Source: inspired by a photo on pinterest that had no recipe to go along with it
Ingredients:
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into 1/2 discs
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 onion, cut into chunks
4 red potatoes, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks (are you noticing a theme here?)
1-2 Tablespoons butter
salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley, to taste
Directions:
Even though I originally intended to make this as a foil pouch meal and cook it on the grill, I actually ended up just tossing everything into a 9x13" baking dish, adding a couple dollops of butter on top, and seasoning to taste with whatever I grabbed from the spice cabinet. Then I covered the casserole with tinfoil and baked at 375 degrees until the potatoes were tender. I honestly can't remember how long it took; probably 30-45 minutes, I'm guessing.
Notes:
I love tinfoil dinners, but I normally make them with a ground beef patty, sliced potatoes, and carrots and onions, with a squirt of ketchup for moisture and seasoning. When I saw this photo pop up in my pinterest feed, I knew I had to give it a try. It was fantastic! So flavorful and delicious. We all loved it.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Enchilada Zucchini Boats
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, halved
8-12 ounces lean ground turkey or ground beef (depends on how meaty you want this dish to be)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed (I tried a new trick ala Pioneer Woman and grated mine on a microplane zester - it worked okay, but I don't know if I'll ever do it again - kinda messy!)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (didn't have this so I just upped the cumin to 2 1/2 teaspoons)
15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Scoop out the center of each zucchini, discarding the seeds and leaving the outer zucchini flesh about 1/4-inch thick, forming little zucchini boats. Sprinkle the cut side of each zucchini with a little bit of salt (a pinch for each zucchini half). Set aside while preparing the filling.
In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground turkey or beef over medium heat with the salt and pepper, breaking the meat into little pieces as it cooks. Once cooked all the way through, drain any excess grease, except for 1-2 teaspoons, and scrape the meat to a plate.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook the mixture until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, and coriander. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle in about 1/3 cup of the sauce and spread across the bottom of the pan.
Stir the cooked meat and beans into the remaining sauce in the skillet.
Scoop an even amount of the meat and sauce mixture into each zucchini boat, piling it on.
Cover the baking dish with a layer of lightly greased foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and layer the cheese over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes more until the zucchini is fork tender.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top and let the zucchini enchilada boats rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
I've never made zucchini boats (nor have I ever eaten them, I don't recall), but the ones I've seen or heard about always seemed to have a little Italian flair - marinara sauce, Italian sausage, etc. I love me some enchiladas, so when Mel posted this one, I knew I had to give it a whirl as my first foray into zucchini boat goodness. I'm hooked! (Though I actually thought these tasted more like chili on top instead of enchiladas - it's all the same sort of spices, right?) And I think Gregg and Callie are fans, too. (Callie gobbled up an entire boat herself for dinner and Gregg ate 3, with another as a late night snack before bed!) These are yummy!
Ingredients:
4 medium zucchini, halved
8-12 ounces lean ground turkey or ground beef (depends on how meaty you want this dish to be)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed (I tried a new trick ala Pioneer Woman and grated mine on a microplane zester - it worked okay, but I don't know if I'll ever do it again - kinda messy!)
1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds and membrane removed if you want less heat)
16 ounces tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander (didn't have this so I just upped the cumin to 2 1/2 teaspoons)
15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (or a combination)
Chopped cilantro for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Scoop out the center of each zucchini, discarding the seeds and leaving the outer zucchini flesh about 1/4-inch thick, forming little zucchini boats. Sprinkle the cut side of each zucchini with a little bit of salt (a pinch for each zucchini half). Set aside while preparing the filling.
In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground turkey or beef over medium heat with the salt and pepper, breaking the meat into little pieces as it cooks. Once cooked all the way through, drain any excess grease, except for 1-2 teaspoons, and scrape the meat to a plate.
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook the mixture until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 4-5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, sugar, oregano, and coriander. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Ladle in about 1/3 cup of the sauce and spread across the bottom of the pan.
Stir the cooked meat and beans into the remaining sauce in the skillet.
Scoop an even amount of the meat and sauce mixture into each zucchini boat, piling it on.
Cover the baking dish with a layer of lightly greased foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and layer the cheese over the top. Bake for about 20 minutes more until the zucchini is fork tender.
