Squash & Fetta Fritters

Squash & Feta Fritters

Hello hello! This post is going to be short and sweet just like this amazing recipe.

I had some left over yellow squash and could not think of what to do with it. I tend to saute it and add it into pasta, rice, or couscous. But I wanted to think outside the box.

So I went to straight to the all knowing  and did my research. I googled it. I typed in yellow squash recipes and found a few recipes that used them to make pancakes, latkes, fritters, patties, whatever you want to call them. I think they sound more appetizing when they are called fritters. Wouldn't you be more intrigued by a fritter as opposed to a patty? I think so.

Well these fritters are light and healthy and go great with a yogurt dipping sauce, over lettuce, or just as they are. I dove right in and ate about 3 just on their own. DELISH!

Great for a snack or with a meal and they literally take no time at all. Go ahead and maybe add some zucchini and carrots too if you want some more veggies. You can change up the cheese as well, but I think the feta is perfect. I also thought maybe using panko breadcrumbs might be good too, to make it have a nice crisp texture.

Anyways, enjoy! :)

Squash and Feta Fritters

Makes 6-8 Fritters

Ingredients

•  2 small- medium yellow squash (or zucchini)
• 3/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• Zest & Juice of one Lemon
• 1 egg 

Directions

1. Grate zucchini into a bowl and squeeze out  the liquid with a strong paper towel or clean dish towel.
2. Add bread crumbs, feta and lemon zest and egg and mix well.
3. Make sure mixture is not too wet. If it is, add more bread crumbs. If it is too dry add another egg. Form patties and pan fry on medium until golden with 1 tbsp of olive oil or cooking spray. 

Vanilla Walnut Granola

Hello hello! Happy June everyone! I hope you are enjoying the weather and this time of year. Getting out and soaking up the sunshine and enjoying being outside!

Lately it seems every day I am off, the weather has been anything but enjoyable, so I've seen quite a bit of movies and gotten quite a bit of art projects started. However, recently I had off on a Saturday and was determined to enjoy it to the fullest! And that is exactly what I did.

Living at the shore is great and I could have easily enjoyed a beach day, but I have plenty of time for that. Instead I wanted to get out and enjoy nature and some beautiful scenery. So a hiking I went!

A few friends and I took a nice day trip to the Pocono's in Pennsylvania. It was an absolutely beautiful park filled with waterfalls and lots and lots of uphill climbing/hiking. It was such a great day!

My friend Morgan & I at the top!

Anyways, before we headed out I thought we would need some good grub to keep us energized for the day. What goes great with hiking? Granola does!

Yes you can go with the typical trail mix but this has way more flavor and is easy to travel with.

Its nice and sweet but not too sweet and has a deep vanilla flavor which makes it hard to put down.

Granola is actually extremely simple to make and lasts for a while, so why not go ahead and make your own and leave out all the added preservatives and fake flavorings.

This recipe is nice and simple and can be adjusted to your liking. Don't like walnuts? Use almonds, cashews, or peanuts. Or don't use any. Its up to you. You can also add anything you normal enjoy in granola.

This recipe makes quite a bit, so throw it on yogurt, over milk, or just keep snacking on it :)!

Vanilla Walnut Granola
Ingredients

• 4 cups oats
• 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 c. canola oil
• 1 c. honey
• 3 Tbsp. vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300-degrees.
2. Combine oats, walnuts, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
3. In a saucepan combine oil, honey, and vanilla and bring to a boil.
4. Continue to boil for one minute then pour over oat mixture.
5. Mix  well, until all ingredients are moistened.
6. Spread mixture on a large cookie sheet (you may need two sheets). 
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring several times, flipping the granola.
8. Remove from oven and cool for several minutes until the granola hardens slightly.
9. Break up granola and store in large Ziploc bags or containers.
10. Serve plain, with yogurt, or with milk.
11. Enjoy!

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Honey Lemon Loaf Cake

with lemon glaze

Hello hello! How did everyone enjoy their Memorial Day weekend?! Hopefully it was filled with good company, good weather, and of course good food! I made this cake this week and though it was just the perfect summer cake and would have been perfect for a Memorial Day BBQ.

I  don't know about you but I am a HUGE fan of anything lemon. It surprises me how many people do not like lemon. I could eat gallons of lemon water ice, a ton of lemon bars, lemon cookies, lemon chicken, and slurp glass after glass of lemonade. So for me this cake is absolutely perfect! And for those of you who aren't too thrilled about anything lemon I recommend trying this cake. It's not a super strong lemon flavor. 

This cake is super light with a sweet yet slightly tart flavor.

  

Honey Lemon Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• Zest of 1 full lemon

For the Glaze

• Juice of 1 full lemon
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray a 9in loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges. This will make it easier to remove from the pan. 
3. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together the honey, sugar, butter and eggs.
5. Add the milk and lemon zest then mix further.
6. Add the flour mixture and blend it until it's just combined.
7. Pour it into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
8. Bake it for 30 – 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is a golden brown. It will bake much quicker on the top and edges and look finished but check the middle with a toothpick to be sure. 

To Make the Glaze

1. In a small bowl whisk together the reserved lemon juice, honey and powdered sugar.
2. With a spoon drizzle the glaze over top of the warm cake and let it soak in for 10 – 15 minutes.

Using the parchment paper overhang lift the cake out of the pan and let it cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing it. Enjoy!