Thursday, July 19, 2012

Fried and Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms

Oh yum!  I just went completely Iron Chef and made fried and stuffed zucchini blossoms for dinner.  I was a bit intimidated but they were so easy and turned out delicious.  I followed the instructions from our CSA's blog and stuffed them with a combination of ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil.  I dredged the stuffed blossoms in egg, then Panko breadcrumbs and fried them in vegetable oil.
So, so delicious.  Go try it!  

Stuffed and Fried Zucchini Blossoms
1. Heat enough oil in a pan to cover at least half of a stuffed blossom
2. Remove the stamin from the blossom but leave the stem.
3. Make your stuffing and put a small tablespoon in each blossom and fold up the leaves around the stuffing.
4. Whisk up one egg and a small amount of water in a bowl and add some Panko breadcrumbs to another bowl.
5. Dip each stuffed blossom in the egg and then in the Panko and then carefully lay in the oil.  Depending on how big your pan is and how many you are making, you might want to do this in batches.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes and then carefully turn the blossom over to cook the other side.  Cook 1-2 minutes more.  
7. Carefully remove the blossoms and place on a paper towel covered plate.  Sprinkle with salt immediately. 
8. Eat them hot or at room temperature, we tried both and they were amazing!

These photos are from our CSA's blog, we ate our fried zucchini blossoms too quickly to take any photos!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

2012 Week 29

On these super hot days, we find ourselves driving West in the hopes of finding some relief from the heat in the mountains.  This past week I took the kids to Tiny Town, near Conifer, in an effort to find cooler temps and something to do.  I cannot explain how much my kids love this little place.  It's full of tiny, little houses with big windows so you can peek in and see what the tiny people are doing.  The one in the pic above is the theater and H is looking in and telling me all the names of the characters who are seated inside.  So cute my little peeping toms are!  There is also a tiny (but rideable) train that takes you all around the town.  The kids loved it and L was asking when we could come back as soon as we were in the car!

This week is our last one in Denver before we all shuffle off to the Northwest to visit Scott's family.  I feel like summer will practically be over when we get back, so I want to get in a few last summer bucket list items this week with the kids.  Weird to feel like summer's almost over on July 15th!  I think this is where I would need to stop and remind myself to enjoy the moment.

Sunday - Grilled salmon and veggies, then off to our favorite Ice Cream joint to celebrate National Ice Cream Day!
Monday - CSA Monday!  We get our box of veggies today and I plan to make a version of this Farmer's Market Skillet but with farro (since we already have it!).
Tuesday - Foot truck night with friends.  I'm going to pack veggie, bean, and cheese quesadillas for the kiddos, then buy something yummy there for Scott and myself.
Wednesday - I'm having dinner out with friends, so I thought this super yummy tortellini salad for be the perfect make-a-head dinner for Scott and the kids.
Thursday - Taco Thursday! (I'm assigning all the days a personality now!) I'd like to make some easy fish tacos and some of these delicious chipotle black bean and sweet potato tacos with lots of guac.  Everyone loves guac!
Friday - Homemade pizza Friday.  I'm dying to try a fried egg pizza.  Something about the yummy yolk and the warm pizza dough sounds so strange and yummy.  I'm thinking about this one with pesto.
Saturday - Grilled fish and pesto potatoes.  With a fruit salad on the side.

So many good recipes this week! What are you all making?

Monday, July 9, 2012

2012 Week 28

I hope everyone survived last week with all the parties and BBQs that were had.  I'm not sure I'm fond of the 4th falling on a Wednesday, it was a weird week to say the least.  The kids were constantly asking, "Does Daddy work today?" They were totally confused about the holiday in the middle of the week too!  Anyway, I made some delish firework cookies and a cute flag fruit plate for a party. Both were fun to make with the kids.


This past week was also a big family week.  My mom's birthday was Saturday and my sister's was Sunday.  They had a huge party over the weekend and it was so fun to see all of our family and friends. My sister made some delish veg side dishes and I'll post those recipes soon.

Now, on to the week ahead, here's what we have planned for dinners...
Sunday - Whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce.  We usually add in veggie crumbles to the sauce.  Steamed broccoli and garlic bread on the side.
Monday - Going to try this again, we didn't get to it last week and still have the zucchini from our CSA
Tuesday - Fish tacos
Wednesday - Farmers market skillet, yum!
Thursday - Left overs
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Picnic for Movie in the Park

Have a great week!

Monday, July 2, 2012

2012 Week 27

We took the kids on Saturday to a small farm to pick raspberries.  I don't have one picture of the raspberries because we could not pick them faster than the kids were eating them!  Finally, I took the kids to visit with the chickens on the farm while Scott slaved in the 90ยบ heat and to find us some delicious berries.  The kids were enthralled with the chickens.  The whole experience made us want to sell our house and buy a farm.  Never mind the fact that neither of us have any idea how to farm!  Details.  Anyway, we came home with over a pound of the fresh berries and Scott made this yummy Buttery Raspberry Lemon Cake from Sunset magazine.  It's the perfect summer dessert.
Anyway, on to this week's menu...
Sunday - Heirloom tomato ravioli with tomato sauce and grilled artichokes on the side.
Monday - Grilled veggie tostadas on the grill.
Tuesday - July 3rd party at a neighbors, complete with fireworks.  I'm currently pinning cute patriotic sides to bring.
Wednesday - Fun, simple July 4th dinner at home.  Black bean burgers, corn on the cob, blueberry dessert
Thursday - Zucchini, black beans, and rice skillet (expect using homemade brown rice instead of instant white), fruit salad on the side
Friday - Homemade pizzas on the grill
Saturday - Pasta, I really want to make this