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Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips

August 7, 2020 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

These Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips are easy to make and taste delicious. And they make a great side dish to a summer dinner.

As our garden continues to produce a large amount of zucchini, I’m always looking to make new zucchini recipes to use up the zucchini that starts gather on the counter in the kitchen.

These Baked Parmesan Zucchini Chips are so easy to make and are tasty. My family loves to pop these baked zucchini chips into our mouths.

If you are looking for more ways to use up the zucchini from your garden, be sure to also check out these 25 Easy Zucchini Recipes. They include dinner, snack, side dish and dessert ideas.

How to Slice Zucchini:

Slicing up zucchini into round coins is probably the most common way to cup up zucchini. To slice the zucchini, use a knife to cut the two ends off the zucchini, then make cuts across the zucchini to slice coins.

If you want to ensure your round zucchini coins are all the same size, then use a mandoline food slicer. First, cut of one of the zucchini ends, then drag the zucchini across the mandoline to make the sliced coins.

How Do you Make Zucchini Not Soggy?

Here are a few tips to make zucchini not soggy. First, slice and salt the zucchini and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. The salt will pull out some of the water, as well as season the zucchini. Dry the zucchini well with paper towels and cook it quickly over high heat to brown it before it gets soggy. Also cutting zucchini into larger 1/2 inch thick pieces will help it not get soggy.

If baking zucchini, place it on a baking rack that is then set on top of a baking sheet. This allows air to circulate all around the zucchini and helps the water evaporate while it’s being cooked in the oven.

Step-by-Step Parmesan Zucchini Chips Instructions:

To prepare these Parmesan zucchini bites it takes about 5-10 minutes. Here’s how to make this easy recipe:

Slice up a zucchini.
In a medium bowl, combine bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper.
Lightly brush the front and back of each slice of zucchini with melted butter.
Place the zucchini in the bread crumb seasoning and coat both sides.
Grease a baking pan with cooking spray, then put the zucchini chips onto the pan. Sprinkle the zucchini with shredded Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until it begins brown.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish

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25 Easy Zucchini Recipes

August 3, 2020 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

These 25 easy zucchini recipes will give you ideas of how to use up the zucchini from the garden.

Every year we plant zucchini in our garden, and I’m always amazed at how much zucchini one plant produces. At first, I manage to stay on top of using up the zucchini with our dinners and baking breads and desserts. But after a few weeks, it begins to pile up on my counter and I can’t use it fast enough. Can anyone else relate?!

I compiled a list of 25 simple zucchini recipes you can make with the zucchini that’s sitting on your counter. But before we get to all of the the delicious zucchini recipes, here are some commonly asked questions that people have about zucchini.

What Does Zucchini Do For Your Body?

Zucchini is rich in vitamins and minerals and offers several health benefits. It can boost potassium intake, which can lower the risk of a stroke, and it may also lower the odds of developing heart disease. Zucchini is also high in vitamin C, which may help the lining of blood cells function better, lowering blood pressure and protecting against clogged arteries.

How Do you Make Zucchini Not Soggy?

What Can I Do With Too Much Zucchini?

There are so many options with how to use up your zucchini!

As you acquire a lot of zucchini and can’t use it up fast enough, try shredding or cubing the zucchini and then freezing it. It’s then ready to pull out of the freezer and add to soups, dinners and breads for months after there is no more zucchini to pick from your garden. Shredding and cubing then freezing zucchini is an easy way to preserve zucchini from your garden. Be sure to read these tips on how to freeze zucchini so it doesn’t clump all together in the freezer.

The 25 easy zucchini dinner and dessert recipes on this post are just some ideas of how to prepare and eat the zucchini.

Easy Stuffed Zucchini Boats from Lil’ Luna – Stuffed Zucchini Boats filled with Italian sausage and tomatoes are a go-to healthy dinner idea. Topped with cheese, parsley and bread crumbs, you can’t go wrong with this zucchini dish.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins – These muffins are delicious and make great snacks for the kids and also for school or work lunches. If you can’t eat all of them within a few days, the muffins also freezer great. Once cooled, put them in gallon-size freezer bags and place them in the freezer. When you want to eat a muffin, pull it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw.

20 Minute Healthy Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles from Pinch of Yum – This is a healthy chicken Parmesan that is crispy, cheesy, saucy, and served over zucchini noodles. So easy and extremely delicious! Use a spiral slicer or mandolin spiralizer slicer to turn your zucchini into the noodles for your dish.