Sprinkle the chopped cilantro on top and let the zucchini enchilada boats rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes:
I've never made zucchini boats (nor have I ever eaten them, I don't recall), but the ones I've seen or heard about always seemed to have a little Italian flair - marinara sauce, Italian sausage, etc. I love me some enchiladas, so when Mel posted this one, I knew I had to give it a whirl as my first foray into zucchini boat goodness. I'm hooked! (Though I actually thought these tasted more like chili on top instead of enchiladas - it's all the same sort of spices, right?) And I think Gregg and Callie are fans, too. (Callie gobbled up an entire boat herself for dinner and Gregg ate 3, with another as a late night snack before bed!) These are yummy!
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Scotcheroos
Source: My aunt, Kathryn Clark
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I especially love it with chunky)
6 cups rice crispies cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Place cereal in large bowl. Melt Karo syrup and sugar over low heat, until sugar is dissolved. Add peanut butter and mix until melted. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until the cereal is completely coated. Spread evenly in rimmed cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl, 1 minute at a time and stirring well between heating. Spread chocolate mixture over rice crispies (it might not reach all the way to the edge, but the edges are good to nibble on plain). Cool and cut into squares.
Notes:
Every family party or campout that I can remember seemed to not be complete without a pan of scotcheroos. Most often they were made by Kathryn, but I remember making many a batch of these delicious treats myself. They're super quick and super easy and best of all they're super yummy. I just saw a recipe on Pinterest that used Chex cereal instead of the rice crispies and that intrigues me enough to give it a try next time I whip up some of these treats.
Ingredients:
1 cup Karo syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter (I especially love it with chunky)
6 cups rice crispies cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Place cereal in large bowl. Melt Karo syrup and sugar over low heat, until sugar is dissolved. Add peanut butter and mix until melted. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until the cereal is completely coated. Spread evenly in rimmed cookie sheet. Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a microwave-safe bowl, 1 minute at a time and stirring well between heating. Spread chocolate mixture over rice crispies (it might not reach all the way to the edge, but the edges are good to nibble on plain). Cool and cut into squares.
Notes:
Every family party or campout that I can remember seemed to not be complete without a pan of scotcheroos. Most often they were made by Kathryn, but I remember making many a batch of these delicious treats myself. They're super quick and super easy and best of all they're super yummy. I just saw a recipe on Pinterest that used Chex cereal instead of the rice crispies and that intrigues me enough to give it a try next time I whip up some of these treats.
Zucchini Muffins
Source: adapted from a zucchini bread recipe from an old neighbor from 1150 North, Michael Hendricks
Ingredients and Directions:
In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs (I have subbed 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 2 of the eggs before and it worked great! - you could probably sub all three without much issue, just use 1/4 cup yogurt per egg)
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
Add:
3 cups flour (I like half whole wheat when I have it handy)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen cranberries (optional)
Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 350° for ~20 minutes (I think) (mini muffins take about 15 minutes). Makes 21 muffins (or ~50 mini muffins).
Notes:
August is here and zucchini muffins were the muffin of choice this month. I've usually made this recipe as 2 loaves of zucchini bread (bake for ~1 hour) rather than muffins, but I decided to give the ol' muffin version a try. I also made a couple more adjustments to make them a titch healthier than the original recipe (subbed applesauce for half the oil and cut the sugar amount in half). I think they turned out delicious. They certainly looked delicious - perfectly domed and golden brown with lovely flecks of green peeking through. I usually make my muffins in paper muffin liners, but I didn't this time and they rose so well. I may never go back to the wrappers!
Ingredients and Directions:
In a large bowl, mix:
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup sugar
3 beaten eggs (I have subbed 1/2 cup plain yogurt for 2 of the eggs before and it worked great! - you could probably sub all three without much issue, just use 1/4 cup yogurt per egg)
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
Add:
3 cups flour (I like half whole wheat when I have it handy)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 cup frozen cranberries (optional)
Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake at 350° for ~20 minutes (I think) (mini muffins take about 15 minutes). Makes 21 muffins (or ~50 mini muffins).
Notes:
August is here and zucchini muffins were the muffin of choice this month. I've usually made this recipe as 2 loaves of zucchini bread (bake for ~1 hour) rather than muffins, but I decided to give the ol' muffin version a try. I also made a couple more adjustments to make them a titch healthier than the original recipe (subbed applesauce for half the oil and cut the sugar amount in half). I think they turned out delicious. They certainly looked delicious - perfectly domed and golden brown with lovely flecks of green peeking through. I usually make my muffins in paper muffin liners, but I didn't this time and they rose so well. I may never go back to the wrappers!
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