Honey Oat Bread

My dear friend Lucy has so many wonderful recipes on her site: Lucy's Kitchen. One I've been wanting to try for a while has been her honey oat bread recipe. I shouldn't have waited this long -- this bread is delicious. And, we really enjoyed it in Berry Baked French Toast, and as grilled cheese sandwich bread. Yum.

Honey Oat Bread - Modified from Lucy

1 1/4 C + 3 T warm water
3 T honey
3 C whole wheat flour
1 C oats (quick/old fahsioned)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 T dry milk
2 T oil/butter
2 1/4 tsp. yeast


Add all ingredients into bread pan in the order listed. Select dough cycle. When dough is complete, turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gently knead for about one minute. Shape and place in greased bread pan. Cover and let rise for 30-45 minutes or until bread is just barely cresting the top of the pan (mine struggled to rise here... I set it near the warm oven hoping it would speed up the rise - nope.)

Bake at 350-375 (get to know your oven) for 30-40 minutes. Cover with foil if it begins to brown too much.

While my loaf looks nothing like Lucy's pretty loaf, it was sure tasty.

Zucchini Pasta Sauce

My dear friend from college, Bird, sent me a recipe just because she was thinking about me :) I love getting recipes from friends -- it's almost better than chocolate ;-)

This recipe is from a Mennonite cookbook called "More with Less". Perfect. This cookbook presents recipes from scratch and from your home garden, and features recipes using less/no red meat! Sounds perfect for me. This recipe is quite tasty and filling. Yummy.

Zucchini Pasta Sauce - Modified from Bird (via More with Less Cookbook)

1 T oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced (about 6 C)
3 C fresh tomatoes, diced (or 1-2 cans)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. oregano
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional)

Heat oil over medium heat, and saute the onions in the oil until translucent. Add in zucchini, tomatoes, spices and mushrooms (if desired).





Simmer covered for 15 minutes. Then, uncover and simmer for 10 additional more minutes.





Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to directions. Serve topped with Zucchini sauce and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.



We added in leftover turkey meatballs -- yummy!





Thanks, Bird!

Zucchini Crisp

When I saw a recipe for dessert using zucchini, my heart fluttered.  I love zucchini, but I had never tried a dessert using this versatile veggie.

If you're like my hubby, the name of it likely has you turned off..., but he was willing to let me try it anyway, and much to his surprise - he actually liked it.

You can't even tell it's zucchini, really.  It tastes like apples.  Seriously.  Try it.

Zucchini Crisp - Modified from Queen of the Castle

Half Crisp (9x9 square dish)

2 C flour
3/4 C sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C butter
1/2 C applesauce (or more butter)
4-5 medium zucchini, cut into quarters
1/3 C key lime (or lemon juice)
1/2 C sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
blueberries, optional

Full Crisp (9x13 pan)

4 C flour
2 C sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C butter
1 C applesauce (or more butter)
8-10 medium zucchini, cut into quarters
2/3 C key lime (or lemon juice)
1 C sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
blueberries, optional

Cut up zucchini (I would remove the skin) and place in a saucepan.  Combine with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.



Cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat until zucchini are tender.



Meanwhile, mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and butter/applesauce until the mix is crumbly (or slightly moist, if you use applesauce).

Pour roughly half of the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x9 or 9x13 pan and press to form a crust.  Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned.



When crust is done, and zucchini are tender, pour zucchini sauce over the crust. 



Sprinkle with blueberries, if desired. 



Then, sprinkle the remaining crumb topping over the top of the veggies/fruit.



Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until crisp is browned and bubbly.  Cool for 15-30 minutes, and then enjoy eating your veggies.



The verdict:  we all enjoyed it, and found it to be especially tasty with blueberries.






This recipe is linked to:

• Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
• Foodie Friday
• Ultimate Recipe Swap: Eat your veggies

Cooking Challenge?!

I'm embarking on a Food Network Chef's Cooking Challenge with a few other "foodies" in the blogworld. Sarah, at I Blame My Mother, had a great idea of cooking 1 recipe a week from all of the food network chefs. It just so happens that there are 52 chefs. And, lest you've forgotten, there are 52 weeks in the year. How fun. So, 1 chef a week, 1 recipe a week for a year.

I've looked at the recipes -- and they look tasty. There are so many options, from smoothies to breakfasts, to snack, to elegant dinners. Or, there are simple meals too. I was hesitant at first because I don't want to use crazy ingredients, or have things be too elegant, but after looking at over 100 recipes from this week's chef, I found I have nothing to worry about.

My friend Lucy is joining Sarah for the ride... any one else want to play too?

Garlic Chicken Quesadillas

I love quesadillas for lunch -- they are so filling and versatile.  Mostly, I fill these with veggies, but sometimes, a little chicken is nice :)



Garlic Chicken Quesadillas


1/2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/4 C extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T minced onion
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 whole wheat tortillas
optional: green onion, crispy bacon (crumbled), avocado, tomato


Chop up the chicken, and saute with garlic, minced onion and mushrooms.

In another skillet, heat 1 tortilla topped with cheese.  When cheese begins to melt, add the chicken mixture (and green onion/bacon/avocado/tomato, as desired) and top with another torillas.  Heat until warm and tortilla crisps.  Cut with a pizza cutter into wedges and enjoy!

