Some of the meals of the past week...

The yellow squash in the photo above is an average-sized yellow squash.  And Carey swears that the day before he picked each of these, the zucchini was the same size as the yellow squash.  I think that's what most amazed us most about the garden, is how rapidly things can grow from one day to the next.  And what do you make from a zucchini this large?  My friend recommended either zucchini bread or stuffed zucchini.

This is not the best photo, but the Stuffed Zucchini was fabulous!  I sauteed onions, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, mushrooms, and bacon...oh, and the squash that I scooped out to make room for the fillings.  Once I piled it all back into the zucchini, I topped it with a slice of Provolone cheese and popped it in the oven.  Carey LOVED it!  He usually isn't a fan of strong flavors, so I really expected that he wouldn't care for the kalamata olives, but that was part of what he liked best.  

Quinoa Salad Bowls.  You can't see it well, but these toppings are on a bed of cabbage slaw mix.  Clockwise (from the top) we added cooked chicken (from those vacuum-sealed packages in the freezer), dried cranberries, sliced red onion, orange segments, garbanzo beans, avocado, and in the middle is quinoa.

After adding a Honey Mustard Dressing (made with orange juice instead of vinegar) we tossed it before eating.  YUM!

Twice-Baked Barbecue Sweet Potatoes are a common repeat at our house, and I'm sorry for showing it yet again.  After the sweet potatoes are baked till tender, I remove most of the flesh of the potato, mash it and add a little butter, sour cream, dry Ranch Dressing mix, Parmesan, and the barbecued brisket.  Mixed and piled it back into the potato skins and topped with a slice of Provolone and put back in the oven to heat through.  After they came out of the oven, I drizzled (a little too heavily) with barbecue sauce.  

We love these, and they are so easy, because while one of us are out running errands, we stop by the barbecue joint and pick up a half pound of sliced brisket to put in them.  Of course, Rudy always begs a few bites of brisket before it makes it into the potatoes.

The rest of the week we ate leftovers, takeout, and one night a friend sent me home with a meatball sandwich for Carey.  She had fed them to us during a gathering at her house where we wrote get-out-the-vote postcards.

Meal prep in the last week...

I'm listing ingredients for these meals, so I can remember how I made them for the future.  If no measurements are given, it's because I didn't measure.  :)

All That and the End of a Bag of Chips Salad.  I did not feel like cooking.  I saw a YouTube video about Frito Salad.  I knew we had the end of two bags of chips (Fritos and Nacho Doritos), so I thinly sliced 1/2 an onion and a carrot, diced a green bell pepper, put those in a bowl with a bag of frozen roasted corn (thawed), the rest of of the cooked, diced chicken from last night's Burrito Bowls, a small can of sliced ripe olives, and a handful of shredded cheese.  I mixed some mayo and sour cream in a bowl, added a couple of Tablespoons of lime juice, a half teaspoon or so of Tajin seasoning, and a half teaspoon or so of chili powder.  I added dressing to the vegetables and chicken in the salad bowl, and put it in fridge till supper time.  When it was time to eat, I stirred in the lightly crushed Fritos and Doritos.  It wasn't the most healthy thing I've made lately, but it was a different tasty thing that used up lots of stuff that needed using up.

Chicken Burrito Bowls.  I prepared a box of Zatarain's Cilantro Lime rice (as per package directions), and heated up a can of Borracho beans (black or regular pinto beans would also be fine.  I arranged on a platter a sliced avocado, a large diced tomato, a thinly sliced yellow squash, cooked diced chicken, and some Cotija Cheese.  We assembled our own bowls as we liked.  I added Cilantro Lime salad dressing; Carey doesn't like dressing on his salad.  Who doesn't like dressing on a salad...burrito bowl...whatever?  :)

Chicken and Rice Casserole with fresh green beans with bacon.  No ingredients listed for this one.  The chicken and rice was not very successful, and the green beans I could make in my sleep.

Friday we had an omelette for supper.  I fried some bacon.  After the bacon came out of the pan, I sauteed a finely diced squash and onion in the same pan.  When they were tender, I removed them from the pan, and fried some tomato slices, letting each side get a little charred.  After I removed the tomato from the pan, I added beaten eggs.  I gently lifted the edges to let the uncooked edge run under the cooked egg.  When the top of the omelette was on its way to being set, I added the crumbled bacon, squash, onion, and cheese to the eggs in one side of the pan.  I flipped the bare half of the eggs over the top of the vegetables.  I left it on the burner for a minute to melt the cheese inside.  Then I turned off the heat and cut the omelette in half, and set each half on a plate and topped with the charred tomato.

Carey was very complimentary.  It was pretty good, but really...squash...still?  And there's still more to go through.  I'm not sure how many ways I can think of to use up the rest.

Some of the meals during the past week...

Tomatoes gone wild!  I don't like tomato slices after they have sat for awhile, so I put a whole tomatoes worth of slices on my sammy.  That's it; just tomato (salted) and mayo.  And yes, that is a lot of Cheetos, but I had to share them with Rudy.

Just kidding!  I edited in the Cheeto dust on him.  He does get a few, but never makes a mess.  😋
 

Spaghetti squash again.  This time topped with sauteed portobello mushrooms, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a bit of cream cheese melted into the vegetables, and a little parmesan sprinkled on top.  The squash was slightly under ripe.  The vine died, so Carey harvested the smallish squash from it.  It hadn't matured enough for the fiber to form 'spaghetti strands,' but the squash roasted and tasted fine.

Sausage with Hot Potato Salad and sliced tomatoes.  The Hot Potato Salad is made with cooked potatoes while still warm, mayo, sour cream, and a little Hidden Valley ranch mix.  It was supposed to have a little cooked bacon in it too, a few chives...but I was out of both.

