Sunday, May 13, 2012

Stuffed Zucchini


This one is tasty and very versatile. Basically, you just scoop the innards out of a zucchini and add whatever suits your fancy and then heat it all up. I adapted this recipe to fit my needs and pantry supplies on any given night.

For tonight, I wasn't really in a cooking mood, so I did a very uncomplicated version. Here it is! Fancy it up any way you like. I put some other possible ingredients at the bottom of the post. 

Wash the zucchini and cut off the ends. 

Slice down the middle and scoop the seeds out by dragging a spoon down the middle of the zucchini. You can use the stuff you scooped out in your stuffing if you feel like it or toss it. It's your call, but be aware that some of the big zucchinis can have some tough, old seeds inside them. 


Then, what I did was melt about a ½ tablespoon butter and mix it with bread crumbs, a little parmesan cheese, and a few sprinkles of basil, cayenne, garlic, salt, and pepper. 


We grilled our zucchini tonight, but you can just stick it under the broiler or in the oven until the zucchinis are a little soft and the topping is brown – about 10-20 minutes.


Possible Adaptations:
-cream cheese
-tomato
-cheddar
-parsley
-onion
-thyme
-paprika
-mozzarella
-bacon
-whatever your heart desires, go crazy


Saturday, May 12, 2012

German Apple Pancake


I love an easy and tasty breakfast. In the morning, I wake up hungry and angry (also known as hangry) – I need food, and I need it now! Yeah, I'm one of those people. 

I end up saying this to my husband on a nearly daily basis.

Someecards

So, how to get tasty breakfast on the table stat? Stumble into the kitchen, cut up some apples, dump them in a pan. Cook. Dump in some more ingredients and bake. Other than cutting up a couple apples, this recipe is a snap. And did I mention tasty? So good! I edited a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com to suit my liking. Hope it works for you!

German Apple Pancake






Set your oven to 425F and set your cast iron skillet on medium heat.

Peel, core and slice two large tart apples. Butter your skillet and arrange the apples in a single layer.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon (or more to your liking), ½ teaspoon nutmeg over the apples. Saute for a few minutes until the mixture starts bubbling.

In the mean time, mix you dry ingredients. ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup wheat flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and a pinch of salt


Combine wet ingredients and mix with dry ingredients. 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 eggs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup milk


Pour the batter in the skillet evenly covering the apples. Pop the whole thing in the oven for 15 minutes.
It gets all puffy after a bit in the oven

After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 375F and cook for another 10 minutes.
This raises the question: Was I cooking breakfast at 11:30? or did I set my timer wrong? 

Remove from oven and flip pancake onto the serving platter. Cut your pancake into wedges, and it's meal time!
I use a pizza cutter whenever possible. It's especially handy for this. 

Yum!!