Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes Recipes

Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I love using fresh herbs for this recipe. As you see my thyme plant is running over so it is time to harvest and get cooking. Visit this post for info on planting your own herbs. This recipe is fabulous for the beginner chef because the results are outstanding with little effort. Makes a great side dish and the color is wonderful. My hubby loves the extra kick of the red pepper flakes. Serves 2. Double as needed. One note - these are great a room temperature....you can make large batches of them and serve them as appetizers at a summer party.

What you will need:
2 medium sweet potatoes
olive oil
garlic
fresh thyme - handful
red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Peel and slice the potatoes in to 1" chunks. Toss with olive oil (just enough to coat), a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 2-4 cloves of chopped garlic and the thyme leaves. Toss in a bowl.


Evenly space the potatoes onto a foil lined cookie sheet and bake in a pre-heated 450 degrees F. Bake for approximately 40 minutes. They should be tender in the center when cut.

Cookie Bouquet Tutorial and Recipe

Homemade Cookie Bouquet

Add some sweet flavor to your next party with this unique cookie treat that is sure to impress. The bouquets are easy to make and can be customized for any occasion. Kids love cookie bouquets at birthday parties and parents love the “no mess” serving of cookies. If you want to say thanks, a special hello, bon voyage or get well - bake up a bouquet of cookies.

Cookie ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour

Royal icing ingredients:
3 large pasteurized egg whites
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 lb. sifted powdered sugar

Supplies:
Vegetable oil spray
Lollipop cookie pan
Lollipop sticks
Icing bags and tips
Food coloring
Small beach pail
Floral marbles
Styrofoam
Brown sugar

Steps:
1. To make the cookie dough: Preheat oven to 400˚. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Beat in egg and vanilla. Next, add baking powder and flour, adding flour one cup at a time. Blend in last cup of flour by hand. The dough will be fairly stiff, but if the dough becomes too stiff, add water, one teaspoon at a time.

2. Spray each well in the cookie treat pan with vegetable oil spray. Fill each well with dough, filling almost all the way to the top. Slide a lollipop stick roughly halfway into each cookie. We used 6” sticks and 11 ¾” sticks. (Be aware of how large the inside of your oven is when deciding what size lollipop sticks to use.) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool before removing them from the pan. You can use the tip of a spatula or a knife to help ease the cookies out of the pan. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating.

3. To make the royal icing: Beat the pasteurized egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually add powdered sugar and beat for 5-7 minutes.

4. Transfer some of the icing into small bowls and add food coloring to each small batch of icing. Any icing you have left over in bowls at this point should be covered with a damp towel to prevent hardening.

5. Prepare a few decorating bags for icing. Insert the decorating tip coupler into a plastic piping bag, add icing, and twist the end of the bag. Cut the tip of the bag and screw on a decorating tip. Transfer each color of icing into a decorating bag and decorate the cookies. Allow the icing to harden.

6. To create a cookie bouquet, start by filling the bottom portion of a small beach pail with floral marbles. (for weight) Place a piece of styrofoam on top. Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the styrofoam to create “sand.” Poke the cookies into the styrofoam, placing the ones with the longer sticks in the back.

Bake It: Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

View a Clip From Creative Juice - we are making Chocolate Cheesecake!

Planting Spearmint 101 and Mint Juleps

Spearmint is such a wonderful herb and it is so easy to grow. In fact, it is so easy that a small mint plant can take over a garden bed in just one summer, so be sure to plant mint in a container. If you are set on planting the mint in the ground, edge around the plant with plastic edgers or bury a large pot in the ground and plant your mint in the pot. Mint is also easily grown indoors.

Once the mint is planted the work is done and all you will need to do is water and harvest the delicious and aromatic leaves.



Step 1 - Fill the bottom of the container with Styrofoam packing peanuts (not the corn starch variety) this will help with proper drainage and keep the weight of the pot down. You could also use broken terra cotta or rocks. Make sure your container also has a drainage hole.


Step 2. Using a soil-less potting mix! (I like ones with fertilizer built in) Add a few heaping scoops into the pot.


Step 3. Remove your mint plant from the store container. (I really like the new Bonnie biodegradable peatpots and their herbs are spectacular.) Place the plant in the center of the container and add a little bit of water. Add potting mix to the sides of the plant until you reach the top of the pot. Pat the soil with your hands and add more mix if needed. Give the plant a healthy drink of water. Place in sun / partial shade. Will grow to around 24" high.



Harvest leaves in the morning when the oils are the strongest. Keep plants in check by harvesting regularly. Mint’s small flowers bloom from June to September; trim these before the buds open to keep the plant compact.