Tonight we had more green beans and potatoes from the garden, cooked with bacon and onion, and a little beef broth.  I made a pan of cornbread again.  (Carey likes it left over for breakfast in milk.)  This meal used up the last of the potato harvest.  

I know the meals are kind of repetative, but the garden has been a lot more productive than in the past, and I'm trying to make sure everything gets used.  Carey says it's too much work if they just go to waste.  We do share with friends.  Wish you all lived close!

Some of the meals the past week...

I didn't have to cook much this week as we had takeout one night and ate with the family another night.  Also because we had a lot of leftovers to finish up.  But one of  the meals I cooked was Tomato Pie with a mixed salad.  We had plenty of perfectly ripe tomatoes to fill the pie.  Yum.

 

And one night I went all out with Parmesan Potatoes and Bacon Wrapped Green Bean Bundles both of which were roasted in the oven.  After they came out I put in a couple of salmon filets.  The beans got a little charred, the potatoes didn't get quite browned enough, but it was all done and delicious.  We hadn't had salmon in such a long time.  I love it, but Carey doesn't like it as much as I do.  When he was still working out of town every other week, I would make it for myself as often as I wanted.

Tonight I have another pot of fresh beans and potatoes cooking on the stove.  And we will have them with some other leftovers.  Then the fridge will be pretty much empty, and I can start cooking to refill it.  :)

Some of the meals the past week...

Tonight we had Chicken Curry.  I've been out of curry sauce for awhile now, and desperately wanting it with all these vegetables!  Yesterday I made a trip to Trader Joe's as their Red Curry Sauce and Yellow Curry Sauce are my favorites.  I stocked up on both of the curry sauces, and I also picked up some flat bread.

 I cooked another batch of fresh green beans with bacon and potatoes.  Wanted to make it a little different from the last batch, so instead of cornbread, I made Fried Corn Cakes from a recipe I found at The Gracious Wife.  Really easy, and easy to remember:  2 cups fresh or frozen corn, 2 large eggs, and 1/2 cup each of cornmeal, flour, schredded cheddar, and milk.  And seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh chives.  Then spoon into hot oil, and let brown on each side for a couple of minutes.  It made quite a few, so I stored the leftovers in a container in the fridge, and to re-warm them, I popped them in the toaster.  

My first vegetable frittata using a recipe from Love & Lemons.  I used leftover cooked squash and onion, as well as some of the leftover green beans and potatoes.  I added the whisked eggs and milk, topped with some shredded cheddar and tomato slices, and baked at 400 for about 15 minutes.  My cheese got over browned in the hot oven, but it was great for a quick and easy supper.

I made Jeannette's Easy Apple Cake from Gina's The Cannary Family blog.  I took it to the family supper recently along with some Blue Bell vanilla ice cream.  Really easy, and got great reviews from the family.

And guess what we will be having more of in the near future.  This was what Carey brought in yesterday from the garden.  I think I may bundle some of the green beans and wrap in bacon and roast.

Some of the meals this week...

I don't indulge in these often.  This week was a yes week.  Cheddar Jalapeno bagels, toasted, then topped with some avocado is just so good.  I just turned the top half upside down to show the cheddar and jalapenos; it had avocado on that half too.

Chicken Burrito Bowls was one night's supper.  Zatarain's Cilantro Lime rice, some baracho beans (I just buy a can and heat them up), shredded lettuce, avocado, and tomato, cooked chicken breast, topped with some queso cotija and Cilantro Lime salad dressing.

Another night was Shrimp Soft Tacos.  I put frozen shrimp (straight from the freezer) sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with garlic in the air fryer for ten minutes or so at 400°.  Warm corn tortillas, coleslaw, shrimp, avocadoes, queso cotija, mango salsa and some lime garlic sour cream.  Tasty but messy!  :)

Roasted Spaghetti Squash Primavera.  Delicious garden bounty.  Spaghetti squash rubbed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, then roasted till tender.  While spaghetti squash was in the oven I sauteed thinly sliced onions untill they were caramelized, then added halved cherry tomatoes, finely diced zuchini, and finely diced cooked chicken, cooked over medium low with a teaspoon of chicken bouillion powder, garlic, Italian and seasoning.  Add a few ounces of cream cheese toward end of cooking time and stir in till melted.  After spaghetti squash is tender, shred the flesh with a fork, then fill with the vegetables cooked on stove top, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Not quite Monday, not quite meatless...

 

I've been waiting...and waiting...and waiting!  Every day Carey brings in a handful of green beans harvested from the garden.  Maybe enough to toss in with other vegetables in a stir fry, but we really love green beans on their own.  So for a week I've been setting aside the green beans till there was enough accumulated for a pot of green beans with new potatoes and bacon.  

I cut 3 slices of bacon into 1.5 inch pieces, and cooked them a bit in the bottom of the pot at medium high heat.  I stirred in a sliced onion, added some new potatoes, and the green beans.  Seasoned with salt, pepper, and about a teaspoon of chicken bouillion powder.  I added a cup and a half of water, covered the pan, and reduced heat to low.  Then I left them alone for about 3 hours.  I made a pan of cornbread, and then we sat down to our simple fare.  Inexpensive, easy, and delicious!

Meatless Monday...

 Things have been growing in the garden.  Today (Monday) the harvest was yellow squash, zuchini, and cherry tomatoes.  I put them in a fry pan with a little olive oil, a sliced onion, and some salt and pepper.

Let them cook, turning often, until cooked through and caramalized a bit.

I was feeling too lazy to cook a main dish, so I served with frozen Michael Angelo's Eggplant Parmesan from the freezer.  If you like Eggplant Parmesan, I highly recommend this brand that is found in the freezer section.