Roasted Beet Medley with Balsamic Glaze

I don't know what happened. I lost 1517 photos; the chunk between 11/9-11/18 is missing. My heart aches, particularly since I'm unable to share with you my larva story. I could, but without photos it's not fun. Here we pick up where the pics resume. Above includes the crazy looking beets from this recipe as well as the squash with the cranberry relish and walnuts and pork medallions I lost the photos of.

Because beets are delicious and balsamic anything I've tried so far has been awesome, I opted for this recipe.

Roasted Beet Medley with Balsamic Glaze
from Cooking Club, Fall 2011
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5 small red, golden, white and/or Chioggia beets (2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter)
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/8 tsp coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, dill, thyme, tarragon or chives

Heat oven to 400°F. Trim greens and roots from beets, leaving 1 inch of the stems and roots intact. Reserve greens for another use.

Group beets by color on separate large pieces of foil. Wrap tightly in foil; place on large rimmed baking sheet.


Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle.


Meanwhile, bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper to a gentle boil in small saucepan over medium heat.


Simmer 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced to 3 to 4 tablespoons, reducing heat to medium-low if necessary; cool. (If cooled glaze is too thick to drizzle, microwave in small microwave-safe bowl until slightly warm and of desired consistency.)


Remove beet skins; trim and discard roots. Holding beets by stems, cut into thin slices; discard stems. Arrange slices on platter.


Drizzle with balsamic glaze; sprinkle with herbs.



The beets were good and the balsamic glaze was good but I didn't like the two combined. They looked horrible and really? Beets don't need a glaze, they don't need jazz. I think they're jazzy undressed. Tell me I'm wrong.

Cost:

• red, golden, white and/or Chioggia beets: $4.66
• balsamic vinegar: $0.89
• brown sugar: $0.02
• chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, dill, thyme, tarragon or chives: $0.50

Total: $6.07 or about $1.52 for each of 4 servings

Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks

Running low on side dishes, it's time to fire this one up so I can keep the full-plate Thanksgiving-style dinners happening. I like butternut squash and I like leeks (the leek part was a little surprising) so this roasted vegetable dish sounded like a good one.

Herb-Roasted Squash and Leeks
from Cooking Club
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1/4 c olive oil
3 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp pepper
2 1/2 lb. butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cubed (1 1/2 inches) (6 cups)
4 large leeks, sliced

Heat oven to 400°F.

Combine oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl.


Toss butternut squash and leeks in oil mixture.


Spread on large rimmed baking sheet.


Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender and slightly browned, stirring occasionally.



Slightly browned is exactly what the vegetables looked like at the end. Very slightly browned. And I'll tell you right now that the goal for cutting butternut squash is to aim for even-sized pieces, however big or small they wind up. Then, cut the leeks accordingly. My leek pieces were more wilted than some of the butternut squash pieces were soft. Regardless, the seasonings were tip-top. Honestly though, this recipe doesn't top the squash and Brussels sprouts recipe and I am beginning to doubt any will.

Cost:

• olive oil: $0.88
• fresh rosemary leaves: $1.29
• butternut squash: $2.39
• leeks: $2.99

Total: $7.55 or about $0.94 for each of eight servings.

Apple-Sweet Potato Casserole

I found this recipe in a magazine and thought it would go well with my chicken. A lot of sweet potato/yam dishes for thanksgiving are loaded with marshmallows which, to me, is sort of gross. The idea of adding in apples and a topping with what is essentially praline instead sounded really good.

Apple-Sweet Potato Casserole
adapted from Cooking Club, Oct/Nov 2010
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4  lb. sweet potatoes
2 c sliced peeled apples, such as Braeburn or Gala (1-2 apples)
1/2 c water
1/3 c butter, melted
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c raisins
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 c coarsely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 11x7-inch glass baking dish with oil.

Microwave sweet potatoes, in batches if necessary, 4-6 minutes or until almost tender but not mushy.


Let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel; cut into 1/2-inch slices. Arrange in baking dish.


Bring apples and water to a boil, covered, in medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4-6 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Holy crap, I overcooked my apples. Err toward half of the lower end of these directions.

Arrange over sweet potatoes.


Combine all remaining ingredients in small bowl.


