Pretty Pretty Veggies

I think I have found a new favorite way to eat summer squash and zucchini, which are always so cheap during the summer! My inspiration for this recipe came from Annie's Eats, but I've mixed it up a bit to meet my taste preferences and our veggie supply :) Oh, ps. they're sooo pretty too!

Pretty Pretty Veggies
1 Large Vidalia onions
2-3 cloves garlic
2 Zucchini
2 Summer squash
2 medium potatoes
Salt
Pepper
Thyme
Grated Parmesan


1. Slice the onion and mince the garlic. Sautee these in about 2 T of butter. You want these to be soft and translucent. Once done, spread into the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan.

2. Microwave the potatoes just 1-2 minutes. I didn't do this and mine were still a LITTLE crunchy. Then you want to slice them into 1/4 inch slices.

3. Slice both the zucchini and summer squash the same 1/4 inch. Slice these on a diagonal so they are close to the same size as the potatoes are.

4. Layer these into your 9x13 pan on top of the onions. Top with salt, pepper, and thyme.

5. Bake at 375 til the veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Take out and top with grated Parmesan. Place back in the oven til the cheese is nice and melted.

Olive Garden Tuscan Garlic Chicken

I got this recipe off the Olive Garden website, so it is dang good. It was also relatively easy to make.













4 each (4 oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts1
1/2 cups flour, plus 1 tablespoon
1 Tbsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 lb fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package directions
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 red pepper, julienne cut
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 lb whole leaf spinach, stemmed
2 cups heavy cream
1 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Pre-heat oven to 350ºF.

MIX 1½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess.

HEAT 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp (2-3 min). Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet and transfer to preheated oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for approximately 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp flour, wine, spinach and cream and bring to a boil. Sauce is done when spinach becomes wilted. Complete by stirring in parmesan cheese.

COAT cooked, drained pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese.

PF Chang's Orange Peel Chicken

This turned out really good. I haven't been to PF Chang's in years so I am not sure how close it comes to the real thing, but it was still good no matter how different it was.













Sauce:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 green onions, sliced
1 cup tomato sauce 1/2 cup water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Chicken:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 chicken breast fillets
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup flour (I would add some salt)
peel from 1/4 orange, julienned (into 1/8-inch thick strips)

Prepare sauce by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sliced green onions. Add tomato sauce and water quickly before the garlic burns. Add sugar, chili garlic sauce and soy sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer 5 to 6 minutes or until sauce thickens, then turn off the heat.

Prepare the chicken by heating 1/2 cup oil in a wok over medium heat. Slice chicken breast fillets into bite-size pieces. Combine beaten egg with milk in a medium bowl. Pour the flour into another medium bowl.

Coat chicken pieces by dropping them into the flour a few at a time, then into the egg/milk mixture and back into the flour. Arrange coated chicken on a plate until all chicken is coated.

When oil in the wok is hot, add about half of the chicken to the oil and cook for a couple minutes or until brown on one side, then flip the chicken over. When chicken is golden brown, remove the pieces to a rack or paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When all of the chicken is cooked rinse the oil out of the wok with water and place it back on the stove to heat up.

When wok is hot again add julienned orange peel and chicken. Heat for 20 to 30 seconds or so, stirring gently. Add sauce to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir dish a couple times but do it gently so you don't knock the coating off the chicken. Cook until the sauce thickens then serve up the dish with white or brown rice on the side.

Gourmet Grilled Cheese

I got this recipe from my friend, Tam. So yummy, I had to share!

3 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

8 oz shredded colby-monterey jack cheese

3/4 tsp. garlic salt

french bread

2 T. butter

*In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, shredded cheese and garlic salt. Mix until smooth. Preheat large skillet over medium heat. Spread cheese mixture on slices of French Bread and top with other slices of bread. Butter both sides of the sandwich. Place sanwiches in skillet and grill until golden brown on each side.

Super Simple French Toast

Super Simple French Toast is what we enjoyed for Memorial Day breakfast.

Ingredients
Six Eggs
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
4 Tbsp Milk
10-12 slices of Bread


Garnish
Butter
Powdered Sugar
Maple Syrup

Crack six eggs into a dish big enough to place bread slices into,
add cinnamon, milk and beat.

Dip bread in egg mixture. Flip over and coat both sides.
Cook in a skillet on the stove or electric fry pan until one side is golden brown, flip over and cook other side to golden.Garnish and serve!

Crockpot Thai Chicken

4-6 Chicken Breasts
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp grated ginger root (I've only ever used ground ginger)

Combine above ingredients into crock pot. Cook 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on low

Serve over brown rice (cooked in coconut milk and or water)

Top with
fresh chopped cilantro
Chopped peanuts
Plain yogurt (on the side)

Chicken Enchilldas

This is a Tyler Florence (Food Network) recipie that I love. With Cinco De Mayo right around the corner this is a great way to start things out.

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

Directions

Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool.

Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute.

Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallions, sour cream and chopped tomatoes. Serve with Spanish rice and beans.

Handmade Ice Cream

This is one recipie the kids will love helping out with after dinner!

1 cup milk
1 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries or strawberries
1 quart sized Ziploc Bag
1 gallon sized Ziploc bag
Duct Tape
2 pounds crushed ice or ice cubes
1 cup coarse rock salt
1/2 cup water
Towel

In a medium bowl mix together milk, half-and-half, vanilla, and sugar. If adding fruit, mix all ingredients together in blender. Pour into a quart sized Ziploc bag. Squeeze out excess air and seal with duct tape. Put the quart sized bag into the gallon sized bag and fill the gallon bag with ice, salt and water. Squeeze excess air out of bag and seal with duct tape. Toss the bag up and down for about ten minutes. Use a hand towel to prevent hands from getting cold. When ice cream is frozen, rinse off the quart size bag and cut off a corner of the bag. Squeeze ice cream into a paper cup or bowl and enjoy! Makes a 1 1/2 cup serving.

For chocolate lovers, crush up your favorite candy bar and add a Tablespoon of Malt instead of the fruit.

Deviled Eggs

Now that you have eggs in a rainbow array of colors, it's a great time to whip up some deviled eggs. The most time consuming part is done, the eggs are cooked. Here's the way my mom taught me to make them, and there's never leftovers when these are on the table.

1 dozen hard boiled eggs
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 to 3/4 cup Miracle Whip
Salt and Pepper to taste

Peel eggs and pop yellow yolk out into a bowl. Mash yolks up until fine. Add mustard, some miracle whip, salt and pepper and mix until smooth and moist. You don't want a dry mixture so add more miracle whip if needed. Spoon mixture back into egg whites or pipe it in with a Ziploc baggie you've cut the tip off of. Enjoy.

Dyeing Easter Eggs

Who knew making your own dye for Easter eggs was so easy? My kids and I watched the simple tutorial on Activity TV together and had to give it a try. You can play around with your food coloring and come up with some real fun colors.

• hard boiled eggs
  
• vinegar (plain white)
• small bowls, cups or empty margarine containers
• water
• food color drops

Put one cup water in containers. Add 1-2 Tablespoons vinegar to each cup. Add 5 drops food coloring to the water. Lay newspaper below your work surface. Use a Tablespoon to put eggs in the dye and take them out. The longer you leave them in the darker the hue.

To mix things up a bit color with a crayon on the outside of the egg first, the dye won't stick where you have colored. You can also place small stickers on the eggs before dyeing then pull them off when the egg is dry, it will leave fun patterns.