Baked Carrots

I don't like cooked carrots. They get all mushy and are just not fun to eat. I like my carrots to have a good crunch to them. Well, for some odd reason, I decided I wanted to cook my carrots. I put them in a baking pan, drizzled some olive oil on top, drizzles a bit of honey, chopped up an onion, stirred it in with the carrots, added some basil and put it in the oven for 15 min. at 350. YUMMY! This is now a favorite of mine, and I plan to cook a whole lot of carrots in the future... I am going to make some tonight so I can post a picture for all to see. Try it, it is delish!

Summer Fiesta Salad

I guess I have a summer theme going on.  at any rate, my wonderful sister gave me this recipe over the phone, and I had to try it.  What a yummy to get your veggies!  It just tastes so good!

Ingredients

2 cans corn drained
1 can black beans drained
2 tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
4 green onions
1/2 onion
handfull cilantro
chilli powder
cumin

Directions

Put drained corn and beans into a large bowl (remember, drained but not rinsed).  Chop up all the rest of the veggies and toss them into the corn and beans.  sprinkle with the chili powder and cumin to taste.  Refrigerate a few hours before serving so flavors have a chance to mingle.  Serve with tortilla chips or fritos, and grated cheese on top.

Summertime Tomato Sandwich

This is our most favorite thing to eat right now. It is so tasty and full of summer goodness! And, it is simple, healthy, and doesn't leave a mess! What more could you ask for?

Ingredients
1 tomato (works best if fresh from your yard)
2 slices of bread (again, works best if homemade wheat)
mayo
2 leaves fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Slice tomato into large slices. Spread thin layer of mayo onto one slice of bread (this is healthy remember?). Roll basil and slice into ribbons. Place basil onto mayo. Put tomatoes onto other slice of bread, add a little salt and pepper for taste, put both mayo side and tomato side together, enjoy (with a large glass of raspberry water!)

P.S. Not to worry, pictures are coming soon.

California Spaghetti

Before I go any further, I have to say I stole this recipe from Jenni Toller's blog. I made a few adaptations, and we had it for dinner last night. It was GREAT! Jeffrey loved it! He has been begging me to make spaghetti for a while, but I don't like spaghetti, so we rarely have it. At any rate, here it is with my adaptations. If you want the whole real recipe (which I am sure tastes a ton better than what I made) check out Jenni's cooking blog.

INGREDIENTS
16 ounces uncooked angel hair pasta
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dried basil
2 tablespoons Cajun-style blackened seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans of Garlic and Olive Oil diced tomatoes

2 zucchinis sliced
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken pieces, and cook, stirring until browned on the outside. Stir in the garlic, basil, Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper, then mix in the tomatoes and zucchini. Cook until tomatoes are semi soft.

Toss with pasta, and serve with crumbled feta cheese on top. Also top with fresh basil if desired.
So I have to be honest, I added the canned tomato because I want to save my fresh tomatoes for tomato sandwiches, which are my favorite thing right now. I just couldn't part with them. However, like I said, Jeffrey LOVED it, and wants me to make it again. It makes quite a bit, and by evening, it was all gone!
Buen Provecho!

Jeffrey's Famous Bean Dip

Okay, so this recipe is really just a bunch of stuff thrown together, and it changes each time depending on what we have in the cupboards at the time.  However, it is so yummy for parties and the like, I thought I would share it with you.  Keep in mind, that there is no exactness for this recipe, and it is more of a taste as you go.

Ingredients:
Refried beans
black beans
onions
chili peppers
olives (green or black or both... your preference)
guacamole
sour cream
hot sauce
taco seasoning mix
cheese

Combine all the ingredients into a baking dish. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top, and put in the oven at 350 untill the cheese on top has melted. Eat with tortilla chips (I recommend the Tostitos Lime).

Grandma's Zucchini Casserole

So I am not a huge casserole fan. I am not entirely opposed to them, but they are not my favorite. However, it is zucchini season, and in trying to find different creative ways to use up the zucchini, my wonderful grandmother came up with the best recipe in the world, and I was waiting for the zucchini to come into season so I could make this.

Grandma's Zucchini Casserole


10-11 c. cubed zucchini, cooked to make 6 cups
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 c. cheese (shredded)
1 med onion, sauted in 1 T. margarine
1 pkg. stove top stuffing + 1 c. bread crumbs
1/4 lb. butter

Boil zucchini 5-10 minutes and drain. mix with chicken soup and sour cream. Mix stuffing mix, not as directed on box, but with melted 1/4 lb. margarine only. Mix onions with zucchini mixture, then in casserole dish, layer stuffing mix and zucchini mix alternately (also shredded cheese) ending with crumbs on top. Bake 30 minutes at 350 F. in a 9x13 pan.

This casserole just brings summer at grandma's house back to the mouth and the memories! I hope you all like it as much as I do.

Roasted Asparagus and Yellow Pepper Salad

So this is a pretty tasty salad.  I made it for dinner tonight with all the delicious asparagus that I had in the refrigerator.  Yummy!  However, the next time I make it, I am definetly going to halve the onions, and Jeffrey suggested adding some potatoes or rice.  He said it needed more starch.  Maybe some nice red tomatoes.  Something like that.  Anyways, I really like it.  It is going to be invited to dinner as often as I can find (or grow) the asparagus.  

 Roasted Asparagus and Yellow Pepper Salad


1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
2 medium yellow bell peppers, seeded and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, cut into strips
1/4 cup toasted almond slices
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon hot sauce
salad seasoning mix to taste
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DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange the asparagus spears and bell peppers in a single layer on the baking sheet, and drizzle or mist with 1/4 cup of olive oil.
Roast 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender, turning occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from heat, and cool completely.
In a bowl, toss together the asparagus, bell peppers, onion, almond slices, and Parmesan cheese.
In a separate bowl, mix the 1/2 cup olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, lime juice, sugar, hot sauce, and salad seasoning. Pour over the salad, and toss to coat.