Serving Up {Sandwich}: Roasted Pepper Wraps

This post is dedicated to all of my friends and family who will be warmly welcoming Trader Joe's to Salt Lake City later this month.  I have lived near a Trader Joe's ever since I have been married and have often joked with my family that I could never move back to Utah because there wasn't a Trader Joe's there.  I am glad to finally have that piece rectified.  In my celebratory mood, I made this wrap entirely with things I purchase from Trader Joe's (although you could technically make this wrap without using anything from Trader Joe's).

Last month my husband served in an advisory role for a community event that provided free information to people regarding finances and financial planning.  The event had food catered and I think he mentioned the food multiple times as we talked briefly during the day.  At the end of the day, he ended up bringing home a couple of roasted pepper wraps that had been served and they were SO good!  So I promptly unrolled one and took note of what was in it so that I could recreate the goodness.  The ingredients are really simple, but when combined it makes a very flavorful, satisfying wrap.  It's hard to believe that something so healthy can be so easy to put together.

And in keeping with my Trader Joe's love-fest, I would highly recommend serving this wrap with these...

chips as a side and these...

cookies as dessert.

Welcome to Utah Trader Joe's!!!

One Year Ago: Holiday Yams & Apples

ROASTED PEPPER WRAP     
printable version

Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Pepper

4 Organic Wheat Wraps (could use a high quality tortilla)

Cream Cheese, softened

Garlic Hummus Dip
Baby Spinach

Begin by roasting your bell peppers.  Cut each pepper into quarters and remove all seeds.  Place skin side up on a foil-lined pan.  Place in the oven and set broil to high.  Watch VERY carefully - you want the skins to turn black, but you don't want the pepper to burn.  Once the skins are all charred and beginning to blister, remove from the oven and immediately place the peppers into a bowl and cover the bowl securely with plastic wrap to capture the heat.  Allow the peppers to steam for about 20 minutes, at which point you can remove the charred skins from the peppers and the peppers are ready to use.

To create wrap, generously spread your wheat wrap (or tortilla) with cream cheese.  Next spread a thin layer of garlic hummus over the cream cheese.  Layer baby spinach leaves over the hummus.  Cut roasted bell peppers into strips and lay the strips down the center of your wrap.  Roll your wrap tightly and enjoy!

Serving Up {Breakfast}: Egg Nog Syrup

Last week I made a quick Target run the day after Halloween, not intentionally on that day, it just happened. My four-year old commented immediately about the fact that Christmas had arrived at Target.  It sure had!  Never mind that 12 hours earlier we were celebrating Halloween!  The costumes and candy and trick-or-treating may as well have been months ago.  Christmas had come to Target, as well as most other retailers I am sure.

Although I do have a bit "hum bug" attitude about the hyper-marketing that surrounds Christmas, I have to admit that I did make a bee line for the refrigerator section.  I figured if Christmas decor was out, then so should be the Christmas food.  And sure enough....there was a full case of Egg Nog!

Last year I tweaked my homemade syrup recipe by substituting buttermilk for egg nog and the result was divine!  Since you can only purchase egg nog for the next couple of months, do yourself a favor and make some of this syrup for those that you love.  They will thank you.  They may also drink the syrup, but that is just another form of their love being expressed :)

One Year Ago:  Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

EGG NOG SYRUP     

(recipe adapted from Grandpa Holbrook)

printable version

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup egg nog

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking soda

In a large saucepan, combine butter, sugar and egg nog and heat until a light boil is reached, ensuring the butter has melted and the sugar has completely dissolved.  

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and baking soda and stir until well combined. 

Serve over waffles, pancakes or french toast.

Serving Up {Pasta}: Parmesan Orzo with Basil

Isn't Orzo a great little pasta?  I don't know what it is about it, but I think it is so fun and I find myself drawn to any recipe that has it in it.  And man am I ever glad that my fascination with Orzo caused me to stumble upon this recipe.  The basil and Parmesan flavors are subtle enough to make this a terrific side dish, yet flavorful enough that you could easily use this recipe as a base for a main dish - by tossing it with roasted vegetables or sausage or both!

I would normally mention that this recipe makes a large amount if used as a side dish - except for the fact that we have never had any left over when I have made it, despite it's large quantity.  So I guess that speaks to it's deliciousness, as well as maybe also to our tendency to eat a bit more than necessary when it's just darned good!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Doughnut Muffins

PARMESAN BASIL ORZO     
(recipe from Tasty Kitchen)
printable version

3 Tbs. butter
1 1/2 cup orzo
3 cups chicken broth
6 Tbs. freshly chopped basil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large stockpot.  Add the orzo and saute until the orzo begins to turn golden brown.  Slowly add the broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all of the broth has been absorbed.  Remove from the heat and add the basil, Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

Serving Up {Pizza}: Roasted Pumpkin and Sage Pizza

It turns out that October is national pizza month.  Considering that, I thought that I ought to at least post one pizza recipe this month - especially considering how much our family loves pizza!  This recipe is the perfect October recipe because it's star ingredient is roasted pumpkin!  So should you have a cute little sugar pumpkin sitting on your counter as an autumn decoration, it is now time to put it to good use.

