Zucchini Bake

Aunt Vi's "Zucchini Bake" is always a hit!  Every time I make it, I end up giving the recipe to people. Most people don't know what it is exactly.  Some think it's a frittata. Others say it's a quiche. I'd say it's somewhere in between. Nonetheless it makes a delicious addition to any main course meal, or even an 'anytime' snack. It can be enjoyed heated up, at room temperature, or even cold right out of the fridge.  And I recently tried it with a can of kernel corn and it added a whole new dimension to the dish.  I guess you could say it's really versatile.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 Zucchini, chopped or grated
1 Cup Grated Cheese
Cup Vegetable Oil/Crisco
1 Small Onion Chopped or grated (*grating adds lots of extra flavor!)
Salt/Black Pepper
Parsley Flakes or Fresh Parsley, chopped
Garlic Powder
1 Cup of Bisquick (or just plain flour!)
4 Eggs
1 can any brand whole kernel corn (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees

Chop or grate(*) the zucchini into small pieces

Mix in Bisquick

Beat 4 eggs, then add the following:

-Oil
-Grated Cheese
-Onion
-Salt and Pepper
-Parsley
-Garlic Powder

Mix well!

Spray baking pan with coking spray
Place mixture into pan

Let bake until golden brown on top

Takes about 45-60 minutes

When serving, cut the bake into small squares

Enjoy!

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A Good Ole Classic Tomato Sauce

Here's my recipe for a delicious Italian tomato sauce, passed on to me by my friend Mark. It’s a simple, basic recipe that goes with any sort of pasta. I’ve altered it a bit to my own tastes and you can, as well. (Of course the wine is a very subjective thing, but to me it gives the sauce some great added flavor!)

Ingredients:

Crushed tomatoes (2- 28 ounce cans)
1 medium-sized red onion, chopped
1-3 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
1 or 2 bay leaves
Fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped, to taste
Fresh Basil, torn or shredded, to taste
Olive Oil
Red Wine (Any type of red wine that you would normally drink.)

Directions:

- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large pasta pot
- Add 1 or 2 bay leaves
- Add the onion
- After about five minutes, add the garlic
- Cook onions over low heat until almost translucent (between 7 and 12 minutes)
- Add a couple of glugs of red wine and a some of the basil
- Allow the red wine to reduce (several minutes)
- Add the crushed tomatoes, parsley and more basil
- Let simmer for twenty minutes or so
- Toss over pasta and enjoy!

Notes:

- The fresh herbs can be replaced with the dried kind. Just use less of it.

- For a traditional Italian meat sauce, cook any choice of beef, pork or sausage you like before following the recipe. Brown the meat on all sides, but don’t cook all the way through. Use the same pot you will prepare the sauce in later. Remove the browned meat from the pan, and start the sauce recipe. Once the sauce has started to simmer, add the meat back into it so it can finish cooking through.

- If you like your sauce a little thicker, add I small can of tomato paste to the mixture.

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Stuffed Peppers

Mix ground beef with the following:

½ small chopped onion
¼ cup bread crumbs
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt, pepper, and parsley, to taste

Hollow out 4 large bell peppers, any color and stuff the beef mixture into the peppers. Place on a non stick cooking pan in a 350 degree oven for 30 – 40 minutes. For added flavor, place some shredded mozzarella over the peppers for the last couple of minutes or so. Serve the peppers over a bed of pasta, any type, along with tomato sauce.

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Chicken Cordon Gold

Looking for a fresh and different, yet familiar chicken breast recipe? Chicken Cordon Gold is a new and flavorful twist on an old favorite. The traditional “Cordon Blue” chicken breast recipe is a classic, fried formula that incorporates the tender goodness of chicken with the tasty goodness of ham and melted Swiss cheese. This concoction marries the same types of flavors, with an Italian twist.

Grocery List

- 1 package of boneless chicken breast, sliced thin
- One egg
- Couple of handfuls of bread crumbs
- Several slices of prosciutto di Parma
- Several slices of provolone cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons, Canola or Vegetable oil
- Several toothpicks

Process

- Place chicken cutlets in a Ziploc bag and pound them with a kitchen mallet to make them as thin as possible.
- Lay cutlets flat on a plastic cutting board, and layer one slice prosciutto and provolone, respectively.
- Grab one end of cutlets and roll into a pinwheel-like shape, with the prosciutto and provolone on the inner side. Place toothpick through the cutlet to hold together.
- Dip the cutlets into egg, then coat with breadcrumbs. In the meantime, heat the oil in a skillet.
- Fry the cutlets 7-10 minutes, turning every couple of minutes to cook all around.
- Remove chicken breast from pan and place in a baking dish.
- Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Melt another slice of provolone, or even mozzarella over the cutlets and grnish with chopped fresh parsley to finish.

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