Zucchini Slice

What would I do without Tasty Kitchen? Here is yet another fantastic recipe I found on TK. It's a completely different way to use summer zucchini and it incorporates sweet potatoes. There are 6 eggs in this dish, so it's very thick and tastes somewhat like a quiche. I served it as a side  for dinner and then we ate the leftovers at breakfast the next day. It was great for both! 

Zucchini Slice
From Meech on Tasty Kitchen


Printable Version


Ingredients 
2 zucchini, grated
1 whole sweet potato, peeled and grated
1 onion, chopped fine
4 pieces of raw bacon, chopped fine
1/2 cup of cheese, grated
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Spoon into a greased baking dish and bake for 45 minutes or until set. It's best to use a small baking dish (such as the next one down from 9X13 pyrex) so the zucchini slice is thick. 


*Meech recommends drizzling sweet Thai chili sauce over this dish, I will have to try that next time!*

CSN Stores Giveaway Winner!

The moment you all have been waiting for has finally arrived! :) I used Random.org to calculate the winner of the $35 gift card to CSN Stores. I did type in 30 because 30 of you commented, but for some reason 100 keeps showing up as the max when I copy it. Anyway, this was the result:

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:4Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The fourth person to comment on the giveaway was Siggy Spice! 

Siggy Spice said...

all funds go to Le Cruset Dutch Oven ;)
I am already a follower

August 24, 2010 10:57 AM 

Congratulations to Siggy! I know you will enjoy ordering and receiving that Dutch Oven!  

Thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring the giveaway! And a big, huge thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway by leaving a comment. I also want to thank my family, friends, and fellow food bloggers for the support of my blog! It means so much to me when you comment or tell me you've tried a recipe! I hope to host another giveaway in the future, but until then keep checking back for new yummy recipes. 

Warm Caramelized Onion Dip

I was looking for a new appetizer to make when my family came to town so I scoured some of my favorite blogs. This caramelized onion dip from Elizabeth's Edible Experience jumped out at me. Hubby and I love onions and I thought that the combination of onion and cream cheese as a dip sounded yummy. It was a very good appetizer. Elizabeth wrote that it could also serve as a sandwich spread, so the next day I put it on barbecue chicken sandwiches. Woah, that was excellent, too. You're not going to have good breath after this appetizer, but it's worth it! :)

Warm Caramelized Onion Dip 
From Elizabeth's Edible Experience (adapted from Cooking Light)


Printable Version


Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups chopped onion (about 2 large onions)
1/2 cup light sour cream
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup (3 ounces) low fat cream cheese
1/3 cup reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, swirling pan to coat. Add chopped onion and saute for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes or until onions are a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. 

Remove onions from the heat. Add sour cream and the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, stirring until blended. Add the warm onions, mix to incorporate and until cheese melts. 

Serve with crostini, crackers, or as a sandwich topping. 

Breakfast Pizza

This breakfast pizza from A Cozy Kitchen is genius! I made it this weekend for my hubby and family that was visiting and everyone raved about it. I was a little nervous about the eggs, and although 2 of mine broke as I cracked them, it wasn't apparent because they got covered up with sliced mushrooms, bacon, freshly grated cheese, chopped parsley, and green onion. My husband declared that this was the best breakfast I have ever made, which is a big deal because I have made many, many breakfasts for us since it's my favorite meal. Make this pizza to impress guests or if you want something different for breakfast/brinner (breakfast for dinner!).

Breakfast Pizza
From A Cozy Kitchen -- Check out her site because she grilled her pizza instead of baking it! 


Printable Version


Ingredients
3 bacon strips, cooked
12 ounces pizza dough (I bought my pizza dough!)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
3 eggs
8 mushrooms, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon minced chives
3 strips of green onion, chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out and shape pizza dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Drizzle both sides with olive oil and set on baking stone. Crack the eggs onto the dough. Arrange mushrooms on pizza. Sprinkle cheese on top and add the pieces of bacon. 

Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Bake for 8 - 12 minutes. Check on the pizza after 5 minutes and rotate if necessary. When the crust is golden, the cheese is melted, and the egg yolks are cooked to medium, remove from the onion. Sprinkle parsley, chives, and green onions on top. Slice into pieces and serve. 

French Toast Bites

I made these super cute and very yummy french toast bites for the family girls' weekend I just hosted. They are very easy and a different way to serve up french toast. I loved how cinnamony they were. And yes I am aware that "cinnamony" is not a word, but it is very appropriate for these little guys.

