About Steph

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Balsamic & Orange Roasted Carrots

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Who here likes to be fancy? ME! ME! Actually, it’s more that I like to pretend to be fancy. It’s a fine line between real and pretend fancy so pretending to be fancy is 99% of the way there. Either way, these carrots will make you seem super fancy. Why? First, because I say so. Of course that’s a legitimate reason. Second, because balsamic vinegar. Fancy. Third, you add orange zest into anything and it’s *for real* fancy. Even the word “zest” sounds fancy. Fourth, we grew these multi-colored carrots in our garden and WHOA are they fancy.

You can of course make this recipe with normal orange carrots from the store. I swear I won’t even tell you that you are not fancy, partially because the carrots that you see in the picture are the ONLY carrots we were able to grow this year. Better than last year when we did not get even one carrot to grow. Luckily, these beauties turned out absolutely delicious so it was all worth it!

It’s hard to tell but if you look at the pan of carrots, you can actually see that the reddish purple carrots were bright yellow on the inside (i.e. the carrot on the far left on the baking sheet above)! How awesome!! Little things amuse me…but come on, pretty cool. I was shocked when I cut into it. For those of you who knew this because you are real gardeners or real cooks, just pretend to be excited with me. Someday maybe this won’t surprise me anymore but for now it seems crazy awesome! 

Balsamic & Orange Roasted Carrots
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
35 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 12 small to medium whole carrots
  2. 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  3. 1 large orange (to get 1/4 cup orange juice and 1/2 tablespoon orange zest)
  4. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  6. salt & pepper, to taste
  7. handful of green beans, optional (I threw them in because they were in our garden)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cut carrots into halves or quarters lengthwise depending on the size of the carrots. You want them to all be a similar thickness. Place on a baking sheet with green beans (optional).
  3. Zest orange and set orange zest aside for later. Add 1/4 cup of orange juice from your orange into a small sauce pan. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer on low heat for 3-5 minutes until is starts to thicken slightly. Add minced garlic and 1/2 tablespoon of orange zest. Simmer for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture reduces by about half.
  4. Toss carrots and green beans (optional) with olive oil, balsamic orange sauce, and salt & pepper.
  5. Place carrots in 375 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, until they reach your desired tenderness.
  6. To serve, you can squeeze fresh orange juice over the top.
Notes
  1. This recipe works with regular or fancy multi-colored carrots so don't fret if you don't have the ones like in my pictures.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/
 

Garden Fresh Pizza Sauce

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I’ve already discussed my feelings on pizza. If you missed this, you can check out my pizza dough recipe to understand my obsession. Luckily, I found a husband who shares my pizza obsession. Apparently we were just meant to be. A match made in pizza heaven. Everybody say, “AWWWW.” Okay good. We can move on now.

When we were in college my husband and his brother were roommates and would easily eat at least one frozen pizza a week. I have to admit that for college, even making a frozen pizza was pretty good. I’m guessing a lot of students probably didn’t even know if the oven in their apartment actually worked. Why cook when there are 50 million cheap take-out places nearby? Seriously, they had a point. However, once out of college and married the deal became that we could eat pizza to our hearts’ content but I wanted to make it at home.

Our homemade pizzas started with homemade pizza dough and store bought everything else. That was a great start! Then I started making cheese so it was homemade pizza dough with homemade cheese and bought everything else. Now I apparently make pizza sauce so it’s homemade pizza dough, homemade cheese, and homemade pizza sauce with store bought pepperoni. Pepperoni is pepperoni and it’s a hard habit to kick. Seriously. I don’t see myself making it so I may have to actually buy it as is. Such is life.

Bottom line is, you don’t have to make EVERYTHING from scratch to have some good eats! We didn’t start by making the whole shebang from scratch but eventually it becomes easier. Also, once you make one piece of the pizza (like sauce or dough), you can freeze it for the next time and the process is a lot easier!

Garden Fresh Pizza Sauce
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 10 Roma tomatoes
  2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 1/2 cup chopped onion
  4. 4 cloves of garlic
  5. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  6. 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  7. 1/2 tablespoon sugar, optional depending on sweetness of tomatoes and preference
  8. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  9. pinch of salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring small pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, cut an "X" shape on bottom of each tomato (see above image). This will help the skin remove easily. Once the water is boiling, place the tomatoes in the water for about 30 seconds. Remove the tomatoes and place into bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skin and discard. The skin should basically fall off of the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes in half, remove extra seeds from the tomatoes and discard. Set the tomatoes aside.
  2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and let saute 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute about 1 more minute. Add seeded tomatoes and break apart a bit with a spoon. Add the oregano, basil, sugar, crushed red pepper, and salt & pepper.
  3. Let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Transfer to blender to blend or blend with handheld blender in the skillet (this option can get messy) if you want a smoother texture.
Notes
  1. You can also make this with a can of diced or crushed tomatoes (I'm guessing about a 28 oz can) instead of the fresh tomatoes.
  2. I used about 1/3 of a cup of sauce on my pizza but I'm not a fan of a ton of sauce. With the leftovers, I split them into small freezer bags in about 1/3 cup portions. This way, I can put the sauce in the refrigerator the night before and it will be waiting for me to make pizza!
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Basic Granola

