Vegetable Night! Winter Fruit Salad, Baked Potato, Spinach Casserole, Honey Ginger Carrots,

Folks, it's been very cold here the last few days. I've been making a lot of soups! Yesterday I made Cream of Pea Soup, for my husband to take to work the next day, while also cooking this dinner. I'll not include the recipe at this time, as I believe the last few entries have been soup recipes!! So goes it with the cold! I don't eat peas, but I did give him a sample of the soup last night while it was piping hot, and he did eat it for lunch today, and he claims it hits the spot. So, I will include that in an entry soon.

Last night we had vegetable night. I try to incorporate veggie night in at least once a week. I am not always successful, but it's becoming easier to do with all the different vegetable recipes that I have been able to find and experiment with. My husband is my guinea pig; my kids, not so much! However, I read reviews for this spinach casserole and saw where tons of people claimed that their kids loved it and asked for more. There's hope!! Kids asking for spinach. I shall try it myself soon and see if it works on my picky eaters. It really was very, very good.

For the baked potato, there's nothing to it, really. Pick out the number of baking potatoes that you need to feed your crew. Scrub them and cut a big X across the top, deeply. Rub with oil, wrap in aluminum foil individually and bake at 425 degrees for an hour, or more, depending on the size of the potatoes. If they're especially large, up the degrees to 450 and cook about an hour and a half. Fix them as you please. I like to use a smidgen of butter and low fat sour cream. D eats his plain.

*******************************************************

Winter Fruit Salad

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons diced onion
• 1 teaspoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
• 4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 cup cashews
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1 apple - peeled, cored and diced
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and sliced

1. In a blender or food processor, combine sugar, lemon juice, onion, mustard, and salt. Process until well blended. With machine still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream until mixture is thick and smooth. Add poppy seeds, and process just a few seconds more to mix.
2. In a large serving bowl, toss together the romaine lettuce, shredded Swiss cheese, cashews, dried cranberries, apple, and pear. Pour dressing over salad just before serving, and toss to coat.

Honey Ginger Carrots
(this dish is gluten free!!)

• 1 lbs baby carrots
  
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
  
• 2 1/2 tablespoons honey
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain.
2. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with honey. Stir in ground ginger and lemon juice. Stir in carrots and simmer until heated through.

Spinach Casserole

• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 3tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
  
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 5-7 Ritz crackers, crumbled finely

1. In a saucepan, cook spinach in a small amount of water for 2-3 minutes; drain thoroughly. Add pepper, cheese, eggs and milk and stir together. Spoon into a shallow baking dish, about 1 qt. Sprinkle finely crumbled ritz crackers over spinach mixture. Drizzle melted butter over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until almost set.

(This is a dish that is even tastier cold!)