Cooking Trout Outdoors over the Fire

Now this was tasty!!!!  What could be better than cooking freshly caught fish on an outdoor fire in the backyard on a nice spring day?

Look what my hubby caught!

Can you believe it?  My husband showed up at the front door with this huge Trout in his hands.  I was floored.  How awesome is this...  I am so proud of him.  And what a perfect idea for a Real Women of Philadelphia entree entry.  This one is going to be exciting... I'm thinking "outdoor cooking"

Traditional French Canadian Tourtiere (Meat Pie)

This recipe is special for me.  My meme passed this secret tourtiere recipe down to my mother and my mother to me.  Was the recipe in the family longer than this?  I'm not sure.  I decided to share this very special recipe with you and the rest of the contestants on the Real Women of Philadelphia contest even though I was told the recipe was a secret.  I have to think now that if my meme were alive today, she would be so pleased to see me on "tv" sharing her special recipe with the world.  Especially now when so many young women haven't had the great fortune of being shown how to cook or simply would rather rely on pre-packaged foods.  I have to believe that she would rather her recipe be shared and loved by all.

If you have the opportunity to try this recipe, I hope it becomes one of your hand-me down treasures :)

Danielle :)

The tasty zucchini shines in this Zucchini Bake

I've got great news for you.  If you're a big fan of zucchini like me you will love this dish.  I've your not a big fan of zucchini like some people I know, you will still love this dish.  I use 3 lbs of zucchini but you can't even tell its in the dish.  Incredible!!!  Eat is as a side to chicken or steak.  Or, you could even eat it for breakfast with pancakes and bacon.  It freezes great so you can definitely make it ahead if you're having company over for the weekend.  Check out the recipe and let me know how you like it...

Squash Cup Heaven

I LOVE these squash cups.  Here is how you make them:

• 1 pound(s) of Shrimp (cleaned/ deveined)
• 1 cup(s) of Bread Crumbs
• 1/2 cup(s) of PHILADELPHIA RED PEPPER CREAM CHEESE
• 1 cup(s) of Asiago Cheese
• 4 Green Onion (chopped)
• 1/2 cup(s) of Butter
• 100 g Prosciutto (chopped)
• 2 Cloves of Garlic (minced or pressed)
• 1 pinch of Paprika
• 3 Squash (butternut and buttercup preferred)
• 1 large Onion

Steps

1. Slice the squash in half and remove seeds. Add sliced squash, face down in a shallow cooking dish with 1 inch of water and bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes (until soft)
2. Drain water from baking dish. Scoop cooked squash out of shells and place in a  bowl and set aside. Keep the shells intact and reserve for later.
3. Chop the cooking onions, green onions, shrimp and prosciutto and set each     aside.
4. Melt butter in large pot over medium heat.
5. Add in cooking onion and prosciutto and cook for approx 2 - 3 minutes.
6. Add garlic, shrimp, squash, green onions, asiago cheese and PHILADELPHIA RED PEPPER CREAM CHEESE and 3/4 of a cup of bread crumbs (reserve the remainder   of bread crumbs for later). Cook 10 - 15 minutes (stirring often)
7. Once the mixture is cooked, spoon mixture into squash shells.
8. Top mixture with remaining bread crumbs and sprinkle with paprika.
9. Bake shells on a tin sheet for approx 10 - 15 minutes (until brown) at 375      degrees.
10. NOTE: If mixture in shells are not brown (to your liking) then broil for approx           1 - 2 minutes.
11. Salt & pepper to taste
12. Enjoy!

My first side dish entry :)

This recipe is so delicious.... And it's super quick and easy to make.  I'm training right now to run a marathon this fall with a few of my running buddies.  I ended up inviting them over for dinner and wine after we trained the other night.  Well I didn't have anything planned... PANIC!!! Luckily for me I had some asparagus and prosciutto on hand and a variety of Philly cream cheese.  I steamed up the asparagus, sprinkled them with italian spices, spread them with cream cheese and then wrapped them with the prosciutto.  They made a perfect companion to hamburgers and hotdogs.  For the detailed recipe check out my Real Women of Philadelphia recipe.

Monte - Right at home in the kitchen :)