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School started this week! Woo hoo! Right? Maybe. We’ll see I guess. It’s a love/hate relationship. I love the kids and teachers/staff I work with. I love what I do as an occupational therapist. I hate the idea that summer is over and my once free days of doing whatever I want to do (or don’t want to do…i.e. cleaning) are now over. At least until next summer 🙂

So after a long first week of planning and scheduling, and planning and scheduling, and planning and scheduling, the weekend is finally here!! Which means I really just feel like crawling under a blanket and not doing anything. But, because that would be so unproductive I’ve decided to make more granola.

I say “more” granola because granola is a staple in our house. My husband literally eats it every morning with yogurt. When we’re out of granola it might as well be chaos. That’s actually not true. My husband is a very calm guy and would resourcefully find something else to eat. Like leftover pizza. Or meat. It’s been known to happen. But, because I don’t always find leftover pizza and meat the most appetizing in the morning, I will gladly make him granola to eat instead.

This is super simple, delicious, crunchy granola. The key is to let it sit and cool completely before you break it apart. I’ve done the “I’m in a hurry. I can’t wait for this granola to cool” thing before. It is still delicious if you don’t wait. However, it all separates into individual oats. If that’s what you’re going for more power to you. Go for it! Mix it up immediately after baking. I’m a bunches of granola kind of girl so letting it cool is for sure the way to go for me.

 

Basic Granola
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup brown sugar
  2. 1/3 cup honey
  3. 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  4. 3 cups oats (old-fashioned rolled oats)
  5. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  6. 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Combine brown sugar, honey, and vegetable oil in a small skillet. Heat on medium, stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved but the mixture is not yet bubbling. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
  3. Place the oats in a mixing bowl. Pour the brown sugar and honey mixture over top of the oats and add the cinnamon and salt. Mix until all the oats are lightly coated with the brown sugar and honey mixture and everything is combined.
  4. Spray cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread granola mixture over the sheet evenly.
  5. Bake granola for 1 hour, mixing every 15-20 minutes.
  6. Let granola cool completely before breaking into pieces.
  7. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
  1. I sometimes add raisins to my granola once it is cooled. You can really add any of your favorite dried fruits after the granola is baked and cooled! If you want to add nuts and/or seeds, I would replace some of the oats with whatever you want to add and bake it as normal.
Adapted from Like Mother, Like Daughter
Adapted from Like Mother, Like Daughter
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Zucchini, Corn & Spinach Quiche

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I didn’t eat eggs until I had quiche. True story. Except for in baked goods, I didn’t eat eggs for about 20 years of my life. I think in my mind they were mysterious and gross and wouldn’t be good to put in my mouth. I had no reason to think this. I don’t think I had ever actually given them a chance.

One day, my friends and I were all home from college and they were coming over for brunch. My mom asked what I wanted to make and I said quiche. Why I chose quiche I have no idea. I was fully aware that it was made with eggs as a star ingredient. Apparently I thought my friends really liked quiche. Who knows.

My mom asked what I wanted in my quiche so she could pick up the ingredients when she went grocery shopping and I just found a recipe with the basics. Eggs. Cheese. Sweet bell pepper. Done.

I made the quiche with a store bought crust and the basics. By the way, you can also make this recipe with an uncooked store bought crust. It will still be yummy! Anyway, I sat and twiddled my thumbs while it baked thinking it would turn out like a giant egg mess.

Lo and behold, about an hour later when the quiche was done it looked rather tasty. Being that I asked for quiche, had my mom buy the ingredients, then went through the trouble to make it, I figured I better eat it. So very tentatively I picked up my fork and took a bite. Delicious! Turns out eggs are pretty good.

Sorry 20 years of my life. Sorry you missed out on eggs and delicious quiche. Because I missed so much deliciousness over the years, I make it up to myself now by making all sorts of delicious quiche. Here’s a good one!

