Summer "Squash-amole"

Recipe from Rachael Ray's Everyday August 2011 issue

     Zucchini is one of my all time favorite vegetables. It is fantastic chopped up in dishes, as well as, by itself. I absolutely love it grilled, with a little olive oil and season salt. Yesterday I shared the grilled ratatouille boats, which were little zucchini boats filled with a delicious blend of sauted eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion and garlic, topped with mozzerella cheese. I figured I'd keep my love of zucchini going. This recipe was supposed to serve as a little appetizer before I made dinner the other night. We ate so much of it, neither one of us was hungry for dinner! Of course my favorite part of this recipe is that it all goes in the food processor!

Ingredients

• 6 unpeeled cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup EVOO
• 1 lb. yellow squash, sliced lengthwise (I used 2)
• 1lb. zucchin, sliced lengthwise (I used 2)
• 1 sweet onion thickly sliced
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup grated parmesan
• 1 cup toasted walnuts** (see bottom)
• 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• tortilla chips (I served it with blue tortilla chips and pita chips)

Directions

• Wrap garlic with 1 tbsp EVOO in foil and grill until tender, about 20 minutes; squeeze cloves from skins. Be sure to keep an eye on this. I actually had to do this twice because I totally burned the first batch and they were like little bricks.  . . you want medium to low heat. I suggest even flipping it around in the foil once in a while.
• Brush squash, zucchini and onion with remaining 3 tbsp. EVOO; season with salt & pepper. I actually put them all in a large zip lock bag and tossed them around in the EVOO, s&p.
• Grill until charred, 10 minutes. Using a food processor, puree veggies with parmesan, walnuts, thyme and garlic.
• Serve with chips.

**When toasting walnuts you can use one of two methods. You can toast them in the oven, on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 8-10 minutes, or in a pan on the stove top, over medium heat, for about 3-5 minutes. You can toast them dry or with a tiny bit of oil. I have a side burner on my grill, so it was easy for me to do everything on the grill. I used a little EVOO on the walnuts when toasting them. Everything smelled and tasted absolutely delicious!  

Enjoy!

Grilled Ratatouille Boats

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray August 2011 issue

If you're like me, you love all the great flavors summer has to offer. There's nothing better than fresh herbs and vegetables. I think the only thing that would make these delicious veggies better is if I actually grew them myself (maybe next year). For now, the only thing I'm growing this summer is mint, (that's a whole blog post in itself), basil and rosemary. These ratatouille boats were so delicious and aside from the cheese, pretty good for you. My husband and I were actually fighting over the leftovers for lunch today and since he gets up earlier than I do . . .. he won! I guess I'll just have to make them again! The went very well with the grilled rosemary chicken we made!

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise
• 3 Tbls EVOO
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, grated (I chopped it)
• 1 eggplant, cubed
• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• salt & pepper
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (who's really measuring this . .. just pile it on!)

Directions

• Using a melon baller, scoop balls of flesh from the center of the zucchini to create boats; reserve the flesh balls. Preheat a grill to meduim-high.
• Heat 1 tbsp. EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO, the eggplant and zucchini balls; cover and cook for 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring, until the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley; season with salt and pepper.
• Fill the zucchini shells with the ratatouille, sprinkle with the cheese and grill, covered, over medium-high until the cheese is melted and the shells are slightly softened.

ENJOY!

Firecracker Red White and Blue Cake

I know, I'm a little late for 4th of July. . .but hey, better late than never. This cake was not only delicious, it was fun to make. My 6 year old neice had a great time helping me make this cake. My family had an even better time eating it!



Recipe from http://www.bettycrocker.com/

Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix (I used a yellow cake mix)
• water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
• red and blue food color
• 1 container (12oz) Betty Crocker Whipped fluffy white frosting

Directions

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Generously grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan. Make cake batter as directed on box, using water, oil and egg whites. Pour 1 cup of the batter into small bowl; stir in red food color until well mixed. Pour another cup of the batter into separate bowl; stir in blue food color until well mixed.
• Pour red cake batter into bottom of pan. Carefully pour remaining white batter over red batter in pan. Carefully pour blue batter over white batter. (Blue batter does not need to cover white batter completely; it looks better if it just forms a ring in the center of the white batter.)
• Bake as directed on box or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake 5 minutes. Meanwhile, place cooking rack over cookie sheet. Turn pan upside down onto cooling rack. Cook cake completely, about 30 minutes.
• When cake is cool, divide frosting evenly into 3 microwavable bowls. Microwave 1 bowl of frosting oncovered on high a few seconds until it is smooth enough to drizzle over cake. With spoon, drizzle white frosting back and forth around cake in a striping pattern. Repeat microwaving second bowl of frosting until smooth. Stir in a few drops of blue food color until well blended. Drizzle over cake, scattering frosting back and forth. Repeat with remaining bowl of frosting and red food color, making sure red, white and blue frostings can be seen on cake. Let cake stand at room temperature until frosting is set before serving.
• Decorate with red, white and blue sprinkles.

Printable recipe

ENJOY!

Chocolate Chip-Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bites

There are some really great recipes I'd like to share this week from the August 2011 issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. This is one of them. I made this quick and easy, no-bake, dessert last week when having my inlaws and stepsons over for dinner. Excuse the picture . . .I had already taken a bite once I realized I hadn't snapped a picture yet!    

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray August 2011

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed chocolate wafer cookies
• 4 tbsp. melted butter
• 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 8 oz. room-temperature cream cheese
• 7 oz. condensed milk
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips 

Directions

Mix cookie crumbs with butter; press into 8 x 8 inch baking pan. Combine gelatin with 1 tbsp. water; let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, condensened milk and peanut butter. Microwave gelatin 20 to 30 seconds to melt; beat into cream cheese mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill pan and freeze 20 minutes. Cut into bite-size squares.

ENJOY!