Sure Champs November Post 'Recipes from the Ranch' - Holiday Must Haves!

 

Thanksgiving is almost here and most of us will be thinking toward what recipes to fix for our holiday meals.  For this month's Sure Champ's Recipes from the Ranch we shared some of my families favorite side dishes that have now become a tradition at our house.

It's a cook greatest wish to impress her family and friends and these recipes are always highly requested and loved.

Each of these recipes are easy to prepare the day before, cook the day of or add the dressing to right before serving.  Served here are my Sure Champ Blue Ribbon Green Beans and The Ranch Kitchen's Winter Salad. 

 

Check out the November Blog post below at the link or by clicking on the picture.  You'll find both recipes on the Sure Champ site and also on my recipe tab on The Ranch Kitchen Blog and Recipe Site.

 

 

You can read the blog post here at -
Sure Champ Recipes from the Ranch November Must Have Blog Post.

What are your favorite recipes?  I'd love for you to share them on my The Ranch Kitchen blog.  It's easy to create a login and post your recipes so that your famly and friends can easily access your family favorites for generations to come!

Happy holidays a little early and enjoy the cool, crisp weather ahead!

Alise Nolan

 

Roasted Mixed Vegetables with Parmessan Cheese

Looking for a fast vegetable side dish that looks impressive with little effort? Then this recipe is certainly for you. No one ever said you had to cut and peel the vegetables yourself!

Back around the holidays I had a huge bag of left over mixed vegetables.  You know the one that has your already cut up cauliflower and broccoli?  Right beside it in the fridge I had an even larger bag of carrots that I had been dragging out of the refrigerator each night to serve along side the broccoli and cauliflower as a side dish with Ranch Dressing.  As a last ditch effort to use them up, I got a little creative and you might even say down right lazy.  However, the end result was a winner and I've continued to cook these vegetable this way and even an occasional frozen one the same way! 

Roasted Mixed Vegetable with Parmesan Cheese

1 mixed bag of broccoli and cauliflower, uncooked

1 bag, 2 cups approximately of carrots, uncooked

1/4 cup olive oil (Canola oil, vegetable oil or any oil will work just fine)

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle on the cooked vegetables at the end of cooking

Gently wash vegetables and drain...or don't.  I didn't and we lived to tell the tale. 

Place the vegetables on a layer of foil that is large enough that you can wrap another piece of foil on in order to create a packet to cook in.  Drizzle oil over the vegetables and gently mix together on top of the foil. Be careful not to break the foil lining. 

Season with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning. As you know I love Tony Chachere's and the other night I made this with frozen broccoli spears and used heir Herbs N' Spice for this recipe. 

Add second piece of foil and curl sides up making a packet and tight seal.  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 375 - 400 degrees for thirty minutes. 

After you take the vegetables out of the oven, gently cut a slit in the top of the foil being careful not to burn yourself.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese or whatever cheese you like! 

Serve and enjoy! 

***Our house guest for the spring especially loved this with the frozen broccoli spear and Tony Chachere's Herbs N' Spice the other night!  And I didn't even use the oil.  The water off the ice from the frozen broccoli spears helped keep the mixture moist.

Hope you'll try it.  Never throw out those vegetables again! 

Alise @ The Ranch Kitchen!



Spring is Just Around the Corner - Winter Salad Recipe

Spring is Just Around the Corner 
 
Winter Salad Recipe
 

In winter I dream about my garden in the spring.  What will we grow, when will we plant...and always have ambitious plans.  Our garden is always HUGE!  This past year my husband got a little carried away and planted 48 tomato plants.  Most of their fruit however was given to friends and family.  This year (my husband and I have predicted) that our garden will be much, much smaller than last...but this is something we say every year.  As we shop our for our plants...one pack though is never enough.

This spring I plan to plant heirloom tomatoes, white eggplants, and long, slender zucchini just to name a few!  I love planting brussel sprouts for my daughter to pick and mostly just enjoy knowing that most of my meal on some nights was provided off our ranch; the meat from our Hereford cattle, the vegetables from our garden, and prepared in my kitchen or at my grill.

As you sit by the fire with your computer nearby, google plant and seed catalogs, send off for their magazines, and start dreaming of spring!  My Winter Salad below is a taste of early spring.  It's a favorite at family gatherings and so easy to make.  It's right around the corner right!  I hope the ground hog doesn't see his shadow tomorrow and spring is just around the corner!

 

 

 

Winter Salad

1 large head of broccoli (cut with florets only), frozen can be used - thaw

1 large head of cauliflower (cut with florets only), frozen can be used – thaw

1 16 ounce Creamy Italian Dressing or Ceasar Salad Dressing

1 cup REAL Mayonnaise

 

Optional vegetables:

12 – 18 cherry tomatoes or Roma sliced

1 red onion, chopped

1 bunch - fresh spinach leaves

Combine Creamy Italian Dressing and REAL Mayonnaise with a whisk.  Spoon dressing mixture over broccoli and cauliflower.  Mix well.  Serve chilled.  Mix in a separate bowl from the one you serve in. 

*This will need to be refrigerated until ready to serve as broccoli will wilt.