A Fresh Face to a Family Laughingstock

In all families there is one period in time that seems to keep presenting itself.  Usually this said moment of time is when something happened that was either so funny or so embarrassing that it just can't die. In our family, the one thing that comes up time and again happened to be when Grandma played a trick with the potatoes.

I don't know about in your family, but in ours, mashed potatoes are a staple of every holiday meal.  Everyone loves them, and especially when they are served with gravy. Quite a few years back, my Grandma was given a big bunch of turnips.  Trying to be resourceful, she boiled them and served them like mashed potatoes.  The bad part was, she didn't tell anyone.  I don't know about you, but turnips have a distinctly different flavor than potatoes.  Just so happened, the newest member to marry into our family was the official taste tester.  Amy had a big serving of the "mashed potatoes" loaded up with giblet gravy, and had just sat down to enjoy her meal.  I don't remember much else, but the "potatoes" flew across the room, and Grandma had her feelings her that no one liked the turnips!

Fast forward to yesterday... My friend sent Scott with a bag full of turnips.  All I can think about is the ones flying through the air at Grandma and Grandpa's.  But, in pursuit of culinary diversity, I decided I would try and reinvent the turnip.  I keep reading about roasted root vegetables and how they are so delicious and turnips and parsnips keep appearing.  I decided I had nothing to lose, so I made a balsamic roasted turnip.  Much to my surprise, they were delicious! The best part, if you are on Weight Watchers, they are very low in points!!!

So, here is how I made a lowly root vegetable delicious!

Line a pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.

Peel and dice turnips into bite size chunks. Place in a zip top bag.

Add some salt and pepper... I used about a teaspoon of kosher salt, and quite a bit of black pepper.

In a small  jar, add olive oil, spicy mustard, balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar and garlic.  Shake well.

Pour over the turnips.  Close the bag, and toss until all are coated.

Spread in a single layer, and place in a 450 degree oven.
 

Roast until they turn a happy golden brown.  I think this was about 30 to 35 minutes.

Add a little fresh parsley and serve.  I promise they were delicious!

Here is the recipe:

Balsamic Roasted Turnips

2 large turnips, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon spicy mustard
1 clove of garlic, minced

Cover a baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Place turnips in a zip top bag.  Add salt and pepper.  In a small jar, mix olive oil, vinegars, mustard and garlic.  Add lid and shake well. Pour over turnips and zip the bag.  Shake well to coat evenly.

Spread on a prepared pan in a single layer.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in a 450 degree oven. Garnish with a little fresh chopped parsley if desired.

If you happen to be following the Weight Watcher plan, these would be 3 Points+.

Enjoy!

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah

A Long Absence

Oh, how I have missed you my friends!  I have tried to blog a few times, and simply either was too tired to write, or had something major distracting my thoughts.  I guess this absence has made me realize how much I love to keep up with our daily life.  It is this life that keeps me distracted.

I know I have shared with you that our Little Man has been sick.  You see, he takes after his Mommy, and has had tonsillitis since October.  You read that right, he has been on round after round of antibiotics, and nothing has cleared him up.  The poor little guy will act like he is fine one minute, and then laying around the next.  We will finish a round of antibiotics, and then within a day, we are back to worse than before.  Our doctor tried to lower the dose, but it gets progressively worse.

The good news is, Thursday they are coming out!  We have waited too long for this, and he needs to feel better!!!  I am nervous about anesthesia, but I know he will be in the most capable hands, and we will be back to his old self soon!

The other distractions are long overdue.  You see, we put our home on the market, and have been finishing all the projects that have been on the list for a while.  It looks great, and has been a long two weeks.  We had contractors here all last week, but the mess was worth the effort.  I am not sure how, but they make painting look easy!  I have to paint a little trim in the bathrooms, and we will be finished!

The newest addition to our family has adapted quite well!  Sweet Sugar Lily has developed an affinity to socks.  She only wants to play with the ones that are on your feet!  Regardless of the bite marks we all have, we love her so much, and can't remember our lives without her.  She is the best little dog, and even tolerates Pickles toting her around under her arm.

I wish my camera would have been handy last night, Sugar Lily got the Little Man's nuggy (blanket) and was dragging it through the house.  He was on the other end trying to get it from her.  Let's just say the Little Man won!  He has now hidden Nug and won't let anyone touch it!

Well, hopefully that gets you up to speed a little on our Binford life.  I will try and blog more often and share some new recipes that will be reflective of my New Year Eating Plan!

Until next time, keep adventuring and looking for joy in the small details of life!

Sarah