We’re going to use the first portion of the roasted vegetables from yesterday’s post in this recipe. You will need to estimate and set aside 1/4 of the yield from each vegetable, keeping them separated. Then make a tart crust (or you could just use 1 sheet of puff pastry).  I link you to a tart dough recipe here on the blog. You’ll only need half of it, but go ahead and make the full amount. You will love this tart and you’ll want to make it again, I promise! So make the full amount and freeze the other half of the dough and it’ll be even easier to make the next time.

I served the tart at a dinner party atop baby greens that were lightly coated with this vinaigrette,  but straight up is great too.

P.S. I’m just sorry that I served it on this bright peppermint stripe platter (hey, it was still the Christmas season) because it totally distracts from how bright and colorful the tart is. Go back up and see the top photo for proof of that!

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Today, we’re going to roast some vegetables and then use them for three different meals for healthy, meatless… and most importantly, delightful dishes. This one batch of roasted veggies will yield enough to make a Roasted Vegetable-Goat Cheese Tart, Veggie Lasagna, and Roasted Vegetable-Mozzarella Panini Sandwiches.  Be certain to keep all of the vegetables separate when you refrigerate them, you will need it that one for at least one of the recipes.  You can store them all in the same container, just do mix them up with one another.

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I found the perfect match for the lovely pink Grate Roots Cranberry horseradish… lovely pink salmon! In case you’re a day behind and missed yesterday’s post, I found this unique horseradish (along with citrus flavor) at the Downtown Phoenix Market.  Get yourself down there this Saturday and get yourself some!

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Remember when I was working the bake sale at the Downtown Phoenix Market last month? Well, not only was I a super salesperson that day, I was also a pretty good shopper. The thing that I discovered and am now addicted to are these two horseradishes. Oh My – they are SO good!  I’ve been throwing a few tablespoons of one or the other into everything… such as these potatoes – which are stellar. Get yourself down to the Market on Saturday and tell the people at the Grate Roots booth that I sent you.  Not that the mention of my name will mean anything to them… they don’t know me from Adam… but maybe if enough of you say, “Linda Hopkins of Les Petites Gourmettes sent me,” they will be so grateful for all the business that they will give ME some free bottles!  Now, you want to do that for me, don’t you?

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I’ve told you about my beloved Aunt Connie before and about what an amazing cook she was and what a huge influence she was on me. This beef roast, braised in beer and ketchup, was- and still is – one of my favorite comfort foods! The gravy is out of this world and the meat is tender as can be, no matter what cheap cut of beef you use. Luckily it became a staple in my mom’s rotation of meals too.

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As promised – here is the recipe for the crunchy banana muffins.  If it looks like a whole lot of flour, sugar, and butter… well, it’s because this recipe makes a boatload of muffins….  30 anyway, and that’s a bunch from one recipe. Enjoy!

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This fourth brunch recipe makes two casserole dishes of sausage and egg goodness. And it’s another overnight casserole… breakfast for dinner two nights in a row… just saying! Once again, I thank the photographer, Laura, for providing the photo of her dish. (down a little farther, not the photo directly below)

Before Laura’s dish, here is a final description of the last recipe not yet included in the “four days of  le brunch”.  It’s all about Tram’s Banana Crunch Muffins.  You see, long story short, Tram got crunched for time and her hubby, Steve, couldn’t make it, so she brought her friend (and my friend too!) Matt. Matt is not only our friend, but also the producer of Tram’s afternoon show EVB Live, and the former producer of the old Valley Dish. Matt made the muffins, but since he doesn’t really like full-on banana flavor in his muffins, he made banana-pineapple muffins… yes that’s the short version! Matt’s muffins were a huge hit. But since I don’t have Matt’s recipe to share, I will share my “Crunch” recipe tomorrow.

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The best thing about the four brunch recipes my friends made is that they can all be fully or partially made ahead. Anne’s “overnight” French toast obviously fits the bill. Or if your family enjoys “breakfast for dinner” – throw this together before you head out the door in the morning, take it out when you walk in the door, then pop it in the oven and you’ll have dinner (and dessert all-in-one; it’s pretty dang sweet!) on the table with almost no effort after a long hard day.

So another guest who made a dish that won’t be featured in the four days of brunch recipes, is Amy’s Smoked Salmon Platter with Dill Sour Cream. It was one of the “no-cook” recipes and was basically thinly sliced smoked salmon artistically laid out on a platter with minced shallots and capers sprinkled on top and sour cream with fresh chopped dill mixed in – served with bagel chips or sliced baguette on the side.  So easy, SO good, and oh so pretty!

Once again, I didn’t get a photo of Amy’s dish or even of Amy for that matter, but I did get a nice shot of her hilariously humorous husband, Scott (and Bubo – Sloane’s pooch).

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Next up is the recipe that my sweet sister, Sloane, made. It’s one of my favorites!

A few of the other guests brought recipes that have already been featured here on the blog… for instance, Peggy made THIS great salad that I wrote about back in September 2009.  And Peggy’s fabulous sister, Terrie, made a beautiful platter of roasted asparagus that was generously topped with crumbled goat cheese, crispy bacon, and lemon.  Regretfully, I didn’t get a picture of either Terrie’s asparagus or Peggy’s salad, (you can go to the link above to see the salad).  But thankfully I did snap a lovely picture of gorgeous Peggy!

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Here is the first of four brunch dishes that I’d like to share with you from our New Year’s Eve Brunch. Since I wasn’t the one cooking any of these, there will only be the one picture… no preparation photos. And in some cases, as with this one, I even forgot to take the picture myself and had to ask the creator of the dish to email me the photo taken from the leftovers they brought back home – thanks for this one, Mary!  Oh, one more thing – This is my 800th Post! Wow 800!

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