I already shared the story about my zucchini crop this year,  so now it’s a perfect time to share a zucchini recipe.

I was thinking of posting a Zucchini Bread recipe, but I have been baking a lot lately, so a vegetarian dish sounded more appealing to me.

My sister might like this recipe as well, since she just told me that she is contemplating becoming a vegetarian.

I could be a vegetarian most of the time, but I think I occasionally would miss my poultry and pork dishes.

My mom loved zucchini sauteed with butter, onions, garlic, and some Italian spices.

Today I will share this yummy recipe for Zucchini Casserole with tomatoes, cheeses and Italian spices.

One recipe fills a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium zucchini (8 inch long), sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 3 large tomatoes, sliced into thin discs (1/8 inch thick)
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. dry oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dry basil (1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Tbs. butter (or canola oil)
• 1/2 cup Italian Seasoned bread crumbs

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the Cheddar Cheese, Parmesan Cheese, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
2. Set aside.
3. Grease the casserole dish, or spray with a  cooking spray.
4. Divide the sliced zucchini and sliced tomatoes into two equal parts.
5. Arrange the first half of the zucchini slices in the casserole dish, covering the whole bottom.
6. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the zucchini layer.
7. Arrange the first haft of the sliced tomatoes over the cheese sprinkled zucchini.
8. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese mixture over the tomato layer.
9. Repeat the zucchini, tomatoes, cheese, layers again.
10. Set aside.
11. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter, over medium heat.
12. Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent (2 minutes).
13. Turn off heat.
14. Add the seasoned bread crumbs, and mix until the butter is totally absorbed and onions are mixed in.
15. Preheat the over to 375 degrees F.
16. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly all over the top of the casserole.
17. Cover with aluminum foil.
18. Bake for 20 minutes.
19. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes longer.
20. Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Best served fresh, while the topping is nice and crunchy.

Still great the next day, but the bread crumbs become soft as they begin to absorb the moisture from the veggies.

Enjoy, and share your comments.

If you are looking for a light lunch or dinner idea, Chef’s Salad does the trick.

It contains all the main ingredients of any meal, without the guilt of eating starches, like potatoes, rice, or bread.

I grow many of my own vegetables, and this year I included a Green Leaf Lettuce, which is great on a hot summer day for making a quick Chef’s Salad for dinner.

I usually serve this salad with croutons, or a piece of garlic bread (I love bread…..no guilty feeling here…), and my favorite salad dressing for Chef’s Salad, is homemade Italian Dressing.

This is my home grown Green Leaf Lettuce, as organic as can be, since I use only organic fertilizer, and no pesticides.

Doesn’t it look fresh and appetizing?  It tastes wonderful as well!  It gives me a very good start for making a fresh salad.

This recipe is for 2 servings.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of fresh lettuce
• 2 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and cut into wedges
• 3 slices of ham, or turkey (smoked ham, is my favorite), cut into strips or cubes
• 1/2 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
• 1 large tomato, cut into wedges
• 2 slices of red onion, sliced horizontally
• 1 cucumber, peeled and sliced, or diced
• 1/4 cup chives, chopped

Salad Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 packet of Good Season’s Italian All Natural Salad Dressing mix
• 1/4 cup vinegar, white or balsamic
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil, Canola or Olive

Assembling the Salad:

1. Rinse and pat dry the lettuce leaves.
2. Arrange the lettuce leaves on 2 serving plates.
3. Top with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and ham.
4. Arrange the egg wedges on top of that.
5. Sprinkle with Cheddar cheese.
6. Sprinkle chopped Chives on top of cheese.
7. Pour 1/4 cup of Italian Salad Dressing over top.
8. Sprinkle croutons, and serve, or prepare garlic bread.

Prepare Salad Dressing:

1. In  tight fitting container pour water, oil and vinegar.
2. Shake well.
3. Add the one packet of Good Season’s salad dressing mix.
4. Close the container and shake well, so the flavors dissolve and mix.
5. Pour dressing over salad.

Enjoy!!

TIP: You can also make a quick salad dressing with vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and your favorite dry herbs, in case you do not have the Good Season’s salad dressing mix.

Here we are again, planning another Super Bowl party, and searching for party food ideas.

Well, since you are reading this post, you’re already in the right place.  There is no better place than grandma’s kitchen, Suburbangrandma, that is!

