Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt 
1  16 oz. pkg penne noodles (I used whole wheat)
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

 2 teaspoons dried basil
 2 teaspoons dried parsley
1  teaspoon  sugar
1/2  teaspoon  dried oregano
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.


Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer.  Add basil, parsley, sugar, oregano and pepper.  Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.


Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add about half of the cheeses to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the noodles.




Note:  We added 1 pound of browned, Italian sausage to the above.  It was yummy!  My kids loved this recipe.  Even the one who hates squash and zucchini....:)   It would be good with a parmesan crusted chicken too.  Good way to use those veggies!

Zucchini!

Came home from the family garden yesterday with lots of squash and zucchini and some beets.  Yum!  I love fresh veggies from the garden!

Zucchini Casserole


6 cups sliced zucchini
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 cup grated cheese
1 pkg. stove top stuffing


Boil zucchini, onion, and carrots together until soft and drain.  (I steam mine.)  Make stuffing according to directions.  Mix soup, sour cream, and cheese.  Layer half of the stuffing on bottom of greased 9X13.  Add veggies, then soup mixture and top with dressing.  Sprinkle with more cheese if ya want.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.


Rotisserie Chicken from Costco


Zucchini Orange Bread

4 eggs, well beaten
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil  ( I used applesauce)
2/3 cup orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
2 cups grated zucchini
3 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves

Beat eggs.  Add sugar, oil, juice, zest, and zucchini.  Mix well.  Combine dry ingredients and add to zucchini mixture.  Mix well.  Place in two greased 8x4 loaf pans.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool.

Glaze (optional):
1 cup powdered sugar
2-3 Tbl. orange juice

Drizzle over bread when cool.

Summer!

So...you think you will have more time in the summer.  Not so.  Crazy!  And almost over.  So I am trying to remember things that I have cooked this summer that we have loved.  Here goes:


4th of July Layered Drink 
Sobe Pina Colada, Gatorade Fruit Punch, G2 Blueberry-Pomegranate


Start with a full glass of ice.  (Use clear cups.)  Pour sobe slowly through the ice-about 1/3 of the glass full.  Then slowly add the fruit punch-another 1/3.  Add more ice if necessary.  Finish with the G2.  It looks so cool!  Everyone loved it.  It even tasted good too.  I wish I had a picture.  I will start taking pictures.  I just forget!


(sisters cafe) 

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Every Sunday, since the day we moved back to Kaysville, Dave and I have eaten Sunday dinners at either his parents, or my parents.  Well, Dave's parents left yesterday on a 3 month mission, and my parents went to Idaho for the weekend.  So we are on our own today.  Luckily, I got a text from Curt and Meg, during church-they had no where to go either.  So they came here and ate dinner with us.  We also had my cousin, Hailey, eat with us too.  Nothing too awesome, just the usual Sunday meal:  roast, potatoes and gravy, carrots, brown sugar muffins, salad.  My favorite part, of course, was the dessert.  Kind of a bit of work, but very worth it!


Old-Fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake
Our Best Bites (go there for pictures-OH MY)

Note: Don’t make the frosting until the cakes are cooled, and use the frosting as soon as it is ready.  If the frosting gets too stiff to spread easily, wrap the mixer bowl with a towel soaked in hot water and mix on low speed until the frosting is creamy and smooth.  Refrigerated leftover cake should sit at room temperature before serving until the frosting softens.

12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very soft, plus extra for greasing pans
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting pans
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsley chopped
1/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/2 cup hot water
1 3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs, plus 2 large egg yolks

Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9-inch round by 2 inch high cake pans with butter; dust pans with flour and knock out excess.  Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot water in medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water and stir with rubber spatula until chocolate ins melted, about 2 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup sugar to chocolate and stir until glossy, 1-2 minutes.  Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.  Combine buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl.  In bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds.  Add remaining 1 1/4 C sugar, increase speed to high, and whis until fluffy and lightened in color, 2-3 minutes.  Replace whisk with paddle attachment.  Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30-45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed.  Add softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition.  Add about 1/3 of flour mixture; followed by half of buttermilk mixture mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds.)   Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated.) Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds.  Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.  Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula.

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25-30minutes.  Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack.  Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45-60 minutes.



Old-Fashioned Chocolate Frosting
Our Best Bites

16 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used 12 oz semi sweet and 4 oz milk chocolate chips)
8 Tbs (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp table salt
1 1/4 cups cold heavy cream

Melt Chocolate in heatproof bowl set over a saucepan containing 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.  Remove from heat and set aside.  Meanwhile, heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted.  Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and stir with heatproof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, 4-5 minutes.  Add melted chocolate, butter mixture, and cream to clean bowl of stand mixer and stir to thoroughly combine.
Place mixer bowl over ice bath and stir mixture constantly with rubber spatula until frosting is thick and just beginning to harden against sides of bowl, 1-2 minutes (frosting should be 70 degrees).  Place bowl on stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Stir with rubber spatula until completely smooth.  *If you find after beating, your frosting is still too soft for your liking, try chilling in the fridge until it sets up a little more.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

This was the busiest week of the year for me!  So...I didn't cook "real" food.  It was anything fast and anything you could find.

I did make this on Thursday night, on our way out the door to another soccer game.  It was so good!  Everyone either really loved it...or really just missed real food!  Here goes:

Pica Dio Tacos
(This is adapted a tiny bit, from my good friend, Myla's recipe!)

1 lb. ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion (I only use about one Tbl)
2 cloves garlic

Brown and saute.  Mix in the following:

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes
2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp cumin
4 Tbl cilantro

Simmer until thickened.  Serve on flour tortillas, sour cream and lettuce.

So yummy!


This was Saturday's rainy day dinner.  This was so good too.  The kids kept saying how good it was.
Herbed Turkey Burgers
(Pink Parsley)
makes 4 burgers

1 Tbs olive oil, divided
3 Tbs finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely chopped green peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp minced fresh thyme (1/4 tsp dried)
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (1/2 tsp. dried)
2 tsp minced fresh sage (1/2 tsp. dried)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 slices Havarti cheese (I used swiss)

For serving, tomato slices, onion, lettuce, and buns
Prepare grill for cooking over medium high heat.

In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and green pepper and cook until soft and transluscent, about 3-5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large bowl combine the turkey, onions, peppers and garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, rosemary, sage, mustard, and red pepper flakes.

Shape the meat into 4 equal-sized patties.

Oil the grill and cook the burgers 4-6 minutes per side, or until they are evenly browned and cooked through.  Add a cheese slice to each burger, close the grill, and cook just until the cheese has melted.  Toast the buns if desired.  Serve with lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Back tracking!

May is a very busy month!  I am ready for it to be over!  Too much craziness!  Dance competitions, soccer games, then just the normal soccer practices, dance classes and me teaching.  Then the volunteer hours for school-rendezvous, decathalon, field trips, church stuff, school projects, homework, etc. etc.  Ahhhhh!  Too much!  I'm done!   But...with all the madness...we still need to eat!


So...meals this week:



Mango Quinoa Salad
(Our Best Bites)


Disclaimer:  Never had (keen-wah) before.  Wanted to try it.  This is so good!  Dave thought it tasted like couscous.  But I don't think so.  I served this over chicken.  I took some frozen chicken tenders, poured teriyaki sauce over the top, and let them marinate for about an hour.  Then I  heated up my electric fry pan, with a little bit of EVOO  and let them cook.  Really good and really healthy!  Must try! 


2 cups cooked quinoa* at room temperature, or chilled
1 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium mango, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 handful chopped cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper


*Quinoa can be cooked in water or broth.  I suggest using vegetable or chicken broth for enhanced flavor, but plain water works great too.


Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl.  Add mango, red pepper, green onion, black beans, and cilantro.  In a small bowl combine vinegar, olive oil, and lime juice.  Whisk until smooth and pour on top of salad.  Toss to combine and add salt and pepper to taste.  Chill for at least one hour before serving.









Baked Chicken-Bacon Alfredo
Recipe by Our Best Bites


8 oz. penne or bowtie pasta
1 recipe Guiltless Alfredo Sauce (1 16-oz. jar would work in a pinch)
2 chicken breasts, grilled and chopped (about 2 c. chopped chicken)
6 oz. (1/2 package) cooked bacon, chopped
1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/2 c. chopped green onions (about 1 decent-sized bunch)
1 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Prepare pasta according to package directions.
While pasta is cooking, prepare Guiltless Alfredo sauce (below).  When pasta is done, drain and add to the sauce. Toss with chopped chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, green onions, and 1/2 c. mozzarella. Season to taste.
Transfer mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.



Guiltless Alfredo Sauce

2 C low-fat milk
1/3 C (3 oz) low fat cream cheese
2 T flour
1 t salt
1 T butter
3 garlic cloves
1 C grated Parmesan cheese

Toss the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender.


Process until smooth and set aside.
In a non-stick sauce pan, melt butter on med-high heat and add garlic.  Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds, you don’t want to burn it.

Then add milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.

When it’s nice and thickened remove the pan from the heat. Add the cheese, stir it up and then cover immediately. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Also, if you have leftovers in the fridge, the sauce will thicken almost into a solid. Just re-heat and add a little milk and it will be back to normal again.

Potato Soup
This recipe can be found in 'This & That" cookbook.  It's my kids favorite!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

My family loves breakfast!  We all look forward to Sunday mornings, when church is a little later, and mom can make a big, yummy breakfast!  Today was stake conference, so last night, at 11:00 p.m., I threw this all together.  So glad we did it!  It was so good!  


Overnight Blueberry French Toast




1 loaf french bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup fresh blueberries
12 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon butter
Directions


Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange half the bread cubes in the dish, and top with cream cheese cubes. Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the cream cheese, and top with remaining bread cubes.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and syrup. Pour over the bread cubes. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the bread cube mixture from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 30 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking 25 to 30 minutes, until center is firm and surface is lightly browned.
In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in the remaining 1 cup blueberries. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, until the blueberries burst. Stir in the butter, and pour over the baked French toast.