Honey Rosemary Roasted Vegetables

One of my very favorite smells is the smell of warmed rosemary.  My rosemary plant in the backyard is huge and outgrew its pot faster than I could replant it.  It has rooted into the railroad tie it was sitting on and so I've been forced to just leave it where it is.  This recipe calls for just a little rosemary, but the way it makes my house smell when it hits the warm vegetables makes it so worth it to make this dish.  And, there's something rewarding about going into the backyard to gather an ingredient.  The dressing for this dish is one I got from Southern Living and when paired with this combination of vegetables, it's delicious!

My Rosemary Plant

Honey Rosemary Roasted Vegetables


1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 fennel bulb, tops cut off and sliced
1/2 purple onion, sliced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced 
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
olive oil
Kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper 
Italian seasoning


Dressing
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp. fresh rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
Kosher salt


Preheat the oven to 425F.  Place vegetables in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Add a generous amount of salt and ground black pepper.  Toss together.  Then, put vegetables on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray.  Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until tender and cooked through well.


While the vegetables are cooking, whisk 1 tbsp. olive oil, 1/4 cup honey, 2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary, 2 cloves of garlic (chopped fine), and 1 tsp. coarse ground Kosher salt.   (salt to taste - I rarely measure salt.  I usually just get a good pinch from my salt dish on the counter so my measurement may be off.)



As soon as vegetables come out and while they are still warm, drizzle the dressing over the top and gently toss to coat. 

Stuffed Peppers

As a kid, I had a list of thing I did not eat: tomatoes, celery, bell peppers, and on and on.  As an adult, I'm a more adventurous eater and eat tomatoes almost every day in my lunch, put celery in as many things as I can, and love raw and cooked bell peppers - especially the yellow and red ones.  Our grocery story had all colors of bell peppers on sale this week, so it was the perfect opportunity to make them.  This recipe is a combination of many different stuffed pepper recipes that I combined into one delicious dinner!  The hardest part is getting everything chopped up, but once you do, it makes for an easy supper and they are great warmed up the next day for lunch.


Stuffed Peppers
4 bell peppers of any color that will stand on their own ~ tops, stems, and seeds removed
(reserve the tops and chop them for later)
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 pieces of bacon
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 chopped green onions
2 large eggs


Fry the bacon until crisp, then, chop and reserve it for later.  Into the bacon grease, over medium-high heat, add onion, garlic, reserved pepper tops and celery.  As those begin to soften, add the mushrooms and cook until soft.  Add the meat to the pan and brown the meat, crumbling it as fine as you can as it cooks.  Add in salt and pepper to taste.  Once the meat is cooked through, remove the stuffing mixture to a bowl and add in the chopped bacon, parsley, and green onions.  Let the mixture cool to room temp, then add the eggs and stir together.  Stuff each pepper to the top and bake at 350F for 30-45 minutes, or until nice and brown on top.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.