Baked Penne with Summer Veggies

 I love cooking with squash and zucchini over the summer.  I found this recipe in  Cooking Light.  I had most of the ingredients and changed the things I was missing.  This recipe was created as a vegetarian recipe but I decided to add some meat for a hearty dinner.  I noted all of the changes I made in red below.  We loved the end result.  Enjoy! 

Adapted from Cooking Light 

Ingredients

• 6 ounces uncooked penne (about 1/2 a box)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow squash
• 2 cups chopped zucchini
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped tomato
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. garlic salt 

Preparation

• 1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
• 2. Preheat oven to 400°.
• 3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. 
• 4. Brown ground turkey (season with salt and pepper).  Add to pasta mixture.  
• 5. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 9x12 rectangular  glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
• 6.  Sprinkle with garlic salt and let cool for a few minutes.  Serve and Enjoy!

Amazing Iced Coffee

I found this picture on Pinterest.  It immediately caught my attention and I decided I needed to make it.  I clicked on the link and went to the recipe.  After reading the directions, I decided it looked too complicated to make.  You see, the reason my blog is titled SIMPLY made with love is because I don't like complicated recipes that take lots of time.  But...a friend of mine posted the same recipe on Facebook.  She said it wasn't too hard and worth it.  So I went to the store and bought the ingredients.  I followed all directions.  It was HONESTLY a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I used fat free condensed milk and low fat evaporated milk.  I used the same water container to put the coffee concentrate.  Worked like a charm! I liked it better with mocha added and can't wait to add different flavored syrups! Enjoy!


Iced Coffee Concentrate.  

Ingredients-

• 1 gallon water (I buy a gallon of drinking water)
• 1 lb bag of your favorite rich coffee (course ground if ya can get it)
• Coffee filters or several layers of cheesecloth
• a fine mesh strainer.
• a large bowl
• pitcher (big enough to hold a gallon)

Directions-

1. Pour gallon of water into your large bowl.
2. Dump the entire bag of coffee into the water/bowl.
3. Stir to make sure all grounds are saturated with water.
4. Walk away, for 12 hours or overnight.
5. line a mesh strainer with a coffee filter or several layers of cheese-cloth, set the strainer on top of your pitcher.
6. Pour (or ladle) your coffee mixture into the strainer. (this part takes awhile...  I often had to walk away while it filtered into the pitcher)   If using coffee filters, you might have to replace them 
7. several times during the filtering process.
8. Once all the coffee concentrate has been filtered, stick it in the fridge (it will last for a month!)

Sweet Cream

Ingredients-

• 1, 12oz can of evaporated milk
• 1, 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

Directions-

1. mix both cans together, refrigerate.

Fill a glass with ice.  Fill it a little over half way with the coffee.  Fill the remainder with the cream mixture.  Mix and ENJOY!

Sue & Gloria's Baked Beans

If Paula Deen says a recipe is worth making, you bet I'm going to make it! Right, Y'all?  I was looking for 4th of July recipes and didn't want to make the basic baked beans.  I found this one and decided to make it after reading all of the reviews.  Even though this takes over an hour, the prep is easy.  I was a little nervous about how it would come out, thinking it would be too sweet.  I didn't change the recipe one bit and am glad I didn't.  Just as most of the reviews said, these were some darn good baked beans.  

Total Time:

1 hr 25 min

Prep

25 min

Cook

1 hr 0 min

Ingredients

• 4 (16-ounce) cans baked beans
• 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoon yellow or brown mustard
• 5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 (6-ounce) can french-fried onions, crushed
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large bowl, mix together beans, pineapple, molasses, BBQ sauce, mustard, 1/4 of the bacon, and 1/4 of the onions. Add some salt and pepper, to taste. Pour beans in 9 by 13-inch casserole dish and sprinkle remaining crushed onions and bacon on top. Cook in oven for 1 hour or until beans brown and bubble. Serve warm.

