Fettuccini with Ham & Zucchini

Always a hit!

Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 or 3 small zucchini, julienned
1 (or so) cup cooked ham, diced
1 pint heavy cream
2 T butter
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 package fettuccini pasta

Directions:

Cook pasta according to directions on package. In skillet, start with a couple tablespoons of oilive oil. Sautee onion and garlic on medium heat until onion is tender. Be careful to not burn the garlic. Add the zucchini and ham and stir fry for about 5 minutes. Drain pasta and pour back into pot. Add the cream, butter, zucchini mixture to the pasta. heat this through then add the parmesan last. Serve immediately. You can tweak the recipe to stretch it as much as you want, including adding sour cream, etc.




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Broccoli Salad

This is a delicious salad with a mixture of flavors. It is quick and easy to throw together. Enjoy!

2-3 bunches broccoli (chop the florets until they are nice, small bit-size pieces.)

1/2 c purple onion (diced)
1 lb. bacon (cooked and crumbled)  (The precooked bacon from Costco, would make it a lot easier.)
1 1/2 c sunflower seeds (optional, but wonderful!)
1 1/2 c grated cheese (I use a mixture of shredded cheddar & monterey jack cheese.)
1/2 - 3/4 pkg frozen peas

Dressing
1/2 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sugar
1 T lemon juice
Stir well to dissovle sugar.

*I usually double the recipe if I'm taking to a party.

Cheese Soup

This is a great reminder of my mom and comfort food. We've had this in bread bowls and I remember it being a great cabin meal. It is one of my favorites!

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. carrots

1 onion

4-5 celery sticks

2 cubed potatoes

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1 can chicken broth

1 1/2 quarts hot water (use water from the cooked veggies)

1 pkg. frozen peas

Directions:

Boil carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes with enough water to barely cover.

Place Cheese Whiz with lid off in pan of hot water to melt. (I don't do that....oops.)

In large pan, melt butter, add enough flour to make paste, stirring constantly.

Gradually add hot water and chicken broth. Stir until thickened. Remove from heat and add all vegetables (don't forget the peas) and Cheese Whiz. (I think my mom put a little shredded cheese in at this point too.)

1/2 batch feeds 6

Zucchini Casserole

This is a great recipe when you have extra zucchini or even when you have leftover rice. It is savory and a complete meal in one pan. Because I have a big family, I adjust the ingredients to my liking in order to have this casserole go even further (more rice, more zucchini, more sauce, etc.)

Ingredients:

1 can cream of mushroom
1 cup cooked rice
1 lb. extra lean ground beef
3 tbs. chopped onion
6 small zucchini (or so), sliced
salt & pepper

Directions:

Brown meat. Add onion and cook together until onion is tender. Add cream of mushroom. Add rice. Mix all of that completely and turn off heat.

Lay zucchini slices on bottom of greased casserole dish. I use a 9x13. Then pour above mixture over zucchini.

Prepare the following sauce in a saucepan over medium heat: 2 T butter, 1 c. milk, 2 T flour, salt & pepper to taste. Prepare to a roux. Finally add 1 c. grated cheese. Pour over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Harvest Spaghetti and Chicken

I think I made dinner about three times all summer. Isn't that awful?!! Well, a good dinner. We had plenty of last minute Little Caesars, eggs in tortillas, toast and eggs, omelettes, and mac n cheese. School started and I'm back. What also helped is I just got home from visiting family and they spoiled us rotten with their amazing food. I was inspired. And I'M BACK!!

This was quick and easy and yummy. And a great way to use zucchini. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut in small pieces

3 T. cooking oil

2 c. zucchini, thinly sliced

3 med. carrots, sliced thin

2 garlic cloves, minced.

1 T. flour

1 1/2 c. milk

1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. salt

1/2 t. basil

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked

Directions:

Sitr fry the chicken pieces in oil until tender and add vegetables and cook until just tender. Sprinkle and stir flour into the mixture and add milk, all at once, and cook until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add cheese, salt and basil and fold into the cooked spaghetti and serve. Serves about 8.

Zesty Zucchini Casserole

In honor of my 93 year old grandma. An incredible cook and if I can inherit something of hers, I would ask for her recipes. She just moved to the other side of the country to live by her daughter and I missed her before she was gone. (Don't let the awful picture fool you.)

