Roasted Veggies with Balsamic Glaze

I love to make this recipe. Get ready to chop. When you roast vegetables their natural sugars come out, so if you don't want to eat your veggies like your mother told you, try this recipe. It's delicious, easy, and healthy. This recipe makes enough for 4-6 people.

3 small red potatoes

1 1/2 cups broccoli 
2 carrots
1 sweet onion

3 large cloves garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black tellicherry pepper
Italian balsamic glaze

Preheat the oven to 425. Chop the potatoes, broccoli, carrots, and onion into bite-size pieces. Chop the garlic into small pieces. In a large bowl, toss the veggies well with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the vegetables evenly on the baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Plate the veggies and drizzle with balsamic syrup. This could be a main dish or a side dish.

Blood Orange Screwdriver

It's a fall cocktail. Until yesterday, I'd never purchased a blood orange. I bought three and squeezed the fresh juice from all of them to make this cocktail. The juice seemed a bit sweeter than a regular orange. Then I added a bit of citrus vodka, as well as a cinnamon stick, star anise, a slice of blood orange, and you can't see them but there are little chunks of sugared ginger on the bottom. Cheers!

Coyote Cashews

This recipe is from a holiday appetizers cooking class I took in the early 90s. These cashews are so good with the sweet and salty and spicy thing going on.

Fresh Herb & Gruyere Quiche

Quiche--sort of like an omelet in a pie crust. Quiche tastes good hot or cold for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's also a great way to use up your eggs. You can add ingredients like broccoli, roasted red peppers, onions, bacon, or ham. This recipe makes a simple quiche with a lot of flavor, and the fresh herb taste really comes through with each bite. The herbs are a great combo with the stronger tasting gruyere cheese. Added bonus: quiche freezes well. 

1 deep dish pie crust, frozen

6 eggs
1 cup buttermilk 
Fresh oregano & thyme (~1 teaspoon of each)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Garlic powder to taste

2 1/2 cups gruyere cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 350. Take the deep dish pie crust out of the freezer and sit it in a deep dish pie plate. When it thaws a bit, you can spread it out and press into the pie plate and mend any broken pieces.

Whisk together the eggs and milk in a large bowl. Add the oregano, thyme, salt, dry mustard, and garlic powder. Whisk well. Add the cheese and whisk again.

Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust and bake for 50-55 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center is firmly set. 

Let the quiche sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with fresh fruit.