Classic Green Bean Casserole

Every good Southerner knows that a deliciously comforting (and probably cheesy) casserole is a must at any potluck dinner.  A classic green bean casserole has always been one of Brad's favorites.  Maybe it's partly because of the scrumptious onion rings that grace the top, or maybe it's because they're just downright yummy.

I stumbled upon Paula Deen's recipe recently and knew that I had to make it for him.  Plus, it's the perfect thing to make when fresh green beans come into season, which wont' be long!

I love this recipe because it incorporates fresh mushrooms into the mix.  It's an easy side dish that would be great to take along to family picnics this summer, or it would be equally perfect for your dinner table tonight.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Green Bean Casserole
Adapted from:  Paula Deen
***This recipe can be doubled to fill one 9x13" baking dish***

Ingredients:
1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup diced onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups sliced green beans
3 cups chicken broth
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8-ounce) can French-fried onion rings
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste  
1 cup grated Cheddar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Saute the onions and mushrooms in the butter. Boil green beans in chicken broth for 10 minutes and drain. Add the green beans, mushroom soup, and onion rings to the onion mixture.  Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Stir well. 

Pour into a greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then top the casserole with the Cheddar and bake for 10 minutes longer, or until the casserole is hot and cheese is melted. 

Gourmet Garden Giveaway Winner

 

The winner of the Gourmet Garden Giveaway is:

Comment #14 from:

 FireRunner2379

Congratulations and THANK YOU to everyone who entered!!!  
 

Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Crispy Prosciutto, Toasted Pecans & Feta Featured in Southern Living!

I have SUCH big news to share with you...I have a recipe featured in the May issue of Southern Living magazine, y'all!  After months of anticipation, it has finally hit store shelves.  In fact, we just got back from the grocery store, where I saw it for sale for the first time.  I may have bought 4 copies and excitedly shared my glee with the cashier while checking out.  :)

Southern Living has always been one of my favorite magazines.  Growing up, I remember my mom and grandmother's dog-eared copies lying around the house.  Never did I think my name would ever grace the pages!

I love the magazine so much, that back in July 2005, I started 2 back-to-back marketing internships for the publication.  It was an incredible experience, where I made great friends and had the opportunity to be a part of on-location photo shoots, marketing campaigns, and fun events like the Southern Living Cook-Off, which was hosted by Tyler Florence that year.   And the prop sales...OH the prop sales!  Those were such fun times.  :)

My featured recipe is for a mouth-watering quinoa salad that is packed with amazing flavors.  It incorporates crispy prosciutto and toasted pecans that are perfectly complemented by fresh strawberries, making this quinoa salad unforgettably delicious!  It is included in the May Community Cookbook, on page 16, as part of a feature for "The South's Tastiest Blogs."

I'm super excited about sharing this dish with you all and hope that you enjoy it.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Quinoa Salad with Strawberries, Crispy Prosciutto, Toasted Pecans & Feta

By:  Celeste Ward

Ingredients: 

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup red onion, finely minced

3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1 tsp. lemon zest

A pinch of salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Salad:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

1 Tbsp butter

4 oz. prosciutto, torn into small pieces

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup pecans, shelled

1/2 cup arugula

1 cup quartered strawberries

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small bowl, and whisk well to combine.  Set to the side.

Combine 1 cup quinoa with 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tablespoon of butter and stir well.  Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. 

While the quinoa is cooking, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the prosciutto and sauté for approximately 3 - 4 minutes, or until the prosciutto becomes slightly crispy.  Remove to a paper towel -lined plate.

Next, lightly spritz a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the pecans on the baking sheet in a single layer.  Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes, or until the pecans become aromatic.  Keep a close eye on the pecans, as they will burn quickly.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and pour into a large bowl.  Add the arugula while the quinoa is still warm and stir well, allowing the arugula to wilt slightly.  Next, add the prepared dressing, sautéed prosciutto, toasted pecans and strawberries.  Carefully fold in the feta cheese, and serve immediately.

  

Quinoa with Pork, Parsley & Bell Peppers + A Gourmet Garden Giveaway!

In celebration of surpassing 2,000 Facebook fans, let's have an awesome giveaway, shall we?!

