Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip

I'm always looking for new ways to use zucchini, especially because my husband is allergic to it and I'm not able to put it into our regular meals. So, I baked these sticks up as part of my lunch instead. I thought these sticks were good, but would be even better with a little kick to the seasoning. If I make them again then I will probably add some cayenne or red pepper flakes to the mix. The dip, however, was fantastic. It was definitely the highlight of this recipe! I know a lot of people tend to have an abundance of zucchini in their gardens during the summer months so try this recipe if you are looking for a new way to serve them!


Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip
Source: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients for the dip:
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium sweet onion, about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar (I was out of cider vinegar so I just used red wine vinegar and it was fine!)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (I used spicy brown mustard.)
1 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the zucchini:
3 medium zucchini, unpeeled, cut into 3"-long stick
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
scant 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Pizza Seasoning or mixed Italian herbs
olive oil spray
1/2 cup egg substitute; or 2 large eggs; or 3 egg whites

Dip Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, then add the sliced onions. Allow to soften, then brown to caramelize. This should take about 10-15 minutes. Add the vinegar to the onions once caramelized.

2. Put the onion mixture into a food processor or blender, then add the honey and mustard. Blend.

3. Add the mayo and the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

4. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Zucchini sticks directions:
1. Put the sliced zucchini into a colander in the sink. Sprinkle salt over them and allow to sit for at least one hour. Then rinse the zucchini and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

3. Mix the panko, pizza seasoning and Parmesan cheese in a small dish or on a plate. Crack the egg into a separate dish and beat lightly.

4. Dip each zucchini stick into the egg, then the panko mixture. Put each stick on the prepared baking sheet.

5. Bake for 12 minutes, flip each stick over, then bake for additional 8 minutes until golden brown.Pin It

Baked Avocado "Fries"

I am apparently on an avocado kick lately. They are on sale for $1 at the grocery store, which is a great deal around here! In fact, I am thinking about heading back to the store for more. I just can't get enough lately. I decided to make these fries up as an accompaniment to my lunch today and I am so glad that I did (I just used 1 avocado and made the proper adjustments for the rest of the ingredients). They are crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside. I chose to just dip them in ranch because it was easy, but I would love to try a cilantro lime ranch dipping sauce next time. These do take a little bit of work to prepare, but it's not hard and goes pretty quick once you get a rhythm going. Just remember to use one hand for the dry ingredients and one for the wet! I think these would be a good appetizer to serve at a football party too.

Baked Avocado "Fries"

Source: Slightly adapted from Kitchen Belleicious

Ingredients:
3 slightly firm avocados
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp each of kosher salt and black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs (regular works fine too)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put a rack on top of a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

2. Halve and pit the avocados. Slice into fry shapes, then remove the skin.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flour, 1 tsp. cajun seasoning, paprika and cayenne pepper. In another small bowl, whisk the eggs with 1 tsp. cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. In a third small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and garlic powder.

4. Dip each avocado fry into the flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb mixture. Line up on the rack.

5. Bake for 15 minutes.

6. Serve with ranch or any dipping sauce of your choice!Pin It

Soft Pretzel Bites with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

For some reason I got a major craving for soft pretzels the other night. So of course I had to give in the craving and turn on my oven when it's 95 degrees outside. Luckily these only take about 12 minutes to bake!    These pretzels were soft, chewy and definitely satisfied my craving. If you are afraid of working with yeast, give this recipe a try. It's pretty foolproof and an easy way to introduce yourself to working with yeast. My husband loves honey mustard sauce so I mixed up some for pretzel dipping. However, feel free to make whatever dipping sauce you wish, whether that is queso, cheddar cheese or just plain old cream cheese.

Soft Pretzel Bites

Original Source: Food Network's Bobby Flay
As seen on Jamie Cooks it Up, who adapted it from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast 

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

4 1/2-5 cups flour

12 cups water

3/4 cup baking soda

1 egg, beaten until frothy

coarse pretzel salt

Directions:
1. Add the warm water to the bowl of a stand mixer. Then add the brown sugar, yeast and melted butter. Use your dough hook to mix on low to combine.

2. Add the salt and 2 cups of flour and mix on low to combine. Add the rest of the dough 1 cup at a time while the mixer runs. Once the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl, then increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes.

3. Put plastic wrap over the bowl and set in a warm place to rise for one hour, or until doubled in size.

4. Spray a section of your counter with cooking spray. Using a sharp knife, separate the dough into 8 separate sections and let rest for 5 minutes.

5. While the dough is resting, put the water into a large pot and bring to a boil. Then add the baking soda. If if starts to bubble over, decrease the heat.

6. Roll a section of dough into a long rope, then cut into pieces about 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. Repeat with the remaining sections of dough.

7. Put the dough pieces into the boiling water/baking soda mixture and boil for 1 minute. You can work with about 15 pieces at a time. Remove from the water with a strainer (or slotted spoon) and allow the water to drain back into the pot.

8. Put the dough pieces on a sprayed cookie sheet. Brush the beaten egg over each piece, then sprinkle with a little coarse pretzel salt.

9. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Honey Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients until combined well. Chill.

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Christmas Party!

Here are a few things I made for our annual Christmas party with our friends. I was also going to make chocolate covered pretzels, but decided not to after making the cheesecake bites. They are originally called "pops," but I found that the sticks would not stay in them so I took them out and therefore they became bites! I couldn't find the wooden sticks anywhere so I used plastic coffee stirrers instead and they definitely didn't work! I really don't know if the wooden sticks would have been any better though. I forgot to get a picture of the bruschetta, but I will still post the recipe!

