Zucchini Pancakes

These are quick and easy and will use up the fresh zucchini growing in the garden

4 cups fresh grated zucchini
1 cup pancake mix batter
1/2 cup copped onions
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbs seasonal blend (pick your favorite)
salt and pepper to taste

You can play with the seasoning add what you like until it tastes good to you.

Mix all ingredients together add more or less pancake mix and zucchini until the texture is close to a pancake batter.
Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat
In the skillet put a table spoon of oil and drop a spoonful of pancake mix in the oil and flatten.
Cook on both sides until browned. 1-2 mins

Chicken Salad

This is a quick pasta salad but leave out the pasta and it is a great chicken salad sandwich recipe

Prep time: 10 min
Cook Time: 10 min if you use chicken that needs to be cooked we used canned chicken or precooked

All of these ingredients are to be combined to fit your taste so there is no specific measurement giving. Have fun and play with it until you get a taste you like. Just remember to add a little at a time so you don't over do it cause it's easy to add hard to take out.

Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Salad Supreme (this is a seasoning you can find at most grocery stores I usually find it by the make you own salad dressing)
Pasta
Onions chopped
celery chopped
pepper
Chicken chopped (we have also used crab and shrimp)

Easy Roasted Pork

Another Kraft favorite. This one takes longer on the cook time but prep is a breeze.


Prep Time: 20 min
Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours at 350°F
Serves: 12


1 boneless pork roast (3 lb.)

3/4 cup  KRAFT CATALINA Dressing, divided

2 lb. Baking potatoes (about 4), cut into 2-inch chunks

4 Beets (1 lb.), cut into 2-inch chunks

4 Onions (1 lb.), cut into 2-inch chunks

4 Carrots (1 lb.), cut into 2-inch chunks

Place meat in roasting pan sprayed with cooking spray; brush with 1/2 cup dressing. Toss potatoes and beets with 2 Tbsp. of the remaining dressing; spoon around meat. Bake 15 min.

Toss onions and carrots with heat oven to 350°F in remaining dressing. Add to ingredients in roasting pan.

BAKE 1-1/2 hours or until meat is done (160°F), basting occasionally with pan juices. Remove from oven; let stand 10 min. Slice meat. Serve with vegetables.

Tommally Pie

A yummy twist on the Mexican favorite

Prep time: 15 min

Cook Time: 20 min

1 med yellow onion chopped

1 med red onion chopped

2 tbs olive oil

1 can kidney beans

2 cloves garlic

1 can stewed tomatoes - dices and drained

1 lb ground beef

2-3 tbs of taco seasoning

1/2 cup chopped olives

1 pkg corn bread mix (we use the Jiffy mix)

1 cup Colby jack cheese shredded

Sour cream

Heat olive oil in a large oven proof skillet on med heat. Add onions and seasoning let cook until onions are soft. Add garlic cook for 30. Add and mix beans and tomatoes. Add meat cook until lightly browned. Mix in cheese and olives. Put on low heat and continue cooking on simmer.

In the mean time: make cornbread mix

In the skillet create a level surface of the filling and dollop the cornbread mix on the top. Spread evenly about 1/4" thick. Place in the oven for 10-15 min or until the corn bread is  cooked. 

Serve with sour cream.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

You might think how could making Chicken Noodle Soup from scratch be faster than opening a can and heating it.... Well it's not, But it's so much better for you since you know all of the ingredients and something about homemade always makes it taste better.

Prep Time 10 min
Cook time 15 min

1 can canned Chicken
1 cup copped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 med onion chopped
1-2 cans chicken broth
2 cups noodles uncooked

or for homemade noodles
1 egg
4-8 tbs flour

In a large pot combine 1 can of chicken broth, all vegetables and cook until the vegetables are tender crisp. Add the canned chicken, break it up if it needs to be. Add another can of chicken broth if it need the flavor or the liquid you can also add in water as needed. Add the noodles and salt and pepper to taste.

For Homemade noodles (your hands will get messy with this one since it is hard to really mix it with a utensil)

In a small bowl combine the egg and 4 tbs of flour. mix in the rest of the flour a little at a time until the dough has a light stickiness feel to it.  spread some flour out on the counter and roll out the dough cut in to 1" X 1/2" strips and add to the hot soup. when they rise to the top of the liquid they are cooked.


We also substitute potatoes for the celery since we rarely have celery in the house.

Chicken or Steak Fajitas

Is your mouth watering yet...

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min

1 lbs Boneless skinless chicken breasts or Steak
1 red onion
2 red bell peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
3 drop Tabasco sauce
2 pkgs taco seasoning

Flour Tortillas

Cut the chicken or steak into strips and cook throughly, set aside.

Saute peppers and onions in a large skillet. Add the remaining ingredients but use a little less water than the taco seasoning requires. Cook over medium heat until the water has evaporated.

Serve with warm flour tortillas.

We sometimes add rice with the filling in the tortilla.

Chicken Pasta Salad

So simple that you may try to make it difficult.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 5 min

2 cups pasta uncooked
1 lb chicken breasts or you can buy precooked strips
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup red pepper
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cup miracle whip or mayonnaise

Prepare the pasta drain and cool.

In a skillet cook the chicken throughly then set aside to cool once cooled chop or slice into strips.

