Plenty of Peppers

If you have a green thumb & are blessed with an abundance of Peppers, I suggest freezing them.

The are one of the easiest veggies to freeze... just wash, de-seed, chop & bag.

I use them year round for adding to soups, sloppy joes, spaghetti, hot dishes or even just adding as a frozen pizza topping.

Zucchini Pasta

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 medium onion chopped

Garlic, oregano, Italian seasoning

1 can beef broth

1 can diced tomatoes - Italian style

2 cups uncooked pasta

2 cups sliced zucchini (fresh from the garden if available)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1) In large skillet brown the beef & onion with seasonings (to taste), pour off drippings, put beef in separate bowl

2) In same skillet, add broth, tomatoes and pasta, bring to boil, reduce heat

3) cook uncovered for 15 minutes stirring frequently, add zucchini and cook for an additional 5 -10 minutes (until pasta is tender)

4) add beef & still in 1/2 C cheese cook for another 5-10 minutes

5) serve with remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

Enjoy!

Refrigerator Pickles

4-5 medium cucumbers, sliced thin
1 large onion
2 T salt

Let soak for 1/2 hour. Then add

2 cups White Vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp celery salt
1 1/2 tsp mustard seed

Can also add green peppers or radishes. Store in any sealed plastic container in fridge - these keep for a few weeks.
This recipe can easily be cut in half.

Check back later for photo.

Oreo Cupcakes

This recipe works great for cupcakes too. I just skipped the chocolate glaze.


Great for Kids.

Rainbow Cake & Cowboy Cavier

For Memorial Day celebration we were over at Debbie & Denny's. We also took this opportunity to celebrate Jorgen's B-day (I won't mention how old he is.)

We were requested to bring Cowboy Caviar. I first made this for his family for one of the niece's shower at least 2 years ago. I was relatively new to his family & everyone looked at my dishes to pass & said "Who brought that???". By the end of the party, they were all asking for the recipe.

1 can black beans rinsed & drained
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4-5 Roma tomatoes diced
1 large avocado diced (add last, just before serving)
1/2 red onion chopped
1/4 C fresh cilantro (we used the kind that comes in a tube in the refrigerator section of your grocery store)
Dressing:
3 T red wine vinegar
2 tsp lime juice (can use lemon juice in a pinch)
1 tsp Tabasco sauce (more is you want it spicier)
1 tsp kosher salt

Mix all together, serve with Scoops.

And from this Blog Post, I attempted to make this beautiful Rainbow cake as Jorgen's Birthday Cake. My version, not quite as vibrant of colors. I used the basic 4 pack of food coloring from the grocery store. I only did 4 layers & it was still very time consuming. The results were beautiful, everyone loved it & said it was delicious (both cake mix & frosting were bought.) Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I love you, Karla

Best Ranch Chicken EVER!!!

If you have not tried any of my recipes before - try this one, you will not be disappointed. It is fast, easy & delicious!

Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts (I used boneless & skinless)
1/2 cup Ranch salad dressing (Hidden Valley Ranch or Kraft works well)
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Lightly sprinkle the garlic powder on the chicken breasts before marinating.
Marinate the chicken in the ranch dressing overnight (or for at least 4 hours).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F
Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and remaining spices - mix well.
Coat the marinated breasts in the breading mixture and place in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes, then REDUCE HEAT to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Pear Bread

What do you do when you have bananas that are about to spoil? Make banana bread.
The same goes for pears.

Ingredients:
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups pears - peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans.
In large mixing bowl combine oil, sugar and eggs, beat well. Stir in pears, pecans and vanilla.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Stir dry ingredients into the pear mixture; mix well.

Pour batter into loaf pans and bake for 60 minutes.

Allow loaves to cool in pans for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

This freezes well too.