Caramelized Onion and Pear Grilled Brie Sandwiches - total time 15 minutes

One cooking secret I learned from my mom was how to make the best grilled cheese sandwiches EVER!  My sandwiches have come a long way from Kraft singles and Wonder bread.  Rustic wheat breads, sophisticated cheeses, complex flavor combinations... you name it, I have probably made it into a melty cheesy sandwich.

I mentioned a week or so ago that I was inspired by one of Harvest Moon Cafe's bison burgers with caramelized onions, pears, and brie... soo good!  I knew it would taste just as good (or better) without the meat.  So only a few days later, I made these sandwiches, and then again, and again.  Definitely addicting!  Perfect to go with a cup of soup or a side salad.  And it doesn't take long at all.  

Chocolate Cherry Bombs - total time 50 minutes

I looove cookies... but seriously, I need a break from them right now.  Too many Christmas cookies!  

So we were running through the produce section of our grocery store the other day (really just to grab some lettuce for tacos) and I noticed cherries.  I have always associate cherries with summer.  Cherries are the kind of fruit you can't have year-round in the produce department, so I looked into it, and it is currently the Southern hemisphere's cherry season (makes sense)!  I guess Australians associate cherries with Christmas, which made me think... Christmas is really different down under, wearing shorts in the height of summer season and celebrating Christmas... strange thought!

Any way... there are a lot of birthdays around Christmas and I have been thinking about making cake pops, but instead of a pop, a cherry stem.  So I grabbed a bag of cherries and made these super rich and chocolaty cherry bombs!  And I mean they are really gooood.  This is coming from someone who doesn't typically like chocolate cake or cherries... but these are the bomb!  (Haha... pun intended!)

Just so you know, the stems are a little finicky.  I really wanted mine to look like little cherry bombs, so I tried my hardest to keep the stem on throughout the process (specifically when dipping them in the chocolate).  These would be just as delicious balled up without the stem or even put a pop stick in them.

So before your New Years resolutions are set, get in one last indulgence!

Broccoli Cauliflower Gratin - total time 35 minutes

It's Thursday and that means it's cruciferous vegetable night!  

I don't know what it is about cauliflower, but I have always thought it needs to be paired with broccoli.  Whether one a vegetable tray or in a meal... if there is cauliflower, the broccoli is always right there beside it.  I never have those thoughts about broccoli... just cauliflower.  Maybe it's because they're the only vegetables that look like little trees... so when you have the white tree, you need the green tree?  Odd.

So, some times you need a little help to get some one to eat their vegetables.  One bad experience can prevent them from ever trying it again.  Also, one person saying they don't like vegetables is enough to make no one like them.  To combat this negativity, start them off with a delicious cheesy version and then work your way toward roasted or steamed veggies.  That is exactly how I started with brussel sprouts... started with a gratin and now they are one of my favorites!

Stuffing Muffins - total time 45 minutes

So one time in high school, I made a box of Stove Top stuffing and ate the whole thing for dinner!  Ick!  Just think of all the sodium and preservatives in that heaping plate.  I wasn't even a big fan of stuffing... I was just hungry and that was the easiest thing to make.  I avoided stuffing for years afterward...

Fast forward to today and I still can't eat Stove Top... but homemade stuffing, now that is a different story.  Using artisan crusty bread with fresh vegetables and veggie stock makes this side dish stand out.  I wanted to make a traditional Thanksgiving meal this year... turkey with sage and rosemary, buttermilk mashed potatoes, green bean casserole... and of course stuffing.  I also wanted to have a bread basket, whether it be rolls or croissants... but there are already so many carbs involved in Thanksgiving.  So bake the stuffing in a muffin pan and... voila... you get both!  Stuffing in perfect individual serving sizes that can be passed around in a bread basket, no serving utensils required.

Crispy Roast Potatoes - total time 45 minutes

Still trying to come up with another side for your Thanksgiving feast?  Tired of mashed potatoes?  (Although that has always been one of my favorites.)  These crispy roast potatoes are somewhere between a baked potato and home fries with soft, fluffy insides and a crunchy, buttery outside making this a perfect side dish!

