Texas Caviar

I am such a huge fan of Mexican food!  It is my go to for dinner, snacks and just about anytime!  I came across this recipe and couldn't get enough! I found the recipe here. And no, it doesn't have fish eggs in it!

Texas Caviar

1 (15 oz) can black eyed peas for black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15 oz) can corn

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced

1 jalapeño (2 if you want it spicer)stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 T fresh squeezed lime juice

1 T extra virgin olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/4 t paprika

1/8 t pepper or cayenne if you like the heat

Whisk together oil, lime juice, paprika, salt and pepper.

Toss all the other ingredients together in a bowl.  

Pour the dressing on top and toss until mixed together.

Serve with tortilla chips!

Corn and Zucchini Chowder

Such yummy soup! It is still so hot here in Texas, but I am so ready for soup! Sorry family, we are eating soup even if it is nearly 100 degrees! I found this recipe here.

Corn and Zucchini Chowder
(about 6 servings)

1 T Butter
2 strips bacon, chopped
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 celery ribs, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 medium carrot, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t dried thyme
2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 lb.) peele, and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
4 cups of water
1 bay leaf
4 ears of fresh corn, husk and silk removed and kernels cut from the cob (about 2 3/4 cup)
1 medium zucchini, diced into 1 inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 cup half and half
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
cayenne pepper, to serve

In a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon renders its fat and begins to brown. About 3-4 minutes.
Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic and thyme. Cook until veggies begin to soften, stirring multiple times.  About 5 minutes.
Add potatoes, water and bay leaf. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer, then lower the heat back to medium and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are halfway cooked.
Add zucchini and corn.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for an additional 8-12 minutes or until the veggies are completely tender.
Discard bay leaf and then transfer 2 cups of the soup to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Stir the mixture back into the pot.  Add half and half and cook until heated through. Adjust seasonings and serve with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce

I LOVE having a garden. I LOVE homegrown tomatoes. But there comes a time when all of a sudden you have 15 pounds of tomatoes ready all at once! That's when you can them!  I much prefer to have marinara sauce at the ready then just plain tomatoes.  And let's be honest, vegetables just taste better roasted! I found this recipe here.  It is simple, easy and in one afternoon I had beautiful jars of this perfect marinara sauce. All from my homegrown tomatoes!

Roasted Tomato Marinara Sauce

(about 8 cups)

10 pounds of fresh tomatoes

16 whole, peeled garlic cloves

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

6 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

2 medium onions, roughly chopped

1 T sea salt

2 t fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Get out 2 large roasting pans or 3 large cookie sheets.

Wash tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks. The core may need to be removed. Big chunks are good.  Place the tomatoes in the roasting pan.  Add garlic, oil, broth, oregano, onion, salt and pepper. Toss with your hands until mixed.  Place the pan in the oven and roast until the tomatoes have reduced by half and are starting to get a few black spots on the edges.  This should take about 45-60 minutes. Stir half way through.  If the tomatoes are really juicy, it will take longer. 

Remove pan from oven and let cool until you can handle it.  Carefully transfer the roasted tomatoes into a food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency.  

The sauce is ready to serve. You can serve, freeze or can it.  

To can the sauce:

(You can NOT water bath this, it has to be done in a pressure canner)

Sterilize jars and fill leaving one inch head room.  Wipe the top rim and place the lid on.  We heat the lids in a simmering pot of water, be careful not to boil.  Place jars in a pressure canner.  Process for 25 minutes at 7 pounds of pressure. Don't forget to adjust for altitude.  Once the jars are processed remove from pressure canner and let them sit, undisturbed for 12 hours. 

Herbed Sliced Potatoes

We harvested about 60 pounds of potatoes from our garden this year!  So I am always looking for new ways to cook up these beauties!  I found this recipe here and LOVED that I got to use fresh herbs from my garden to season them! They were so easy, beautiful and delicious!  They will be gracing our table time and again!

Herbed Sliced Potatoes

4 large potatoes or 6 smaller ones
4 T butter (about 1 T per potato)
1 t course sea salt
2-3 T chopped, fresh herbs (I used thyme, basil, rosemary, and flat leaf parsley)
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan, I used asiago, romano and parmesan mix

Preheat the oven to 400.  Wash potatoes and peel if desired (I used Yukon Gold, very thin skin, and left the skin on). Place each potato between two wooden spoons and slice until you hit the spoons.  This will cause the potato to be sliced but still hold together on the bottom.  Mix the herbs into the melted butter and brush onto the sliced potatoes making sure to get the butter and herbs between the slices.  Sprinkle with the sea salt.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Once or twice while cooking, spoon the butter that has dripped off back onto the potatoes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the grated cheese and put back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are soft and the cheese is melted.

