Baked Zucchini Fries September 12, 2011

These were so surprisingly good !  You didn’t even miss the deep fryer!  I whipped up a lemon/garlic/greek yogurt dipping sauce that tasted equally as sinful

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 lb zucchini, cut into 4-5-inch sticks

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment (or whatever non-stick method you prefer).
2. Place flour in a large zipper bag.
3. Whisk eggs with 2 Tbsp water and place in a shallow dish.
4. Place Panko, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper in a shallow dish and mix to combine.
5. Place zucchini in the bag with the flour and shake until well coated. Dip the zucchini into the egg and then into the panko, turning to coat well.
6. Place breaded zucchini on the baking sheet.
7. Bake 18-20 minutes, until golden brown.

Veggie Lasagna September 12, 2011

I was so craving Veggie Lasagna this summer, so I was so happy when I had a chance to make it!  This recipe is based off of Pioneer Woman’s recipe, but I made a few additions – It was an excellent addition to our Pasta Trio Dinner!

Ingredients

• 10 ounces, No boil lasagna noodles
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
• 24 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped
• 4 whole Squash (yellow Or Zucchini), Diced
• 1 whole medium eggplant , diced
• 1 jar tomato sauce – I used Trader Joe’s
• 1 jar alfredo sauce – I used Trader Joe’s
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 30 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 pound Thinly Sliced Mozarella Cheese
• Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling
• 1 cup pesto

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash ,eggplant, and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.

To assemble, spread a little of the Veggie / Tomato Sauce, Alfredo Sauce mixture in a lasagna pan. Layer four  noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable /tomato/alfredo sauce, pesto,  and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Bacon and Sweet Corn Pasta July 5, 2011

This was PERFECT as a great mid-summer side dish for our 4th of July cookout!  It was so different from your run of the mill pasta salad – I will definitely be making this again!  From Cuisine at Home

8 oz campanelle cooked

4 strips of bacon – cooked and chopped

1.5 cups chopped zucchini

1 and 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup chopped basil

1/4 cups pine nuts

Salt and pepper to taste.

Cook bacon in large skillet – transfer when crisp, then saute’ zucchini and corn in drippings until tender.  Add Pasta.  Stir in bacon, cream, basil, and pine nuts.  Add reserved pasta water to loosen sauce.  Season with salt and pepper.

 

Cauliflower Gratin January 5, 2010

After the holidays , I feel like I gained 10 pounds, NO KIDDING!  Sunday was my last hoorah for bad eating, so I figured since I had a cauliflower in the fridge, I might as well make a Gratin LOL  It worked out perfect because I had half a cube of gruyere that I wanted to use up considering it is so expensive!!  This is from the Barefoot Contessa:

• 1 (3-pound) head cauliflower,  cut into large florets
• Kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups hot milk
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Gruyere, divided
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cook the cauliflower florets in a large pot of boiling salted water for 5 to 6 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Pour the hot milk into the butter-flour mixture and stir until it comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Off the heat, add 1 teaspoon of salt, the pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup of the Gruyere, and the Parmesan.

Pour 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom of an 8 by 11 by 2-inch baking dish. Place the drained cauliflower on top and then spread the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Combine the bread crumbs with the remaining 1/4 cup of Gruyere and sprinkle on top. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over the gratin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Jalapeno Corn Souffle July 22, 2009

Me and Mike bought a TON of corn this weekend , and this was the perfect recipe to use up the remaing 4 ears I had.  I got it off of Guy’s Big Bite – and OMG it is delicious.  I got a little scared doing the scalding milk/whisk/eggs thing , but it turned out perfect!  He used Poblano’s , I used the Jalapeno’s I had in the fridge – Just spicy enough, but not too much!

Ingredients

• 1 jalapeno pepper diced
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
• 2 cups whole milk
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 cup grated sharp white Cheddar
• 4 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed, about 4 to 5 cups
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and the salt and pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, and then set aside to cool.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan just until it starts to simmer, about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and then slowly add the scalded milk. Whisk in the sour cream and then fold in the cheese, corn, peppers, onions, herbs, cayenne. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch buttered baking dish and set aside.

