Zucchini Boats

Zucchini Boats from my Kitchen :)
4 medium zucchini
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 4 oz can of mushrooms
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
2 cups of spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup of Mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out the seeds.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the zucchini halves in the boiling water until slightly tender but still mostly firm, about 5 minutes; drain and pat dry with paper towels.

3.Preheat your oven's broiler. Place the zucchini on a broiler pan, hollowed-side facing up. Season each zucchini with the olive oil and pepper

4.Roast the zucchini under the broiler until sizzling, about 5 minutes; remove from oven. Decrease oven temperature to 350.

5. Begin by sauteing onion and mushrooms in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once veggies are tender brown the ground beef over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Season the meat with salt/pepper and Italian species.

6. In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, mushroom, chopped onion, bread crumbs, and egg. Place the meat mixture equally into all of the zucchini halves; mixture should be piled up over the top. Place the filled zucchini halves into the prepared baking dish.


3. Spoon the spaghetti sauce mixture over the filled zucchini, liberally. Sprinkle Parm and Mozzarella on top 15 minutes they are done cooking. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 45 minutes. You may want to place foil or a cookie sheet underneath the baking dish because it tends to bubble over and splash.

Leftover chicken Croquettes

Leftover chicken Croquettes
Ingredients
3 cups cooked, finely chopped chicken meat
1 1/2 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups sauteed chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions
1.In a large bowl combine the chicken, bread crumbs, 2 eggs and onion and mix well; if mixture is too dry to form patties, mix in another lightly beaten egg. Then add parsley, salt and pepper to taste, mix well and form into small patties.

2.Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and fry patties in oil until golden brown.

Review: I had to increase the egg by one and also omitted the salt due to the seasoning on the chicken. I loved it, it was simple yet filling. I also added 2tablespoons of Parmesan cheese!

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas

6 Tbsp honey
4.5 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 lb cooked chicken, shredded
flour tortillas
colby or monterey jack cheese, shredded
10 oz. can green enchilada sauce


Mix first 4 ingredients together and toss with shredded chicken. Let it "marinate" for at least a half hour. Pour some green enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 10x10 casserole dish or 9x13 pan. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and shredded cheese. Roll up and place seam side down in the dish. Pour the rest of the can of green enchilada sauce over enchiladas then sprinkle with more cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. (Put it under the broiler at the end to make the cheese brown and crispy on the top.)


Review: I used leftover chicken for this recipe. I allowed it to marinate a half hour before rolling it and then it sat there until the oven was warmed up. The marinade was very flavorful, the recipe was supper easy!

Family Dinner!

Tonight I had the honor of cooking for my Goddaughter and her family, here is what we served:

Pork Loin
Ingredients
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
3.Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

Strawberry and Spinach Salad


Baby Red Potato Salad

4 cups baby red potatoes, cut in small pieces
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 scallions, diced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced fat mayonnaise
salt and fresh pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, approx 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine red onion, green pepper, mustard, olive oil, vinegar and mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and let the flavors marinade while the potatoes cook. Once the potatoes are done and cool, mix into the bowl and add scallions and additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve room temperature or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ranch Potatoes
Ingredients:

¼ cup vegetable oil
1 packet (1 ounce) Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix

Instructions:
Place potatoes in a gallon-size Glad® Food Storage Bag and add oil; seal bag. Toss to coat. Add salad dressing mix and toss again until coated. Bake in ungreased baking pan at 450°F for 30 to 35 minutes or until potatoes are brown and crisp.

Three Bean Salad
Ingredients
1 (15 ounce) can green beans
1 pound wax beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 onion, sliced into thin rings
3/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Directions
1.Mix together green beans, wax beans, kidney beans, onion, sugar, vinegar, vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Let set in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

Sweets:
Resess Peanut Butter cup Bites

Cake Balls

chicken Lime Tacos

Chicken Lime Tacos

1 1/2 Lbs. chicken, cubed
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
4-5 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp fresh cilantro (or to taste)
Flour tortillas

Optional toppings:
Pico de gallo
cheese
onions
tomatoes
jalapeno
guacamole
cilantro
sour cream

Sauté chicken in a medium skillet in a little oil for a few minutes until chicken becomes white all around. Combine vinegar, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper, green onion, garlic and cilantro and add to chicken. Simmer for an extra 10-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Add chicken to tortillas and top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, avocado, cilantro, salsa, sour cream, or any other taco topping you
choose !

Reviwew: This was light, and simple to put together. This recipe also smelled great cooking.

Mandarin Chicken Recipe

Mandarin Chicken Recipe from here

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
vegetable oil or cooking spray
½ tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
Mandarin Sauce-
2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger (minced)
¼ cup water
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Pound chicken breasts with a mallet to an even thickness and season both sides with sugar, salt, and garlic powder. Grill chicken 4-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink inside. Remove from grill and cut into bit sized strips. Set aside.

Step 2: In a bowl combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic and ginger. Pour into a wok or sauce pan. Heat the mixture until almost at a boil. Combine cornstarch and water. Once the sauce starts to boil add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
Step 3: Add grilled chicken to the wok and coat with the sauce. Simmer until heated thoroughly.

Review: This reciepe was AMAZING!I cut abou 1/4cup of sugar. The sauce taasted great~

Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast

Herb-Crusted Pork Loin Roast from here
1 (2 lb) pork loin roast, with fat left on
1 Tbsp Sea Salt (or regular salt)
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary


Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place pork loin in a roasting pan.
Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture into the pork loin, covering all the meat and fat.
Roast the pork for about 15-20 minutes at 475 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees. Turn the roast over and roast for an additional 35-45 minutes (the original recipe said to use a meat thermometer and when the internal temperature reached 155 degrees, pull it out . . . but I don't have a meat thermometer, so I just kept checking by slicing into the middle of the roast and when it didn't look way pink anymore, I pulled it out. It had cooked for about 45 minutes at 350 when I felt mine was done).
Allow roast to sit for 20 minutes in the roast pan after you pull it out of the oven because it will continue to cook. Carve into pieces and serve!

Review: Overall this was simple and tasty.

Friday Fav's

Searching the internet this week I have found a lot of great meal inspirations! Check out the link above for more great meal ideas!

I can't wait to try out this recipe for Pancake cupcakes! or this recipe for German pancakes

Or this recipe for Chicken Lime Tacos

Have you ever had an In-n-Out Burger? If so try this recipe and let me know what you think! If not try it anyway In-n-out burgers are amazing! The only thing I am going to add is grilled onions!

This I will be trying soon,because I have a loin in the freezer!

This sounds GREAT!My family loves chicken Marsala and I love to use the crock pot so this is a win win for everyone!

Smothered Hamburger Steak with Mushroom & Onion Gravy

Smothered Hamburger Steak with Mushroom & Onion Gravy from A bloggable Life

recipe adapted from Southern Living Quick & Easy
•2 pounds ground round (fresh, not frozen)
•2 large eggs, lightly beaten
•1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs (plus more if needed)
•1 box (2 envelopes) Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Beefy Onion Soup & Dip Mix
•1 envelope (.87 ounces) McCormick® Brown Gravy Mix
•1 package (8 ounces) fresh button mushrooms, destemmed, wiped clean & sliced to 1/4 thickness
•1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
•2 tablespoons vegetable (or canola) oil
•3 cups water
•1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
•optional - table salt (to taste)


In a medium-sized mixing bowl, thoroughly combine fresh ground round, eggs, bread crumbs (using more or less as needed to bind patties), 1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Beefy Onion Soup & Dip Mix, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Shape mix into generous, palm-size patties (approximately 4" in diameter)---should yield approximately 7-8 patties. For safe handling of ground beef, check out this page on ground beef & food saftey from the USDA.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, until just browned. As patties are browned, remove each to an oversized baking dish (approximately 11"x15") sprayed with non-stick cooking spray; set pattie-filled baking dish aside and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. To still-warm skillet (with oil & meat juices), add mushrooms and onions; saute over medium heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove softened mushrooms and onions to a small bowl to cool. In same skillet, add remaining envelope of beefy onion soup & dip mix, plus single envelope of brown gravy mix, 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and stir into remaining oil until smooth. Immediately add 3 cups water and bring gravy mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. When gravy begins to boil, lower heat to a simmer and stir mixture occasionally---until gravy begins to thicken---about 3-5 minutes. As gravy thickens, add drained mushrooms and onions back into gravy mixture in skillet, stirring until combined. Pour mixture evenly over patties in baking dish, and place dish in preheated 325 degree F oven to warm through and finish cooking the patties, about 20-30 minutes or until patties register 160 degrees F with a meat thermometer.

While smothered hamburger steaks bake, cook desired amount of eggs noodle or rice according to package directions. Serve cooked, smothered hamburger patties atop egg noodles or rice (cook's choice) and pair with your favorite vegetable(s). Stored airtight, leftover patties can be kept in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

Yield: 6-8 smothered hamburger patties.

Review: These tasted great. The patties where moist and the gravy/sauce was very good. This is is a dish I will make again! Plus it was supper easy to put together

Enchilada Meatballs

Enchilada Meatbals from here
Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
2 cups crumbled cornbread
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce, divided
½ teaspoon salt
1½ pounds ground Turkey
1 (10 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided


Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine the cornbread, half of the enchilada sauce, half of the cheese, and the salt. Crumble the ground turkey into the mixture, and blend well using your hands. Shape meat into 1 inch balls, and place on a 10×15 inch jellyroll pan, or any cookie sheet with sides to catch the grease.

Bake for 18 to 22 minutes in the preheated oven, until the meat is cooked through.

While the meatballs are cooking, warm the tomato sauce and remaining enchilada sauce in a saucepan. Remove the meatballs from the pan using a slotted spoon, and place in a serving dish. Pour the heated sauce over them, and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top

Review: Supper easy and yummy!

Turkey Enchilada casserole

Turkey Enchilada casserole from here

Ingredients
1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Ground Turkey
1 cup chopped onions
1 (2-ounce) can chopped black olives
18 corn tortillas
1 (32-ounce) can enchilada sauce
4 cups (16-ounces) shredded Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese

Directions
1.Heat oven to 350F.
2. Sauté ground turkey with onions until cooked. (We added garlic and mushrooms)
3. Stir in olives.
4. Heat 1/2of enchilada sauce in small saucepan.
5. Heat 6 tortillas on stovetop or microwave.
6. Dip tortillas in sauce and line bottom of casserole dish.
7. Smooth 1/2 of meat mixture on tops of tortillas. Sprinkle with 1/3 of grated cheese.
8. Repeat second layer. End with remaining 6 tortillas and top with remaining sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until hot.

Here is another turkey Enchilda Casserole recipe.. or if your looking for beef click here

Review: simple and delicious! As mentioned above we added garlic and mushrooms.