Cooked Zucchini

We had my sisters and their husbands over on Sunday for dinner and games. It was a fun evening! I wanted to fry some zucchini, but my brother-in-law, John, can't eat a lot of protein. My parents always fried zucchini dipped in an egg mixture. So, the quest was on to find another way to cook/fry zucchini without using eggs. I came across this website with a video that shows how to cook zucchini.



Ingredients:
Zucchini, cut into slices about 1/4 inch thick
Olive Oil
Salt
Black pepper
Other seasonings and herbs (optional)

Directions:
Heat oil in a pan. Add zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings or herbs that you want. (Ryan was the one who cooked them, and he added rosemary.) Saute for about 5 minutes. Put on plate with paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Enjoy!

Sorry, I don't have a picture of these, but I do have the video above that you can watch. :) They were really tasty!

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots!

I had a bag of carrots and thought I'd find a recipe for some brown sugar glazed carrots. I've eaten them in restaurants before and wanted to see if I could make them! This is an easy recipe and it was pretty good! (I got the recipe HERE.) Try them! I'm sure you'll like them if you like carrots and brown sugar. :)

Ingredients:
16 ounces baby carrots (one small bag)
2 Tbsp. butter
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup water
dash salt
pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, combine the baby carrots with remaining ingredients. Stir to blend ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling (uncovered) for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until carrots are tender and the liquid has evaporated. Serves 4 to 6.

Sweet Carrots!

Green Bean Casserole

This is a really fast main- or side-dish. It can be made on the stove top or in the oven, which makes it versatile!


Ingredients
canned green beans*
cream of mushroom soup*
fried onions
black pepper, to taste
spices^ (optional)


Directions for stovetop
1. Combine green beans and soup in medium or large saucepan. Cook thoroughly on medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. Add pepper and other spices.
3. Add fried onions over casserole just before serving. -OR- Pour mixture in a baking dish, spread fried onions on top, and broil for 20-40 seconds to get crispier onions.

Directions for oven
1. Combine green beans, soup, and any spices in a bowl.
2. Pour into a baking dish.
3. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.
3. Five minutes before the planned baking stop time, pull out the casserole. Top with fried onions and bake for remainder of the time.


*The amount of beans and soup depending on how you like the consistency of your casserole. We made it with six cans of beans and three cans of soup (I think).

^Some spice options could include: onion powder, italian seasoning, garlic powder, and season salt. Use your imagination and nose to test out your favorite combinations! We made it with the pepper only.

Macaroni and Cheese (homemade!)

I am so spoiled with this homemade macaroni and cheese! I won't eat the boxed stuff anymore unless it was the last thing on the earth to eat. Haha! I don't remember where I got this recipe, but I started making it and I've enjoyed making it and eating it ever since! It's GOOD!!!

I usually make a little more than what the recipe says, but you can experiment and figure out what's good for you and your family and/or friends. I like to have leftovers to eat on other days. :)

6 oz. elbow macaroni (1 1/2 cups)
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup finely chopped onion (optional) -- (I use about 1-2 Tbsp. of minced onion instead.)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups sharp American cheese (or some other kind of cheese--I use Colby and Monterey Jack)

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain. In saucepan melt butter or margarine. If using onion, cook it in butter till tender but not brown. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk all at once; cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Add cubed (or shredded) cheese to sauce; stir till melted. Stir macaroni into cheese sauce. Turn mixture into a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered at 350 till heated through, 30-35 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Mmmmmmm...... :)

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Dressing

I've been trying to eat more fruit and veggies in my diet, so when I saw this salad, I thought it would be good to make! I've always loved green salads like this that have fruit in them, whether it be strawberries, grapes, cranberries, or whatever! I've been wanting to make a veggie-fruit salad, so I had to try this recipe! I found the recipe here. I made this for a family get-together with my family and they all loved it! The whole bowl was pretty much all gone by the time we were finished with dinner. This salad is so good that everyone got seconds. :)


Ingredients:
Spinach (torn into bite sized pieces)
Strawberries (sliced)
Feta Cheese
Sugar Slivered (or Sliced) Almonds**
The perfect dressing**

** = recipes down below


Sugar Slivered/Sliced Almonds:
Heat a frying pan. Add about 3/4 cup almonds and toast them. You don't need to add any oil since almonds have their own oil. Stir every 10-15 seconds so they don't burn. Once they start to toast, they will toast very quickly, so keep watching them! Once toasted, add sugar mixture:

1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp. of nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of salt

(Have the sugar mixture ready to go before you start toasting the almonds.)

Stir. And stir, and stir, and stir some more! (Go here to see pictures of what the almonds should look like.) Pour mixture on wax paper and spread it out. Let it cool. Break into little pieces and sprinkle on the salad.


Dressing:
1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced red onion

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend. The dressing will be thick, so it's best to use a spoon to drizzle it onto your salad rather than pouring it on.


I highly recommend this salad to anyone! It's a nice touch to any meal. :) Plus you add lots of fruit! Along with the strawberries, you can also add mandarin oranges (pictured above), dried cranberries, or any other fruit you like! I'm sure pineapple would taste good with it. :) ENJOY!!!