A slow return to normalcy....

I am attempting to return to blogging in way that works for me. Why did JennyMac disappear into the blogosphere?

1. People send you suggestions saying you should do this or that...the occasional rude anonymous commenter who feels the need to put you in your place...makes you say to yourself at times..."who's page is this?"

2. Taking pictures is NOT the easiest thing to do at times and sometimes you end up eating the evidence. I am not one of those who snap a gazillion pix (how does Pioneer Woman do it?). One before, a few after....served with garnish maybe....OK, now let's eat. Either the recipe is NOT to my liking to post about or something isn't right with the pictures. NOW, the food is gone so retaking pix are impossible.

3. Sometimes lighting is not your friend. Let's be for real. Many of my meals are dinner and it's NIGHT. Natural sunlight is ideal, if my pic doesn't look appealing enough to eat....I don't wanna post something that looks like the cat coughed it up!

4. Then I got into Facebook, I was learning how to use it....finding old friends....getting addicted to some stupid games (first Cafe World then Frontierville....sigh).

5. Being timely....many blogs post about upcoming holidays/events BEFORE it happens. Halloween foods during the first week of October. Thanksgiving dishes two weeks before T-day. Christmas-y cookies and treats after T-day and two weeks after. Let's be for real here. I want my food and gifts to be fresh. I don't make Halloween treats in my classes Oct 1, the kids want it on Oct 31. I give out my holiday food treats a few days before the 25th not Dec 1. I am not into 'trial runs', practice, saving pix to post early for next year, etc.

6. The intimidation of the wonderfully popular and successful blogs out there. The more and more blogs I read or subscribed to, the more and more I felt unworthy. Also, I so envied my fellow bloggers successes. I see all these giveaways they have from companies contacting them, how lucky of them....I don't get that....I had a few here and there....but nothing like those popular bloggers. Bloggers talking about being invited to conferences, meeting up with other bloggers, guest blogging....posts about appearances on TV, etc. It's all so great for them, sucks for me.

After not posting for a bit, no one said anything. No emails, no inquiries....no one seemed to notice I was not posting. I said to myself "well no one saying anything or asking where I went, so don't bother posting anything because no one is reading my blog obviously...." What a vicious cycle I created for myself in my own little blogging world.

Then something snaps you out of it(hopefully?). You FINALLY get one email from a person who says they appreciate and miss your posts. A co-worker tells you they enjoy your blog and suggests a neat tool I should check out and share with my followers.

Bottom Line: I must do my blog because I enjoy it. I am who I am, I do what I do because it's me. No one else matters and I shouldn't set myself up for failure by comparing my blog to others. How many times did we get that lecture about "being yourself" growing up? Clearly I needed a booster shot. So I am going to share what I share only because it's something that works for me, not something that I think would impress the 'public'. BAH!


I made this and it's absolutely easy and so yummy. WHIR in the processor. I was apprehensive to try this for I am not a huge fan of cilantro but the combo intrigued me and POOF! I think perhaps I've turned a corner.....

Jalapeno Pesto
by JennyMac Lipsmack

1 cup fresh Cilantro
3 Jalapeno Peppers
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, Shredded
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup Olive Oil

1. Chop and toast walnuts for a few minutes in 350 oven until kitchen is fragrant (about 5-7 minutes). Set aside to cool.
2. In a food processor put a cup of washed cilantro.
3. Using gloves to cover your hands, slice in half the jalapenos, seed and devein. Remember the heat is from the veins, so do what you need to to do to make it hot or not; be careful or haphazard when removing those veins. Roughly chop and place peppers in food processor.
4. Peel garlic and add it in with the walnuts, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, pepper in the food processor.
5. Pulse until combined and you don't see big chunks of garlic or whole cilantro leaves.
6. Slowly stream in the olive oil until incorporated.
7. Taste....add more salt, pepper or lemon if needed. Add more olive oil to make it consistency you want. Warm water can be done to keep the fat content lower and yet 'loosen' the mixture up.

THUD, this was beyond my expectations....We ate this during a football game with crackers and cheese but the tortilla chips tasted best. You can use instead of mayo on a sandwich. Top on an enchilada or taco....Add some plain rice vinegar or warm water to make it into a salad dressing. We loved this! I can't wait to try this on grilled chicken. I want to spread this on a roast beef sandwich. I am growing tons of cilantro this summer!

Enjoy!

