7-Up and Tots

I recently came across two recipes that peaked my curiosity simply based on their names - 7-Up Biscuits and Zucchini Tots. Now I have heard of using 7-Up to make a delicious lemony cake. In fact that is one of my favorite cakes. However, I've never heard of 7-Up Biscuits. Apparently, this recipe and similar recipes have been floating around the internet for a while. So I had to try it.

7-Up Biscuits (adapted from All Recipes)

4 cups Bisquick

1 cup sour cream

1 cup 7-up

½ cup butter, melted

1. Place butter in pan and allow to melt in the oven as the oven warms up.

2. Mix Bisquick, sour cream and 7-Up. Dough will be sticky.

3. Slowly add a little Bisquick at a time while kneading the dough until it becomes easy to handle.

4. Cut out the biscuits and place on top of melted butter. Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes or until brown.

The second recipe's name drew my attention simply by the word "tots." I'm a huge fan of tater tots and have even made homemade tots. The fact it used zucchini was a plus. I'm always looking for different ways to use this abundant summer veggie.

Zucchini Tots (adapted from Skinny Taste)

1 cup zucchini, grated

1 egg

¼ onion, diced

¼ cup cheddar cheese, grated

¼ cup panko bread crumbs

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place grated zucchini on paper towel and squeeze as much access water as possible.

2. Place in a bowl and add remaining ingredients.

3. Spray a mini muffin pan and fill each section with the zucchini mixture. Fill each section to the top.

4. Bake at 375° for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.

 

Both of these recipes made the "keeper" lists in this house.

 Enjoy...

Three of Many Reasons Why I Love Summer

1) Fresh veggies

2) Fresh fruits and

3) Cooking with fresh vegetables/fruit like this yummy recipe:

Summer Vegetable Skillet

2 or 3 ears corn, removed from cob

1 tomato, chopped

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

Fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 or 3 zucchini squash, chopped 

Parmesan cheese

1. Mix together corn, tomato, basil and Italian seasoning. Set aside. 

2. Sauté the onion, green pepper, mushrooms and garlic until tender.

3. Add the zucchini and cook until tender.

4. Add the corn mixture and cook until done.

5. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy...

Firing Up the Ole Grill Part 2

Our adventure without a kitchen has finally ended! Hallelujah! Thank you, Lord!! I'll share some final pics of the new kitchen soon. Thankful to be back in the kitchen. While trying to eat somewhat decently using the grill, the one group of foods I missed more than anything was vegetables.

Salads were great but they became boring.

Here was an easy grilled squash recipe that I tried. Very tasty!

Grilled Squash with Dill Vinaigrette and Feta

4 medium squash
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh dill. chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
sat and pepper to taste
feta cheese, crumbled

1. In small bowl, whisk together mustard, sugar, vinegar and dill.
2. Slowly whisk in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Slice squash lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.
4. Brush each side of squash with the vinaigrette mixture.
5. Grill over medium high heat a couple of minutes on each side until tender.
6. Remove from grill and sprinkle with feta cheese


Enjoy...

Summer Tomatoes

Recently NPR posted a news article based on the book Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit by Barry Estabrook. The article peaked my interest because I have always dreaded tomato purchasing during the winter. Ugh! Grocery store tomatoes are NOTHING like a homegrown summer tomato. The taste, the texture, the appearance of winter tomatoes are not the same fruit/vegetable as what is picked during the summer months. 

 

 

So during the summer months I try to take advantage of the summer harvest by canning, (wonderful to use in vegetable soups and sauces)

 baking pies and tarts,

 sauteing, and roasting,

Below are two of my favorite ways to use summer tomatoes.

Tomato Tart with Basil Garlic Crust

Crust:

1/3 cup fresh basil
1 garlic clove
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4 to 5 tablespoons ice cold water

Place basil and garlic in food processor. Process, scraping sides as needed until finely chopped. Add flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Add butter and process until crumbly. Add water, 2 tablespoons at a time. Pulse a couple of times each time. After 4 tablespoons, process a few seconds. If it forms a ball do not add any more water. Flatten to a disk and chill for one hour.

Tart:

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 large tomatoes, slices
1 tablespoon olive oil 
salt and pepper

Roll out crust and place in a tart pan. Add cheeses and top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake 375⁰ until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Roasted Grape Tomatoes

4 cups grape tomatoes

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

In a medium bowl add the grape tomatoes and 3 garlic cloves. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper. In a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish, place the tomatoes and garlic cloves, ensuring they are in just 1 layer. In a 350 ⁰ oven, roast for 20 minutes, and then stir. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of hot water, if too dry in appearance. Return to the oven and cook for 20 to 30 more minutes. When ready, the tomatoes will have begun to shrivel and the liquid in the dish should have thickened. Serve hot from oven.

Enjoy...