Food for The Gods

Every year when we do our girl get away we eat the most fabulous food, or as Judi puts it "Food for the Gods". I thought I'd share a few of our recipes with you. Please remember we are not in our own kitchens. We have to work with the supplies the hotel room provides. We ate off paper plates because the dishwasher was not much bigger than the microwave. Even still, it's yum, yum, yum!

Judi is our example of a person who eats very healthy. She has studied nutrition most of her life and is so good about rarely cheating. The rest of us try to eat healthy but still hide chocolate in our rooms. Or suddenly decide to take a walk, and actually head over to the gift shop for a treat. (shhh.. don't tell her). She made these roasted vegetables and even Beth who doesn't like squash, was asking for the recipe. I made these for Mr. Cactus once I got home and he announced I could make this recipe every night and he would love it. The recipe is from her memory and she probably created as she went. ( Yes, she's that type of a cook.)
Judi's Roasted Veggies
Sauce: Mix together
2T. Shirley J's bullion
1 T. minced dried onion
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. Herbs deProvence
In a roasting pan, or 9 X 13 pan add a variety of root vegetables. For example: onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, celery, peppers, carrots, beets, butternut squash, etc.
Mix together 1/4 C. melted butter, and 1/4 C. olive oil. Pour over veggies. Sprinkle the herb mix on top. Cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour at 400-415 degrees. Take the foil off and let the veggies get crispy, cooking for around another 20 minutes.

This is a favorite in my family. We even had it for our Easter dinner this last year. Not traditional but we love it so much we were just happy. (The colors are kind of Eastery aren't they?) My brother, who is a gourmet cook, shared this recipe with me. We've adjusted a few things from the original.
MAHOGANY CHICKEN WITH SMOKY LIME SWEET POTATOES
Mahogany Chicken:
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts in 1 1/2 " cubes
Marinade: 5T. brown sugar, 3T. Dijon mustard, 2 T. bottled hoisin sauce, 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar, 1/2 C. fresh squeezed lime juice. In a medium bowl, mix brown sugar, mustard, hoisin sauce and vinegar. Reserve 2/3rds of this mixture. To the remainder add 1/2 C. lime juice, and stir in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate.
Thread chicken on 8 bamboo skewers that have been soaked in water. Broil 6" from heat, basting with remaining Mahogany sauce until done, about 8 minutes. (I rotate the skewers as I baste to make sure all sides of the chicken gets cooked).
Smoky Lime Sweet Potatoes:
2 -3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces
2 T. unsalted butter
1 tsp. chopped canned Chipolte peppers with Adobo Sauce (found in most Mexican sections by the canned diced chili peppers)
1 tsp. Adobo sauce (from the canned Chipolte) *since you only need a small amount from the can, I put the rest in a ziplock bag and throw it in the freezer. When I make the potatoes again I just shave off a small section and put the bag back in the freezer)
3/4 tsp. Cumin
1 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice and lime zest
1/8th tsp. salt 1/8th tsp pepper
Cook potatoes in boiling water, covered, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1/4 C. of the liquid, then drain. Return potatoes to the water. Add butter, chipolte pepper, adobo sauce, lime juice, lime zest, cumin, salt and pepper. Mash.
On a plate, layer mashed potatoes with chicken skewers on top. Drizzle with this sauce my brother created.
Jed's Sauce
In a blender combine: 1/2 C. sour cream, 1/3 bunch cilantro, 1/2 chopped Jalapeno pepper, 1/2- 1 juice from a lime, and lime zest if you want.

I got this recipe off "Every Day Food Storage" blog, and used cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice. The best part was the sauce that is put on top.
Bread Pudding
1 C. whole milk
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
2 large eggs
5-- 1/2" to 3/4 " cubed hearty bread slices
1/2 C. pecans
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix milk, sugar, cinnamon and eggs in a large bowl with a whisk. Stir in bread cubes and pecans. Pour into an ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean. Drizzle with sauce and more pecans.
Bread Pudding Maple Sauce: 1/2 C. butter, 2 T. water, 1 large egg, 1 C. sugar, 1 tsp. maple extract. Melt butter in saucepan, over low heat. Do not allow to simmer. Remove from heat. Mix water and egg and stir into the butter until well blended. Stir in sugar and cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir in maple extract. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. Store in fridge.