My Favorite Way to Eat Vegetables

I ate most of this in one sitting....

If I've ever made you dinner, or if you have me on SnapChat, or honestly, if you let me tell you about food at all, you're probably well-aware that I love roasted vegetables. Especially broccoli. Like, I know it's lame, but I'm pretty sure roasted broccoli is my favorite food. I eat it almost every day. If not broccoli, it's probably Brussels sprouts. All roasted. Always. It's the best way to eat vegetables, I promise. It's also vegan friendly, if you're into that. Oh yeah, highly recommend dipping the broccoli in hummus. I love.

I got you a new phone background.

The day I made this, my car broke down. I'd love to say it came out of nowhere, but I like to think we're all friends here, so I'll admit that it was a part my dad told me to fix a month or so ago. So.....lessons learned. Sorry Daddy. But I digress.
Anyway, I pulled out of the apartment I'm currently trying to sign a lease at, and realized my power steering had quit. Have you ever had to use your entire body weight to move the steering wheel? It's interesting. So, I pulled into the nearest parking lot and called my dad, who probably would've laughed at me if he'd been in a better mood, and then informed me that I couldn't drive the car. While I was freaking out to him, for some reason trying to talk him into saying it was okay to drive, a man appeared. He told me that he was the owner of the bike shop (which apparently was the parking lot I pulled into) and that he knew what was wrong with my car and was willing to go buy the part for me and put it in.
I was shocked and confused and explained it to my dad on the phone, who told me to take help where it's offered. The man (his name is Paul, he owns the bike shop on the corner of NW 6th St. and NW 21st Ln. support his business if you're a Gainesville local.) proceeded to fix my car, and only asked that I reimburse him for the parts and buy him a lottery ticket, even though I offered beer and cash. As someone with a stats background, this feels like a stupid statement, but I really hope he wins. I returned the next day with cookies. I don't know how I got so lucky. All I can say is that God was keeping an eye on me. 

Sometimes good things happen. Celebrate with broccoli, that's what I did.

Roasted Veggies
1 head of broccoli/1 lb. Brussels sprouts/1 lb. green beans/1 sweet potato/etc
3 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper
garlic powder

1. Place the veggie of your choice on a baking sheet lined in foil in a single layer.
2. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat. It's okay if they aren't all coated, they just need a little sheen.
3. Season to taste.
4. Bake at 425. For broccoli, I find that it's best after 20 minutes, Brussels sprouts are great after 25, green beans take 20, and sweet potatoes take more like 30-40, depending on size. You just want the vegetables to be cooked through and golden brown where they touched the foil. So good.

I'm Actually a 50s Housewife

Meatloaf is one of those things that's so annoyingly middle class, white, suburban America, that it immediately makes me feel like I need to be wearing an apron, pearls, and heels while making it. Naturally, I wore none of those things and instead was rocking yoga pants and a hoodie. Also bare feet. I'm classy in my own way. Anyways.

I'm willing to admit in advance that the picture at the end of this post isn't the prettiest, but um, have you ever tried to make meatloaf pretty? It's not pretty food. It honestly doesn't even sound pretty. I know all of these things. But trust me. This is easy and there's nothing about it that's gross. Just your classic, simple American food. It also lends itself well to new flavors. Want Italian meatloaf? Substitute tomato sauce for ketchup and add Italian seasoning. Add jalapenos for spice or bacon just because. This is good stuff, my loves.

Meatloaf and Roasted Green Beans
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

green beans
1 lb green beans, ends trimmed
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
salt and pepper

1. Combine all meatloaf ingredients in a bowl by mashing. Press into a loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes to an hour.
2. Put the green beans on a baking sheet. Pour oil and garlic over, then massage, making sure all the beans have some of both. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.
   
   
   

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad

Hi. I know you probably aren't super excited to see Brussels sprouts on the menu today. That's okay. I get it. Too often these little green guys are really not good. I've seen them steamed into a flavorless mush probably just as often as you have. Ick.

But don't worry. This isn't that. This salad packs a punch. And if you're lucky, the sprouts shouldn't be mushy at all. And the apples are crunchy. So don't worry, friends. These aren't the sprouts you've had before. They're delightful. I pinkie promise.

Also.....can you believe it's 2016?! Because I can't. At all. Are you a resolutions person? I'm not, but I do make lists for each year. They aren't resolutions, really, but more like a goal list or a bucket list for the year. We'll see what happens.

Warm Brussels Sprout Salad
Ingredients
1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced thinly

4 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 green apple, diced

5 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled

1. Cook the Brussels sprouts in either the bacon grease or a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until they are a darker green, roughly 3 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat.
2. Combine the oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic in a pot over medium heat. Allow the garlic to sizzle for about 3 minutes. Let cool.
3. Place Brussels sprouts, apple, and bacon in a bowl. Pour cooled oil dressing over the top. Mix.
4. Enjoy while warm. It tastes good cold too though!
   

