Zuchini Boats

As promised, I am going to tell you what I did with the zucchini I got at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday. The simple explanation is I scooped them out and stuffed them.....but the pictures are going to add a lot to that explanation..



The vegetable mixture you use to stuff the zucchini with are up to you....I sauteed a mixture of chopped tomato, garlic, scallions, broccoli, mushrooms, and fresh basil in olive oil or EVOO as Rachel Ray calls it. But you can use whatever you want or whatever you have on hand. They just need to be a mushy consistency, so saute for about 5 minutes.


The mixture will look something like this...I actually had too much filling so I used the rest of it as sauce on grilled pizza....works for that too. I would also use it as pasta sauce, stuff like this is just so versatile!!



Ok, here is the zucchini. I used a vegetable brush to wash them, then sliced, them in half and boiled for about 8 minutes. As you can see the seedy stuff needs to be removed, creating the "zucchini boat". I have found a grapefruit spoon works beautifully to remove the seeds.



Now put the zucchini in a baking dish and top with your filling....



Now the last step is to top this with a sauce, it can actually be any sauce you like. Maybe ranch dressing or something that tastes good to you, I use a dressing I buy at Trader Joe's. It is called Cilantro Salad Dressing and is found by the pre-washed salad greens, as it has to be refrigerated at all time. Oh and a 2 tablespoon serving is only 45 calories!! I also top my zucchini boats with crumbled blue cheese....but you could use feta or anything that you like.

I like my cheese melted a little so I just zap it in the microwave until the cheese melts and the boats are warm. The zucchini and filling are already hot from the sauteing and boiling so it is just a matter of warming up the dressing and cheese. This is a wonderful use of all the fresh veggies you get at the Farmer's Market and as a bonus, it tastes great!!

Foodies Blogroll

Until recently, most people that have gotten to this blog have checked it out because Rex and I promoted it on our "Happy Camper's" blog. We have done the "Happy Camper's" blog for over two years and decided to "branch out". The result is this "Recipes To Eat" blog and website. But in order to keep growing a blog like this you need "traffic" to it. You need readers, you need to promote your blog....so I applied to something called "The Foodie Blogroll".

The "Foodie Blogroll" is actually a listing of blogs devoted to, well, food. Cooking it, eating it, finding it, and loving it.........all activities I am fully engaged in!! Thankfully, "The Foodie Blogroll" accepted my blog and a list of other food blogs are now prominently displayed in the left hand column of my blog. This is what is called "one hand washing the other"....we all want to promote each other's blogs to people that have an interest in food or "foodies".

I am amazed at how diverse blogs that feature the same subject can be!! It is so cool to read and learn so many different aspects of food preparation, cooking, shopping, tasting, etc., etc. I love it and never tire of the subject and quite frankly it is nice to find an entire community of people that feel that same way!!

Tuesday Tahoe Farmer's Market

As usual, I made it to the Farmer's Market Tuesday morning. There was a big crowd like there always is. That is really good for the vendors, but sure makes it difficult to find a parking spot!!

My shopping list this week was actually smaller than usual but it looked something like this:



Doesn't everything look nice and fresh??? I have a special recipe in mind for the zuccchini that will show up here in a day or two.

Mary

Kathy R's Shrimp Dip

Last night I added a recipe called "Kathy R.'s Shrimp Dip". Kathy is actually my former husband's. niece. She has become a good friend and she gave me this recipe 40 years ago. Yikes!!!! 40 years!!! Where in the hell did they go??

Anyway one of the reasons I think this dip is so good is because the shrimp is mashed so it is mixed throughout the whole dip. It puts the flavor of shrimp in every bite.



Whenever I take this dip to a gathering, I am always asked for the recipe. It is a definate keeper!!





And, as you can see.....it looks good too!!

Next Food Network Star - Part 4

And the good news is: my cable connection is back and I actually got to watch this episode.

