Vegetable Board and Restaurant Style Ranch Dressing

Anytime you need to serve fresh veggies and dip

this will put them over the top with just a quick

bit of magic.

I saw this in Martha Stewart Living Magazine
this fall

and saved the picture.  Even my 17 year old son

was wowed by this presentation of veggies and dip!

Purchase a variety of cabbages and greens that 

have great color and texture.  Choose clear glasses

of varying sizes to serve the veggies in.  Wash and

dry the leaves that you have chosen to use.

I decided to wrap the leaves on with twine but felt

the twine was too bulky, so I split it into three pieces

and then wet the pieces to pull out the kinks in the

twine.

Cut the leaves to size, especially cutting the bottoms

off so that they will be flat on the bottom.  Use enough

leaves to encircle the glass.  While holding the leaves

in place, encircle the glass with the twine and tie it

off.  I chose to wrap it twice.

Fill with a variety of vegetable dippers.  I used

asparagus, green beans, carrots, and peppers

but you could use many others.  Serve with 

the dip.  The leaf wrapped containers will

last several hours in the fridge.  I prepared

and filled them earlier in the day.

Have you noticed that the homemade ranch

dressing you make at home isn't quite as good

as the ones you get in the restaurant?  I

decided to put on my sleuth hat and figure

out how to improve on it.  Here is my new

and improved version that I hope you will

love.  I can't keep enough of it at our house!

Ramped Up Ranch Dressing

(for salads or dip)

3/4 C. buttermilk

1 1/4 C. real mayonaise

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (buttermilk variety)

1 T. extra hot horseradish 

1/4 tsp. granulated garlic

Mix everything in a blender.  Place in a covered

container and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

If you want a great taste, don't substitute with milk

and low fat mayonaise and be sure to buy the

buttermilk variety on the mix.  You won't taste the

horseradish, it just gives it that extra "umph".

I will be posting this with
Weekend Wrapup
Foodie Friday

Roasted Balsamic Asparagus with Goat Cheese and Pecans

So this was the fabulous roasted aspargus we had in Cabo.

We decided to make it.

So simple and so delicous.

Recipe for Roasted Balsamic Asparagus with Goat Cheese and Pecans

1 large bunch fresh asparagus (this is the one from Costco)

olive oil

Montreal Steak Seasoning

4 oz. goat cheese

1/2 C. roasted pecans

balsamic vinegar

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

Clean and trim asparagus.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus.

Sprinkle Montreal Steak Seasoning over the top of the asparagus.

Roll the asparagus around a little to coat all sides of it.

(This is a photo I took of Parmesan Roasted Asparagus, but you

can see the olive oil and Montreal Steak Seasoning on it.)

Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.  Do not overbake.

Remove from oven and place on serving dish.

Break the goat cheese up and sprinkle on top of asparagus.

Top with toasted pecans.

Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top.

This is so amazing and really easy.

The one at the restaurant had grilled portabella mushrooms

underneath the asparagus, which was great but we didn't

have any that day and so we went without.

Try this any time of year.  Vegetarians would love this.

I am posting this with Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays.