Beef and Zucchini quiche

[zeedrippyvessel.livejournal.com]

1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell
Dried beans or rice
1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used mored)
1 medium zucchini, shredded (I used a large one)
3 green onions sliced (love my kitchenscissors)
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (we bypassed hte mushrooms)
1 TBL all purpose flour
1 cup milk
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Swiss CHeese
1 and 1/2 tspn chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 t dried thyme leaves (I used more)
1/2 t salt
dash black pepper
dash ground red pepper

1. Preheat oven to 475 F. Line pie shell with foil; fill with dried beans. Bake 8 minutes.

Remove from oven, carefully remove foil and beans, return pie shell to oven and continue baking 4 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temp to 375F

2. Brown ground beef in medium skillet, stirring to break up meat. Drain. Add zucchini, onions nad mushcrooms, cook. Stir occasionally until veggies are tender, like sweet virgins! STir in flour, cook 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. REmove from heat.

3. Combine milk, eggs, cheese and seasonings in medium bol. Stir into beef mixture, pou8r into crust. Bake 35 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

I was informed by Spawn to make TWO pies next time... he inhaled this and I just got a little slice. THis is supposed to make six servings.

Fajita Pile-up (diabetic version)

[zeedrippyvessel.livejournal.com]

4 corn tortillas
2 t veggie oil - divided
12 ounces sirloin steak, trimmed of fat, cut into thin strips
2 t salt free steak seasoning... (I used fajita seasoning)
1/2 medium lime
1 medium green bell peppers, cut into thin strips
1 medium red or yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 large onion, cut into thin wedges
1 cup sweet grape cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
2 Tbl chopped fresh cilantro
additional lime wedges

1. Warm tortillas according to microwave diregtions on package. Wrap in foil to keep warm

2. Place large nonstick skillet over medium high heat until hot. Add 1 t oil. Tilt skillet to coat lightley. Add steak... sprinkle with seasoning. COok and stir until slightly pink in center. Do NOT overcook. Transfer to plate. Squeeze lime over steak and cover.

3. Add remaining 1 t oil to skillet. Add peppers and onion. Cook and stir until tender and onion layers have separated. Add tomoatoes. Cook and stir 1 minute. Return steak, any accumulated juices and cumin to skillet. COok and stir 1 minute.

4. Top each tortill with equal amounts of steak mixture. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro. Serve open faced or wrap that puppy up!

Makes 4 servings....

Calories - 252 (24% of calaroies from fat)
Total Fat 7g
Sat Fat - 2g
Protein 24g
Carb - 24g
CHolesterol - 41MG
Dietary fiber 4g
Sodium 90 mg

Roasted chicken with Peach Glaze and Peach Pecan cornbread dressing

[zeedrippyvessel.livejournal.com]

Roasted chicken with Peach glaze

1 whole roasting chicken (4 to 5 pounds)
1 t garlic pepper blend
1/2 cup peach or apricot preserves.
(I use apricot)
I don't really measure the preserves. I just brush until the bird is coated.
Hell. I don't bother with measuring the garlic-pepper blend. I just shake until it looks good!

1. heat overn to 375.
2. Spray roasting pan with cooking spray
3. Rinse chicken inside and out. Drain and pat dry.
3b. Chickens like to be patted dry.
4. Sprinkle garlic-pepper blend over chicken.
5. Palce breast side up on rack in pan.
6. Bake uncovered 1 hour
7. Brush with preserves
8. Cook another 45 minute to an hour, until chicken is done.

Serve with peach or apricot stuffing.

Yeah - that recipe is in here too! What do you think I am? Stoooopid?

Sheesh.






Peach pecan cornbread dressing

1 1/4 cups of water
1 cup chicken broth
8 oz package cornbread stuffing mix
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
1/2 cupt dried peaches or dried apricots
1/4 cup chopped pecans

NOTE: If you follow THIS recipe, this dressing will be drier than dry.
I keep pouring on the chicken broth until NICE and MOIST!!!!

Heat oven to 375
Spray 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray
IN saucepan, heat water and broth to boiling
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Sppon into caserole and cover
Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until thorough baked.

Orange Pecan Cornish Hens

[zeedrippyvessel.livejournal.com]

1/2 cup butter, melted and divided
4 Cornish game hens - about 1.5 pounds each
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/2 cup Orange marmalade
1/4 c orange juice
1 t cornstarch
1/2 cup pecans


Spread 1 tablespoon of butter equally overhens: Season with alt and pepper. Tie ends of legs together, if desired, and place on a lightly greased rack in a roasting pan.

Bake at 400 degress for and hour or until a meat thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 180 degrees.

Blend together remaining butter, orange marmalade and orange juice, bting to a boil.

Blend togehter a small amount of cornstarch and water, slowly adding remaining cornstarch until mixture thickens.

Slowly add cornstarch mixture to marmalade, stirring constantly

Add pecans

Place hens in a 15 x 10 baking dish

Pour glaze over chicken and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until glaze begins to brown.

Serve on wild rice.

Mandarin Orange Tossed salad

[zeedrippyvessel.livejournal.com]

1 head of leaf lettuce - torn (this means NOT ICEBERG!!! Use romaine, boston or some fancy smancy leaf - very PRETTY lettuce.

3 stalks of celery - thinly sliced
4 green onions, sliced
1 11 ounce can of manarin oranges - drained

Vinaigrete Dressing - YES, I have the recipe, gimme a minute... you will want to make it either the night before or EARLY the morning you use this.

Caramelized Pecans (original recipe calls for almonds - I prefer Pecans!)
Several slices of bacon (get the cheapest kind you can find - it crumbles better!)

Oh, for those who don't know, to caramelize, meant to cook them with sugar until the sugar liquefies and coats the pecan like a syrup. Rule of thumb - 2 Tablespoons of sugar to every 1/2 cup of crushed nut.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl; ocover and chill up to 3 hours. Just before serving, toss with Vinaigrette and sprinkle with Carmalized pecans and well-done crispy bacon.


Serves 6 to 8. Sockpuppets take note - as you should know, my family is huge and we double everything.

Also - this salad actually tastes BETTER after it has sat a day and looks positively disgusting!

Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tables sugar
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 drops of hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a jar. If you are from the south - get a mason jar. Cover tightly and shake vigorously. Get that hip action going with it - Chacha, Rumba, whatever Latin dance hoochies your coochie! Chill for several hours. Shake it every 30 minutes -

I use splenda in the vinaigrette dressing. Tastes just wonderful. But you can't carmelize the pecans/almonds in splenda. it doesnt' work. Bleh.