Spread over potatoes and apples.


Bake 30 minutes or until potatoes and apples are tender.


Cut and serve.



While I thought the topping on this would be much too sweet and buttery, it turned out perfectly. The ratios were spot on. Apparently 1/3 cup brown sugar is spectacularly suitable for four pounds of yams. The nuts were so delicious, essentially candied, I wished there were more, unusual for me. Raisins, generally something I tolerate, went unnoticed. The apples, overcooked, were only a hint.

Overall, a definite winner, one I'd gladly make to accompany a turkey at Thanksgiving or a chicken anytime.

Cost:

• sweet potatoes: $2.18
• apples: $0.49
• butter: $0.27
• brown sugar: $0.14
• raisins: $0.82
• pecans: free from Mom

Total: $3.90 or about $0.49 for each of 8 servings.

Baked Oatmeal with Peaches

Having consumed bowls and bowls of coarsely chopped peaches with ice cream, I spied another way to use peaches. In breakfast! Yep, baked oatmeal, which I'm still on the fence about doing regularly but what the hell.

Baked Oatmeal with Peaches
adapted from Heather's French Press
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2 tbsp butter
2 c rolled oats
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
2 c milk
1 peach, sliced

Place butter in a 1.5-2 qt baking dish, maybe a 9.5" pie dish. Insert in oven and turn on to 375°F to preheat.


Combine oats, sugars, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.


Take the butter out of the oven when it's melted.


Beat egg and vanilla in small bowl.


Whisk in milk.


Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir to mix.


Transfer to baking dish, stir very gently to evenly distribute the oats.


Arrange peaches on top.


Bake for 45 minutes.



It tasted good, nicely spiced, but I learned that I prefer apples over peaches in my oats. Maybe it was because the peach should've been peeled before slicing. There was just very slight difficulty in cutting through the peach slices.

Overall though, not too bad. I'm leaning toward loving baked oatmeal in general. With only 2 cups of oats instead of 3 for the same number of servings in the previous recipes I've tried, this is not a super heavy, more preferable, recipe.

Cost:

• butter: $0.14
• oats: $0.48
• sugar: $0.06
• brown sugar: $0.06
• egg: $0.30
• vanilla: $0.16
• milk: $0.72
• peach: $0.63

Total: $2.55 or about $0.32 for each of 8 servings.

Baked Oatmeal, Take 3

I thought another slight reduction in sugar with some additional apples to maintain moisture was the next step for this oatmeal. Also, I realized when eating Take 2 that making six servings out of a batch of baked oatmeal is just way too much food. I'd still be stuffed at lunchtime, which spoils the whole "time to eat lunch" mentality at work. This time, I'm cutting the oatmeal into eight pieces.

Baked Oatmeal, Take 3
adapted from Take 2
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2 tbsp butter
3 c old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c slivered almonds
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 c whole milk
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large apples, 1 shredded, 1 finely diced

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Place the 2 tablespoons butter in an 8x8" baking dish and melt the butter in the oven while it preheats, pulling the dish out after about 5 minutes. Tilt the dish and let the butter coat it about evenly.

Meanwhile, combine the oats, sugars, almonds, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl.


Whisk together the eggs, milk, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a separate bowl.


Stir in the grated and diced apples.


Add the egg mixture to the oats and combine until moistened throughout.


Transfer to the dish with the melted butter.


Bake for 30 minutes or until edges are golden brown.



At this point I've halved the original amount of sugar and I didn't miss it. The apples are still good though I wish I'd either grated both apples or peeled them. Before baking I think they look so pretty among the oats and nuts but after baking you can't tell they're in there until you eat them and they're not all that. The slivered almonds, wowie, that's where it's at. They offer fantastic texture contrast.

Cost:

• butter: $0.14
• 3 c old-fashioned rolled oats: $0.72
• 2 tbsp sugar: $0.06
• 2 tbsp brown sugar: $0.06
• 1/2 c slivered almonds: $5, SWAG
• 2 large eggs: $0.62
• 1 c whole milk: $0.35
• 2 tbsp maple syrup: $0.50
• 1 tsp vanilla extract: $0.08
• 2 large apples: $2.04

Total: $9.57 or about $1.20 for each of eight servings.