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It's always difficult to decide what to bring to family potluck holiday dinners. This year was especially tough for me because I knew the dish that I brought could possibly be the only dish that I could eat - so I knew I needed to be selective in the process. When I was asked to bring a type of vegetable, it was not too difficult for me to know that I was going to roast some good winter vegetables. I love roasted veggies! There is something about a vegetable once it's roasted, it takes on an entirely new flavor and aroma. I love them! If it wasn't for roasting veggies, I probably would not have tried brussel sprouts and now they are one of my favorites. I digress. This was a recipe I found by Chef Owen May with Michelle May MD from Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle.
Roasted Root Vegetables
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes
3 medium baking potatoes, peels left on, cut into ½" cubes
2 medium sweet potatoes, peels left on, cut into ½" cubes
2 yellow onions cut in eighths
½ pound of baby carrots
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Pre-heat oven to 450F degrees.
Wash and cut up baking potatoes and place into a large plastic bag.
Trim any tough pieces off the sweet potatoes, cut up and add to the bag.
Place baby carrots in the bag.
Cut off each end of the onion then peel. Cut the onion in half then cut each half into quarters to make eight pieces. Place into the bag.
Add olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to the vegetables in the bag. Seal the bag and shake until all of the vegetables are coated.
Dump vegetables into a large shallow baking dish (a cookie sheet works well) and spread vegetables evenly over the bottom.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until vegetables are golden brown and slightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside.
Serves 6.
Recipe Review: 
Root Veggies were perfect for the main holiday meal at my relatives house to go along with ham and many other appetizing dishes. Since we feed an army when we gather for the holidays, I quadrupled the recipe and roasted them on two shallow cookie pans. I pre-warmed my slow-cooker and once the veggies were finished roasting in the oven, I added them to the slow-cooker for the commute, and plugged it in as soon as we arrived. I was nervous that they might get mushy, but they kept their shape and retained great flavor. I was asked by a few relatives how I made them, so without further adieu, I will not keep you waiting!
Notes: You may substitute other seasonal vegetables such as winter squash or pumpkin. When using less dense vegetables, add them 10 minutes after the potatoes to prevent over cooking. You may also try different herbs or spices such as rosemary or paprika for new flavors - but the parsley was perfect for our Holiday meal.
Holy Christmas! It finally feels like the holidays are here - probably because they actually are! We have officially started a family tradition with my immediate family. The day began with our holibaking lists - a mixture of fudge, chocolate peppermint bark, chex party mix, and cutouts and continued the night with a bowl full of chili and the Holidazzle Parade downtown Minneapolis. Then, we ended the night with creating our own gingerbread houses and sipped some hot chocolate. We had fabulous fun times and we plan to make this a yearly event. We have always attended the Holidazzle Parade, but this was the first year we've baked together and busted out our decorating skills with gingerbread houses.
I knew I needed to go into this Christmas prepared so I didn't have any mess ups with eating things I can not have, so I planned for a few gluten-free holiday treats on my holibaking list. I didn't want to be left out of all the holiday goodies! First up was a great, timeless option - fudge. I've never made fudge before but my Grandma Arlene always made yummy stuff and said it was pretty easy to make. Since Grandma's always tell the truth, this recipe was so easy that it amazed me.
Layered Mint Chocolate Fudge
Prep Time: 30 minutes; Chill Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
2 cups (12 oz. pkg.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 ounces white confectioners' coating*
or 1 cup (6 oz.) premium white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
Green or red food coloring (optional)
Line 8- or 9-inch square pan with wax paper.
Melt chocolate chips with 1 cup sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat; add vanilla. Spread half the mixture into prepared pan; chill 10 minutes or until firm. Hold remaining chocolate mixture at room temperature.
Melt white confectioners' coating with remaining sweetened condensed milk in heavy saucepan over low heat (mixture will be thick). Add peppermint extract and food coloring, if desired. Spread on chilled chocolate layer; chill an additional 10 minutes or until firm.
Spread reserved chocolate mixture on mint layer. Chill 2 hours or until firm. Remove from pan by lifting edges of wax paper; peel off paper and let sit for a bit. Cut into squares.
*Confectioners' coating can be purchased in candy specialty store.
Chocolate Chex Caramel Crunch
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cool Time: 10-15 minutes
My mom is so sweet - she chose to make chex mix and researched how to ensure each ingredient was gluten free so that I could have it. She decided on the chocolate variety because she knows chocolate is one thing that I truly love! This Chex Mix was so tasty and ooey-gooey, we wanted to make two batches, but ran out of ingredients. It was determined that since it will be a staple tradition in the Kroenke Family Holiday Extravanga going forward, one batch would be plenty for all the 2009 Holiday festivities.
8 cups Chocolate Chex® cereal
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup white vanilla baking chips
Into large microwavable bowl, measure cereal; set aside. Line cookie sheet with waxed paper.
In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave brown sugar, butter and corn syrup uncovered on High 1 to 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute, until melted and smooth. Stir in baking soda until dissolved. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Microwave on High 3 minutes, stirring every minute. Spread on cookie sheet. Cool 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces.
In small microwavable bowl, microwave vanilla baking chips uncovered on High about 1 minute 30 seconds or until chips can be stirred smooth (bowl will be hot). Drizzle over snack. Refrigerate until set. Store in tightly covered container.