Tilapia with Peach and Pepper Salsa

This cooking light recipe has been in my recipe binder for months now.  I had fresh tilapia this past week and figured this would be a perfect summer recipe.  The salsa was simple to make.  I didn't use arugula and opted for a jalapeno pepper instead of a habanero. 

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups coarsely chopped peeled yellow peaches (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh arugula
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 4 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 habanero pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Preparation

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 9 ingredients; toss gently. Let stand 30 minutes before serving.

**For the fish**

I dipped the fish in one egg and coated it with instant mashed potato mix from Betty Crocker. I cooked it at 375 for 15 minutes.  I served it with the salsa on top.   

Zucchini Chips

This is another recipe I found over on Pinterest.  I made zucchini sticks last year and they were a big hit. I figured these would be just as good! And...they were.  I used regular seasoned breadcrumbs and the only thing I'll do differently next time is use Panko crubms.  Enjoy!

Oven-Fried Parmesan Zucchini Chips

(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, fresh grated

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup milk

2 small zucchini cut in 1/4-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray or vegetable/olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425° F. Grease a large oven-proof wire rack set on a baking sheet.

2. Whisk together bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt, onion powder and pepper in a medium bowl. Place milk in a separate shallow bowl. Dip zucchini slices in milk then in breadcrumb mixture patting the crumbs on. Place slices on wire rack. Repeat until all are coated.

3. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with basil dipping sauce if desired.

Tortellini and Tomato Salad

I don't know what I did before the days of Pinterest!  I found this a picture of this recipe on Pinterest and made it immediately.  It was so easy to make and unbelievably delicious.  Recipe is from Southern Living.

Tortellini and Tomato Salad 

Ingredients

• 2 (9-oz.) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• Salt and pepper
• 
  

Preparation

1. Prepare tortellini according to package directions.

• 2. Meanwhile, process olive oil and next 5 ingredients in a blender until smooth. Toss olive oil mixture with hot cooked tortellini, tomatoes, and next 3 ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Festive Favorite Layered Dip

This was another July 4th appetizer recipe.  I was looking for quick and easy appetizers. Kraft came through again, as usual.  This one took about 10 minutes to make.  It's very similar to the seven layer dips minus the beans and a few other ingredients.  The only change I made was in the sour cream. I used the new chipotle sour cream, which I loved.  It added a little spice to the dip.  

What You Need

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

1/4 cup MIRACLE WHIP Dressing

1 cup  TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2   tomatoes, chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2   green onions, chopped

RITZ Crackers

Make It

MIX first 3 ingredients; spread onto bottom of shallow 1-1/2-qt. bowl.

TOP with all remaining ingredients except crackers.

SERVE with crackers

Cheesy Spinach and Bacon Dip

I've said it time and time again, I can live off of appetizers. I'm a grazer, appetizers are perfect for grazing all day or during a party. I made this kraft recipe for our Fourth of July party. Not only was it a simple recipe, but one that didn't need the oven. When hosting a party there are usually so many items that need to be baked. I was able to get more done because this was done in the microwave. Everyone was asking for this recipe.  Definitely a good one for parties.  I'm sure we  will be using it a lot for football season! 

Ingredients

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained

1 lb.  (16 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1 can  (10 oz.) RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

8 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled

Directions

  

MICROWAVE ingredients in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 5 min. or until VELVEETA is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 3 min.

White Chocolate Strawberries and Pretzels...July 4th

I saw some cute July 4th creations on Pinterest and decided to recreate them for our party last night.  These two creations were easy to prepare before hand.  All you need is a double boiler and white baking chips.  I melted the baking chips and started with the pretzels.  I dip, twirled and sprinkled.  I laid them on wax paper to dry.  They're as easy as that! Put them in a glass vase for the prefect presentation.  

