Fried Zucchini

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days.  My plan was to have a new zucchini recipe everyday this week.  But plans change.  Especially when your youngest requires an emergency visit to the doctor.

My one & a half year old daughter decided to climb out of her crib.  On the getting out part she was successful, but she didn't stick the landing.  The result was a fractured forearm & a big purple cast that she will have to wear for a month.  An all this while were trying to finish up renovating our house & moving.  Yeesh!

Anyway, on to fried zucchini.  This is probably my favorite way to eat zucchini.  It's so tasty & makes a great appetizer.  Serve this with homemade ranch & you have a winner.  Here's the DL...
Ingredients
One medium to large zucchini
1 cup of beer batter or frying batter (I use the store bought stuff, but if you have a good recipe I'd love to see it.  Put in the comments section below)
canola oil
salt

Directions
Wash zucchini & cut in half.  Then cut in half again lengthwise.  Cut each section into one inch strips (or to desired size).  Put 2 inches of canola oil in a medium pan & heat on medium or until about 350 degrees.  Dip zucchini strips into batter to coat.  Immediately set into hot oil.  Fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.  Then flip over & fry other side until golden.  Remove from oil & set on a paper towel to drain.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with ranch dressing.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Drizzled with Olive Oil & Parmesan

This is a super easy & flavorful way to enjoy zucchinni.  Actually, this recipe works on a variety of vegetables.  It also looks really pretty.  Only five ingredients are required to make this scruptous zucchinni dish.  Here's the how...

Ingredients
zucchini
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch slices.  Place zucchini slices on baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper to desired taste.  Place about one teaspoon of grated Parmesan on top of each zucchini.  Bake for 10 minutes then turn on low broil for 1-2 minutes, or until tops are golden.  Enjoy!

Zucchini Parmigiana

Here's a vegetarian twist on an old world classic.  This is a great dish for those who aren't wild about zucchini.  It's very flavorful & rich, & doesn't have an overwhelming zucchini taste.  A good hearty dish that is simple to make & pretty dang healthy.  This recipe is great for those overgrown zucchinis.  You know, the ones that hide under the leaves & you don't discover them until they're the size of your arm.  Here's the how to...
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, washed
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg, beaten
2 cups marinara sauce
1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
Directions

Cut zucchini into 3/4 inch pieces.
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.  In shallow bowl combine bread crumbs & Parmesan cheese.  Dip zucchini in egg until coated.  Immediately set egg coated zucchini into bread crumb mixture & turn until coated on all sides.  Put coated zucchini into hot oil & repeat process with remaining zucchinis quickly to ensure even cooking time.  Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until coating is brown & crispy & zucchini is heated through.

Cover zucchinis with marinara sauce & sprinkle tops with Mozzarella.  Cover & cook until cheese is melted & marinara is warmed through.  Serve immediately & enjoy.  Makes about 4 servings.

The rich tomato flavor combined with the zucchini is amazing.  The bottoms are crispy & the whole thing is scrumptious.  Goes great with fettuccine alfredo.

Zucchini Week Begins

 Alright, go out to that garden & pick you some zucchini.  Go ahead and take that bag full your neighbor keeps trying to give you.  Zucchini week is officially beginning.  I personally have been overran by the buggers. So much for planting a "little" garden.  So this past week I actually had some time to cook & with my over abundance of zucchini I played with some recipes.  Starting tomorrow I will share some with you.  A few are surprising and all are yummy.  Stay tuned.

And here is a pretty picture of a flower A) because summer is almost over & I don't want it to be.  Especially since I didn't get to enjoy it because of a house remodel & moving. B) just to brighten your day & remind you of the beauty that constantly surrounds you. C) because I love pink, always have (even ask my Mom), always will.

See you tomorrow!

Fettuccine Alfredo

If your looking for a rich, easy to make, Italian pasta, stop your search.  You have arrived.  I remember years ago when the thought of making alfredo sauce was intimidating.  But when I actually buckled down & gave 'er a try it was all too easy.  And over the years I've discovered it's pretty hard to mess up as well.  Most dishes that are solely based on butter, cream & cheese will taste good no matter what.  Fettuccine Alfredo goes well as a side with so many main courses, yet is hearty enough to be a main course in itself.  Ingredients are minimal & cook time is fast.  This makes a great after-thought dinner.  My two tips are:  1) Buy a decent Parmesan cheese, it makes a difference. 2) Don't step away from the sauce while making it.  It cooks quickly & you don't want to scorch it.  So keep that whisk in hand & stand by the stove.  Here's the low-down...
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
1 pint heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for topping
16 ounces dry fettuccine noodles
Directions
While making sauce cook fettuccine noodles to al dente (if noodles get done before the sauce strain & rinse with cold water or toss with olive oil & set aside).
In medium size sauce pan melt butter over medium heat.  Add garlic & cook for 2-3 minutes or until butter begins to bubble.  Slowly whisk in cream & cook whisking constantly until cream is warmed through & becomes thick.  A bit at a time add the cup of Parmesan cheese & whisk until cheese it melted throughout.  Stir in 1/4 cup parsley.  Pour sauce over noodles & toss until coated.  Top with remaining parsley & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.  Enjoy! 

Burnt Butter Bread

I dig this bread.  I serve it with a variety of dishes & there are never any left overs.  It's a knock off of Pioneer Woman's "The Bread".  It's cheap, quick to make, & scrumptious.  Plus this bread goes great with a variety of dishes: anything Italian, BBQ, steak, chicken, and fettuccine alfredo (look for that recipe coming soon).  Here's how...
Ingredients
1 loaf of french bread
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
garlic powder
kosher salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cut french bread loaf in half length ways.  Spread half the butter on one side & the remaining butter on the other side.  Make sure every inch is covered.  It will seem like there is too much butter... there is... it's wonderful!  Now sprinkle garlic powder & kosher salt on top to your desired taste.  Spread butter around again to mildly incorporate the garlic powder & salt.  Put bread on a baking sheet & stick in the oven until butter is totally melted, about 3-4 minutes.

 Now crack the oven door & set oven to low broil.  Let the bread broil until the edges turn black & the top is well browned.  Don't get nervous & pull it our too soon, you want the butter to kind of burn & caramelize.  Gives the bread a great taste & texture.

Slice it up in skinny pieces (it's rich, so a little goes a long way) & serve immediately.

Fair Week

You may have noticed that my posting was a little slow this past week.  That's because around here it was fair week.  For the past 10 years of our lives my husband & I have devoted fair week to working the food booths for our church.

Our church food booths are ran by our children's & youth ministry & raise funds for their entire year of activities, trips, & outreaches.  Although fair week is hot, long & greasy, it's totally worth it to see all that the young people in our church are able to do throughout the year.  I can't complain too much because I generally get to work the espresso bar, which I love.  Reminds me of when I was in college working at the coffee bar in the student union building.  My hubby on the other hand generally gets put at the grill whipping up cheesesteak sandwiches.  This is a much hotter & more intense job.  (Do you like how focused my son is in this picture.)

I love the food at the fair.  I have so many must have food items I order throughout the week.  The food at our church's booths is also wonderful, curly fries, cheesesteak sandwiches, steak kabobs, sweet potato fries, fried snickers... I love it all.  But this year our children's booth added giant turkey legs.  My hubby has been wanting to get our booth to serve humongous turkey legs for four years now.  And a the 2011 Western Montana Fair his dream came true.  Plus they tasted extra yummy!

We did manage to squeeze in a little fair fun with our kiddos.  We mostly do the free stuff, like the animal barns.  But of course grandma can't resist treating the kids to a few rides.  It was my youngest first time on a ride.  Since she loves horses & the carousel allows parents to ride along for free we did that.  She LOVED it & was a little disappointed when it was all over.

So between fair week & house remodeling I have not been cooking or blogging much.  (Do ya like my son's spurring action in this shot.  He says he wants to ride bulls, but from this pict I'd say he's gonna be a bronc rider.  My oldest seems to be practicing her trick riding.  I love that we have real horses, yet the fiberglass ones are so much more fun.)  I get to play catch up this week a little bit.  I will have some yummy recipes coming up & a whole section on zucchinis.  Anybody got way too many zucchinis in their garden?  (I'm raising my hand)