Zucchini Casserole

I made a zucchini casserole last night. It was fairly easy to do, I basically just chucked whatever veggies I could find and added them to the zucchini. I then added some feta, Parmesan, and some panko breadcrumbs. This is a good recipe to use if you want to empty out some veggies that you might not know what to do with.

What you Need:

• Zucchini, large
• Veggies (you can use frozen or fresh)
• Feta cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Breadcrumbs

Putting it together: 

• Take your zucchini and remove the skin
• Remove the seeds. The easiest way to do this is to slice the zucchini lengthwise and use a large spoon to scarp out the seeds.
• Cut the zucchini into bite-sized cubes
• Steam the zucchini until tender (takes about 10-15 minutes)
• Once cooled, in a large bowl add the zucchini and all the other ingredients, except the breadcrumbs
• Add some salt, pepper, and any other herbs and spices you like
• Mix together
• Put everything into a 9 x 13 baking dish
• Sprinkle top with breadcrumbs and extra cheese
• Set oven to 350 and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes
• Enjoy!

Scrambled Eggs Casserole

The following is a recipe I came up with to take a different spin on the usual scrambled eggs routine.It includes: scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, spinach, and feta cheese. I originally came up with this to stuff into the calzones I like to make, but I have since found a variety of ways in which to use it. 
For example, you can:

• Just eat it from your dish
• Use it as a casserole (brunch idea)
• Use it as a stuffing in burrito shells (brunch idea)
• Use it as a pizza topping (my kid's favorite)

• Make calzones (use your favorite pizza dough or make your own. Here's a link to my Pizza Dough Recipe)
• Try it as a sandwich
• Use up pie crust by making it into a pie (I did this as well. I just topped it with mashed potatoes, cheese, and baked)

As you see, there are several things you can do with this recipe. Since this recipe makes so much, you can experiment with several ideas from just a single batch. Also, once made, this recipe keeps well for several days in the refrigerator. Just remove the portion you want and microwave to heat. Now, onto the recipe...

What you need:

• 12 Eggs
• 1 Cup buttermilk (adds a great tang flavor to the eggs)
• Sausage...use your favorite
• 6 Slices bacon (or more if you want)
• 2 Handfuls of fresh baby spinach...(see photo below). You can also just use frozen spinach that has been thawed and drained. It will work just as well and you won't have to cook it :)
• Feta Cheese...again, a few good handfuls (adjust to suit your taste)
• Salt...to taste
• Pepper...to taste
• Rice wine vinegar...for spinach (Optional, but adds a great taste)
• Minced garlic...for spinach (optional)
• 6 Tbsp. Ranch Dressing (optional, but really adds a unique flavor).

Now that we have our ingredients, let's begin. What we will do is cook everything separately and then, once the eggs are cooked, we will combine all the elements together.

Bacon: 

• Pre-heat oven to 400°
• Place your bacon on a baking sheet (I line mine with foil, but parchment paper will work as well)
• Bake your bacon for 10 minutes, turn and then bake an additional 10 minutes (this will give you fairly crispy bacon. If you like yours less crispy, just reduce the bake time
• Remove and drain on paper towels, crumble, and set aside

Spinach: 

• Place two generous handfuls of spinach in the frying pan and season with salt and pepper

• Saute the spinach until cooked and then add some minced garlic (about a teaspoon) and rice wine vinegar

• Drain and set aside

Sausage:

•  Place sausage in pan and cook until done
• Drain and set aside

Eggs:

• Place the eggs in a bowl and, using a whisk or fork, break the yolks and beat until smooth

• Add the buttermilk (1 cup) and mix well
• Add salt and pepper and mix well

• Add the eggs to frying pan and cook until scrambled to your preferred level of doneness (some people like their scrambled eggs well done and dry, while others prefer them more moist).
• Drain any extra liquid if needed

Putting it together:

• With the eggs still in the frying pan, add the spinach and combine well
• Add the sausage, bacon, and mix well
• Add the Feta cheese mix well and heat until cheese begins to soften
• Lastly, add the Ranch dressing, if desired, and mix

You now have a very versatile dish that can be enjoyed in a variety of different ways. Have fun and try and invent new ways of serving this. If you do, please leave me a comment and I will add your ideas to this article, along with a nice link to your site. :)

Green Bean Casserole

This recipe is doubled from the original of 6-8 servings. If that is the number of servings you need, please click on the link below and it will take you to the original site.




What you Will Need

* 4 teaspoons unsalted butter
* 3 pounds green beans, ends trimmed and cut lengthwise into thin strips and blanched
* 4 _1/2 cups Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup, click on link for recipe
* 4 tablespoons Essence, plus 2 teaspoons, click on link for recipe
* 4 cups grated Fontina **Hint: Fontina is a soft cheese, so put in the freezer for about an hour or so, this will firm it up and make grating much easier

If you wish to forego having to go to all the work of frying the onions, you can use French's Fried Onions, instead and disregard the remaining ingredients.
* 4 to 5 cups vegetable oil
* 4 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1/16- inch thick)
* Hot pepper sauce
* 2 cups all-purpose flour

Putting It Together

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart baking dish with the butter and set aside.

1. In a large bowl, combine the green beans, Wild Mushroom Soup, 2 teaspoons of Essence, and 3 cups of the cheese, and stir well


2. Pour into the prepared dish, sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese on top, and bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes (this is the original baking time and ha NOT been doubled like the rest of the recipe, so it may take longer to heat through. After 30 minutes, I would watch it closely)


3. In a large saucepan, add enough oil to come about 3 inches up the sides, and heat to 360 degrees


4. Pat the onions dry


5. Drizzle the hot sauce over the onions and then toss


6. In another bowl, add the flour and 2 tablespoons of Essence and mix to combine


7. Add the onions and toss to coat


8. Remove any excess flour from the onions and add to the hot oil


9. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden brown, 1 _1/2 to 2 minutes


10. Remove from oil and let drain on paper towels


11. Place onions on the top of the casserole and serve




• If you are lazy like me, you can skip steps 3-10 and just use the traditional French's French Fried Onions

Photo courtesy of... Food Network

Recipe courtesy of... Food Network and Emeril Lagasse
.