I'm not really a picky eater, but there are a few foods I do not like. Tomatoes and mushrooms top the list, but zucchini takes a close third. My husband, of course, loves all three. So, in an effort to please him, I will occasionally incorporate one of these into a dish and hope that the other flavors hide the taste. Isn't it amazing how well that usually works? I could probably hide rat turds in a casserole and no one would even notice! Since I think rat turds are slightly tastier than mushrooms, I don't put 'shrooms in too many things, but tomatoes and zucchini are a little easier for me to swallow.
This casserole also stars corn, Allen's favorite vegetable, so I knew he would love it. Me? I wasn't so sure, but I was surprised how great it turned out to be. The flavors are fresh and vibrant, and it's a great use of the veggies you may grow in your garden. I don't do gardening, so I used frozen corn and canned tomatoes, but it still tasted homegrown to me!
Basil Corn & Zucchini Casserole
Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 45 min
Serves 10
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 eggs
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of celery soup
4 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (I used a drained can of Ro*Tel)
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup minced fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and condensed soup until blended. Stir in vegetables, bread crumbs, basil, salt and onion. Transfer mixture to an 11x7-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray.
Bake, uncovered, 40-45 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
138 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
It seems like everyone is in love with fall: the autumnal colors, the cool crisp air, the Starbucks pumpkin spice latte. The excitement in the air when October rolls around is practically palpable.
I, however, am not the least bit happy to see the arrival of autumn. To me, fall means cold weather, dead grass, and trading my comfy shorts and tees for bulky jackets and heavy jeans. Disliking the taste of coffee in any form, I can't even appreciate the highly-acclaimed Starbucks PSL!
Ah, but the pumpkin, that perfectly piquant pathway to pleasure, THAT I can appreciate. I could fill an entire cookbook with the preponderance of pumpkin recipes I would like to try. I suppose you could make pumpkin repasts any time of the year, but it just seems weird to eat pumpkin in the summer, so instead I save up all my recipes and flood my family with pumpkin come fall.
Previously, I posted one of my favorite pumpkin breakfast recipes, Pumpkin Poppers, and I'm anxious to make those again, but several months ago I pinned a pumpkin scone recipe, and it's been taunting me ever since. Today, the first free Saturday morning I've had all month, seemed like the perfect time to try them out. I've heard that Starbucks sells a similar pastry, but never having tried it, I can't tell you how it compares. What I can tell you it that the kid and I each ate 3 of them before Allen even had a chance. Fortunately, the recipe makes 12, so he can still have some--if he hurries!
The original recipe calls for two separate glazes, a plain one to cover the scone and a spiced one to drizzle decoratively over top. In the picture it looks really pretty, but I was anxious to eat them, so I just made the spiced glaze and spread it all over, and it tasted great.
Pumpkin Scones
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min Bake: 15 min
Serves 12
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
6 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
4 Tbs half-and-half
Glaze:
1 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
4 tsp milk
Spiced Glaze:
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch ginger
2 tsp milk
Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, both
sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
Add in the cold butter, and using a pastry cutter or 2 forks, cut the
butter into the flour mixture until the butter is evenly distributed
throughout the flour mixture, and no large lumps remain.
In a small bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, egg, and half-and-half. Pour
into the flour mixture and fold to combine.
Form the dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured work surface, pat the dough into a long rectangle,
about 4x13-inches, and about 1-inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the
dough in half lengthwise, then cut into 6 equal pieces. Cut each of the pieces once, on the diagonal,
to make 2 triangles. You will end up with 12 triangles.
Place the cut pieces of dough on the prepared baking sheet, leaving
about an inch of space around. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden
brown. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
For the Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until
smooth. Using a pastry brush, paint the glaze onto the cooled scones.
Allow to dry for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until the icing is not wet,
before topping with the spiced glaze.
For the Spiced Glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,
and ginger. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Put the icing into a small
zip-lock bag and cut a small hole into one corner and use it as a piping
bag to make the zigzag pattern on top.
178 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
Some things are just don'ts. Don't fry bacon naked, don't leave me alone with 50 leftover cupcakes, and don't serve spinach and expect rave reviews. Unless, of course, you are serving this hot, cheesy, totally awesome spinach artichoke dip. Then, it's a total DO. There are lots of great recipes out there for similar dips, and I've tried about all of them, but I always go back to this one because it just couldn't be any easier. It's microwaveable, for heaven's sake! This comes together in just a few minutes and everybody I've ever served it to wanted to eat their weight in it. Plus, it's full of healthy veggies that I would never eat otherwise. Now I'm not saying this is health food, but I feel just a little less guilty scarfing it down, knowing at least it's chock full of folic acid. This is a great party dish and, as a bonus, it's yummy even when it gets cold, so you can put it out and forget about it.
