Tomato Zucchini Pie - Week 32 Bonus

Take advantage of your garden fresh tomatoes and zucchini and make a pie for dinner that your family will enjoy.

I didn't have another zucchini pie scheduled, but my mom gave me this recipe. She said it turned out good and it was easy to make; so I decided I would make it and include it in my blog. 

My mom has spent most of her life as a homemaker and she is a really good cook. She taught me well by showing me how to make the most of your garden ingredients by trying new things to keep the menu versatile.  Also, she never was one to use processed foods; so when I began to cook on my own; I always had a little bit of guilt when I used one of those shortcut foods.  And now, we are starting to learn more about all those additives, so I realize that I need to take her advice.

Here is her recipe, I know you will enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients (Spaghetti Crust):

1 pkg (7 oz) spaghetti, cooked & drained

2 T. butter or margarine, melted

½ c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

Ingredients (Filling):

1 lb. Sweet Italian sausage

1 garlic clove, minced

1 zucchini, peeled and chopped

½ chopped onions

½ c. chopped fresh mushroom

1 t. Italian seasoning

salt & pepper

5 medium fresh tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped

1/2 t. parsley flakes1 c. shredded cheese

Directions (crust):

Add butter, Parmesan cheese and egg to cooked spaghetti. Place in a 10” greased pie plate.

Directions (Filling):

Remove sausage from casings (if needed), and crumble into a large skillet. Add the garlic, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms. Cook until sausage is no longer pink. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix well, and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

Place filling on top of crust. Sprinkle cheese over top of filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 

I served this pie with a fresh garden salad and the S'mores Pie. 

What would you serve with this pie to make it a meal?

Zucchini Pie - Week 32

A pie that amazingly takes a zucchini

and turns it into apple pie.

 Before I made this, I was doubtful. The family agreed that this recipe is truly a success. 

The thing about zucchini is that it is so versatile. From vegetable dishes to desserts, it can be an easy ingredient to use when gardens are supplying this produce in mass. 

Ingredients:
Double pastry crust
6 c. zucchini
½ c. lemon juice
1-1/4 c. sugar
1-1/2 T. flour
1-1/2 t. cream of tartar
1-1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ t. salt
¼ t. nutmeg



Directions:
Peel and remove seeds from zucchini. Slice like apples. In large saucepan, add a small amount of water and lemon juice to zucchini and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain well, and add sugar, flour and seasonings. Place in pie crust. 









Cover with top pie crust and seal edges. Cut slits in top of crust for steam to escape. 
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

 I found these interesting zucchini facts from thefoodchannel:

1. One zucchini has just 25 calories (compared to a baked potato, for example, which has 130 calories).

2. The flower of the zucchini plant is also edible. (If you dare.)

3. The world’s largest zucchini on record was 69 1/2 inches long, and weighed 65 lbs. Bernard Lavery of Plymouth Devon, UK, grew the humongous veggie.

4. According to World’s Healthiest Foods Nutrition info, nutrients and vitamins found in zucchini can help prevent cancer and heart disease.

5. A soap bar called Fresh Zucchini Flower Big Bar Goat’s Milk Soap (rolls off the tongue, no?) is made with real zucchini.

6. The Zucchini Brothers a band from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., performs songs for young children.

7. A zucchini has more potassium than a banana.

8. The word zucchini comes from ‘zucca’ the Italian word for squash.

9. Biggest is NOT best. The most flavorful zucchinis are small- to medium-sized.

10. The three-day Annual Zucchini Fest in Obetz, Ohio, claims to be “everything zucchini.” The event runs in August, and includes a parade, queen’s pageant, contests, arts and crafts, games and much more.

Wow...just, wow. Who knew?

Colcannon Pie - Week 11 Bonus Pie

Christ beside me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ within me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me. 

St. Patrick

March 17th is the day that is celebrated around the world as St. Patrick's Day. The day where many insist they have Irish in their blood, and wear green, drink green beer, and participate in parades. My husband claims that our lineage is "English, Irish and Arithmetic"; so I usually fix an Irish meal of Corned Beef and Cabbage. This year, I decided to find an Irish pie. I found the Colcannon Pie, which consists of the Irish traditional dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale served as a pie. The dish must be so popular that Mary Black, an Irish folk singer, even recorded the traditional Irish tune of the same name. 

