Zucchini Pickles, Anyone?

Here is a fabulous recipe that uses up that lovely garden veggie that we all need to use up because it is so prolific that we can't give it away because everyone else is trying to do that too. (More than once I've left church to find a torpedo-sized zucchini lying on the hood of my car. Thanks a bunch, whoever you are.)

Spicy, sweet, tangy goodness that goes well with...well, everything! (Except maybe ice cream...unless you're pregnant, and there ya go.)

Simple recipe, simple process, great return for minimal effort. My kinda eats! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

Check out the recipe here at Cooking Light. Yum!

Popovers

These beauties are delicious with a schmear of butter and a drizzle of honey, or some jam, or just by themselves. They are hollow inside and will deflate some after you take them out of the oven.

One of the secrets to the big "pop" in popovers is the pan. It is specially designed to allow for maximum heat to get around the batter and cook all of the popovers equally at the same time. I've tried making them other ways, but they just don't bake up as nicely. The pans can be pricey, but they are so worth it!

The other secret is having a hot oven. You need to preheat the oven before prepping the pan and making the batter, so it will be really hot and ready when you put the pan inside.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

 4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups skim milk
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Heat oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter and flour your pan. This step is important to facilitate the popovers climbing up the sides of the cups as they bake. Take your time and do a good job with this. Smear a light coat of butter all around and on the top rims and then put a teaspoon or so of flour in each cup and pat the pan around to coat the butter layer with a dusting of flour. Smack the extra out in the garbage or in the yard. :)

Put all the ingredients in your blender and give it a whirl, only until mixed. Many have warned that over mixing interferes with the rise. I have not mixed for minutes at a time, but I do give it a whirl, scrape the blender to make sure all the flour is mixed, then blend it until it is mixed well (5-10 seconds or so).

Pour evenly into prepared pan and bake at 450 degrees for 10-20 minutes, until popovers have risen well. Look through your oven window instead of opening the door. That definitely can effect the rise.

Once they have popped well and are getting pretty brown, reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 10-15 more minutes, until nicely browned (see picture). If they start to get too dark on some of the high points (without being evenly browned), place a sheet of foil over the top of them (just stick in on top, no need to crimp it).

When you take them out of the oven, carefully remove them immediately and enjoy while hot. They are still good when they cool, but taste best right out of the oven (and come out of the pan easier, too).

Cinnamon-y Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Yes, there was twice as much in the dish when it came out of the oven, but it disappeared before I could take a picture. It is that good.

Usually, I am not fond of bread pudding; it's a texture thing, for me. But this recipe is an exception.

Full of cinnamon and pecans and pumpkin, it smells like autumn while it is baking. I love this time of year, so I was happy to pop this in the oven and give it a go.

You can use whatever bread you like (stale bread works best), and leave out the nuts, or add whatever dried fruit you like. It is easily customizable. And a cinch to double or triple, if needed.

Hope you like it! Please let me know, if you do!

Ingredients

1/2 loaf of whole wheat French bread, cubed
3/4 cup of pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup of butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (whatever kind you like)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, placing rack in center of oven.

Fill a 11x9 baking dish to the top with bread cubes, and then empty them into a separate bowl. (This way, you will have the exact amount of cubes that fit your dish and you won't waste any once they are covered with the filling.) Spray the baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together everything except the bread cubes. Then add bread cubes and fold to combine well, making sure all cubes are well coated.

Pour into prepared dish and use spatula to spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm but springy when top is lightly pressed.

Good by itself, or with a light drizzle of caramel syrup!

Enjoy!

Breakfast Pizza

Upon hearing "Breakfast Pizza," maybe you are thinking of the dessert kind that is on a pizza bar, which  is mostly just canned pie filling with some icing.

This is very different.

If you avoid eggs, you can leave them off; but in my humble opinion, they are the star of this pizza. (Unless you make homemade pizza dough, then the dough would definitely trump them.)

But, as my friend, Jessica, at Redeeming the Home said, I am trying to keep things simple. So I bought a 1 lb bag of fresh pizza dough at Walmart for $0.79.

The resulting pie was hearty and filling, but in a light way. I know that doesn't make sense, but it's true. Ever eat something that is really good, but it feels so heavy after you eat it that you think you are full of play dough or something similar?

This pie is not like that, at all.



Anyway, if you decide to try it, please tell me what you think. And let me know how you tweak it, if you do!

