Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Connie's Zucchini 'Crab' Cakes

Are you exploding with zucchini's out of your ears? Well have I got a recipe for you! Connie's zucchini 'crab' cakes were awesome. Although they claim to taste like crab, I didn't think they did BUT they did taste great in their own way. I followed some popular review on allrecipes.com and instead of frying them, baked them in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes ON EACH SIDE. I also used Panko bread crumbs on mine since they needed to be used up. Mine also needed another egg. So what if I changed the recipe a bit, that's what good chefs do right??

Connie's Zucchini 'Crab' Cakes

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning TM
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, egg, and butter or margarine. Stir in seasoned crumbs, minced onion, and seasoning. Mix well.
2. Shape mixture into patties. Dredge in flour.
3. In a medium skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Fry patties in oil until golden brown on both sides.

Here are the results:


Not the best picture I've ever taken, but it's a work in progress.

Friday, August 20, 2010

Spaghetti Pizza

Every once in a while, you run across a recipe you know will become a family staple. I thought this recipe that combined Pizza and Spaghetti was a great idea and it turns out, it was. Nothing that blows your socks off, but still pretty good. Hubby says it tastes like lasagna, but that's a good thing in his eyes. Great recipe the kids will love.

Spaghetti Pizza I
Ingredients:
1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
4 ounces pepperoni sausage, sliced

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and cool.
3. Beat egg in large bowl, add milk, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese, salt and garlic salt. Stir in cooked spaghetti, mix well.
4. Spread mixture evenly in greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Spread sauce over spaghetti. Sprinkle with oregano, basil and the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese. Top with pepperoni, return to oven and bake for 30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Here are the results:

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Lemon Pepper Green Beans

My sister just picked a ton of green beans and I had to find a good recipe for them quick! I had some almonds I needed to use up so this one fit nicely. Hubby adored them so it's a keeper.

Lemon Pepper Green Beans
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
2 teaspoons lemon pepper(I reduced this to 1 tsp)
Directions:
1. Place green beans in a steamer over 1 inch of boiling water. Cover, and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute almonds until lightly browned. Season with lemon pepper. Stir in green beans, and toss to coat.

Here are the results:

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Paula Deen's Bayou Banana Puddin'

I usually don't make a ton of desserts, but I'm glad I made this exception. I saw Paula Dean on TV one day making this and it looked delicious. I had my niece come over and help me clean one day and decided we needed to do something fun. I only had to run to the store to get vanilla wafers but I had everything else on hand. This was a spectacular dessert! I think it's going to be one of my all time favorites!

Bayou Banana Puddin'


Ingredients
1 (8-ounce) package Philadelphia cream cheese
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (5-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups cold milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 (12-ounce) package vanilla wafers
4 bananas, sliced

Method:
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk, pudding mix, cold milk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping.
Line the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch dish with the vanilla wafers. Arrange the sliced bananas evenly over the wafers. Spread with the pudding mixture. Top with the remaining whipped topping. Chill for at least an hour and a half.

Here are the results:

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Blueberry Muffin Murder



I chose a book randomly at the library and actually enjoyed it. Here's the description from amazon.com

"In her third top-of-the-line culinary cozy (after 2001's Strawberry Shortcake Murder), the delightful amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen once again faces murder and mayhem with good cheer. To fight the late February doldrums, Lake Eden, Minn., is about to celebrate its first winter carnival with ice sports on the lake, activities for children and Hannah's delicious cookies from her shop, the Cookie Jar. The whole town is involved, and even Hannah's mother, who usually spends her time trying to get Hannah married, has found a new interest in recreating the home of one of Lake Eden's founding fathers. Connie MacIntyre, bestselling cook book author and star of a popular cable TV cooking show, has agreed to make the cake for the carnival banquet. But when Hannah discovers Connie's dead body in the pantry of the Cookie Jar, Hannah and her sister Andrea join forces to track down the killer, despite warnings by one of her boyfriends, policeman Mike Kensington, to stay out of the investigation. Since everyone who had contact with the abusive Connie disliked her, the sisters have plenty of suspects. Delicious food descriptions and recipes, warm and familiar characters who grow into real people (Hannah's increasing respect for Andrea is a highlight), a vivid picture of the small lake town and a well-crafted mystery provide the ingredients for yet another tempting feast that should satisfy all fans, old and new."

MY REVIEW: A very good, clean, murder mystery that I could follow, even though I hadn't read the whole series. Even though I guessed whodunit about half way through, I still enjoyed it. I'll probably pick up another one in the series sometime

Monday, August 9, 2010

Emergency Garlic Bread

I am seriously never buying garlic bread from the store again. Apparently my sister makes this garlic bread all the time using.... hot dog buns! Yep, and it tastes delicious. I use garlic salt instead of powder, but it's so easy to adjust to your tastes. Here's the recipe:

Emergency Garlic Bread


Ingredients:
4 hot dog buns
4 teaspoons butter, or as needed
2 teaspoons garlic powder, or to taste (I use garlic salt)
Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler, or a toaster oven.
2. Separate the bun halves, and spread butter onto the cut side of each one. Sprinkle some garlic powder over the butter.
3. Broil or toast until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Here are the results:

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Easy Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

My husband bought a new grill this year and we HAVE to try it out, at least weekly. I absolutely LOVED this recipe for Easy Grilled Chicken Teriyaki. So easy and it tasted so good. Here's the recipe:

Easy Grilled Chicken Teriyaki

Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves
1 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons sesame oil
Directions:
1. Place chicken, teriyaki sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and sesame oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat. Place in refrigerator for 24 hours, turning every so often.
2. Preheat grill for high heat.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Remove chicken from bag, discarding any remaining marinade. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes each side, or until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a fork.

Here are the results: