing that compares to brining and basting our bird.
Butter had previously my ‘go to’ to cover my bird for roasting, but I am trying to reduce dairy where possible. Honestly, I didn’t notice the difference with this recipe and everyone raved about how delicious it was. Probably the one time that we would have been fine to have MORE leftovers than we did. This bird came out juicy and full of flavor. You’re bound to have your guests offering to buy you a turkey to do it again.
Don’t forget, that carcass is great for homemade bone broth so bag it up and put it away. I’ll be sharing a recipe for that soon.
Ingredients:
– Turkey (14-20 lbs)
– Bone Broth (1 cup for bottom of roasting pan)
Brine your bird: (24 hours in advance of roasting)
– Apple Juice or Cider (3 cups)
– Water (2 gallons)
– Fresh Rosemary (leaves from 1 package, or 4-6 TBSP)
– Garlic (5-6 cloves, minced)
– Salt (1/2 cup)
– Brown Sugar (2 cups)
– Peppercorns (4 TBSP)
– Bay Leaves (5 whole)
– Naval Oranges (6 small or 3 large)
Stuff your bird:
– Onion (1 large)
– Apple (1, quartered. I use granny smith)
– Garlic
– Rosemary
Baste your bird:
– Avocado Oil (or oil that can hold up to high temperatures)
– Rosemary
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Large Stock Pot
– Food Grade Bucket
– Knife
– Cutting Board
– Basting brush
– Roasting Pan
– Baster
Cooking Instructions:
1. Prepare the Brine: Combine ingredients to “Brine your bird” in a large stock pot, stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Bring to a boil. Turn off and cover. Let cool. (Make sure you allow time for this as it will take a couple hours to cool)
2. Brine your bird: Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Pat dry, inside and out. Place in pot or food grade bucket, legs up. Pour in brine (be sure it’s cool) and refrigerate or top with ice for 18-24 hours.
3. Stuff your bird: When ready to start roasting your turkey, prepare “Stuff your bird” ingredients. Pull turkey out of brine and pat dry. Set in roasting pan, stuff, and tie legs together.
4. Baste your bird: Combine avocado oil and chopped rosemary in a small bowl. Using a basting brush, coat outside of turkey in this mixture.
5. Roast your bird: Pour about a cup of broth into the bottom of your roasting pan. Roast at 425 for 30 minutes. Use your baster to baste your bird. Turn temperature down to 325 and roast until done (about 15 minutes per pound), basting every 30 minutes.
*If your bird starts to get too brown/crisp, cover with aluminum foil for remainder of cooking.
Artichoke Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
It all started because there was a jar of marinated artichokes staring at me. Ok, so it wasn’t staring at me exactly. But it was sitting on my counter for longer than anything sits on my counter. So one day I thought I would pull together whatever else I had in the house and concoct something. This is, of course, my favorite way to cook!
An important thing to remember is ‘eating healthier’ doesn’t have to mean you ‘go without’. Moderation is a piece of that. So is smart substitutions. Although I’ve been gluten free for years, and there are good gluten free pastas out there, I have really grown to enjoy lentil pasta as an option. Particularly in the winter when spaghetti squash or my favorite spiralized zucchini from the farm market are harder to come by. There are a variety of options in most grocery stores now though so experiment for what you prefer. If you decide on a rice or pasta with less protein, you can ramp it up with some shrimp or chicken.
The first attempt at this one didn’t go quite right. The problem was I was working with ‘leftover’ ingredients and there just wasn’t quite enough of everything. Particularly the pesto. So here’s round two and I am very pleased. It seems simple, most ingredients straight from the pantry, but the flavors together are delightful.
One of the best things about this recipe is you can adjust any of these ingredients based on what you, your family, or guests prefer. I don’t understand those people who don’t like mushrooms, but they’re out there. So go ahead and modify if you need to.
Ingredients:
– Lentil Pasta (1 box)
– Artichokes (1 can)
– Sun-Dried Tomatoes (1/4 cup, drained and packed)
– Olives (about 1/4 cup, drained)
– Mushrooms (1/2 cup)
– Pesto (1 jar)
– Garlic (3 cloves, minced)
– Basil and Oregano (2 TBSP each, can substitute or add favorite herbs)
– Olive Oil
Kitchen Items You’ll Need:
– Mixing Bowl
– Pasta Pot
Cooking Instructions:
1. Fill pot with water and boil for pasta. Once boiling, cook pasta for 8-10 minutes.
2. While you wait for water to boil, begin marinating artichokes in olive oil, 1 clove of garlic, and herbs. Mix and set aside.
3. Drain pasta and leave in strainer while you prepare vegetables.
4. In same pot you made pasta, heat 1-2 TBSP olive oil and add artichokes and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms start to soften.
5. Add olives, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto and cook until heated through.
6. Mix in pasta. Serve.
