Asian Salad

This is probably a pretty ridiculous recipe to post, since most stores sell those kits that come with (almost) everything you need for this salad. But it just sounds yummy to me right now, so there you go! Once again, I haven't listed quantities so you can decide how much you like of what.

Ingredients

lettuce (I prefer romaine)
red or orange bell pepper, julienned
sugar snap peas
can(s) of water chestnuts, drained
can(s) of mandarin oranges, drained
slivered almonds or cashew pieces
crunchy chow mein noodles
dressing (I love Girard's Chinese Chicken Salad dressing)

cooked chicken, cubed (if desired)

Directions

Mix everything together and eat it, because it's delicious! You could make it ahead of time, though keep in mind that the crunchier items will get soft, and the softer items (mandarin oranges, I'm looking in your directions) might get mushed up. It would be just as easy to have everything prepped but separate until right before serving. I like chicken in this salad, but it's definitely not essential; I bet diced steak would be good too.

Zucchini Squares

This is an appetizer I took to a Valentine's Day party earlier this year, and am taking to another party tomorrow night. They are yummy, but most importantly: So easy to make! You could serve it as a side dish, too.

Ingredients

3-4 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 cup grated cheese*, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, setting aside some of the cheese, and mix well. Pour the mixture into a 9"x13" or 9"x11" baking dish and top with the reserved cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Cut into squares and serve warm or cold.

Cheese

The original recipe called for parmesan only, which is fine, but I prefer to use a mixture of parmesan and cheddar. Pepper jack cheese would be good too, if you love it like I do.

Slow-Cooker Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Are all scalloped potatoes cheesy? Or are all cheesy potatoes scalloped? I don't know - but I do know that these are the most delicious and easy thing ever to make, if you can stand waiting a few hours to let them cook. The cold weather is definitely making me crave a big ol' plate of these potatoes.

Ingredients

cream of tartar
cold water

8-10 medium potatoes, sliced thinly
1 onion, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup jack cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 (10 3/4 oz) can cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Directions

In a large bowl, dissolve the cream of tartar in the cold water (you can also use just plain cold water). Use about 1/2 teaspoon per cup of water. As soon as you have sliced the potatoes, put them in the water to keep them from discoloring. Drain well.

Layer half of the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker, and top them with half of the diced onion, salt and pepper, and half of the cheese. Repeat layers, and then top with the undiluted soup. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.

Variations

To make this a truly vegetarian dish, use a different cream soup in place of the chicken: cream of potato, cream of mushroom, what have you. Also: Because we have such a ginormous slow-cooker, I often use two cans of soup, pouring one in before starting the second potato layer.

Also: The more cheese, the better! I've yet to try anything other than jack and cheddar with this dish, but I'm getting very tempted to try it with either goat's or blue cheese. Mmm.

Calabazas

Calabazas is (according to my dad) the Spanish word for zucchini squash. Not knowing Spanish, I guess I'll have to take is word for it - and if you don't know any better, you'll have to take mine. Whatever you call it, this is definitely one of my favorite things to make and eat.

Ingredients

extra-virgin olive oil (plain or garlic)

1 white onion, cut into 1/4" rings
5-6 zucchini, cut into 1/4" slices
2 tomatoes, cut into large chunks

jack cheese, grated

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the oil until the onion is translucent. Mix in the zucchini. (Depending on the amount you put in, you may need to add more oil as this cooks.) When the zucchinis are fork-tender, gently fold in the tomatoes and then let sit, covered, for five minutes. Stir the vegetable mixture again and top with the jack cheese. When the cheese has melted, stir together and serve.

Variation

I once made a brilliant variation of this recipe by substituting a red onion for the white, mixing in canned corn and using cheddar cheese instead of jack. As Snoopy would say: scarf city!

Baked Eggplant Appetizer

You might not realize this because I plan to flood this blog with recipes over the next few days, but: Man, there's hardly anything here! Fear not; I plan on posting quite regularly.

Onto the eggplant! I'm not sure how or when it was I realized that I loved eating it, but eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and this is a nice (if "junk food") way of making it. Super easy! I got it from a Mr. Food cookbook.

Ingredients

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4" thick slices

1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

vegetable oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F.

Combine the breadcrumbs and parmesan in a small bowl.

Dip the eggplant slices in the oil, then coat both sides with the breadcrumb/cheese mixture. Place on baking sheet (see tip below) and bake 15 minutes. Turn eggplant slices and bake an additional 15 minutes or until slices are brown.

Baking Sheets

The worst part of cooking: Doing the dishes afterward! Whenever possible, I like to use sheets of aluminum foil on baking sheets for super easy cleanup. When making the eggplant slices, or certain frozen appetizers, I not only use foil but then spray the foil lightly with cooking spray. This makes sure that more cheese gets in your mouth instead of stuck to the foil!