Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

Hello again! Let me just start by saying that I am sorry for my 2 week hiatus. This year because of my sweet baby Kate my family took separate vacations. We are blessed to go to Lake Powell every year with my husbands family, but this year I just didn't think that it would be a very pleasant trip with my 9 month old. So I packed my boys up and shipped them to Lake Powell while I went to St. George with my family. Knowing that I would be missing one week of Bountiful Bliss, I made two recipes to make up for it. I wrote the recipes, cooked them, took pictures of them and was very excited to blog about them in the peacefulness of a quiet condo with a view in sunny St. George. But as I sat down ready to get down to business I realized that I had sent my good camera with with all of my Bountiful Bliss pictures off to Lake Powell with the boys. Needless to say my hands were tied and I was unable to post my two new recipes. But what I can do is show you the beautiful view from the deck of the condo, isn't it just beautiful?

Well after a relaxing week spending time with my family, having some good old girly time with my Mom and Kate and basking in the sun. I am now back and back in business and can I just say that this weeks basket was amazing! I have loved everything in it, but this week I thought that I would feature the Cauliflower and Broccoli. I have to admit that until I had Cauliflower made this way I was not really a huge fan. I considered it to be broccoli's ugly step-sister, but dressed up the right way it has become the Belle of the Ball.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower

As you can see the ingredients for this recipe are very simple. This dish gets most of it's flavor from roasting the veggies. Roasting your veggies condenses the flavors and brings out others that you never thought you would taste in them.

1 Head Cauliflower

1 Head Broccoli

1/4-1/2 Tsp. Pepper

3/4-1 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1 Tsp. Fresh Thyme

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Turn your oven on to 425 degrees. Then Chop your broccoli and cauliflower into one inch florets. You then want to put them into a pot and bring them to a boil for 3-5 minutes depending on how tender you like them. Remember though that you will still be roasting them so don't over cook them.

Drain them and set them aside to cool a bit. Once they are cool enough to touch pour them out onto a baking sheet. Then drizzle the olive oil over them and sprinkle on the remaining ingredients. Using your hands toss them all together to coat your veggies.
Helpful Hints: You will see that I did not give exact measurements for the Salt and Pepper. This is because as in most things in nature no two heads of broccoli or cauliflower are the same. So you will have to use your judgment on that one. In the batch that I made I made I used 1 Tsp. Salt and 1/2 Tsp. Pepper and it was perfect! One last helpful hint if you don't have fresh thyme then you can use 1/2 Tsp. Dry Thyme in it's place.

Place them into the oven for 30-35 minutes or until they are slightly browned.
Here is a close up so that you can see what I am talking about. Oooo don't they just make your mouth water? When my 6 1/2 year old came in to tell me that he was hungry (which he is always:) he took one look at what I was making and said mmm... I love those with a a big smile on his face, need I say more? I hope that you all love this dish as much as we do.

Roasted Red Potato Salad

It's getting to be that time of year again...BBQ season! I love BBQ Season! BBQ is quick and delicious and the best part of all, it is most often shared with great friends and family. Mother's Day weekend seems to always kick off the this season, perhaps because in my family the men cook on Mother's Day. And how do men like to cook best? On the grill of course...or at least the men in my life do. So to bring in the season I made Roasted Red Potato Salad with my basket this week. It is rustic and delicious but it does have to be said that this is definitely "Not Yo Mama's Potato Salad!" This potato salad kicks the trash of regular potato salad, it is packed full of flavor and will have your taste buds dancing! It is much quicker then regular potato salad and it can be made a day in advanced. I hope that you all get the season kicked off right with this amazing potato salad!

Roasted Red Potato Salad

Here are your ingredients. And yes that is right you do see Blue Cheese Dressing there, I told you that this is Not Yo Mama's Potato Salad! I happen to absolutely love Blue Cheese Dressing if you however are not the true blue fan that I am you could use Ranch Dressing or just Mayo in it's place. The blue cheese is definitely mellowed out by the rest of the ingredients in this salad and just adds great depth of flavor to this recipe.

4 lb. "Bountiful Red Potatoes"

1/4 lb. Bacon

3/4 C. Diced Celery

1/3 C. Mayo

1/3 C. Blue Cheese Dressing

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

1 Pkg. Lipton Onion Soup

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1/4 Tsp. Pepper

2 Tbsp. "Bountiful Fresh Dill"

1 1/2 Tbsp. "Bountiful Fresh Chives"

One of the add on's this week were fresh herbs and what a bargain we got a ton of them for only $12! I always say that the difference between good food and great food is fresh herbs. But I also think that they are incredibly over priced in the grocery stores. They are generally easy to grow and I highly recommend that you add them to your garden! You will love having fresh herbs on hand all of the time and it will definitely take you from a good cook to a great cook!

Now that we have my tribute to fresh herbs out of the way let's get cooken! To start wash and chop your "Bountiful Red Potatoes" into 1 inch chunks. Place them on a lined sheet pan. (I usually will use tin foil for this but of course I had just run out before making this and so I had to use parchment paper, but either way it will make clean up much nicer.) Drizzle your potatoes with olive oil and then pour your Onion Soup packet on top. Using your hands, that's right I said hands, mix them together until all of the potatoes are coated. I have tried many times to do this without using my hands and I have found that the only way to really get the job done right is to just dive in. Besides olive oil is great for your skin anyways. Then Chop your bacon up into 1/4 inch pieces. Sprinkle that over your potatoes and bake at 450 degrees for 34-45 minutes or until fork tender and golden brown as shown. P.s. The smell of this cooking is intoxicating!