Perfect Black Beans

There is something wonderful in the simplicity of beans and rice!  I love how easy this recipe comes together.  It takes boring canned black beans and makes them into a meal!  They are so flavorful and satisfying!  I can't remember where I got this recipe from, so I apologize for not linking to the original recipe! We like these plain, over rice, or even topped with chicken, guacamole, cheese and salsa. The options are endless!  We refer to this meal as Chipotle style.  Start with beans and add what you want!

Perfect Black Beans
4-6 servings

4 t olive oil
1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped (I used orange, any would work)
1 onion, finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 (16 oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 t dried thyme
1/2 t dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup water
1/4-1/2 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, bell pepper and garlic and sauté until soft and tender, stirring regularly. Stir in the beans, tomatoes, broth, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 45 minutes.  Stir in the fresh cilantro and salt and pepper (to taste).  Discard the bay leaf. Serve as desired.

Kale Chips

I have seen these all over the internet lately and since we LOVE kale in our house (we even grow it in our garden), I just had to give them a try.  They have been given the stamp of approval, even by my 4 year old! They are quick and easy and super tasty!

Kale Chips


1 bunch of kale, washed and dried
1-2 T olive oil
kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350. Once the kale has been washed and dried, remove the big stems and tear the kale into large pieces (the size you want your chips to be).  Toss the kale with the olive oil until it is coated.  Place the kale in a single layer on a cookie a sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt, be careful not over salt it, a little goes a long way!  Bake the kale at 350 for 15-20 minutes until the kale is crunchy.  Serve warm or cold, be careful the kale is super delicate.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta

This is a simple, tasty, summery pasta recipe.  I LOVE all of these flavors combined, and roasting the vegetables gives them such rich flavors. Topped with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil make this dish so wonderful and light!

Roasted Vegetable Pasta
(4 servings)


Penne pasta (I LOVE Barilla brand PLUS)
4 medium tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
2 zucchinis, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small eggplant, cut into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
fresh grated Parmesan
fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 450. Cut up veggies and place on a cookie sheet. Add the 4 cloves of garlic, leaving the skin on so they will not burn while roasting.  Drizzle veggies with Extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Toss to coat evenly.  Roast veggies for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and slightly browning on the edges, stirring every few minutes.  When the veggies are done, remove skin from the garlic and mince.  Add it back into the veggies. While the veggies are roasting cook pasta to al dente.  When they are both done, top pasta with veggies and then add fresh grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.  Adjust salt and pepper to desired taste. Serve with crusty bread!

Perfect Guacamole

This is the ONLY recipe you will ever need for this!  It is beyond delicious, perfectly simple and oh so fresh! We LOVE Mexican food at our house!  And good guacamole tops the chart! My husband and I often wonder why it is so many restaurants serve nasty guacamole when it is so easy to make!  The hardest part is finding GOOD avocados.  Once you have that handled, well the rest is just too easy!

Guacamole

4 ripe avocados*

juice of 1/2 a lime

1/4 cup salsa, the fresher the better!

garlic salt, to taste

In a bowl mash up the avocados with the lime juice.  We used a potato masher, if you want it smoother and creamier, use an electric mixer.  Stir in the salsa and garlic salt.  

To pick perfect avocados, buy ones that are hard and let them soften on your counter.  They are ripe when the are still firm to the touch but have a little give to them.  If you try and buy them ripe, they are usually over ripe or bruised.  We store almost ripe avocados in our fridge and they ripen a lot slower.  Let them come to room temperature before using, it will make them easier to mash.  

Storing left over Guacamole is tricky, we have found the best way is to press plastic wrap to the top of the leftovers in a bowl removing all the air bubbles. Like when you press plastic wrap onto the top of pudding to prevent a film from forming.

Veggie Chowder

I found this recipe on this blog.  I was excited to try it, seeing as how my 6 year old keeps telling me he is vegetarian and doesn't even like chicken!  So, I LOVE finding soups that are full of good veggies and that he will eat!  This one did not disappoint and we will for sure be making it often.