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the panko. Toss to coat the bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Pour the bread crumbs over the pudding and bake in the preheated oven until the bread crumbs are golden, the pudding is set and bubbling around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Velveeta Veggie Casserole June 24, 2009

My mom had everyone over for Father’s Day on sunday, and I decided to make this casserole that I haven’t made for a while.  I forgot how good this is!  So easy too!

4 c. vegetables (I used carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 c. Velveeta cheese
1/2 stick butter
3/4 c. cracker crumbs

 Cook vegetables of choice until barely done. Drain. Cover with cheese and melt. Add mushroom soup, salt and pepper. Melt butter and pour over cracker crumbs. Sprinkle mixture over casserole. Bake at 350 degrees until brown (20 minutes).

Broccoli Salad May 29, 2009

My mom had a housewarming/Memorial Day party last sunday, and since we just got back from our vacation saturday night, I had to whip up something quick.  Broccoli Salad fit the bill!  I always make this for picnics as a quick side that just gets better as it sits.

6 heads broccoli chopped into bite size pieces

6 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

1.5 jars of Marzetti’s Slaw Dressing

1/2 bag shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 red onion chopped

Combine all ingredients in big bowl and chill in refridgerator until ready to serve!

Favorite Green Bean Casserole December 2, 2008

A holiday dinner to me would not be complete without this yummy stuff.  This is NOT low in calories or healthy in ANY way – but it should make you feel good that you are eating beans LOL.  I got this recipe years ago from one of my best friends mom – Marlene.  Me and Nicole are always eating it even before it goes in the oven!

1 Medium onion chopped small

4 cans of green beans

8 slices of american cheese

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

couple shakes of soy sauce

3 tablespoons of butter

Pepper to taste ( the cream of mushroom soup has tons of salt! )

1 can french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350.  Saute onion in butter until translucent.  Add beans and soup and stir.  Once combined add soy sauce and cheese.  Fold in half container of fried onions.  In casserole dish , pour in all ingredients and sprinkle the remaining fried onions on top.  Bake for about 10 – 15 minutes until bubbly.  We barely EVER have enough leftovers

Crash Hot Potatoes October 29, 2008

Wow – these really were as good as everyone said they were!  I got this from the Pioneer Woman’s blog – yet another great recipe!

• New Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Whatever herb you like  – I used fresh rosemary

Begin by bringing a pot of salted water to a boil – add potatoes, until they are fork tender. Next, generously drizzle olive oil on a sheet pan. Place them on the cookie sheet giving them plenty of room to spread out. Next, grab your potato masher and gently press down on the potato until it slightly mashes. Then rotate the masher 90 degrees and finish flattening it. Next, brush the tops rather generously with olive oil. Salt, Pepper , and throw rosemary all over the smashed potatoes.  Now throw them onto the top rack of a very hot (450-degree) oven, and cook them for 20-25 minutes. Or until they’re golden and crispy and sizzling.

NKOTB Listening Party! September 3, 2008

Did you THINK we wouldn’t have a party for NKOTB’s 1st album since 1994???  We listened to the album about 4 times ( along with some oldies but goodies thrown in there ) and discussed our upcoming trip to Atlantic City to see them.  We had to throw in some delicious food, as well as sneaky plans on how we are going to get on stage and back stage! HA!

Here is a pic of us with our COVER GIRL TANKS ( Natalie didn’t wear her’s , so Nicole put a vintage NKOTB hat on her instead! ), and our party favors Nicole brought : NKOTB Trading Cards!

 First I made my mozzerella stuffed meatballs – I already have the recipe on here, but they looked extra good last night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Then I made Stuffed Mini Red Potatoes – From Everyday with Rachael Ray:

24 New Potatoes – Halved

1.5 cups sour cream( I used light )

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1/2 cup bacon -cooked

1/4 cup red onion chopped

parsley

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with the olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp, 20 to 25 minutes; let cool.
2. Scoop out the center of each potato half and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, parsley and onion. Fill each potato skin with the sour cream mixture and top with more crumbled bacon and parsley.