You simply need to rinse the beans and veggies, slice the onion, and cut the broccoli into florets. Using a paper towel or clean kitchen towel, pat the chickpeas and veggies dry before adding the olive oil and seasonings. The wetter they are, the more they will steam and not roast.

About half way through baking I gave it all a good stir and topped with crumbled feta cheese. Continue roasting until onions are translucent, tomatoes begin to blister and pop, and broccoli is tender and begins to brown. If you prefer you can leave it in another 5-10 minutes for a “crispier” broccoli. 

Once it’s done cooking, give it a BIG squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with additional lemon wedges and red pepper flakes if desired.

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Roasted Chickpeas with Broccoli

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1-2 15 ounce cans chickpeas rinse, drain, and pat dry
• 2 bunches broccoli florets (about 4 cups) rinse and pat dry
• 1 medium yellow onion peel and cut into thick slices
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes rinse and pat dry
• 3-4 TBSP olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 TBSP italian seasoning
• 8 ounce block feta cheese *crumble into big chunks
• 1 lemon 1/2 for juicing, 1/2 cut into wedges for serving
• crushed red pepper flakes *optional for serving

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Line sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
• Rinse and drain chickpeas. Pat dry with paper towel or clean kitchen towel.
• Rinse broccoli. Cut into florets. Pat dry.
• Rinse and pat dry cherry tomatoes.
• Peel and cut onion in half, then into thick slices.
• Place chickpeas, broccoli, tomatoes, and onion slices onto parchment lined sheet pan.
• Drizzle olive oil over veggies, toss lightly.
• Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasoning.
• Place sheet pan into preheated 400* oven and roast for approximately 20 minutes.
• Stir veggies, and add crumbled feta on top. Continue baking for another 20 minutes or until veggies are roasted to your desired doneness.
• Using half the lemon, squeeze the juice over roasted veggies.
• Serve with lemon wedges and red pepper flakes (for a little kick).
• Enjoy!

You might also want to try:

Loaded Smashed Potatoes

Orzo Salad

Lemon Dill Potato Salad  

The post Roasted Chickpeas with Broccoli appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

• Wash zucchini
• Cut off ends
• Cut in quarter wedges, lengthwise
• Marinate in a little olive oil and seasonings

After my zucchini was cut into wedges, I placed them into a zip lock baggie, added in the olive oil and seasoning. Mix it around so the seasonings are distributed, then place into refrigerator until you’re ready to grill. Mine hung out for about an hour before I was ready to fire up the grill.

I like my veggies a little on the al-dente side. Just leave them on the grill for another 2-3 minutes if you prefer yours really tender. As soon as I took them off the grill, I topped them with shaved parmesan! The combination of the salty parmesan with the Italian seasoning was the perfect combination! Oh my heavens, they were delicious!

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Grilled Zucchini

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 3 medium sized zucchini cut into quarter wedges lengthwise
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 2-3 TBSP shaved parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat outdoor grill to med/high.
• Wash zucchini, pat dry, and cut off ends.
• Cut zucchini into quarter wedges lengthwise.
• Place zucchini wedges into large zip lock baggie. Add olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Squish bag around to distribute oil and spices on all zucchini wedges.
• Place in refrigerator until ready to grill (or grill immediately).
• Clean grill grates using grill scraper. There is no need to oil grill grates since the oil is already on the zucchini wedges.
• Place zucchini onto grill cut side down. Cook over med/high heat for 3-5 minutes. Turn zucchini and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and top with shredded parmesan.
• Enjoy!
• *I found that 10 minutes cooked the zucchini perfectly, but adjust as needed depending on grill heat and desired tenderness.

Looking for other grilled recipes??

Grilled Artichokes

Roasted Corn Salad

Grilled Nectarine & Burrata Salad  Grilled Asparagus

The post Grilled Zucchini appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

Start by boiling some small yukon potatoes until tender. Let them cool just slightly and place on a parchment lined baking sheet and gently smash the potato until flat (I used the base of a drinking glass). Brush with some melted butter, add some parmesan, and a little pepper, and bake until golden and the edges are crispy.

They look delicious enough to eat with no toppings…………..but why would you want to do that?? When instead, you can have a little grated cheese to top yours. I bet the little ones would love these!Or how about with just a little salsa and sour cream? Or if you’re anything like us, you’ll want to pile on the toppings! The works! Give us all the cheese and salsa, and bacon, and a few extra onions, and of course some sour cream! Now this is a Loaded Smashed Potato!

