I know Thanksgiving is over. I know, I know. But, we had such a fun time with our family and friends that I just want to write about it one more time.
You see, each year, for a long time, Tim has been making a Thanksgiving video. Some years it involves the Turkey being driven around the family farm, other years it features us. He’s so creative.
Normally, you see videos of my cooking show on here. But, I feel like giving you a glimpse of our life, our family, our holidays.
We had Thanksgiving dinner with my Uncle Larry and Aunt Gail, cousins: Ted, Jake, Renée, Gracie, Josiah; Tim’s parents, Terry and Cathy, and our friends, Doris, Brad, Mary, Brian, and Sarah. It was a blast!!
I’d planned to make my Roasted Garlic Yams, but ended up making a variation of them, which you can see below. It would work well for any holiday or regular dinner, so keep this one bookmarked!
Happy the holidays! Enjoy a laugh, on us.
Happy Eating!
Parmesan and Garlic Roasted Yams
Recipe Type: Side, Roasting, Oven, Squash, Winter
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Yams are roasted. Parmesan cheese is grated. Almonds are chopped. They are all combined to make a delicious fall dish.
Ingredients
9 yams, cut into large chunks
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne or red pepper flakes
1-2 T olive oil
1/4 C garlic infused olive oil (I used Bari’s)
1 C parmesan cheese, grated (1/4 C reserved)
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t lemon juice
1/4 C apple cider
1/2 C roasted almonds, chopped
Instructions
Toss yams with 1 1/2 T olive oil, and seasonings. Place on 2 or 3 baking sheets (making sure they are not overcrowded). Drizzle cut side of squash with 1/2 T olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast at 350F for 60 minutes (at 30 minutes rotate which is on top and bottom oven racks).
Whisk together garlic olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, and cider.
When squash is tender, scrape into a bowl, mash a bit, and combine with roasted yams, 3/4 C parmesan cheese, and cider mixture.
Top with remaining 1/4 C cheese and bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serve topped with almonds.
Notes
This can be made the day before, up thru step 3. The following day, place in an oven proof pan, covered, and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake an additional 20-40 minutes more (or until it’s heated to at least 165F). In last 15 minutes of baking, top with remaining 1/4 C parmesan cheese. Serve topped with almonds.
This week marks a year since A Cooking Show with Rachel O made its debut into the world of culinary entertainment (or whatever you want to call it). Armed with my Minestrone Soup recipe and a lot of excitement, I began. Now, a year later, I’ve learned a lot, eaten a lot… I’m not sure which I’ve done more of… I’ve also burned myself, pinched my hand, scared the dog with my horn thingey (that was today), dropped tons of food on the floor, eaten lots of veggies, laughed a lot, knocked the iPad/second camera off the counter‚ pronounced things incorrectly, learned how to cook new things, invented dishes I’ve loved, made a few things I wasn’t absolutely crazy about, learned some more, ate some more, chopped about a million veggies, and developed a new found respect for those who wash dishes and/or edit video for a living. Neither is my favorite part of the job (although one is definitely more favorite), but both are necessary.
My favorite part of the job… favorites actually: Chopping food, the smell of Bari‘s olive oil, the smell of garlic when it hits a hot pan, photographing food, editing my photos, the inspiration that comes when I open the box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce, planning a menu, writing furiously so I don’t forget the recipe idea that popped into my brain, hearing Husband exclaim “MMMMMMMMMmmmm” after taking his first bite (it happened with this meal!), watching the dog pretend not to watch us eat because he too would like a bite, laughing at myself, eating amazing organic produce, working with a company I respect, sharing my love for food with you… I could go on for hours. I feel truly blessed to do what I do.
Thank you for being a part of that. Thanks for watching, for reading, for commenting, for telling me that you liked a recipe. It means so much to me. I create these dishes, write about these foods, share my ideas because I think they taste good. But, I also share them because I want you to enjoy them just as much as I do. I hope this is happening.
I also hope you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do. We can still be friends if you don’t, but it is one of my favorite go-to/comfort/quick meals. I know it’s tempting on a tired night to grab a box of the really quick stuff. I’m not judging if you do. I’ve done it. Buuuut, I’ve also discovered that homemade Mac and Cheese is almost as fast. Really! You have to wait for the water to boil regardless. So while you’re standing in the kitchen, starving, staring at the water, willing it to boil, trying to keep from eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, grab some milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and flour, grate some cheese and make a simple sauce. If you have a few more minutes, roast some fennel and add it to some sautéed onion and garlic. It’s a good idea.
I didn’t think I liked fennel. Then I roasted it. Roasting is the key to making almost any vegetable a thousand times better (even though I usually like them just the way they are! Here’s how: Buy olive oil (personally, I like Bari‘s). Turn on oven. Combine olive oil with halved fennel. 350F. Done. Boom. Roasted. Good right?!
Now it’s your turn. Have fun!
Happy Eating!
Roasted Fennel Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta, Dinner, Oven, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
When fennel is roasted it becomes sweet and slightly caramelized. It’s paired with pears and Gruyère and added to traditional Mac and Cheese to dress it up.
Ingredients
1/2 to 1 C onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, halved
3-4 T plus 1 t olive oil
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 carrot, grated
1/2 to 1 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C cheese (combination of Gruyère and Parmesan), grated (1/4 C reserved for topping)
2 T flour
1/4 C cream
1/2 to 1 C milk
1/2 to 1 C vegetable stock
1/4 C pasta water
2 C pasta
1 pear, thinly sliced (for topping)
Instructions
Drizzle fennel with 1 t olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until fennel is tender).
