Recipe: Zucchini Carrot Bake

You will need: 

2 zucchini, shredded

1 carrot, shredded

2 large cauliflower florets, shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1/2 cup marinara sauce, divided

1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

2 eggs

What to do:

Spray an 8x8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray or lightly oil. Add shredded zucchini to a dish cloth and squeeze as much water out as possible.

In a large bowl combine, shredded zucchini, shredded cauliflower, shredded carrots, green onion, 1 TBSP of shredded cheddar cheese, 1 TBSP marinara sauce, salt, pepper and eggs until well mixed. Press into the bottom of the baking dish and bake on 400 for 30 minutes. 

Add remaining marinara sauce and cheese to the top of the baked vegetables and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. 

You guys, this was so good. I couldn't find a recipe online that had everything that I wanted so I made my own. That's right, this is a Mary original. 

Recipe: Baked Vanilla Custard

You'll Need: 

2 ½ cups whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 large eggs + 1 Extra Egg yolk

¼ cup sugar

A Sprinkle of ground Nutmeg

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a pan with 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk. Heat just until warm, add vanilla extract after milk is heated.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and sugar. Pour in vanilla-infused milk, whisking until smooth. Strain mixture into a bowl and slowly pour mixture into Ramekins. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Place Ramekins in a large shallow baking dish, and fill baking pan with boiling water to come halfway up side of Ramekins. Place in oven and bake until custard is set, about 45 minutes. Remove baking pan from oven, and transfer Ramekins to a rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve while slightly warm, or if you prefer, cold. I like mine cold so I put them in the refrigerator for 2 hours before eating.

You can change up this recipe if you like it more sweet, just add a little more sugar. If you want to add a different flavor, add it to the mixture before pouring into the ramekins. I've been making this recipe for about 10 years. I bought my first set of ramekins so I could make this custard and it's a great treat that only take about an hour to make. 

Tip: You'll know the custard is set if you stick a butter knife into the center of it and it comes out clean, just like testing to see if a cake is done. 

Have you ever made homemade custard? Do you like custard?

My Split Pea Soup Recipe

So I start my split pea soup with a frozen ham bone. If I make a large ham I will freeze the ham bone with enough ham on it for a pot of soup. If you want a vegetarian version you can omit this step. I fill my large pot with water and boil the ham bone for an hour. 

Take the ham bone out, let cool and take all the meat off the bone. It should fall right off. I diced the ham and added it back to the pot of water. 

Next, chop up 1 large onion and 4 large carrots. 

Add enough water to the pot so that it is completely full and then add the vegetables and ham back into the pot. The water will evaporate as the pea soup cooks. Next take a bag of peas and place them in a colander and rinse them off and then add them to the pot of water. 

After about an hour it will take on a green hue. I simmered mine for 4 hours. I kept adding water because the water kept evaporating and I wanted it thick but not so thick that I could stand a spoon up in. 

After 4 hours of simmering, about half of the water had evaporated and it looked like this. My hubby loves when I make this and it's really easy. 

Recipe: Seafood Salad

I make my salad in the biggest lidded pot that I have because I like to have leftovers. I started with 4 large tomatos and 2 large cucumbers and diced them. 

Then I diced 1/2 a head of lettuce and put that in the pot. 

I then added 2lbs of cooked shrimp.

I also added 2 large diced avocados. To make it easier to slice them just cut in half, take out the seed and slice in a checkerboard pattern while still in the skin. Then just scoop out with a spoon. 

I also added 2 cans of crab meat- drained first. 

And lastly I added 8oz of imitation crab meat. I love this stuff. Just dice into chunks and add it to the pot.

Mix it all together and put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. I like to make this when I want something light to eat and I always make enough so that we have some for lunch or snacks the next day. It's so tasty by itself that I don't even add salad dressing to it.