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Cheesecake "Bites"
Adapted from The Food Network

Before I took the sticks out.

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar (I used light because that's what I had)
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature (I used neufchatel)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter

Chocolate:
5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

Directions:

For the cheesecake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Break up the brown sugar to remove all lumps. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.

Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.

Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into

1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.) (I would probably use more chocolate because I didn't have enough for all of the pops and I didn't even coat them all the way like the Food Network picture shows.)

Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Frozen pops make a cool summer treat, or can be allowed to temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Upgrade: Coat the pops with chopped nuts or candies for a really decadent finish. To do this let the dipped pops drip over a bowl for 15 seconds before rolling them.

These were really good and tasted a lot like peanut butter fudge!

Parmesan Rosemary Pinwheels
Adapted from Pampered Chef, Season's Best, Fall/Winter 2003 as seen on Amber's Delectable Delights and herb seasoning courtesy of Joelen




Ingredients
1 can (8 ounces) Pillsbury Crescent Recipe Creations
1/2 cup regular cream cheese spread
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I just used the stuff that comes in a can!)
1 teaspoon Pampered Chef pantry rosemary herb seasoning mix or 4 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary (I used a seasoning that Joelen came up with which is the following: 2 tbsp. dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp. dried grated lemon peel, 1 tsp. dried leaf oregano crushed, 1 tsp. celery salt, 2 tbsp. onion powder,2 tbsp. garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. salt)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Roll out the crescent recipe creations dough.
3. Place cream cheese in small bowl. Add rosemary and Parmesan cheese to bowl and mix well.
4. Spread the entire sheet of dough with the cream cheese mixture, leaving a 1/4 inch border all the way around.
5. Roll up the sheet of dough from one of the long edges; pinch edges to seal.
6. Using a serrated knife cut the rolled up dough into ~22 slices.
7. Place slices, cut side down, on stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and press down lightly to even the tops of each pinwheel out.
8. Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Bruschetta with Goat Cheese
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden

Ingredients:
1 8-oz. loaf baguette-style French bread
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 oz. soft chevre (goat cheese), crumbled (I used feta cheese)
2 oz. light cream cheese (Neufchatel)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. snipped fresh sage or 1/4 tsp. ground sage (Omitted)
1 7-oz. jar roasted red sweet peppers, drained and cut into strips (I used my food processor to make them into smaller pieces)
1-1/4 cups coarsely chopped pitted Italian or ripe olives (I used black olives and used my food processor to chop them)
1/2 tsp. olive oil
Finely shredded fresh sage (Omitted)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut bread into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Lightly brush both sides of each slice with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Arrange on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until crisp and light brown, turning once. If desired, transfer the cooled toasts to a storage container. Cover and store the toasts at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl stir together goat cheese, light cream cheese, lemon juice, and snipped sage or oregano. (I used oregano) Cut red pepper into strips. Toss chopped olives in the 1/2 teaspoon olive oil.

3. To assemble, spread each slice of toast with cheese mixture. Top with red pepper strips, chopped olives, and sage leaves, if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature. To heat, return slices to the ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 425 degree F oven about 3 minutes or until the toppings are heated through. Makes about 24 servings. (I didn't assemble them - I just put the bruschetta on a large platter and had 3 smaller dishes with the warmed up cheese, chopped red peppers, and chopped olives so people could assemble them on their own according to their preferences!)

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Pepperoni Rolls

My mom always makes pepperoni rolls & I love them! Recently I saw her make them this way so I figured I would give it a try. So technically, I did not come up with the "recipe" on my own so thank you to my mom who inspired these!

Pepperoni Rolls
Inspired by my mother, Debby

A little cheese escaped on this one!

Ingredients:
Dinner roll dough
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Prepare dough according to package directions. (For mine, I greased a muffin pan and allowed the dough to rise for at least 3 hours with a greased piece of plastic wrap over it.) Once the dough has risen, pull it apart a little bit and put pieces of pepperoni (I used 3 pieces each) and a small handful of mozzarella cheese in the dough. Then pull the dough back around the filling and pinch it together. Bake according to package directions.

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Football Party

I had friends over to watch the Browns today and I made my classic tortilla chip dip and newly attempted meatballs. The food was good even though the game was not!

Southwest Bean Party Dip
*Adapted from 101 More Things to do with a Slow Cooker by Stephanie Ashcraft

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1 pound ground beef, browned and drained (I used ground turkey instead)
2 cans refried beans
2 cans diced tomatoes and chiles, with liquid
1 package taco seasoning
1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed

Combine all ingredients in greased 4 1/2 to 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat 3-4 hours or on high heat 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes until cheese is melted.

Ready to go in the crock pot!

My friend wanted to hold it outside by the lake - even though you can't really see the lake at all! Anyways, here is the dip ready to be served!

Meatballs
*I got this recipe on the boards somewhere (I think) so if it yours please let me know so I can give you credit!

Ingredients:
32 oz. bottle of bbq sauce
32 oz. jar of grape jelly
1 bag of frozen meatballs

Put bbq sauce and grape jelly in large pot over medium to medium-high heat and heat until mixed well. Then put meatballs in and wait for them to get hot.

The ingredients - mostly off-brands to make it a cheap appetizer!

And the result - this was my first time making these and they turned out great!

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