I have been making these since I first saw Jamie Oliver make them on his holiday series on the Food Network a couple years ago.  I love Jamie's passion for food and food education.  It was so interesting to see on Food Revolution what is in school lunches and how easy it is to make a couple swaps without increasing the cost to make healthier meals.  And also to see how children aren't able to identify most produce.  I couldn't believe it... but at their age, my answers probably would have been pretty similar.  Now between Green BEAN delivery, our CSA, and summer garden... our kitchen is always packed with produce and I couldn't imagine it any other way.  Amazing how things change!

Back to the potatoes!  They are really easy and super customizable.  I love butter and potatoes together, but you could totally use olive oil or truffle oil... or bacon fat.  The herbs are the same way... rosemary, thyme, sage... whatever your favorites are.  Change up the potatoes too; fingerling, yukon gold, blue potatoes, red potatoes... really any potato works (my favorite are the blue potatoes, they are so pretty and are packed with flavor and nutrients).

Cauliflower Croquettes - total time 45 minutes

Some times you just get a craving for fried potatoes.  Does that mean you have to run out to the nearest fast food place that sells greased up french fries?  Actually, my french fry craving default is usually crispy roasted potatoes... but these croquettes are pretty awesome. And since I am not a huge fan of cauliflower, but still like to get a variety of vegetables in my diet, this recipe is perfect.  Kids will love it because it is potatoes, crispy, and finger food... you could serve them as appetizers, a side, or as a main dish with a salad.  And they are cute!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie - total time 50 minutes

Most traditional Irish food includes meat, but that doesn't mean it can't be transformed into a satisfying vegetarian meal.  Filled with root vegetables, this is a perfect winter meal or to celebrate the end of winter with Saint Patrick's Day.

Cheesy Chard Biscuit Poppers- total time 45 minutes

Weekend mornings are the best!  You get to sleep in and everything is at your pace, so I can make whatever I want for breakfast and not be worried about time.  Pancakes, eggs, bacon, french toast, breakfast sandwiches... mmm, I love breakfast foods.  Lately even weekend mornings seem a bit rushed, so this morning I took full advantage of my laid back schedule and made some cheesy chard biscuit poppers.  The remind me a little of the biscuits you get at Red Lobster (I assume they still have those, I haven't been to Red Lobster in years).  It is really hard to stop popping them in your mouth... yum!

2 cups swiss chard, chopped and steamed
2 eggs, remove one yolk
1 cup creme fraiche
1 cup flour
2 tbsp parm, shredded
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 oz. brie
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chop chard and steam stems for four minutes.  Add chopped chard leaves and steam an additional four minutes.  Lay chard out on kitchen towel to absorb moisture.
2.  Beat eggs together, add creme fraiche, and melted butter combine.  Mix in flour, salt, pepper, and parm.
3.  Fold in chard and brie.  Spray muffin cups with olive oil.  Divide dough among cups.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Pink Fizz Juice - total time 5 minutes

So, I brought my coffee to work this morning... french pressed with salted caramel creamer and all... and I forgot to drink it!  Normally it would be chugged within the first 30 minutes to avoid falling asleep on my keyboard (my work isn't that boring, I'm just not a morning person).  I attribute the whole forgetting/not needing coffee to drinking fresh juice every morning.  Most people wake up and eat sugary cereals or breakfast bars... mine has started with raw fruits and vegetables for almost two weeks!

Here is the juice recipe I made this morning (I will probably wear an apron next time I try to remove the seeds from a pomegranate.  It squirts everywhere and is dark red!)

1 pomegranate

2 apples

3 carrots

Pomegranates get pretty fizzy/foamy after getting whirled through a juicer.

Orange Power Juice

The juicer is working out great!  I have decided all the hype about kale doesn't make it taste any less like grass.  Maybe I should try a different variety... and less of it.  But until then... I like spinach.  And I found my new favorite juice.  I have made it the past two mornings... yum!