All the recipes I post are either prepared by me personally, or I have sampled them elsewhere, loved them, and posted them for you to enjoy.

This time I decided to post a very simple recipe, but quite presentable, and very well liked by my family, for years .

These are open face sandwiches, canapes, also know to my family as “kanapky”.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbs butter, softened
• 1 Tbs Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
• 2 large loves of rye bread (40 slices)
• 3 tomatoes,  sliced thin
• 4 pickles, sliced thin
• 6 eggs, boiled and sliced thin (use an egg slicer, for best results)
• 1 Lbs of ham, cooked, smoked, or your your choice – sliced on a thinner side as well
• 20 slices of American cheese, white or yellow
• Chives or scallions, chopped (to sprinkle on top for a fresh look, and to enhance the aroma)

Directions:

1. Mix the cream cheese, butter and salad dressing mix.
2. Set aside.
3. Remove the smaller end from the loaf of bread, if you are using bakery loaf.  If you are using a prepackaged bread without the ends, then you are all set.
4. Cut the cheese slices in half diagonally (forming triangles)
5. Fold each slice of ham in half, or cut in half it you plan to use only that much on each sandwich.
6. Get ready all the sliced ingredients: eggs, tomatoes, pickles.
7. Spread the cheese/butter mixture on each piece of rye bread (rather sparingly)
8. Place a piece of ham on top of the spread
9. Place a piece of cheese on top of ham
10. Arrange nicely a slice of pickle, slice of an egg, and slice of a tomato on top of the cheese slice.
11. Sprinkle lightly with chopped chives or scallions.

If you are looking for additional ideas, and recipes, you may check these out:

• Jalapeño Corn Dip
  

• Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip

• 7 Layer Guacamole Dip

• Swedish Meatballs

• Texas Caviar

• Mrs. Z’s Deviled Eggs

• Caramel Apple Dip

• Honey-Apple Brie Bites

• Turkey Taco Ring
  

What do you do with all those ripe tomatoes you have just picked off from your garden, or bought at a farmer’s market?  You can share them with your neighbors, if they don’t grow their own, and if you are certain that they like tomatoes and are not allergic to them.   If you decide to keep them, but you really do not want to spend lots of time in the kitchen, by making home made tomato sauce, you can turn them into a very fast and easy, yet very tasty tomato soup.

It really does not take much time, especially if you use ready made soup stock.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, shredded
• 8-10 medium/large tomatoes
• 1 Tbs. fresh Basil leaves, chopped
• 1 quart chicken, or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste (if needed for added color/flavor)
• 1 Tbs. all purpose flour, or corn starch
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tsp. sugar (optional)
• Dill weed, chopped (for garnish)
• Maggie Seasoning (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add chopped onions.
2. Saute until golden, add chopped celery, and shredded carrot, and sauté 3 minutes longer.
3. Heat the vegetable or chicken stock in a large pot, add the sauted vegetables to the stock.
4. Add the cored, and quartered tomatoes, and bring to boil.
5. Cook for 20 minutes, until the tomatoes and vegetables are tender.
6. Pour through a sieve, and mash,the vegetables with a spoon, for few minutes , applying pressure against the bottom and sides of the sieve.
7. Discard the remaining tomato skins and seeds left in the sieve.
8. Mix the tomato paste with some of the soup stock and return to pot.
9. Mix ½ of the heavy cream with 1 Tbs. of all purpose flour, into a smooth paste (no lumps).
10. Mix in a couple of Tbs. of the soup stock into this mixture, mix in the remaining heavy cream.
11. Pour into the soup pot, add a tsp. of sugar if the taste is too tangy, and bring to boil.
12. Add chopped basil.

You may serve it plain, garnished with chopped dill weed, or with rice or pasta.  Sometimes I make my own pasta, when I miss my mom’s home cooking.

Tip: You can peel the tomatoes before adding to the soup stock, by making a small ‘X’ on the bottom, and dunking them in boiling hot water for 15-30 seconds. The skin should slip off easily (it really works….I tried it).  You will still need to pour the soup through a sieve to remove any seeds and other chunky vegetables, or puree it in a blender and pour through a sieve, then bring to boil once more.

If you like a thicker, more textured  soup, you need more tomatoes.  I like my tomato soup on a thinner side, since I serve it with pasta.  My mom used to make her own chicken broth by cooking chicken wings and backs, and used more heavy cream, which made the soup much higher in calories, but real delicious and creamy.