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Loaded Smashed Potatoes

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 1 bag 28 oz small Yukon potatoes
• 2 TBSP real butter melted
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• Fresh cracked pepper
• Optional toppings:
• 1/2 # bacon fried crispy and crumbled
• pico de gallo or your favorite salsa
• green onions chopped
• grated cheese I used colby jack
• sour cream

Instructions

• Boil potatoes until fork tender. Drain.
• Let cool slightly and place potatoes onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Smash potato flat (I used the bottom of a drinking glass) and brush with melted butter.
• Top with parmesan cheese and a little pepper.
• Bake at 425* until potatoes are hot, the cheese has melted, and the edges are beginning to crisp. For a crispier potato, you can always put the under the broiler for a few minutes, watching them closely so they don't burn.
• Prep toppings while potatoes are cooking.
• Plate potatoes and set out toppings!
• Enjoy!

You might also want to try these delicious sides….

Pineapple Fried Rice 

Twice Baked Potatoes 

Candied Sweet Potatoes 

The post Loaded Smashed Potatoes appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

If you’ve never cut a fresh pineapple, here’s a tutorial I found online that will show how quick and simple it really is.

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Grilled Pineapple w/Honey & Cayenne

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 1 large ripe fresh pineapple cut into 8 wedges
• 2 TBSP light olive oil
• 2-4 TBSP honey
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

• Prep fresh pineapple (peel, core, and cut into 8 wedges).
• Pre-heat outdoor grill or grill pan to medium heat.
• Lightly brush pineapple wedges with olive oil.
• Grill pineapple, turning regularly, until heated through and each side has grill marks.
• Remove from grill and lightly drizzle with honey.
• Sprinkle with cayenne pepper to taste.

The post Grilled Pineapple with Honey & Cayenne appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

It’s so simple to make, with just 4 ingredients, yet so delicious. Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce can be served warm or cold. I always use a few green apples (Granny Smith or Pippin), but if I happen to have some red apples, such as a crisp Pink Lady apple, I’ll add them in also. 

Next time you cook pork for dinner, make some Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce to go along with it.

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Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 4-5 large crisp apples granny smith or pippin are great choices
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon to sprinkle on top before serving

Instructions

• Wash, peel, core, and slice apples.
• Add water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and sliced apples to med sauce pan over med/high heat.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover pot and simmer until apples are tender (approx 15 minutes).
• Drain any excess liquid (if there is any). Remove cinnamon sticks.
• Mash with potato masher until desired consistency (I like some chunks left in mine, but feel free to make it smoother).
• Sprinkle with additional cinnamon.

Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce is perfect with any pork dish!

Garlic Thyme Pork Chops 

Or, a delicious Pork Tenderloin 

The post Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

Good gracious, they’re delicious!!

I always buy the light colored sweet potato/yam. I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing it’s because that’s what my grandmother used. She also used a lot of butter and a lot of brown sugar!! A LOT!! The butter and brown sugar is what makes these Candied Sweet Potatoes so absolutely delicious! It’s also why I only make them for the holidays. Talking about making them for the holidays, this is the one side dish, that no matter how many I make, there are never left overs. If there happens to be a few pieces left, they always seem to disappear. I’m going to blame this on anyone who happens to be doing dishes

I begin by par-baking the potatoes. I then peel them and cut them into about 2″ pieces. Load them up with lots of real butter, lots of brown sugar, a pinch of salt & pepper, and some freshly grated nutmeg, and in about 2 hours, you’ll have yourself some delicious, caramelized Candied Sweet Potatoes.

The trick to these is not to rush them. They need to be cooked low and slow. Just check out all the caramely goodness!

I hope you’ll add these to your holiday dinners this year and they become a part of your family traditions as they have ours!

Please remember to share this recipe with all your sweet potato holiday loving friends and family!!

**realistically 1/2 potato per person should be enough (remember there’s also turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, roll, veggies, salad, and maybe a ham), but I’m telling you, I never have left overs.

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Candied Sweet Potatoes

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 3-4 large sweet potatoes I use the light colored yams
• 3/4 cup real butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg I prefer to use freshly grated

Instructions

• Wash potatoes and poke with knife (to release steam when baking).
• Bake at 350* for approx 45 minutes. Potatoes should be almost tender.
• When potatoes are cool to touch, peel potatoes.
• Cut into 2" pieces.
• When the potatoes are cooling, place butter in oven proof baking dish, and place in warm oven to melt butter.
• Place potato pieces into melted butter.
• Top generously with brown sugar. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Bake at 325* for 15 minutes. Turn potatoes (you want all sides well coated with butter/sugar).
• Reduce oven temp to 275* and continue baking for approximately 2 hours, carefully turning potatoes every 15-20 minutes. If it seems butter/sugar is caramelizing too quickly, reduce oven to 250*.
• Potatoes should be caramelized, deep in color, and fork tender.

