Oven Roasted Vegetables!!
Posted by admin in Uncategorized
Don’t those pics just make you want to run out a grocery shop?
So I took about 2-3 lbs small red potatoes and quartered them, then I put them in cold water while I did the rest of my prep.
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped
1 orange bell pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped
about 1-2 cups frozen green beans, defrosted
1/2 a large onion chopped
1-2 tbsp minced garlic (I used the stuff in the jar this time)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
about 1 tbsp Italian herb blend
about 1-2 tsp salt
and a bunch of fresh ground black pepper (to your taste)
2-3 tomatoes cut into wedges
I put all my chopped veggies into a bowl with the olive oil and seasonings while the oven preheated (400°F). Lined my baking sheets with foil and popped them into the oven for 30-40 minutes. I just poked the potatoes with a fork to test for doneness.
Though my family thinks veggies are evil (yes, even my Hubby) my missionaries just loved this. As did I.
I think next time I’d love it with some asparagus, bok choy cabbage, carrots and squash. I think I’m going t experiment allot more with oven roasted veggies. Its also a great side dish my best friend will love that just happens to be gluten free.
Baked Potatoes (IN THE CROCKPOT!!)
Posted by admin in Crockpot, Keeping Cool, Veggies
It is soooo hot here. I’m trying to save money like always and cook at home, but I’m also trying to not add extra heat to the interior of my house in the process. So looking around online I found a crockpot recipe for baked potatoes.
Unfortunately the directions say, “Wrap in foil” and ”if you want a crispier skin, pop into the oven for 5 minutes”. My Hubby loves the skin on his potatoes to be crispy. And turning the oven on for 5 minutes defeats the purpose of “crockpot baked potatoes” so I’m thinking to myself the foil makes for a softer skin, keeps the moisture fm the potato next to the skins. Then I’m thinking if the potatoes are on the bottom of the crockpot without the foil the steam will collect on the lid (as it does in a crockpot) and it will drip down and the potatoes will be sitting in their own water (making for a soggy potato skin). The solution is still foil with the addition of a steam rack. I only had a small rack so I needed the foil too.
See the rack? And the ring of foil I used to keep the potatoes up off the bottom of the crock?
They are washed and poked (to release steam) set to high, cover with lid. Cook 4-5 hours.
Now we found “high” for 4 + hours to be a bit over done. Next time I’m going to try them on low and see how long it takes to cook through. But! The skins were crisp on the outside and everything was soft and delicious on the inside. We served this with a Rotisserie Chicken I made in the neat rotisserie gadget my MIL gave me, and with fresh sliced vine ripened tomatoes and quartered english cucumbers.
Tonight I’m going to try making “roasted veggies” in the crockpot. 
Wish me luck!