Stuffed Zucchini

I purchased a couple HUGE zucchini's from this little farmer for $1 each.  I made Zucchini bread with most of it, but wanted to do something different for lunch so I came up with this recipe.  It's simple but tasty and you can do two meals in one, by use half the meat for the stuffing and the other half for meatloaf. 

What I used ....
1.5 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
1/2 sleeve saltine crackers
2 eggs
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
S&P to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1 large zucchini, seeded and cut in half lengthwise
4 slices of cheese, I used Havarti and Cheddar

Saute onion, mushrooms, garlic and bell pepper in olive oil or butter. Let cool.

Place Zucchini on foil lined cookie sheet.  Brush with olive oil and season with S&P.

Mix together beef, turkey, eggs, crackers, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, S&P, Italian seasoning and onion mixture.  Divide mixture in half and put other 1/2 away for meat loaf.

Stuff Zucchini's with meat mixture.   Cook at 350* for 30 minutes. 

Once cooked, top with cheese and let melt.

Old Fashioned Coffee Cake

Made this for breakfast yesterday.  Matt and the kids had most of it gone before I could get the rest of breakfast on the table.  It's a very simple, tasty cake.  Best served warm, but great to make ahead of time. 

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
4 tablespoons melted butter, divided
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375*
Whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon flour and nuts; stir in 2 tablespoon of the melted butter until well mixed and set aside.

Butter a glass 8x8 baking pan.  mix together the other 2 tablespoons of melted butter with the granulated sugar.  Whisk together the milk and egg; add that to the sugar.  Whisk together the 1 cup of flour, salt and baking powder, and mix directly into the milk mixture and beat until smooth.  Pour into the baking pan.

Sprinkle the brown sugar topping evenly across the top and bake for 25 minutes.  Remove and set aside to cool just enough to handle.  Serve with piping hot coffee.

Smothered Grilled Chicken

I got the idea for this recipe from one of the blogs I read.  My recipe is much more simple than the one I got the idea from, but it has the same yumminess under all that melted cheese.

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1/4 lb bacon cooked into bits
4 slices Havarti cheese (you can use your favorite cheese)

Before you cook your chicken, you need to ....
1. Cook the bacon and cut into bits.
2.. Thinly slice onion and caramelize in 1 tsp oil.
3. Saute mushrooms. (I used butter and garlic salt)

Season and cook your chicken breast on the grill. I just used S&P and a little Ms. Dash.
Once chicken is cooked, pile on onions, mushrooms and bacon.  Cover each breast with 2 slices of cheese, let melt and ...  Enjoy!!

Homemade Chili

According to Matt, this was the best pot of chili I every made and I'd have to agree.  I used tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos from our garden, topped with cheese and sour cream ... it was so yummy.  Unfortunatly I can't remember exactly how much of the ingredients I used, so this is my best estimation.

1.5 lb. ground beef
1 Ortega taco seasoning packet
8 medium tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
3 large garlic cloves, minced
4 small jalapanos, minced - remove seeds for less heat
1 tbp oil
1 -15oz can white beans (navy beans)
1 -15oz can black beans
1-2 tsp ancho chili powder or to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika or to taste
dash or two of cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown the ground beef and add taco seasoning according to package directions. Set aside.
2. Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic and jalapanos in oil. Set aside.
3. Peel tomatoes.  In same pot used for sauteing, mash tomatoes with potatoe masher. Add S&P to taste and let cook down, approx 10 minutes or so.
4. Add onion mixture and beef to tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Drain beans and add to mixture. 
6. Give it a taste and add remaining spices, let simmer 10 minutes then give another taste and add more spices if needed.

Toppings:  diced onion, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Family Inspiration - 6 Sept

If a woman is to have the contentment and self-satisfaction necessary to produce a successful family, she needs the constant support and respect of the man she loves.
(What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, p162)

And you husbands, show the same kind of love to your wives as Christ showed to the Church when he died for her.
Ephesians 5:25