Zucchini "Fries"

As soon as I saw these on Two Peas & Their Pod, I decided to make them that night! I had fresh zucchini in my fridge and these looked too great to wait another minute on.

I was NOT disappointed with these! These were amazing - even my husband ate them and said I could make them any time! During the summer I plant zucchini and always have a TON of them on hand from my garden, so I will definitely remember this recipe for the summer!

These are great for a side on many different main courses. Sandwiches, burgers, meat, etc...these fries will go with a lot! I used marinara sauce to dip them in which was great. I absolutely loved these and will absolutely make them again and again!

Ingredients
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

1 zucchini, cut into sticks
2 eggs
splash of milk (about 2 tbsp)
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
marinara sauce for dipping

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees, and line a large baking dish with foil and spray with non stick spray.

Set up a breading station. On one plate, add flour. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and milk together with a fork. On another plate add panko and cheese and mix together. Season zucchini sticks with salt and pepper.

One by one, dredge zucchini sticks in flour, then dip in egg mixture, then press into panko until completely coated. Place on baking sheet side by side, until all zucchini sticks are breaded.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown - flip after 10 minutes and serve hot with marinara sauce.

Zucchini

Creamy White Bean Soup

I absolutely love making soup. Soup recipes tend to make a lot, so not only do I get to enjoy it for dinner, I also get to enjoy it for subsequent lunches at work. This is a healthy soup that is easy to make.

This soup is flavorful, healthy and hearty. The beans create a wonderful creaminess to the soup, especially when blended. The kale adds so much color and flavor, that I seriously load this soup with it! I really love this recipe and will definitely make it again and again.

Ingredients
Adapted from The Daily Green, originally published in Good Housekeeping

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cans (15 1/2 to 19 ounces each) white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2-3 springs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 cups water
1 head fresh kale
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Optional - aprox. 1 cup cooked small pasta (I used little stars)

Directions
In 3-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add beans, broth, pepper, thyme, and water; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, trim tough stems from kale and discard; thinly slice leaves.

With slotted spoon, remove 2 cups bean and vegetable mixture from soup; set aside. Blend the rest of the soup with an immersion blender and puree until smooth.

Stir in reserved beans, vegetables and pasta (if using). Heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in kale and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and remove from heat. Serve with Parmesan, if you like.

Shrimp Farfalle

I've been eating a lot of shrimp lately. It's quick, easy and makes for a perfect weeknight protein. I've been eating less meat (especially red meat) so for me, shrimp is a great alternative. I feel like like I'm eating a meat, and shrimp is always such a treat.

This was one of those "clean out your pantry" type of meals. I just mixed up a bunch of things that I had on hand, and it worked out REALLY well! This pasta dinner was so flavorful, light and healthy. I really loved this and will certainly make it again.

Ingredients
1/2 12 oz. box farfalle pasta
1/2 head fresh broccoli, trimmed and chopped into medium pieces
8-10 precooked shrimp, thawed and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper
1.5 cups chicken stock
aprox. 2 tbsp. cornstarch
1 fresh tomato, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lemon
2-3 fresh thyme sprigs, chopped
salt
pepper
fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. During the last 3 or 4 minutes of cook time for the pasta, add fresh broccoli to the pasta water (keeping the pasta in the pot). Cook until pasta is done and broccoli is bright green and slightly softened. Be careful not to cook the broccoli too long - 3 minutes is about all you'll need. Drain pasta and broccoli and set aside.

In a large saucepan sprayed with non stick spray over medium-high heat, add shrimp. Cook until seared, about 2-3 minutes then flip shrimp to their other side and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add chicken stock, lemon juice and thyme leaves and whisk in corn starch until well combined. Cook until thickened, and season with salt and pepper. When sauce has thickened sufficiently, add pasta, broccoli and tomato to the saucepan. Toss everything together and serve hot. Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Irish Soda Bread

As part of my Irish St. Patrick's Day meal, I knew I had to make Irish Soda Bread! I didn't know if I liked soda bread or not, but in Florida we ate it at one of the great restaurants we went to and we all really loved it.

This bread is so easy to make and is sweet, hearty and airy. The texture is spot on and the sweetness is just perfect. This paired with our Steak and Guinness pie wonderfully and is great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I honestly don't know if this is "traditional" or not, but we sure thought it was good! The only downside is that it goes bad pretty quickly, but trust me, it won't be around for very long!