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How to Make Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag

July 3, 2020 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

This homemade ice cream in a bag has only 3 ingredients to mix together, and within about 10 minutes it’s ready to eat. It’s a fun summer activity with the kids to make a cool, sweet treat when it’s hot outside.

If you have ever wondered how to make homemade ice cream in a bag, I’m here to share with you how easy it is to make. The recipe is just three ingredients! And it only takes 5-10 minutes to make, then it’s ready to eat.

Years ago, my sister-in-law introduced me to this homemade ice cream in a bag. My kids had so much fun making it that it’s something we do together every summer.

This is a fun summer activity and treat to do with the kids when it’s hot outside. Kids have fun shaking the bag, and they love that they get to eat ice cream within minutes.

You can watch the YouTube video above, or you can read below how to make ice cream at home with step by step instructions.

Here are some questions people have asked before making the ice cream in a bag for kids:

How Does Ice Cream in a Bag Work?

The key to making the bag of ice cream freeze is by adding salt to the ice cubes. The salt lowers the melting point of the ice.

When you use ice to cool the ingredients for ice cream, the heat is transferred from the environment, which includes your ice cream mixture and your hands that are holding the bag of ice, to the ice making the ice cream mixture colder.

When you add salt, it lowers the freezing point of the ice, so even more energy has to be absorbed from the environment for the ice to melt. This makes the ice colder than it was before, which is how your ice cream freezes.

How Do You Make Ice Cream From Scratch in a Bag?

Here is how to make homemade ice cream in a bag:

1. In a bowl, mix the half and half, sugar and vanilla extract. (See the recipe below.)

2. Place the cream mixture in a pint-size re-sealable bag, and make sure it’s sealed tight. Set aside.

3. In a large gallon re-sealable bag, fill half way full of ice cubes. Add 1/2 cup rock salt on top of the ice cubes.

4. Place the pint-size cream mixture bag inside the gallon bag. Add a few more ice cubes on top of the small bag. Seal the gallon bag.

5. Shake for about 5-10 minutes until the ice cream thickens.

6. Take the pint-size bag out and quickly run it under cold water to rinse off the salt.

7. Stick a spoon in the bag and enjoy!

Do You Have to Use Rock Salt to Make Ice Cream?

You don’t have to use rock salt to make ice cream. You can use table salt instead. However, rock salt works better than table salt.

Rock salt isn’t processed as much as table salt, and is much chunkier. It also contains a lot of impurities, which is why it isn’t used for eating.

When making ice cream, you can control how fast the ice cream forms by modifying the amount of salt you use. Rock salt has larger crystals that takes longer to dissolve and may result in a smoother ice cream.

The ingredients needed to make ice cream in a bag for kids are half & half, vanilla extract and sugar. The other items you’ll need are rock salt, ice cubes and re-sealable bags.

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Filed Under: Family & Home, Recipes

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Easy Homemade Strawberry Shortcake Recipe

April 22, 2020 by Lisa Park 38 Comments

This is an easy homemade strawberry shortcake recipe that really delicious. Add whipped topping and strawberries to the top to make it a perfect summer treat.

I absolutely LOVE this homemade strawberry shortcake recipe because my mother used to make it for me when I was a kid. It is easy to make and tastes delicious! And it is so much better than purchasing the dessert cakes at the grocery store.

Sometimes my mother made her own whipped cream topping (see the recipe below), which tastes so good. But to make it easier, sometimes we purchased the store-bought whipped toppings. Of course, the store-bought whipping cream in the spray can would always end up being sprayed into kids’ mouths as much as it was added to the top of the strawberry shortcakes. Oh, the memories!

I now make this easy strawberry shortcake recipe for my kids and they devour it when it’s placed in front of them. That’s how good it is!

Here are some questions, people sometimes ask about strawberry shortcake.

How do you make strawberry shortcake from scratch?

Here’s how to make my family’s easy strawberry shortcake recipe. All the measurements are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and mix.
In a small separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Alternate adding the dry ingredients and milk to the creamed mixture until mixed.
Add in the vanilla and mix.
Pour into a greased and floured 9×9 baking pan
Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

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Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes

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Easy Valentine’s Cookies

January 29, 2020 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

This is an easy Valentine’s Cookies recipe that makes soft and chewy cookies with red and pink Valentine’s M&M’s and white chocolate chips.

I made these easy Valentine’s Cookies for my family and they just loved them! It was a fun surprise for my kids when they came home from school and these Valentine’s cookies were sitting on a plate for them to eat.

It’s enjoyable to sit down with my kids after school, and while they snack on food, I talk to them about their day. Because I made these homemade Valentine’s Day cookies, they are now excited about Valentine’s Day.

