It seems that zucchini reproduces like Goldfish in an aquarium. Most gardeners end up with truckloads of this plentiful veggie.  Last week we were given some HUGE zucchini from a dear church member, and with company here for dinner, I knew what the vegetable was going to be!  Running to my resource for great recipes (Pinterest), I found a recipe for Tomato Zucchini Casserole.  Mover over fried zucchini!  You have been replaced!!!!

Tomato Zucchini Casserole

With layers of zucchini, tomatoes, and Vidalia onions, this dish is full of flavor!  It’s topped with cheeses and French’s Onion Rings (my change in the original recipe) and baked in the oven.  Yum!

1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese (or Mozzerella)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
5 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 Vidalia  onion, sliced
1 Cup French’s Fried Onions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9×9-inch pan.
In a large bowl, combine Cheddar, Parmesan, oregano, basil, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Arrange half of the zucchini slices in the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 of the cheese and herb mixture on top. Arrange half of the tomatoes and half of the Vidalia onions, and top with another 1/4 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers.

Sprinkle Fried onions on top of casserole.

Cover loosely with foil, and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake until the top is crusty and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

In order to maximize my grill and not heat up the oven, too, this summer I’ve started using the microwave to cook the baked potatoes, the chicken or even this casserole until it’s only half way done. Then I take them out to the grill where I let them cook the rest of the way. Now they can get the flavor of the grill and it gives the food that nice toasty texture without having to cook it for an hour.  Aaaand, my kitchen doesn’t get heated up on a hot day!  I’m not sure why I never thought of this before now!

Grilled pork chops, baked potatoes and Tomato Zucchini Casserole

Maximize your grill on these hot days!

Happy Labor Day!

With love from my country kitchen,

When my windows are sparkling I just feel better.  How about you?  They don’t stay that way, for sure, but I do make an effort to keep the front and back glass doors free of fingerprints and grime.  The front door is the first and last impression your guests have of your home.  That’s good reason to make it shine!

Here’s the method that I use that keeps my windows pretty much streak-free.

There’s a snapshot, a “MentalGram,” if you will, in my mind that probably will never be forgotten.

A courtroom hallway.
A bench along the windows.
A distressed looking man, seated with his head down between his knees, looking worried or overwhelmed with something.

The man seated here was the driver of the car who hit our daughter and son-in-law nearly head-on in February.

This event/picture took place this week as we came to the courtroom for the final hearing and sentencing for this man who nearly took his own life, and that of two young people, because he was foolish enough to

The “picture” progresses as I walked towards him and the Holy Spirit nudged my heart to speak to him.  Oh, I’d had had LOTS of conversations in my mind with him since the moment I learned of the car crash!  I’d given him a piece of my mind, telling him sharply exactly how I felt about a man who was so desperate that he would disregard anyone else and selfishly risk others’ lives so he might have a little pleasure!   But now, upon the impression of the Spirit of God, I stood before him, alone.

I had wondered what he’d look like.  How old he was.  Now here I was standing in front of him, seeing the answers to my questions.  He looked distressed.  He looked old.

I called his name.

He looked up, inquiring.  “My name is Denise.  My daughter is the young woman in the car that you crashed into.”  He reached out and shook my hand, tentatively.  “I came to tell you that while I hate what you have done, I do not hate you.  What you said in the courtroom about it being a miracle that you’re alive?  It is true.  I believe God has allowed this for a purpose that you might come to know Him.  If those two young people would’ve died, they have an assurance that they would’ve gone to heaven.  I’m giving you this to read that you might learn how you can have that same assurance.”

I handed him The Exchange tract.

“Oh, in all the things I’ve lost I’ve never lost my faith,” was his reply.

“Sir, you need a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Walk with Him.  Come to know Him.”

He nodded.

I walked away.

I sat later amazed again at God’s grace that would enable me to stand and speak to this man who had brought such pain and suffering to two innocent lives and their families.  I had no strength of my own to do this.  All the credit goes to my Savior – I know what kind of actions and words my heart had dreamed about in the recent months!

A friend posted this on our son-in-law’s Facebook page – 

A Peek Into My Life This Week

I have so many blessings to share with you today, I don’t know where to start!  This has been a wonderful week, full of seeing God at work.

We got to celebrate Alli’s 23rd birthday.  Fun times.  I reflected on God’s goodness in preserving her life at the time of the car accident in February.  Otherwise, this day would have been quite different.  Thank you, Lord.

Strawberry Lemonade Cake made a reappearance for the occasion!

Whitney and her husband came in for the weekend so she could attend the Bristol race with her dad. I always love it when they get the chance to visit!  While she was here, I had the blessing of hearing the girls play their instruments together.  Alli got a cello for her birthday, and was excited to have her sister accompany her as she played.  My cup of joy runs over when I listen to them.

 Lastly, it was time to change out my chalkboard.  I love getting to doodle and draw.  It went from this to this…

(Click on picture to enlarge) I love how this room looks in the late afternoon with the sun streaming in.

There were other blessings, not pictured here that the Lord poured out.  I’m anxious to share them with you at a later time.

Thanks for stopping by today for a peek!  What blessings from the Lord have you seen experienced week?

With love from my country porch,

For a lunch with friends last week, I was asked to bring dessert ~ something chocolate.  Yay!  A chance to bake something new!  I had seen Ina Garten make some little individual cakes on her show recently, and my mind went to those little gems ~ Orange Cakes covered with Chocolate Ganache.  Yes, please!

These are made in forms, but if you don’t have little cake pans, use a cupcake tin.  It’s going to get covered with the chocolate ganache, so it will transform a plain cupcake into something divine!

The recipe is from Ina Garten:

Orange Cakes with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
1/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1/8 cup grated orange zest (2 large oranges)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1 tablespoon
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 ounces buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup good semisweet chocolate chunks
For the syrup:
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
For the ganache:
4 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 6 individual serving baking molds, such as the flexible non stick 100 percent silicone molds.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then the orange zest.

Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 1 tablespoon flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the molds on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

This is what mine looked like before the covering of chocolate.  So don’t despair! If your cakes aren’t pretty at this point, they will be once the ganache is spooned  over them!

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pans, put them on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cakes. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cakes.

If you need a “fancy little cake” for a meal, these are fantastic!  They’re easy and fast to make and are an eye and palate pleaser!

What do you bake up for lunch dessert?

With love from my country kitchen,