Cooking - for a new lifestyle (Our Test Kitchen)

I found a HUGE zucchini at  the Talbotville Berry Farm yesterday  and knew I had to stuff it! 1) Trim off the top of my zucchini,  so it looks like a boat. Then hollow out the seeds,  reserving any of the meatier parts. 2) In a food processor blend: reserved zucchini tomatoes celery onion  garlic green peppers ***but you could any vegetables like: mushrooms carrots etc. to make a vegetable chutney. 3) In a bowl mix:  any ground meat (beef and venison here this time) bread crumbs 1 egg salt and pepper italian seasoning 4) Stuff the meat into the zucchini 5) Pour the chutney over the length of the zucchini 6) Bake at 300 (I had to use my turkey roaster) for about an hour. 7) Sprinkle with grated cheese or parmesan 8) Broil for a short time to melt the cheese Serve with rice or egg noodles, by slicing off "steaks". The family liked it "plain" this way, but I would have liked a...

MY  Mexican rice Mix all ingredients in an oversize bowl, set aside until serving. If using a green tomato this will be a semi dry mixture. Refrigerate if necessary for preparation way ahead of dinner. Ingredients: 4 or 5 cups of cooked, rinsed and cooled rice 1 can of salad bean mix or black turtle beans 1 can of drained corn (or equal in frozen corn) 2 stalks of celery diced 1-2 onions diced 1 red pepper diced 1 green tomato diced (you can use red if you prefer) Mix the following ingredients together in a sealable bowl or cup and refrigerate. Dressing: 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 2/3 cup canola oil 4 pickled jalepeno pepper rounds (due to spice problems here we used just dill pickle juice) 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon cumin A nice alternative to potato or macaronni salad this summer. "Bon Appetit!"

Well, when you think of a side dish does celery come to mind??? Not for me. This is an item reserved for recipes and salads (and cheese whiz!) As my previous posts have done this week, I am using up bits and pieces of leftovers in my fridge, freezer and baking cupboards! So I was happy to find yet another recipe for this week that would accomplish doing this. 1/4 cup margarine 2 medium / large carrots chopped 1 cup frozen corn 1/2 cup of water or chicken stock 1 tsp garlic powder Sautee slowly until carrots are tender. Covered. **Add 1/4 cup of liquid if more is needed. 1 cup chopped onion 3 cups celery (mine was pretty beat up...the tail end of a head of celery) Add to the pan. Continue to sautee until celery is tender. Covered. 1 package of  sweetener **no sugar so I used a substitute (1/2 tsp sugar) 1/4 tsp thyme (we used italian spice) 1 tsp salt (omitted) 1/2 can of diced tomatoes (or 2 large tomatoes diced)some juice r...

1 frying chicken, about 3-1/2 lbs Stuffing: 2 tbsp butter or margarine 1/2 cup finely chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 1 jar (2 oz) diced or sliced pimientos, drained 2 cups frozen or fresh or canned corn red pepper sauce 1/2 tsp dried thyme or sage leaves 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 to 2 tbsp soft butter or oil Remove giblets and rinse chicken.  Pat dry.  Sprinkle cavity with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt butter.  Saute the onion, green pepper and celery until softened but not browned. Stir in pimientos, corn, red pepper sauce to taste, thyme or sage, salt and pepper.  Stir.  Cook for a few minutes. Stuff chicken.  Close opening.  Turn the wings back and tie legs together, if desired. Rub chicken with butter or oil.  Sprinkle with more thyme, black pepper and red pepper sauce.  Place on a roasting rack in a shallow pan. Place in a preheated oven at 450 F. ...

Barley is a source of B-complex vitamins and a good source of soluble fibre, the kind that helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels. I thought the salad was okay . .. but not exciting. My fellow testers seemed to feel the same way. 1 cup pearl barley 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved 2 cups corn kernels, cooked Bring large pot of water to boil; add barley. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 50 minutes or until tender. Drain; chill under cold running water and drain again. Meanwhile, in food processor or blender, puree basil, Parmesan, oil, salt and pepper ; stir in garlic. Toss with barley. add tomatoes and corn; toss again. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Source: CanadianLiving.com

Everyday Cornbread Recipe taken from online source. http://southernfood.about.com/od/cornbread 2 cups cornmeal 3/4 cup flour 3 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp honey 1 1/2 cups milk 2 eggs 1/4 cup shortening/margarine Blend last 4 ingredients, then add dry ingredients and combine only until blended. OR throw everything in a breadmaker(on mix only). Spoon into a greased pan. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. "Bon Appetit!"

Betty Crocker Quick Bread Recipe 2 cups flour 2 cups cornmeal 1/2 cup sugar 5 tsp baking powder 2 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 tsp salt 4 eggs 2 cups milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/4 cup shortening/margarine Blend last 4 items together, then add dry ingredients in mixer, or throw everything in the breadmaker(on mix only). beat only until smooth. Place into muffin cups. (Did not turn out well in a loaf!) Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes. This made a loaf and 18 muffins. (BTW I added green food colouring to the muffins for St Patricks Day!) "Bon Appetit!"

I made this for lunch today, and it was a hit! Very easy, fast and made with pantry ingredients you could keep on hand all the time. So far I'm still loving this book! Mix the following in a medium pot, simmer for 5 minutes (or until heated through and bubbling) and serve. That's it!! One 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained One 15-ounce can cream-style corn One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions (mine had Italian seasonings) One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and well rinsed 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth Serve topped with generous portions of shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions and a dollop of sour cream (if desired). Happy Eating!