All this mint what to do?
Cooking: Fresh mint leaves are a nice complement to fish, poultry, lamb, and vegetables such as peas, new potatoes, and carrots. Mint can be used to make marinades and sauces. Mint is the perfect addition to icy sorbets and fruit salads. I love adding fresh chopped mint to rice pilaf or couscous.
Summer Drinks: Add a few fresh sprigs of mint to tea or lemonade. Freeze mint in ice cubes for a real cool down.
Cocktails: Mint is the main ingredient in the famous Mint Julep and Cuban Mojito.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep

2 c. sugar
2 c. water
fresh mint sprigs
crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky whiskey
silver julep cups

1. Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for 5 minutes. Cool the syrup, pour it into a glass container with 6-8 sprigs of gently crushed fresh mint and refrigerate overnight.

2. Fill a julep cup with crushed ice, add 2 Tbsp. mint syrup and 2 oz. Kentucky bourbon whisky. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup.

3. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Recipe: Coconut Sorbet Recipe

Coconut Sorbet

Shop list:
2 - cans of coconut milk (14.5 oz)
1 cup - sugar
1/2 cup - sliced or shredded coconut
fresh mint - optional
chocolate sauce - optional

Steps:

1. In a saucepan bring all the ingredients to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. Once cool place in the refrigerator for 3 hours.


2. Add the chilled coconut sorbet to your ice cream maker and blend. Follow the instructions for your brand. Mine takes about 15 minutes for this sorbet.

3. Once the sorbet is blended - enjoy on the spot. Add the remainder to a freezer container and pop in the freezer. If you want a firmer sorbet, freeze before serving. You can microwave frozen sorbet in quick 30 second intervals to soften.

Snappy Green Bean Salad Recipe

Snappy Green Bean Salad

Shop List:
1 pound fresh green beans
1 red onion
1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
lemon
salt and pepper

Steps:
1. Wash and snap the ends of the **green beans. Place the beans in a low bath of boiling water, cover and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the beans from heat and immediately shock in running cold water. (this keeps them crisp) Drain.

2. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and slice the tomatoes in half.

3. Toss the beans, onions and tomatoes with a few drizzles of the oil and teh juice of half a lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.

Serves 4.

**Fresh Beans 101

Select beans of equal size, that are no thicker than a pencil. The beans should have a fresh, vivid color and a velvety feel, with a firm texture. When broken, they should snap crisply.

Do not buy beans that are limp, over-sized, split, or have rust spots or scars. If the seeds are bulging inside the pod, they are too mature.

Wash the beans in cold water and snap off each end.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw Recipe

Asian Fusion Cole Slaw

Shop List:
1 bag shredded cole slaw mix
1 purple cabbage
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 table spoon canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 1/4 tablespoon sesame seeds
large handful of crispy chow mein noodles
optional: palmful peanuts or cashews

Steps:
1. Prepare the dressing. Whisk together vinegar and oils in a large bowl.

2. Chop 1/4 of a purple cabbage into small squares.

3. Toss the purple cabbage, slaw mix and sesame seeds with the dressing.

4. Chill for 1/2 hour. Toss with chow mein noodles and optional nuts just before serving.

Serves 4.

Recipe courtesy of Cathie Filian, 2008

Salmon Salad Recipe

Grilled Salmon Salad

This really should be made the day before serving.  

Shop List:
1 - 2 pounds grilled or baked salmon (de-boned and skin removed)
3 cups spiral pasta
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup light mayonnaise
1 cup chopped orange and yellow bell peppers
3/4 cup chopped and drained tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped purple onion
1 large bunch fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Grill the Salmon or bake.  For baking, cook at 450 for 15 min or until done.  Cool.  Using a fork flake the grilled salmon into bite sized chunks. Chill.

2. In a separate bowl combine the sour cream, mayo, peppers, tomatoes and onion.

3. Prepare the pasta al dente** sytle. Drain. Rinse with cold water. Lightly toss with olive oil if the pasta is sticking.

4. Toss the pasta and sour creme mixture, add the dill and fold in the salmon. Sprinkle the top with fresh dill.

5. Chill until you serve. Delicious as a leftover.


**Al dente refers to the desired texture of cooked pasta in Italian cooking. It literally means "to the tooth". When the pasta is cooked al dente, there should be a slight resistance in the center when the pasta is chewed.

Smores on a Stick Recipe

Smores on a Stick - Yummy!

Shop List:1 bag large marshmallows1 bag chocolate chips1 package graham crackerssprinkleslollipop sticks, found in the candymaking section of craft storeswaxed paper
Steps:

1. Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave, stirring often until smooth.

2. Crush graham crackers in a large zippered plastic bag; roll with a rolling pin or crush with the back of a spoon until the crackers are the consistency of breadcrumbs. Place crumbs in a bowl, add sprinkles and mix together.

3. Place a lollipop stick in a marshmallow, immerse the marshmallow in chocolate and then halfway into the crumbs.

4. Place on wax paper to cool.