Green Beans and Zucchini with Garlic

from here.

I made this last week to go along with our steak tips & crab legs on Chris's birthday. He couldn't get over the crab legs, but this...this may have been my favorite. It's that good.

1 TBS olive oil
2 zucchini sliced into 1/2 inch half moons
1/2 lb green beans washed and trimmed
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1/2 cup chicken stock
Salt and crushed red pepper flakes
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish

In a skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the zucchini, green beans, garlic, and chicken stock. Season with salt and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, or until green beans are tender.

To Serve:Transfer to serving platter and garnish with Pecorino Romano cheese.

MY NOTES:

• Simmering for only 5 or 6 minutes leaves the veggies nice and crispy (just like I like 'em)! But if you prefer yours softer, cook a few minutes longer.
• I used regular old Parmesan on top, and it was so so so good!

Lauren's 'What's the Dill?' Salmon

I made this a while back, accidentally using spicy mustard instead of Dijon (oops). But it was still yummy, so I imagine it is especially good when you actually follow the recipe correctly.

4 (6 oz.) skinless salmon fillets
Cooking spray
1/8 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
1 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat broiler. Place fish on broiler pan and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. pepper. Broil for 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with fork.

Combine sour cream and next 5 ingredients.

Spoon sauce over fish and serve.

MY NOTES:

• Pay attention to the mustard bottle as you get it out of the refrigerator.
• Other than that...yummy!

Emee's Ham & Cheese Roll Appetizer

My college friend and roomie, Emee, sent me a new recipe to try, and I wanted to post it here before it gets lost in the black hole that is my gmail account. I haven't tried it yet, but Emee is an ah-ma-zing cook (as is her mother, who once made the BEST biscuits and gravy that I have ever had in my life) so I have no doubt that it is yummy.

For One Tin Plate of Sister Schubert Rolls:
1 Stick Butter
2 TBS Spicy Brown Mustard
2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce (Or however the hell you spell this)
2 TBS Poppy Seeds
2 TBS Dried Onion Flakes (I usually use a little more...b/c I love onion)
1 Package of Swiss Cheese
1 Package of Baked Ham (you can use turkey if you prefer...but I like the ham)

Thaw out the SS Rolls. Take the rolls out of the pan (still connected) cut them in half. Put the bottom half back in the tin plate and place the top half off to the side.

In a saucepan melt the butter. Add in the the mustard, poppy seeds, onion flakes, and Worcestershire sauce. Saute all these ingredients for about 10 minutes. Stir Constantly.

After your butter mixture is good and sautéed, brush the sauce onto the bottom of the rolls. Then take your ham and make a layer, then take the swiss cheese and make a layer on the rolls. Next place the top of rolls over the cheese. And take your remaining butter mixture and spread that on top. Cover the pan with foil and cook the rolls according to the directions on the bag!!

These are a little piece of heaven!! They will melt in your mouth.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Last year I combined recipes from myself, my mom, my stepmom, and my grandmothers and put them in a cookbook as a wedding gift for my sister (which actually turned into a Christmas present, but that's beside the point). When looking through the uploaded recipes on tastebook.com, it would tell you how many recipes you had in each "type" of food. Ours looked like the following:

Soups and Salads (3)
Poultry (4)
Meat (2)
Seafood (0) ...Mary Beth doesn't like seafood
Fruit (6)
Vegetables (4)
Desserts (5,863)

What I'm trying to say is that my family loves desserts, and we really like making them. So there will probably be a quite a few added here. Starting with this peanut butter fudge. It is super sweet, but as someone who doesn't like chocolate it's a nice way to satisfy a sweet tooth with just a little tiny bite.

1/2 c. butter
2 1/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/2 c. confectioner's sugar (whoa, I know, feel free to cut back on this a little bit)

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioner's sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 8x8 inch dish. Chill until firm & cut into squares.

Pasta with Zucchini

from Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Chris has gone up to the lake with a friend for a couple of days, so Nikki came over for dinner last night to keep me company (...and had nothing to do with the fact that we both desperately needed some girl time...) I had been wanting to give this all-veggie dish a try, so I thought it was the perfect time. I knew I loved zucchini in all forms (particularly a la bread) but now I realize that I love it with pasta, too. YUM.

