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Oven Baked Zucchini Sticks

I’m always looking for new ways to make fresh veggies more appetizing for the Man.  I happen to love zucchini and want to have more of it on a regular basis.  I have probably a dozen or so recipes now on cooking (or not cooking) it, and I really like this one.

Word of caution:  The length of time cooking it really depends upon how thick or thin your slices are.

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 medium-sized zucchini … or one really fat one like I had
  • 3/4 cup bread crumbs or panko – use whatever to your taste
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt or onion salt works well too
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat over to 450. Spray large cookie sheet with spray of your choice. Slice zucchini length ways, roughly 1 1/2 thick or whatever you like. You can also cut it into rounds as well – unless the whole ‘stick’ thing gets to you. Toss zucchini in a bowl with olive oil to coat. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in another bowl and coat each slice of zucchini. Lay out the slice on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Turn zucchini and bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

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I used panko crumbs and it came out pretty good.  This is being added to a more regular rotation of our dinners. *grin*

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Meatloaf, Twice-Baked Potato Casserole, w/Red Pepper Corn

I find meatloaf one of those comforting foods. Something my mom made every week that wasn’t half bad. It reminds me of home and the glorious, stupid about the real world days of childhood. There are literally hundreds of recipes for meatloaf, and my own recipe box has about 5. The recipe for the twice-baked casserole is new and I have suggestions to make it better. No pictures with this one since my phone ate them all … including the really nice one of the drink I had. 🙂

Here is the one of the five of my meatloaves. *smiles*

Ingredients for Meatloaf:

  • 1-1/2lbs ground beef
  • 1/2 onion, chopped finely
  • 2 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Mix everything together in a bowl. Personally, I use my hands (clean!) And enjoy the labor of mixing it that way. Free form on a pan or use a loaf pan – personal preference there. Be sure to press down while forming to get rid of any air you may have trapped.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour or so.

Ingredients for Casserole:

  • 1-1/2lbs red potatoes (roughly 6 medium sized), cubed
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1lb bacon, cooked and c rumbled
  • 3 cups sour cream
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions, sliced

Divide ingredients in half, except green onions. In a greased 13 x 9 pan, layer potatoes, salt, pepper, sour cream, bacon, then cheese. Repeat with second half. Done! Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle green onion on top of servings.

Now, the above recipe is a new one for me and quite frankly, it lacked a lot. My recommendations (which I’m going to try next time) is add minced garlic and a bit of butter for each layer.

This corn recipe is so simple – corn, a diced red pepper, salt and pepper to taste, a quarter stick of butter (or substitute.) How much butter depends on how much corn you are using. I used frozen corn – roughly 16oz worth.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

That’s it! While its all cooking, fix yourself a nice drink. Can’t hurt. 🙂

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Chicken à la Jenn, with red potatoes and sautéed veggies

Now, this main chicken dish originally started as a recipe my Mother use to make and that I loved as a kid. I adapted it a bit, as my Mother made rather bland food because that’s how my Dad liked it. My Dad also liked things cooked to dryness, so it was years until I realized that meats and chicken taste better when moist. Yeah, my Mom wasn’t the best cooking teacher.

Oh, and is said often enough elsewhere – read everything before you start. In this particular dinner, I cooked the potatoes and the chicken at the same time. I do my best to time things so that it all comes together at the same time.

Chicken à la Jenn

Ingredients:

Chicken – use what you like, I prefer boneless breasts
Salt
Pepper
Butter – I used half a stick
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
Milk
Mushrooms – sliced

Again, amounts depend on what you like and how much you want to cook. I used five chicken breasts for dinner, so you have some reference.

Preheat oven to 350°. In a baking dish, lay out chicken that has been cleaned – wash off and trim fat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (as much as you like.) Cut butter into pats so that you have one on each breast.

Slice up mushrooms and toss on top of chicken. In a seperate bowl, mix can of soup with milk – I use the soup can to measure the milk, so half a can of milk. Once mixed well, pour on top of chicken. That’s it – throw into the oven for roughly 30 minutes – depending on the chicken you use and how well your oven works.  When serving, make sure you add a bit of the sauce from the pan over the chicken along with the mushrooms.

Roasted Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

Red potatoes – diced (I leave the skin on)
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Green onions – diced
Rosemary
Garlic – minced
Olive oil
Cooking spray (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large enough bowl, toss the potatoes with some oil, salt, pepper, paprika, rosemary, and garlic so that all the potatoes are covered. They’ll probably look reddish due to the paprika, which is what you want.

On a baking sheet, spread out all the potatoes. If need be, spray the sheet first so that they don’t stick. I use a non-stick, so it isn’t necessary. If there is extra oil/seasonings in your bowl, pour that over the potatoes as well. Make sure they are in a single layer, so they cook more evenly. Sprinkle green onions over top. Place pan in oven for approx. 30 minutes. Time here really does depend on the size of the diced potatoes – the smaller they are, the faster they’ll cook. Keep an eye on them.

Sauteed Squash, Zucchini, and Red Peppers

Ingredients:

Yellow squash – sliced
Zucchini – slices
Red pepper – julienned
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Sesame oil

While the potatoes and chicken are cooking, you can prep your veggies. They only take about 10 minutes to sauté, depending on the size of your slices. In a large sauté pan or wok, heat up your olive oil. Toss the veggies in, dust with salt and pepper, and sauté until the veggies soften up a bit. You want to keep them semi-firm but cooked through. In the last few minutes (3-4) of cooking, sprinkle enough sesame oil over to cover all the veggies and toss.

That’s it! It really is very simple and tasty. The Man loved it, as did I. And I even remembered to take a picture of the final dish … before I ate it all.