SUMMER ZUCCHINI PARMENSAN & ZUCCHINI-PARMENSAN FRITTERS!

These are great side dish recipes for using up all those Summer Zucchinis

ZUCCHINI PARMESAN

Delicious and a easy way to use zucchini.

INGREDIENTS:

2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 ounce) jar chunky spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium frying pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the zucchini, onion and garlic until the onion is tender.
Combine the zucchini, onion and garlic in a 9x12 inch casserole dish, and mix well. Pour the spaghetti sauce over the mixture and stir well. Top with mozzarella & parmesan cheese (use more or less depending on your preference).
Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
Recipe from Allrecipie’s Mary Jo

ZUCCHINI-PARMENSAN FRITTERS

These zucchini and parmesan fritters are really easy to prepare and make a nice side dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb (about 3 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated
1/2 cup coarsely grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 to 1/3 cup flour*
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of fresh basil or other fresh herb (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Grate the zucchini on the largest holes of a box grater. Wrap it inside two thicknesses of cheesecloth and pepper and mix well. The batter will be loose but shouldn't appear watery.
Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add about 2 tablespoons of the zucchini mixture for each fritter, leaving plenty of room in the pan to turn them easily. Fry until golden brown and the edges of the fritters hold together fairly well when you try to flip them over, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. You may need to add more oil to the pan after a batch or two.
Transfer to a paper towel lined platter and blot the excess oil. Serve with a warm marinara sauce for dipping.
**Because the amount of liquid that zucchini gives off can vary, it's best to start out with a scant 1/4 cup of the flour in your mixture. Once your oil has heated, make a "test fritter" to see how much they spread. Drop about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. If the fritter spreads out to much more than a 3-inch diameter, add 1 additional tablespoon of flour to your zucchini mixture.
Recipe from mygourmetconnection

This & That Kitchen Junk Drawer Wednesday!

PAPER MACHE:
The things you can make with paper mache are only limited by your imagination. As paper mache dries, it hardens over the mold you have made. You can make doll heads, Christmas ornaments,snowmen, pinatas, dolls, dollhouses, boxes, sculptures or bowls. The final dried product can be painted, decoupaged or decorated however you please.
Make a form from wire, wadded newspaper, stuffed paper bags, or balloons. For a flat piece, such as a dollhouse or box, you can use a piece of cardboard. Tear newspaper into strips. Narrower strips work best for a rounded mold and larger strips are good for flat or rectangular shapes. Choose one of the following recipes to make the paste. Dip strips into paste, coating completely, squeezing out excess paste with your fingers. Use the strips to cover your pre-made form. If you overlap the strips, your finished product will look smoother. Allow each layer to dry before adding another layer. Cover your form with 4 layers.


PAPER MACHE PASTE:
Rather than make my own paste for paper mache, I use liquid starch that is relatively inexpensive. I bought a large jug at the supermarket that I have been using for years. It gives the same result as the cooked method. It dries smooth and clear - fantastic for use with gift wrap scraps. I use it with brown grocery bags when I want to create pottery or leather looking crafts...add a little cinnamon to the mix - it makes it smell good...

Here is another if you want to do the cooked method.
Try this easy paper mache paste recipe:
Take 1 heaped soup ladle of powdered cornstarch
Place in a heat proof bowl
Add enough COLD water to form a paste and to dissolve powder to consistency of thick cream.
Pour in one kettleful (1.7 litres) of RAPIDLY BOILING (MUST be bubbling away...) and stir like crazy...!
It is very very HOT like porridge and it can form lumps so I usually give it a whisk or beating with my electric mixer to smooth it.
Paste should change from opaque white to translucent once the boiling water is added.
It will keep a few days and can be microwaved to be heated so it's less "jelly-like". Kids love to use it while it's warm, but it works equally well cold
A couple tablespoons of salt can be added to prolong shelf life...

Do you have dryer lint and want to use it?

Dryer Lint Papier Mache Paste:
Ingredients:
3 cups lint from your dryer
2 cups water
2/3 cup wheat flour
3 drops oil of wintergreen
newspaper

Method:
Put lint and water in a large saucepan. Get all of the lint wet. Add flour and stir constantly so lumps won't form. Add oil of wintergreen. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly,until mixture holds together and forms peaks. Pour out onto several thicknesses of newspaper to cool. Adding Elmer's glue to a any recipe will give it more strength!

HOMEMADE EGG SUBSTITUTE:

6 egg whites
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder
1 Tablespoon corn oil
6 drops yellow food coloring

In a medium bowl combine egg whites, dry milk powder and oil. stir with a fork or wire whisk till thoroughly combined, then add food coloring and mix it in well. You will get 4-1/4 cup servings...store in fridge for 1 week or freeze in 1/4 cup servings........Weight Watchers Points is 1 for two 1/4 cup servings!

ZUCCHINI OMELET:

8" zucchini grated
1 Tablespoon chopped onion
Spray a non stick skillet with cooking spray. Over medium high heat,saute the zucchini & onion till tender. Lower heat to medium and pour 1/2 cup of egg substitute over and cook till set...Serve with 2 Tablespoons salsa...Now this really good..
Weight Watchers Points is 1

For lunch today I had 1 La Tortilla Factory tortilla(green onion one),1 ounce of boiled chicken breast chopped and 1/4 cup of my Jicama Slaw (see Mondays post for recipe)...I warmed the tortilla for 20 seconds, put some hot mustard (wal-mart) on it, then the chopped chicken and the jicama slaw, salt substitute and pepper...It was so good and filling, and all of that for 2 weight watchers points...The tortilla has 50 calories, but it has 6 grams of fiber which makes 1 of them = 0 weight watchers points...

My final this & that...

SWAN CANDLE COMPANY

Click here 12 oz Kitchen Pantry Jar to go to their site:
If you want the best smelling candle you have ever used then get a Gingerbread Candle from The Swan Candle company...a few years ago, Becky from "Tennessee Ridge Primitives" sent me one and I have been buying them ever since...Tried the other scents, but none of them compared with the gingerbread....I got a candle warmer at Wal-Mart for about $6, and I put that candle on it (I never burn it)and you can smell it even in my basement...and best of all it lasts and lasts...You won't be sorry and they send you another small candle for free....