Summer Vegetable Casserole Recipe

Summer is very quickly coming to a close.  My heart is breaking a little right now.  I got up early this morning and noticed a significant chill in the air.  What, a chill!?  I'm not ready for a chill yet!  I even wished I had put a sweater on before I left the house.  I've been enjoying my summer way too much to have it get chilly.  Luckily it warmed right up once the sun came out.  My oldest daughter got to play in the water at her cousins house after preschool which was a perfect way to play off some of her extra energy.

Before summer officially ends I found a yummy recipe for you.  It was seriously simple and my oldest gobbled it up.  My youngest who is just shy of 2 was a bit picky and wouldn't even give it a taste.  My husband and I both really enjoyed this and it made me wish that I had planted a fantastic garden this year so I could use my own produce.  Too bad this year I took the lazy route and no garden was planted.

You will need a Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Onion, Potato, Garlic, Tomato, Cheddar Cheese, Canola Oil, Salt & Pepper, and a Mandolin.

Start by chopping your Onion and mincing the Garlic.  Warm a pan over medium heat, add the Canola Oil, Onion, and Garlic and cook about 5 minutes until the Onion is softened.

Meanwhile, using the Mandolin slice the Potato, Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Tomato very thin.  I cut the Tomato with a knife to avoid smashing it and making a huge mess with the mandolin.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.

Place the Onion/Garlic mixture in the dish and spread it out evenly along the bottom.

Place the sliced veggies in the dish alternating the veggies to get a good mixture.  Sprinkle with a bit of Salt & Pepper.

Grab your trusty bottle of Italian Seasoning.

Sprinkle it over the top to your liking.

Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile grate the Cheese.  Make sure to feed some to your 2 year old or she will get really super mad at you.

When the timer dings grab the casserole out and sprinkle the cheese over the top.  Place back in the over for another 15-20 minutes.  You want the veggies to be good and tender at this point.

Gooey Cheesy Goodness.  Gotta love the Cheese.

Enjoy!

Summer Vegetable Casserole Recipe
Source:  Budget Bytes

1 TBSP Canola Oil
1 Yellow Onion
1 tsp Minced Garlic
1 Zucchini
1 Yellow Squash
1 Potato (I used a Yukon Gold)
1 Tomato
1-1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the Onion and Mince the Garlic.  Warm a skillet over medium heat and add in the Canola Oil, Onion, and Garlic.  Saute until the Onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, using the Mandolin slice the Zucchini, Yellow Squash, and Potato as thinly as you can.  Using a knife thinly slice the tomato.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.  Place the sliced veggies standing up alternating the veggies for ultimate flavor distribution.  Sprinkle with a bit of Salt & Pepper to taste (remember that potatoes like Salt).  Then sprinkle the Italian Seasoning over the veggies.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the foil and sprinkle the Shredded Cheese all over the veggies.  Place back in the oven and bake another 15-20 minutes.  You want all the Veggies to be tender and the Cheese to be melted.

Enjoy!

Lemon & Dill Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Have I got a super delicious side dish to share!  There is just something so fresh and amazing tasting about Lemon and dill. I used fancy multicolored fingerling potatoes and they were not only amazingly delicious but they were also really fun to eat.  My kids really liked the funny purple potatoes.  I found the recipe here and am so happy I did.  As a note..the lemons flavor the Potatoes really nicely..but the lemon slices aren't exactly delicious.

You will need Oil, Fresh Dill, Lemon, small Potatoes, and Salt & Pepper.

Cut the Potatoes in half

Thinly slice the Lemon.

Mix the Potatoes and Lemon slices together on a rimmed baking sheet.

Drizzle the Oil over everything and add a bit of Salt & Pepper.

Roast the Potatoes at 450 degrees for about 13 minutes.  Stir and Roast another 12 minutes until the Taters are tender and nice.

Coarsely chop up the Dill.

Sprinkle the Dill over the Potatoes and stir to evenly distribute.

