greens and recipes

I've been wanting to post some pictures of our garden for the last little while, but I never have my camera when I'm out there and going back up to get it just seems like too much effort sometimes!

But, here is some of the goodness that has come from our little plot of land behind the basketball court :)

Our string beans and basil were plentiful this year! The beans were so good that sometimes they never made it home for dinner 'cause we would just eat them straight off the vine while we were picking.  The sugar snap peas were the best and we will definitely plant more of those next time we have a garden...someday.

 I made homemade pesto with our basil and I thought it turned out pretty tasty! The picture is lame, but I topped the pasta with fresh parm and cherry tomatoes and enjoyed one of my favorite lunches :)

Here is the recipe I used for the pesto.

This big mama is the prize of our garden and turned into some great zucchini bread.

I posted my favorite zucchini bread recipe from my mom-in-law last year

click here:  (if I was having a bake sale)

and love it with chocolate chips! We just got another big one and I think we are making some more bread tonight- sweet!

funny beans

This is not from our garden, although I would love to have a shrimp-growing garden, but is one of my new favorite recipes when you want something really yummy, pretty healthy, and EASY!

James ate two big bowls and I could've eaten all the rest, but decided to save some for Dave.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients: 1 lb linguini (I like to use spinach fettuccine)  4 TBSP. butter   4 TBSP. olive oil   2 shallots, finely diced   2 cloves garlic, minced   pinch of red pepper flakes   1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined   salt and pepper to taste   1/2 C. chicken broth   Juice of 1 lemon   Parsley, chopped, to taste

Directions:  Cook pasta al dente. Im large skillet melt 2 T. butter in 2 T. olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes 3-4 minutes.  Season shrimp with salt and pepper; add to pan and cook until pink, 2-3 minutes.  Remove from pan, set aside, and keep warm.  Add broth and lemon juice to skillet and bring to a boil.  Add 2 T. butter and 2 T. olive oil.  After butter melts, return shrimp to the pan; add parsley and stir in pasta. Season with salt and pepper. 

 (From Worldwide Ward Cookbook by Deanna Buxton)

This little platter is my latest discovery of a meal that everyone loves and the kids want to eat every night.  James is actually sitting by me right now and when he saw this picture he said, "can we have that chicken right now for dinner?"

All it is is chicken tenders covered in Yoshidas sauce (the big bottle from Costco) and baked for an hour or so, covered.  Sometimes I add a can of pineapple chunks or you could add green onions and seseame seeds to make it a little "fancier."  I just make some rice, sometimes I make it coconut rice, a veggie and it is so yummy and quick.   

I am always looking for recipes like this, so if you have any, please send them my way!