Zucchini, Corn & Spinach Quiche
Serves 8
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Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
1 hr
For the pie crust
  1. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  2. 1/4 teaspoon salt
  3. 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  4. 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed (1 stick)
  5. 3 tablespoons cold water
For the filling
  1. 1 zucchini
  2. 1 yellow squash
  3. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  4. 1 garlic clove, minced
  5. 2 ears of corn (about 1 cup corn)
  6. 1/4 cup chopped onion (I used half a small yellow onion)
  7. 2 cups of fresh spinach
  8. 4 eggs
  9. 1/4 cup milk
  10. 1 tablespoon dried basil
  11. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  12. 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch to sprinkle on zucchini
  13. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  14. 1 cup grated melting cheese (I used cheddar)
  15. 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
For the pie crust
  1. Place dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar) in food processor and pulse to blend.
  2. Add butter in 1/2 inch cubes, one or two at a time. Pulse between adding cubes of butter to incorporate.
  3. Add water and pulse until the dough just comes together into a ball
  4. Flatten dough into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 hour.
  5. After dough has rested, roll into circle on well-floured surface and transfer into pie dish.
  6. Crimp edges of pie crust and set aside.
For the filling
  1. Slice zucchini and squash into thin slices (I used a mandoline) and place on a wire rack. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for at least 15 minutes while preparing the rest of the filling.
  2. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add corn cut from corn cobs and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until the corn turns bright yellow and the onion starts to turn translucent. Add fresh spinach and heat until it just wilts in the pan. Take off heat and set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Mix in the melting cheese and Parmesan cheese (I saved a little cheese to sprinkle over top).
  4. Take a paper towel or towel and pat the zucchini and squash dry. You want them as dry as possible so the quiche does not become soggy.
To assemble
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Layer zucchini/squash with onion/corn/spinach mixture in pie crust.
  3. Pour egg mixture over top, making sure it gets all the way to the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle the top with remaining cheese.
  4. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until eggs become firm to the touch in the middle. Let sit about 10 minutes once it is out of the oven to set before cutting. Quiche can be served hot or warm.
Notes
  1. You want to make sure the zucchini and squash are VERY dry or else there could be too much water in the mixture and you end up with a soggy pie crust.
  2. You can buy an uncooked pie crust at the store and complete the process the same way...but what's the fun in that?
  3. Mozzarella, Gouda, or another kind of melting cheese would be nice instead of cheddar but I had cheddar I had to use up! It was still delicious!
  4. I topped mine with fresh basil because I had it. And because it's pretty. Who doesn't like pretty?
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Do you ever have one of those weeks where nothing seems to go your way? It’s definitely been one of those weeks for me. Despite all the things that went wrong, let me tell you something good about life. Chocolate chip cookies. First of all, anything that starts with the word “chocolate” is amazing. It doesn’t even matter what the phrase ends with…chocolate bar, chocolate chip, chocolate covered bacon, chocolate pretzel, chocolate cupcake, chocolate ice cream, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate lava cake, chocolate fountain, chocolate in my mouth. I think you got the point. That little exercise of coming up with chocolate goodies actually already helped my mood!

This is not one of those quinoa and celery stick recipes that you lose weight just reading about. This is a pick me up, I need chocolate goodness in the form of a cookie, I am hording all of these cookies to myself kind of treat. Maybe not that last one. I may have gone too far. Either way, I don’t think you could be disappointed with these.

This recipe is actually from Travis’ family and I think it was a requirement that I learn how to make these cookies before he married me. Just joking…kind of. At any rate, since baking and cooking are kind of like an obsession of mine I really didn’t have any reason not to learn something new!

When I first made these cookies the ingredients kind of took me by surprise. If you couldn’t tell I’m the kind of person who is into fresh and pure ingredients and the fact that there was shortening AND margarine was CraZY to me! In fact, I even tried to make this recipe substituting butter for some of the fat because I needed to try. Try as I might, the recipe stands. And it’s a winner. So pardon my shortening and margarine but this recipe just needs to be shared with the world.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields 36
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
  2. 2 1/2 tablespoons margarine
  3. 1/2 cup sugar
  4. 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  5. 1 egg
  6. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  7. 1 3/4 cups flour
  8. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  9. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  10. 1 cup chocolate chips (I used mini)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Cream shortening, margarine, sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla with mixer.
  3. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt until just combined.
  4. Stir in chocolate chips.
  5. Roll into 1 inch balls and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Notes
  1. Before baking, I will sometimes slightly push the dough balls down (so they look like a hockey puck) so that they spread out more. You can also just leave them as balls and they turn out fine!
  2. You can freeze the dough after forming it into 1 inch balls. Then when you need to make cookies, you have perfectly formed cookie dough balls! I've baked them straight from the freezer but it's probably best to let them defrost slightly before going in the oven.
Flavor From Scratch https://www.flavorfromscratch.com/

 

 
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