Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing

I took my Mom to the airport yesterday afternoon. She has spent the last 3 weeks here with us and it was a blast. My Dad was here for one of the weeks and I really enjoyed their visit.

While they were here we had a Easter dinner a week early with our family members that live nearby. I came across this salad and figured it would be a good side dish for our dinner.

We don't eat lots of potatoes, but when we do, I like to roast them in the oven. I have never thought of putting roasted potatoes in a green salad, so I was intrigued by that concept.

My Mom and I worked together to get this salad ready and we were in a rush. We didn't measure the lettuce and potatoes exactly. I think this made it so the dressing was spread a little too thin, although the salad was still tasty, I think the flavor would have been better if we had been more careful in our measurements. I didn't get a pretty picture of this salad either because we rushed off to the dinner and I had to snap a quick photo so I could share it here. Go ahead and check out the recipe below and you will find better pictures and a little bit more information about this fun salad.


Here is the recipe for Roasted Potato Salad with Parmesan-Herb Dressing from Perry's Plate
* My only mistake here was not being accurate when measuring the amount of potatoes and lettuce that I used. I think it would have been more flavorful if I had used the appropriate amounts.

2 Thanksgiving Stuffings/Dressings- Butternut Squash & Cheese Panade and Savory Butternut Squash Dressing

When I was narrowing down all the recipes I wanted to try out before Thanksgiving, I saw these two different takes on stuffing/dressing that both contain butternut squash. I love butternut squash. I think it has the perfect texture and flavor and could turn a squash-hater into a squash lover.
The first recipe is called Butternut Squash and Cheese Panade. (What is panade? Check out this link or this one for more info) I used a multigrain sourdough bread to make my bread crumbs and made enough for the other recipe that I was going to make later. I also roasted a lot of butternut squash and onions with the herbs, so I would have enough for the other stuffing.
This panade is super simple. You layer your bread cubes, butternut squash/onion/herb mixture and cheese. (I used swiss.) Then you pour in the chicken broth, which is soaked up by the bread and bake it until it is golden and the bread is puffed.
I thought this was really good. Very tasty combination of flavors.
The second stuffing/dressing was Savory Butternut Squash Dressing. I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine.
I changed a lot of things about this recipe, mainly because I already had my butternut squash roasted. I also had cooked quinoa in my fridge so I decided to use that instead of the wild rice called for. I also left out the dried cranberries.
I sauteed my onion, celery and fresh cranberries in a little bit of oil and then mixed up the egg mixture. I threw in some cooked quinoa and my toasted bread cubes and then put it in the oven to bake. I liked this recipe better, but I think it is because it had more of the traditional "stuffing" texture that I am used to. I really didn't follow the recipe that closely though. I kind of did my own thing.

I really like how both of these recipes incorporate butternut squash into the stuffings/dressings. I am all about having more nutrition and vegetables at Thanksgiving, so however I can get them in, I will try it. Do you have a favorite stuffing/dressing?

Recipe for Savory Butternut Squash Dressing

Recipe for Butternut Squash and Cheese Panade

Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce

It is so funny to me how our tastebuds change as we grow older. Sometimes.
When I was a child I did not like winter squash. My mom would always cook it in big chunks and I could barely swallow it. I hated the flavor and the texture. It literally made me gag.
I just thought it wasn't for me and didn't try it again for a long time.

Last year I decided to give all these sorts of squashy things another chance. I was older, perhaps wiser and so, who knows- it was worth a shot.
I tried this Butternut Squash Risotto and ever since all types of winter squashes and I are now really good buddies. Butternut, Acorn, Spaghetti, Pumpkin, etc. I love them all. That was also the first time I tried making risotto, which is also one of my favorite foods.

I saw this really cute recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratins and I had a container of ricotta cheese in the fridge, so I decided to try it out.
Ever since I have tried this Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake (which is one of my all-time favorite dishes- it is fabulous), I prefer to roast my spaghetti squash in the oven when I am planning to use it that day.

In this dish the spaghetti squash takes place of noodles. The sauce is easy and delicious, but if you are short on time you could also sub in your favorite jarred pasta sauce. The ricotta-herb topping is very flavorful and yummy. It was also fun for everyone to have their own little individual gratin.

My pictures didn't turn out very well because it was a rainy, dark day and there wasn't really anything I could do about it. This was a delicious dinner. I am so glad it is cooling off because that to me means that it is winter squash season!

Recipe for Spaghetti Squash Gratins with Chunky Tomato Sauce

One Year Ago- Butternut Squash Risotto

Barefoot Bloggers- Herbed Baked Eggs

Since Barefoot Bloggers had only completed one recipe before I joined, I decided to make it because it sounded great and well, it was. I actually used this one recipe to feed 6 people and everyone loved it! The herbs added so much flavor and made it very tasty. I cooked them for about 2-3 minutes longer than the recipe states, so that the yolks would be completely cooked.
My thyme had sprouted these really pretty flowers
Herbed-Baked Eggs
Copyright, 2004, Barefoot in Paris, All Rights Reserved

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

6 extra-large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toasted French bread or brioche, for serving

Preheat the broiler for 5 minutes and place the oven rack 6 inches below the heat.
Combine the garlic, thyme, rosemary, parsley, and Parmesan and set aside. Carefully crack 3 eggs into each of 2 small bowls or teacups (you won't be baking them in these) without breaking the yolks. (It's very important to have all the eggs ready to go before you start cooking.)

Place 2 individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. Place 1 tablespoon of cream and 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each dish and place under the broiler for about 3 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Quickly, but carefully, pour 3 eggs into each gratin dish and sprinkle evenly with the herb mixture, then sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Place back under the broiler for 5 to 6 minutes, until the whites of the eggs are almost cooked. (Rotate the baking sheet once if they aren't cooking evenly.) The eggs will continue to cook after you take them out of the oven. Allow to set for 60 seconds and serve hot with toasted bread.

Baked Salmon

We had a great Mother's Day dinner. My dad fixed us dinner! He got all the recipes off of Allrecipes.com and they were quire delicious. This salmon was especially tasty and easy to prepare! Thanks Dad!

INGREDIENTS
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
2 (6 ounce) fillets salmon
DIRECTIONS
In a medium glass bowl, prepare marinade by mixing garlic, light olive oil, basil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley. Place salmon fillets in a medium glass baking dish, and cover with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed salmon in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.