Over the years, I’ve gotten in the habit of greeting my grumpy, sleepy boys in the morning with “Good morning sunshine”. The name seemed perfectly suited for this bright, sunshiny morning beverage.

They are super easy to whip up in the morning. So let’s get to it…

A few ingredient notes. Using frozen fruit is the key to making a smoothie with good texture. Trader Joe’s has a great selection of bagged frozen fruit and their prices are very good. For this recipe you’ll need frozen mango and pineapple

See that frozen banana up there? When I have some bananas that are getting a little over ripe, I throw them in the freezer so I’ll have them on hand for smoothies.

Use plain non-fat Greek yogurt to add richness and a great creamy texture to your smoothies. It has nearly twice the protein of regular yogurt and is rich in calcium which makes this a super healthy breakfast beverage for the kids.

Everything goes in the blender. I used fresh squeezed orange juice because I had a bag of oranges in the pantry but I would not hesitate to use the bottled variety. Use what you have!

Add more or less of the orange juice to reach the consistency you like.

We could stop here by they look a little naked to me.

To add some color and even more flavor, top them off with some fresh berries and hand them a spoon.

If this doesn’t cheer up a sleepy head in the morning, I don’t know what will!

Good Morning Sunshine Smoothie

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup frozen pineapple pieces
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 cup fresh squeezed or bottled orange juice (more or less as needed)
• 1 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
• Assorted fresh berries for topping, optional

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except berries, in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into glasses and top with fresh berries.

I’ve been waiting for grilling season to share this recipe with you and I do believe it is time! My barbecue has been fired up several times over the past couple of weeks and there’s no stopping me now.

This is hands down, no contest, my favorite grilled chicken marinade that I’ve used for years…and years…and, you get the point. In addition to the amazing flavor, it’s true to it’s name and imparts a beautiful, rich golden hue to the chicken as it grills. It works well with any type of chicken but I usually do a combination of boneless, skinless breasts, skinless thighs, and drumsticks. Grill a few extra pieces so you can throw together a summery grilled chicken salad or sandwiches for lunch the next day.

I’m foregoing the step by step but did want to mention a little something.

This is chili garlic sauce and if you haven’t used this stuff yet, I suggest you pick some up. It’s a thick puree of of chilies and lots and lots of garlic. It works wonders in marinades and pastes for grilling or roasting all kinds of meats. In the quantity used here it will add great flavor but just a touch of heat to the finished product. This one happens to sport the iconic rooster logo because it’s made by the same fine folks who bring us Sriracha. There are many different brands, however, and the one available at your local store may look different so don’t let that throw you.

I’m listing it as an optional ingredient because the marinade is fantastic either way. I use it if I have it on hand but have made it frequently without. It does add an additional layer of flavor so try it if you can but don’t stay away from this recipe if you can’t locate it.

The printable recipe is below. Happy grilling!

Pretty Chicken Marinade

Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 2/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
•  2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional)
• 2 to 3  pounds assorted chicken pieces

Directions:

Place all marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.  Place chicken into one or two gallon sized plastic storage bags and add the marinade. Seal bag(s) and turn around a few times to distribute marinade. Place bag(s) in refrigerator for at least an hour or up to four hours.

Grill chicken till no longer pink in center and juices run clear. Serve.

Adapted from Allrecipes

For some reason, we always think of breakfast and brunch when it comes to Mother’s Day. You don’t see a whole lot of recipes floating around this time of year for an elegant lunch or extravagant dinner. Probably due to the fact that Dad and his “helpers” are most likely the chefs while Mom takes a break from the kitchen. That’s my guess anyway. If you are reading this and happen to be a Dad who is an accomplished chef, I apologize for my generalizations. My opinions are based solely on my experience in a house full of men. Now, come cook me dinner.

I have to admit, I love breakfast. I think it just might be my favorite meal of the day, especially when it’s prepared by someone other than me. Today I’m sharing a simple but delicious breakfast dish that even the most novice cook could pull off. I put this one out on Easter and it was consumed in a flash by my guys here.

It may be easy, but try saying the recipe title five times fast. Not so easy is it?

We’ll need a little butter, salt, pepper, eggs, a container of biscuits (5 to a can), cheddar and Gruyere cheese, some milk, brown button mushrooms, fresh thyme, 6 slices of cooked thick-sliced bacon, onion, broccoli, and ground mustard.

For a clean and easy way to cook bacon, click here.

Chop up about a cup of fresh broccoli and place it in a saucepan with enough water to just barely cover it. Bring the water to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes; just till barely fork tender. Remove it from the heat, drain the hot water from the pan, rinse the broccoli in very cold water and drain again.

Crack open that can of biscuits and cut each biscuit into 8 pieces.

Scatter the biscuit pieces over the bottom of a 13″x9″ pan that you’ve coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a saute pan and add the chopped mushrooms and onions. Cook and stir until they have softened and season them with a bit of salt and pepper while they cook. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside for now.

Grab a large mixing bowl and whisk together the eggs, milk, ground mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in the broccoli, chopped bacon, mushrooms and onions, both types of grated cheese, and a little more salt and pepper to taste.

Keep in mind, you can substitute any meat of choice here. I added bacon because, well …it’s bacon.

Pour this mixture right over the top of the biscuit pieces.

Garnish the top with the chopped, fresh thyme. Please use fresh thyme if you can find it. There is something about the combination of flavors from bacon and thyme that is just magical.

Pop it in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or till nice and golden around the edges.

If the smell of this cooking doesn’t bring them into the kitchen, you might want to check their pulse.

Serve it up.

Make it for Mom or make it just for you. Just make it!

Easy Broccoli Bacon Breakfast Bake

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped, fresh broccoli
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 6 brown button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 (10.2-oz.) can (5 biscuits) refrigerated biscuits
• 10 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon dry ground mustard
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6 slices cooked thick-sliced bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

Place broccoli in a pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer at a low boil for about 2 minutes or till just barely fork tender. Remove from heat. Drain water from pan and rinse broccoli in very cold water. Drain and set aside. This can be done the day ahead. Refrigerate cooked broccoli until ready to assemble breakfast bake.

Heat oven to 350° degrees. Spray bottom only of 13″ x 9″ glass baking dish with cooking spray. Separate dough into 5 biscuits. Cut each biscuit into 8 pieces; arrange evenly in sprayed dish.

Melt butter over medium heat in a medium saute pan. Cook the onions and mushrooms until mushrooms have released their liquid and onions have softened. Season with salt to taste. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Stir in cooked broccoli, cooked chopped bacon, cooked onion and mushrooms, both cheeses, salt and pepper to taste. Pour mixture over biscuit pieces in dish. Press down with back of spoon, making sure all biscuit pieces are covered with egg mixture. Sprinkle top of casserole with chopped thyme.

Bake at 350°F. for 40 minutes or until edges are deep golden brown and center is set. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Cut into squares.

Adapted from Pillsbury.com

We are an Arnold Palmer lovin’ household. No, not the golfer. I’m sure he’s nice and all but I’m referring to the beverage.

In case you have not yet been enlightened, the Arnold Palmer is half iced tea and half lemonade and I believe it just may be the perfect combination. The lemonade gives just the right amount of sweetness to the tea while it is typically less sugary and lower in calories than most sweetened teas.

I saw the idea for the Slow Melt Arnold Palmer on Babble Food and knew immediately I had to try it out. Frozen cubes of lemonade melt slowly into the iced tea as you drink it. The idea is so simple but so genius and perfect for so many occasions from bridal or baby showers to Mother’s Day brunch, or a BBQ on a warm summer evening. To pretty things up a bit, I added a fresh raspberry to each lemonade ice cube.

And, here’s how it is done…

Black tea will work best here. I opted to brew my own with these Lipton Iced Tea Bags. Whatever route you go, you’ll need two quarts of brewed black iced tea, about 24 ounces of lemonade and a container of fresh raspberries.

Fill each square of two empty ice cube trays with a fresh raspberry.

Fill the trays to the top with lemonade.

Pop them in the freezer for a few hours till frozen solid. If possible, get this done the day before so they can sit in the freezer overnight.

Place three or four of the lemonade ice cubes in each glass.

Top them off with the iced tea. As you drink, the lemonade ice cubes will slowly melt into the tea.

Or you can just drop all of the ice cubes right into the pitcher and set it on the table to melt away.

I’m so ready for summer…can you tell?

Slow Melt Arnold Palmer

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 (6 ounce) package fresh raspberries
• 24 ounces lemonade (or enough to fill two ice cube trays)
• 2 quarts brewed black iced tea, chilled

Directions:

Place one raspberry in each square of two ice cube trays. Fill to top with lemonade and place in freezer for several hours or till completely frozen.

To serve, place 4 or more raspberry/lemonade ice cubes in each glass and then fill glasses to the top with iced tea.

Adapted from Babble Food

It’s not like we really need an excuse to make Mexican food but we have an official one on Sunday. So bring on the chips and salsa!

I’ve been at the business of sharing recipes here for almost two years and a good number of them have been for Mexican inspired dishes. I’ve pulled together 10 of my favorites to share with you today that would all be excellent choices for this weekend’s festivities.

Love pasta but still want to get in on the fun? I’ve got you covered with this Taco Pasta Bake.

Chicken Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa. Fast, fresh, and so, so good. The salsa is good on it’s own but does something really special to simple chicken tacos.

Tomatillo or “verde” salsa is my favorite and it is super easy to make at home. It’s nearly impossible to walk away from this Roasted Tomatillo Salsa.

Fully Loaded Guacamole – the name says it all. Guacamole with the works. Corn, black beans, bell pepper, jicama, cilantro, and lime. Substantial, wholesome, and totally addictive.

The recipe for these Veggie Tostadas includes a great, no-fry method for making crispy, satisfying tortillas to load up with refried beans and the veggies of your choice.  A reduced guilt, but flavor packed option.

This old school casserole has stood the test of time. Chicken Tamale Casserole is Incredibly easy to put together and super family friendly.

My all time favorite method for cooking fall apart, tender beef. This Shredded Mexican Beef is an excellent foundation for a variety of Mexican dishes from tacos, to burritos, to enchiladas and more.

Go live your life and come home to these super easy and delicious Crock-Pot Chicken Tacos. One of my crazy, busy day favorites.

A fast and simple turkey chili bakes right over the top of cornbread batter. Dress up this Chili Cornbread Bake with taco toppings like chopped tomatoes, onion, and sour cream for Cinco de Mayo.

A no oil baking method results in crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos. These are very easy to put together and finger food is fun!

Get the beer on ice, mix up a batch of margaritas and get cookin’. I hope you’ve found something here to make your Cinco de Mayo, or any old night of the week a special one.

I’ve made a whole lotta guacamole in my life. I’ve played around with ingredients, adding one thing or another, just to make things interesting. Then I had the wild idea to add everything under the sun, all at once. It was a good idea.

I was inspired by the White Corn Guacamole at California Pizza Kitchen. It’s on their small plates menu and it is delicious. The only problem is the “small” part; you only get about 1/2 cup.

This just won’t do at my house. I had to think bigger.

The grocery list – Salt, a can of black beans, jicama, cilantro, 3 avocados, red bell pepper, jalapeno, lime, and frozen white corn. This will make a good amount and you can easily scale it down if you have less of a crowd to feed.

Rinse one cup of frozen corn with cold water for a couple of minutes until it has thawed. Drain it well and then rinse and drain the black beans as well. Fresh corn would be wonderful in this so if you can get your hands on some ears of corn and have a little extra time for the prep, by all means go for it. Check out this post for directions on grilling the corn. Using frozen corn makes this super simple to put together and I promise it will be wonderful.

The easiest way to chop an avocado is to do it while it is still inside the skin. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit, but don’t throw it away (we’ll talk more about the pit a little later). Using a sharp knife, carefully slice into the avocado just up to the skin, in a criss-cross pattern. Then run the knife along the outer edge of the entire avocado, just inside the skin and scoop the chopped avocado into a mixing bowl.

Everything else goes in. The rinsed and drained corn, black beans, diced red bell pepper, diced jicama, diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, a touch of salt, and the juice from a lime.

The California Pizza Kitchen version of this guacamole has a chopped consistency, versus the smashed consistency you typically see. If you toss the mixture lightly it will (mostly) hold it’s chopped form. A little smoosh is okay.

Here is an interesting little tip. If you don’t plan to serve it immediately, press a couple of those avocado pits that you saved in the previous step into the mixture and then cover it with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap right down on to the guacamole. This will ensure that less air hits the surface and will help prevent it from browning the way that avocados tend to do. I don’t remember where I learned this but I swear by it. It works!

A little bit of everything and tons of flavor in each bite.

Fully Loaded Guacamole

Servings: 12

Ingredients:

• 3 avocados, chopped
• 1 cup frozen sweet white corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup peeled and diced jicama
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper,
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno, seeded as desired and diced
• Salt, to taste
• 1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Toss lightly to combine and transfer to a serving dish.

If making ahead, press a couple of the avocado pits into the mixture and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap down over the surface of the guacamole to help prevent it from turning brown. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until ready to serve. Remove and discard pits before serving.

As much as I love to cook, I always look forward to a meal out. After cooking and serving hungry men all week it can be hard to muster up any excitement over cooking on a Friday night. When the boys were small, going out to dinner alone with my husband was a big deal. Lots of planning and organization had to take place before it could happen. Lining up a babysitter; planning and cooking a meal for the boys to eat in our absence. Now that they are grown and are completely capable of fending for themselves, we can just jump in the car and go.  I will forever consider this a true luxury.

We frequently hit up our favorite little Italian place and when we do, we always order the caprese to start. It consists of slices of fresh mozzarella layered with red, ripe tomatoes, and basil. They include a little prosciutto and the whole thing is drizzled with balsamic vinegar. It’s simple and perfect. We always say that with a little bread and some wine, we could easily call it dinner. I got to thinking about this and decided to add some chicken and do exactly that. I’m calling this dinner. Are you with me? Let’s do it.

The grocery list – Balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, prosciutto, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, minced garlic, and fresh mozzarella cheese. Not pictured but very necessary – boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Don’t you just love these little containers of cherry tomatoes? They also refer to them as salad tomatoes, grape tomatoes, and snacking tomatoes. I love ‘em. I like to use both red and yellow for a really vibrant, pretty dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the halved tomatoes, garlic, basil, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Let it sit while we work on the chicken.

Coat a large skillet with olive oil and place it over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken, in batches, for about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Season it with salt and pepper to taste as it cooks.

It should be nice and golden brown on both sides and the juices should run clear.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a large cutting board or other work surface and let it sit until it is cool enough to handle.

I slice the mozzarella length-wise so it will fit the pieces of chicken, just right.

Nice fit.

Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each piece of chicken, securing the cheese. The proscuitto is very thin and delicate. It’s okay if it tears, just drape it around the chicken the best you can. It will all work out in the end!

Transfer the chicken bundles to a large baking pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.

Spoon the tomato mixture, along with all of the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, right over the top.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and pop it in a 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

The cheese will melt and the tomatoes will get warm and wonderful.

Fresh, summery, and completely divine.

Chicken Caprese

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 (10 ounce) containers cherry or grape tomatoes tomatoes – yellow and red, halved
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 thin boneless chicken breasts
• 6 slices of proscuitto
• 6 slices fresh mozzarella
• 1/4 cup grated or shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a medium mixing bowl combine cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, basil, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. Mix well to combine and set aside.

Coat the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil and place over medium-high heat. Add  chicken breasts to pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until nicely golden brown on both sides and juices run clear, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a large cutting board or other work surface.

When chicken has cooled enough to handle, place a slice of fresh mozzarella on each piece wrap a slice of prosciutto around the chicken and cheese. Pour tomato mixture over the chicken and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or till cheese is melted and tomatoes have softened. Serve.

We spent the last week on the road touring college campuses with Boy #4, which just so happen to be in some of the most beautiful areas of California. We thought the decision of which school he will ultimately attend would be easier once we visited; this was not the case. In the end, he will choose one but we really enjoyed visiting the different college towns and pondering the possibilities of him living in each one.

What is it about being away from home that makes you feel exempt from calories? I can tell you that this is a myth as I sit here in my yoga pants feeling like Jabba the Hut. One thing these towns all have in common are some incredible restaurants.

Luckily, the tours were walking tours and I’m not kidding when I say walking tours. It felt like we had covered 100 miles by the time we were done with our 4th campus tour in a week. We came home tired, sore, and ready to lighten things up. For me lightening up frequently involves salads. A vinaigrette is nice, but sometimes it just doesn’t cut it. I am a lover of creamy salad dressings. Making your own dressing at home using low fat dairy products, allows you to indulge the creamy dressing craving while eliminating a lot of the fat grams in the bottled variety.

Be sure to use a good quality Gorgonzola or any other blue cheese of choice.

I like to add some fresh chives to liven things up and lots of fresh ground black pepper.

Add the milk last and add as much as needed to make the dressing the desired consistency. Leave it a little thicker and it works perfectly as a dip for veggies, chicken strips, buffalo wings, or as a dressing for burgers. The dressing is best after it sits in the fridge for two or three hours.

Scroll down for the complete printable recipe and directions.

Heed this advice if college campus tours are in your future. Wear comfortable shoes, take water, and wear sunscreen. And, Moms, be sure there is some Kleenex in your bag. I found myself tearing up out of the blue when I would catch sight of the 6’3″ man walking ahead of me so completely ready to move into his future as a college student.

Light and Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing

Yield: Approximately 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 3/4 cup light sour cream
• 1/3 cup gorgonzola or blue cheese crumbles
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup reduced fat milk (more or less, as desired)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together adding as much milk as needed to obtain desired consistency. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving.

I put this asparagus dish out on Easter and it really drew some ooohhhs and aaahhhs from the crowd. In fact, I think it was the most impressive of all the dishes I served, and it was a pretty nice spread if I do say so myself. When you get a group of men crowding around the vegetable side dish you know that you’re on to something. Especially when there is a delicious spiral sliced ham and great big dish of scalloped potatoes right next to it.

I was inspired by a recipe over on Boulder Locavore. I incorporated my own method for roasting asparagus and since I have true love for balsamic vinegar, I reduced it down and drizzled the syrupy goodness over the top.  Balsamic reduction may sound complex and difficult but it’s ridiculously simple. The process of reducing enhances all of the things we love about balsamic and it creates a rich, naturally sweet, thickened syrup that can be poured over all sorts of things including roasted meats, veggies, potatoes, ice cream. Maybe I’m going a little far with the ice cream…or maybe not.

Check out the step-by-step below to see how easy it is to make.

I’m a happy lady when asparagus is in season. I found it for .99 center per pound at my favorite little produce market near my house. See those woody ends? After we give the asparagus a good rinse in cool water we’re going to snap them off.

Grab a hold of a spear or two and start to bend them You’ll feel that they have a natural breaking point so just snap them off. You may have a super creative, delicious recipe for asparagus ends but otherwise, toss ‘em.

Transfer the trimmed asparagus to a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. No need to drown them, just give them a little oil to make the roasting process happen. Push the spears around with your hands to coat them all. You can also season them with a little salt if you’d like. Place the baking sheet in a 400 degree oven and set the timer for about 8 minutes; less if you have very skinny asparagus.

While the asparagus is roasting we’ll start the balsamic reduction. Measure 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar into a small, heavy bottomed saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a boil. Let the mixture simmer at a low boil for several minutes, stirring as needed to prevent it from burning. When the vinegar has reduced by about half and seems to be coating the sides of the pan, remove it from the heat. That’s it folks.

As it cools, it’s going to thicken and turn into something absolutely wonderful.

Next, grab a small, non-stick pan and place it over medium-low heat. Add the walnuts to the dry pan and cook and stir until they are lightly toasted. This will only take a couple of minutes. They can burn easily so don’t walk away.

When they have cooled a bit, transfer them to a cutting board and coarsely chop them.

Meanwhile, look at what has happened to our asparagus. I could (and do) eat it just like this. Remove it from the oven when it is just fork tender. Don’t let it go too long. Nobody likes limp asparagus.

Transfer the roasted asparagus to a serving dish and crumble the goat cheese over the top.

Then the chopped walnuts.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top of the whole glorious thing.

Now, grab the dish and and a fork and run to a dark room and close the door.

Or, serve it to your loved ones. Your choice.

Elegant, impressive and absolutely guaranteed to please. Scroll down for the handy, dandy printable.

Click on image to go straight to interview.

Now, on to a bit of blogging business. My friend, Kim, over at Cravings of a Lunatic had the wild idea to feature me in her Burning Down the Kitchen, blogger interview series. If you don’t know Kim you should. She’s the kind of lady I know I could get in some trouble with if we lived closer to each other.Go get the nitty gritty on me and while you are there, be sure to check out all her other wild ideas and downright delicious goodies. She went through a chocolate, caramel, pecan phase and now she’s moved on to Meyer lemons. Need I say more?