The post Candied Sweet Potatoes appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

Caring for your cast iron cooking does require a little TLC, but it’s worth it. I figure it was best just to link you to the pros, Lodge Cast Iron for their care on cooking with cast iron.

First up are my Cast Iron Biscuits. They baked up perfectly in my cast iron skillet and made a deliciously tasty Biscuit Berry Shortcake.

I love cooking with my grand babies, and it’s even more fun as they’re getting old enough to “really” help. Pictured here is B, making our dinner! His Easy Cheese Pizza was the perfect meal for just the two of us on date night

Karen, from Karen’s Kitchen Stories is a master at bread making. She has almost convinced me that even I, can make homemade bread. Check out her Cast Iron Country Bread, baked her in cast iron. I honestly don’t think that I’d have any problem devouring a loaf of her warm bread, with lots of butter of course!

My Baked Spaghetti & Meatballs, has by far been my most popular post! I’m proud to say that it’s been featured on Lodge Cast Iron’s FB page and has been shared nearly 7k times!! That is crazy in my little blogging world. It was also just featured on Recipe Chart. If you aren’t familiar with Recipe Chart, you need to check them out. They’re a great resource for finding new recipes and meal inspiration.

Chrissie from The Busy Baker shared her delicious Paprika Chicken w/Roasted Root Veggies. If you ask me, this is the perfect fall meal. If you ask Chrissie, “One serving (2 chicken thighs and 1 heaping cup of vegetables) is only 10 WW PointsPlus.This dish is comfort food at its finest, yet it’s guilt-free and full of nutritious ingredients.” This meal is definitely on my “to make” list!

Most everyone likes a good steak, and I’m here to say, that my Cast Iron Steak might have been one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten. I’m not kidding you, it was steakhouse quality, cooked stovetop in my grandmother’s old cast iron skillet. This winter, when it’s cold and wet outdoors, I suggest you give this recipe a try. You won’t be disappointed.

Here’s another cast iron skillet chicken recipe, that Brian from Krumpli shared. The combination of the garlic and lemon with the perfectly roasted chicken is seriously calling my name! This Zingy Garlic Lemon Chicken looks like the perfect meal to me!

Moving on to dessert, how about some fresh Peach, Raspberry, & Blueberry Cobbler that Linda from The Food Huntress shared? How would you enjoy yours? Topped with a scoop of vanilla or some freshly whipped cream?

S’more’s are always a favorite at our home. We love to gather round our fire pit, cozied up with blankets, good friends, and of course, a S’More. Tina from The Gluten Free Foodsmith, puts a different twist on the S’more, baking hers fireside in her cast iron skillet, then dipping the graham crackers (gluten free of course) into the chocolate marshmallow goodness. Check out her Fireside S’mores, you won’t be disappointed!

Let’s not forget our veggies!! Byron from Pretty Practical Pantry shared his Sauteed Buttered Asparagus, and boy do they look delicious!! I could enjoy those any night of the week!!

And because Brussel Sprouts have become one of my favorite veggies, and because this recipe with cranberries and bacon feels “fall-ish” to me, I thought I’d share my Brussel Sprouts w/Bacon & Cranberry recipe with you.

And, just in case you’re still hungry and have a little sweet tooth, what about a gigantic M&M Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie. I mean…….seriously??

Pffew, thanks for sticking with me and reading to the end. I know this post got a little long, but there wasn’t a recipe here that I could leave out. I am seriously in awe of the talent of each of these food bloggers. They truly share their recipes not only from their kitchens, but from their heart! I hope you give their blogs a visit and remember, whether you’re looking for a main course, veggie side dish, bread, or dessert, this Cast Iron Cooking Round-Up has you covered!

The post Cast Iron Cooking Round-Up appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

Fresh zucchini, yellow squash, vine ripe tomatoes, and potatoes sit on a bed of sautéed diced onions and garlic. Top it all off with a little salt & pepper and thyme, then bake for about 45 minutes. Bake for another 15-20 minutes after topping with lots of parmesan cheese. After baking, the vegetables are tender and sweet, and the onion “juice” at the bottom of the dish is delicious! You will definitely want to scoop that over the potatoes, tomatoes, and squash. Delicious!!