Baked Zucchini Chips

We had mini chicken salad sammies for lunch today. Instead of having chips the side (whether they were the evil or BAKED ones) I decided to make a different kinda chip. Here's a fun treat I made. Take advantage of zucchini while it is the summer bounty and make something to eat that you don't have to feel guilty about. Here is the solution. Crunchy outside, soft inside and you can dip it in anything you want! I've included some shortcuts to make it easier.

Baked Zucchini Chips

One large zucchini or two smaller ones
large ziploc bag
approx. 1/3 c. flour
2 eggs
dash hot sauce
seasoned salt (I used Paula Deen's House Seasoning)
pepper to taste
about 2 cups Panko
few shakes of canola or olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare breading station:
1. Put flour in ziploc flour and add a "fingersful" of salt and pepper. Seal and shake.
2. Beat 2 eggs in bowl and mix in few dashes hot sauce.
3. Place panko in something like a pie pan and also season with salt and pepper. Mix
4. Line cookie sheet with nonstick foil.
5. Arrange each in a line in the order as prepared with the cookie sheet last.

Slice zucchini into 'coins' about 1/4 inch thick. Place into flour bag and shake until all coated.

Remember to keep one hand sticky (from flour to the egg) and the other hand dry (panko to cookie sheet)

Take about 2 zucchini from the bag, place them in the egg and keep flipping them over until the egg soaks into the flour. Sticky hand puts zucchini slice on panko....Dry hand grabs more panko from pan and places it on the zucchini coin and press. Dry hand flips over coin and puts on more panko and PRESS. Turn 'coin' on its side so loose panko can fall back into pan. Place on cookie sheet. Season with salt and pepper again.

Repeat until all zucchini is coated and on cookie sheet. Drizzle a little of oil on zucchini and into between 'coins'. Bake until lightly brown (approx 10 min.). Turn over and drizzle a bit of oil again and bake another 10 minutes.

So delish. I dipped mine in a little bit of green goddess dressing. Great side dish, snack or appetizer. Much easier to eat than a half one baked. WE loved it. Give it a try!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Pepper Jack Mac

My summer bounty, I average one every other day sometimes two.....

Searching under those large leaves each day is like an Easter Egg Hunt. Constantly I am heard saying "OMG!" Mother Nature amazes me yet I saw this yesterday....

WHUT? Methinks this little zucchini is confused. He thinks that if he poses as a CROOKNECK squash that I won't eat him? Sowwy, little guy...I eat all squash, all colors, all shapes, I do not discriminate! Here is what I made from large zucchini....and so easy.

Zucchini Pepper Jack Mac
created by JennyMac Lipsmack

1 large zucchini, shredded
1/4 onion, grated
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
1 cup milk, cream, or even FF evaporated milk if you like
1-1/2 to 2 cups Pepper Jack cheese, shredded (from a block, don't use the bagged stuff)
2 cups cooked pasta (macaroni, egg noodles, penne or whatever you have on hand)
1 cup plain bread crumbs, panko, crushed ritz crackers or potato chips
2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix your crumbs of choice with melted butter, set aside.

2. Shred your cheese, set aside your pile. Shred your zucchini and place in large bowl. Shred the onion and mix into the zucchini.

3. Cook your pasta according to the directions. Drain and mix into zucchini and onion mixture.

4. In the used pot from the pasta, start your white sauce. Melt butter, add flour and cook flour until it smells nutty. About one minute. Slowly whisk in your milk. (It's ok if it's thick for the water from the zucchini, onion and pasta will help thin it out.) Add shredded cheese and mix over low heat until no lumps remain.

5. Add pepper jack cheese sauce to zucchini/pasta mixture. If you think the mixture is not 'loose' enough you can mix a little more milk if so desired.

6. Place cheesy pasta mixture in a greased glass baking dish/casserole, approx 2 quart size. Top with butter and crumb mixture.

7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly and crumbs are light brown.


Great sidedish with your favorite grilled steak or chicken. Nice brunch item as well... creamy, yummy and the shredded zucchini cooks up in a flash this way.

Enjoy!

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad

Got tomatoes coming out of your ears? We do. No worries just restyle them each dinner time for a great side dish. No cooking, easy wonderfully tasty!