I recently met Mary from Gourmet Garden at FoodBlogSouth 2013 back in January.  They were sponsoring the conference, and I got to taste samples of their goodies.  I love the convenience of their products, because I'm not always able to have a big selection of fresh herbs hanging out in my fridge.  That's where Gourmet Garden really comes in handy.  

Their herbs are organically grown, and then washed, chopped, blended, and packed into handy little tubes for everyday use.  They also last months in the fridge, which is another big plus for me.  Some of their varieties include Parsley, Cilantro, Chili Pepper, Basil, Garlic and even Lemon Grass!

Last night, I whipped up their recipe for Quinoa with Parsley & Bell Peppers.  I added some diced, leftover roasted pork loin from the night before, taking it from a simple side dish to a full meal.  This dish was a healthy and easy weeknight recipe, packed with yummy flavors.  In my book, that's a winner!

 First up, here's the recipe (keep scrolling for GIVEAWAY details!):

 
Quinoa with Pork, Parsley & Bell Peppers
Adapted from:  Gourmet Garden

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup wild rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 small yellow bell pepper, diced
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Parsley
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Gourmet Garden Chili Pepper 
2 cups diced, roasted pork loin (see note below)

Directions:
Rinse quinoa.  In a large skillet, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add the quinoa, stir, reduce heat to low and cover.  Continue to  simmer, about 15 min.   

Ina  medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to boil.  Add the rice and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until done, about 40 min.  Drain, if necessary.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, green onions, bell peppers, parsley, and chili. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add quinoa and rice.  Stir.  Serve warm.

Note:  I added about 2 cups of diced, leftover roasted pork loin to this dish, which made it a full meal!  Leftover chicken would also be great.

****************************

Now, to the fun part...the GIVEAWAY!   

This giveaway is for a small cooler FULL of Gourmet Garden herbs and spices:

How to  Enter:
Simply leave a comment on this post, which answers the following question:

What is your favorite herb or spice to cook with?

Also, for extra chances to win, simply do the following and leave SEPARATE additional comments letting me know that you did:

• Like Sugar & Spice on Facebook
• Follow Sugar & Spice by Celeste on Twitter
• Tweet the following:
  NEW GIVEAWAY: Win a collection of Gourmet Garden products! @SugarSpicebyC #gourmetgarden #giveaway @FreshMadeEasy http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2013/04/quinoa-with-pork-parsley-bell-peppers.html
• Follow the Sugar & Spice by Celeste board on Pinterest 
• Like Gourmet Garden on Facebook
• Like Gourmet Garden on Twitter

The Rules:

• Entries must be submitted by midnight (CST time) on Tuesday, April 30th. 
• A winner will be picked at random (using random.org) and will be announced on Wednesday, May 1st.
• Please make sure you include your name and email address so that I will have a way to contact you if you win...especially if you leave a comment using the "Anonymous" option.
• At this time, the contest is open to US residents only.

Good Luck, and THANKS for stopping by!  :)

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette

Eating healthy is really important around our house, but every now and then, a girl just needs a plate of delicious fries, I tell you!  

Am I right?!?

This recipe is a keeper.  Large wedges of russet potatoes are coated with a quick vinaigrette of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, shallot, garlic, oregano and parsley (which comes together in a flash with the help of a food processor).  Next, they bake up all beautiful and golden brown in the oven for about an hour.

The flavor is fantastic, and you could even add a little Greek feta cheese as a garnish if you really wanted to take them over the top.  

Next time, I will probably cut the vinaigrette quantities in half, because I did end up with extra vinaigrette.  This isn't a terrible thing, though, because you could use it up in other dishes.  I bet it would be delicious on a roasted chicken.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Greek Potatoes with Lemon Vinaigrette
Adapted from:  Bobby Flay, Food Network Magazine, April 2013

Ingredients:
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large shallot, quartered
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 Tbsp chopped, for garnish
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs. large russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place the first six ingredients in a food processor.  Add 1 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Puree until mostly smooth.

Toss the potatoes with 1/2 cup of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl and spread in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet (Reserve the remaining vinaigrette).  Roast the potatoes until tender and golden, turning occasionally, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Transfer the potatoes to a platter and drizzle with some of the remaining vinaigrette.  Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley.  Serve with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.