Living off the Land & Dining In

... Ok Monday, let's do this... 

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"It's fun to get together and have something good to eat at least once a day.  That's what human life is all about... enjoying things." - Julia Child

My first produce came in (& my thumb is NOT green, so this is exciting!)

So I decided to use it in my dinner dish & write about it, duh.

On the menu?

Fresh Sauteed Zucchini 

Roasted Corn w/ Goat Cheese

Farmer's Market Strawberries

Foodies Pinot Noir 

Leftover crock-pot pork tenderloin (I can't waste a good leftover!)

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Sautéed Zucchini 

1 large zucchini

Olive Oil

Stubb's Liquid Smoke

Original Allegro Marinade 

S & P to taste

Side dish 1.

Using just one of my zucchini (was plenty for me, but you may want to use 2, depending on your dinner crowd) I washed, cut in 2 length wise,  & chopped into small semi-circle pieces.  Place in a bowl, pour in the OO, marinade, liquid smoke, and S &P and let sit/soak for about 30 mins in the fridge.

Saute on medium to high heat until the zucchini is tender, I'd say around 15-20 minutes (or however long, you can't burn these.  Just make sure to turn the heat down to low/medium)

My secret ingredient.  Stubb's Hickory Liquid Smoke.  For that grilled smokey flavor minus the grill!  Must try!

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Liquid Smoke aka My Secret Ingredient 

Side dish 2.

My corn was easy & ridiculously delicious.  I found a recipe in this month's Cooking Light Magazine & put my own spin on it.

So simple. 

Warm butter in a saute pan on medium/high heat.  Throw in the corn, garlic, S & P, herb & sea salt blend and saute for about 10-15 minutes (or longer, again, you can't burn this!)  Toss in the goat cheese & parsley and stir until the cheese is slightly melted.... & done.  Enjoy!

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Roasted corn w/ Goat Cheese

1 can corn kernels (or fresh, whichever)

1 clove garlic

Butter

S & P (to taste)

Herb & Sea Salt Blend (found mine at Homegoods)

Four Pepper Goat Cheese

Parsley for garnish

The goat cheese that I used was from Trader Joe's.  They came in a set of 3 (& only $4!): Mixed Herb, Plain, & Four Pepper.  I used the four pepper to add a little bit more of a kick, which wasn't much of a kick at all, perfect amount! 

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"Cooking is love made edible." --Michael Mullan

It is ideal to have a cold dish with every Summer meal, so I finished up my fresh strawberries from the farmer's market.   Just rinse, remove the caps, cut in half & sprinkle a dash of sugar, delish! 

Can't seem to eat your strawberries fast enough?  Check out this cool trick from The Krazy Coupon Lady on how to make your strawberries last longer with just H2O & vinegar. This will be used in my future! 

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... eat good feel good... 


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"I love to cook with wine.  Sometimes I even add it to the food." 

I guess I can now say I'm somewhat "living off the land", this is exciting!  Let's see if the rest of my garden grows...

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well." - Virginia Woolf

... happy Monday & happy cooking.... 

xo

-W

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