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad
adapted from Chow.com

2 cups sweet white corn kernels, from 3-4 medium cobs
1 tablespoons lime juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 /2 cup grape or juliet tomatoes (seen here), halved (can use cherry or pear)
1/4 cup red onion, small dice
6-8 leaves fresh basil, chiffonaded (sliced into ribbons

1. This could be a great use of leftover corn from dinner or I just used raw corn removed from the cob...so sweet and refreshing. Cook in microwave for 4 minutes if you prefer if cooked.

2. Combine lime juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. While continuously whisking, add oil in a steady stream until completely incorporated. Add remaining ingredients and cooled corn and toss until well coated. Serve.

Cook's Notes:
I found that if you refrigerate this, you may want to let it sit out before serving. Olive oil tends to cloud over and tighten in the fridge. Either use canola to keep it from seizing but if you enjoy the flavor of olive oil a few minutes in a bowl on the table before you eat dinner it should be fine and loosen up.



Enjoy!

MMMmmm....Spinach Brownies

Ha-Ha, made you look!

My 7th grade students are currently doing a research/presentation on fruits and vegetables. I was sitting with Rosie and helping her catch up from her absence and showing her how to format her slide on her least favorite vegetable task. I asked her for a vegetable that she'd eat....but it wasn't her favorite (she said corn was her fave). Her answer was spinach. OK, good.

Next, I took her to the allrecipes.com site to get some spinach recipes. We typed in 'spinach' in their search window. One of the first hits we got was for "spinach brownies" I said "SPINACH BROWNIES?" kinda loud and many surrounding students went EWWWWWWWWW. We laughed. So I looked at Rosie and said 'let's look'....

I didn't think at all it was a chocolate item but still the name of it made me curious. It looked good....so good I made it two days later. That says something. I am including it for our Mother's Day dinner and saving one to bring to school for Rosie to try. Not sure if Rosie kept this recipe I helped add to her project as a suggestion....but it is sure being added to my recipe collection at home.

Spinach Brownies
adapted from allrecipes.com

2 (10 ounce) package spinach, frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped green onions
1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup romano cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

2. Place spinach in a medium bowl and microwave until thawed. Use a clean dishtowel to squeeze dry. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and baking powder. Stir in eggs, milk and butter. Mix in spinach, onion and cheeses.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool before serving.

So THANKS ROSIE, who would have thought a student would be providing recipe idea to her FACS teacher! This is called a happy accident! YUM....best tasting accident evah! I will be touching base later with Rosie's reaction to my sample she tried....

Enjoy!

Invite me to your Super Bowl Party...

Look how cute I am? Wouldn't I just fit right in at your Super Bowl Party and be adored by all?

Nod and say 'yes' for heaven sakes....don't hurt the little cutie's feelings...sheesh!

Simple, easy and tasty. When I made it for the little birthday party dinner I threw for my mom, the 5 of us gobbled up all 30. I am sure if the recipe had made more, eating them would have been no problem....even though they knew dinner was oncoming.

Spinach Crisps

1 box chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry in towel
1 can chiles, drained
1/3 cup mayonnaise (I used half fat free and regular to cut the fat a bit)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack and Cheddar Shredded Cheese Mix (it's finely shredded)
1 package won-ton wrappers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place wonton wrapper in a ungreased muffin tin, gently press down dough to the bottom of muffin cup. Bake for 5-7 minutes until corner tips start to brown. Remove and put on cooling rack and start another batch. Repeat until you get 30. Wonton wrapper package will have more than you need and this is okay; for a few of them may 'fall' or get a puffed up bottom. I made a few extra until I got the perfect 30 I needed.

In a small bowl, put spinach that has been squeezed dry, can of drained chiles, mayo and salt and pepper. Measure out 3/4 of cheese and mix in. Cover and set in fridge until you need it. Let the baked wrappers remain on cooling rack until party time.

When ready to serve, preheat your oven again to 350. Line up all your baked wrappers on a tray or the cooling rack and fill each with roughly a teaspoon of filling. Then sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and sprinkle on top. Place the needed amount on a cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes the corner tips will turn a darker brown and the cheese will melt. When you have just a few left on your serving plate....time to bake the second batch.

These were crunchy, cheesy a lil zippy from the chiles. They weren't wet or drippy, stringy or gooey. Just perfect. An easy one or two-biter depending on how hungry or big your mouth is. LOL

Definitely a keeper - K-man was sad to see that there were no leftovers but to appease him I said, I certainly can make these again for Super Bowl, where K-man immediately chirped, "NOW WE'RE TALKIN'!!!"

Enjoy,

Who stole my crust?