Ingredients:

6 Zucchini (about 6" long)

1 pkg. dry spaghetti sauce mix

1 t. oregano

2 T. Parsley flakes

1/4 c. butter

2 c. bread cubes

2-4 tomatoes, sliced

1 pkg. (8 oz.) mozzarella cheese, cubed

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Quarter squash lengthwise and parboil. Prepare spaghetti sauce as directed. Add oregano and parsley. Melt butter in skillet and add bread cubes. Toss until golden brown.

In casserole dish arrange squash in bottom. Spoon part of sauce over. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese and add half of the bread cubes.

Top with mozzarella cheese cubes and tomato slices. Add remaining bread cubes.

Bake 375* 35 minutes or until bubbly.

**I have always followed this recipe exact until the last time I made it and it was still wonderful. Instead I used a jar of prego instead of the dry spaghetti sauce mix and I used grated mozzarella cheese.

**The bread cubes are really what make this extra wonderful. There is something about bread cubes cooked in butter. Yum! (Just cut slices of bread into cubes and toss with the butter until golden.)

Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

1 head lettuce

1 bunch spinach leaves

¼ cup cottage cheese

½ cup Swiss cheese, grated

½ lb. bacon (chopped and fried crisp)

½ red onion (cut into rings)

½ lb. sliced mushrooms

Dressing:

1 Tbsp. poppy seeds

1 cup oil

½ cup vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. dried mustard

Instructions:

Marinate onions and mushrooms in dressing overnight. Pour marinate/dressing on salad ingredients right before serving. Toss to mix.

Butternut Squash Gratin

This is delicious. Butternut squash is delicious. You can buy a squash and peel and cut it or buy pre-cut, pre-peeled from Costco. I also do not buy or use unsalted butter and it was still delicious.

1 1/2 T. unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs (or not fresh)
1/3 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese (or not fresh)
3 lbs. (about 5 cups) peeled and cut in 3/4 inch cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced (I thought this was too much garlic. Maybe just 1 clove)
2 T. unsalted butter, melted
1 T. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup half and half

Melt butter in small saute pan, add bread crumbs and toast them, stirring until golden brown 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Toss in a small bowl with parmesan cheese. Set aside. Heat oven to 375* Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Put squash in a large bowl. Stir in garlic, butter, flour, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and pour half and half on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan bread crumbs. Return to oven uncovered for 15-20 minutes more until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from oven and serve. This can also be made ahead of time and reheated just before serving. Makes 4-6 side dish servings.

Homemade Salsa

Anybody still have any garden tomatoes rolling in? This recipe is for salsa for canning. I have done this two years in a row and we love it. This was modified from this recipe that Jenny posted on Apron Girls.

Ingredients:

20 large or 40 small tomatoes
5-6 bell peppers
5 onions 6 garlic cloves
4-5 jalapenos
2 T. cilantro
1 1/2 t. cumin
1 C. white vinegar
1/3 C. sugar
4 T. salt
12 oz. tomato paste 

Directions:

Wash your tomatoes. (I love romas personally.) Blanch them by plunging them into boiling water for about 30 seconds. Then dip them in cold water and drain. Cut out the cores and remove the skins. Use a blender or food processor to chop the ingredients. Chop the tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions individually and put in a large stock pot. Quarter the bell peppers and onions before putting in your blender/food processor. I chop everything pretty finely because that is what WE like. Puree the garlic, jalapenos, and cilantro together and add to the pot. Stir in everything else EXCEPT the tomato paste. The tomato paste will be added after boiling the salsa. (I didn't use the tomato paste this time because I liked the consistency of my salsa already). Bring salsa to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato paste and mix in really well. Fill pint jars leaving about 1 inch head space. Cover with lid and ring. Process in a water bath or steam canner for 30 minutes.

