Some recipes for the week

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Winter still has me craving warm comfort foods.  This week I plan on making a big batch of Buffalo Chicken Soup (click for my recipe).

Also on the lineup is a delicious egg fritatta.  If you haven't made a fritatta before, let me reassure you.  It's very simple to cook, healthy, and you can use almost any ingredients you have on hand.  I love to use leftovers in a fritatta; it's a great way to avoid wasting them.  If you have the time, check out my fritatta recipe.

During my anniversary trip last Saturday, I finally made it to my favorite Amish bulk foods store to stock up on yeast and whole wheat flour.  I hope to celebrate with a loaf of homemade bread.  Perhaps I'll make a loaf of Whole Wheat Bread for my family enjoy with my easy Alfredo Sauce.  This sauce is so easy to make; don't be intimidated!

Hope you enjoy my recipes for the week.  If you haven't entered this week's giveaway for the Handcraft Seed Bookmarks, you still have time - the contest is open until this Friday.

I'll be spending today sitting in jury duty, hopefully getting a lot of reading done while I sit!  :-)

Thanks for reading the All-Natural-Mama blog, home to Wishful Acres Organic Farm!

Zucchini! Cooking and preserving ideas!

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I harvested my first zucchini on July 9. I hope to plant it earlier next year for an earlier harvest!
I love zucchini. It just keeps coming. The more you pick, the more it will grow. Harvest them small, at 6 inches is best. If they are allowed to become too large, they will not be as tender and the seeds will be huge. Plus, if you pick them small the plant can devote more energy to producing more new zucchini.

Pictured here are 3 heirloom varieties.



Golden Zucchini, Bennings Green Tint and Black. (I'm still waiting on 1 or 2 varieties to produce, including a Patty Pan).

I love the tiny zucchini, harvested at about 4-6 inches long. They are so tender & delicious. They are wonderful chopped raw onto a salad or sliced for eating raw with a dip.

To saute zucchini, slice into circles and cook with a bit of olive oil in the pan. They are great cooked with onions. For a great breakfast, saute zucchini with onion and mix with scrambled eggs. You can also cook it with swiss chard (or other greens), garlic, potatoes, etc. and top the eggs with cheese.

For baked zucchini fries, slice into strips. Coat with canola oil, sprinkle with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Lay in single layer on cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. Delicious!

Zucchini is great in soup. Try a minestrone recipe.

Saute it with other vegetables and toss with pasta coated in some olive oil.

Last year, I dehydrated some zucchini slices on an electric dehydrator. They come out crispy and can be used in place of potato chips. Much healthier and absolutely delicious!

I freeze zucchini slices & hunks to toss into crockpot soups all winter.

Many people shred zucchini, freeze it, and use this all winter in zucchini breads and other zucchini baked goods.



Enjoy!






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Penny's Recipes

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Appetizers, Dips & Snacks

•  -Arugula Pesto
• -Chili Cheese Fries 
• -Cilantro Pesto  
• -Dilly Beans (canning)
• -Grape juice
• -Hummus: any bean 
• -Pesto made with Garlic Spinach
• -Pickled Peppers (canning)
• -Popcorn 
• -Salsa Verde
• -Sugar Snap Peas with Hummus Dip 
• -Vegetable Dill Pizza

Salads

• -Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
• -Rice Summer Salad
• -Spinach Strawberry Salad 
• -Taco Salad
• -Wilted Lettuce Salad

Soups

• -Buffalo Chicken Soup
• -Butternut Squash Soup with Fennel Seed 
• -Chicken & Dumplings Soup
• -Cream of Mushroom soup from scratch
•  -Creamy Zucchini Soup
• -Great Northern Bean Soup 
• -Italian Tortellini Soup 
• -Lentil Soup 
• -Potato Soup 
• -Pumpkin Chili
• -Pumpkin Curry Soup
•  -Soup Stock (broth) 
• -Stuffed Pepper soup (tomato based)
• -Taco Soup  
• -Tomato Basil soup from scratch
• -Turkey Rice Soup

Main Dishes, Eggs, & Meat

• -Alfredo Sauce
• -Apple Harvest Sausage Patties 
• -Bacon Spinach Alfredo over homemade Whole Wheat Pasta
• -Beer Bratwurst
• -Bread Gnocci
• -Breakfast Skillet
• -Chicken stock (chicken broth) from scratch
•  -Chili Cheese Fries 
• -Crockpot Oatmeal
• -Deep Dish Pizza
• -Frittata
• -German Skillet 
• -Handmade Ravioli
• -Homemade Pasta
• -Italian Beef Sandwiches in the Crockpot 
• -Italian Sausage simmered with vegetables in marinara sauce
• -Italian Stuffed Tomatoes
• -Pancakes, whole wheat
• -Pizza with whole wheat crust
• -Pot Pie
•  -Pumpkin Spice Waffles 
• -Refried Beans (crockpot!)
• -Roasted Chicken
• -Scrambled Eggs with fresh dill and blue cheese
• -Standing Rib Roast 
• -Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 
• -Vegetable Dill Pizza
• -Whole Wheat Bread
• -Whole Wheat Stuffing Bread
• -Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns
• -Zucchini Pizza

Vegetables & Side Dishes 

•  -Apple Stuffed Winter Squash
• -Baked Acorn Squash
• -Baked Beets
• -Baked Pumpkin
• -Baked Rice
• -Bruschetta
• -Oven Fries 
• -Pear Sauce
• -Roasted Root Vegetables
• -Roasted Sliced Beets
• -Roasted Sugar Snap Peas 
• -Sauerkraut
• -Scalloped Zucchini
• -Stuffed Tomatoes
• -Stuffed Zucchini
• -Sugar Snap Peas with Hummus Dip 
• -Thanksgiving Stuffing with Roasted Root Vegetables

Desserts

•  -Baked Custard
• -Hot Fudge Sauce
• -Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
• -Palacinka
• -Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
• -Zucchini Bread (whole wheat) 

Misc

• -Laundry Soap

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