Cook pasta.
Heat pan over medium heat. Add 2 T oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
When fennel is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Chop. Add to pan with veggies.
Move veggies to one side. Add 1-2 T more oil. When it’s hot, whisk in 2 T flour, cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly, a little bit at a time, whisk in milk, stock, cream, and pasta water. Let it thicken a little after each addition of more liquid. Add pasta water. Cook until just before it boils.
Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
Toss pasta with sauce. Top with thinly sliced pear, and top pear with cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.
This blogging adventure of mine is still a pretty new endeavor. It has needed plenty of encouragement, support, and love. When I first started (officially) blogging a little less than a year ago, I asked a few friends if they wanted to be ambassadors. Their job was/is to tell people about my blog and get them interested. In return I promised to create a dish for and named after them.
This past Wednesday, after a long and tiring day of editing, I was trying to come up with something for dinner. I finished work at 6, and was supposed to Skype with my family a few minutes later. I had something on the menu, but hadn’t done any work to prepare it (and might not have even had all the ingredients required). So I stood at the pantry cupboard and sought inspiration. I think some of the best meals come from staring at a bunch of ingredients sitting on a shelf. This was no exception.
The ingredients that sounded yummy to me reminded me of what one of my ambassadors had said she liked. The wheels started turning and I soon had the makings for “Mediterranean Quinoa for Stephanie”.
While I cooked, I had a small glass of wine. I was finishing up the dish and preparing to plate so I could take a few photos, so I poured a little more for the photo. Or so I thought. I realized that I’d picked up the olive oil, which was sitting right next to the bottle of wine, and poured it into my mostly empty wine glass. Whoops. Have I mentioned that I was really really tired!? Not one to waste food or wine, I poured the glass into the dish of rosemary infused olive oil and balsamic vinegar that we were going to dip our bread into. 🙂
A little bit about Stephanie Gladysz… She’s become a friend because I’m friends with her daughters Genevieve of Create Nourish Share, and Alexandra of Pink and Honey. She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It gets really really cold there in the winter. She and her husband own and operate Joey’s Restaurant in Regina, SK. They make really great fish and chips! She wrote a book called (Gasp) I have an idea! She’s really good at connecting people to my blog and often tells someone a specific post that reminded her of them. She’s a good encourager too. I’m thankful that she’s been willing to tell people about my work.
Thanks, Stephanie! Here’s the recipe that I created for you. I hope you enjoy it!!
I missed Oma this past weekend especially. She used to make a traditional Easter bread called Paska. I thought of her as I made it. Since I’m missing her, since I have some beets to use, and since the weather is cool right now, I’m making Borscht for this week’s episode of A Cooking Show with Rachel O. Oma made the best Borscht. Mine is not as good. I’m not sure I could ever make anything as good as she did. Not being self-deprecating, she was just a great cook.
Borscht traditionally has things like cabbage, beets, beef, dill, and potatoes. This version has more veggies (why not?!) and no meat or dill (I didn’t have any). From this week’s Abundant Harvest Organicsbox, there are: parsnips, carrots, beets, cabbage, spring onions, fresh garlic, tomatoes, and a daikon radish (from an older box: potatoes). Like I said, not traditional, but still so good! Top it with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, and serve it with some good bread, and there’s dinner. Perfect for a chilly spring night.
I also made my own vegetable stock for the soup. My friend, Elizabeth, asked if I would show how to make some of these things I often have on hand (like stocks). So in this episode, I’ll not only show you how to make Borscht, but also Vegetable Stock.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we always do. And, make lots, it’s even better the next day!!!
Heat soup pot. Add oil. Add garlic, onion, and tomato. Smash tomatoes with potato masher. Cook a few minutes. Add all remaining veggies, except cabbage. Add salt, pepper, and white vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until veggies are getting tender.
Add honey, balsamic vinegar, and 8 C stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook 2-4 hours. Add 2-3 C more stock after an hour or two of cooking.
(Add 2-3 C water, if needed, bring to a boil.) Add cabbage. Cook 30 minutes more.
Add 1 T lemon juice.
Serve topped with a dolup of yogurt.
Notes
The white vinegar is supposed to set the color of the beets, so they don’t bleed as much. It didn’t work in mine. 🙂
Borscht normally has beef and beef stock. I didn’t have any today, so I made a vegetarian version. It also normally has dill. I didn’t have any of that either.
Borscht is always better the second day. I don’t know why. It just is.
1 green garlic, chopped (or 1 clove regular garlic)
1 T za'atar seasoning
1 t smoked sea salt
pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 t paprika
1 T coconut oil
1 T olive oil
parmesan cheese, shaved, for topped
parsley, for topping
Instructions
Heat medium to large pan on stove. Add oils. Add carrots, cauliflower and seasonings. Cook 5 minutes, or until veggies are getting tender, over med heat. Add green garlic, cook 2 minutes or so.
Add water, wine, lentils and quinoa. Bring to a boil. Cook about 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Add more water if necessary. Add greens about 5 minutes before serving. Water should be absorbed, not like soup - unless you want soup!
Serve topped with shavings of parmesan cheese and parsley, along with some good bread.