Veggie Chowder
(6 servings)

2 T butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 T minced garlic
4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used about 8 small red potatoes with the skin on)
1 1/2 T flour
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup milk
2 cups chopped fresh broccoli
2 heaping cups shredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a large soup pot.  Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté over Medium heat until the veggies are tender.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.  Add the broth and potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender.  Mix flour with water and add to the soup. Simmer until the soup is slightly thickened.  Add milk and broccoli and cook until the broccoli is just tender.  Stir in the cheese until melted and then serve immediately.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

I found this recipe on Pinterest.  It is a crockpot recipe but I just adapted it to stove top. I also changed it a bit to my liking.  I was so good!  A deep, rich, creamy tomato soup!  LOVE it!

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup
(4 servings)

1 (14 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1-2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 ribs celery, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 t dried oregano, or 1/2 T fresh
1/2 T dried basil, or 2 T fresh, chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 cup half and half, warmed
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy soup pot, saute celery, carrots and onion in olive oil until softened. Add tomatoes, oregano and basil and stir. Add 2 cups of the broth and the bay leaf.  Let this simmer until the veggies are cooked and soft.  Once they are soft, remove the bay leaf and puree with a submersion blender or in a food processor until smooth.  Return to the pot and in another pan prepare a roux.  Melt the butter in a small pan.  Add the flour and whisk for about 3-5 minutes.  Add the last cup of broth to the roux and then add it into the soup. Stir and add the grated Parmesan, warmed half and half, and salt and pepper to taste.  Let this simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavors.  Serve with a little more Parmesan sprinkled over the top!  Would be great served with grilled cheese or these croutons!

Caprese Salad Skewers

I have seen this salad pop up all over the internet. I love that these are bite sized and individual.  Besides they are so easy and beautiful.  I have made them a couple of times now and they are always a hit.  The last time was for this Fall Baby Shower I put on with my BFF Abby.

Caprese Salad Skewers

Cherry tomatoes

fresh basil leaves

fresh mozzarella (I used and LOVE these little marinated mozzarella balls.  I found them at my grocery store.  The brand is Galbani)

balsamic vinegar

toothpicks

sea salt (optional)

fresh ground pepper (optional)

Place a tomato, basil leaf and mozzarella on a toothpick and repeat until you have the desired amount.  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

(If you don't use the marinated mozzarella, you may want to sprinkle the skewers with sea salt and fresh ground pepper)

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

We have a beautiful garden, my husband totally has a green thumb. It is producing squash like CRAZY! So I have started to get creative. That is where this recipe comes in. It is totally vegetarian because when you have gorgeous veggies in your back yard who would want to go to the store? I just used what I had. I will tell you what veggies I used but really, the *options are endless!

Roasted Vegetable Lasagna

(about 9 servings)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 medium yellow squash, sliced

2 tomatoes, quartered

1 medium onion, sliced

6-8 cloves of garlic

1 red bell pepper, sliced

extra virgin olive oil

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

no-boil lasagna noodles

24-oz small curd cottage cheese

2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

32-oz marinara sauce, homemade or your favorite store bought brand

fresh spinach

Turn your oven on to broil. Cut your veggies and place them on a cookie sheet. Leave the peel on the garlic cloves while you roast them. Drizzle the veggies with the olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss them with your hands to coat evenly. Place under the broiler for about 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through. They are done when they start to look dark brown (but not burned) on the edges. Remove the peels from the garlic and finely chop. I like to remove the tomato skins as well. Chop tomatoes and red bell peppers into chunks. Place these back on the cookie sheet and toss to mix.

To assemble:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the pan.  Then put a layer of noodles followed by a layer of cottage cheese, then a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and finally a layer of roasted veggies.  Top the veggies with sauce and start the process over again.  You will want to divide all ingredients into 3 equal portions because that is how many layers you will make.  The top layer will be sauce and then mozzarella cheese.  Cover the whole thing with foil and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.  Allow the lasagna to sit for 10-20 minutes before serving to let it set.  (I was obviously to excited to let mine set before I served it!) We LOVE to serve ours on a bed of fresh spinach, the spinach gets slightly wilted but not over cooked this way.  It is so good!

*You could also use carrots, mushrooms, kale, etc...

Gnocchi with Marinara and Fresh Spinach

Gnocchi is the Italian word for dumpling. These have been a favorite of my husbands for a long time.  So when we went to a great little restaurant near us for dinner he ordered this fabulous Gnocchi dish with marinara sauce and fresh spinach.  We both liked it so much we decided to try our hand at recreating it.  It was sooo good!  Just as good as the original!  The Gnocchi recipe we found on Food Network.

Gnocchi with Marinara and Fresh Spinach
(4 servings)

kosher salt (optional)
1 pound russet potatoes
3-4 large egg yolks
1/2 fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
1 cup flour, plus more for dusting
1 recipe Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce or your favorite store bought brand
Fresh spinach
chicken sausage (optional)
fresh grated Parmesan Cheese

Preheat oven to 425.