SERVES 4

4 small to medium zucchini
onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 pint grape tomatoes
olive oil
1 glass white wine
1 lb. pasta (she used Farfalle, I used Penne)
Cream (she used heavy cream, I used non-fat half and half)
Parmesan Cheese
1 TBS Arrowroot (What the heck is arrowroot? Never heard of such a thing. I did some Googling and substituted with cornstarch instead)
Fresh herbs (I chopped up basil, chives, and lemon thyme)

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions.

Dice 1 medium onion. Cut zucchini into bite size pieces. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise. Dice up garlic (you may want to use less, unless you really like garlic like I do).

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium high to high heat. When the oil is hot, throw in half of the zucchini. Don't stir right off the bat; you want the zucchini to brown. Be sure to add salt. When it is slightly browned, remove to plate and repeat with the other half of zucchini.

In the same pan, drizzle in some more olive oil. Add onions and garlic. After a few minutes, add the halves tomatoes on top. Turn heat down to medium or medium low.

Pour half of glass of wine into pan (approx. 1/3 cup). Whisk into sauce, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.

Pour the rest of the wine into a bowl. Add arrowroot (or cornstarch) and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the pan and stir gently to combine. Immediately add in 1/2 to 3/4 cup cream and stir.

Add zucchini to pan and turn off the heat. Add plenty of salt and pepper.

To serve, pour the drained pasta into a large serving bowl or platter. Add a ton of fresh herbs. Pour the contents of the pan over the top. Top with Parmesan.

MY NOTES:

• I cut the recipe in half for just the two of us, and there were plen-ty of leftovers!
• Somewhere along the line of adding the wine, Nikki and I were in the middle of a conversation and I just starting throwing everything in together, not paying much attention. I added the cornstarch directly to the pan, and poured in a little bit of cream without measuring. Oh and the fresh herbs I chopped up? Completely forgot to add those altogether. But! It was freaking fantabulous. It was a very light, garlic-y sauce and the browned zucchini was delicious. I am SO HAPPY there are leftovers (otherwise known as: my lunch for the rest of the week).
• Next time, maybe follow the directions and remember the herbs. Or not.

Spaghetti con Olio e Aglio

(Means 'Pasta with Oil and Garlic'. You should hear Chris prounounce it...I don't even try).


Chris's mother gave me this recipe, given to her by her Italian mother-in-law. It is by no means low-fat or low-caloric...but it is a yummy treat when you want to forget about all that stuff and just enjoy a good dinner!


Serves 4

1 lb. spaghetti
½ c. margarine or butter
½ c. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ c. finely chopped parsley
½ tsp. dried basil (or 1½ tsp. fresh basil)
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. salt
Dash black pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook spaghetti according to package directions.


Melt margarine in heavy saucepot; add oil; heat. Saute garlic until lightly browned. Stir in parsley, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper.


Drain spaghetti well; return to pot. Add sauce; toss lightly. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Benedictine Sandwiches

from Paula Deen

I made these to bring to Kristin's baby shower last fall, and Chris ate about 5 of them before I could get out the door. Then he asked if I would bring them to Thanksgiving at his family's house...and now it is a requirement that I bring these to every event imaginable. Funny thing though? I don't even like them! (Not a fan of raw onions.) But as long as they continue to go fast at get togethers, I'll continue to make them...

1 medium cucumber

1 small onion, quartered

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

½ tsp. salt

Dash hot pepper sauce

1 drop green food coloring

Thinly sliced white bread

Mayonnaise

Peel cucumber and slice in half lengthwise; remove seeds with a small spoon. Place cucumber in a food processor and pulse about 5 times, until cucumber is minced. Place cucumber into a small glass mixing bowl.

Place onion in the food processor, pulsing until it is finely chopped. Add onion to cucumber. (Be sure and drain the cucumber onion mixture very well, or else it will be too watery.

Add cream cheese to mixture and stir well with a spatula. Add salt, hot sauce, and food coloring.

With a round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut rounds out of bread slices. Spread a small amount of mayonnaise on bread rounds. Spread cheese mixture on half the rounds and top with another round.