Zucchini Cakes

This is super easy so here it goes!  Grate up one large zucchini and really pat out the water in it or it will not stick together to form your cakes.  After it is good and dry add one cup of freshly, grated Parmesan cheese.

Then add 1 cup of bread crumbs,

Each of these, to your particular taste:  salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder

Add two beaten eggs, then mix it together and make 'cakes' out of the mixture.  I made a ball a little smaller than the size of my palm and placed it in a hot pan with  two Tablespoons of olive oil and mashed it flat.  Cook on each side until brown and then turn to low and let simmer in the pan so that the cheese melts and the zucchini softens.

 

These little puppies were fabulous!  I served them with baked chicken, corn on the cob, and fresh tomatoes from my garden.  It was such a tasty dish and I think it is because it is so simple and the flavors are not overwhelmed.  

Note of Sarcasm:  It's so awesome to have no left overs when you cook something so tasty!

Spicy Chicken and Shrimp Penne

Put your water on to boil and cook your penne as directed!

As you may have noticed if you follow my blog at all, I cook by taste and not much by measurements.  So I will do my best to add those here as it is necessary for this dish.  Take 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes or 8 sun dried tomatoes, 3-4 chopped green onions, 3 cloves of chopped garlic, and place in a sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground pepper, and 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of red pepper depending on how spicy you want it.

Once you have sauted the veggies, add a 12 oz can of evaporated milk and the above secret ingredient, Santa Fe Blend Philadelphia cooking cream.  Blend constantly until the cream is melted over a medium low heat.

 

It should look like this!  YUMMY.  Next, you want to add 2 cups of Mexican Style shredded cheese and not until it is melted do you add your meat.

I cheated, (sarcasm note:  and I feel so guilty about it) I added a bag of precooked chicken breasts and diced it up after the cheese was melted and BEFORE the sauce began to thicken.

I also bought precooked shrimp for my seafood loving boys and they added it accordingly to the final dish.

When the sauce begins to thicken, turn it off and get ready to serve over your penne pasta and a beautiful salad.

It NEVER fails, every time I plate a meal and want to take a picture for blog, some BOY takes it and begins to eat.  So you will have to just take my word for it, this is a beautiful and colorful dish!

Buffalo Chicken Bites-so worth cooking!

First of all, I cheated and I don't care!  I took a preroasted chicken from walmart and removed all the meat and chopped it up into VERY small pieces.

Then you add 1/2 cup of your favorite hot sauce and the temp you desire.  I used my home made but it really does not matter the choice as long as you love the taste!

Next add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped green onions based on your desire

**Sarcasm Note is going right here!  These are good because of the chicken, not the cheese! But go ahead and add 1 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese and 3 1/2 oz of cream cheese softened.

Roll the mixture into bite sized balls on a greased cookie and stick them in the freezer while you clean up that mess and prepare the following:  2 eggs beaten, 3 cups corn flakes crushed and 1 cup flour.  Your chicken bites should be cold, not frozen.  Roll them in the flour, then egg and last in the corn flakes.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 - 30 minutes and you can serve hot, or cold, plain for with ranch or hotsauce.  But remember they are great alone too!~I just want you to know, I made these bite sized and after rolling them in the outer mixture it seriously increased their size

 

 

 

 

Easy Peach Cobbler

You will need 4 cups fresh peaches, combined with 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1/3 cup of brown sugar in a sauce pan on a low heat until a syrup forms in the bottom.  I usually  stir/mash them to create some natural juices from the peaches

While the peaches are on LOW HEAT, cream 1 cup softened butter with 2 cups sugar and then, with 2 cups of SELF RISING FLOUR.  If you do not have self rising flour just sift together 2 cups all purpose flour with  2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder with 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Now add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons of vanilla and check on those peaches!

When your peaches are softened and yo have a little syrup at the bottom place them in a greased pan of choice.  Then having thoroughly mixed batter, smooth it over the top of the peaches and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown..  This 'crust' is almost like cake versus a flaky crust you get using premade pie crust.  But it is easy, tasty and you will almost always have the ingredients in your kitchen!
**Sarcasm Note I have so much energy I think I'll make two of these!

Balsamic Garlic Pork Tenderloin

This is so easy and really good!

 So obviously, you need 4-5 cloves of garlic and your favorite balsamic  vinegar

Then 2 teaspoons of coarse salt, 2 teaspoons of freshly ground 

    pepper and 2 T. of olive oil.

  Start by spraying a skillet with oil & browning the tenderloin on all sides

After you brown your tenderloin, combine the minced garlic, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar and coat it up!

Place it in the oven for  30 minutes at 325 degrees.  (I'm just going to tell you, other recipes say 10-12 minutes, lower temps ect. but  that makes for a disgustingly uncooked tenderloin!) So, cut into it and see if it is the color you desire; but don't slice completely until you have let it set for about 10 minutes

I just threw some broccoli in the oven with salt, pepper, and lemon juice on it for a few minutes until tender...

And then placed, in a pan on the cook top, a few thinly sliced potatoes with olive oil and seasoned to taste until they were tender...

VOILA!

**Sarcasm Note- I really wish  this were more difficult because I'd love to have spent more time in the kitchen!

You will never believe this one! Left over roast recipe...

As I have stated before...I LOVE it when I purchase ingredients and someone eats it before I can cook.  I was going to make calzones and a group of boys I shall not mention, but their leader's name rhymes with Tacob, ate the mozzarella and pepperonis. So with two loaves of bread already risen, and rolled, what am I to do? MAKE SOMETHING UP (or throw a fit)

No one was home to see or hear my fit so I chose to make          something up, no need to waste a good fit!

I had made roast the night before so I gave this a shot and it turned out edible.  I'm not saying it's the best recipe I've ever made but it really turned out better than expected.  So here we go, I had laid out two loaves of frozen bread earlier in the day and when they rose I rolled them out as above.

Then I took, left over roast cut in small pieces, chopped onion to taste, mushrooms chopped, bell pepper, a small potato thin, thin, thinly sliced, and hot sauce of choice to taste and laid it down the center of my dough.  I then seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.   Top with cheese of choice.  Cut 1 1/2 inch strips at an angle along each side of your mixture and begin laying them across your mixture to cover.  It will leave some gaps and that is just fine! I baked it at 400 degrees until it was brown...

Here is the end result.  I served it with baked beans and a salad, along with some brown gravy for dipping if my family so chose. (and we are from the south so they chose!)  To make it I used the juice from the roast, with a little salt and pepper, water and flour in a skillet heated to desired thickness.  Apparently, this was a big hit!  Or everyone ate it because they knew I was mad....

**Sarcasm note- this was a catastrophic success!