I do want to share the reason that St. Patrick's day has international significance. The day honors a saint that lived during the 5th century that was a Christian missionary to Ireland. It is believed that he used the shamrock to illustrate the teaching of three persons in one God. So next time, you see the colorful green clover you can imagine how St. Patrick would travel across Ireland and pick a shamrock and tell the people about the Holy Trinity.  How awesome is that?

Back to the Colcannon Pie. The recipe has a little bit of everything in it making it an interesting combination of flavors. However, it still tastes like potatoes and cabbage, so if you're not a fan of those, you probably won't like this dish.  It turned out pretty decent, but calling it a pie is a stretch because it is better served with a spoon because it doesn't hold together well to serve as slices.  I chose a 10" skillet dish to bake it in because I don't think it would have squeezed in the 9" pie plate like the original recipe listed.  I suppose you could use an actual crust to help hold it together, but I just didn't see a need for a crust for such a starchy dish.  I was surprised at the yellow color, but after I remembered that I bought the tasty Yukon Golds, I understood why it turned out so golden.

Ingredients:

1/2 head small green cabbage (from a 1-1/2 to 2 lb whole cabbage)

2 pounds potatoes

5 T. butter, divided

1/2 cup, chopped green onions

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 dill pickles, diced

1 large, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

1 cup cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop cabbage in 1/2" pieces. Steam cabbage over boiling water, just until tender; 15 minutes.

Peel and quarter potatoes. Boil potatoes and cook until tender, 25-30 minutes.

Drain potatoes and mash with 3 T. of butter. 

Stir in cabbage, green onions, garlic, salt  and pepper. 

Cool to warm and stir in egg, sour cream, and cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Melt remaining 2 T. of butter. Brush pie plate with some of the butter and spread potato mixture evenly in plate and brush with remaining butter. 

Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Let stand before serving.

Note: Pie may be assembled 1 day ahead. Cool completely, then cover and chill. Bake pie for 45 minutes. You may substitute kale for the cabbage.

Whether you ate corned beef or planted your potatoes, I hope you had a great St. Patrick's Day. Next year, when you see this holiday approaching on the calendar, you can remember the blessing that God gave us when St. Patrick shared with the people of Ireland the colorful shamrock to illustrate the Holy Trinity.

Vegetable Meatza Pie - Week 9 Bonus Pie

Meatza = traditional pizza crust is replaced with a crust of ground meat and topped with pizza toppings

This dish was inspired by Ginny's Low Carb kitchen's blog where she had some leftover salad that she made into a pizza. I modified the recipe into something that could easily work in anyone' s kitchen.; so I didn't use her leftover salad recipe even though I'm sure it is delicious.  I was fascinated with idea of using meat instead of a traditional crust. All you do is press a pound of hamburger in a pie plate and bake it before you put your toppings on.

While it is baking, you can start chopping up your fresh veggies for your toppings. The asparagus in the stores has been great this season; so I thought this was another great way to eat it. I've also fallen in love with the multi-colored mini sweet peppers that are sold in the stores by the bag. I've put them in salads. fajitas, soup, and now this; they are very versatile. 

It does seem like the recipe requires some unusually small amounts of specific ingredient like the bacon, marinara sauce and asparagus. But, I plan on using the leftover quantities during my weekly menu. I think there are many things that could be substituted to make it your own. 

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. seasoned salt
1/4 cup marinara
3 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled
1 t. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped peppers
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
5 stalks asparagus, cut into 1" pieces
1 cup Italian cheese



Directions:
Press ground beef into round circle in pie plate. Sprinkle ½ t. garlic powder and ½ t. seasoned salt. Bake 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees, or until meat is done. Drain grease. In skillet, saute onions, peppers in olive oil until tender. Add seasonings and asparagus and cook another 5 minutes. Spread marinara sauce over cooked ground beef. Top with ½ cup of Italian cheese, bacon and then vegetables. Place another ½ cup of Italian cheese on top. Broil until cheese is browned.

I would recommend a tossed salad to accompany this to make a complete meal. We thought it was great! I will definitely try this again; and mix it up a little by trying some different toppings next time. And in all actuality, it went together quickly in under half an hour so this is definitely a great addition for my "fridge to table in minutes" recipe box.