Vegetable Pork Soup

A perfect, hearty soup for a busy fall day.  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cubed pork

¼ cup dried lentils

4 cups water, divided

¼ cup italian dressing

salt and pepper to taste

2 T. chicken bouillon

6 medium carrots

2 stalks celery, diced

6 med. Potatoes

1 medium onion, chopped

¼ cabbage sliced thin and chopped

Directions:

Brown the pork if desired. Place the pork, lentils, 2cups of water, Italian dressing, salt and pepper into a crock pot. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. When pork is done, turn crock pot on high, adding about 2 more cups of water and chicken bouillon. In a separate pan cook celery and carrots together until done. Boil potatoes until just tender. Don't overcook. While potatoes, celery, carrots are cooking, add onion and cabbage to the crock pot. Cook until translucent and soft. Drain the other vegetables and add them to the crock pot. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe created by Marilyn Hendrickson (my mother)

Pico de Gallo

I got this simple & classic pico de gallo recipe from none other than Pioneer Woman. It is delicioso and I could eat it for breakfast. In fact, it would be awesome on an omelet.  Or on most anything. The first time I made it, I used the food processor. Oops. Don't do that. Chopping by hand is essential. And I chop super small cause I don't like big chunks of things. Of course we ate it with chips but we also used it as a dressing for the enchiladas I made that night.

Ingredients:

5 whole Plum (roma) Tomatoes  (I used roma!)
½ whole Large (or 1 Small) Onion (I used some yellow sweet onion but mostly red onion)
3 whole Jalapeno Peppers
Cilantro
Lime Juice
Salt To Taste
 
Directions:

Chop jalapenos, tomatoes and onion (I love using some red and some sweet onion)  into a very small dice. (Leave seeds in your jalapenos for a hotter pico). Adjust amount of jalapenos to your preferred temperature. Next, chop up a nice-sized bunch of cilantro. Remove stems as best as you can. Place all of these ingredients together in a bowl. Stir.

Squeeze the juice of half of one lime into the bowl. Add salt to taste and stir again. Serve. I assume this will only stay good a few hours, but I really don't know for sure cause as soon as I make it, it is gone.

Garden Vegetable Soup With Ground Beef

Ingredients:

1 lb hamburger
1 1/2 quarts water
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. potatoes
1 c. cabbage, shredded
2 crookneck squash, sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

Directions:

Brown hamburger. Drain. Cut all vegetables bite size. Put everything together in a big pot. Cook 1-2 hours. Remove bay leaf.

You really can add as much or as little of each vegetable as you prefer, but this is what i mixed up and is shown in the picture. original recipe found here... http://hayleesfood.blogspot.com/2009/04/hamburger-soup.html
This is from my friend that lives across the street. She brought it to me when we had our baby and made it more like what I posted so I followed what she made for us rather than her original recipe because we liked it so much.

Penne with Zucchini Pistou & Chicken

Pistou: n. A sauce made of garlic, basil, olive oil, and often Parmesan, used on pasta or in soups and stews.

Pistou is to the French what pesto is to Italians. Yum. How can you go wrong with those ingredients plus a bit of heavy cream? You can't. I adapted a recipe I found here and came up with a delicious & different pasta dish for my family. It was wonderful...plus I got to use some of the zucchini(s) that have been sitting on my counter for far too long. 
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 chicken breasts, sliced
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices small zucchini
1 cup packed basil leaves
3/4 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 cup chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion (about 1small)
1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta (I used about 10-12 oz)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from pan; cool.

Place 1/3 of cooked zucchini, basil leaves, 1/4 cup cheese and garlic in a food processor (or blender); process until finely chopped. (Keep mixture in processor.)

Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook sliced chicken until nearly done. Add onion to pan; sauté 10 minutes or until golden. Add remaining cooked zucchini.

Meanwhile, throw some water & salt in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/3 cup cooking liquid.
Add reserved liquid to basil mixture; combine until smooth. Add basil mixture to pasta. Everything is now in the pan except the cream & remaining salt, pepper & cheese.) Add cream, remaining salt, and pepper; stir. Top with remaining cheese. Serve.

Stuffed Zucchini

My sister in law made up this recipe and I love it. I haven't made it in a long time and I didn't have the cheese to put on top. Grow yourself a LARGE zucchini (or get one from a neighbor of buy one) and enjoy this great healthy (except for the cheese) meal.

