3 Quarters Today

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Tis the Season, for Fried Zucchini

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Soon your neighbors will be trying to pawn excess zucchini off on whomever will be gullible enough to say yes.  My husband loves fried zucchini and would eat it  every night. For me, I’m still learning to like it and wanting a few more ways to use this abundant vegetable that will stretch our food budget. It’s part of the squash family which I’m really trying to like.

This years first zucchini actually came from the produce stand in the parking lot at work.

Fried Zucchini Recipe

Fried Zucchini is simple to make, it’s stopping that is the hard part.

Ingredients:

  • Flour
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Vegetable Oil (1/8-1/4 inch in frying pan)
  • Salt (I use ground sea salt)
  • Pepper (again freshly ground is best)
Directions:
  1. Slice into 1/8″ slices
  2. Mix cup of milk and one egg
  3. Soak slices in milk mixture for 30 minutes (flour sticks better)
  4. Dip slices in flour and coat well.
  5. Heat oil on medium high. Check temperature by sprinkling a “dusting” of flour in oil. If it sizzles oil is ready.
  6. Place coated flour pieces in oil and cook until underside is lightly brown.
  7. Season with salt and pepper before turning.
  8. Turn and brown.
  9. Drain in paper towels
  10. Eat and enjoy

I’m all about fast and easy so when I’m slicing a lot for the freezer I use a mandolin slicer for my veggies. Comes in handy for pickles, squash, and of course zucchini.

HomeNative® Adjustable Mandoline Slicer (Orange) – Comes with 4 Interchangeable Stainless Steel Blades – Vegetable Cutter, Peeler, Slicer, Grater and Julienne Slicer all in 1 – Plus 3 Bonus Gifts:

Last year I sliced and froze zucchini to put in soups which really added color and texture to my soups. I’ll probably try the old stand by, zucchini bread and muffins, but those get tiring after a while. I found the following zucchini recipes which sound very interesting and a little different. This may be a new segment, my zucchini adventure, so stay tuned for more recipes.

I do want to try and make zucchini spaghetti out of spirals, from what I’ve heard you just have to quickly dip the veggie noodles in boiling water, then top with pasta sauce.  A lot of people eat them raw, but first I need to get a spiral slicer.

Spiral Slicer Spiralizer Complete Bundle – Vegetable Cutter – Zucchini Pasta Noodle Spaghetti Maker

BTW, my husband said I he will be frying zucchini every night, so I WON’T have enough to pickle etc…soooo neighbors and friends bring me your large green veggies, and I’ll share my cooking experiments. Below are a few I’m going to try.

Pickled Zucchini-refrigerator variety
Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles-cooked and canned
Breaded Zucchini Fries
Fried Zucchini Patties

Zucchini Recipe Books

The Last Zucchini Cookie: Customizable Zucchini Cookie Recipes andEverything Zucchini Recipes Cookbook: Zucchini Breads, Muffins, Main Dishes,Fast And Easy Zucchini RecipesZucchini – The Ultimate Recipe GuideSpiralizer Cookbook: Top 49 Veggie Friendly Spiralizer Recipes-From SweetZucchini Recipes: A Collection of Raw Food Recipes

More Healthy Zucchini Recipes

Top 5 Reasons to Eat a Plant-Based Diet

Eating more plants and less meat is becoming more popular than ever thanks to ex-presidents, celebrities, best-selling books, and movies such as Forks Over Knives. While vegetarian and vegan diets are defined by what they exclude, a plant-based diet is …

Zucchini Recipes – Healthy Recipes | HGTV Design …

Substitute your carbohydrates for something healthier and straight from the garden, like these guilt-free zucchini recipes.

25 Gluten & Sugar- Free Zucchini Recipes – Sugar-Free Mom

… {No Sugar Added} · Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters · « · ». Filed Under: gluten free, low carb, sides Tagged With: clean eating zucchini recipes, gluten free zucchini recipes, healthy zucchini recipes, sugar free zucchini recipes …

Quick Zucchini Recipes, Healthy Zucchini Cookie Bars

Zucchini: the bane and blessing of many a home gardener. They grow in such prolific quantities that it practically takes a village to consume all the bounty. Okay, perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Healthy recipes | Zucchini recipes healthy, Healthy recipes

Are Zucchini recipes healthy if I am a diabetic and eat chips alongside? Are Zucchini recipes healthy if I eat hidden calories as well?

Easy healthy zucchini recipes – Healthyappetizers

Tags: easy zucchini recipes, healthy recipes with zucchini, healthy zucchini recipes, stuffed zucchini recipes zucchini, zucchini bread recipe courtesy, zucchini bread recipes fried. By nguyenquangbach|Website|Other Articles …

 

Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

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Chicken Stir Fry
Chinese Chicken Stir Fry

I love Chinese food, yet I don’t get a chance to eat it as much as I would like. We live about 30 minutes from Omaha and Lincoln and although it’s not far, we just don’t eat out very much. I do make a mean stir fry at home though and it’s not that it’s hard to make.

