Orange Marmalade

I recently got a bunch of oranges. Now in my house oranges are not eaten by any but myself and having a bunch I didn't want them to go bad so I decided to make some marmalade. I also was making this with one of my family members in mind that has diabetes. I cut the amount of sugar in a normal recipe to an amount that was healthier. This recipe isn't a quick recipe, it does take some labor to complete this recipe. 


Tools: 


Cutting Board
Knife
Medium Sauce Pan
Metal Spoon
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Mixing Bowl
3 Jars with Lids


Ingredients:


4 Large Oranges
2 Lemons
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 C Water
1/2 C Orange Juice
4 Tbs Sugar
1 1/2 Tbs Low/No Sugar Pectin


Directions:


Cut the oranges into fourths. Remove the peel from the segments, set the segments aside. Remove the white pit with a metal spoon from the peel. You want it to look like the one on the right.

Once the pit is removed you will want to slice in very thin strips. 

Then remove the membranes from the segment of oranges like the one on the right.

Then dice the oranges and 1/2 C orange juice then place them in the mixing bowl and set aside. 

Then place the 1 1/2 C water, baking soda, and strips of orange peel in sauce pan. Heat on medium high heat for 20 minutes covered, stirring occasionally. 

After the 20 minutes add the juice and oranges to the peel mixture. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, then add the juice from 2 lemons, sugar, and pectin. Bring back to boil and boil for 1 minute. 

Then pull off the heat and pour or ladle into jars or containers and chill. 

Enjoy!

Bountiful Baskets

Bountiful Baskets is something I have mentioned in many of my posts. They have great deals for fresh fruit and vegetables among many other side options available. Their conventional basket is $15.00 for vegetable and fruit. This week there was a tropical pack add on to the conventional basket that was available for $10.50.  


Lets take a look at what $15.00 got me in fruits and veggies.

This had 1 bunch of romaine lettuce, 1 head of cabbage, 4 tomatoes, 6 bell peppers, 4 onions, 7 apples, 3lbs of red potatoes, 7 oranges, 1 bunch of asparagus, 1 container of blueberries, and a huge bunch of green beans.  All of this for only $15.00! 

But even with such a great deal of the conventional basket, the biggest deal was the tropical pack.

Lets see what came with the $10.50 tropical pack. 

It came with 2 mango's, 1 green plantain, 6 kiwis, 4 lemons, 1 coconut, 1 pineapple, 1 large bunch of mint, and 2 vanilla beans. This is such a great deal with just one of the items: vanilla beans. In their vanilla bean pod form they are expensive any where you go. I was at the local grocery store tonight and decided to see the cost of just the vanilla bean.

That is right $11.39 for vanilla beans.... correct that for a single vanilla bean. With bountiful baskets just for one single ingredient saved me at least $12.28 and that doesn't even include the other items that came with the tropical pack. 

Bountiful Baskets is such a great deal for everyone and anyone that loves saving money and eating great fruits and veggies! 

Sage Brown Butter Sauce

This has to be one of the easiest and tastiest sauces for a simple pasta dish. It can be made while the pasta boils. It a quick dinner that can be thrown together if you do not have much time to make dinner. 


Tools:


Sauce Pan
Cutting Board
Knife


Ingredients:


8 Tbs Unsalted Butter
4 or 5 Leafs of Sage
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Black Pepper
2 Tbs Grated Parmesan


Directions:


Heat up sauce pan and melt the butter. Add the salt, pepper, garlic and sage to the butter. Let the butter start to brown then add the parmesan to the sauce. 

Then add whatever cooked pasta you want and toss. Enjoy!

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts in a Brown Butter Sauce

I do not remember ever having brussels sprouts when growing up. I know all the jokes about them being the bane of every child's existence. I recently received some in my basket from Bountiful Baskets and wanted to prove to my husband that you can have yummy brussels sprouts. This recipe proved this to my husband so much so he had seconds of it and heated the remaining up the next day! 