These simple Valentine’s cookies made it more fun and exciting for the kids to think that Valentine’s is coming soon.

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Filed Under: Desserts, Recipes, Valentine's

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Quick and Easy Taco Soup Recipe

November 2, 2019 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

This is a quick and easy taco soup recipe that is yummy.

I love soups for dinner when it’s cold outside, and this quick and easy taco soup recipe is perfect to make for your family on a chilly day. It only takes about 20 minutes to make this easy taco soup recipe.

And it can be completed even faster if you keep already cooked ground beef in your freezer. I’ll take the ground beef out of my freezer, thaw it in the microwave and then put it in the pot with the rest of the ingredients.

Be sure to also check out these 12 Favorite Soup Recipes.

WHAT DO YOU EAT WITH TACO SOUP?

For our family, we like to add tortilla chips or Fritos on top. We also like to add shredded cheese and sour cream.

If you want some ideas for sides, this simple and quick taco soup would taste great with sweet cornbread, light and fluffy homemade biscuits, or easy Spanish rice.

HOW LONG IS TACO SOUP GOOD FOR?

Taco soup with cooked ground beef, when properly stored in an airtight container, will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. If you plan to keep it longer than that, then you’ll want to freeze it (See below).

CAN YOU FREEZE TACO SOUP?

Yes, you can freeze taco soup. To freeze the soup, put it in airtight containers or re-sealable freezer bags. Label the soup with the date and put it in the freezer. One tip is to freeze the taco soup in individual portions so you can take it out and eat it for lunch. The taco soup should be good in the freezer for 2-3 months.

When you are ready to use the taco soup, pull it out of the freezer and thaw it in the fridge for a few days. You can then heat it up on the stove or in the microwave. You could also put the taco soup in a slow cooker on high for 2-3 hours to heat it up.

And here are some other meals that freeze well: 7 Make Ahead Freezer Meals

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Filed Under: Beef, Main Dish, Recipes, Soups

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The Best Crock Pot Shredded Beef Tacos

September 26, 2019 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

This is an easy crock pot shredded beef tacos recipe that has a delicious flavor. Put it in the crock pot in about 5 minutes in the morning and you don’t have to worry about it until it’s time for dinner.

This past summer, we had a family reunion in Washington. All of the families were assigned to make dinner on one of the nights while we were up there. My sister-in-law made these crock pot shredded beef tacos, and they were absolutely flavorful and delicious!

Everyone kept going back for seconds and thirds because they were so good. I’ve made these a few times now for my family, and we just love them.

I’m all about easy dinners, and this is a quick shredded beef tacos recipe that doesn’t take very long to combine the sauce to pour over the roast in the crock pot. It took me about 5 minutes mix the ingredients for the sauce and pour it over the roast.

I love to add lots of toppings to these tacos. Some of my favorites are fresh tomatoes, diced onions, and a lime that you squeeze the juice on top of the shredded beef. Another one of the many toppings we put on the tacos is this Herdez Guacamole Salsa. It’s a favorite topping that adds flavor and little bit of heat to the crock pot shredded beef tacos.

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Filed Under: Beef, Main Dish, Recipes, Slow Cooker

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20 Easy Weeknight Dinners for the Family

August 20, 2019 by Lisa Park 4 Comments

These recipes are easy weeknight dinners for the family that will save you time and money.

With school coming up quickly, that also means our busy schedules will begin again. Soon our nights will be filled with running kids back and forth between extracurricular activities and helping them complete homework assignments, while keeping all the household duties running smoothly.

With all of that going on, deciding what to make for dinner might be the last thing on our mind, and finding time to do it can be challenging. That is why I want to share with you 20 cheap and quick family meals on a budget. These recipes are easy weeknight dinners for the family that will save you time and money.

All these recipes are delicious and easy meals for busy moms and don’t take a lot of time. My family also loves these meals. And they are recipes I regularly add to my weekly meal plans. I hope you enjoy these family dinner menu ideas.

One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta – This has a delicious creamy sauce and it’s an easy recipe. Just place all the ingredients into a pot after you saute the garlic, and then let it simmer for 20 minutes until done.

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Tacos – The slow cooker ranch chicken tacos are an easy meal to make on a busy night. It only takes about 5 minutes to put the ingredients in the crock pot for dinner.

Time-Saving Tip: Take frozen chicken out of the freezer and place it directly into the crock pot. No need to thaw the chicken beforehand.

Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli – It takes about 10 minutes to cut the meat, combine the ingredients for the sauce and put it all in the crock pot. After it’s cooked all day and you are ready to eat dinner, just thicken the sauce with cornstarch, quickly steam the broccoli and cook the rice.