1 LARGE zucchini
Tomatoes
1 jar prego or favorite sauce
1 can corn, drained
1 can chicken or cooked chicken breast
chili powder
onion powder
garlic
salt and pepper
mozzarella and cheddar cheese

In saucepan, mix sauce, can or corn, chicken, the middle of the zucchini that you scrape out, and spices. Let simmer for a while to blend flavors.
Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Dig out the seed center and chop it up. Lay each zucchini on a large piece of foil on a cookie cheet. Slice tomatoes and lay in the middle of zucchini. Broil for a few minutes. (sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't).
Put cheese on top of tomato layer then fill the zucchini with the sauce mixture. (Also, put a little of the sauce under the zucchini to soften while it bakes).
Wrap the zucchini up in the foil and bake at 350 for about an hour.
When it is done, the zucchini will be very soft (I like it mushy). Soft enough that the skin is really soft. Top with cheese and put it back in to melt.
Cut into slices and serve.
I have also fried bread cubes in butter and put this on top at the end. It just adds an extra yummy taste.

Simple Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter

I plucked this recipe from Smitten Kitchen about a year ago and have planned to make it ever since.  So with yummy summer tomatoes just right around the corner, I thought it the perfect time to give it a try.  It was simple and fresh and delicious.  I think the secret is its simplicity...there aren't spices that are overpowering the essence of the tomato flavor.  On our second trip to Italy, John & I ate (with Spencer & Kristi) at a little restaurant  in Rome (located on a side street with a direct shot at the Coliseum).  I had a simple pasta with tomato sauce.  There weren't lots of spices or other things complicating the dish.  Just pasta with tomato sauce.  It was incredible.  This sauce is the closest thing I have ever found to that.  I literally could not stop eating this. 

Ingredients:

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Directions:

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Vegetable Confetti

This is a very unique recipe I got from a neighbor (Kerri McBride) about 8 years ago.  It is savory and tastes so fresh with all of the vegetables. It may seem a bit strange, but we really like it and when it is around we have a hard time not eating too much.  My 10 and 12 year old daughters love it too. 

Ingredients
2 pkg refrigerated crescent rolls
2 - 8 ounce pkgs. cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise

2-3 stalks celery, chopped small
1/2 green pepper, diced small
5-6 green onions, chopped
2 large carrots, shredded
1/2 bunch radishes, shredded

Directions
Press crescent dough into jelly roll pan (cookie sheet) and bake according to package directions. Let cool.  Mix together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Spread over cooled crust.  Prepare vegetables as listed above and sprinkle evenly over cream cheese and mayo mixture.  Cut into squares and chill for 2-4 hours.  Enjoy!

Lisa's Potato Salad

7 lbs potatoes (appx. 20 medium-sized potatoes...although i love red potatoes the best, i usually don't have those and use whatever potato i have.  adjust quantity according to potato size)

24 eggs

3 cups miracle whip

2 cups mayonnaise

salt & pepper

In large pot, place eggs in pot of cold water in a single layer and make sure there is 1-2 inches of water above the eggs.  Bring to boil.  Boil for one minute.  Turn off heat, but keep covered for about 12 minutes.  (At this point I usually forget about the eggs, and they end up boiling for about 10 minutes...and it works too!)  Take pot off, and let cold water run into pot OR remove eggs with slotted spoon into ice water.    Gently tap the eggs on a hard surface to crack the shell.  Gently remove the membrane and shell.  Sometimes a batch will end up slipping off easily and other times they are tough for me.  (If anyone has any tips about shell removal, please comment!)  As I remove the shells, I am barely running some cool water to rinse off any shell bits.  Obviously the egg will be a little wet.  To minimize sliminess I then place them in a bowl with some folded paper towels in the bottom to soak up the water.  Meanwhile, the potatoes are boiling on the stove...

Peel potatoes.  Slice them up into nice, bite-size squarish pieces.  Make sure you don't cut them too small or during the boiling process they will just disintegrate.  When I have all of the potatoes sliced up, I give them one more good rinse to rinse off some of the emerging starch (just because it bugs me).  Bring them to a boil.  Boil until fork-tender.  Immediately remove from heat and drain.  (Occasionally I will accidentally overcook the pieces and they are headed towards mashed-potato-hood.  If you do this and have a few hours or even overnight, simply put them in a bowl in the refrigerator and they will re-solidify a bit.) 