Ingredients

• 1 lb pizza dough
• 3 large eggs
• 2 slices thick-cut bacon, cooked and roughly chopped (optional)
• 4-6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)
• fresh chives and/or chopped green onions, for garnish (optional)
• whatever else you think would be good (I added artichoke hearts in the picture above)
•  black pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out dough on a pizza stone, or a baking sheet lined with parchment. Sprinkle dough with cheeses and the bacon (if using).

Crack the eggs, one at a time, right onto the pizza dough, spacing out somewhat like a triangle. If you want to be sure your egg yolks are mostly hard-cooked, pierce them with a paring knife.

Arrange the cherry tomatoes on the pizza, cut side up, and then sprinkle the garlic powder on everything, and add some cracked pepper, to taste. (I don't recommend salt, as the Parmesan is pretty salty.)

Bake until crust is browned and eggs are set. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Great with a side of fresh fruit, like strawberries or cantaloupe slices.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken Thighs

Yes, this recipe is amazing. No, I didn't take a picture. It wasn't just my camera this time, I was distracted. We had our son's ballgame to go to, so I just forgot. Boo, me. But, yay recipe!


The biggest tip I can give for this recipe, which I think I have said before, is know your slow cooker. Mine turns things to black charcoal after 4 hours on low, so I don't do all-day cooking. If yours cooks more gently, then this dish can go for 6-7 hours.

Chicken thighs hold up well to long cooking, and these are delicious. All my kids love BBQ chicken, and they told me this is the best they've ever tasted.


Ingredients

• 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
• Generous 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric or 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 gallon-size baggie
•  Olive Oil

Directions 

Set crock pot on low, and coat bottom of crock with a layer of BBQ sauce.

Heat skillet (I used my cast iron one) on medium-high, add tablespoon or so of olive oil to coat the bottom. You just want to brown the chicken, not deep fry it. :-)

Mix garlic powder, turmeric (or dry mustard), salt and pepper in baggie. Add chicken thighs and squish around to coat well with flour mixture.

Add thighs to skillet, not crowding (I did 6 at a time), and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, to brown well. Add to crock pot.

Once all chicken is browned and added to crock pot (overlapping is fine), drizzle more sauce over the top, just to coat well. No need to stir thighs around.

Cover and cook for 4-7 hours, depending on your individual crock pot. Scoop out the chicken thighs and arrange on a platter, for serving. Just know that they cool down quickly.

I served these with grilled baby potatoes, and marinated veggie salad.

Yum!

Marinated Veggie Salad

This is a great way to use up veggies in your fridge. And it could not be a more simple recipe.

Are you ready?

Ingredients

• Your favorite veggies
• 1 bottle of your favorite Italian dressing

Directions

Cut up veggies in bite-size pieces.
Place in glass or clear plastic container.
Pour bottle of salad dressing over veggies (they will be drowned in it).

Stir well.

Cover and place in fridge for at least 2 hours, to allow veggies to marinate. Stir occasionally to re-coat veggies, because dressing sinks to bottom.

Eat!

This is wonderful for a lunch meal, and it also goes great with a BBQ dinner, or something else rich that needs a crunchy/tangy dish to balance it out.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I know, I know . . . this clip art is lame. Not nearly as appetizing as my actual recipe photo would be. (Not appetizing at all, really). But, alas, I need a new camera.

Anyway, if you like Chinese food, I think you will like this recipe. It is yummy, and much cheaper than take-out; plus it's easy to make once you get everything cut up. I served this over Jasmine rice, which is a larger grain white rice that cooks up moist. Good eats!

Ingredients

• 1 - 2 lbs chicken breasts or tenderloins, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 bottle French or Catalina dressing
• 1 small can crushed pineapple
• 1 green or red pepper, julienned
• 1/2 medium sweet or red onion, sliced thin
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• salt & pepper, to taste
• slivered almonds (optional)
• crushed red pepper (optional)
• Olive oil

Directions

Heat wok or heavy skillet on high  (I used my big cast iron one) and add a couple tablespoons of oil. When it shimmers, add the pepper and onion, salt and pepper, and cook and stir for 3 minutes.

Then add chicken and garlic, and cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.Turn down to medium high, if browning too quickly.

Next comes the "to-taste" portion of the recipe. With heat at medium, you will mix in the dressing and pineapple. I drizzled enough dressing to coat everything well, plus a little extra for sauce on the rice. I also added two big tablespoons of the crushed pineapple. You can add whatever amounts you like, just do it little by little, and taste after each addition, until it is where you like it.

You will only need to cook this for a couple minutes, to thicken everything well. Then serve over rice (and sprinkle with the almonds, and/or crushed red pepper, if desired) and eat up!

(Makes moderate portions for six. It's easy to double, though!)