Vegetable Lasagna

Today I feel accomplished!  I put up 15 quart bags of our squash and zucchini from our garden and a quart of tomatillos to make into salsa later.  All by 1:30 today, I had the house cleaned, dinner almost cooked and enough squash to take us halfway through the winter months and to use for our favorite zucchini squares that I made each fall at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners! I could make a good housewife...

However, what I did forget about were all the shelled peas in my refrigerator at our barn from our friends the McAfees that needed to be bagged and frozen!  We discussed tonight when they brought another bushel for my youngest daughter to shell just how much we could get done if we didn't have to work!  I told her I thought boredom would set in pretty quick!  But, it sure was nice with the rain coming down today to be home, enjoy my sweet baby girl (who's 12) and feel like I was finally getting caught up on my house, gardening and freezing vegetables for meals in the future.

Tonight for dinner, or I should say this afternoon, I cooked a dish Scott says I've cooked before, but I have no remembrance of.  With the squash and zucchini that I got tired of freezing and some Ichiban eggplant cut into 1/2 inch spears, I layered them in a casserole dish (9x13 inch Pyrex dish).  To this I added cooked, ground pork that I'd added Hunt's 4 Cheese Spaghetti Sauce to along with Rotel Tomatoes and a few spices and cheese. 

The recipe has a few more steps as you'll find on the link below, but overall it was an easy dish to make.  My husband loved it and went back for seconds and actually said it was 'really good' a couple of times.  So, I'll take that as a compliment and for sure make it in another week or two because our squash shows no sign of slowing up in our garden! 

In the picture above and links here, you'll see my newest recipe for Vegetable Lasagna and also my Marinated Cucumbers and Onions and Zucchini Squares that can all be found on my www.theranchkitchen.com site.  I hope you'll give it a try as even my preteen ate this vegetable lasagna and didn't pick out the veggies! 

Alise - The Ranch Kitchen

Zucchini Squares

Zucchini Squares

from Annette Hill contributor to - 

Cane River's Louisiana Living -

A Culinary Tour

My favorite cookbook, besides the one my mother made for me when I got married, is my Louisiana Living cookbook.  It's tattered and has more than a few recipe stains from years of constant use.  My husband on his trips to south Louisiana on his annual deep sea fishing trip, used to always bring me back a cookbook.  On one trip he brought me this treasured copy and it has become one of my very favorites.

Years ago, when my oldest daughter competed in 4H food contest, this zucchini recipe was one that she made.  She won a first place with it and since then we fix this throughout the year, especially when I have an abundance of zucchini from our garden. 

The smell of these zucchini squares cooking is heavenly.  My brother's usually don't let many of them make it to the table.  And my nephew proclaimed at Easter that they were wonderful!  From that one, I take it as an extreme compliment!  This is one way to get a twelve year old to eat his veggies! 

The ingredients are simple and I have been known to double the recipe for family functions.  They reheat well in the microwave, but like any bread just make sure that you heat them for a few seconds only as to not overcook and harden them.

This spring I inherited a green house from my dear Uncle Andy. My husband didn't think that I needed it and now he loves it more than I do. We've practically grown all our vegetables and some of my flowering vines in it this year.  We expect a bumper crop of zucchini this year as the rains seem to keep coming and one seed packet goes a long, long way!

Try this recipe soon.  For the last few years these zucchini squares have been one step from being my next blog post.  It's one of my very favorites and a pretty healthy dish to boot!

Thank you Anita Hill and Louisiana Living cookbook for this wonderful recipe!   If you ever get the chance, buy this cookbook!

Zucchini Squares

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup buttermilk biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese(2 1/2 ounces), grated cup

1/2 chopped green onions

3 cups thinly sliced zucchini - it calls for peeled, but I leave the skins on

2 tablespoons chopped parsley - I rarely use this

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon seasoned pepper (I use regular pepper)

1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (I use 1 tsp.)

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

dash of pepper sauce (sometimes I use this, sometimes I don't)

Combine eggs, oil, and biscuit mix.  Add cheese, green onions, zucchini, parsley, garlic powder and hot pepper sauce, mixing well.  Spread batter in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand until cook enough to touch.  Cut into small squares.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Serves 15 - 20.

                                                                              Annette Hill

You'll love them!  And as I have said before about some of my best recipes...the true taste is if they are good cold...these are wonderful cold!  Make them soon and maybe with your abundance of zucchini!