Roasted Veg, Two Ways!

Welcome! We're glad you stopped by. At Quince Cottage we believe healthy and tasty don't have to be mutually exclusive. Here's an easy recipe to help you stick to any Healthy Eating Resolutions you might be making for 2015.

Exhibit A

Roasted Vegetables © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

We like to serve Roasted Vegetables family style in one of our Mason Cash mixing bowls. 

Look at those gorgeous colors!

RECIPE: 

1 bunch asparagus
1 small butternut squash
5 carrots
1 sweet onion
1 small container mushrooms (any kind will do)
1 red bell pepper
1 eggplant
*Tip: choose the "male" eggplant, there will be fewer seeds. Males have a more rectangular spot on their bottoms, the females have a very round spot.
olive oil
salt
pepper

1. Snap asparagus spears into bite-size lengths (discard the tough bottoms - your first "snap" should be at the "dirt" end and the spear will naturally break where tender part begins).
2. Peel and deseed squash, chop into bite-size chunks. Peel and chop carrots. Wipe mushrooms clean, slice off tough stem ends, Deseed and destem pepper, chop. Remove onion peel and chop the onion. Chop the eggplant into chunks, try to leave the peel on because it gives a nice flavor (and fiber), discard any pieces that are full of seeds.
3. Put faster cooking vegetables in one bowl and slower in a second bowl. Drizzle olive oil, grind salt and pepper to taste over the vegetables in each bowl, then toss to coat.
4. Line two baking sheets with foil, spray with cooking spray, spread the contents of each bowl on a sheet.
5. Bake at 450 degrees for 20-35 minutes (or until the vegetables are tender, but not burned).

Note: You can add or subtract any other vegetables you like to this recipe. Hate asparagus but love parsnips? No problem!

EASY LEFTOVERS IDEA

1. Put store-bought Butternut Bisque in a pan, add leftover vegetables. Heat and serve with crusty bread.

Exhibit B

© Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

Quince Cottage style is where rustic and opulent rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror against a weathered plank wall, and you'll know what we mean. 

We prefer our opulent a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

Can You Believe It?

Although we just moved from Maine to North Carolina, we're moving AGAIN. Crazy, huh? What's even crazier is that we're only relocating to a (slightly) different part of our current town. This will make the process MUCH easier.
                                                                                                      
The Quince Cottage blog will keep a photo diary of our new home as it's built from the ground up.

And...here's the ground, pre-clearing. As you can see, it's a corner lot, complete with Stop sign. Our decision to have a side entry garage changed the address! At first we were disappointed because we preferred the original. But when Google informed us our street was named after a place in Yorkshire, England, we felt much better. Herriott country!

Although we asked the builder to leave as many trees as possible, well...as you can see, there are none left. This makes us sad, even though it's pretty typical of the way things are done here. Now we're researching which trees and bushes will flourish around our new home.

Feel free to tell us about your home-building experiences in the Comments section.

Quince Cottage believes a bland subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, rustic, opulent, and exotic rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own special style. 

Follow @Quince_Cottage

Baked Ziti

There's a lot to like about this dish: easy, customizable, good-looking, and leftovers.

Let me say that again.
LEFTOVERS.

Yes, I enjoy cooking, but NOT ALL THE TIME. We ate this for Christmas dinner. Children can help with prep too. One of mine did. The other yelled from upstairs, "When is it going to be ready?" about every five minutes...

BAKED ZITI - tomato-y, creamy, cheesy, fill-yer-belly yumminess. Are you drooling yet?

Baked Ziti © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

RECIPE

1 lb. box ziti (or rotini or penne or...)
15 oz. ricotta cheese (use the part skim if you're feeling virtuous)
24 oz. jar pasta sauce (I like the kind with Parm and Romano because, CHEESE)
8 oz. mozzarella, shredded
grated Romano/Parmesan to taste
Now, you COULD add fresh basil, sauteed mushrooms, chopped spinach, ground beef, crumbled sausage, textured veggie protein, or some unique combo to make this dish totally your own.

1. Cook the pasta according to directions (choose the shorter cooking time, since this gets baked).
2. Drain the pasta and return to its pot. Then stir in at least 2/3 of the ricotta, or all if you like.
3. Stir in about 3/4 of the sauce.
4. Stir in about 3/4 of the mozzarella and about 4 TBS of grated Parm-Rom (more or less according to preference).
5. Spray the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and dump the pasta in.
6. Pour on the remaining sauce, spread evenly.
7. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top. Add more Parm-Rom if desired. Do eeet.
8. Cover with foil.
*Tip: spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray so your cheese doesn't stick to it.
9. Bake 15 min. at 350 degrees. Remove foil and bake 10 min. more or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown and you simply must yank it out of the oven and DEVOUR it.

Quince Cottage believes a bland subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, rustic, opulent, and exotic rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own special style. 

We prefer our opulent a little beat up and our recipes 

GOOF-PROOF!

Follow @Quince_Cottage

Welcome to Quince Cottage

Hello! We're glad you stopped by. Please feel free to introduce yourself in Comments.    

Writing is my grand passion, but it's not my only love. Quince Cottage is dedicated to the interests I share with my husband: interior design/decorating, real estate, cooking, gardening, and dogs.

Variety is the spice of life, right? So, with that in mind this blog will offer something different each and every time you stop by. You might find design tips, a "keeper" recipe, a gardening fiasco, cute doggie pictures...

You must agree these are some of the most adorable pups you ever did see.

Buster & Daisy © Rhiann Wynn-Nolet

They're brother and sister Irish Jack Russells. Buster was once called "Pork Chop" by his vet. Clearly the silly woman doesn't recognize burly when she sees it. Daisy is affectionately known as Miss Daisy, Daisy May, or Da Boss.

Quince Cottage believes a bland subdivision house can be transformed into a beautiful home that reflects the unique taste and personality of its owner. In our own place, rustic, opulent, and exotic rub shoulders. Think gilded mirror, an embroidered velvet robe from Uzbekistan, and a weathered plank wall. Stick around, and we'll not only show you what we mean, we'll also give you tips on creating your own special style. 

Y'all come back and visit soon! (Even though we're from New England, we've started saying "y'all". It just kinda happened and we're rolling with it).

Follow @Quince_Cottage