Comfort Food

This is by far my favorite time of year. I love it when the weather turns colder - not so cold that you feel it, but cold enough that you can break out the sweaters and cocoa. I love the colors that explode in brilliant shades giving an extra boost of hope before winter comes along and kills everything. I love the smells of the season, the feel of autumn sun on my face, harvesting gardens, chopping wood, and the food. Oh, dear reader, how I love the food of fall. Another thing I love about fall is that my church has General Conference (this is a time when our entire church gathers to listen to the words of our prophet and leaders as they give us counsel that we can use in our day.) It's my favorite, and one of my favorite parts is that it is broadcast by TV, radio and Internet, so we can enjoy it from the comfort of our own home- and that means snacks! This is great because it brings two of my favorite fall things together - food and Conference. We get to feed our spiritual and our physical bodies. This dish is one of my favorite things to make at this time of year because it cooks for a long time and makes your house smell super yummy and it's just comforting. 

So in case you need a little comfort this weekend, or any other, here's how you do it:

First you clean out your fridge and get out all the veggies that sound good to you, ( I put onions, fennel, red peppers, corn coblets, brussel sprouts, zucchini, crook neck squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and potatoes)  chop them into large chunks and put them in a baking dish. This works best if you use a porcelain baking dish rather than a glass baking dish because it makes the veggies get those yummy browned bits on them as they cook. It's perfection, trust me. (I used glass this time, and it wasn't as good. Don't risk it, porcelain is the way to go.)

 Whisk together 2 minced or finely chopped garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, your favorite Italian herbs- fresh or dried 1/2 cup chicken broth, and pour over the veggies. Then sprinkle on some course salt and freshly ground pepper - you can go table variety on these, but the fresh ground stuff really adds a component that is missing without. Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 45 minutes to an hour, giving them a little stir half way through.

While that's baking cook up some Italian sausage and cut them in half.

 Tuck the sausage in among the  veggies, then drizzle 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar over the top. Put the dish, uncovered back in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should be  absorbed by now - if not let it cook a little longer.

Then enjoy - all the flavors have mingled together, and formed a light yummy glaze. My kids like a little ranch or sour cream on top, I like it with fresh bread. Yum!