Prepare all of the other vegetables and combine in a bowl with the miracle whip, add the pasta and chicken mix well and refrigerate until chilled about an hour.

You can eat this one warm if you would like, just heat up all the vegetable a little so everything is warm.

Slumgullion

Don't be too put off by the name Slumgullion (or Slamgolian) really is more like a goulash if you have ever had that.

Prep time 15min
Cook time 10 min

2 cups macaroni or shell noodles
1/2  cup diced onion
1 lb ground meat
2 cans (15 oz)  stewed tomatoes
1 tbs Italian seasoning
1 tbs ketchup

Start you noodles cooking.
In a skillet caramelize the onions and add the Italian seasoning and ground beef and brown meat.
Drain and rinse the noodles with hot water. combine with the meat. Boil down the stewed tomato juice 15-20% and combine with the meat. heat through and serve.

This is one of my Husbands favorite recipes and so I can not vouch for the total accuracy of the information here.

Chicken Curry

This is a wonderful recipe and the apples give it just the right amount of sweetness.

Prep Time 10 min
Cooking Time 20 min
5-6 servings

2 lbs Chicken Breast
1 Tbs Butter
1 cup chopped apple
1 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
2 tbs cornstarch
2-3 Tsp Curry Powder
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 cups Milk
1 3 oz can mushrooms (1/2 cup)
Rice
Optional: raisins and nuts

Cook Chicken and set aside to cool.

Melt butter. Add apples, celery, onions, garlic and sauté. cooking until onions are tender and start to look transparent.

Combine cornstarch, curry powder, 3/4 tsp salt and broth. Pour over apple mixture. cook until thick and bubbly.

Chop chicken into bite sized pieces.

Stir in chicken and mushrooms into sauce and heat through.

Serve over rice

*My mom usually put raisins and nuts in with the rice and topped it off with Chinese noodles but that is all preferences

Fresh Salsa

Most salsas use the same ingredients with few variation, here is a recipe that lists ingredients that I have found in most salsa. mix and match the amount for the right flavors  for you.


Remember pepper seeds pack the heat so if you want a hot salsa leave the seeds in, milder salsas take the seeds out, and never touch your face when handling the hotter peppers dangerous things can happen. They suggest wearing gloves since some people have sensitivity to peppers.


5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, finely chopped
1 can green chilies, chopped
1 jalapeno chile, minced
1 lg. garlic clove, crushed
Salt to taste
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped (fresh)
1 red onion, diced

Prepare ingredients and mix together in a large bowl. Can be served immediately. Use whenever salsa is called for in a recipe. Serve with tortilla chips, use in a layered dip, or serve on top of baked chicken or fish.

For and mild salsa you can change the green chilies peppers to green bell peppers and keep a few more seeds in from the Jalapeño. 

Taco Soup

Prep Time 10 min Cook time 30 min -1 hour
May use a large crock pot for this recipe

1lb Hamburger
1 Onion
1-2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz can corn (you can use frozen if you wish)
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1 can chopped/sliced olives
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
5 cups of water

Brown meat with taco seasoning to taste. Add remaining ingredients, including any left over taco seasoning. Simmer for one hour in large crock pot, 30 min in large pot on med heat.

Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese and tortilla chips. We usually forgo spoons and eat it with the the Frito scoop chips.

Lettuce Wraps

We have A LOT of lettuce in our garden right now and to be perfectly honest Walt and I are not that good about eating salads for the sake of salad so in my quandary of what to do with all of the lettuce I found a really great recipe for lettuce wraps which claim to be P.F. Chang's and whether they really are or not doesn't matter since they turn out great.

P. F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps Recipe #15865

This recipe is from Todd Wilbur and Top Secret Recipes
by Lali
25 min | 10 min prep
ES 2 -3

3 tablespoons oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup water chestnut
2/3 cup mushroom
3 tablespoons chopped onions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Special Sauce

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon hot mustard
2 teaspoons water
1-2 teaspoon garlic and red chile paste

Stir Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1. Make the special sauce by dissolving the sugar in water in a small bowl.
2. Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, lemon juice and sesame oil.
3. Mix well and refrigerate this sauce until you're ready to serve.
4. Combine the hot water with the hot mustard and set this aside as well.
5. Eventually add your desired measurement of mustard and garlic chili sauce to the special sauce mixture to pour over the wraps.
6. Bring oil to high heat in a wok or large frying pan.
7. Sauté chicken breasts for 4 to 5 minutes per side or done.
8. Remove chicken from the pan and cool.
9. Keep oil in the pan, keep hot.
10. As chicken cools mince water chestnuts and mushrooms to about the size of small peas.
11. Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing the soy sauce, brown sugar, and rice vinegar together in a small bowl.
12. When chicken is cool, mince it as the mushrooms and water chestnuts are.
13. With the pan still on high heat, add another Tbsp of vegetable oil.
14. Add chicken, garlic, onions, water chestnuts and mushrooms to the pan.
15. Add the stir fry sauce to the pan and saute the mixture for a couple minutes then serve it in the lettuce "cups".
Top with "Special Sauce".

We didn't use the hot mustard or the chile paste, since I didn't want to buy something that we would only use for one meal and I forgot to put in the garlic oops still tasted great and I didn't even notice!