Baked Zucchini Fries

A new way to prepare Zucchini, one of my favorite vegetables.  These were pretty good, not too hard to make.  When the recipe says to only use a little bit of the dry mixture at a time, really take it seriously.  Those panko crumbs soak up liquid like a sponge.

Baked Zucchini Fries
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Aggie's Kitchen

About 1 lb. zucchini
1/2 c. Italian-seasoned panko bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese (the crumbly stuff, not shreds)
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Whisk 2 eggs together in a shallow pie plate and set aside.

Cut the ends off the zucchini and then cut the zucchini in half so you have two short, stubby pieces. Set one piece on its end and cut it in half lengthwise. Cut that half in half, making 2 planks. Repeat with the remaining halves (so you'll get 16 planks per zucchini).

Stack 2 planks on top of each other and cut into strips. Thicker strips will yield "meatier" fries with more zucchini flavor while thin strips will be crispy and taste virtually nothing like zucchini. When all the fries are cut, blot the pieces with a paper towel.

Working with a small handful at a time, dip the zucchini sticks in the egg, shake them to remove any excess, and then roll them in about 2-3 tablespoons of bread crumbs at a time, adding more as needed; you just don't want to work with all the bread crumbs at once because they'll soak up moisture from the egg and won't stick to the zucchini. Place the coated strips on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until all the zucchini strips have been coated. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the prepared oven then remove from oven, flip the fries, and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the zucchini is not soggy and the coating is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Weight Watchers Points:
2 (for 8 servings) or 3 (for 6 servings)

CHICKEN MARSALA

Go out right now and buy a bottle of Marsala.  Follow this recipe. Serve with the vegetable of your choice, a salad and Pinot Noir and you'll have a great special dinner! It's easy and sooo delicious!  I had never had  this dish before, even though I've heard of it.  It just didn't sound especially interesting and even though most of the ingredients are common enough, could I even get Marsala here?  I happened to see it at the local grocery store and the price was reasonable (about $6.00), so I picked up a bottle. I was actually a little leery since many of the recipes I researched said the quality of the dish depended on the quality of the Marsala, so how would it be with my cheap $6 wine?  But it was the only option available, and it was wonderful.  I followed the recipe below pretty closely, except I added 1/2 a finely minced onion.  Some of the recipes had onion added, sauteed before adding the mushrooms and it seemed a good idea.  It worked beautifully, I also did not add chives, but did sprinkle some parsley on the top.  A Pinot Noir was wonderful with the dish.  I'll make this again as soon as I can get someone to visit for dinner.  On the "Essence"  I cut that into thirds easily enough.  We'll see if I can use it again. Also, I used the flour mixture, added a little liquid and used it to thicken the sauce after removing the chicken, doing this, there was no need to add extra salt or pepper.   Really, make this for your someone special soon!

Chicken Marsala

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake) ( I used regular button mushrooms)

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup chicken stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped chives, for garnish

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.
Yield: about 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch. Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Another Christmas favorite.  (The Strawberry Rhubarb is on the bottom) Since I almost always make this pie in the winter, I use one bag of frozen whole unsweetened strawberries and one frozen bag of rhubarb pieces.  I slice the strawberries and cut the rhubarb into about 1/2 inch pieces.  This will make a large pie.  I also use 1 to 1/4 cup sugar since we prefer the pie a little tart and not overwhelmed by the sugar.  Most of the time the frozen strawberries have enough natural sweetness that the extra 1/2 cup sugar isn't needed.  If you are using fresh strawberries the amount of sugar will depend on their ripeness & sweetness.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons fl our

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

3 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 lb)

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 tablespoon butter

In large mixing bowl stir together sugar, quick-cooking tapioca, flour, salt, and ground nutmeg. Add rhubarb pieces and sliced strawberries; toss gently to coat fruit. Let fruit mixture stand for 15 minutes. Fill pastry lined pie plate with strawberry-rhubarb mixture. Dot with butter. Cut slits in top crust for escape of steam; place pastry atop filling. Seal and flute edge. Brush top with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 to 60 minutes until crust is golden. Cool pie on rack.

Christmas

No goose recipe, frankly I don't think any recipe would make it good.  It wasn't terrible, but why spend 60$ on a bird that doesn't taste half as good as a turkey?  On the other hand, the margaritas were quite tasty!


Margaritas

2 cups margarita mix
1 cup tequilla
1 oz grand marnier
juice of two limes

Mix thoroughly, shake with ice.  Strain and serve in margarita glass with salted rim.  (Or not, as you prefer)

JALAPENO POPPER DIP

OK, so before the diet started Saturday.  We had a great holiday with lots of delicious food including this Jalapeno Popper Dip.  It was good, but I would like a little more heat.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Recipe adapted from Jaime Cooks: Endevours in Eating & Entertaining

2 8 oz packages cream cheese (I used one regular & one low fat), at room temperature

1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used light)

1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped

6 jalapeno peppers, seeded, ribbed and finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T cilantro, finely chopped

2 T lime juice

1 1/2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

1 tsp Ancho chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 cup panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and mayo.  Add bell peppers, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, and half of the chili powder and cumin.  Mix well to combine to a uniform mixture.  Spread dip into a baking pan, smoothing into an even layer.  Top with remaining shredded cheese, cover with bread crumbs and sprinkle with remaining chili powder and cumin.  Bake approximately 30 minutes until cheese is hot and bubbly and the breadcrumbs are golden brown.  Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips. 

..

Christmas Cookies

I didn't get to take a picture quite fast enough, but most of the cookies are still there.  From the left, Pecan Crescents, Coconut Macaroons, Chocolate Mint Christmas Trees, Lemon Wreath Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Cappuccino Love Bites, Miscellaneous Jar Mix Cookies.

One of the new ones ( and my fav)



Cappuccino Love Bites
Yield: about 36 cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 egg
1 tbsp. coffee-flavored liqueur
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. instant coffee crystals
36 Hershey’s Hugs, wrappers removed (I didn't have these, so used regular Kisses on some & a mixture of white chocolate and dark chocolate chips)

Directions:
Beat the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add one cup of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt. Beat until the mixture is combined, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg, coffee liqueur, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour gradually until well combined. If necessary, cover and refrigerate dough until it is easy to handle.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar and the coffee crystals in a small bowl. Roll dough balls in the sugar mixture. Place each ball 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.
Bake about 10 minutes or until tops are cracked and sides are set (do not let edges brown). Immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. If desired, while the chocolate is still warm, swirl the kiss gently with the tip of a knife. Transfer cookies to wire racks and allow to cool completely