Best Corn

Best Corn

I found this highly rated recipe while searching on All Recipes and knew right away that I had to try it. I love corn dishes, casseroles, soups, chowders, etc. 

This recipe was unlike any other recipes, it was really easy and super tasty. 

It's safe to say that I ate WAY TOO MUCH of this and then didn't feel too great afterward. So, take my advice and make it....but don't overdo it!

*Tip* You can also halve this recipe. 

You will need:

2 (10 oz) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed

1 cup heavy cream

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp granulated sugar

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup whole milk

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

To Make:

In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter.  Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture.  Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat,  and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted.  Serve hot. Recipe Source: All Recipes.com

Carrot Salad

Carrot Salad

I'm always on the hunt for new side dishes, and since my kids love carrots I knew that they would like this because it was a different way than they were used to for eating carrots.

They were a fan of the thin strips and it was so tasty, yet so simple!

You will need:

2 large carrots, peeled

¼ cup EVOO

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt & fresh pepper

To Make:

 Use a vegetable peeler or mandoline to cut the carrots into long thin strips.

There should be about 2 ½ cups of carrot strips. 

Place in a bowl & toss with evoo & lemon juice. 

Season with s&P and serve.

Source: The Tucci Cookbook by Stanley Tucci

Asparagus Delight

Asparagus Delight

There is not a week that passes in my household that someone doesn't ask for asparagus with dinner.

I love finding new ways to add to an already great vegetable and this recipe got cheers and was quickly eaten up, PLUS it's all healthy, so its a win-win!

Ingredients:

1 bunch fresh asparagus, ends trimmed

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

10 grape tomatoes, halved

To Make:

Combine the asparagus and the water in a 10 inch skillet and place over medium heat; cover.

Allow the asparagus to steam, about 10 minutes; drain.

Reduce heat to low and return the skillet to the heat.

Drizzle oil over the asparagus; sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Add the grape tomatoes to the skillet and replace the lid.

Allow to sit covered until the cheese melts and the tomatoes are slightly steamed, about 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

Recipe Source: http://www.miracleskinnydrops.com

Summer Stir Fry

Summer Stir Fry

This recipe is a winner winner!

It combines fresh corn, zucchini, tomatoes, and chicken in a delicious glazed stir fry.

This is one of my new favorite recipes. Serve with a crusty bread and you got yourself a great dinner!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp evoo

4 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks OR 12 whole jumbo shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails left on

2 whole zucchini, diced up

2 ears corn, kernels sliced off

1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

salt and fresh pepper

chopped fresh herbs- optional, any you like

To Make:

Heat 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp evoo in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic. When oil/butter is hot, add shrimp or chicken breast (cut up into bite size pieces) add cook until done. Shrimp will take about 3 minutes, chicken will be done when it is no longer pink and reaches an internal temperature of 170 F. Remove to a plate. Do NOT clean skillet.

Add the rest of the butter and oil and heat over medium heat.

Add zucchini slices in a single layer and cook for one minute, tossing once.

Scoot the zucchini to the edges of the pan, then add corn kernels to the middle of the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add grape tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and toss around, then add the chicken or shrimp. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, then remove from heat. 

Add chopped herbs over top.

Serve on a big platter.

Recipe Source: Pioneer Woman

Baked Ziti with Summer Veggies

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

I have a newfound love for zucchini, squash, and various summer veggies.

Summer is on its way out over here, but I wanted to share this recipe with you.

It is really tasty and all the flavors come together well.

Ingredients:

·        4 ounces uncooked ziti
·        1 tablespoon olive oil
·        2 cups chopped yellow squash
·        1 cup chopped zucchini
·        1/2 cup chopped onion
·        2 cups chopped tomato
·        2 garlic cloves, minced
·        1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
·        2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
·        2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
·        3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
·        1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
·        1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
·        1 large egg, lightly beaten
·        Cooking spray

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; saute 5 minutes.

Add tomato and garlic; saute 3 minutes.

Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper.

Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8 inch square glass or baking dish coated with cooking spray. 

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Recipe Source: rantingchef.com

Rustic Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Asparagus

Rustic Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Asparagus

This is the PERFECT summer recipe! 

You just toss together some chicken, tomatoes, and asparagus and throw it all under the broiler.

So simple, and the taste is phenomenal!

 To make this you will need:

 1 lb. penne pasta

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces

1 carton of grape tomatoes

½ c olive oil

½ c balsamic vinegar

about 12 fresh basil leaves chopped or dried basil

10 spears of thin asparagus cut into 1” pieces

1 tsp minced garlic 

4 oz grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile toss chicken pieces, tomatoes, asparagus, oil, vinegar, garlic and basil on a cookie sheet that has a 1” lip.

3. Broil for 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (I wasn’t sure it would cook that quickly, but it does!) Pour the entire mixture over pasta. Use a rubber scraper to get every bit of the yummy seasoning from the baking sheet. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

It is THAT simple!

Recipe Source: http://afoodieinutah.blogspot.com

Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

I have heard so many great things about jalapeno poppers,

 and I've NEVER tried them.

I saw this recipe that incorporated cornbread AND jalapeno poppers and it just seemed perfect.