Pies wouldn't be so evil if it weren't for the flaky buttery, crunchy crust. Sigh. I stalk those people who eat only the pie and leave their crusts. "Are you going to eat that?" I will ask....No?....Nom, nom, nom!

But this year I wanted to enjoy some of the things without all the bad stuff. Crust won't disappear forever....just eating it later on I tell myself.

I found a recipe for pumpkin custard on another food blog and that was my inspiration of pumpkin pie without the crust.

Harmless Crustless Pumpkin Pie
inspired by Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

1 cup of hot water
1 can fat free evaporated milk
1/4 cup splenda
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 can pumpkin
extra water for water bath

Whisk together ingredients. Take one 9×13 pan and fill with about 1/2 inch of hot water, creating your water bath. This is necessary to get the correct texture of the custard.
Place 8x8 pan in 9×13 pan filled with water. Pour custard mixture into the 8x8 pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Eat warm or cold.

We ended up serving this as cold side dish with our dinner. Shockingly, we really loved slathering it on our rolls like pumpkin butter!

Pumpkin is still being used for the fall....whether you use Lynn's version or my guilt-free harmless version.....won't you give this a try?

As Lynn noted....don't be afraid of the lackluster picture. It is really tasty!

By the way, how do you turn pumpkin into squash?

Throw it in the air and there you have it.....squash. Hahahahahaahaha

Enjoy!

Pudding or Bread, you decide....

Are you like me during Thanksgiving and HAVE to have something corn? Cornbread stuffing, corn pudding, succotash....something corn. Besides loving the taste of corn, perhaps it's something about the roots of Thanksgiving and the pilgrims learning the use of corn from the natives.....Nahhhhhh, I am not thinking THAT deep on T-day. I just love sweet yet buttery corn.

The springboard recipe I used was from Cooking Light and if you know me....I tweaked it. I am such a rebel.

Corn Pudding
adapted from Cooking Light's Colonial Corn Pudding

• 3 cups frozen whole-kernel corn kernels, thawed and divided
• 3/4 cup evaporated fat-free milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons smart balance
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• Dash of freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 egg substitute
• half a box of jiffy corn muffin mix
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Fat Free cheddar cheese
• 2 teaspoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine 1 cup corn, 1/4 cup evaporated milk, and smart balance in a blender; process until smooth. Combine remaining 1/2 cup evaporated milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg, eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pureed corn mixture, remaining 2 cups corn, cheese and corn muffin mix.

3. Spoon mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

So yummy!!! It was nice to have the fat cut significantly in the pudding yet have a bit of butter on top to make the whole thing seem so rich! This is a 'do-again' recipe for sure!

It's not the holidays without....

Green Bean Casserole of course!

Some people find this yucky. Some people are tired of it. I never tire of it for I only have it during the holidays. So I look forward to it.

I wanted to have this for dinner, yet cut back some of the fat....yes I know green beans are vegetables and not normally have fat.....but this is another one of those evil side dishes with FAT and sodium.

Our family used cream or half and half and a can or two of the campbells mushroom soup....but the only fat in this beauty is those French's onion rings on top. I didn't bother looking at the content on the can. Somethings are better left alone and besides I wasn't eating the whole casserole, just a spoonful. Maybe next time I will try the recipes original version with sauteed onions and bread crumbs!

Lean Green Bean Casserole
adapted by Low Cal Diner

1 Package (16 OZ) Frozen Green Beans
1 Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Teaspoon Margarine (I used smart balance)
½ Pound Fresh Mushrooms, chopped
1 Can (12 OZ) Fat Free Evaporated Milk
3T Flour
½ can of water (in milk can to thin out white if too thick)
¼ Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping: French's Onions Place beans in a microwavable bowl. Cover and cook on high for 7-9 minutes. Drain. In a skillet add the onions, garlic and margarine. Sauté until tender, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until tender. Reduce heat to low, add in and stir until combined. Mix the milk and flour and add to the mushroom mixture. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 2 minutes or until it thickens. Transfer to a 2-quart baking dish. Stir in the beans. Bake uncovered at 375° for 15 minutes. Add French’s onion rings and sprinkle over the casserole and bake for another 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

A yummy way to cut some carbs!

I sure do LOOOOOOOOOOVVVEEEEE da mashed potatoes.
The holidays are coming soon and there is going to be a lot of mashed potatoes coming our way!

But I am always looking of ways of cutting the carbs in my diet, not entirely but somewhat along the way (carbs and me, don't get along).