Spread a layer of kosher salt on a baking sheet and arrange potatoes on top.  Bake until a bit over cooked (about 45 minutes).  Let sit until cool enough to handle, cut in half, and scoop out the insides.

Grate the potatoes on the large holes of a box grater.  You should have about 2 cups.  Make a mound of the potatoes on the counter with a well in the middle.  Add the 3 eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cheese to the well.  Mix well with your hands. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the flour over the potatoes and, using your knuckles, press it into the potatoes.  Fold the mass over on itself and press down again.  Sprinkle on more flour, little by little folding and pressing the dough until it holds together (try not to knead it, this will make the gnocchi tough). Work any dough on your fingers back into the dough.  If the mixture is too dry, add another egg yolk or a little water.  The dough should give under light pressure.  It will feel firm but yielding.  To test if the dough is the right consistency, take a piece and roll it with your hands on a well-floured board into a rope 1/2 inch in diameter.  If the dough holds together, it is ready.  If not, add more flour, fold and press the dough several more times and then test again.

On a floured surface, cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a rope about 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 1/2 in long pieces.  Lightly flour the gnocchi as you cut them.  You can cook these as us or form them into the classic Gnocchi shape using the times of the back side of a fork.  We watched this YouTube Video and it made it way easier.

Lightly four the Gnocchi as you shape them and then place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet.  If you will not be cooking the Gnocchi now, you can freeze them for a later use.

When ready to cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt.  Drop the Gnocchi into the boiling water and cook for about 90 seconds from the time they rise to the surface. Drain the Gnocchi.

Place some Gnocchi in a bowl or on a plate.  Top with fresh spinach, then sauce and finally shredded Parmesan and chicken sausage if desired.  The heat of the Gnocchi and the sauce will slightly cook the spinach leaving a slight crisp to it.  Delish!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

We are having a blizzard warning here! So, what better to hunker down to than a big bowl of comfort food. This soup tops that list for me especially when you serve it with a big slice of crusty bread or in a bread bowl. When I saw this recipe over at My Kitchen Cafe, I just knew I would love it!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

(4 servings)

1 can chicken broth, about 1 3/4 cup

1 small onion, chopped

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

pepper to taste

2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

2 1/2 -3 cups broccoli, chopped and lightly steamed

Simmer chicken broth and chopped onion for 15-20 minutes in a covered small saucepan until onions are tender. (I think next time I will just saute them in the butter.) In a separate pot melt butter and add flour and pepper. Cook together for a couple of minutes, stirring so it doesn't burn and then whisk in the milk. Stir and heat together over medium-high heat until the soup starts to thicken. Next, add the chicken broth and continue to stir until blended. Add the cheese and broccoli and stir until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Quinoa and Vegetable Stew with Chicken

I found this recipe over at Picky Palate. I absolutely LOVE soup (have I mentioned this before?) and am always looking for new recipes to try. I love this soup. And next time I am going to make it without the chicken, it was not necessary to me. The Quinoa has a lot of protein in it so you don't even need the chicken if you don't want it.

Quinoa and Vegetable Stew with Chicken

(8-10 servings)

2 T olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 stalks of celery, chopped

4 large carrots, sliced

2 cups sweet peppers, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

64 oz chicken or vegetable broth

1-15 oz can petite diced tomatoes

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into one inch pieces

3 cups cooked Quinoa

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used my fav Rotisserie chicken from Sam's)

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T hot sauce

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper and garlic salt with parsley to taste

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute Onion, celery, carrots, peppers and zucchini until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes and potatoes. Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add quinoa, chicken, mustard, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This is another recipe from my sister-in-law. I absolutely LOVE spinach and artichoke dip and this is my favorite recipe for it! It makes me like it even more that it doesn't have mayonnaise in it. Not that I have anything against mayonnaise but putting it in desserts and eating it in a big glob on top of crackers or bread just makes me want to gag. It is a mental thing. Anyway, you won't miss the mayo one bit in this, it is wonderful!

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

1-10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1-14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together spinach, artichokes, cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and salt and pepper until combined. Top with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is brown and bubbling.

Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

I absolutely L.O.V.E. this soup! I stumbled across this recipe at Simply Recipes. Ok, I am a huge soup fan, but I tend to like soups that have some sort of meat in them. However, my 5 year old told me the other day that he HATES meat and would only eat dinner if it did not have beef or chicken in it. So I decided to find a vegetable soup that I could make that used some of our winter vegetables from our garden. Well, if I had recipes that were this tasty that didn't have meat, I could totally be vegetarian! So make your self some crusty bread and get to work on this surprisingly delicious soup! (Don't let the kale scare you, it is so wonderful and very mild in this soup!)