Enjoy! 

Lemon and Dill Roasted Potatoes
Source: Real Simple

2 Lbs Fingerling Potatoes (or any small potatoes)
1 Lemon, sliced thinly
2 TBSP Canola Oil
2 TBSP Coarsely chopped fresh Dill
Salt & Pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Wash the Potatoes and cut them in half.  Place the Potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the Lemon slices.  Drizzle with Canola Oil and give a generous sprinkling of Salt and Pepper.  Place in oven and roast for 13 minutes.

Give everything a good stir and roast for another 12 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.  Top with the Dill and toss to evenly distribute.

enjoy!

Ham Wrapped Asparagus Recipe

This is one of my very favorite recipes for an appetizer!  It is so easy and tastes delicious.  Asparagus is an absolute favorite of mine and when you wrap it up in a little ham you have an amazing flavor sensation that will get you coming back for more.  These are a great appetizer or side dish for the holidays.  Try them, you won't be sorry.  My Mom has made these for years but she wasn't home to ask how she makes them so I referred  to this site for instructions.

You will need Asparagus( I find that the larger stalks are better in this recipe), Ham, and Toothpicks.

Wash your Asparagus and trim or snap off the tough bottom part.

Cut the Ham in half.

Wrap the ham around the Asparagus and secure with a Toothpick.

Drizzle a bit of Canola Oil over the top.  Bake at 400 Degrees for about 7 minutes.  Then flip them over and go another 7 minutes.

Enjoy!

Ham Wrapped Asparagus Recipe
Source:  Kalyn's Kitchen

1 Lb Asparagus spears
1 Lb Sliced Deli Ham
Toothpicks
Canola Oil for drizzling





Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Wash your Asparagus and either cut or snap off the tough ends.  Depending on the size of your Ham you may want to cut it in half.  Roll a slice of Ham around every Asparagus spear using a toothpick to secure the ham in place.

Line a Baking sheet with Parchment and arrange the Asparagus on the parchment.  Drizzle a little Canola Oil over the spears.  I didn't use much maybe a TBSP but I doubt I used that much.

Place the baking sheet in the hot oven and roast for about 7 minutes on the first side.  Turn the spears over and roast another 5-7 minutes.  You want the Asparagus to be nice and tender and the Ham to be browned.


Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes Recipe

I, like so many others, love the Pioneer Woman.  I like to imagine that we are super best friends and we do all kinds ranch things together.  You know..horse stuff, garden stuff, cow stuff, hay stuff..er..other ranch stuff.  Okay, so I don't really know what is involved in ranch stuff but I'm pretty sure she and I would have lots of fun doing it together.  One of the ranch things that I know we would absolutely do together would be cooking at the Lodge.  We would absolutely whip up a batch of these Mashed Potatoes because they are very yummy.  Clearly not on my diet..but during the holidays who is on a diet anyways?  I highly suggest you whip up a batch of the Pioneer Woman's Mashed Potatoes recipe.  You will be very happy you did.

You will need Half & Half, Butter, Cream Cheese, Seasoned Salt, and Potatoes.

Wash and peel the Potatoes.

Cut them up into even sized chunks.  I cut mine into fourths to try and cook a bit faster.

Bring a big pot of water to a boil.

Add the taters and let them cook away until they are tender. 

Drain the taters.

You want them to be fork tender..I actually wish I had cooked mine a few more minutes.

Grab your handy tater masher. 

Toss the taters back in the pan and turn the heat on low.  Pioneer Woman says to do this so I did it. 

Now get to mashing.

Good and Mashed.  Now you can turn off the stove.

We are all in real trouble now.

Add in a stick and a half of the softened Butter.

Then add in the cube of softened Cream Cheese.  Mix it all together.

Now as if the Butter and Cream Cheese weren't enough now it's time for the Half & Half.

Add the Half & Half in and don't think twice about it.  It's not as if you'll be eating the whole batch of Mashed Potatoes yourself.   Also add in the Seasoned Salt and Black Pepper. 

