I have a new delight!!

This spring I planted Spaghetti squash for the first time in my life, and This fall I have begun enjoying this amazing harvest! I can't believe it has taken me so long to discover this great addition to my diet. It's Amazing and it doesn't take long to prepare in a variety of ways. I am still discovering all the ways that I like it!

I have found it to be a great substitute for potatoes in a few of my recipes, and it takes sauce like it's namesake. The consistency isn't really like spaghetti, because it lakes the starchy taste of pasta, but it's a mild enough flavor that you can do so many things with it, and this makes it really versatile. I have fried it, steamed it, and roasted it, and the seeds cook up as good or better than pumpkin seeds so that's a plus too! I'll be sharing a few of my favorite recipes in the near future now that I have time to sit and write them out. Tune in now and then to see what I have to share!

Grilled Zucchini & Summer squash

Summer time and the eating is good! Nothing better than fresh veggies from the garden, and one of my favorites is squash. Yellow summer squash, and good old Zucchini, are staples of my summer diet, and I love them, especially grilled. Easy as can be to make, and both tasty and filling, they can help you be a little more healthy, and the fiber can't hurt either!

There are a hundred way to do it, but my favorite is the easiest there is.

Ingredients:

1 fresh zucchini sliced into discs
1 fresh yellow summer squash sliced the same
1 medium vidalia or red onion quartered
4 large cloves of garlic, slivered
1/4 Cup Italian salad dressing


Directions:

Prepare grill with a vegetable tray and set to high heat.

In large container with cover, place all ingredients, cover and toss until all veggies are coated with dressing.

Turn veggies out onto heated grill and spread evenly.

Cook until lightly browned and turn over as necessary rotating veggies as needed to get them evenly cooked.

When most of the veggies are cooked to your liking, scoop them onto a plate and serve!

EAT IT!!

After Thoughts:

If you're so inclined, serve with a liberal sprinkling of grated parmesan.

Some cherry tomatoes, halved, cooked with the other mixture is a great addition.

Serve as a side dish with grilled pork, steak, or sausage.

Serve over a bed of buttered pasta, for a real treat!

Ultimate Toasted cheese sammich

Ok, one of my favorite things to eat is grilled cheese sammiches. I love 'em, and they can be made in so many different combinations that it boggles the mind. Also, you can serve them with so many different things that they can become the saving grace of any diner. From potato chips and a pickle to a steaming bowl of vegetable soup, the standard diner-style grilled cheese sammy is the perfect lunch or dinner.

If you want to be crazy, you can make crazy combinations of cheese and breads. Ryes and artisan breads with all sorts of gourmet cheeses grilled in olive oil or some crazy goats milk butter. Add some sort of meat or you favorite grilled veggies to the sammich and you have a delight to go down in the cooks digest. But what I'm talking about here is that good old-fashioned comfort food, something that might remind you of what Grandma used to make on those cold winter days when you were out sledding. ( if you have never had a grandma make you something special while you were out sledding, you are missing a great part of life, so I don't wanna hear any whining about it.)

Ingredients:

Block of American Cheese from the deli - Cut into THICK slices
hearty ( dense) white bread- sliced for sammiches
soft butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

butter bread on one side and place butterside down on a cookie sheet, place one thick slice of cheese on the bread and then prepare second slice of bread and place butter side out on top of cheese. (I recommend making two at once, it just easier because I always want a second one!)

Bake on center rack of oven for 8-10 minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown, flip over and bake an additional 6-10 minutes until that side is also golden. (If it's done right the cheese will be just starting to ooze from the sides of the bread. I personally like when the cheese gets to the pan and gets brown and crispy!)

Remove from oven and cut in half serve on a plate with your favorite side dishes.

EAT IT!!!

After thoughts:

This style sammich is The Best with Tomato soup, but any tomato-y soup goes great with this style sammich.

If you live in the Northeast, the best bread is Monk's Bread. Their white is perfect for this purpose.

You can make half a dozen of these at once on the cookie sheet, so it is perfect for company, because it's fast and easy.

Another friend contribution.. Frito-Chili Pie

Yeah, I'm being lazy, but since people send them to me I may as well post them, right? I mean it would be rude to totally dismiss them!! LOL I am told that this recipe is kinda like required knowledge for anyone who lives in the southwest. I don't know if it's true, but that's what I have been told, so I am gonna post it.

I have had rave reviews of it, and I have yet to try it myself, so if you try it and like it please, let me know. I hope to try it in the near future. It is not like me to put something up untested, but because I trust the source without question, I am taking the chance. Any gripes, leave me your email address , and I will hook you up with the contributor! Or not! Maybe you want to submit your own recipe? You can always do that, email to: summerseeker67@yahoo.com

As written to me:

Frito Chili Pie Casserole (from T.V. - Mrs. Norman V. Peale)

2 1/2 cups Fritos corn chips (the original thin ones)
1 large onion, chopped
1 - 15 oz. can chili
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Place 1 1/2 cups Fritos in a baking dish. Arrange chopped onion and
half the grated cheese over the Fritos. Pour heated chili over onion
and cheese. Top with remaining corn chips and grated cheese. Bake at
350 degrees for 10 minutes. Can be adapted for microwave by heating
the chili in the microwave and layering as normal. Cook on reheat
(80% power) for about 5 minutes.

Friend contribution, Hamburger Pie

This recipe was given to my by a very good friend of mine, so good in fact that we refer to each other as cyber twins, since our minds seem to work in the same way and at the same speed. (slowly!) He in his turn got this recipe from his mother and she got it from some ancient cookbook that she has since lost. If I had the full details of where it came from I would gladly give credit where it is due, as this is quite a tasty concoction. I haven't tried any variations on it, bit I can guess that It would probably be really good with a layer of sliced mushrooms and shredded cheddar or sliced swiss on top! I am posting it exactly as it was given to me, so it doesn't fit my normal format. It actually takes a little longer than my normal recipes, but I think it's worth the extra time! To do it right you will probably need 45 minutes. So it still comes in under and hour.

Hope you like it!

Hamburger Onion Pie (from 365 Ways to Cook Hamburger)

Ingredients:
1 prepared pie shell
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 cups sliced onion
1 tsp. salt (I use seasoned salt)
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs
1 cup cottage cheese
paprika

Brown beef and cook with onions until beef loses its red color and
onions are tender. Add salt and pepper and spread in pie shell. Beat
eggs lightly and mix with cottage cheese. Pour over meat and sprinkle
with paprika. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.