Zucchini Pie

I love this recipe. It is easy and so, so flavorful. It is good for a brunch or if you cut it into small enough pieces, it would work as an appetizer. It is great for vegetarians and just if you are looking for something lighter to eat. This recipe comes from Amy over at Dinners for a year and beyond, her food is incredible looking and tastes just as good. If you use store bought pie crust, which I did, this can be ready in about 45 minutes. It comes together very quickly.



Zucchini Pie

1 pie crust, unbaked
Dijon mustard
1/4 cup butter
4 cups slice zucchini
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup fresh parsley, choppes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano, dried
1/4 tsp garlic salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella, or a combo of sharp cheddar and mozzarella works great
2 extra large eggs, beaten


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a pie plate with the pie crust.

I lined nothing, this is a thawed out frozen pie crust. Brush the crust with Dijon mustard.

Melt butter in large saute pan and add Zucchini and onion.

Saute for about 8 minutes. Add parsley,salt,pepper,oregano, and garlic salt. Toss to coat.

Cool slightly and then add cheese and eggs and mix. Pour into pie crust.

Bale 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

This is super yummy and the mustard gives it such a nice tang. It will make everyone wonder what is in there.

So, please give this a try and you won't be disappointed. It is so delicious and so perfect for many occasions.

Come on, it is waiting for you !!!!

Chicken Stuffed Shells and an award

This is a great, quick and easy weeknight meal.I found this recipe over at Pioneer Woman. It was the response to one of her contest questions, just like my last post. This is a big hit in my house and you really only need to add a salad and you have a satisfying dinner. It can be put together fast and you can use store bought Rotissere chicken, if you don't want to roast your own.


Chicken Stuffed Shells

1 package Jumbo shells, I used Ronzoni
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup mayonaise
1 box stove top stuffing
1 large jar beef or chicken gravy, I used Franco American


Instructions:

I roasted my own chicken, so basically took 2 chicken breasts on the bone, salted and peppered them, drizzled with olive oil and baked for 45-50 minutes, until they looked like this:


Let them cool and then shred them and put in a bowl to the side.

Cook shells according to package and drain. Make stuffing according to directions, using the butter and water. Cool and add in chicken and the mayo:
Right here I could stop and just take a fork and go to town, the filling is soooo good.

Fill shells with the chicken mixture and place in a 9x13 pan, that already has a thin layer of gravy spread on the bottom of it.

Pour remaining gravy over the shells.

Cover and bake 30 minutes. That's it, that is all there is to it. It is really yummy and so easy and so perfect for weeknight dinner. Aren't we all looking for easy weeknight dinners right now? I know I am.

I would also like to take a minute to thank Spryte, over at Sprytes place for this awesome award. Go visit her if you haven't already. She has lots of good things to try. I tried to answer the questions but couldn't figure out how to copy and paste them....sigh....oh well

3 packet Pot Roast

I love my crockpot. It is so great to be able to cook something without turning your oven on . My husband is typical Irish, loves his meat and potatoes and not much else, so you can see how my hands are somewhat tied when it comes to making new things in our house. I found this recipe over at Pioneer Woman, no, it is not her recipe, but she had a contest last year and it is one of the responses that I thought my husband would like. I finally got aroiund to making it and it is to die for. He loved it soooo much. The meat is fork tender and it makes a wonderful gravy and embarassingly enough it only contains 5 ingredients. Here are 4 of them...




3 Packet Crockpot Pot Roast


1 beef roast, any kind, sized to fit your crockpot
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
1 package brown gravy mix, I used Lawrys
1 package Italian dressing mix, I used Good Seasons
1/2 cup very warm water



Directions:

Place roast in crockpot. In a bowl combine the envelopes of mixes together.

Sprinkle on top of the roast, I rubbed it in all over. Donna, you would have been so proud.

Pour in 1/2 cup warm water. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.

I broke the cardinal rule, I opened the crockpot to get a picture for you guys. This had about 2 1/2 hours left to go. Some rules are made to be broken!!!!!

Here it is after 7 hours, it smelled so good. My husband was practically drooling, but honestly, it doesnt take much to have that happen. Sorry, honey, the truth is the truth.


The meat is so tender.

For the gravy, just pour the liquid from your crockpot into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. I usually thicken with a cornsatrch slurry. Some cornstarch mixed with cold water. Make sure the drippings are boiling before you add the cold water mix. Makes a delicious gravy. I usually always serve this with buttered noodles. It is a favorite in my house and its great to pour the gravy over everything. Mashed potatoes would be awesome with this. I would defiantely serve this for company as well. It's that good. It's nice to have a recipe that doesnt call for the most expensive cut of meat, either.

Enjoy, and sop up that gravy....you won't be sorry.

Peppers and eggs, Donna's way

This recipe comes straight from my sister, Donna, over at, My tasty treasures, you all know her from her bodacious blog, so funny, so offensive to those who have NO sense of humor and so delicious with all her food. She is not only a great cook, she is a great sister. She has always been there when I needed her, she would do anything for us(and often has), I call her 3-4 times a day, sometimes just to ask a question about something, usually food related, or to chit chat. We are usually on the same page about everything. My kids adore her, my husband loves to bust her chops and she gives back just as good. So think what you will from her blog, but know she is the best person I know!

On to the recipe, this is comfort food at its best and in the most simple form. All you need are the above few ingredients and a skillet and you can have a good for you, creamy and easy to adapt to different things, dinner, lunch or even breakfast.





Peppers and eggs, Donna's way







1 red bell pepper,seeded,sliced, cut in half

1 green bell pepper, seeded,sliced and cut in half

1 onion, sliced

olive oil

salt and pepper

4 eggs

1 tbsp butter

american cheese, 2-3 slices, rippes in thirds, vertically







Directions:



Preheat oven to 375.



Place peppers, onions and olive oil in pyrex dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix together. Toss with hands, they are your best kitchen tool.




Bake till peppers are softened slightly, but still hold shape. This can be done day before, hours before etc.Heat a large non stick skillet. Throw in 1 tbsp butter. Melt.

Add peppers, onion, and oil mixture. Heat through a little.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs to a nice consistency. Add some more black pepper. Little milk or cream. Pour directly onto the peppers in the pan. Immediately, scatter cheese thirds all over the eggs. Let sit 1 minute or 2, then begin to toss gently in the pan.

Cook the scrambled eggs to your liking, I like mine on the well done side. Plate it up, sigh and dig in, you have come home. If this doesn't make you feel warm and cozy, then there is no hope for you. lol

Even better, you can serve this dish solo, or you can serve on sub, or with hash browns, bacon, etc. Can easliy double, triple recipe. Add more peppers if you like. Maybe at your next brunch make these with a side of salsa instead of plain ole scrambled eggs. People will love it, and you can thank Donna for it.

Here we are back in the day, in our nice Catholic school girl uniforms, anxiously awaiting our Dad's promotion . Weren't we cute? It's the uniform. It does wonders. I hope she is not too angry that I showed you all what nice Catholic school girls we were. Catholic School girls, if they only knew......

Easy weeknight Chicken Teriayki

Weeknights are so difficult. I get out of work at 3:00, I come home and then my husband goes to work and I then start my second job as "mom". I have to clean up after the 3 of them, do laundry,dishes, be a referee and on top of that make dinner. I don't know how we moms do it, but we do. Recipes like this help. I got this recipe from a woman who lived in our apartment complex years ago. It is a quick , go to meal. I usually have everything I need for it on hand, and it is made on top of the stove. It is really good, I don't know if it has true teriayki flavor but I like it better than what I get at Shen Wangs for 10.00. Let's get started.


Chicken Teriayki


1 lb chicken cutlets, cut thin and in strips
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 garlic clove ( I used 2)
1 med onion, sliced into thin rings
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp Guldens spicy brown mustard
1-2 tbsp brown sugar ( I used 2)
1/2 tsp ground ginger



Directions:


Mix soy sauce,mustard,brown sugar, and ginger in a small bowl.


Whisk together and set aside.

Cut your chicken into thin strips

Set aside, until ready to use.

Cut garlic in half and the onion into thin rings. Heat oil in skillet and add garlic and onions and cook for 5 minutes.

Add chicken to the pan. Cook chicken for a little bit.

Add the soy sauce mixture, cover and simmer until sauce thickens and juices run clear, about 15 minutes.

***Double the sauce ingredients, remove cover after 10 minutes to help thicken quicker. Sometimes I use a cornstarch slurry. Remove chicken and keep warm if done before the sauce thickens to your liking.

That's the whole thing, done, finished. Serve over white rice or even better serve it with Donna's special fried rice, this takes it to a whole other level and you know exactly what you are eating and you can control the ingredients. Even my kids like this. So when you are stuck , at home, kids are screaming, the laundry needs to get done, the dishes need to get washed and you are trying to keep the kids from killing each other, give yourself a break and try this quick, easy, delish weeknight meal.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have laundry to fold and put away, because just like washing the dishes, my husband forgets how. It never ends. Keep smiling everyone, keep smiling.

Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips and Red White Beans

This is another one of those" I just saw it and I have to make it" recipes. Both of them. I saw your friend and mine, Rachael Ray, make these dishes on her 30 minute meal show, this past Saturday and I knew immediately I would have to make them. It is definately a 30 minute meal. It was fast and easy and the flavor combos were great. I, myself , would never think to combine lemon and beef together, but it works. She also made a side dish using cannellini beans and I have to tell you, it was amazing. Simple ingredients lends itself to layers of flavor in these dishes. Let me share them with you. Up first, is the Red White Beans, original recipe here. I didn't stray from her recipe at all. This is it, this is all it takes to make a great side dish.

Red White Beans


2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves finely chopped
salt and pepper
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup chicken stock
2(15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained



Directions:


Heat the olive oil in a skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add onions, rosemary and salt and pepper.

Cook the onions until sweet and soft, 8-10 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute. I looove the tomato paste in a tube. So much easier than scraping it out of that abnormally small can.

Add the stock, then stir in beans and reduce heat to low. Adjust seasoning and turn out into a serving bowl. Keep warm until ready to serve. I just kept it on low until the meat was done.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed these. The rosemary and the beans are such a great combination of flavors. I could have just ate these with a big loaf of crusty bread. These are a definate keeper for me. If you try either one of these recipes and I hope you try both, try this dish. You will love it.

Up next is the main dish, Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips, recipe can be found here. While Rachael was making this, I kept saying to my husband, I am making these tomorrow, it looked that good. Another plus was that it was cooked on top of the stove. It has been so humid here in New York, I was so happy to make something that didn't require me to turn the dam oven on. Here it is:

Lemon Garlic Sirloin Tips

2 lbs sirloin tips ( I had to ask the butcher in the supermarket for these)

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

4-5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped ( I used 5)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, a couple of handfuls

Directions:

Bring meat to room temperature and pat dry. I left mine on the counter for 1/2 hour and I actually did pat them dry. It is an important step. Also, if you have some pieces that are larger than the others, cut them so they are uniform in size.

Heat oil in large, heavy skillet or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the oil smokes, add the meat and DON'T MOVE IT for 5 minutes. Let it develop that nice crust or caramelization, before turning. Once browned, it should look like this:

Season meat liberally with salt and pepper, add the garlic and toss with the meat for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley and the lemon zest and cook for another minute. Add the white wine, this is one of my favorites:



Deglaze the pan. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter and serve immediately.


It makes a nice little sauce.

I have to tell you the flavor of the lemon and the garlic, mixed with the beef was such a hit with me. I absolutely loved this. I only wished I had bread to sop up the juices from both dishes.




What a messy plating, but it tasted great. I'm sure Racheal won't mind. Whether you like her or not , you will love these two dishes.