Stir everything together into a creamy and delicious mixture.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Now transfer the Taters to a baking dish. 

So silly..you thought we were done with the Butter.  Not a chance!

Using the last half a stick of Butter place pats of Butter on top.

These can be made ahead and re-heated when you are ready for them.  350 degrees for about 20 minutes and you are ready to go.  Enjoy!

Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Source:  The Pioneer Woman Cooks

5 LBS Potatoes (I used Russets)
2 Sticks of Butter, Divided
1 package Cream Cheese
1/2 C Half & Half
1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Wash and peel the potatoes.  Cut the potatoes into even sized chunks into fourths.  Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over medium heat.  At the potatoes and cook until they are very tender.  About 30-40 minutes.

Drain the potatoes then place them back in the dry pan.  Set the heat to low and start mashing with a hand masher.  This should help remove steam and according to The Pioneer Woman is one of the secrets to the yumminess of these potatoes.  Once the potatoes are thoroughly mashed turn off the heat.

Add in 1 /12 sticks of Butter, an 8 oz block of Cream Cheese, and 1/2 cup of half & Half.  Mix everything together and add more half & half if they are too dry.  Next add the Seasoned Salt and Black Pepper.  Start slow and add more if they need more seasoning.  Mix everything together really well.

Transfer the potatoes to a baking dish.  Take the last 1/2 stick of Butter and cut it into chunks and place them all over the top.  Heat oven to 350 degrees and bake about 20 minutes or until everything is warmed through and the Butter is all melted.  Can be made in advance but be sure to take them out of the fridge 2-3 hours before you bake them.

Approximately 20 servings

212 Calories
18 Carbs
14 Fat
3 Protein

7-up Biscuits Recipe

I kept seeing this recipe making the rounds on Pinterest and was curious beyond belief.  Everything said they were the best biscuits and came together so quickly and easily.  I don't drink a lot of soda so we rarely have it in the house.  We just happened to have a little soda left over after my youngest daughters Birthday and it was the perfect opportunity to try these.  I've actually made them twice now and they were pretty darn good!  The first time I made them I used the Sour Cream and the second time I used Fat free plain Greek Yogurt.  I think I liked the flavor better with the Yogurt but they were both very yummy. 

You will need Butter, Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt, Bisquick, and 7-up or Sprite..I used diet and they worked out great.

Add the Bisquick and Sour Cream to a mixing bowl.

Mix them together using a fork. 

The dough gets really crumbly.

Mix in the 7-up or Sprite.

Use a bit of Bisquick to help avoid the dough sticking to the counter top.  I wish I had used at least double the Bisquick.

Place the Dough down on the sprinkled Bisquick.

Using your hands (with plenty of Bisquick on them) pat the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Melt the Butter in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.

Cut the Biscuits, I just used one of my drinking glasses, and place them in the pan.  My biscuits are a little wonky because I didn't use enough Bisquick and the dough was VERY sticky.

Bake 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Even Wonky they turned out great.

Enjoy!

7-Up Biscuits Recipe
Source:  Plain Chicken

2 C Bisquick

1/2 C Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt

1/2 C 7-up or Sprite..even diet will work

1/4 C melted butter

Preheat your oven to 450 Degrees.

In a large mixing bowl add together the Bisquick and Sour Cream.  Using a fork cut the sour cream into the biscuit mix.  Add in the Soda and mix together.  The dough is very soft and sticky.

Sprinkle a bit of extra Bisquick on your clean counter top and your hands then pat the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. Melt the butter in the bottom of a 9x9 pan.  Cut the Biscuits with a Biscuit cutter or an ordinary round drinking glass.  Place the cut biscuits in the pan and bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown and delicious.

Enjoy!

Per Biscuit in a 9 Biscuit batch (using Diet soda and fat free Sour Cream)

162 Calories

17 Carbs

9 Fat

2 Protein