Creamy Vegetable Bake

Ok, so one thing that you should all know about me is that I LOVE Cream Cheese! Like, I REALLY like cream cheese! I love it when it's in desserts like cheesecake, or in a pastry, but I also love when you can incorporate it into a savory dish like these Chicken Rolls, and this Casserole Italiano.

So when I heard that Kraft came out with a new product called Cooking Creme (it's pretty much a cream cheese in a creamier, more liquid-y, form) I knew that I was definitely going to want to give it a try, and that's when this dish was created! 

It's a dish full of delicious veggies, some egg noodles, cooking cream, then topped off with bread crumbs.  Really, it's a perfect side dish to any meal, or for you vegetarians out there, this would make a great entree too!

Plus! Don't Forget to ENTER the Giveaway! It ends tomorrow at midnight! If you already entered you may just want to double check that your entry is still there! Sorry, But Blogger decided to delete the contest the day after I put it up and a bunch of entries were deleted! CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

Recipe:

1 medium zucchinni (sliced)

1 medium yellow squash (sliced)

1 cup of grape tomatoes (cut each tomato in half)

1/2 of a red onion (diced)

1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms

1 (10oz) container of Savory Garlic cooking cream

1/2 of a (12oz) package of egg noodles (cooked and drained)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3/4 cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs

3-4 Tbsp. Butter (melted)

Slice and dice all the vegetables then put them in a large saute pan, and saute them in 2 Tbsp. of Olive oil for just a couple of minutes (about 3-4 min)  Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the noodles as directed on package. (it's generally about 6 minutes for al-dente). 

Once the noodles are done cooking, pour them into a strainer, and drain them completely. Now, when the veggies are just about done cooking, stir in the container of cooking cream and noodles till everything is well incorporated.  

Now place your noodle/veggie mixture into a casserole dish or an 8x8 baking dish.  Melt your butter and combine it with the bread crumbs.  Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of your noodle mix and place into the oven @*350 and bake for 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs are slightly browned.  Serve hot!

Tin Foil Dinners

Oh me oh my were these good or what! I seriously felt like I was sitting around the campfire enjoying the most amazing dinner!  Seriously, who would have thought that a tin foil dinner would have tasted so good, but I'm not kidding with ya, it was GOOD! The meat was super tender, the vegetables were perfectly cooked, and the dish was sooooo full of flavor! Maybe I was just really hungry but The Hubs was oohing and aaahing too, so I'm assuming I'm not the only one that felt that way. I highly suggest you whip some of these up for your family. They will not be disappointed!

Recipe:

1 pound of Lean Ground Beef

2 large Potatoes (peeled and sliced thin)

1 onion (sliced)

1 large Zucchinni

McCormick Steak Seasoning

Garlic Salt

Salt and Pepper

Season the meat well with all of the seasonings.  Separate the meat into 4th's. (so about a 1/4 pound of meat will go into each foil) Next, peel and slice the potato into thin slices.  Slice the onion into thin strips too. Wash the zucchini and slice into 1/4" thick pieces. 

Take 2 pieces of foil for each dinner and lay one on top of the other creating a + symbol.  Place a 1/4 lb. of meat onto all 4 foils.  Measure out the vegetables so each dinner gets equal amounts.  Now just layer the vegetables on top of the meat then season the veggies well with salt, pepper, garlic salt, and steak seasoning.  Wrap the foil up tight and place them onto a baking sheet.

Bake @*350 for 1 hour to an hour and 15 minutes.

*NOTE: One way to add flavor to the dish is to take the veggies, lightly drizzle them with oil, and place them in a bag, along with a packet of the dry Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning and give it a good shake. 

Sauteed Vegetable Medley

I honestly NEVER in a million years thought that it was possible for me to crave vegetables till I came across this delightful recipe for sauted vegetables.  Ever since I have made these, all I can think about is how I have to get back to the store and get me all of these veggies again!  I was so happy cause even the whole family loved these including the hubs who usually doesn't care for most of the vegetables that go into this dish.  I have never wished for my own garden more than after making this!

Recipe:

1/2 of a whole red onion (diced very small)

1 large Garlic Clove (minced)

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

2 medium Zucchini (cut into 4ths)

1 medium Yellow Squash (cut into 4ths)

5-6 Button Mushrooms (sliced)

A handful of Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 tsp. Pepper

1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic and stir till the onion has softened a bit (about 2-3 minutes) add in the squash and zucchini stirring well to make sure all the veggies are coated with the oil. Lastly, add in the tomatoes and mushrooms and seasoning with the salt and pepper. Give it one last good stir then cover and let cook for about 7-10 minutes.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top of the veggies, then cover until the cheese has melted.  This makes a great side dish to any meal!

(Recipe Source: Family Comfort Favorites Cookbook)

Zucchini Bites

These things were so yummy we gobbled them up so fast! We just served them with some ranch dressing and they were delish! Thinking about it now, I wish I would have thrown in some BBQ sauce and made a bbq ranch sauce and that would have been yummy too! Really these would would make a great side dish to any meal. We had ours with hamburgers and loved them.

Recipe:
2 medium size zucchinis
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup yellow corn meal
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. water

In two separate bowls, mix together the eggs and water, then in the next bowl mix together the salt, flour, and corn meal.  Slice the zucchini's into thin strips.

First dip the zucchinis, into the egg wash, then dredge them into the flour mixture coating them well. Place them into a large pan coated with oil enough to cover the bottoms of the zucchini's. Cook over medium heat till browned on one side then flip over and cook till browned on the other side.  About 2 minutes per side (watch closely)

(Recipe source: Family Comfort Favorites Cookbook)

Zucchini Bread

Ever since I can remember this has been one of my very favorite breads! My mom made it a lot while we were growing up, and I can remember so vividly, walking in the door from school and smelling the bread baking and get so excited. It makes your house smell so lovely that its almost worth baking for the smell alone!

Recipe:
2 cups zucchini (shredded) (about 3 medium zucchinis)
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cups walnuts (chopped) (optional)

Topping:
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Shred the zucchini then lay it on paper towels to absorb most of the liquid from the zucchini's. Next in a large bowl (or in your mixer) mix together eggs, oil, vanilla, and zucchini. In a seperate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients then slowly add in to the wet ingredients. Add nuts at this point if desired.
Lightly grease 2 loaf pans and pour batter in about 1/2 way full. Top off by sprinkling cinnamon and sugar mixture over the top. Bake @ *350 for 50 minutes-1 hour. Check with a toothpick or knife and when it comes out clean these babies are done! This bread is great warm with a little butter on top or I personally love it when it has cooled and the flavors are more strong! I hope you enjoy this as much as our family has!