This recipe is just for 1 or 2 people, but it can easily be scaled up for more.

Meal Planning 101

The Happy Housewife has been hosting a menu planning challenge over the past week or so, and it's not too late to join!

If you've been thinking about trying your hand at menu planning, I highly recommend reading over her posts on how to get started. Her first post goes over why she menu plans, and her second post gives you some great resources to start menu planning.

And, she's great at keeping you accountable too! She's had two challenges thus far....

1) Create a list of 10 of your families favorite meals.

and,

2) Add 5 more meals to that list, plus a list of side dishes (fruits/veggies) your family enjoys.


Frog Prince and I have been meal planning (with weekly accountability through Organizing Junkie's Menu Planning Monday) for almost a full year now, and I don't think we'll ever go back to not planning. You can read more about why we meal plan, and how we do it here.

Since I already have created a top-10 list of sorts, I'm jumping in this week with 5 more meals, and side dishes. My five additional meals are "fall-themed" as this season quickly approaches.

5 (okay 7) Additional Favorites

Chicken Stew



Lucy's AMAZING Chili



Meatball Tortellini Soup

Zucchini, Carrot and Black Bean Quesadillas



Crockpot Broccoli Beef



Unstuffed Pepper Skillet



Crockpot Chicken Parmesan





Side Dishes we love

Roasted Asparagus



Vegetable Medley



Herbed Green Beans



Sauteed Zucchini

Baked Potatoes

Buca Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Potato Fries



Sweet Potato Fries



Zesty Potatoes

Broccoli (especially roasted)

Cauliflower

Apple-y Carrots

Carrots, steamed

Corn on the cob

Mixed Veggies -either mixed or separate (peas, corn, carrots, green beans)

Sauteed Mushrooms

Squash (Acorn/Spaghetti)

Herbed veggies (red, yellow bell pepper, broccoli, carrots, with olive oil and herbs.)

Beans (I love 'em... we're working on Froggy)

Rice (brown, wild)

Blueberries

Cherries

Applesauce

Pineapple


What are your favorite side dishes?
For more ideas, check out Menu Planning 101 at the Happy Housewife!

URS: Make Ahead

One meal that I love to make up ahead of time and have in the fridge is a delicious 3-cheese ziti. You can prepare the meal in the morning, or the night before, and bake it for dinner. I believe it's also possible to freeze it, but I haven't done that myself.

Three Cheese Baked Ziti - From the Rosenblum Family

3 C ricotta cheese (we use one 16oz container)
1 T dried parsley
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
10-oz pkg. frozen spinach, cooked
1/3 C grated Parmesan
26oz jar Spaghetti Sauce
16 oz ziti, cooked (we recommend whole wheat Penne Rigate by Healthy Harvest)
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Blend together ricotta cheese, parsley, salt, egg and spinach until smooth. Add Parmesan, blending to combine.



Spread enough spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 9x13 baking pan to cover the bottom.



Arrange half of the pasta over the sauce; spread with half of the ricotta mixture. Cover with half of the remaining spaghetti sauce, and sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top. Repeat layers, ending with mozzarella on top.





Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Serves 6-8 people.



For more make-ahead meals, visit Life as Mom's Ultimate Recipe Swap.

It makes my morning....

 when I find twins in my eggs!



Has this ever happened to you?!

When making muffins, this little surprise made me smile.

In-Season: Tomatoes

Today's In-Season Recipe Swap veggie is... the tomato!



Yum.

Did you know that scientists have discovered more than 400 compounds that contribute to the amazing taste of the tomato? When you eat, slice, chew, cook or otherwise prepare a tomato, all these different compounds combine together in different ways creating diffrent flavors! In fact, some of the flavor we taste when enjoying tomatoes actually comes from the combination of the chemical compounds and the enzymes in your saliva.*

Well, enough of that -- let's get to one of our favorite ways to enjoy garden-fresh tomatoes....

Ratatouille - Modified from Cooking for Engineers

5 large garlic cloves, minced
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered
1 medium eggplant, quartered
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
4-6 tomatoes, diced (depending on the size) - you can also use 1 can of diced tomatoes
3/4 C chicken broth
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. basil

Heat a little olive oil over medium heat.  Add in the garlic and saute until it really smells like garlic!



Add in the onions, and saute until they are clear -- which is about 5 minutes. Then, add in the tomato paste. Stir well to get it well-mixed. Add the broth, and as you do scrape any of the stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add in the eggplant, zucchini, pepper, and mushrooms.



Stir and allow to simmer, covered for 10ish minutes.



The eggplant and zucchini will release yummy juices.



Then, chop up your tomatoes.



Add these to the ratatouille.



Allow the dish to simmer for an addition 5-10 minutes until all veggies are done to your liking.



Serve over rice, with mozzarella cheese, if desired.




We also have other yummy tomato dishes that you might enjoy. 

This post is linked to:

• Food on Fridays, 
• Friday Feasts, 
• Mouthwatering Mondays, and 
• URS: Veggies

*Source: How to Pick a Peach by Russ Parsons