Ranch Breaded Baked Chicken

I just made it. So the amounts are guesstimated.

4 boneless chicken Brsts

Garlic salt to your families taste

Salt and pepper to your families taste

Dry ranch mix about 1 Tbs

2 eggs

Crushed red pepper or cayenne *optional* for a little heat

5 slices white bread (crumbed in food processor)

Mix chicken and eggs with all seasonings. Coat with bread crumbs. Bake for 35-45 Min @ 400 turn over half way to toast the bottom side of chicken.

Summer Pasta

This is a great dinner for using up your summer bounty.
1 zucchini, cut into quarter moon slices
1 yellow squash, cut into quarter moon slices
carrots, sliced
cherry tomatoes (or any kind in the garden)
onion, diced
olive oil
white vinegar
penne or butterfly pasta (just not long pasta)
cooked and cubed chicken (optional)

Start your water for the pasta. Let it come to a boil, add pasta. Heat up about 2 TBS olive oil in a skillet. Add onion and carrots. Wait about 2 minutes, then add zucchini and squash. Let cook till slightly softened. Drain pasta when al dente, add 2 TBS olive oil and 2 TBS vinegar or to taste. Yes, you will like it. Mix in veggies, along with tomatoes that are in bite sized pieces and chicken. This is also good as a cold salad, just drain the pasta in cold water first and then add veggies.

Italian Zucchini

This is a great way to use up some of that zucchini in your garden without getting to the point of stuffing it into any car window that is semi-rolled down.

1 large zucchini, cut into half moons or smaller
diced onion (about 1/4 to 1/3 med onion)
olive oil
1/2 to 1 soft cube chicken bouillon
1 large yellow squash (optional)


Put about 2 TBS olive oil into the pan, let it warm. Next put in your zucchini and onion. When this starts to heat up, crumble about half the bouillon cube over top. In most stores, you can go to the ethnic section and find the Mexican soft bouillon. It will melt in with the oil and cover the veggies much better. If you would like more flavor, crumble more over until to taste. But PLEASE taste first.

Hamburger Cookies

This weekend I tended my grandsons and wanted to have a fun kitchen craft. I remembered a few years back making these cute little hamburger cookies and thought it would be perfect for the boys. They loved every minute of it and all 3, from ages 2-7, helped with the project.

Ingredients:

Vanilla wafers

Small chocolate mint cookies (I bought mine at Wal-mart, the Great Value brand)

1/4 cup flaked coconut

Green food coloring

Small tubes of red and yellow "writing" frosting

1 T. sesame seeds

Very small amount of white corn syrup

In a small bowl, combine 4 drops green food coloring with a few drops water. Add coconut and cover the container. Shake until coconut is tinted. Assemble vanilla wafers (buns), chocolate cookies (patty), red & yellow frosting (ketchup & mustard), small amount of green coconut (lettuce).

Then brush a little corn syrup on the top "bun" and sprinkle a few sesame seeds on top. Voila!

Zucchini Cake

Very moist, yummy cake. Makes a lot!

3 C unpeeled grated Zucchini
1 Tbsp vanilla
3 C sugar
1 1/2 C walnuts (optional)
1 C oil
4 eggs
3 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Combine flour, baking powder, soda, and salt in separat bowl. In mixer, combine zucchini, vanilla, sugar, nuts, oil and eggs. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased and floured bundt or angel cake pan, do not fill past 2/3rds. Bake at 350 1 hour. Let cool in pan before turning out.

I found that you need to place a cookie sheet on the rack below the pan because the batter may expand over the top of the pan. This makes a lot of batter, so use as big a pan as you can find. It gets better the more days it sits.