Great homemade main dish meals

The Best Zucchini Patties

What is your favorite way to cook zucchini? Normally my answer to that question would be to put it in bread or cake (with lots of cream cheese frosting), but that was before I discovered zucchini patties!

Zucchini Patties

2 cups grated zucchini

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

salt to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, combine the zucchini, eggs, onion, flour, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and salt. Stir well enough to distribute ingredients evenly. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop zucchini mixture by heaping tablespoonfuls, and cook for a few minutes on each side until golden.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Casserole

This casserole dish is a newer recipe that is fast becoming a family favorite!

1 package frozen cheese tortellini

1 Tablespoon oil

2 cups chicken, cut up into bite size pieces

3 green onions finely chopped

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup chicken broth

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

3/4 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the chicken for 1-2 minutes and add the fresh mushrooms and green onions, cooking until chicken is done and mushrooms are golden brown. Sprinkle flour over mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir until thickened. Mix in sour cream until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened.

Pour tortellini in bottom of a greased 9" x 13" pan. Sprinkle half the cheese over tortellini and pour the chicken/sauce mixture on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Bake covered at 350 for 30 minutes, uncover and bake for additional 15 minutes until bubbly and golden brown around the edges.

Crock-Pot Almost Minestrone

This is one of those "dump" recipes that changes a little each time I make it. Use this recipe as a base and use what veggies you have on hand, add kidney beans or spinach, substitute ground turkey for the ground beef or leave the meat out altogether...whatever you like!

1/2 pound lean ground beef

3 carrots, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper, to taste

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (32 ounce) can beef broth

3/4 cup elbow macaroni

In a large saucepan, cook ground beef until well done. Drain the ground beef and put into crock-pot. Add carrots, zucchini, garlic, onion and celery. Season with basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes with juice and beef broth. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add the macaroni and turn crock-pot to high 30 minutes before serving, stirring occasionally.

Red Beans & Rice with Smoked Keilbasa

1 package Keilbasa (I use Hillshire Farm)

3 cans Goya Red Beans

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 large red onion, chopped

1 large bell pepper, I use yellow or red

2 cups Jasmine Rice, cooked as directed

In large skillet, saute cut up Keilbasa in small rounds, onions and peppers in mmoderate amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic last so it doesn't burn. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking. Add red beans when well heated, cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 20 minutes. Prepare rice as directed. Serve Beans and Keilbasa over rice.

Stanley's Stew

This recipe was made famous by my best friends Grandfather who lived in the great state of Alabama. In the old gardening and canning days, all of these ingredients were fresh but since passed down over the ages, has been revised to good old canned substitutes. Thanks Grandean!

1 can Castleberry BBQ Pork

1 can Castleberry BBQ Beef

1 can Sweet Sue BBQ Chicken

1 16 oz can white cream style corn

4 cubed and cooked,drained, potatoes

1 can tomatoes

1 large onion, sauted

Season with a little ketchup, worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and tabasco to taste. Simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes. Double if serving more than yourself, you will be glad you did! Refer back to my bread recipes page for some old fashioned skillet cornbread to top this stew off.

Quick Chicken Casserole

1 package Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing

1 stick butter, melted

one whole chicken washed and cut up, make sure pieces are cut small

2 cups organic chicken broth

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix melted butter and stuffing, spread in bottom of 9 x 13 casserole dish. Spread chicken over stuffing. Take soups and broth, mix well and heat on stove, stirring until well blended. Pour over chicken. Bake at 300 degrees for about 45 minutes.

California Chili

1 whole chicken, cooked and picked off bone, discard bone. Reserve broth.

1 large onion 2 cloves fresh garlic

one bottle chili sauce

1 large bell pepper

1 Jalapeno pepper finely chopped (may omit if you do not want too spicy or use 1/2)

4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped

tabasco sauce a few drops to taste

1 package red beans, cooked and drained (you can substitute for 2 - 3 cans Goya small red beans)

Cook chicken, set aside.

Cook red beans, drain and set aside.

Saute onions, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, tabasco sauce and tomatoes, cook on medium heat until tomatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes. Add chicken and red beans. Add about 2 cups of reserved chicken broth. For thicker chili reduce amount of chicken broth and for more soupy chili you may increase chicken broth. This recipe is delicious.

The Best Shrimp Scampi

2 lbs. large unpeeled shrimp (about 48)

4 tbsp butter

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

8 cloves fresh garlic, crushed

1/2 cup dry white wine (choose something you would drink)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp course salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Paprika

6 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta

Peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. Starting at tail end, butterfly underside of shrimp, cutting to but not through, back of shrimp. Arrange shrimp, cut sides up in shallow casserole dish, sprayed with non stick cooking spray, set aside.

Melt margarine in skillet over medium heat, careful not to allow to burn. Add bell pepper and garlic, saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in wine, parsley, lemon juice, salt and papper. Spoon wine mixture evenly over shrimp, sprinkle with a little more course salt and paprika, broil for 6 minutes or until shrimp is done. Serve over angel hair. Makes about 8 servings.

Rutabaga and Potatoes

1 medium rutabaga, peeled and diced

3 medium potaotes, peeled and diced

Cook until tender, drain and whip until smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste, half & half, add enough

to mix and 3 tbsp. butter. Cream until smooth and creamy.

Serve hot.