Monday, August 16, 2010

Zucchini, oh Zucchini!

This year I decided since we moved into our first house to have a garden! Kevin and I found stone left over from our patio and built up a wall for the garden! I planted two different types of tomatoes from seed and basil from seed! Creative Room Design 023Creative Room Design 024
My dad gave me three pepper plants and two eggplant plants that he grew from seed…for my first time I did pretty good!!
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My garden:

I never liked zucchini when I was growing up in the Kacocha household ….but oh did I LOVE zucchini bread!! It was one of the first things me and my mom ever made together! Childhood memory: eating zucchini bread warm from the oven with a little bit of butter spread on it or my moms favorite…cream cheese!
My dad gave me the most massive zucchini from his garden! It measured at over a foot long! So I decided to make Zucchini Bread! One of my favorites! It made one small and one really big loaf! I froze the big loaf (can freeze up to 3 months) and we ate the other loaf!
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I also learned how to make Zucchini pancakes, something I have never had before, but REALLY enjoyed! Kevin not so much he is a meat and potatoes kind of guy!! But my family is bringing him around to trying more and more things! He actually eats a lot more now then he ever did from fish and zucchini bread to gnocchi!! He is trying to try different things so I give him an A+ for his enthusiasm and effort!!!

Here is the recipe I used:
ZUCCHINI PANCAKES
3 eggs
2 zucchini, grated
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
Add more flour or a little milk to make pancake consistency
Stir the eggs into the grated zucchini, then mix in the flour until all the lumps are gone. Fry the batter like pancakes with a bit of butter to keep it from sticking. Delicious topped with grated cheese.
These are a great finger food and make a balanced meal
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---sprinkle with cheese! SO good!

Enjoy!!

xo



Sunday, August 8, 2010

It is possible!!

So being a newlywed I decided I should become more “wife like” and start to cook more on the weekends for the week coming! It is hard for me to cook during the week because Kevin as you all know is a cop and works nights and I don’t get home till 6 sometimes 7 at night. So I decided to experiment on the weekend for dinners during the week that I can freeze. This weekend….”Im”possible pies!



It IS possible! I made a broccoli & chicken cheese pie (2x) and an apple pie so easy, simple and delicious!!! Kevin was my guinea pig, and for someone who is very picky with what he eats, he loved them! And we are not even  apple pie eaters and we both loved everything!

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Today I made a cheeseburger pie….ground beef, onion, tomatoes, salt, pepper, milk, eggs and bisquick! Look below for pictures!!

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Cook time: Bake 400; 25 minutes

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Finished product!!

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Freeze up to: 3 months

Stay tuned till next time!

xo
The busy housewife of Orange County

Monday, August 2, 2010

A Tuscan Feast!

So I decided to host an Italian dinner for my neighbors~ It started off to just be something casual and then I tried to think of ways that I could be creative without going over a budget! I wanted to make drip candle holders like you see in the Italian restaurants so I used recycled wine bottles and tapered candles sticks. I melted the the candles all over the bottles and then used a new tapered candle stick to put in the hole of the wine bottle! It came out great! I then went to Michaels and they have grape vines on sale 2 for $12! I used Tuscan colors like gold's, greens, burgundies and neutrals! I used left over corks from my wine bottles and made place cards for everyone too! Check out the pictures!

Then Lucas and Stephanie were over and helped me by making the Stromboli! They did a great job!Creative Room Design 104

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I made homemade sauce and meatballs…Lucas told me that he thought it was “dood”!

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All my neighbors chipped in and brought something over to keep with the Italian theme! We had antipasto, garlic bread, wine, Tiramisu, salad and so much more! It was delicious! Check out the album! We had a great time! Great time with great friends!!