I've also seen how people have made the 'mock mashed potatoes' out of cauliflower. No matter how much butter, sour cream, chives, etc. They still taste like mashed cauliflower (not that I have a problem with that) but more importantly, they have no real body to it.

Are you seeing where I am heading yet? I like mashed potatoes and mashed cauliflower why not cut the carbs a bit and combine the two?


Mashed Potatoflower (K-man's name for it)

one head of the ORANGE cauliflower (my store sells the white, purple, orange and green [aka broccoflower])
1-1/2 lb package of refrigerated mashed potatoes, very warm not piping hot
butter to taste
salt and pepper to taste
chives, chopped

Cook washed, and roughly chopped cauliflower in the microwave. Cook until semi soft (about 5 minutes?) Place chopped cauliflower in the food processor with some pats of butter. Blend until smooth. You may have to stop it to scrape the cauliflower as it may whirl around on the bottom and stay chunky on the surface. When smooth, add your warm mashed potatoes and pulse until blended. Salt and pepper to taste and whirl one last time. Garnish with chives or mix them in.

These were also great as a leftover. I sprayed some Pam in a glass dish and baked it until hot. Edges got a lil crusty....topped it with some French's Fried Onions in the last few minutes until brown.

Not only does K-man love cauliflower and was excited for this new recipe. But he especially when THUD when I served it as a leftover with the fried onion rings on top the next night!

ALSO-----

I received an award from Melissa of Serendity is Sweet. YAY....my first award! SO cool!

As for Melissa's site..... Oh my, she's got several blogs going AND she home schools too! She has lots of resources/links on her site for you to use in regards to home schooling. She also has a ton of pumpkin "things" you can do in your class or at home to extend school learning. Check out her site. I sure did and there was so much to see that I needed to subscribe for I didn't want to miss a thing!


Enjoy!

Cutting a corner....

Hey there guys! I took a little time to get settled back into my teaching schedule. Hope you didn't miss me too much. LOL. Although, catching up on my 'reader' has been difficult. You guys have been cooking up a storm. Sheesh!


What I've made for you to try at home is:

4 Cheese No Boil Manicotti

1 box manicotti
16 oz ricotta
2 cups mozzarella
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup cheddar
2 cups frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
French's onion rings for garnish
fresh chopped parsley

Grease your 9X13 pan. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl. Put your ricotta, spinach, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan and mix well.
Pour enough sauce to cover the bottom of your 9X13 pan. Now is the time to stuff your manicotti. Yes, you are NOT boiling them. A little secret about pasta people don't tell you....sometimes you don't need to boil them. You are going to use either a spoon or your fingers to stuff the cheese in the tubes. If you want a cleaner and easier method, use a pastry bag with no tip or a heavy duty ziploc bag with the corner snipped. You may want to reinforce that corner with some tape for the cheese mixture is thick!

Squeeze the cheese in the tubes and lay them in your 'sauced' pan. One box of pasta will fit fine. Cover all the manicotti with the remainder of the sauce and bake covered with foil for 1 hour.

When time is up. Toss all the remaining cheese on top (and the onion rings if you desire). Turn off oven and let cheese melt.

Lift out your manicotti and garnish with chopped parsley.

Mmmmmm, simply delicious. I should have made this on earlier for a Meatless Monday! One day a week being meatless is all they suggest....doesn't matter the day! I can't wait for the leftovers when the flavors will have married more!

Enjoy!

Getting Stewed

Look people, don't put off making something with your tomatoes until the END of the summer. Start now! I decided to make something with my bounty of tomatoes BEFORE it got out of control and I had to make several things at once or give most of them away. Since I still have more tomatoes coming I wanted to get ahead of the game.

My grandmother (Me-mom) always made stewed tomatoes. Her southern way was to cook them forever and she used so much sugar in it that they were DARK red. Almost too dark. They were also so sweet that they were almost like a dessert, you only put a small spoonful on the side of your plate.

Here's to you Me-mom, I love ya but I'd prefer my sugar in my cookies!

Stewed Tomatoes

24 large tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped (you can also use cans of diced tomatoes)
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon white sugar
salt and pepper to taste
4-6 slices of stale bread

In a crockpot, combine tomatoes, celery, onion, bell pepper, salt/pepper and sugar. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours or until vegetables are soft. A few minutes before serving cube your bread and stir into tomato mixture. The bread is essential to thicken up your 'stew' so it's not as watery.

