My Husband Cooks - Veggie Spiral

 

Veggie & Potato Spiral before baking

When my husband and I were dating, he used to be a fabulous cook!  He was on Weight Watchers and he had a bunch of WW cookbooks that he used.  He would pick recipes, shop for ingredients and then cook!  When we started cohabitating, he stopped cooking.  I think it was mostly due to the fact that he got home a lot later in the evening than I did.  I tease him about this occasionally and then he usually cooks something, yum yum!

Veggie & Potato Spiral with Parm After Baking

On one of our weekly menus, I mention that I am going to make a Veggie Spiral.  I made this once before and it is actually a Veggie & Potato Spiral.  I really like side dishes that contain a veggie and a carb because then I just need to find a protein.  I found this recipe through Pinterest and it eventually links to this site.

All you need is:
3 peeled potatoes
1 Squash
2 Zucchinis
2 Tomatoes
1 onion
garlic
olive oil
parmesan cheese (grated)
spices that you like or just salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Sautee the garlic and onion in olive oil.  While that is cooking, wash and slice the zucchini, squash and tomatoes.  Placed the cooked onions in the bottom of your 1.5.-2 quart casserole dish.  Layer the veggies in a spiral-ish form on top of the onions.  Drizzle with olive oil and spices.

Bake, covered, for 40 minutes.  Remove cover and add parm.  We baked it uncovered for another 35 minutes or so and it still then needed 10 more minutes.  So, I think you should leave it covered or, use canned sliced potatoes.  If you use the canned potatoes, then I think the cooking time can be halved.  If I use them next time then I will update this post with the results.

PS
If you have leftovers, transfer them to another storage container because this casserole dish will most likely have too much liquid in the bottom.

Monthly Challenge: Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes

Monthly Challenge: Cooking From My Cookbooks

Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes
Source: 50 Best Mashed Potatoes by Sarah Reynolds, page 15

Since I have a bunch of cookbooks, I decided I need a monthly challenge to get myself motivated to cook something new.  I have whittled down my cookbook collection from it's high point in 2003-2004. However, it is still a bit out of control for a person who hardly ever uses REAL LIVE COOKBOOKS.

I do occasionally use the cookbooks to meal plan and cook.  But, I am a very visual person.  Most often, I decide to cook something after seeing in prepared by someone else.  I love blogs, Pinterest, Facebook posts and The Pioneer Woman's TV show for inspiration.

This particular recipe is pretty much what you would expect.  I made the mashed potatoes in the KitchenAid Mixer with the paddle attachment.

Here is Sarah Reynolds' recipe:

2 LBS of potatoes, peeled and quartered
3/4 CUP of sour cream
3 TBS of butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 TSP salt
1/4 TSP fresh ground pepper
1/4 CUP snipped chives

Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minute.  Drain them but, reserve 1/4 CUP of the cooking water to use later if they are a bit too dry after mashing.

Put the hot potatoes back in the pan and mash them until smooth.  Add the sour cream, butter, salt and pepper.  Mash until fluffy.  Stir water in, if necessary (it wasn't for me).  Add chives, stir and serve.

Here is my review:
These were simple and yummy mashed potatoes that were exactly what you would expect from something titled Sour Cream & Chive Mashed Potatoes!  I even used freeze-dried chives and found them to be very tasty.  We reheated them twice after the initial meal and they were good both of those times, as well.

Someone knew about my side dish problems!

OK which one of my friends knows about my side dish problems?

 

Someone gifted me this awesome little book book ages ago.  I was just digging around in my cookbook storage cabinet and I dug this guy out.  I was planning to start preparing for one of my monthly cooking challenges.  I think I may use it tonight because I am planning mashed potatoes to go with the green beans and crockpot meal I have cookin'.

The monthly cooking CHALLENGE is going to be to cook something from one of the cook books I already own (not a blog or Pinterest or Facebook or a food package recipe).