Cut up eggs by hand into a large bowl.  I like to try to keep them similar in size to the potatoes.  Add Salt & Pepper.  Pour in potato pieces.  Add some more salt & pepper along with the mayonnaise and miracle whip.  Stir it all together (during this stirring process, some of the soft potato will flake off into the mixture and make it all the more creamy and perfect.  Salt & pepper again to taste.  Serve!

Twice Baked Potatoes with Hot Dog Pieces

This is another recipe that my husband, Aaron taught to me. He said that when he was young, his mom would make these for them. His mom said that when they were young, they would ASK her to make these all the time. They have become a favorite. They are so tasty.

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Sour Cream
Milk
Butter
Hot Dogs
Cheese


Directions:

If you want softer potato skins after they are baked, then rub olive oil on the outside of the potato before you bake it. But if you like them to be a little more crispy (which is how I like them better), then don't rub olive oil on them. Don't wrap the potatoes, after washing them and poking them with a fork, just put them in the oven on the rack.

While the potatoes are baking, slice up your hot dogs into bite sized pieces. Then put them in a skillet and fry them up with just a little butter. Once they are browned, they are ready to go.

Once the potatoes are baked all the way through, take them out and cut the potatoes in half length wise. Using a spoon, scoop the white of the potato out of the skins, then put the potato skins on a baking sheet or baking dish. Once you scoop all of the whites of the potatoes in the bowl, mash them. Then, using a mixer, mix in butter, milk, and sour cream. As far as the amounts of these ingredients, everyone has their own way of making mashed potatoes. Use these ingredients according to your own taste.

Once the potatoes are whipped to your satisfaction, mix as many hot dog pieces into the potatoes as you want. Scoop the potato and hot dog mixture back into the potato skins. Then sprinkle grated cheese on top and put them back in the oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.

* Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy. Mmm... they are so good.

If you have extra potato skins after you have filled the rest with the mixture, then just sprinkle a little cheese in the extras and bake them as well, but just until they are a little crispy and the cheese is melted.

hash BROWNS

This is how my husband, Aaron made hash BROWNS. Before we got married, when it came to hashbrowns, I could take them or leave them... until I tasted Aaron's hash BROWNS. Once I tasted them the way he made them... I have loved them ever since. He had a special touch.
For some reason, Aaron pronounced hash BROWNS with more emphasis on the BROWNS part, when most people put more emphasis on the hash part. I always got a good giggle out of the way he said it. It was so cute. I loved it. So, that is why I write it hash BROWNS... it is a sweet memory of him.


Ingredients:

2 lbs shredded potatoes (two 16 oz packages of frozen shredded potatoes)
1 1/2 large onions chopped (more if you are an onion lover like me)
3/4 to 1 cup butter


Directions:

In a large skillet, melt 1/4 to 1/2 cup of butter (depending on how many onions you chop). Add chopped onions. Saute the onions in the butter until the onions begin to get tender. Add shredded potatoes. If it looks like a ton of potatoes, don't worry... they do shrink as they cook. As they cook through, use a spatula to turn them over. Also, as they cook through, add another 1/4 cup butter. A few minutes later, add the last 1/4 cup of butter. Once all of the butter is added, if they are not turning brown yet, leave them sitting longer before turning them over... for some reason they just taste better when they are well browned (even if you have to end up leaving them a little too long and have to scrape it off the bottom, this was a technique of Aaron's). I do not use salt and pepper much, but if you do... just salt and pepper to taste.
They taste great with scrambled eggs and sausage or bacon.

SO yummy. Enjoy!

makes about 8 servings

Sweet Corn Casserole

I love the sweet corn cake (Tomalitos) only found in some mexican restaurants so I was searching for a recipe to make my own. I found this on Paula Dean's website and it has become a favorite.

Ingredients:

1 can corn, drained
1 can cream style corn
1 8 oz. pkg. Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 cup sour cream
1/2 c. butter, melted
1-1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Stir together everything but the cheese. Put in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes or until golden. (I bake for 10 or so minutes less so it is more moist). Remove and top with cheddar. Bake 5-10 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm.