Steak hash

Hash is something I make all the time with most any leftover meat and veggies

Chop steak and veggies, saute veggies with a pinch of salt, this time I used zucchini, tomato, onion, with green and red peppers. Add chopped steak at the end just to warm through. I garnished with little red and green peppers. I sometimes add an egg or two if needed to stretch a bit for a extra serving or two.

A simple burger

This was a simple burger to make but not simple on taste. This is what I did. I took 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef and added three chopped jalapenos, a quarter of a chopped onion,  salt and pepper to taste, sauteed in a skillet with butter on medium heat adding some onion slivers at the end.

I topped it with cheese, bacon, and burger fixings wrapped in lettuce leaves, boy was it good!

Pepperoni pizza omelet

I made this for brunch. I had a taste for pizza and this fit the bill perfectly.

Beat 2 eggs with a tablespoon of cream and a pinch of salt. Heat a small skillet to medium with a pat of unsalted butter, add eggs and cook with out stirring, add pizza topping I used pepperoni and cheese for the one above and added sauteed peppers, onions, and sliced olives along with the pepperoni for the one below, run under the broiler till nicely browned. I garnished the top one with a few cherry tomatoes and served them with crushed red pepper on the side.

Roasted cauliflower

You need to make a lot of this! This was gone in an instant it's that good, and so easy!

Cut a cauliflower in like size pieces, toss with melted butter, a pinch of salt and roast in a hot 425 oven till done maybe 30 minutes.

Tostada (cheese shell)

This was my lunch, isn't it beautiful! All I did was sprinkle 2 ounces of cheese in a hot, dry, nonstick skillet (I used colby jack this time) cook until browned and solid enough to flip over brown up the other side then blot off the excess oil, top with your favorite tostada toppings I used leftover roasted chicken, mexican fresh cheese, red leaf lettuce, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado and some hot sauce.

Have you ever seen a watermelon rainbow?

Wow, it has been so hot, 104 most of the day up to 106! I cut some watermelon for my daughter as a snack, she picked up the rind and said rainbow.

That's funny, I'd never seen a rainbow in a watermelon rind. A child's perspective is so wonderful. From now on I will always see a rainbow.

Green goddess dressing

This is one of my favorite dressings from my childhood.

Avocado green goddess dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise (home made is best)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 ripe avocado diced
4 green onions chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup fresh tarragon chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives chopped
sprig of mint chopped
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic crushed
few drops of worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon anchovy paste (you don't even taste it)
salt and pepper to taste
cream or buttermilk to thin if necessary

Blend everything except sour cream in a blender. stir in sour cream and thin with cream or buttermilk if necessary. Let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavors develop. Serve with any green salad. It's a great dipping sauce for chicken too.

I forgot to add lots and lots of fresh cracked pepper in the photo.

Egg cream smoothie

It has been so hot here I just couldn't drink a steaming cup of coffee this morning. I was in the mood for a smoothie,  my favorite is from Sugar free Sheila's websight here. I use the S.O.S Shake recipe. I prefer using 2 pasteurized eggs instead of eggbeaters, instructions on how to pasteurize eggs is here She has so many terrific ideas.

This shake is so satisfying and keeps me content all day.

Macafoni and cheese

I was skeptical when I first came across this recipe here but I am telling you it's so good! Yeah it's not macaroni and cheese but it's such a good substitute. Be sure to drain the tofu very well, I have used firm and medium both worked well. Pair with a salad it's a great dinner or lunch.

Lemon pepper roasted chicken

Lemon pepper roasted chicken is one of my favorite things to prepare. I slathered the chicken with softened unsalted butter then sprinkled a generous amount of lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder( crushed garlic if I'm not lazy), and squeezed a whole lemon over it then roasted it in a 425 oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. I always roast my chickens upside down so the juices run into the breast keeping it succulent and moist, it does look kind of funny, you won't even know it when you cut it up for serving. I love roasted chicken so much I make one at least once sometimes twice a week they're economical, super yummy, and oh so good for leftovers. The flavorings you can use are endless.

BLT lettuce wrap

My lunch today a blt lettuce wrap with zucchini oven fries.

My Son made lunch today. He came and asked me how to make zucchini oven fries and I recited this recipe I posted before here. For the blt lettuce wrap just layer bacon and tomatoes on lettuce leaves he used green leaf lettuce, I also love butter lettuce top with some mayo and lots of cracked pepper. A nice surprise!

Zucchini cake

This recipe is one of my favorite ways to use the abundant zucchini from my garden. I found the recipe here. The original recipe is a carrot cake, I have made it several time with carrots and it's delicious I thought it would work well with zucchini too. I grated the zucchini and squeezed the moisture out, you may not have to squeeze out the moisture if it's store bought, my garden fresh zucchini has a lot of moisture in it. I cut down the raisins to just a few and adjusted the sweeteners to 2 tablespoons of xylitol, 2 tablespoons of sugar free torani syrup, 2 tablespoons sugarfree maple syrup and a few drops of stevia. I used only 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I had to bake it for 10 extra minutes. It makes great cupcakes too.

Here is what the cake batter looks like with the green flecks of zucchini

When I checked it in the oven it wasn't quite done it took 10 extra minutes.

I made a cream cheese frosting for it.

Cream cheese frosting

8oz cream cheese softened
1 stick of butter softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons sugar free vanilla torani syrup
2 tablespoons xylitol
couple drops of liquid stevia

Beat together, frost cake, store in the fridge

So yummy!

Fried cheese

I get the most lovely fresh cheese curds from a local cheese maker at the farmers market. My favorite way to prepare them is fried in butter. It's so easy. Saute over medium careful as to not crowd the pan. I prefer them plain but you could add a dip.

Ratatouille

In late summer when there's an abundance of vegetables from my garden and a few more from the farmers market I love to make this vegetable stew called ratatoulle.

Ratatouille

2 zucchini sliced
2 japanese eggplants sliced
4 hot wax peppers (diablo)
1 onion chopped
handful of green beans cut
2 cups tomatoes cut cherry tomatoes I left whole
1 yellow pepper cut
4 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste I used a couple pinches

Add everything except the tomatoes in a soup pot cook on medium for about 5 minutes then add tomatoes and cook another 10 minutes or till cooked to your liking. You can use any veggies you have, this is what I used this time every time it's different.

It's finished!

We ate this big pot of veggie stew all weekend.

Spinach dip

This is one of my favorite dips, it's so easy

Spinach dip from the recipe on the packet of Knorr vegetable soup mix

1 packet Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 box frozen chopped spinach defrosted and squeezed dry
2 cans sliced water chestnuts recipe calls for one but I like two
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
chopped green onions to taste

Mix everything and serve, I like it right away like in the picture it does firm up chilled. I serve with jicama, cucumber and radish slices

Stuffed zucchini

Easy as 1 2 3. We had a yard sale on Saturday with some of our neighbors, I was exhausted and forgot to harvest the zucchini in my garden so they got huge. I decided to make stuffed zucchini with them.

1 Raw zucchini halves.

2 Then stuffed and topped with cheese.

3 Baked and ready to devour.

Here's what I did.

Stuffed zucchini

2 large zucchini halved and seeded (I chop one half of one zucchini for the filling)
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or any ground meat)
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 orange pepper chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
garlic to taste chopped (I used 6 cloves)
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce
1 teaspoon pappys 50% less salt seasoning
1/2 teaspoon herbamare seasoning
pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese (I used mozzarella)
parmesan cheese to taste

Scrape seeds out of zucchini making a well for the stuffing, chopping one half of one zucchini for the filling. Brown ground beef with everything except spaghetti sauce and cheeses. When sauteed stir in some of the cheeses and spaghetti sauce. Fill zucchini and top with more cheese, bake on a foil lined cookie sheet at 375 for 45 to 60 minutes. If it browns to fast you can cover it with foil towards the end. You don't need giant zucchini you can make it with smaller ones just fine.

Bonbons

I got to thinking when I made a magic shell topping for some ice cream that it might work to cover little squares of ice cream to make bonbons, so I tried it. They turned out delicious and so cute!

I took a slice of ice cream that had been in the freezer, sliced it in little squares and then put it back in the freezer to make the magic shell coating. I used half a lindt 85% chocolate bar broken up with a couple tablespoons of coconut oil melted it in the microwave stirring every 30 seconds till almost melted then adding a couple squirts of liquid stevia. I used a wooden skewer to pick up the squares of ice cream. First I covered the bottom with chocolate and rested them on a foil lined cookie sheet that had been in the freezer then I put them back in the freezer for a few minutes, when the shell hardens up I take them out again and using a skewer to hold them while I spoon the melted chocolate mixture over the top and sides, then back in the freezer they go. Make a lot they get eaten up fast!

Roasted bone-in chicken breasts

I usually roast whole chickens but I got some nice bone-in chicken breast on clearance for .50 a lb. Chicken breasts are so good roasted. All I did is sprinkle some Pappys 50% less salt seasoning, a couple tablespoons of softened unsalted butter and roasted on 425 for 30 to 45 minutes. They are nicely browned and juicy.

Swallowtail in my garden

I'm so excited to share, my garden had a visit from a swallowtail butterfly, I believe it was just hatched and was drying it's wings in the sun.


Now if I only could get some pictures of my hummingbird visitors!

Strawberry ice cream

I picked up some luscious strawberries from the farmers market and my family all voted to make ice cream with them.

Strawberry ice cream

2 cups cold cream
2 cups strawberry puree
2 tablespoons strawberry torani syrup
2 tablespoons xylitol
2 pasteurized eggs (instructions here)
few drops of stevia
1 cup diced strawberries

assemble everything except diced strawberries in a bowl, chill, then churn in ice cream maker for 30 minutes add diced strawberries and enjoy with your family.

Cinnamon pork rinds

It does sound weird, I know it did take me a while to actually try making these but they are so good!!!

In a bowl with a lid put an ounce of pork rinds cover them with a couple of teaspoons of ground cinnamon put the lid on a shake up then add a couple of tablespoons of granular splenda and shake again. These are so good if you just have to have something crunchy and sweet.