Kale and Roasted Vegetable Soup

(6 servings)

3 medium carrots, peeled and quartered lengthwise

2 large tomatoes, quartered

1 large onion, cut into 8 wedges

1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut lengthwise in 1/2 inch thick wedges

6 whole cloves garlic

1 T olive oil

6 cups or more of vegetable broth

4 cups finely chopped kale

3 large sprigs of fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1-15 oz can of great northern beans (I used white kidney beans, it is what I had on hand)

Preheat oven to 400 (reduce by 25 degrees if using a convection oven). Brush a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Arrange carrots, squash, tomatoes, onion and garlic on the sheet. Drizzle with more olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast the vegetables until they are browned and tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Cut squash and carrots into 1/2 inch pieces; set aside. Peel garlic and place in a food processor with tomatoes and onion. Puree until almost smooth. Pour 1/2 cup vegetable broth onto the baking sheet and scrap up any browned bits. Transfer both the broth and the puree to a large pot. Add 5 1/2 cups broth, kale, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered until the kale is tender, about 30 minutes.

Add the carrots, squash and beans to the soup. Simmer another few minutes to blend flavors, adding more broth to thin soup, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Serve hot with crusty bread.

This soup can be made a day ahead.

Zucchini Gratin

I found this recipe over at Food Network. I altered it a little to fit with the ingredients that I had on hand. It was totally yummy! I know I can always count on Ina Garten. This made a great side dish and it gave a fun new spin to plain old zucchini!

Zucchini Gratin

(6 servings)

6 T butter, plus 2 more T for topping

2 yellow onions, cut in half and then sliced

4 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 1/2 t kosher salt

1/2 t pepper

1/4 t ground nutmeg

2 T flour

1 cup hot milk

3/4 cup bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned bread crumbs)

3/4 cups grated Gruyere cheese (I used a combination of Parmesan, asiago and Romano)

Preheat oven to 400.

Melt the butter in a large (12 inch) saute pan and cook the onions over low heat for 20 minutes or until they are tender but not browned.

Add the zucchini and cook, covered for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.  Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue cooking for a few more minutes.

Stir in the flour and then add the HOT milk. Cook over low heat until it makes a sauce, this takes a few minutes.

Pour the mixture into a 9x13 pan .

Combine the bread crumbs with the shredded cheese and sprinkle over the top of the zucchini.  Dot this with the remaining 2 T butter that has been cut into small bits.

 Bake at 400 for 20 minutes, or until bubbly and browned.

Our Favorite Smoothie

This is just a list of ingredients. I just start putting these things into my blender and taste/adjust amounts as I go. I do always put the same things in though. After trying so many different combinations of things, this is our favorite. My kids love it and I love that they love it! This makes for a happy family! And who doesn't want that?! We do smoothies for breakfast all the time, but they are great whenever and can even be frozen into popsicles.

Our Favorite Smoothie

ripe bananas

yogurt (I like Greek, more protein and probiotics...Greek Gods is the best brand in my book)

orange juice

vanilla, just a few drops

protein powder (we use the soy,vanilla flavored, it adds sweetness)

a handful of baby spinach and/or kale (the beauty is you can't taste it)

frozen or fresh berries (we like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries the best. Plus the color hides the green from the veggies)

ice (you won't need very much or any at all if you use frozen berries)

Blend this all together until smooth. I don't add any additional sweetener, it is always sweet enough for us. But if you want it sweeter, honey or agave both work great.

My Favorite Pasta Salad

I love this salad because it is SO easy, quick and yummy. It is really more of a list of ingredients than a recipe. But hey, easy is good and maybe I am just LAME but I didn't make pasta salad forever because I had no idea how easy it really was. So if any of you out there are like me, well, let me save you the hassle and give you the list right here!

Pasta Salad

16 oz spiral pasta (I like the multi colored) cooked and drained

red onion

broccoli

squash (zucchini or yellow)

carrots

tomato

olives

1 bottle of Italian dressing

fresh grated Parmesan cheese

I just take whatever veggies I have on hand or feel like and chop them to bite size pieces. Now mix these with the pasta and pour the bottle of dressing over the top. Mix it well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or over night. The dressing seems to soften the veggies a little so leave them raw. Make sure to toss the salad before serving as the dressing settles at the bottom. Sprinkle with Parmesan right before serving.