a bunch of stuff we've eaten

 

I may or may not have recently had a birthday, and got some BEAUTIFUL flowers from my BFF.

I made Hambāgu but only followed the recipe loosely - used pork, didn't measure anything, no wine, lots more broth - and it was delicious.

We did not bad using up the zucchini from the garden.  We air fried these zucchini sticks - of course air fried is never as good as FRIED, but they were good.

 Also made some VERY delicious zucchini muffins that disappeared quite quickly. 

AND this very good loaf pan zucchini lasagne (although in our opinion, this is best fresh, not as leftovers)

We also made KFC Fried Chicken Rice but The Boy ate so much of the chicken that we really didn't have enough leftover for the recipe but we made it work.  So good.

I tried cooking a whole chicken in our air fryer and it was game changing - truly.  If you've been around a while you might know that I hate cooking "whole" things like chickens, turkeys and roasts because I'm afraid I will over or worse - under-cook them and ruin everything.  Cooking the chicken in the air fryer somehow made the process seem easier and it was a damn good chicken too.

We managed - barely - to get through all the peaches we bought, and we made 2 peach desserts - peach melba tart and peach crisp.

 

Best dessert lately was definitely these chocolate chip cookie bars.  Delicious!

tukey curry - with zucchini!

 Everything has zucchini in it right now.  

coconut turkey curry in a hurry

zuke bread

 There is a garden post coming up next, but here is the first recipe we made with our first zucchini from the garden.  It's a good basic bread, and is SO  good toasted.

 

 Zucchini bread

How to : Freeze Zucchini

I bought way too much zucchini which normally wouldn't be a problem, 

but we were getting ready to go away for a week. 

I didn't want to leave it in the fridge in case it spoiled 

while we were gone,  and there was no time left to eat it. 

 What to do? I froze it.

 I washed and cut the ends off the zukes, and cut them in half lengthwise

 to make sure they would fit in the food tube of my food processor. 

Then I shredded them.

I was ready to start portioning out the shredded veg, but since

 frozen veggies can sometimes be a bit mushy once thawed, 

I decided to squeeze out as much liqiud as I could before 

measuring out 1 cup portions into bags.

The little bags were loaded into large freezer bags and then placed gently in the freezer.

I haven't used any yet, but I'm thinking baking and soups will be good 

places to see how the zucchini stood up to freezing.

Big

Soooooo, one of the people that was at the birthday dinner for my sister in law was super impressed with the zucchini tots at dinner, so much so that as they traveled on to their next destination they told the Story of the Tots. The hostess, who knew the guest would be back my way (Confused yet? Too bad.) gave that person a present for me - a giant zucchini. 

A TEN AND A HALF POUND GIANT ZUCCHINI. 

I shall call her Tiny.

Side dishes and dessert

My In-laws (The Calgary Guys, as my boy calls them) were out camping in BC recently. To celebrate my Sister in Laws birthday I packed up a feast and hauled it out to them.

 In addition to steak and potatos I also took:

Coolio's Really? Corn Salad? Which was a huge hit.

I've made these Zucchini Tots a couple of times over the past weeks and just love them. I baked a triple batch for the dinner, and the few that were leftover were nibbled on with breakfast the next morning. You should try these.

I had a fancier cake in mind to try, but time was not permitting, so I went with a two layer cake iced with cream cheese icing, and topped with finely grated white chocolate. 

It's such a cliche to say, but oh my god, this summer, this Year, is just sailing by.  So few of the things I had planned for this summer have or will happen, but what can you do?

Zucchini Sticks with Hollandaise Sauce

I remember when I was a kid that my parents would have company over and sometimes my mom would make zucchini sticks with hollandaise sauce. I LIVED for these nights. Seriously, this dish would make it onto my last meal menu.

The zucchini sticks are basic - sliced zuke dunked in beaten egg, then tossed in seasoned flour and fried in an inch or 2 of oil until nice and brown. Drain briefly on paper towels so you don't burn your little mouth.

I make my hollandaise sauce from the recipe my Mom gave me, from Best of Bridge - here. The best, seriously.

If you're underweight and need to put on a few pounds fast, make up a big ole batch of this. If you're a pudge like me, make it once every 5 years and dream about it the rest of the time.

Zucchini and Tomato Frittata

The first frittata I made is written about here when I reviewed I Want My Dinner Now by Renee Pottle. I couldn't belive how easy it was to make, and we have made Renee's recipe for her Greek Frittata over and over this summer.

I have noticed lately that more food is coming into the house than is being eaten. I shop for specific meals, then at the last minute change my mind on what I want to make and go back to the store for more ingrediants. Our fridge and freezer are chock-full, and I've already mentioned the state of my pantry. The other night after work I was going to head to the store to pick up some stuff to make Renee's frittata. I decided that in order to start getting our kitchen situation under control I would just use what we already had at home. The result was this wonderful Zucchini and Tomato Frittata with Gouda Cheese.

Zucchini and Tomato Frittata
4 servings

1 small zucchini cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
1 garlic clove minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 tb minced red onion
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper
6 eggs
4 oz gouda cheese

Heat the oil in a meduim skillet and saute zucchini garlic and onion until tender. Add tomato and stir for one minute. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, basil, salt and pepper and 3 ounces of the cheese, shredded. Pour into the pan and reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook until the eggs are almost set, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile heat broiler. When the eggs are almost set, place pan under broiler until just turning golden, 2 minutes or so. Remove from oven and use a heat resistant spatula to loosen the eggs. Invert onto a serving plate and grate the last ounce of cheese over the top. Serve straight away.

PS - I have the most beautiful picture of the frittata, but Blogger won't let me add it. Blogger, you are getting on my last nerve. Is anyone else having trouble with Blogger? Got any advice?

Vegetarian Week DAY 3

This morning for breakfast I took the leftovers of my quesadilla to work. That quesadilla is actually a perfect breakfast food - you've got some bread, some fruit and cheese, what could be better?

Lunch was pretty boring - a bowl of vegetable soup and a piece of leftover cornbread. Tasty, but boring.

Our dinner tonight was another luscious affair. We had Grilled Corn, Zucchini "Fritters" and Wilted Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette. We've made these "fritters" a few times over the past couple of years. I am putting the quotes in because I think they're more like a pancake than a fritter, but still yummy spicy little pillows. Grilling corn is my favorite way to serve it. I don't think you need any butter or seasoning this way. This was the first time we've had this salad, but it won't be the last. We used feta cheese instead of goat cheese, and green olives instead of black, but it was delicious just the same.


Zucchini "Fritters"
this is originally from Gourmet Magazine, I believe.

5 tb olive oil
2-3 medium zucchini cut in 1/2" dice
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 tsp dried chile flakes, or to taste

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 to 1 cup milk

Heat 2 tb olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Saute zucchini garlic and chile flakes until zucchini starts to turn golden.

Meanwhile, whisk the flour through milk together in a large bowl. When the zucchini is done, add to the batter and mix well.

Wipe out pan, return to heat and add some of the remaining oil. Drop the batter by spoonfuls and cook until brown on both sides. Keep warm in a 200' oven while you cook the rest of the batter.

Serve plain or with butter or sour cream.


Wilted Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese Olives and Lemon Vinaigrette
from The New Best Recipe

Serves 4

5 oz baby spinach
3 tb olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh oregano leaves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tb lemon juice
2 oz goat cheese, cut in small chunks
6 black olives, sliced thin

Place the spinach in a large bowl. Cook the oil through sugar together in a small pan over medium heat until the shallots are softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and stir to mix. Pour the warm dressing over the spinach, toss to coat. Add the olives and cheese and toss again. Serve straight away.