Makes about 8-10 cups.

Cooks Notes: Let your stewed tomatoes come to room temperature before you put them into containers to freeze. Be sure to leave room at the top of the container (about an inch). The mixture will expand when frozen.

TUNE in tomorrow to see how I varied the use of my stewed tomatoes!

Enjoy!

I have a weakness...

For onion rings!

When we go out to burger places or other restaurants that have onion rings on the menu....It's either the appetizer or on the side (K-man loves them too and we always share!) But as you are enjoying the crunchy, onion-y goodness...you just don't want to think about the amount of fat they absorbed in the cooking.

We've gotten the frozen ones for home cooking and those just aren't not good enough. We've also tried doing the "baked thing" to something like the potato fries....sure they are healthier but they just don't get crunchy enough. Then I found this recipe...tried it and OH MY GAH! KEEPER!

Baked Onion Rings
adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs (they used crushed cornflakes and plain breadcrumbs)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp Chili sauce (the sweet Asian type- you can use tabasco)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, quartered crosswise and broken into rings
2 tablespoons olive oil


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the flour and black pepper in a ziploc bag. In a medium bowl, whisk together, buttermilk and Asian hot sauce. Prepare a shallow dish with your Panko seasoned with salt and cayenne.

2. Dip a few rings in the flour in the ziploc bag, then dip into the buttermilk (letting excess drip off) and dredge in panko. Place onion rings on cookie sheet covered in non-stick foil. The original recipe called for some oil on the bottom of the cookie sheet, I skipped it. With this special foil....it did NOT need it!

3. Bake @ 400 for 20 minutes. Or until the rings are golden brown.

AWE-some, so crunchy, you gotta put your hand underneath your chin. The onions were PERFECT. Not mushy or still raw. One onion was perfect for two.

Enjoy!

Summertime in a little cake

Such freshness in a little cake. Shredded zucchini, onions and carrots. Great snack or side dish.


Vegetable Cakes

1 Medium sized Zucchini, shredded – approx. 3 Cups
1/4 to 1/2 Cup red Onion, finely chopped
1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots (cook with a little bit of water in the micro to take off a bit of the crunch)
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Cup Shredded Parmesan
1 Lightly Beaten Egg
1/4 tsp. salt

Put the zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze dry. Put aside in a large bowl. Squeeze onions in towel and put on top on zucchini pile. Lastly pile the carrots in the towel and squeeze dry as well. Do not do these together for the colors may bleed into another. Put the remaining ingredients in and mix it all together.

Heat up your non-stick frying pan to medium to high heat. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup as a guide scoop out patties and cook about 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
You may have to use some oil if your pan is nonstick. I didn't need any oil.


If you take the turner and gently form the patties' edges they will look like the above picture. But if you flatten out your 'cakes' with the turner, they will look like this:

Either way, taste the same. Go for whichever cake you like. Lightly brown and they are cooked. So yummy with a little sour cream. Perfect little guilt free side dish to your summer grilled steak!

Enjoy!

Not your average coleslaw!

If you have all these ingredients....why not make some tonight? A great compliment to your barbecue!

Tangy Cole Slaw

1 bag shredded cabbage (this is the 'angel hair' shred type - I think this is perfect)
1-2 navel oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
2 thin slices of red onion
Handful of sliced almonds, toasted
salt and pepper to taste

Toast your almonds and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix your shredded cabbage and thin onion slices. Peel oranges and section them with a knife right above the cabbage mixture so the juices go into the bowl. After each orange is sectioned, squeeze the remaining membranes to get every bit of juice. Repeat with second orange. Add sesame oil, salt and pepper. Lightly toss. Taste. Store in fridge covered until ready to serve. Garnish with toasted almonds when ready to eat.



Cook's notes:

• If you notice in my picture, I used mandarin oranges. Not a good idea. You really need the acidic juices from an orange to make this taste good. As you know that canned oranges are stored either in some 'light syrup or pear juice' (why they don't use orange juice is beyond me) and this would not taste good. Even though I used orange juice (the drinking kind), it wasn't the same. I made this again using the right oranges with it's juice....what a difference!
• If you want your cabbage crunchy, serve this immediately. If you want your salad cold, they orange juices are going to 'wilt' the cabbage and the salad will have reduced in size and be a bit softer. This continue softening if you eat the salad the next day. But still very delicious and refreshing!