So what do you do with a bag full of lemons? Well I made three different recipes in one day. I am a huge fan of anything lemon so this was totally ok with me. My husband and son said all they could smell in the house was lemon. Well that just means it smelled fresh and clean right?
Since my husband had a heart attack back in December we are really trying to eat healthier. I get a lot of gripe about what we are eating but when I try to introduce new things I get a lot of resistance. So we are all a work in progress on this new journey.
We love salads but sometimes they do get a little boring. I know from experience that if it gets boring, we stop eating it. Normally we are a ranch or Italian dressing family but I knew we needed another option. Growing up my Dad used to put on his salads oil and vinegar and as a kid I always thought that was odd. I know my family is not going to fall for that without adding a bunch of something to it. Making this was seriously easy and done within a couple minutes. The key to remember is a little bit goes a long way with a vinaigrette. You do not want to smother it like you do a ranch dressing and such.
This is also excellent over some steamed asparagus. I imagine broccoli would be great as well.
Lemon Vinaigrette
1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice
6-7 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
1 teaspoon of sugar (more or less depending on the tartness of the lemon)
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon of spicy or Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients into a container that has a lid and shake until combined. The contents will settle, shake the container as needed when serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Linked up to
Weekend Potluck at The Country Cook
Are you overrun with fresh veggies from the garden? We planted squash and zucchini but they did not do too well. We had three squash and 1 zucchini so far. Luckily, I have some great friends who like to share their goodness with us. The zucchini we were given was literally as long and as wide as a 12 pack of soft drinks. What in the world am I going to do with that I thought. The squash came from a guy that works with my husband and the tomatoes are from our garden. They are finally ripening and man am I happy. Right now there are 13 tomatoes waiting to be devoured on my counter.
I just knew I had to incorporate this into some side dishes for us in the evenings. We are "trying" to cut back on the carbs. This makes it difficult at times to think what are we going to eat. Then hubby is not a fan of new things so this one was going to be a little difficult. I had to wing it and hope for the best.
The verdict: he said it was okay. In other words, he ate it but didn't say he wanted it again. I on the other hand thought this was super delicious and I can't wait to make this again. Sometimes I have to keep trying with him.
Farmer's Market Skillet
2-3 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
1 yellow squash, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon of thyme (this was fresh from my garden)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 sliced onion
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
In a skillet over medium heat add the butter and olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the zucchini and squash. Cook on medium to low heat about 20 minutes. Stirring occasionally. Once done, add the tomatoes and cook for a couple more minutes. At the end add the thyme and stir. When ready to serve, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese.
Side dishes always seem to be the same ole, same ole here and I always look for different ideas. When I saw this recipe in Garfield, Recipes with Cattitude cookbook, I knew I had to try them. I try to keep potatoes on hand when I can because there are so many things you can do with a potato.
While the hubby was grilling burgers I got to work on these. Quick to throw together and into the oven they went. These were the perfect side and the kids enjoyed them. Short on time, use store bought frozen fries. If you are worried these will be spicy, they are not at all.
Baked Chili Fries
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
3 Tablespoons olive oil (vegetable oil works too)
3 baking potatoes, cut into wedges
Garnish: catsup, ranch dressing, or your favorite fry sauce
Mix seasonings in a large plastic zippered bag. Add oil and squeeze to mix; add potato wedges. Seal bag tightly; shake vigorously to coat potatoes well. Arrange potatoes on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, or until tender and golden. Make 4 to 6 servings.
**I didn't have aluminum foil or zippered bags but that did not stop me from making these. I am a firm believer in using what you have. I just added a little bit more oil on the pan before putting the potatoes on, to keep from sticking. I also added all ingredients into a big bowl and stirred them up instead of using a bag.
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Weekend Potluck @ The Country Cook
Meal Plan Monday
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