Cheesy Zucchini Bake

Hi! How's it going? I've been on a bit of a "hiatus" from blogging, but I'm back! Its zucchini season and I've been trying new recipes to use up my harvest. Here's something a little different from the usual. Great for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls
2 tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
4 cups chopped zucchini
3 eggs
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded mozza cheese

Press crescent rolls into a greased 8x8 pan.

Melt butter in a medium skillet; add chopped onion and chopped zucchini and saute over medium heat 5 minutes (or until tender-crisp).

In a medium bowl, beat eggs and stir in spices. Add a small amount of the onion/zucchini mixture to the eggs to temper them. Then add remainder of mix and stir together.

Stir in shredded mozza cheese and pour mixture into the unbaked crust. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

*From http://www.lemontreedwelling.com/

Cheesy Shells & Broccoli

Wonderfully gooey & cheesy! Homemade mac & cheese with some broccoli to make you feel like its at least a little healthy.

8 oz shell pasta
1 large crown broccoli, cut into small florets
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add shell pasta and set a timer for 8 minutes. At that point, add the broccoli florets to the pasta and cook pasta and broccoli for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook onion in butter over medium heat until onion has softened (about 2-3 minutes). Whisk in the flour to create a roux. Continue whisking the roux for about 2 minutes. Add the milk and whisk well to ensure there are no clumps. Add some pepper and bring the sauce up to a simmer.When sauce begins to thicken, its time to add the cheese. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese until smooth. Taste the cheese sauce to see if it needs some salt & pepper. You can also add some hot sauce to give it a little zip. Stir the broccoli and pasta into the cheese sauce. Voila! Dinner is served. Enjoy!

*From http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/02/broccoli-shells-n-cheese/

Chicken Tetrazzini Bake

This is a really good recipe that uses stuff that is usually in your pantry or fridge. No crazy weird ingredients that you need to go buy. And its really easy!

2 cups uncooked pasta (whatever kind you have)
1 pkg chicken bouillon
3/4 cup boiling water
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Blend in soup and pepper. Add celery, onion and chicken to soup mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and transfer to a greased 2 qt casserole dish. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!

Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Chicken

Now this recipe is apparently a copycat of a dish at Outback Steakhouse (US chain restaurant) called Alice Springs Chicken. But I've been to Alice Springs and nothing about this dish makes me think "Australia". So I had to change the name. That being said, it is still very tasty, how can it not be with bacon, cheese and mushrooms??

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
2 cups cheese

In a small bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil and lemon juice. Add the chicken breasts to a large container and pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 2 hours (or however long you have). Refrigerate the remaining marinade for later.

In a small frying pan, melt the butter and saute mushrooms until desired tenderness. Remove from heat. Spray a 9x13 pan or line with foil. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the marinade) and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear chicken in hot pan (3-4 minutes per side). Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Bake in oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bacon and cheese and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese. Serve with the remaining honey mustard sauce.

* From http://blogchef.net/outback-steakhouse-alice-springs-chicken-recipe/

Lasagna Roll-ups

Here's a great pasta dish for meatless Mondays!

10 lasagna noodles, cooked
2 1/2 cups marinara sauce
5 cups kale, stems removed, chopped fine
1 cup mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
500 g container ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt & pepper
mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.

Place kale in a food processor or blender and pulse a few times until finely chopped.

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until golden, about a minute. Add kale, salt and pepper and saute about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until soft, an additional 5-6 minutes.

Mix ricotta, Parmesan, egg and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the kale/mushroom mixture. Stir to combine.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out cooked lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take about 1/3 cup of mushroom kale mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle more marinara sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, until cheese melts.

From www.skinnytaste.com

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Today is Louis Riel Day, so a long weekend for me! I decided to do a bit of cooking and have kept busy most of the day. Cheesy soup and scones. Yum!



1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 cups milk
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
parsley or chives (optional)

Cook cauliflower, carrot, and celery in chicken broth until tender. Do not drain. Mash vegetables with a potato masher.

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add onion and saute until limp. Do not brown. Blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add milk. Heat and stir until it boils and thickens. Add cheese and stir until cheese melts. Add this sauce to mashed cauliflower mixture. Remove from heat and serve. Garnish with parsley or chopped chives, if desired.

Delicious served with a buttery cheddar scone. Recipe to follow... ;-)

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Savory Cheddar Scones

Mmm...cheesy, buttery goodness!

3 cups flour
2 tbsps baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp dill weed
1 tbsp chives, finely snipped

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter to form pea-sized pieces. Add grated cheddar and herbs.

Mix eggs and buttermilk, and quickly add them to the flour mixture. Combine until just blended. Move the dough to a well-floured surface and knead a few times. Pat into a cirlce about 1-inch thick. Place dough on a parchment lined pie pan and cut into 8 wedges.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Tip: The key to light and fluffy scones is to handle the dough as little as possible.

Goes well with soup!

* From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Tortilla Lasagna

I was feeling like making a lasagna, but with a different twist. This is pretty simple to make really, no lasagna noodles to cook. And it was quite tasty!

6 tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken breast (I used turkey)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozza, whatever you prefer)

In a greased 2 1/2 qt casserole (or adjust quantities slightly if making in a 9x13 baking dish), arrange two tortillas. Top with a third of each of the above ingredients, chicken, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream, green onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat tortilla and topping two more times, ending with the cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

This is a very quick and easy meal to make, but people will think you spent a lot of time to make this delicious dish. Some corn and Spanish rice make this a meal!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tsps taco seasoning mix (or your own mix of spices)
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat each chicken breast in taco seasoning and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour salsa over chicken. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and juices run clear. Sprinkle chicken with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve.

Cheesy Baked Ravioli

This is a pretty easy dish to make. Similar to lasagna, but with ravioli instead. Delicious!

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg cheese ravioli
1 jar (14 oz) pasta sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozza cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
handful of spinach

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cook ground beef, onion over medium high heat. Drain grease, add the Italian seasoning. Stir in the pasta sauce and the tomatoes.

Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce in the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish. Arange 1/2 of the ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle with 1/2 the mozza cheese and 1/2 the cheddar cheese. Arrange a layer of spinach leaves over the cheese. Repeat meat sauce, rest of ravioli, then last 1/3 of the meat sauce. Finish with the last of the cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes to let the cheese brown.