1-2-3-4 Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies are a breeze to make. They have no flour in them and you won't miss it. They are called 1-2-3-4 peanut butter cookies because they only have 4 ingredients.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 Celsius
You will need 2 or 3 cookie sheets, ungreased.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

In a mixing bowl, stir everything together until smooth.
Drop by teaspoon or small size cookie scoop onto the cookie sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes or until set.
After taking out of oven, let stand on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing.

As soon as they appear set, take them out. If they are in the oven too long they will end up dry and get very crunchy/crumbly after they cool.

I made these with the peanut butter I made.
It will work with creamy or chunky peanut butter.

Makes between 3 and 4 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Homemade Peanut Butter

Making your own peanut butter is super simple. It takes almost no time to do.

You will need a food processor.

Ingredients:

16 oz. dry roasted unsalted peanuts
1/2 teaspoon salt- optional. Use up to 1 teaspoon if you like a saltier peanut butter

Add the peanuts to the bowl of a food processor. Sprinkle with the salt.
Put the cover on and turn the processor on.
In just a couple minutes the peanuts will go from chopped to butter.
When it is starting to turn to butter, it will ball up.
At this point, you may need to put your hand over the shoot cover because the ball could start to push it up.
After it has turned to butter, remove the cover and test to see if it is as smooth as you like.
You also may need to scrape the sides to get all the nutty crumbs into the bowl.
Turn on again if needed and check it after another couple minutes.

Scrape into a bowl and refrigerate. This will make 16 oz. of peanut butter.

For variety, you could use honey roasted peanuts or any variety of seasoned nuts.
If you use seasoned of any kind, you will not need the salt.

Enjoy!

Broccoli Salad

This is a great way to use broccoli. It has a variety of tastes and textures that compliment each other in a way that may surprise you.

You will need a large bowl.

Ingredients:

SALAD
2 heads of fresh broccoli, cut up into bite size pieces. DO NOT cook!
1 small red onion, chopped
4 to 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped cashews- salted or unsalted

DRESSING
1 cup mayonaise
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar

Combine all the salad ingredients in your large bowl.
In another bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Start off with the lesser amount of sugar and add more if it is not sweet enough for you.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and mix well to coat.
Refrigerate until chilled.

Serve.
Enjoy!

Serves 6 to 8.

You can use the broccoli stems. Some people don't like them because are a little tougher.
To get rid of the toughness, peel the stem pieces with a vegetable peeler.

Fried Green Tomatoes

I love fried green tomatoes. They are really simple to make.
When it comes to this dish, either people really love them or they really hate them.

My mom used to say they were an acquired taste. I am not sure I agree with that.
I will say that it really isn't a taste most young children like.

The tomato is a bit tart, but the coating and frying just makes it yummy.

You will need a large skillet.
You will still need to cook in batches unless you have a big electric skillet.

Ingredients:

2-3 green tomatoes, sliced into slices 1/4" or less
1/2 cup flour, cornmeal, or a mixture of flour and ground flax seed
salt
pepper
4 Tbs. butter for frying. Or you can substitute cooking oil.

Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat.
While the pan is heating up, dip eat slice of tomato into the flour. Turn to make sure both sides are coated well.
One by one, add the tomatoes slices and season well with the salt and pepper.
Cook for a few minutes, flip the slices over, and season again with salt and pepper.
Cook another few minutes.
You may need to turn the heat down so the coating won't burn.
To see if they are done, you can poke one slice with a fork.
They will be tender when done.
Remove to a paper towel covered plate.
Serve.

This will make enough for 4 people depending on the size of tomato and how thickly they were sliced.
The thinner the slice, the faster the cooking time

Enjoy!

Breaded Zucchini

Zucchini is a staple in many people's homes during the summer. You can do so many things with it.
Breaded zucchini is  really simple and really tasty.

You will need a large frying pan.
You will need a large shallow container with a tight fitting lid, like tupperware or rubbermaid.
You will also need a bowl for mixing.

Ingredients:

2 small or 1 medium-small zucchini
1 egg
2 Tablespoons water
2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1 cup flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, for frying

Beat the egg, water, and seasoning salt in a bowl large enough to fit the sliced zucchini into.
Wash and trim ends off the zucchini. Slice into 1/4"( or a little less) rounds.
Add the zucchini to the egg mixture and stir well.
Let the zucchini marinate in the egg mixture for 15 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Put the flour into the large, shallow container.
One by one toss the zucchini slices into the flour.
Cover the container and shake well to coat the zucchini with flour.
You may need to do this in batches if you don't have a large enough container to spread the zucchini out.
Heat a large frying pan and add 1/4 cup butter.
Add the zucchini slices and fry until golden brown. Turn over and fry the other side.
Drain on paper towels.
You may need to fry in batches and you may end up needing to use more butter.

Serves 3 to 4 people.

Soaking the zucchini in the seasoned egg mixture imparts more flavor to the zucchini than just dipping it into the mixture and than right into the flour.

Grilling With Frozen Vegetables

When it comes to grilling a meal, I like to put as much of the food on the grill as I can.
This includes vegetables.

I don't buy many vegetables. I grow them and freeze or can my bounty.
And eat a lot fresh too.

But, grilling time comes sooner than most garden veggies are ready.
But, you can impart some grilling flavor to your frozen vegetables and it's oh so tasty.

Heat your grill up.
In an oven proof pan, add a little water, your frozen vegetables, and whatever seasoning you want.
Leave the pan lid off.

Put the pan on the grill for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You will want to cover the grill so the vegetables get that nice smoky flavor.

This will work with charcoal as well as gas grills.
The charcoal may give it more of a smoky flavor.

Happy grilling!

Cilantro Pesto

There are many different ways of making cilantro pesto. Some call for hot peppers or cheese and some don't. They are all simple to make and tasty.
This pesto is great served over pasta or with chicken or shrimp.

You will need a food processor or blender.

Ingredients:

2 cups tightly packed Cilantro leaves
1 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 heaping cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tablespoons lime juice(juice of 1 lime)
1/2 cup olive oil

Combine the cilantro, garlic cloves,Parmesan cheese, and lime juice in the container of food processor or blender.
Put on the cover, but leave the chute open or the middle of lid off.
Turn on the food processor and slowly add the olive oil through the opening.
Run the food processor until everything is well incorporated.

Remove to a bowl and serve. Makes 1 to 2 cups cilantro pesto.

Enjoy!

One bunch will give you about 3/4 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves.