Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

About seven years ago, I made a mashed potato recipe that used garlic and red potatoes with the skins left on. This past year, my mom and sister asked me to make it again. Even though I hadn't made it in seven years. And I didn't have the recipe. Oh, boy.

Luckily, the internet is a magical place, and I found a new recipe that utilized both required elements AND had a special twist: Romano cheese. I was a bit worried that my family wouldn't like the cheese--in fact, my sister tasted it right away--but it added such a depth of flavor to the potatoes, they didn't even need gravy! This will be my new go-to mashed potato recipe.

You will need:
5 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
1.5 sticks of butter, room temperature
5 ounces Romano cheese, grated
2-1/2 teaspoons salt (plus an extra pinch)
2-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Head of garlic

2 tablespoons of olive oil

3-4 tablespoons of milk

First, while the original recipe didn't call for this, I decided to roast the garlic because raw garlic can have a strong flavor; roasted garlic is a more mellow and sophisticated flavor. To roast garlic is actually really easy, too. Simply preheat your oven to 400 degrees, cut off the heads of your garlic cloves, and remove all the extra layers of skin surrounding the cloves (just be sure to leave enough of the skin to hold the cloves together). Drizzle with olive oil, cover with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Break down of process here. Garlic will be soft and look carmelized when done! See here:

Mmmm...soft and yummy. While the garlic cools, put your potato water on to boil and quarter your potatoes. When the water is ready to go, add the potatoes and boil until soft. Make sure you set your butter out to soften by now--I always forget to do so, and it makes it so much easier to work with the butter when it is already soft. Grate the Romano cheese.

When the potatoes are ready, drain and place in a large bowl. Add butter and use a potato mashed to mash the potatoes and integrate the butter into the potatoes (apparently, you should always add the butter before the milk so the two can better bond--the things one learns while reading!). Add in cheese, salt (all of it except for the extra pinch) and oregano and mix well.

And now the fun part--the garlic. I saw this on both Rachel Ray and Giada DeLaurentiis's shows: carefully remove the cloves of garlic from the skin. Roughly chop the cloves and sprinkle with the pinch of salt. Then, using the wide, flat part of your knife, drag your knife across the garlic, smearing it into your cutting board and making a paste. Doing this ensures that everyone gets the taste of garlic in their potatoes without biting into a hunk of garlic. Add garlic paste to potatoes.

Finally, if potatoes are too thick, add milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Serve warm and enjoy at your next holiday dinner!

Orzo and Chick Pea Salad

There's something really exciting about trying out new ingredients. That's why this orzo-based salad was so fun to make (well, that and the goat cheese), since I've never really had orzo before. So what is orzo? Well, orzo is basically tiny little rice-shaped pasta bits--like spaghetti minus the effort of twirling around a fork. Add to that some really good-for-you ingredients--and did I mention the goat cheese??--and this recipe provides you with a delicious side salad or light lunch for your next meal!

Here's what you will need:

• 1/2 pound orzo (cooked according to package instructions)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small to medium zucchini, diced (I also peeled mine first, but this is totally personal preference)
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, drained
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped (I didn't have these, so I left them out--I'm sure they would have been delicious, however!)
• 1/2 cup feta or goat cheese, crumbled (I used goat cheese--yum!)
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• How simple is this dish to make? 
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• First, cook your orzo according to package instructions, and prep your veggies.
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• After prepping your veggies, give them a quick saute in olive oil in a large skillet until your onion and zucchini are soft, and your garlic is fragrant. Toss in your salt, pepper, chickpeas, parsley, mint, and orzo to allow the remaining ingredients to warm (and the flavors to meld). Stir.
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• The last step is your choice. I added in my goat cheese here so that it melted and provided a creamy, sauce-like consistency for the salad. I also ate my salad warm for lunch. However, you could also choose to let the salad cool and crumble the goat cheese into it. Either way, it will be delicious.
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• Enjoy! 

Cheesy Broccoli Rice Casserole

And now, for a culinary stroll down memory lane! Every time my family celebrated a holiday with my dad's side of the family, my Aunt Gayle would make this DELICIOUS cheesy broccoli rice casserole dish. I cannot tell you what any of the main dishes or other side dishes were from any family gathering I have attended--but I can honestly say that I remember looking forward to eating that casserole every single year.

My sister has tried to contact my aunt for the recipe--and I know at one time, we did have it--but we lost our original copy, and my sister has yet to hear back from my aunt. So, I decided to track down a recipe that at least seemed close to see what I could accomplish. And so I give you: Broccoli Cheese Casserole. Note that I modified the ingredients to make the recipe resemble my aunt's version:

• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1 can of chicken stock
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed (again, I like the microwave steamers--minimal effort and better taste!)
• HALF of a 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• HALF of a 10.5 ounce can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1 (16 ounce) jar cheez whiz
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees, then get your rice going. The package instructions of the rice will tell you to cook the cup of rice in 2 cups of water. Instead, I cooked mine in the can of chicken stock to give it more flavor. Following the package instructions, I brought the chicken stock and rice to a boil, then simmered it for about 12-13 minutes, until the liquid had been fully absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, chop your onion and saute until transparent in the tablespoon of butter. Pop your broccoli steamer bag into the microwave and cook according to package instructions (about 5.5 minutes).

Finally, mix it all together: the two half cans of soup, the cheez whiz, the milk, the onion, the rice, and the broccoli. Add salt and pepper as desired, then place in a 9 x 13 casserole dish and bake for 30 minutes (or until bubbly and slightly golden on top).

You might want to let it sit for a few minutes once it is out of the oven to allow the rice to absorb a bit more liquid (as you can see, the addition of the milk has the casserole looking a bit soupy below):

But after sitting out for a few minutes, the casserole thickens! Now, this recipe tasted VERY close to my aunt's, so I was very proud. However, it wasn't exact. If I were to make it again in the future, I would add more onion, cut back on the cheez whiz a bit, and just add a whole can of the mushroom soup instead of the half can of each. I might even add an extra half cup of rice, since it was so wonderfully creamy. Regardless, it was warm, cheesy, and delicious (my husband even went back for seconds, which is how I gauge the yumminess of any given recipe), and so I declare the recipe a success. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!