Now, I have to warn you...the heat from the jalapenos can be intense, be sure to take out all the seeds and get as much of the veins out as you can.

I accidentally left some of the veins in and the HEAT was too much for me.

So warning....these are not for the faint of heart!

What you’ll need for approx. 24 Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers:

12  Med/Large fresh Jalapenos

1 Box of Cornbread Mix 

1 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar (1 cup for the batter..1/2 cup for sprinkling)

1 Cup Corn, fresh or canned is just fine

Directions:

Slice each jalapeno down the center and carefully remove all the seeds and veins..set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix up the Cornbread batter according to the box instructions, 

add in the Corn and 1 cup of the Cheddar.

Fill each Jalapeno half with some batter! 

Sprinkle them all with the remaining 1/2 cup of Cheddar.

Place on baking sheet and put in the oven at 350 F for 15-20 minutes,

or until cornbread is firm and cooked through. 

They will be puffed cheesy....and delicious!

Source: http://www.ohbiteit.com

Grilled Asparagus

I love asparagus and am always looking for new ways to cook it.

This past summer I grilled it outside and boy was it delicious!

I can't wait until it's warm again to cook it up that way again.

To make this yourself you will need:

bundle of asparagus

kosher salt

fresh black pepper

evoo

To make:

Take the asparagus and bend it so that it naturally 

breaks off the bottom tough area.

Lay them on a plate and drizzle with evoo, kosher salt, and fresh pepper.

Mix that all together and then place on heated grill.

Cook 3-4 minutes and then open the lid and turn over.

Cook 3-4 more minutes, until crisp and tender.

Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella

I'm always on the hunt for side dishes and this was easy and tasty!

You can get creative and add different cheeses, but the best part is putting it in the broiler and just browning the cheese a little......mmmm.

Baked Zucchini with Mozzarella

2 medium sized (or about 5 small) zucchini

Johnny’s Garlic Spread & Seasoning 

salt

2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

To Make: 

Slice your zucchini up into 1/2 inch rings.
Lay them out flat on a large cookie sheet. 

Sprinkle with Johnny’s Garlic Seasoning and a bit of salt.
Bake in the oven at 350 for about 10-15 minutes or until crisp tender.

Take the hot pan out of the oven and sprinkle the zucchini with cheese.

Turn the oven to broil, throw that cookie sheet back into the oven and let the cheese get all bubbly and a bit browned. This should only take about 3-5 minutes.

Be careful here. Broiling things in the oven can get out of control in a fast hurry.

Source: http://realmomkitchen.com

Roasted Zucchini and Carrots

Looking for a new and different side dish to go with dinner?

Then look no further! 

I love the tastes of these 2 veggies together and I love the sweetness of the carrots against the spices.

To make these delicious roasted zucchini and carrots you will need:

Carrots

Zucchini

salt and pepper

smokey paprika

any other spices you like (cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper, thyme, rosemary, sage,etc)

To make:

Preheat oven to 425 F

Cut your veg into 3-inch sticks, making sure they are even in thickness.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and a light layer of olive oil.

 I used salt and pepper + smokey paprika.

Lightly toss your vegetable  with a tablespoon or so of olive oil (not too much) and the herbs and spices.

Spread your seasoned veggies over your lined tray and roast, tossing halfway through, for about 20 minutes or until golden and slightly browned at the edges.

Source: VoraciousVander.com

Roasted Cauliflower

Roasted Cauliflower

I am always on the hunt for great sides to add to dinner, so when I saw this recipe in Pioneer Woman's cookbook, Food From My Frontier, I knew I had to try it.

It was such a different recipe, we rarely eat cauliflower, but I am so glad that I found it and now you can all try it too!

You will need:

1 cauliflower head, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup EVOO

salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted

To make:

Preheat the oven to 400 degree's F.

Spread the cauliflower on a large sheet pan and drizzle it with EVOO.

Then toss the cauliflower to coat it evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast the cauliflower for 15-20 minutes.

Add the bread crumbs to a bowl.

Then pour in the melted butter and toss the bread crumbs to combine.

Place the cauliflower in a medium baking dish or little individual dishes then mound the bread crumbs on top.

Roast for 5 minutes and you have yourself a yummy side dish!

Source: Pioneer Woman Food from my Frontier

Asparagus

Super easy and delicious alternative to how I usually prepare my asparagus.

All you need is:

EVOO

Salt

Pepper

Parmesan Cheese

To make:

Pour a little EVOO over asparagus, sprinkle with salt and pepper and parmesan and bake at 350F for  10-15 minutes.

Parmesan Summer Squash

Parmesan Summer Squash

This is just the perfect side dish to a great summer meal!

You will need:

2 Tbsp EVOO

1 small white onion, chopped

2 medium yellow summer squash, thinly sliced

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp kosher salt

ground black pepper

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

To make:

In a large skillet with a tight fitting lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion & cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the summer squash, zucchini, and salt. You may have to let some of the veggies cook down so that you can fit them all in. Stir well, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Cook them based on how you like the texture; cook a little longer is you like them cooked more.

Remove from heat & add salt to taste and serve with fresh black pepper. Transfer to a serving dish & sprinkle parmesan on top!

Enjoy this great side!