Loving Farmer's Market Produce

I love Living Next To a Farmer that Grows Produce for Weekly Farmers Markets.  I just stop in and buy right before he takes his load to the Wednesday and Saturday Market.  Today I picked up Eggplant, Colorful yellow and Red Tomatoes, several kinds of peppers, a Sugar baby watermelon, cucumbers, and a few mini pumpkins and gourds...

Tonight's dinner is a simple layered casserole full of fresh summer produce.

Already to go in the oven

Garden Casserole: Eggplant, Tomato, and Rice Casserole

4 large ripe tomatoes
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 large eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt, to taste, plus 1/2 tsp
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
fresh black pepper to taste
3 cups cooked rice- add a little butter to it after it cooks
1 cup mozzarella cheese sliced
Grated Asiago Cheese to cover

Preheat oven to 375

coarsely chop enough tomatoes to make 3 cups.  Thinly Slice the remaining whole tomatoes

Heat Coconut  oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the eggplant, onion, and salt to taste.
cover and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the chopped tomatoes, basil, oregano, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.  Cover and Cook until the mixture is saucy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Oil a casserole dish. Spread half of the eggplant mixture on the bottom.  Cover with half of the rice, the remaining eggplant, and the remaining rice.  Lay the tomato slices on the rice.  Sprinkle the top with a little minced garlic and shredded fresh basil if desired.  layer the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle the grated asiago cheese over the top of the casserole.  Bake for 40 minutes, or until heated through.

Makes 6 Servings.

Johnny Mazetti: A Casserole from a vintage cookbook

We had this homey casserole dish for dinner last night- kind of like spaghetti or Lasagna.. I found the recipe in a 1965 cookbook from Hastings Nebraska called Daughters of the Nile.

What is the Dish Johnny Marzetti, I wondered?


Wikipedia says this:


Johnny Marzetti is a baked pasta dish, or casserole, consisting of noodles, tomato sauce, ground beef, and cheese. Other ingredients and seasonings may be added to adjust the taste. The dish originated in Columbus, Ohio, at the Marzetti restaurant, and spread to other parts of the United States as variations of the recipe were published in magazines and cookbooks during the mid-20th century. The dish is still served in Ohio, especially at social gatherings and in school lunchrooms.

Johnny Marzetti also gained a great deal of popularity in the Panama Canal Zone, where it was served at social occasions and on holidays since at least the early WWII era. The Canal Zone version of the dish typically includes celery and green olives, and is almost always spelled "Johnny Mazetti" by Zonians. The importance of Johnny Mazetti to the culture of the Canal Zone was such that most Zonians are unaware of the origin of the dish and are surprised to learn that it did not originate there.


Johnny mazetti

1/2 pound chopped onion
1/2 pound chopped green peppers
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 cup diced celery
2 pounds ground beef
1 can tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
salt, pepper, and favorite herbs
1 can spaghetti sauce
1 can mushrooms
1 small jar stuffed green olives
1/4 pound grated yellow cheese
1 pkg wide noodles


Fry onions, peppers, celery and garlic in oil. Then add and fry ground beef and seasonings. Add sauces and tomatoes, mushrooms and diced olives. Simmer 15 minutes. Add cooked noodles. Mix. Put in a large flat pan and cover with grated cheese. Bake in a slow oven 30 minutes.

Recipes to Try

Carrot Casserole
2 quart casserole
2 lbs. of baby carrots
1 bell pepper [any color]
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1/3 cup Ranch dressing
2 Cups Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
Croutons - enough to make at least ½ cup after being finely mashed
**Grease casserole with margarine
**Boil baby carrots in water until tender
**Dice pepper into ¼” pieces
**Combine mashed croutons in sauce pan with enough melted margarine to evenly coat
the croutons
**Beat the Cream of Celery soup until smooth; stir in Ranch dressing until the mixture is
combined uniformly
Layer ½ of the ingredients into the casserole in the following order and then repeat:
1] Carrots
2] Diced pepper
3] Soup/dressing mixture
4] Cheddar Cheese
Finally cover with the crumbled croutons.
Bake at 350 F for 25 minutes
Optional
I usually make a ‘star’ centered on top of the croutons with 5 smaller baby carrots and 5
strips of pepper cut the same size with one pointed end. I’ve also used 2 different
colors of peppers [½ of each] and then used both colors to make the ‘star’. I add
enough Ranch dressing to fill the center of the star and finally sprinkle a little shredded
cheddar cheese over the center.




SEVEN LAYER MAGIC BARS
(Makes 24 to 36 bars)
(Prep Time 10 minutes)
½ cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)
1 cup (6 ozs.) butterscotch flavored chips
1 cup (6 ozs.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1. Preheat oven to 350o (325o for glass dish). In 13x9 inch baking pan, melt butter in
oven.
2. Sprinkle crumbs over butter; pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over crumbs.
Top with remaining ingredients in order listed; press down firmly.
3. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Chill if desired. Cut into bars.
Store covered at room temperature.
TIP – For perfectly cut cookie bars:
Line entire pan (including sides) with a sheet of aluminum foil first. When bars are
baked, cool; lift up edges of foil to remove from pan. Cut into individual squares. Lift off
of foil.


Mexican Veggie Dip
2 - 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained.
1 - 14-1/2 oz. can diced Mexican tomatoes
1 - 11 oz. can vacuum-packed corn kernels (I like to use white shoe peg corn)
1 - Bunch of green onions, chopped
Add chopped fresh cilantro. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup - I use much more than that.
3 - Tablespoons red wine vinegar
Hot pepper sauce to taste
In bowl, toss all ingredients. Cover and refrigerate several hours to blend flavors. Serve
with tortilla chips and sour cream if desired.


These recipes are from members of the hosta club