Roasted Asparagus

Bend asparagus spears until they break - the tender part will break off from the woody part of the step. spread the good parts on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and salt to taste. Spread the spears around to get them thorougly coated. Roast at 450 for 10-ish minutes until tender but not mushy. Great alone or with romesco sauce.

Romesco Sauce

Ingredients 

• 1 7oz jar red peppers 
• 1 small chili pepper or a dash of cayenne pepper to taste 
• 8 oz stewed tomatoes or 2 cooked tomatoes 
• 1 T vinegar 
• 1/4 c almonds 
• 2 cloves of garlic  
• 1T smoked paprika
  

 

Directions In a food processor, blend nuts and garlic. You can substitute other nuts if you prefer. Add tomatoes and pepper and blend until smooth. Add vinegar. If the sauce is too thin, add some white bread to the mix to reach the right consistency.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

Ingredients

8 oz fresh chopped spinach
8 canned artichokes, chopped
8 oz. Philly cream cheese
8 oz. sour cream
3/4 c. shredded Parmesan/Romano/Asiago cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack (or mozarella) cheese
1/2 onion finely chopped
2 dashes of balsamic vinegar
salt to taste
red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

This is so so much better if you spend the extra money to get the Parmesan/Romano/Asiago cheese blend from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, rather than the normal kraft style parmesan cheese.

Combine all non vegetables and mix well. Add vegetables and mix. Bake covered at 400 for 20-25 minutes. uncover, sprinkle more parmesan cheese over the top, and bake until golden.
Serve with tortilla chips or bread.

Gingerbread

NGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. Add dry ingredients and pour into the pan
   
4. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35-40 minutes in my oven. Allow to cool in pan before serving.