By the way the chopsticks above were given to me by my oldest Marine son for Christmas, he made a thrift store run and found amazing presents that fit everyone’s interest and taste. I LOVE these bamboo chopsticks!

I use a wok, but before I had a wok I used a cast iron skillet, the same with the sesame oil and wok oil, it does add a certain flavor, but if you don’t have it leave it out.

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken breasts, cubed, or in strips
  • Bag of frozen Chinese vegetables (or combination of green peppers, shredded carrots, broccoli, etc)
  • 2 TBSP Sesame oil
  • 2 TBSP Wok oil
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
  • Jar of water chestnuts
  • 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Dorothy Lynch Salad dressing (or catalina style)
  • 2 TBSP Cornstarch (or flour)
  • Cooked Rice

Directions

  1. Preheat oils in wok pan, when hot add onions and cubed chicken
  2. Cook till chicken is cooked throughout.
  3. Push chicken and onions to sides of wok, add vegetables and push on the side
  4. Add 1/2 cup water, salad dressing and soy sauce
  5. Cover and bring liquid to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
  6. Steam vegetables to desired tenderness
  7. Mix 1/4 cup water with cornstarch, add to simmering liquid in middle of wok. Sauce will thicken
  8. Mix all ingredients in sauce, remove from heat.
  9. Serve over cooked rice

Eat and enjoy!

Simple Apple Tarts

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As I was cleaning out my refrigerator I found some sad, wrinkled apples. Me being me, and not being fond of wasting food I decided to make these apples into a dessert. There wasn’t enough for an apple pie so I scoured my cupboard and found a few silicon baking tart pans.

Apple Tart Recipe

My make do Apple Tart recipe is very easy. Had to be, I was short on time and was feeling lazy. Pyrex glass bowls work just as well for this, I just didn’t have a matching set. Yes it’s all about taking the food photos I tell my husband as he rolls his eyes. 

Ingredients

  • 1 apple per tart (any kind you have around)
  • Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg, white sugar (to tell you the truth I didn’t measure, geee surprise)
  • 1 TBSP Flour  per tart
  • Butter (1 TBSP per tart) GOTTA have real butter
Pie Crust (I do measure on this)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled (again, gotta have REAL butter)
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1/3 cup ice water

Instructions (Filling)

  1. Slice one apple per tart directly into baking dish
  2. Mix flour, sugar and spices together
  3. Sprinkle liberally on apples
  4. Place a pat of butter on apples
  5. Cut out rolled pie crust and place on apples, cut vent holes in crust.
  6. Brush with butter or egg whites (which I forgot, but it makes the end result look pretty)
  7. Bake on cookie sheet in 350 oven for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown

Directions  for Pie Crust (taken from Allrecipes, red edits on what I really did)

  1. Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. (I used a plain bowl) Cut butter or margarine or butter and shortening into tablespoon pieces; add it to the flour and butter. Use the paddle beater (fork) to cut the butter and flour together. Alternatively, this can be done by hand with a pastry blender. ( I used to have one)
  2. With the mixer on low speed , or while stirring the mixture with a fork, pour in the cold water. When the dough starts to clump, and before it turns into a ball, stop stirring.
  3. Lightly knead (mix and mash with hands)  dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk, and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling (didn’t do that, just put out on floured counter and rolled with my Pampered Chef Roller).
Almost forgot the end result. Eat and enjoy
Apple Pie Tart

Day 206/365: Garlic and Parsley New Potatoes

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Garlic New Potatoes
Garlic New Potatoes

Produce Stand Recipe #1 (Nelson Produce Stand, Omaha NE)

I love new potatoes, they are so much more tender and fresh than those Russets that sit in burlap bags and plastic sacks in the store. The skin on new potatoes are clean, tender, and delicious.

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Red new potatoes
  • 1- 2 cloves fresh garlic
  • 4 TBSP Butter
  • 1 TBSP dried parsley
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Cut potatoes into 2-4 pieces depending on size
  2. Cover with water in a small sauce pan
  3. Crush 1-2 cloves of garlic into water
  4. Boil until tender. Drain (can save potato water for soup stock)
  5. Add butter to taste, I like butter so I used a lot. Sprinkle with parsley.
  6. Cover and let flavors meld together

 

Day 13/365: Christmas Cookies

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Cookie baking is over for the season. They are ready to ship and distribute. Tried a few new recipes, one I will definitely keep is the Molasses Spice Sugar Cookies. Wow! They are  delicious, especially dunked in milk. Recipe will be following, so subscribe to the RSS feed at the top and it will be arriving shortly.

Couldn’t decide on one picture today, so here are two.

Day 13/365: Christmas Cookies, Ready to Ship
Day 13/365: Getting the tins ready