Roots!

Well, it seems we have transitioned right into winter - it is supposed to warm up this week to more normal temperatures but for now, I am welcoming it in warming dishes. Send me how you are enjoying your harvest at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the Subject Line.

As I mentioned last week, roasted veggies are key to my cooking at this time of the year. I basically take everything out of the fridge (except for the greens) and storage, chop them up into similar sized chunks, drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary, and roast at somewhere between 380 and 400. Turning every 15 minutes is important so that everything cooks evenly and so nothing sticks to the pan.

Sweet peppers, potatoes, leeks, watermelon radish, celeriac - this week's roasted bounty - again, I made a lot and ate one night alongside a meat dish and then used another night for a frittata.

Kale - made Kale Chips for a yummy, healthy snack. Recipe is on this site but it is simple: preheat oven to 375. Remove tough stems, tear into pieces - not too small because they shrink significantly in the oven. Toss with a little olive oil and salt - if you want, add another spice - cumin or cayenne are nice. Place on cookie sheet in single layer - if they overlap, they won't crisp up. Bake for 10 min, checking at 5 min or so. Remove from oven and enjoy!! I often make these and snack while I am preparing dinner.

Onions, garlic, Hershberger beef bones, cilantro - Made Vietnamese Beef Pho - my first time for it (had made Chicken Pho in pressure cooker several times). It came out great and really wasn't as labor intensive as I expected. I researched several recipes before I chose the one I did, and we were very happy with the results. Email me if you are interested and I will send you the recipe.

Some other cooking from this week included parsley and onions in my grandmother's recipe for meatloaf, carrots and onions in gravy for a sauerbraten.