I was inspired to create this recipe after seeing this recipe for squash pizza and after having roasted an entire sugar pumpkin to serve as a side dish and being left with ample left overs.  Normally when I make roasted pumpkin I roast it with the sage, but in the case of this creation, I had roasted my pumpkin with rosemary, which was delicious in and of itself.  But since I knew that I love the flavor of sage and pumpkin together, I knew that when I put it on the pizza that I wanted to include sage.  So I browned some butter and cooked the sage that way.  In place of a pizza "sauce" I spread marscapone onto my pizza crust before topping it with the roasted pumpkin, browned sage leaves and mozzarella cheese.  The result was absolutely delicious!
Hope you agree.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

ROASTED PUMPKIN AND SAGE PIZZA     
printable version

For the crust:
3/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. yeast
1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup flour

In a mixing bowl, combine warm water, sugar, yeast and oil.  Allow yeast to activate for approximately 5 minutes.  Add flour and salt and combine - with bread hook or with a large heavy spoon.  Knead in the mixer or by hand for 5-10 minutes until a soft, workable dough has formed.
Place dough in warm area and allow to rise for an hour, or until double in size.
Remove dough onto a floured surface.  Work into a large 12-15 inch circle, place on pizza pan and set aside.

For the pumpkin:
1/3-1/2 small sugar pumpkin
2 shallots, chopped roughly
1 1/2 tsp. rosemary, slightly crushed
1-2 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Cut the pumpkin, remove the seeds and peel the outer layer.  Cut pumpkin into 1-inch squares.
In a bowl, combine pumpkin, shallots, rosemary and olive oil.  Line a baking pan with foil and place pumpkin mixture on pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Place pan in the oven and cook until pumpkin is tender - approximately 30 minutes - removing pan and tossing pumpkin once during cooking process.

For the pizza:
1/4 -1/2 cup fresh sage leaves, cut into narrow strips
2 Tbs. butter
4 ounce marscapone, softened
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
cooked pumpkin (see above)
pizza crust (see above)

In a small non-stick pan melt butter and allow to cook until it begins to brown.  Add the fresh sage leaves.  Cook until the leaves are wilted and brittle.  Remove from heat and set aside.
To prepare pizza, preheat oven to 450 degrees.  If using a pizza stone, preheat stone in oven.
Using your prepared pizza dough, spread marscapone over the entire crust.  Sprinkle cooked pumpkin and then cooked sage.  Top with shredded mozzarella.
Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until crust is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Serving Up {Cake}: Pumpkin Cake Bars

We are in the midst of pumpkin season and I am taking full advantage!  We have been enjoying a lot of pumpkin at our house as of late - in both savory meals as well as sweet treats - and yet I don't find myself tiring of it at all.  I just really love the flavor of pumpkin...especially when paired with spices and a cream cheese frosting...which brings me to this recipe.

This recipe is the perfect pumpkin cake recipe that holds nothing back when it comes to my favorite fall spices - please note the full teaspoon of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.  YUM!  In the end you end up with a delicious baked treat and a house that smells good enough for the kids to sniff the air as they come in from school and ask what you've been baking.  Just be careful to hide the evidence that you have already eaten three pieces before they even arrived home.  Sit down and enjoy a piece with the kids and pretend it's your first.  I mean, what they don't know won't hurt them.

And speaking of pumpkin, here is a list of some of my favorite pumpkin recipes that I have posted in the past.  There are some real goodies in there.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Icing

                          Pumpkin Knot Rolls       

PUMPKIN CAKE BARS     
(recipe from Louanne S.)

printable version

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil 

4 eggs

15-ounce can pumpkin

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan.  In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, eggs and pumpkin and mix.  Add dry ingredients and blend on low until all ingredients are moist.  Then beat the batter on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Pour batter into prepared jelly roll pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting:

1/3 cup butter

3-ounce cream cheese

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Tbs. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine butter and cream cheese and blend until well combined.  Add powdered sugar and milk and vanilla and blend until desired consistency, adding additional milk if needed.

Frost cooled bars and then cut into bars.

Serving Up {Fish}: Almond-Topped Fish

I am staring at this computer screen, and the photo of this delicious fish, and drawing a complete blank as to what I want to type.

The recipe is easy and delicious.  Is that saying enough?  It may have to be.

I have a list a mile long of what I need to accomplish this week and yet both of my day's off are filled so I am not sure when I will accomplish anything on my list.  The result is that I am anxious to jump up from my desk and get out the door.  Will you hold it against me?  I hope not.

If you like fish, try this recipe.  In fact, it is a perfect recipe for a busy week like mine because it comes together so quickly.  I love that about fish - it seems like a fancy meal and yet, in truth, it is one of the easiest things to pull together on a busy night.  I think I know what we will have for dinner tonight :)

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Curry Soup

ALMOND TOPPED FISH     
(recipe from allrecipes.com)
printable version

1 Tbs. butter
1 small onion, thinly sliced
4 6-ounce fillets cod or haddock
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs. parsley
1 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. sliced almonds, toasted

Place butter in a 13.9 baking dish and place in a 400 degree oven until melted.  Remove pan and tilt to spread butter evenly over the bottom of the dish.  Arrange onion slices in the bottom of the pan.  Place fish on top of sliced onion.  Sprinkle fish with seasoned salt, dill and pepper.