Allow the potatoes to cool. While you are waiting for that in a small bowl mix together your Mayo, Blue Cheese Dressing, Dijon Mustard, Salt and Pepper. Then when your potatoes are cooled scoop them into a large bowl and pour in the sauce, herbs and celery. Stir to combine sprinkle on a few extra herbs for garnish and either enjoy now or put it into the fridge until it is cold and enjoy later.

Helpful Hints: I have found that the best way to keep herbs fresh longer is to wrap them up in a damp paper towel and put them into a zip top bag and store them in the fridge.

Bountiful Bliss

In this weeks edition of Bountiful Bliss I have not 1 thing from our baskets this week but 4, count them 4! Not to mention that I used 2 more that I had left over from last weeks basket! A Bountiful Bliss masterpiece that is what we have here. Now before we get into the cooking I thought that I would pass on my feelings on salads, or more importantly salad toppings. Salad toppings are like ice cream toppings. Everyone likes there's just the way that they like there's. For example hot fudge, I like a lot of it, salad dressing the same. I also love the perfect ratio of brownie to ice cream and sliced bananas (to make it healthy of course:) whipped cream and topped off with a generous sprinkling of toasted pecans and what you have is perfection. But as we all know that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. I digress, we are after all making a salad and not a Brownie Sunday. My point is that as you read through this recipe and make it on your own keep in mind that while I give estimates on the amount of toppings you will need in the end you will be able to create your own perfect salad, just the way that you like it.

Citrus Grilled Chicken Salad

Time to get cooken! But as I start I do have to mention that this recipe is Mom tested and Dylan approved. Dylan is my 4 year old and he ate every last bite of it saying mmmm... Mommy this is so good! There are few things better to a Mommy's ears then when her kids are eating there fruits and veggies and totally enjoying them! To start we make the dressing and here's your list.

1/2 C. "Bountiful Fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice"(2 Lg. Grapefruit)

1/4 C. "Bountiful Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice"

1 Tbsp. Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. "Bountiful Orange Zest"

1/4 C. Canola Oil

1/4 C. Honey

*1/2- 1 Tbsp. Diced Shallot

1 1/2 Tsp. Dijon Mustard

1/4 Tsp. Kosher Salt

1/8 Tsp Pepper

Some how this guy was M.I.A. for our photo shoot, so he got a solo shot, because he adds the fresh punch that this recipe needs to knock this amazing dressing out of the park!

Because we are going to be using the grapefruit for not only it's juice but for it's tasty, tart flesh as well you will need to start by undressing your grapefruit as shown. I have chopped the bottom off to make it stable and then I have sliced down the edges.

This is the naked truth behind the grapefruit and exactly the way that yours should look when you are done with it.

Next you want to take the grapefruit and over a bowl slice out your grapefruit wedges. Reserve them for later.

Then you want to take what is left of your grapefruit and squeeze the juice out of it as show. And no I did not get in a cat fight, just in a fight with a raspberry bush. Although you might be thinking that the raspberry bush won, I am pleased to say that I am actually the one that triumphed and won the lost ball.

Once you have your grapefruit juice, zest your orange and juice. Add all of the ingredients to a mini food processor or a blender and pulse until smooth and well combined. You will note the * next to the shallot. This is because shallots like there onion sisters can be very strong at times depending on the shallot, so start with 1/2 Tbsp. and when you have mixed your dressing, taste it. If you think that you would like more then add it and pulse again until smooth.

Now that we have the dressing done it is time to get started on the salad.

2-3 Grilled Chicken Breasts

*Heather's Seasoning Salt

2 "Bountiful Grapefruits Wedged"

1-2 C. Chunked Fresh "Bountiful Pineapple"

1/2 Lb. Sliced "Bountiful Strawberries"

*1 "Bunch Bountiful Spinach"

*1 "Head Bountiful Iceberg Lettuce"

*1 Head Dark Leafy Romain

1/2 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped Tarragon

1/2 C. Sliced Almonds

Start by grilling your chicken breasts seasoned with Heather's Seasoning Salt. *Note: To get the recipe for my seasoning salt see my Stuffed Mirlitons edition of Bountiful Bliss. Also feel free just to use any mixed greens in this salad or even just baby spinach would be good. I just used what I received in my basket and what I had on hand. But pre-washed mixed greens would definitely speed this dinner up. If however you are using what I used, wash and chop your greens well. This is best done is in a salad spinner if you have one, if not I highly recommend one. Next slice and dice all of your fruits and grilled chicken and set aside. Then get started on your tarragon. If you are not familiar with this wonderful herb it has a slight anise flavor and adds the perfect touch to this salad. The best way to get the leaves off is to strip them off as shown. Then slice them into 1/2 inch pieces.

Now we assemble, and this like adding your favorite ice cream toppings is the best part. Once assembled dive in! I hope that your body will thank you after your done eating this delicious, fresh salad as much as mine did.