Classic Events By Kris: Summer Cookin'

I don't know about everyone else but our vegetable garden has been growing like crazy this year!

We came home from a relaxing week in Outer Banks the week of July 4th to a small jungle. I immediately had to come up with lots of recipes for all these delicious veggies! Here are some of my favorites from the season so far:

Warm Berry Sauce

Not using my garden veggies, but still one of my favorites of the summer. I made this for my husband and father-in-law one night for dessert. I saw the recipe in Cooking Light over Greek Yogurt but I am more of a fan of ice cream than yogurt so ended up pouring it over chocolate chip ice cream and it was amazing!

Ingredients:

1 small container of fresh raspberries

1 small container of fresh blueberries

1 small container of fresh blackberries

1/2th cup water

1/4th cup sugar

Juice of 1/2th of lemon

1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Combine the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; gently boil 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in butter. Spoon over yogurt or ice cream. You can freeze and use at a later time too!

Summer Veggie Quiche

I NEVER make quiche. My friend Melissa is a well known, delish quiche-maker. But when my brother-in-law's family came into town, I attempted my own version of this tomato and zucchini quiche from Barbara Bakes for a family brunch. I didn't even get a chance to take a photo so they must have enjoyed it!

I ended up using the pre-made crust which was much easier and still delicious! Mix up shredded zucchini (about 1/2th cup), cheddar & mozzarella cheese (1/2th cup total), salt, pepper, chopped basil, skim milk (1/4th cup), half/half (1/4th cup), fried bacon (4-5 slices, chopped) and scrambled eggs (4-5 eggs). Remember to salt the zucchini and tomatoes before you start so they dry out. Pour egg mixture into the pre-made crust and top with more cheese and sliced tomatoes. Bake at 425 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, might take longer depending on the moisture in your veggies.

Stuffed Zucchini

With so many zucchini growing in the garden, I had to try this recipe from Kayotic Kitchen! I made it a little differently though...

I ended up sauteing chopped mushrooms, sausage, tomatoes, onions and peppers then adding the mixture to the hollowed out zucchinis. Topped them with cheddar cheese and baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. I would recommend hollowing out your zucchinis and using some of the insides in your mixture like they did in the recipe. So delicious & low carb for bikini season!

Refrigerator Pickles

As you can see, I rarely follow a recipe that I find and am always adding my own twist but this recipe from Our Best Bites was perfect. Very easy to follow and simple process for making pickles! I did add a sliced jalapeno to a couple of the jars for extra spice, just couldn't resist...

Tomatoes will be in full force in about a week so I'm planning on trying these two recipes very soon:

Basil Pasta with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes