Homemade Vegetable Soup

 

A meatless vegetable soup made with a variety of vegetables and a rich vegetable stock.

Homemade Garden Vegetable Soup

A miraculous thing happened this past weekend. I made a pot of homemade vegetable soup and when The Veggie Hating Cajun got home, it went like this:

These potatoes are the perfect accompaniment to many main dish meats, poultry or pork dishes. Tossed in a mixture of herbs, butter and olive oil, and onion seasoning, roasted on a sheet pan, and deglazed with broth for a tasty finishing sauce.

Sheet Pan Onion Roasted Potatoes

I believe that onion roasted potatoes have been around at least as long as I have. They are a great side for just about any beef, pork or chicken entree and besides being a fantastic way to transform plain potatoes, they are also always well received.

I make mine just a tad bit different, adding a little more herbs and seasonings, along with the classic onion soup mix that made these famous, which by the way, if you happen to object to using, there are hundreds of copycat recipes on the internet you can use to make a homemade version, including mine that is included below. I also like to borrow from a classic dish called pommes fondantes ("melting potatoes"), deglazing the potatoes with chicken broth to turn that base into a nice finishing sauce.

A classic corn casserole made with frozen and creamed corn, cracker crumbs, pimentos, eggs, milk and butter.

Classic Corn Casserole

Corn casseroles seem to have an identity crisis going on in this day and age.

There doesn't seem to be a division anymore between what folks define as corn casseroles, corn spoon bread and corn pudding, so much so, that what once made each of these dishes unique from the other, has been completely lost.

Because this dish is heavy in corn, but lighter in binders and eggs, I consider it to be a corn casserole. You may know it as something different, but there is one thing for sure. It gets gobbled up.

Spinach Smoothie Green Drink, Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

 

Clean(er) eating, the year in review and my favorite Spinach Smoothie Green Drink

Clean(er) Eating and the Year in Review

Don't worry... that "cleaner eating" thing doesn't mean we're changing our website and recipes, and I'll explain on down the post, but I do want to first say Happy New Year y'all!

I hope you got in your traditional Southern New Year foods by now - or whatever is customary where you live - and I truly wish you much health, wealth and happiness in 2016. Yes, this is my first post of the new year - mostly because, well... I've been spending time with my family, my grandkids, the animal kingdom, and my favorite 3-Rs... relaxing, resting and reading.