Tools:


Medium Sauce Pan
Large Saute Pan
Cutting Board
Knife
Medium Mixing Bowl
Strainer


Ingredients:


4 Strips of Bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 lbs Brussels Sprouts, cooked and chopped into fours
4 Tbs Butter, unsalted
2 Cloves Garlic, minced 
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbs Bread Crumbs


Directions:


Heat up a medium sauce pan filled with water until boiling. While the water is heating up. Peel the outer leaves of the brussels sprouts and slice the end off. Once the water is boiling, add the brussels sprouts in and boil for 3 to 4 minutes. 

Filled up the mixing bowl up with cold water, you can add some ice to the water if you would like. Once the 3 minutes is up, strain the sprouts and then transfer them into the cold water.

While the sprouts are cooling heat up the saute pan. Slice the 4 strips of bacon into chunks and add to saute pan. Cook until crisp. Take out of saute pan and then add the butter to the saute pan and the garlic. Let the butter and garlic cook until you see the butter start to brown.

Then strain the sprouts again and slice them into fourths. Add the sprouts to the brown butter mixture. Add the salt and pepper, cook for about 5 minutes. Then add the bread crumbs and cook for an additional minute. Then put the bacon back into the pan and mix. 

I served this with some simple grilled chicken. Enjoy!

Baked Parmesan Asparagus Fries

I will be the first one to admit growing up I hated and I mean HATED asparagus. As I have gotten older my tastes changed and I have tried different recipes to get more veggies in my family's diet. My husband also hated asparagus growing up. This even got my husband eating them.


Tools:


Baking Sheet
Baking Spray
Aluminum Foil
2 Plates
Whisk


Ingredients:


1 Bunch of Asparagus 
2 Egg Whites
1/4 C Flour
1 C Bread Crumbs
1/2 C Parmesan Cheese


Directions:


Pre-heat the oven to 425°f and cover the baking sheet with the foil and baking spray.


Whisk on one plate the egg whites until combined. Then on the other plate combine the flour, bread crumbs, and parmesan and mix until combined.


For the asparagus break the woody end off and use that as a measurement to cut the remaining asparagus. 


Coat the asparagus in the egg whites then coat the asparagus with the bread mixture. If it isn't covered enough, coat in egg whites again and then the bread mixture. Then place on the baking sheet. 


Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Enjoy!

Breakfast Bake

I love doing breakfast for dinner, so does my family. I wanted to try something new and tasty. I decided to do a breakfast bake with lots of veggies, prosciutto, and eggs.  This dish is easy to make and really easy to use up any veggies you have before they go bad. There isn't any salt used in this recipe due to the fact of the prosciutto and gorgonzola cheese is salty enough for the whole dish. 


Tools: 


Saute Pan
Baking Dish
Spoon
Knife
Cutting Board


Ingredients:


8 oz Prosciutto or Bacon
1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced
4 Cloves Garlic, diced
2 oz Gorgonzola, crumbled
10 Mushrooms, sliced
10 oz Fresh Spinach, cooked down
6 Eggs, egg yokes and whites separated
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 Tbs Canola Oil
1 Tbs Crisco 


Directions:


Pre-heat oven to 350°f. Grease the baking dish with the crisco. Saute the spinach with 1/2 tbs oil until all is wilted down, set aside.

Saute the garlic, red peppers, and mushrooms with the remaining canola oil and black pepper, cook until peppers are soft. Set aside for assembly. 

Layer all the prosciutto on the bottom of the baking dish.

Layer the spinach on top of the prosciutto. Then layer the peppers and mushrooms on top of the spinach.Top with the gorgonzola cheese. Separate the egg whites from the yokes, keeping the yolks intact.  Whisk the whites until foamed. Pour over the veggies.

Now for the yokes when placed in the oven depends on if you want the yoke completely cooked or runny. If you want them completely cooked place them on top the mixture before putting them in the oven. If you want them runny then wait till the last 5 minutes of the 20 minute baking time to place the yokes on top of the breakfast bake. 

Serve with buttered toast. Enjoy!