What's for Dinner? ~ Thursday June 28th

[Lucinda]

?

[Iwillnevergiveup]

1. Something healthy to celebrate

the ACA! Will hit the farmer's market nearby later in the day to find some fresh, delicious items.

[cbayer]

2. Celebratory dinner at the restaurant!

Big day for my better half and the ACA decision has made me very happy!

How are you, Lucinda?

[yellerpup]

3. Burgers and potato salad.

Coconut mojitos for dessert! (Just made a fresh batch of mint simple syrup)

[livetohike]

5. Oooooh, coconut mojitos

yum!

[yellerpup]

6. Coconut mojito is my favorite cocktail this year.

It was my favorite cocktail last year, too. A bartender gave me the tip about making the mint simple syrup and it makes for a smooth, well blended drink. I also crush the leaves after they've been dried crispy and pulverize them with some raw sugar to coat the rim of the glasses and pop a fresh mint leaf in for garnish. Anytime you're in the neighborhood, drop by and I'll mix one for you!

[livetohike]

12. Thank you! I would love it

[yellerpup]

15. So would I.

[livetohike]

4. I'm trying a new recipe an Eggplant Casserole with ricotta cheese, pan fried spinach and an

artichoke/roasted red pepper salad . I bought some locally grown rhubarb at the store this morning. Maybe I'll bake a pie too.

[cbayer]

7. I made an eggplant lasagna with polenta a while back

and it was incredibly good.

Mmmmmm.... eggplant

Mmmmmm....polenta

[livetohike]

11. Recipe please, when you get time

That sounds delicious. My husband calls me the "Corn Queen" - mmmmm polenta .

[cbayer]

14. Here you go!

Enjoy.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Eggplant-Polenta-Stacks-with-Tomato-Sauce-3070

[livetohike]

18. Thanks! Printed this and

will make it soon

[Arkansas Granny]

8. I made lunch at work today. The boss had brought in a couple of huge zucchini so

I made stuffed zucchini using some venison that we had in the freezer. It really surprised a few of the guys who had never had it before. It was all eaten (except for a little bit that I brought home for supper).

[cbayer]

9. If you get a moment, could you post a recipe for this?

I am trying hard to like zucchini. It's abundant and inexpensive.

I liked it in the quesadillas I had the other day and it's ok raw, but I mostly find it too soft and too watery.

Thanks in advance.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I didn't really use a recipe. I browned the meat with some onion and some banana peppers

that the boss brought in with the zucchini (he raises a garden). Then I mixed in some diced canned tomatoes, bread crumbs and some herbs until it had a taste that I liked and wasn't too wet. I cut the zuchs in half lengthwise and scooped out the seeds, filled them with the stuffing (mound it up), covered them with foil and baked at 350F for about 45 minutes. Then I uncovered them and topped them with some grated parmesan and stuck them back in the oven for a few more minutes.

You could tweak the ingredients any way you wanted to. Any recipe you could use for stuffed peppers could be used for the squash.

[cbayer]

13. That sounds great and I bet the removal of the seeds would

totally change the things I don't like about it.

Thanks!

[GoCubsGo]

17. Get the little "baby" ones.

Zucchini that are around 6" long or so have small seeds. You don't even notice them, because they're really soft. Of course, they're not good for stuffing. On the other hand, the smaller ones are great for sauteing. Just shave them into big strips with a vegetable peeler, and saute them in some olive oil with some chopped garlic. Toss in some chopped walnuts and basil, if you have them, and top with your favorite sharp Italian cheese, such as Romano. It makes a nice side dish, and it's also good over pasta. You can substitute or mix in yellow squash.

[GoCubsGo]

16. Salad.

I had some lettuce that needed eating.

[pscot]

19. breaded chicken cutlets

fried potatoes and ratatouille.