Recipe from Pinterest

And now for something totally different!

I guess you could say this is my own recipe, since I changed it up so much from the original. But let's give credit where credit is due & give you the original, coming from Sparkpeople. I introduce to you from Sparkpeople--tada!--Roasted Vegetable Casserole with Panko and Parmesan Topping. The above pic was taken with a few twists from Connie Keenan's Kitchen.

This was whipped up on the fly for a dinner held at another family member's home. Now here were the changes that I made, because I used what I had on hand, and isn't that easier sometimes?

* The recipe called for sweet potatoes; I used white potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces

* I omitted the mushrooms and brussel sprouts, instead using yellow squash from our garden

* Instead of corn off the cob, I drained a can of niblets and tossed them in

* No celery, no chestnuts, though next time I'll have both on hand when I make this, because that sounds great

* No Panko on hand, so I used regular Italian breadcrumbs and instead of Parmesan, sprinkled a blend of Parmesan and Romano

* Instead of regular extra virgin, which I DID have on hand, I substituted this infused olive oil, which is delicious on salads with balsamic vinegar in place of commercial dressing

* The tomato, which was a fresh Roma, was added the last 20 minutes or so

* The onion in my dish was a Vidalia (they're so sweet!)

* Also, I added baking time, around another 40 minutes or a little more, for the potatoes to be done and roasty

So there you have it. My version of this recipe, which I found on Pinterest. (Thanks to my daughter-in-law, Yesica, who introduced me to Pinterest, and now it's a favorite of mine for recipe-hunting.) Do try the original or use what you have on hand and let me know how it turns out! Oh--I should add that it smells DELICIOUS baking in your oven. Very heart-healthy side dish and you can use up the veggies in your garden.

You can omit the cheese with its calories, but ahhhh, you only live once! Enjoy!

My Very Own Master Gardener

Okay, full disclosure here: My husband, Bill (the handsome guy pictured below) is the master gardener in this household. This year we got REALLY adventurous and decided to try our hand at growing a variety of fruits and vegetables, with a focus on SALAD!

So what's out there getting watered, sunned & loved, then devoured before the main course each night? Well, we've got iceberg lettuce...Romaine...red and green field lettuce...tomatoes...green & sweet peppers. And, not tyically used for salad, but we've also got strawberries, blueberries, grapes, broccoli, cucumbers, and a variety of spices including cilantro.

Our berries aren't doing too well, though I'm told the garden lizards think they're utterly divine, and the grapes and the tomatoes aren't anywhere near ready, but the lettuce is making an appearance on our table DAILY! Obviously, lettuce alone does not a salad make, so we hit up the local farmers' market today for fresh mixings like chopped red onions, hothouse tomatoes and radishes.

And while I baked my first classic pound cake from scratch--a recipe that is delish, and you can find it right here--Bill fixed some homemade salsa, also from scratch. I happened to pick up the Mission tortilla chips on a recent trip to the supermarket, since we've always liked Mission's other products, and how better to enjoy them than with some salsa you whip up in your own kitchen? Did I mention our homegrown cilantro came in very handy? Yep. The hubby told me, "How'd we get into all this fresh, homemade stuff, anyway??? Is that what happens when you grow your own garden?"

Who knows? But it sure beats the processed stuff!