Vegetable Soup

 Thankful for vegetable soup! 

chicken broth or vegetable broth
Basil, pepper,
salsa,
minced garlic,
 and
 all the low cal veggies you have on hand

like:
Carrots, onions, green peppers, celery, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes
(those are the ones I always use!)
Just put in the crockpot until all veggies are tender!

ZERO WEIGHT WATCHER POINTS!

Janine's Salad

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Cherry Tomatoes

Red Onion

Black Olives

Slice veggies and olives, toss with dressing:

Ranch dressing season packet

2/3 cup canola oil

1/4 cup regular vinegar

Very refreshing and delicious!!

Recipe Swap Thursday

Therese hosts Recipe Swap Thursday and I'm going to try to join in when I can, so no promises of every week, but I thought I'd do it here on my abandoned cooking blog!! Tomatoes and Cucumbers Now this is probably a no-brainer, but when I think of my favorite summer recipe, it's these veggies! I make them a few different ways, together, apart, it doesn't matter!

1. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add Balsamic vinegar, oil and salt and pepper
2. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and only add salt and pepper, the juices flow once you add that salt, I prefer course sea salt.
3. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add mayo and salt and pepper
4. Cut up tomatoes and/or cucumbers and add Ranch dressing and salt and pepper
5. Cut up Cucumbers or zucchini and dip in your favorite veggie dip, we like to take this one on picnics!

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

Another great meatless recipe from my friend Brenda. This was also brought to our family when I broke my leg last year and has become a favorite.

Cheesy Fiesta Pie

1 pkg hash brown potatoes

4 cups very hot water

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1 egg slightly beaten

Cover potatoes with hot water. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and mix with melted butter and egg. Press potato mixture on bottom and sides of a ungreased pie plate.

Bake 20 minutes at 375 degrees.

2 cups shredded Colby-jack cheese

1 can diced green chilies

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

Sprinkle cheese on potato crust. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over cheese.

Bake 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Top each slice with sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

What do you do with giant zucchini? Shred it and make Chocolate Zucchini Cake!! Yummy!!!
 ½ cup butter
 ½ cup oil
 1 ¾ cup sugar
 2 eggs
 ½ cup sour milk (add 1 tsp. of vinegar)
 1 tsp. vanilla
 2 ½ cups flour
 1 tsp. baking soda
 ½ tsp. salt
 4 T cocoa powder
 ½ tsp baking powder
 ½ tsp cinnamon
 2 cups shredded zucchini
 Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips
 ¼ cups brown sugar
 Add first four ingredients alternately with milk. Add all others and mix in zucchini. Spread in a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips and brown sugar.
 Bake at 350, 40-50 minutes.
 Yummy!!! 

Dairy Bake Potatoes

OK, these are the most fattening potatoes in the world! (but also the best!) Which is why we only make these on Christmas day! I do always double this recipe and put into a little larger baking dish. My husband loves the leftovers of this! (me too!)

Dairy Bake Potatoes

1 bag hash brown potatoes, thawed

1/2 cup butter, melted

1tsp salt and dash of pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 8 oz carton sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 cups crushed corn flakes

1/4 cup melted butter

paprika

Stir together potatoes, 1/2 cup melted butter, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese. Pour into a 9x13 buttered baking dish. Top with corn flake crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle with paprika for added color.

Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Scalloped Corn

This corn dish, I make every year on Christmas day. It is a favorite in our home.

Scalloped Corn

4 cans of corn, drained

4 eggs

2 cups milk

6 Tbsp butter

2Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Salt and pepper

Put in blender (I do half and then the other half, otherwise it's too much) Put in 13x9 greased baking dish. Add 40 crushed saltine crackers and 2 cups cheddar cheese. Crush 20 more saltine crackers for the top.

Bake 1 hour 350-375 degrees until knife comes out clean.

Company Salad

Sorry no picture for this one, I hope to update this with a picture after the holidays! This recipe is actually all about the dressing, the salad can be anything you like, although I will tell you what I almost always use. My sister in law gave me this recipe and she said her mother always made this dressing when they had company so it was called "Company Salad". Now, every year at my husband's Christmas party, his employees request this salad, so it has become our own "Company Salad"!

Company Salad Dressing

3 to one oil/lemon juice

(I usually make 3/4 cup oil/1/4 cup lemon juice)

1 tsp mint

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp oregano

2 tsp parsley

pepper to taste

Mix together.

I toss this with red leaf/green leaf lettuce or Romaine mix with lettuce added.

Top with large black olives and croutons. (I use homemade bread crumbs/croutons)

Homemade Croutons

12-15 slices bread (whole wheat is best but it doesn't matter)

1/2 cup butter (or more)

garlic salt

Remove crusts, brush both sides with butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and cut into chunks.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.