2 cups of spinach
1 lemon
3 carrots
2 oranges

Baked Potato Soup - total time 45 minutes

The cold weather has come and it is soup and stew season.  I looked through my posts for our favorite soup recipe wasn't on here yet!  I couldn't believe it.  We love baked potato soup... what a comfort food when you need to get warmed up.  It is easy to keep it vegetarian too... just don't put the crunchy bacon pieces on top.  And it really doesn't take too much effort... the time is all in the baking of the potatoes (which you can use your microwave as a shortcut).

5 yukon gold potatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 cups vegetable stock

1.5 cup milk

.25 cup cream

1 cup cheese, shredded

2 tbsp butter

green onions

2 pieces organic bacon (optional)

salt & pepper

1.  Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes at 350 degrees or 15 minutes in microwave.

2.  Melt butter in a pot.  Saute onions with salt and pepper for five minutes.  Add broth.  Cut up baked potatoes into half inch sized squares and add to pot with milk and cream.  Bring to a boil for five minutes while smashing potatoes in pot.  Add half of the cheese and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.  Cook bacon (if wanted).  Spoon out soup, add a dollop of sour cream, sprinkling of cheese, some green onion slices, and a few small pieces of bacon.  Yum!

tip: run a metal skewer through bigger potatoes to bake evenly (the metal gets hot and bakes from the middle)

Potato Puffs - total time 40 minutes

This is a great recipe for leftover mashed potatoes... maybe after Thanksgiving.  Or just something different to try for a side dish or appetizer.  Essentially it is mashed potatoes rolled into balls, dipped in egg and bread crumbs, then toasted to get a crispy shell.  Sounds tasty, right?!

1 lb potatoes

3 tbsp butter

2 clove garlic, roasted

1 green onion, chopped

.25 cup cream

.5 shredded parm, divided

2 egg whites

1 cup bread crumbs

salt & pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Boil potatoes about 12 minutes.  While potatoes cook, roast garlic in a ban with a little olive oil.  Drain potatoes and mash the potatoes in a mixing bowl.  Add butter, garlic, green onions, cream, .25 cup parm, salt & pepper, and any additional herbs (I added rosemary).  Put potatoes in the fridge to cool down.

2.  Crack eggs into a bowl (remove yolks).  Combine bread crumbs and remaining parm on a plate.  Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, roll into balls, dip into egg whites, roll in bread crumbs, and place on lined baking sheet.

3.  Bake for 12 minutes and serve!

Crispy Roast Potatoes - total time 1 hour

This recipe was on Jamie Oliver's Christmas special I watched two Decembers ago.  I have made them before, but I this time I added a new trick at the end for some crispiness!

2 pounds yukon gold potatoes

2 tbsp butter, melted

rosemary, thyme, salt, & pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash potatoes and cut into large chunks.  Cook potatoes in a pot of boiling water for ten minutes.

2.  Drain potatoes and allow to cool enough to touch.  Melt butter in a bowl.  Add all herbs and spices. Toss each chunk of potato into buttery herb mixture and set on a baking sheet.  Place in over for 45 minutes.

3.  Turn broiler on for three minutes to get the potatoes crispy and golden brown.

Brussel Sprout Gratin - total time 30 minutes

I first tried brussel sprouts when I was a kid, they were microwaved and from the freezer.  Needless to say, I wasn't a big fan.  A few years ago, I decided to give them another try.  Bought some fresh brussel sprouts, sauteed them in butter with salt and pepper, I was a fan.  Others still needed convincing... so I found a recipe for a 'brussel sprout casserole', if you will... tried it out for Thanksgiving and it was a hit!  I love it, especially with white cheddar, yummm!

1 lb. brussel sprouts, quartered

1 cup white cheese (I used white cheddar)

.5 cup cream

.5 cup panko bread crumbs

salt, pepper, red pepper flakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Add pat of butter to pan.  Add quartered brussel sprouts, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, saute for 7 minutes flipping sprouts every so often.  

3. Transfer brussel sprouts to small casserole dish, add cream and cheese, stir.  Top with panko.  Bake for 15 minutes.