Stuffed Zucchini with Turkey Sausage

I came across a fantastic new food blog called Simply Recipes and one of the featured recipes recently was this stuffed zucchini. Seeing as how I had 4 large zucchini in the fridge that I found for $0.10 each at Ciolino's I knew I needed some unique ways to use them...you know methods other than "mix with loads of sugar and flour and eggs and make into an amazing loaf of goodness." This was simple to put together and I had all the ingredients on hand (minus the fresh herbs, but I substituted dry ones.). It was really tasty. The zucchini flavor is not at all overpowering...in fact the flavors are quite mild. I'm not sure I would add the egg next time simply because it made the insides taste more like a breakfast casserole than I would have liked. Also, don't forget you can alter the spices to your liking and, if you love cheese as much as we do, you can add some shredded Muenster (or other variety) to the turkey mixture. I hope you, too, will enjoy this healthy meal.

1 zucchini about 12 inches long, or 6 medium ones

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

2 tablespoons dry white wine

1 pound ground turkey

2 diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out insides, leaving shells about 1/4 inch thick. Reserve about half of the insides.

Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium high heat. Sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add mushrooms and reserved zucchini insides, and sauté another 2 minutes.

In a separate skillet heat a Tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the ground turkey. Lightly brown the turkey, stirring only occasionally. After the turkey browns on one side, stir it so that it has a chance to brown on other sides. Cook until the ground turkey is lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and mushroom mixture from the other pan. Add the wine. Stir in tomato, basil and rosemary and cook 1 minute longer. Drain any excess fat. Remove mixture from heat and set it aside.

When mixture has cooled, add cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Fill a baking pan with 1/4 inch of water. Place filled zucchini halves in pan and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove zucchini from pan and serve while hot.

Serves 4.

Random Tips Everyone Should Know

I have decided to begin compiling a list of tips that I use regularly in my kitchen but forget to mention in specific recipes. If you have tips of your own feel free to comment. And know that this list will most likely continue to expand.

1. Brown sugar, unless other specified, should always be packed in the measuring cup.
2. Baking times may vary based on your oven. Mine, for instance, is old and crappy, and I have learned to manage it's overheating by lowering the temperature 15 degrees and lowering the baking time in addition (for example, a recipe instructing "375 degrees for 9-11 minutes" would be translated to "350 degrees for 7 minutes").
3. Practice makes perfect. In the last year alone, my baking skills have improved exponentially and I now have a greater sense of "Baker's Intuition"--the name I have given to my ability to walk into the kitchen to take out a certain dish within seconds of the timer going off. This is a combination of experience and letting my nose speak. The nose knows.
4. Don't overbake your cookies. I think most people tend to bake their cookies for 2 to 3 minutes too long. This may not seem like alot and the cookies might look perfectly done in the oven, but once they have cooled you will quickly realize any hope for a soft cookie is gone. I suffered from the "overbake syndrome" for years, until I was specifically instructed by the owner of the Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe to "not overbake. Cookies will not look done in the oven." This is so true. Typically, when you open the oven door, the edges of the cookies should be barely golden brown and set nicely. The middle will look slightly undercooked. Do not fear. Simply remove the baking sheet and allow the cookies to set on the baking sheet for 1 to 2 minutes and then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
5. When measuring molasses, use a glass measuring cup and spray it with non stick cooking spray for easy pouring and cleanup.
6. Liquid ingredients should only be measured with a glass measuring cup. Measuring is most accurate when the meniscus rests on the appropriate line.
7. Use the straight edge of a knife to level dry ingredients in their measuring cups.
8. To easily peel a garlic clove, lay the clove on a cutting board and place the flat side of a wide knife on top of it. Then, use your fist to crush the garlic, releasing it from its paper-y chamber.
9. Always preheat the oven before baking or cooking.
10. 
    

Black Bean Mexican Pie

I came across this recipe at Annie's Eats--one of my favorite foodie blogs. Her recipes are simple enough for an amateur like me to try but at a nearly professional level. I hope you enjoy this recipe from her blog. Go check it out! and fee free to make any alterations (like I did) to suit your tastes and/or the serving sizes.

Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes

I have to be honest with you. I posted the pictures here probably a month ago when we actually had this meal for dinner. However. I have completely neglected to publish it along with the directions. Which is no big deal except I can't remember exactly how I went about these glorious potatoes. I'm going to try my best and encourage you to "wing it." Don't worry...you can't go wrong with potatoes. and bacon. and cheese. You just can't. :)

2-3 medium baking potatoes

4 strips cooked bacon

1/4 cup shredded cheese

1/4 cup (or less) milk

Sour cream

butter

salt

pepper

Bake potatoes (whole) in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes--or until tender. Allow them to become cool to the touch. Cut each potato in half. Scoop out the insides, leaving a sturdy "shell"--approximately 1/4 inch thick. Combine potato "insides" with desired amount of bacon, butter and/or sour cream, salt and pepper. Refill shells. You may find you don't have enough filling for all the shells--hence the extra potatoes. Be sure to choose to bake at least one extra potato than you plan on serving. Just discard (or eat!) the extra skins. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes--or until cheese is melted and filling is piping hot.