Here on the coast of CA, we can’t seem to get out of our heat wave, so once again it was BBQ’d chicken (simply seasoned, and grilled with BBQ sauce) and this Potato, Tomato, Squash Bake dish for a meal that both the adults and kiddos enjoyed. We opted to sit inside, which was a huge mistake, we should have eaten outside (again). It’s just too hot!! As much as I love sunshine and summer, I am more than ready for fall weather and fall recipes. I believe that tomorrow is officially the first day of fall, so bring on the soup, chili, and crockpot meals!!

This recipe is Pinterest inspired (I don’t know the original source as it’s been a few years). Thank you Pinterest for once again being a great inspiration for the perfect side dish!!

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Potato, Tomato, Squash Bake

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 3 cloves fresh garlic crushed
• 1 med-lg yellow onion diced
• 2-3 russet potatoes peeled or unpeeled, your choice
• 2 zucchini
• 2 yellow squash
• 3 to matoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• Additional 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

• In large saute pan, over med heat, add 1 TBSP olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add diced onion and sauté until tender. Add garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
• In large baking pan, pour onion/garlic mixture on bottom of pan.
• Slice potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes into 1/4" slices.
• Arrange veggies on top of onion mixture.
• Drizzle with 1 TBSP olive oil.
• Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme.
• Cover with foil and bake at 375* for 45 minutes. Remove foil, top with parmesan cheese and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
• **total baking time will vary on thickness of slices. Adjust as needed till fork tender.

This Potato, Tomato, Squash Bake would be delicious served with Grilled Lemon Dijon Chicken.

The post Potato, Tomato, Squash Bake appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

The only addition I made was to top them with some Creme Fraiche and some fresh chopped parsley. I also swapped out the green onions that the recipe called for and used finely chopped yellow onions (sometimes you need to improvise and use what you have). I also think a little fresh salsa or Sriracha would be a good addition as a topping.

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Zucchini Pancakes

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 3 cups zucchini grated
• 4 eggs whipped
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions or finely chopped yellow
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup parmesan
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

• Lightly whip the eggs in a med bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix together.
• Fry in olive oil/butter combination until golden brown and "set" inside (like a regular pancake).
• Top with creme fraiche and either chopped green onions or fresh chopped parsley.
• **I think a little fresh salsa or Sriracha would be good on these also

The post Zucchini Pancakes appeared first on Joy In Every Season.

My go to cooking method has been to roast them, with just a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, but I was talking with my daughter and she was telling me about the brussel sprouts her husband had recently made. Cast iron skillet, onion, bacon……… I was sold and knew I had to give them a try!

And you learn something new everyday! I was wondering why the spell check kept underlining the word “brussel” sprouts, so I looked it up. Well dang if it isn’t BrusselS sprouts. Seriously, I’ve been saying it wrong all these years? Feeling a bit foolish now, let me tell you about this Brussels sprouts recipe. No matter how you spell them, if you cook them correctly, they are delicious!!

Have I every mentioned that I love my cast iron skillet?? I love to use it for just about everything, except eggs (for those I need a good nonstick). In fact, I gave my son-in-law (who inspired this recipe) a 12″ Lodge Cast Iron Skillet for his birthday and he is about as obsessed with his as I am with mine. I’ll have to ask him if he likes cooking eggs in his?  The only downfall to cast iron, is that it does require special care. To learn about caring for your cast iron, read this short article from Lodge Cast Iron.

I started by cooking some bacon, then removed it from the pan, leaving some of the bacon fat to cook the brussel sprouts and onion in.

After about 15 minutes (when the sprouts were almost tender), I added the bacon back into the pan, along with a clove of crushed garlic. I let those cook together for about 5 minutes then added in a handful of dried cranberries. I love the salty sweet combination that you get from bacon and cranberries.

Now, you tell me, what’s not to love about these Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Cranberry??

Are you a fan of BrusselS Sprouts?? If so, please share this recipe to your FB page!

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Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Cranberry

Author Joy in Every Season

Ingredients

• 1 # Brussel Sprouts ends trimmed and halved
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 yellow onion thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• handful 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• salt and pepper pinch of salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cut bacon pieces into 1" pieces before cooking (or cook whole, then chop after).
• Fry bacon over med heat until browned and tender crunchy.
• Remove from pan with slotted spoon, set aside.
• Lower pan heat to med/low, add onions, halved brussel sprouts, salt & pepper.
• Cook, stirring often, until al-dente and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
• Add in bacon and clove of crushed garlic, cook for another 5 minutes.
• Add dried cranberries, cook another 2-3 minutes.
• Serve and enjoy.
• **cooking time is approx for al-dente brussel sprouts, cook a little longer if you prefer.

The post Brussel Sprouts with Bacon & Cranberry appeared first on Joy In Every Season.