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic, Goat Cheese, and Toasted Walnuts

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches fresh asparagus, ends snapped off
• Olive oil, as needed
• Salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/3 walnuts, roughly chopped
• 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the asparagus on rimmed baking sheet, drizzle lightly with olive oil and season to taste with salt. Roast asparagus until just barely fork tender, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. The cooking time will vary based on the thickness of the asparagus so watch closely to avoid overcooking.

Meanwhile, add balsamic vinegar to a small heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat until boiling. Keep at a low boil, while stirring, until it reduces by half. Set aside. It will thicken considerably as it cools.

Place walnuts in a dry non-stick pan and heat over medium low heat, till lightly toasted. Remove from heat and set aside. When they’ve cooled slightly, transfer them to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

Transfer roasted asparagus to a serving dish. Sprinkle with crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts. Drizzle balsamic reduction over the top and serve.

Adapted from Boulder Locavore

I’m squeezing in one more warm and cozy dish before moving into spring. It may be April but we’re still having soup and stew weather here and there.

I don’t care what the calendar says, I love to cook things like this on a grey, drizzly day.

Thanks to Johnsonville and Allrecipes, I recently had the opportunity to try out some recipes using Johnsonville’s line of sausages. This one impressed me so much that I just had to share it with you. This post is not a requirement I am fulfilling; I am sharing the recipe purely because my family loved it and I thought you would too!

The grocery list – Barley, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, white wine, a big can of crushed tomatoes, beef broth (or base to make broth), onion, garlic, yukon gold potatoes, baby bella (brown) mushrooms, carrots, baby spinach, celery, and the star of the show – Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage. You’ll also need a little olive oil.

Barley is a fantastic whole grain to use in stews and soups. It adds great texture, fiber, and acts as a natural thickener.

Let’s start by coating a Dutch oven with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Place it over medium heat and add the chopped onion and garlic. After that cooks together for a couple of minutes, add the sausage links.

Let the sausage cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.

While the sausage is sizzling away, prepare the veggies. Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots into 1″ chunks.. Quarter the mushrooms and chop the celery.

Remove the partially cooked sausage to a cutting board to cool.  It will not be completely cooked through at this point and that is fine. It will go back in the pot soon.

Toss all the chopped veggies into the pot with the onion and garlic.

Once the sausage has cooled enough for you to handle it, slice it up.

Add the uncooked barley to the pot. No need to cook it prior to adding it – so easy!

Along with the barley, it’s time to add the beef broth, crushed tomatoes, wine, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Add the sliced sausage back to the pot. It will finish cooking as the stew simmers, covered, for about 55 minutes.

After close to an hour, the barley will have softened, the veggies will be just right, and the sausage will be fully cooked through.

Add the entire bag of baby spinach. I know it looks like a lot but it will cook down and practically disappear as you stir it in. Keep the pot over medium heat for just another minute or two.

Looking good! Ready to serve.

A little French bread will complete the meal.

A hearty, wholesome, family meal. Loaded with veggies, barley, and flavorful Italian sausage.

Italian Sausage and Barley Stew

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

•  1 (19.76 ounce) package Johnsonville® Mild Italian Sausage links
•  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
•  2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
•  4 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
•  8 ounces baby bella (brown) mushrooms, quartered
•  2 stalks celery, chopped
•  1/2 cup barley, uncooked
•  1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
•  1-1/2 cups beef broth
•  1 cup dry white wine
•  1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
•  1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach

Directions

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic; cook 3 minutes or until slightly soft. Add sausage links to pan; cook 10 – 12 minutes or until sausage is browned and almost cooked through. Remove sausage links to cutting board and allow them to cool before coin slicing. Stir in carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, and celery into the Dutch oven. Add the barley, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, wine, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Add sliced sausage to the pot. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and continue to simmer for about 50 minutes or until the barley is cooked. Remove cover and stir in spinach. Cook another  3 or 4 minutes, uncovered, till spinach has softened. Serve.

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

 Disclaimer

I am an Allrecipes Allstar Brand Ambassador (a voluntary position) and I’m not
compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com.

Products received from advertiser are only used for experienced-based reviews
on From Valerie’s Kitchen. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this
blog are purely the sole opinions of Valerie.