Recipe: Easy Rosemary Roasted Beets

In the last couple of weeks, I've been playing with different ways to use beets from the farmer's market. Inspired by how well beets and rosemary worked together in last week's glorious beet hash browns, I decided to roast them in foil this time with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil.  The trick to roasting beets is not cooking them too long - otherwise they'll turn to mush - but just until they can be easily pierced with a knife.

Recipe: Beet "Hash Browns"

A somewhat shocking fact: I have never in my life eaten a beet until this week.

Last Saturday, I was intrigued by all the beets I saw at the farmer's market. At one particular stand, they were so ruby red and vibrant that I couldn't help buying a bundle of them. What was I going to do with them? Well, I would figure that part out later.

Herbs! Herbs! Herbs!

This is my favorite time of year. Why? Drumroll, please... it's farmer's market season! Once May rolls around and the farmer's market is open for business, I can finally clear out last year's herbs from the freezer and get some new seedlings growing.

Fresh herbs make everything taste better and can elevate even the simplest recipe to new heights. Food tastes fresh, vibrant, and revitalized. Herbs even work magic with leftovers - add fresh rosemary to yesterday's mashed potatoes and you'll have a brand-new dish on your hands.

Though I would much prefer to grow herbs in the ground, it's not in the cards right now due to some prickly HOA stipulations, so a tabletop herb garden will have to do. Luckily for me, last year's thyme and chives have survived the winter and are already beginning to grow back. On our first trip to the farmer's market, we rounded out the rest of the slate with parsley, tarragon, basil, cilantro, rosemary, mint, and sage.

Add some pretty white pots, and I'm ready for a season full of fresh herbs. Bring on the summer!