Ingredients
Source: Epicurious - Originally from Bon Appetit, February 2005

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup raisins (I omitted)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8-inch-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl to blend. Add butter. Using fingertips, rub in until coarse meal forms. Make well in center of flour mixture. Add buttermilk. Gradually stir dry ingredients into milk to blend. Mix in raisins if using.

Using floured hands, shape dough into ball. Transfer to prepared pan and flatten slightly (dough will not come to edges of pan). Using a sharp knife, cut a large X in the loaf. Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake bread until brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool bread in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Salmon En Papillote

Salmon en Papillote is something that I've been meaning to make for a long time, but just haven't gotten around to. I definitely thought the hardest part about making this was trying to get the parchment paper to stay folded around the salmon! So, it was pretty easy. Perfect for a weeknight.

The result of this recipe was a super flavorful, very moist salmon fillet with a decidedly Mediterranean feel. Also, with the addition of fresh veggies and herbs, you have yourself quite a nice dinner all in one "Papillote."

Ingredients
Adapted from RecipeZaar

1/2 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small carrot, julienned
1/2 lemon
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
5 tablespoons white wine
1-2 (3 1/2 ounce) salmon fillets
light feta cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine the onion, garlic, tomato, carrots and thyme in a bowl with the wine. Lightly squeeze lemon half over the onion mixture and mix together. Slice 2-3 thin pieces of lemon and set aside. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and place in a bowl and pour over the marinade. Leave for 5 minutes.

Lay out 1 large sheet of baking parchment on a baking tray and put a piece of salmon in the center. Spoon over the marinade and cover the fish, top with lemon slices and fold the paper to make a packet. Place in a dish and bake for 15 minutes or until fish is opaque in the center and flakes easily. Open the pouch, sprinkle feta cheese over the fish and serve.

A Birthday Cake

Sometimes nothing says "Happy Birthday" better then a simply decorated, delicious birthday cake. With nice, smooth butter cream, a simple rope boarder and sweet little sugar flowers, the first thing your eye gravitates to is a message. A simple and meaningful "Happy Birthday."

This cake was made for my wonderful grandfather's 96th birthday. He is so sweet - always a positive spirit and get this: he still drives...well! With a full head of hair and a memory that is sharp as a tack, Grandpa was truly appreciative of this cake. He didn't believe me when I said I made it - he insisted that I bought it at a bakery!

Also - I decided to post this cake because at this time last year I made grandpa's 95th birthday cake. After I made that cake, I decided to take the Wilton classes. So I urge you to look back at this post and take a look at that cake. 1 year, 16 Wilton classes and countless cakes later I am very pleased with my improvement and again can't say enough about how great the Wilton classes are.

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Apricot dipping sauce

My husband and I have always loved coconut shrimp. We had it at our wedding and always order it out when we see it on the menu. I mean, is there anyone who doesn't love coconut shrimp? So when we got it in Florida (like, every day for lunch) I totally had the idea of making them at home. But hopefully, with cutting out some of that fat that frying brings!

Since I first made these, my husband and I have eaten them once a week. I have them for dinner, and my husband loves to pair them with a steak for a little "surf and turf." And since they are baked and not fried, you don't have to feel guilty about them. And perhaps our favorite part of this shrimp is the sauce! A super simple 3 ingredient sauce is all it takes to bring the shrimp from good to great!

Ingredients

For the Shrimp:
Frozen Cooked shrimp, thawed (however many you want! We usually make 16 depending on the size)
1/3 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 egg
splash of skim milk
1/2-1 tsp. coconut extract
salt
pepper
For the sauce:
aprox. 1/3 cup apricot preserves
1-2 tbsp dijon mustard (to taste)
1 tsp. coconut extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a large baking sheet with foil and spray liberally with non stick spray. Set aside. Set up a breading station - put flour on one plate, whisk the egg with a splash of milk and 1 tsp. coconut extract, and put panko and coconut flakes on another, separate plate. Season the thawed shrimp with salt and pepper to taste. One by one, dredge the shrimp in flour until completely covered, then dip in egg mixture, then press into coconut/panko mixture. Line shrimp on the prepared baking sheet.

When all the shrimp are on the sheet, put in oven for 15 minutes or until light golden brown. Flip each shrimp over and put in oven for an additional 10-15 minutes until that side is light golden brown.

While the shrimp is baking, make the sauce. In a small bowl add the apricot preserves. Melt in microwave on high for about 20 seconds, until preserves are very smooth. Add mustard and coconut extract to taste.

Serve shrimp hot with apricot sauce.