For the strawberries, I used the remaining white chocolate.  I dipped them and held them up for  a minute to harden a bit.  Then I dipped them into a bowl of blue sprinkles.  After that, I laid them on wax paper to harden.  The key to getting the blue sprinkles to stick is not dipping the strawberry directly into the sprinkles after the white chocolate.  Give it about 20 seconds to harden and then dip.  Enjoy!

Patriotic Wreath Tutorial

Happy 4th of July!

I love wreaths hanging on my front door.  I especially love wreaths that are hand made especially for holidays.  Here is the wreath I made for the 4th.  

Materials:

Red, White and Blue Yarn

Scissors

3 Felt Stars

3 Star Buttons

Directions: 

Start our with a round foam wreath. Any Size.

Divide the wreath into a color pattern and mark it.  I decided to do a red, white, blue, white pattern.  I used a sharpie to mark it.  This helped me know where to start and stop each section of the yarn.  

Wrap the yarn around the wreath.  I tied the yarn in a knot to start it out and continued to wrap it until I came to the marked line.  When changing colors, I tied the two colors together to start the new section.  

You're wreath is now finished.  I found some felt stars at Jo Ann's (6 for $1).  I glued them on the bottom left side of the wreath.  When I was done with that, I felt like it needed a little more.  So, I added a few star buttons on top of the felt stars. 

Ta Da!

Wine Cork Monogram

I'm not sure what I did before the days of Pinterest.  I love all of the ideas I've found during the countless hours I've spend on there.  This is one of those ideas I pinned onto my MAKE IT board. You can find the original project here.  I couldn't wait to make this wine cork initial.  I'm currently doing lots of work on our kitchen and knew this would be the perfect addition.  The whole project took me just over an hour.  And...I LOVE how it came out.  This would also make a great gift (wedding or housewarming).  

What You Need: 

Glue Gun

Wine Corks

Knife or Scissors

Wood Initial (found mine at Michael's) 

Craft Paint

Paint Brush

How To Do It: 

Start with your wooden letter.  You can choose to leave it white if that will match your decor.  My kitchen doesn't have any white, therefore I decided to paint mine black. 

Gather lots of wine corks. I saved mine and had some saved from my wedding projects.  

 The H took 35-40 corks, cut in half.  

Paint the letter.  I used black craft paint.  I painted 2 coats on the back of the H and one coat on the front because it will be covered in corks.  Let the paint dry.  

Cut the wine corks in half.  I thought the H would look weird if I used full corks.  I didn't want it to stick out really far if I hung it on the wall.  So I used a knife and cut them in half.  Hot glue the corks onto the letter.  Line up each row to make sure it fits before you start gluing.  Cover the entire letter.  

I had to cut a few corks at the bottom in order to cover the entire H.  Let the glue dry and display your great work! 

Smores Pie

I saw a picture on Pinterest of Smores Pie and knew I had to make it.  I love all the smores creations I've made and couldn't wait to add this one to the list.  Here is the recipe that I originally found.  Since I made this while we were on vacation, I didn't make the dough from scratch.  I didn't want to lug my mixer with me nor did I want to do all that work at the beach.  So, I bought pre-made cookie dough to make the pie.  It worked very well, sooo much easier!  You can find the ingredients and directions here.  Below you will find my step by step directions.  I used 2 packages of cookie dough, 2 cups of fluff and 3 Hershey's candy bars.  Make sure to let the pie cool before you cut it.  I enjoyed the pie the first night we made it but I LOVED the pie after it had been in the refrigerator over night.  

1.  Place cookie dough in an ungreased pie dish

2.  Press the dough to form a crust. 

3.  On a piece of parchment paper (or aluminum foil) shape the 2nd package of cookie dough into a circle.  Make sure it's as big as the pie dish. 

4.  Spread the fluff on top of the cookie dough.  Then top with pieces of Hershey's chocolate. 

5.  Place the round cookie dough on the top of the pie.  Press edges together. 

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

ENJOY!