Combine mayo, Parmesan cheese, parsley and lemon juice and spread over fish.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Sprinkle with almonds prior to serving.

Serving Up {Cake}: Apple Cake with Butter Sauce

I mentioned last week that I had purchased 120 pounds of apples from a local farmer...and boy oh boy are we enjoying our apples!

Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy all kinds of baked apple goodies and this cake is one of my favorite!  It comes from my aunt and my mom used to make it when I was growing up and I continue to enjoy it all these years later.  The cake itself is packed with shredded apples and yummy spices, but then as you serve the cake you top it with a butter sauce that is to die for!  I will admit that I kind of like to drench my cake in sauce, so feel free to follow suit.  I won't judge.

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Bread

APPLE CAKE WITH BUTTER SAUCE     
(recipe from aunt June)
printable version

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
4 cups shredded apples
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
dash salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a 13x9 pan by greasing and flouring it.
In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add apples and continue to blend.  Gradually add dry ingredients.  Smooth batter into prepared pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick tests clean.
Serve cake warm with warmed butter sauce.

Butter Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar, butter and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a soft boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Serve warmed over warm apple cake.

Serving Up {Muffins}: Bran Flax Muffins

In the world of recipe searches, I am sure "bran flax muffins" ranks nowhere near all the sugar laden treats that are posted every 2.5 seconds.  But maybe after all those sugar laden treats you should consider indulging in these as a truly delicious, guilt-free breakfast option.  They are packed with flax seed and oat bran and apples and carrots and are crazy moist (even better the next day) without an ounce of oil in the mix.

May I suggest whipping up a batch and throwing them in your freezer for those hectic mornings when a ready-made option would save the day.  That is what I do when I make these muffins and just yesterday they surfaced as breakfast for half the gang, they surfaced for my lunch and at least two kids ate them as an after school snack.  Okay, so they may never make your freezer, but you have got to feel good about what is being eaten!

One Year Ago: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

BRAN FLAX MUFFINS      
(recipe from Bob's Red Mill)
printable version

1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins or craisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together flour, flaxseed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts (if desired). Combine milk, beaten eggs, and vanilla. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix.
Fill muffin cups 3/4 full.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
This recipe makes approx. 15 medium-sized muffins

Serving Up {Dessert}: Caramel Apple Crisp

Apples are on!!!  I currently have 120 pounds of apples in my entry way...40 pounds each of red delicious, Jonathans and primes.  Thanks to access to a local farmer, I picked up my delicious jems for less than 50 cents a pound.  We are huge apple eaters around here so we are kind of loving it!

Most of our apples are eaten straight but we do have a few favorite apple recipes that we enjoy when the apples are plentiful.  This particular recipe is at the top of the list.  Apple crisp is a favorite regardless, but add a jar of caramel sauce and an old favorite is taken to an all new level!  Served warm or cold, with or without ice cream, it's a winner!

One Year Ago: Roasted Pumpkin with Shallots and Sage

CARAMEL APPLE CRISP     

printable version

8 granny smith apples, peeled/cored/sliced
2 tbs. lemon juice
⅔ cup sugar
⅓ cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
¾ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
¾ tsp. salt

1 12-ounce jar caramel ice cream topping

2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flour
1 cup oatmeal
½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup butter, melted

Prepare by buttering a 13x9 glass baking dish and preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place apples and lemon juice in a large bowl and stir until the apples are coated with the lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt and stir until combined. Pour dry ingredients over the apples and stir until the apples are well coated. Spread the apples evenly in the prepared baking dish.
Pour caramel sauce over the top of the apples.
In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, nuts and melted butter and stir until it forms course crumbs. Spread the topping over the caramel layer.
Place in oven and cook 40-50 minutes, until the topping is browned and the apples are tender.

Serving Up {Chicken}: Sesame Chicken

My oven has been officially declared "not broken" by the repair guy but after having two meals go down the drain, I don't know that I am convinced.  I have used it with success over the weekend but am still opting for oven-free meals until I am sure.

So today you get another recipe that only uses the stove top - which comes in helpful if your oven is broken but can also be refreshing during the summer when you don't want to heat up your kitchen by turning on the oven.  This dish is surprisingly simple and uses ingredients that I generally have on hand - I love feeling gourmet without having to purchase "special" ingredients.  The real selling point is that my kids all give this recipe a double thumbs up!  Hope you do too.

One Year Ago: Halloween Bark

SESAME CHICKEN     
(recipe from Your Homebased Mom)
printable version

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced or cubed
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 Tbsp. sliced green onion, optional
Sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. oil.  Add the chicken and stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.

Stir together sugar, vinegar, broth, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens and becomes sticky - this could take 10-15 minutes so be patient, but watch the sauce as it can burn easily. Add the chicken to the sauce and mix well.

Serve over rice. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.