There's only one don't when it comes to this recipe, and it's an important one. DON'T microwave the cream cheese whole. Cut it up into smaller chunks first or risk your skin. If you stick a spoon in an overheated block of cream cheese, it can explode and cause serious 3rd degree burns. Trust me on this one. But believe me, you definitely want to make this dip! Even when I had to spend a month with my hand bandaged, it was worth the pain. If you make it right, though, it's all pleasure.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Total time: 10 min
Serves 8
1 cup thawed, chopped frozen spinach,
drained and squeezed dry
1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts,
drained and chopped
8 oz cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
Microwave cream cheese for 1 minute or until hot and soft. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through.
220 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
If you are a big fan of health food, you might as well quit reading this post right now. Opposed to processed meats and prepackaged convenience foods? Turn away quickly. Vegan? Run screaming in terror. This recipe is pure, unadulterated junk food. Perfect, greasy, cheesy, meaty deliciousness. And some days, that exactly what I want. I think this recipe was supposed to be an appetizer, divided into 12 small servings, but I served it as a main dish cut into only 5 pieces and still wanted more. Definitely not my best diet day, but it sure tasted good. If it hadn't been for my extreme self control, you'd be rolling me out the door right about now. That, and I had to share with the rest of my equally desirous family. Next time, I'm making 2.
Club Roll-ups
link to original recipe
Prep time: 15 min Bake time: 25 min
Serves 5
1/2 lb bacon
1 (11-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crusty French Loaf
4 oz shredded sharp Cheddar or Swiss
2 oz thinly sliced cooked deli turkey
2 oz thinly sliced cooked deli ham
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel; crumble.
Meanwhile, unroll dough and sprinkle with cheese. Top with turkey, ham and bacon. Starting with long side, roll up dough; press edges to seal. Make 3 to 4 slits in top of loaf. Place on sprayed cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F. for 23 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.
509 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
My child does not like salad in any form. To be honest, I'm not a big fan myself, but I make it and eat it and try not to whine too much about it because I know it's good for me, but Rachel snubs her nose at anything with the name salad - even fruit salad! I personally love fruit salads. Fruit by itself is okay, but there's something about mixing a bunch of it all together with a sweet sauce that elevates it to something extra special. I've posted several great fruit salads on here in the past, but all of them have had fluffy, creamy, high-calorie fillings that pretty much negate any of the health benefits of eating a big bowl of fruit. But this salad is actually pretty light, yet still super yummy! Even better, Rachel ate a whole bowlful without one complaint. Score one for salad!
Strawberry Cantaloupe Salad
link to original recipe
Total time: 15 min.
Serves 6
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 cups diced cantaloupe
4 oz diced mozzarella
1 cup raspberries
2 Tbs sunflower kernels
4 Tbs light raspberry vinaigrette
1/8 cup sugar (if desired)
1 Tbs thinly sliced mint leaves (if desired)
In a large bowl, combine strawberries, cantaloupe and cheese. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Add sugar, if desired, and toss to coat. Just before serving, gently stir in raspberries; top with sunflower kernels. If desired, sprinkle with mint.
172 calories per serving. Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
Some recipes are just so easy it's almost embarrassing when somebody asks you for them. I made this recipe several times before I decided to post it on my blog, simply because it's so darn EASY it's practically not even a real recipe. I mean, come on, there are only 3 mandatory ingredients! But, my family and I enjoy it so much I knew I had to share it with you. Of course, you can add anything to it that you like. I usually divide ours between two pans - one with just pepperoni for the kid and another with lots of meat and veggies for me and the hubs. It takes almost no time at all to assemble and bakes in about a half hour, so it's great for weeknights, and who can complain about pizza for dinner? Not this girl, that's for sure.
Bubble Up Pizza
Prep time: 5 min Bake time: 25 min
Serves 6
2 cans biscuits
1 (15 oz) jar pizza sauce
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup pepperoni (optional)
1/2 cup diced onions (optional)
1/2 cup diced green peppers (optional)
2 Tbs chopped basil leaves (optional)
other toppings as desired
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut biscuits into quarters and place in medium bowl. Toss biscuits with pizza sauce. Add pizza topping and half of the cheese. Toss until well blended. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray. Pour biscuit mixture into pan and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until biscuits are done.
366 calories per serving (with listed ingredients.) Click here for more nutritional info and shopping list!
