Zucchini!

What did I do with the gigantic zucchini, you may ask? Well I didn't let it go to waste of course! I'm poor, I've gotta use up all the free food I can get. On our grilling day, Tom and I cooked up some yummy zucchini slices.

zucchini, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

1/2 stick of butter

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp minced garlic

Heat the butter, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano and minced garlic in a small saucepan so the butter melts and the garlic cooks. Brush butter mixture on either side of the zucchini, and cook both sides until golden brown. Top with a little bit of cheese before you remove from grill. (We used our leftover fiesta cheese, but it be great with Parmesan as well.)

Chicken Marinade

My boyfriend and I also did some grilling this weekend. I found this recipe online but made my own alterations to it, and my chicken came out really well. You can definitely make this on the stove top if you don't have a grill, and you can use any cut of chicken you want. I happened to be in the mood for wings.

Here is the chicken on the grill. Tom decided to go with his own made up marinade, but we ended up agreeing that mine was better. Mine are the yellowish ones.

2 tbsp oil

1/4 onion, chopped

1/4 cup vinegar (calls for apple cider but all I had was white)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey

1 lb chicken wings

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour in oil and onions, and let the onions cook so that the flavor sinks into the sauce. Add vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, honey and chili powder and stir. Meanwhile, cook the chicken for 5 minutes on the grill, then turn. Coat one side with sauce, cook for 5 minutes, then coat the other side. Every 2 minutes or so, turn the chicken and add another coat, until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is used up.

Should look something like this when you're done.

Spinach Quesadillas

These are ridiculously good. My boyfriend and I cooked them over the weekend and they were hands down the best meal we made.

1 flour tortilla

1/2 cup grated cheese (We used a Mexican fiesta mix from Wal Mart. Some type of jack cheese would work best for this dish)

about 2 oz of fresh spinach

1 tbsp garlic

oil

Saute garlic and spinach in a pan. Put another pan on medium heat and pour in enough oil that it will spread out to cover the pan. Then, place the tortilla in the pan. Transfer the cooked spinach to the tortilla, add cheese and then fold in half. Cook both sides until the tortilla is slightly brown and the cheese has melted (about 1 minute per side). Top with sour cream, salsa or your favorite topping and enjoy! 

Breakfast Sandwiches

Being a former employee of Dunkin Donuts (note: FORMER), I know all about breakfast sandwiches. I frequently cook my own at home, which are WAY better than the processed crap you get in the drive-thru window. And it's pretty damn simple.

Pick a bread. I usually use english muffins. If I happen to have bagels around I'll use those. Any type works; even something sweet like cinnomen raisin works well because it compliments the taste of the egg and cheese. Toast your bread for a much tastier sandwich.

Cook an egg. I usually do mine over easy because I love the runny yolk in my sandwich. This is something Dunkin Donuts can not offer. Scrambled works well if you want something a little less messy.

Find a meat. You could just make an egg and cheese, but I prefer to beef up my sandwich just a bit. Generally I use deli ham because I always have it around. You can use sausage or bacon if you have it. Or get creative, and saute some peppers and onions instead.

Add the cheese. Do this right after you take the egg out of the pan, because the warm egg will help melt it. I usually use American (that's what Dunkins uses if you're interested) but anything works.

From eating so many breakfast sandwiches on my break, I've found that ketchup is really good on a breakfast sandwich. Also lots of pepper. I even used mayo sometimes. (Had to drown out the nastiness somehow.)

And now, I will tell you the ULTIMATE breakfast sandwich. The kind that will make your heart stop but your stomach say "YUM!". I was given this creation by a co-worker. It sounds kind of nasty but it will BLOW YOUR MIND.

You need a sausage patty (two if you're feeling really daring), cream cheese, and some bread. Personally I like it on a croissant. Bagels work well too. Slather each slice with cream cheese, then put the sausage in the middle and enjoy.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

These are literally the best oatmeal cookies you will ever eat. I've been debating whether or not to give out this recipe, because it is a family recipe, but so far no one else in my family has been able to make them as well as I have. (Not to brag or anything)

1 1/4 cups butter, melted (Yes, this is 1 1/2 sticks. But worth it.)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
cinnamon and nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Add flour, baking soda and oats. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (this is where it becomes my recipe; I'm not quite sure how much I add. I just add enough that it's to my satisfaction. I think I might do about a tsp of each, maybe more. If it's too sweet, add more nutmeg, if the flavor is too strong, add more cinnamon.) Finally, add the raisins. Drop rounded tbsp on cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
 
There's a key to baking cookies. If you like soft cookies, you need to take them out of the oven when they still looked slightly uncooked; when the are a little wet on top but starting to turn golden brown. When you let them cool, the heat in the cookies will finish cooking them so that they aren't gooey but you'll have nice soft cookies.

Cole Slaw

I personally can't have a summer without cole slaw. I had never made it before until recently. Homemade cole slaw is so much better because you can make it just how you like it. Everyone has their own style of cole slaw that they enjoy. I love my cole slaw when it's juicy and flavorful but not too strong. This is my recipe that I created by taking parts of a bunch of different recipes and putting it together.

1/2 head of cabbage, shredded (this will make PLENTY)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 cup mayo (you can adjust this depending on how thick you want it)
1 tbsp vinegar (I used white vinegar because this is all I had, but I bet it would be great with apple cider vinegar)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 lemon, juiced (you can use a splash of lemon juice if you don't have real lemon)

Mix the mayo, vinegar, sugar, mustard and lemon juice together in a bowl. Toss the mixture with the cabbage, carrot and onion. Let sit for 1/2 hr-1 hr in room temperature so that the cabbage has time to wilt. Refrigerate.

Best way to shred the cabbage so it's nice and fine like in restaurants? Chopping with a knife does not work as well. Most sites suggest a mandoline, but if you don't have that on hand you can use the biggest size of your cheese grater. 

Pasta Salad

Today I went to work and came home with giant vegetables. Don't ask how this happened, I'm not quite sure myself. I was overjoyed, however; seeing as how I haven't been grocery shopping in about a month and the only food I own seems to be copious amounts of pasta and a can of refried beans. Add some squash to that and it's something I can work with. I found this recipe, but I'll give you my abridged version.






1 pound pasta (I used penne, but it calls for farfalle)
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (I didn't have any tomatoes but I'm sure they would be delicious in this!)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp garlic
1 tsp stone ground mustard
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil (I used corn oil and it was fine)

Cook the pasta and drain well. For the dressing, mix together the vinegar, garlic, mustard, spices and oil. (The recipe says to do this in a blender, which I don't have. I just used a spoon and it worked fine.) Toss together the pasta, tomatoes, squash and zucchini with the dressing and serve cold.

I enjoyed this meal, especially because it was still delicious with the ingredients that I had. Next time I make it I would definitely add some chopped up onion and I would like to try it with the tomatoes. It was still good as I made it though. This recipe makes a lot of food (I only used a half box of pasta and still had leftovers), but it makes a great snack for later! Experiment with other additions and let me know if you find anything super delicious!