French Toast Bites
From Crystal's Cozy Kitchen

Printable Version


Ingredients
6 slices of bread (use the ends of the loaf)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of milk
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Directions
Cut bread into bite-sized pieces. In a medium or large mixing bowl, beat eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar until combined. Toss the bread cubes into the egg mixture to coat. 

In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add coated bread cubes and cook until well done. If desired, melt more butter and toss bread to coat. Serve with maple syrup.

My First Giveaway!

I am so thrilled to announce my very first giveaway! CSN Stores is graciously helping me host a giveaway and the prize is a $35 gift card you can use for anything on their website. I was recently the winner of a gift card myself and had so much fun looking through their website. Here is just a sampling of what you could put your $35 towards:


A beautiful Dutch Oven

Or these cute Popsicle Molds (I scored these babies!)


Here's how you can enter to win:
Browse the CSN Stores Website and leave a comment telling me what you would pick out if you won. You will earn additional chances to win if you:
1) Become a follower of my blog (make sure you let me know!)
2) Post a link about this giveaway on my blog to your website or Facebook (inform me of this too!)


You can enter anytime before Sunday, August 29th at midnight (Eastern Time) I will announce the winner on Monday, August 30th.


Good luck and thanks to CSN Stores for sponsoring my first giveaway - yahoo!!

Bahama Mama

This weekend my Mom, Aunt Chris, and cousin Lindsey came to visit. I did a lot of cooking (with tons of help from them!) and a made a couple new drinks, including this Bahama Recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen from Steamy Kitchen. This drink is a vacation in a glass. So fruity and sweet and perfect for a girls' night! This recipe makes 6 drinks but you can modify it on Tasty Kitchen for whatever amount you want.

Bahama Mama
From Smitten Kitchen
Printable Version
**Makes 6 cocktails


Ingredients
1 cup dark rum
1 cup coconut rum
2 tablespoons vanilla flavored rum
1 1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 1/2 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons grenadine
Marashino cherries for garnish

Directions
Combine all ingredients and stir with crushed ice. Serve in individual cocktail glasses and garnish with a cherry. 

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms

I like making completely vegetarian meals a few times a week. The great thing about portobello mushrooms is that they are very meaty and grill beautifully. This recipe is a very basic way to marinate them. I marinated and grilled red bell peppers along side the shrooms and they made for a lovely combo, especially on a bed of baby arugula.

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms
Ashley's Cooking Adventures Original
Printable Version


Ingredients
4 portobello mushroom caps, cleaned
1 red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced
The zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon thyme (fresh is best, but I only had dried on hand)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Whisk together all ingredients and pour over the mushrooms and pepper strips. Allow to marinade for at least 2 hours. 

Grill for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve as desired - on a bed of lettuce, on a bun, or with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil and mozzarella. 

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Here is another healthy, yummy recipe I found at Food and Whine. The original recipe used raisins, but raisins are not allowed in granola bars at my house because my husband hates raisin. Sad. So instead, I used chocolate chips. These granola bars are healthy and taste like it - they definitely need chocolate chips or dried fruits to add in some moisture and pops of flavor. I ate mine with a smudge of peanut butter on top,  a banana on the side, and big ol' glass of skim milk. Snack perfection!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Modified from Food and Whine
Printable Version


Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 egg
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine apple sauce, maple syrup and egg. In a larger bowl combine dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and stir until fluffy and combined. 

Shape into bars and place on greased pan (I use cooking spray). **Note: You could also spread into a 9X13 pan and then cut into bars, probably easier that shaping and will make more bars than the measly 8 I got!!** Bake for 15 minutes and remove from pan immediately. 

Egg and Cheese Pudgy Pie

There was no doubt that eggs were going to be our camping adventure breakfast. I decided to try Egg Beaters instead of real eggs because I was worried about the eggs breaking in transit or during our canoeing adventure. I mean what if we tipped? The eggs would be ruined and what a shame that would be! Thankfully we didn't tip, but regardless the Egg Beaters were a good choice. I went with the Southwestern Flavor so it tasted like peppers and onion. I used croissants as the bread and loved how buttery and toasty they turned out. Too bad I can't use the pie iron at home or I would probably make this breakfast sandwich all the time!

Egg and Cheese Pudgy Pie

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 roll of croissants

1/2 carton of egg beaters.

mushrooms

Shredded cheese

Fire

Directions

Scramble egg beaters in a skillet and set aside. Grease pie iron with cooking spray and spread croissants down. 

Spoon eggs on the croissants, then add in your favorite ingredients -  we used mushrooms. Sprinkle cheese on top. 

Close iron and cook for 3 minutes on each side. Allow to cool before diving in!

Pizza Pudgy Pie

My husband and I went on our first true camping trip this weekend. We've "camped" one other time during a road trip in northern California, but the experience was really just sleeping in a tent - we pitched the tent, then left and went out to dinner! This time we took camping to an extreme (extreme for me - I'm more of a hotel girl!) because we canoed for 6 hours to the site and it was a rustic site. No running water, no bathroom, no electricity, no fire pit. Because this was hubby's chance to prove to me that camping is not only enjoyable, but something we can do again, we planned and prepped for several days before the camping expedition began. This preparation included going to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World for camping items I had no idea even existed...a traveling salt and pepper shaker, an LCD light to hook on our dog's collar, a dry bag, and the most important purchase: a double pie iron.


I faintly remember eating a fruit filled pie cooked over the fire at Girl Scout camp, but that was eons ago, so I consulted an experienced camper - my friend Kim who camps with her family.  Kim shared with me a Pudgy Pie link that showed how pudgy pies are made and includes recipes. By the way, pudgy pies are also called hobo pies or mountain pies - it seems that everyone has a different name for it! I decided on making pizzas in the double pie iron for dinner and they turned out pretty darn good for our first time. Kim warned me that we might burn the first couple pies because it's hard to gauge the temperature, but I took them off the fire after about 3 minutes on each side and they were cooked all the way through. They tasted great - like a grilled cheese pizza. One thing I learned as I went was that the sauce made the bread stick to the iron, so next time (yes, hubby passed the test and we had a really great time so there will definitely be a next time) I know to put the ingredients on the bread first and the sauce on top. 

Pizza Pudgy Pie
Printable Version


Ingredients
Bread
Tomato sauce
Your favorite pizza toppings - we used pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Butter
Double sided pie iron
Hot fire
Wilderness (optional)

Directions
Butter one side of the bread and put that side down facing the iron. Pile on the pizza toppings and put the sauce on last. Close the pie iron and place in the fire. Grill each side for about 3 minutes. Open up the iron and allow to cool before enjoying.

Custard with Caramelized Peaches

My friend, neighbor, workout buddy, and fellow food blogger Cheryl posted this recipe for custard on her blog a few weeks ago. I'd never made custard, but it looked and sounded delicious and since my Spanish Flan was all gone, it was time for a new dessert. Custard is very similar to pudding, but is thicker since it uses egg for the binding. I found this info LovetoKnow Recipes, a site that has a custard recipe for almost every letter of the alphabet. I had no idea there were so many custard possibilities! I didn't have a lot of blueberries, just enough for a few sprinkles, so decided to make caramelized peaches too. Caramelizing the peaches made them sweeter, softer and created a lovely peach syrup that was excellent drizzled over the custard and blueberries. 

Custard
Thanks Cheryl!

Printable Version


Ingredients
4 large eggs
1/4 cup 
4 cups half and half (Cheryl and I both used Fat Free and it was still deeelicious!)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
In a small bowl whisk together the eggs and the cornstarch, whisking until the cornstarch is completely absorbed. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the half and half. In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining half and half, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil. Whisk 1/4 cup of the boiling mixture into the eggs, then slowly pour all of the egg mixture back into the boiling half and half, whisking constantly. The mixture will become very thick. 

Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and butter. Transfer to a bowl and immediately press a piece of greased plastic wrap over the top of the cream to prevent a "skin" from forming. Top with fruit of your choice.

Caramelized Peaches from Real Simple Recipes
*Note: I cut this recipe in 1/2 because I only had 3 peaches!**
Printable Version

Ingredients
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 peaches, unpeeled

Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 9 X 13 baking dish, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of water. Place the dish in the heating oven until the butter melts (about 3 minutes). Remove from the oven and stir to combine.

Cut each peach in half and remove the pits. Arrange the peach halves in the dish cut side down. Roast until the peaches are tender, about 20 minutes. Once cool, slip the peach skins off and discard.