French Onion Zucchini Bake | i am baker

So, you’re looking for a nice side dish to go with dinner.  Something tasty, not hard to make.  Something maybe a bit oo-la-la.  Maybe even something lower on the carb scale.

You definitely need to try this recipe.  French Onion Zucchini Bake

Being me, I made a couple of substitutions to the recipe.  I used 1 zucchini and 1 onion, and 1 6 oz package of shredded Swiss cheese.  It’s just a lot less pricey than Gruyere and more available to me.  Plus, I used a 10” skillet instead of a 12” since I’d kind of halved the recipe, as I knew my kids wouldn’t eat it.  They don’t like Swiss.  (!!?!)  Also, I omitted the sugar because #KetoGoals. 

I have to say, this may be one of my favorite vegetable dishes ever.  EVER.  Even my husband liked it and he doesn’t like onions.  Yes, it is that good! 

It takes maybe 10-15 mins to put together, and then you throw it in the oven for about half an hour, give or take.  I put it in during the last 30 mins of my roast cooking.  It’s also very forgiving.  One time, I did the stove-top part, and then didn’t put it in the oven until like an hour later, and it turned out great.  So easy!  And so yummy! 

Click the link and check it out! 

 

French Onion Zucchini Bake

French Onion Zucchini Bake combines the amazing flavor of caramelized onions, fresh zucchini, and piles of melty gruyere cheese for a side dish that is sure to impress!  If you love French Onion, make sure to check out my homemade French Onion Soup!

First things first, let’s talk ingredients.  You will need:

• Zucchini – We obviously prefer to use our garden zucchini, but if you have to purchase at the supermarket, select medium-sized zucchini that are firm and feel heavy for their size. They should be green or yellow with shiny skin.
• Yellow Onions – There are a ton of different onions to choose from, but I stick with yellow onions because they have a signature sweetness when cooked.
• Gruyere Cheese – If you are looking to substitute this with a different cheese you want to select one that melts very easily.  I would recommend a Compte’ or Jarlsberg.
• Butter – We use unsalted in this recipe because we prefer to adjust the salt level by adding kosher salt at the end.
• Worchestershire Sauce
• Beef Broth
• Granulated Sugar
• Thyme – Fresh thyme can be substituted for dried but you need to adjust the amount.
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

 

French Onion Zucchini Bake | i am baker

My play-along-at-home version.  🙂  #YouAreBaker

[cross-posted on my recipes blog]

Here

You look like you could use a cupcake.  🙂

With Love!

Challah Back Girl

I have no idea why a low-carb Gentile girl suddenly feels overwhelmingly compelled to make Challah bread for Shabbat, but there you go. 

And I am beyond proud to say it turned out epic!  Whew!  Woo!

Recipe here: Challah – Averie Cooks

Before 2nd rise

After 2nd rise, before baking

After baking

Before eating

Ummm, you don’t want to see any pictures after that. 

cross posted on my recipes blog

Holiday Cooking Hacks

May 26, 2015 – NATIONAL BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE DAY | National Day Calendar

National Blueberry Cheesecake Day May 26

NATIONAL BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE DAY

Each year on May 26, people across the United States, celebrate and enjoy National Blueberry Cheesecake Day.

via May 26, 2015 – NATIONAL BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE DAY | National Day Calendar.

Oh my goodness, did you know it’s National Blueberry Cheesecake Day?  I had no idea!  I love cheesecake, it was always one of my favorite desserts.  But I think blueberry must be my absolute favorite version.  More than cherry or strawberry, for sure.

If you love blueberry cheesecake too, here’s a recipe (below) for you!  Enjoy!

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake. – Sallys Baking Addiction

Ultra creamy homemade cheesecake swirled with sweet blueberry sauce. All on top of my favorite buttery graham cracker crust.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

“Uh, Mom?  Why are you taking pictures of the chicken?” asked my son. 

“I thought I’d blog how I make chicken,” I responded, “so people can see.”

“Then you’ll be doing them a favor, because then everyone will be able to make chicken as awesome as you.”

Isn’t he the sweetest boy?  I should tell you about all the times he was little, and he’d walk past the kitchen and cry out, “EWW!  What smells so bad in here?!” with absolute horror.  So, you know, balance. 

Anyway, this is my son’s favorite “mom-made” chicken dish. 

Start with ordinary chicken.  You can use whatever kind of chicken floats your boat – white meat, dark meat, skinless, skin on, boneless, bone-in – doesn’t matter.  I have about 4 pounds all together in this photo.

Then, the tweaking.  I think, many years ago, I saw a recipe from Kraft for parmesan chicken, and decided to play with it.  What I love about this recipe is that it’s so versatile.  There are so many different kinds of marinade sauces out there and you have so many options!  So, you can have chicken on a regular basis but have a different chicken dinner every time simply by changing out the one sauce. 

I confess, I don’t measure.  For roughly 4 lbs of chicken I use 4 blobs of the Miracle Whip.  It’s at least half a cup, I’m sure.

Then I add about a quarter bottle of the marinade sauce.  Perhaps 3-4 oz.

Lastly, I dump in about a quarter cup of parmesan.

I should add, at this point, you could put in whatever herbs and spices your heart desires, if you wanted.  Heck, you could skip the marinade all together and just use the Miracle Whip and the parmesan and add all kinds of  different flavorings – let your imagination run!  Use cayenne for a southwest flavor, or maybe some mustard and honey for a spicy sweet taste – I’ve used mustard instead of the marinade and it turns out really well, too.  I like Gulden’s for that.  A dijon would be cool.  Ooh, even crushed pineapple for a Hawaiian flair!  I hadn’t thought of that before.

Mix it up and glop it on the chicken.  It will be thick, like a paste, so I just use the back of the spoon to kind of smooth it over the pieces. 

As a finishing touch and to help aid browning, I sprinkle some more parmesan over everything, and when I have them on hand, I also sprinkle some sesame seeds over the whole thing too.  Those don’t show up in this image.

But you can see them here!  Golden brown and delicious.  You could also add some chopped nuts, maybe sunflower seeds, almost any kind of herb – rosemary, parsley, lemon or orange zest.

This is great with rice, potatoes, even noodles would go really well with this.  Add a nice salad or vegetable and you’ve got dinner. 

This takes about 10 minutes to slap together, and I bake it at 350 for 2 hours, or 375 for 90 min, you could go 325 for 2 and a half hours, too – it will work with pretty much whatever time you need it to. 

It’s easy, fast, versatile, and budget friendly for the win. 

Enjoy!

> cross posted on my recipes blog, Nessipes <