Beer Macaroni & Cheese with Bacon & Caramelized Onion

Hiiiiii. I'm back. I survived finals, after some blood sweat and tears. I had a merry Christmas and I hope all y'all did too. I'm home on break and have baked countless cookies and read too many fluffy YA novels.

I also made this:

I think most of us like a nice bowl of mac n cheese, right? And whether you prefer yours to be homemade or out of that cute little blue box, there's something comforting about it. It's delicious.

I can't leave well enough alone though, so I added some stuff to mine. Bacon. Beer. Caramelized onion. They sing in harmony and create a nice, savory blend of flavor. It's truly a delight, and was fun to eat while listening to Mariah sing about giving away her heart on Christmas.

I highly recommend making this. I mean, really, you deserve it.

Trashed-up Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
1 box macaroni, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup dark beer**
1 1/2 cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dry mustard 1 lb cheddar cheese (I used half extra sharp and half medium)
5 slices of bacon, fried and crumbled
1 onion, sliced thinly and caramelized (see below)

1. Start out by making a roux. Melt the butter over medium-low heat, then add the flour, stirring. Once thickened and slightly browned, add the beer, milk, and spices. Stir.
2. Continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture boils. Allow to boil for 3 minutes, then add cheese.
3. Stir until cheese has completely melted.
4. Add bacon and onion.
5. Carefully fold in pasta, then pour into a buttered casserole dish.
6. Bake for 40 minutes at 425 degrees. The top will get brown and crunchy.

To caramelize onion:
Slice thinly, then add to a skillet with 1 tbsp butter or oil. I used the leftover bacon grease. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are nicely browned (not burned). This took about 20 minutes for me.

**if you don't want to use the beer, just add the same amount milk instead

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Oh my gosh you guys.

So. As of late, if you invite me to your apartment, there's about a 87% chance that I'll end up a) sleeping, b) studying, c) cooking, or, in the case of my best friend's apartment this weekend, d) all three. Yeah. I'm a lot of fun.

Yes, this is going into the potatoes.

While these might not sound like ideal weekend plans or make me seem like the most fun friend to have around, sometimes it results in fantastic things like these sweet potatoes.

Um, yeah. I'm in love with them. Basically, it's fall now, so you can brace yourself for too many a lot of sweet potato recipes up in here. They smell and taste like Thanksgiving to me, and I love them.

Best friends that cook together stay together.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup pecans, chopped (or at least broken up)
marshmallows

1. Poke holes into the potatoes with a fork, then bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on how big they are).
2. Allow the potatoes to cool slightly until they are still warm but you can handle them.
3. Slice each potato down the middle, but not all the way through. You want to keep the "shells" intact.
4. Scoop out the "meat" of each potato into a bowl, mash with a fork.
5. Add half the butter, all of the maple syrup and 2 tsps of the cinnamon. Mash together.
6. Carefully spoon the potato mixture back into the little potato shells.
7. Melt the remaining butter and combine with the brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Add mixture to each potato.
8. Top with as many marshmallows as your heart desires.
9. Turn on the broiler and put the potatoes back into the oven until the marshmallows get nicely browned. This takes about a minute, but it goes quickly, so you should just turn the oven light on and watch it happen.

Spicy & Salty Potato Salad

It's so good

Need a side dish for a barbecue? Are those over? I really hope not because that would mean summer is over and my classes only JUST ended so that would be a problem. 

Potato salad is something every occasion involving grilled food needs. It's cool and refreshing. However, I eat a lot of potato salad that's....lacking. Sometimes it's too sweet, sometimes it's bland, sometimes it's swimming in a pool of mayo. Ugh. Fear not, this recipe is not that. There is mayo, but it's used sparingly, and this is anything BUT bland or sweet. I like my potato salad savory.

I like using red potatoes because they're pretty and also the peels tend to be thinner. I'm one of those people that doesn't peel my potatoes for potato salad because that's tedious and the peels don't bother me. You are, of course, welcome to do whatever you want.

Alllllll the flavors

As you can see above, I like to add lots of stuff. Nothing (at least in my opinion???) is too un-traditional, but oh my gosh it's good together. I also threw in sriracha. The amount suggested makes a potato salad with a little kick. That being said, I have a pretty high spicy tolerance, so take that with a grain of salt.

Sweet & Spicy Potato Salad
Ingredients
7 red potatoes (or about 7 cups), cubed
2/3 cup mayonnaise (you might need a little more)
2 ribs of celery, chopped (or about 1/4 cup)
1/8 cup red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 pieces of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 tbsp sriracha (add more or less depending on your spicy tolerance)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp Emeril's Essence (mentioned in the guac post)

1. Add the cubed potatoes to a pot of water, place over high heat. Add a dash of salt to the water, then boil until the potatoes are soft enough to easily stick a fork into. Remove from heat, drain, and allow them to cool.
2. Once the potatoes are only slightly warm (NOT HOT), add the other ingredients and mix, without breaking up the potatoes.
3. You can either refrigerate until cold or serve lukewarm. I like it both ways. Enjoy!