Ok, the first challenge - the technique video. I personally thought it was somewhat unfair to expect the contestants to give an instructional video on a technique they had no idea about. I understand the "step up with confidence " goal, but, hey if you've never cleaned a squid before....how is that possible?? They were mostly right in their evaluations, Jennifer did apologize, Arron was wooden, and Adam was silly. Kelsey did do the best job with this challenge and she was rightfully chosen as the winner. So look for her "technique" video to be on the home page of the Food Network website tomorrow.

Now the next challenge. Cooking fish with a weird ingredient for 30 Coast Guard members. Some of the combinations were really odd. I mean fruit loops, marshmallow cream, jelly, and caramels. I can understand why some of those dishes didn't work!! I do have to say that Adam kept up with his silliness and so did Nipa during her presentation. Again, Aaron was wooden, but the surprise here was his food. His food in past episodes has been among the best.....that was a let down, I had come to expect his food to excell. And predictably, Jennifer was apologizing and the judges are right, she looks great on camera. Very appealing and friendly, it is a shame she wrecks it by her lack of self confidence. Again, Lisa was more likable and actually fun. She handled landing on her ass very well and turned a negative into a positive. It also showed what she is made of....and she is made of finer stuff.

While I couldn't taste any of the food, I think once again the judges picked the correct winner-Kelsey. And her reward is awesome.....her recipe on the menu of Red Lobster for a limited time. How cool is that???

I was wrong with my guess last week. I predicted Jennifer to be the contestant going home and of course it was Nipa. After watching tonights episode, I agree that Nipa needed to go and my prediction for next week??? I feel it is a tie between Jennifer and Adam. Can't wait to see who goes home next Sunday!!

Lake Tahoe Farmer's Market, Again

Tuesday I went to the Farmer's Market again. I really love fresh produce....you just can't beat it!! Although, as I mentioned before, the Farmer's Market at Lake Tahoe is just so much more than produce.....



Vino!!! This wine is produced at the Boeger Winery in Placerville CA. They make several types of wine but my favorite by far is their Riesling. In talking to the gentleman in the picture, I learned that they only put up 140 cases of Riesling a year. Since they only put up that small amount, he doesn't bring Riesling to the Farmer's Market. That being the case I asked him to bring me a bottle this week and he did....so now I have a bottle of Boeger Riesling to enjoy!! Of course the per bottle price is up $2 since last summer...



Lake Tahoe has it's share of artisans and this potter is one of them....beautiful stuff here!!



This beautiful plant is lavender. It smells great!!!! Along side this plant is made up wreaths and sachets. I have read that lavender is good to have in the bedroom as it's lovey scent helps one fall asleep...ya if Rex would go for that I would try it...but I don't think THAT is going to happen!!



Oh my goodness, what would we do without Placerville CA??? All of this wonderful cheese can be found at Derrick's Cheese Shop in Placerville. I have been there and in addition to cheese they have olive oils, vinegars, candy, baked goods, crackers, and flat breads...it is a wonderful shop and I am looking forward to seeing it again in August when Chad and I go to Placerville.

Well that is another glimpse at the Tuesday Lake Tahoe Farmer's Market...

Mary

Pretzel Bread

A few days ago, I said I was going to be making one of the bread recipes out of the "Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook". Well I did and here is a picture of it:



This bread is soooooooooooooo good I can hardly believe it. Of course a bread with ingredients like beer and pretzels certainly has a lot going for it!! The recipe (which is in the recipe section) calls for thin pretzel sticks broken in half. You would think that there would be chunks of pretzels throughout the bread but there isn't so do yourself a favor....if you are looking for a new bread to try in your bread machine, make pretzel bread!!!

Last Saturday we went to the Rendevous in Carson City. As you know all of those types of things are full of vendors. One vendor had a knife that interested me because I do use a bread machine. The lady told me she also uses a bread machine and that this knife will even cut the bread while it is warm. That little tidbit got her a sale:





This fiddle bow knife for cutting bread can be found at www.mountainwoods.com. And it DOES cut hot bread right out of the bread machine!!