Time-Saving Tip: Something I invested in is a rice cooker. It makes cooking rice so convenient. Once you add the rice and water to the cooker and push the cook button, you don’t have to watch it or worry about it. And it will keep the rice warm until you are ready for dinner.

Three-Bean Chili – This is one of my favorite chili recipes to throw together at the last minute. Place Fritos or tortilla chips crumbled on the top to add to the delicious taste of the chili.

Time-Saving Tip: Keep cooked ground beef in the freezer that you can pull out, thaw, and use for this recipe.

Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy – Place all the ingredients in your crock pot in the morning. Right before dinner all that’s left to do is quickly shred the chicken and stir in sour cream. It’s then ready to serve over rice, potatoes or noodles.

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Filed Under: Beef, Chicken, Main Dish, Pork, Recipes, Slow Cooker

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Strawberry Banana Fluff Salad

May 1, 2019 by Lisa Park Leave a Comment

This Strawberry Banana Fluff Salad is a perfect side dish for summer parties or a family get together. It’s an easy side dish to make that only takes a few minutes to cook on the stove before placing it in the fridge to set up. You do have to plan ahead and make the Jell-O the night before to allow it to set up because it needs about 6 hours in the fridge. But once that is complete, it only takes 10-15 minutes to mix all the ingredients together.

To make the Strawberry Banana Fluff Salad, in a medium pot, combine the Strawberry Jell-O and Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding. Add the water and cook on stove until it boils. Remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 6 hours.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Side Dish

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Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

March 28, 2019 by Lisa Park 2 Comments

This Tuscan Garlic Chicken is my new favorite chicken recipe. It has a creamy garlic sauce with spinach and dried tomatoes that is absolutely delicious. And when you place the chicken and sauce over pasta it tastes like something you would eat from a restaurant. Yum!

This dish takes about 30 minutes to make. And to make it even better, my family loved it and wanted second helpings. This is definitely a recipe you’ll want to add to your recipe collection.

Here is how to make the Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil. Then cook the sliced chicken on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes on each side until the center is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and set it aside on a dish. Using the same sauce pan, add the heavy cream, chicken broth, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Whisk the ingredients together until it begins to thicken.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Main Dish, Recipes

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How to Slice Zucchini:

How Do you Make Zucchini Not Soggy?

Step-by-Step Parmesan Zucchini Chips Instructions:

What Does Zucchini Do For Your Body?

How Do you Make Zucchini Not Soggy?

What Can I Do With Too Much Zucchini?

How Does Ice Cream in a Bag Work?

How Do You Make Ice Cream From Scratch in a Bag?

Do You Have to Use Rock Salt to Make Ice Cream?

How do you make strawberry shortcake from scratch?

Be sure to also check out these 12 Favorite Soup Recipes.

WHAT DO YOU EAT WITH TACO SOUP?

HOW LONG IS TACO SOUP GOOD FOR?

CAN YOU FREEZE TACO SOUP?

And here are some other meals that freeze well: 7 Make Ahead Freezer Meals

One Pan Garlic Parmesan Pasta – This has a delicious creamy sauce and it’s an easy recipe. Just place all the ingredients into a pot after you saute the garlic, and then let it simmer for 20 minutes until done.

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Tacos – The slow cooker ranch chicken tacos are an easy meal to make on a busy night. It only takes about 5 minutes to put the ingredients in the crock pot for dinner.

Time-Saving Tip: Take frozen chicken out of the freezer and place it directly into the crock pot. No need to thaw the chicken beforehand.

Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli – It takes about 10 minutes to cut the meat, combine the ingredients for the sauce and put it all in the crock pot. After it’s cooked all day and you are ready to eat dinner, just thicken the sauce with cornstarch, quickly steam the broccoli and cook the rice.

Time-Saving Tip: Something I invested in is a rice cooker. It makes cooking rice so convenient. Once you add the rice and water to the cooker and push the cook button, you don’t have to watch it or worry about it. And it will keep the rice warm until you are ready for dinner.

Three-Bean Chili – This is one of my favorite chili recipes to throw together at the last minute. Place Fritos or tortilla chips crumbled on the top to add to the delicious taste of the chili.

Time-Saving Tip: Keep cooked ground beef in the freezer that you can pull out, thaw, and use for this recipe.

Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy – Place all the ingredients in your crock pot in the morning. Right before dinner all that’s left to do is quickly shred the chicken and stir in sour cream. It’s then ready to serve over rice, potatoes or noodles.

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