Layered Zucchini Rice Casserole

When my garden is in full 

production mode, I have ample

amounts of zucchini!

That's when I start to get creative.

You know....."sneak" it into cakes,

salad's and soups.

I have friends who make squash

 casserole's. I really like them too, it's 

just that I happen to live with (2)

VERY picky eaters...ok sometimes I

make it (3)..but who's counting?!

What ever I make has to "mask" that I

usually chose the lighter  fat free version 

of ingredients. Plus whole grain vs white....

the list goes on.

While I know My daughter likes squash

my husband does not. My daughter doesn't

 like onions, or tomatoes. And neither are

big fans of Brown rice....that was the

obstacle, I was facing.

Well...I am THRILLED to say 

both enjoyed this dish! I even

had some taste testers give me

feedback saying they weren't huge fans

of squash, but they loved this dish.

You and your family be the judge.

Layered Zucchini Rice Casserole

2 Med. Zucchini~ peeled/sliced

2 med. Yellow Summer Squash~peeled/sliced

1/2 tsp. Onion powder

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

Salt/ pepper to taste

2 C. Cooked Brown Rice

4 C. Light Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

2 C. Fat Free Sour Cream

1/4 C. Diced White Onion

1 (14oz.) Mild Rotel Tomato's with green chilies

I start by steaming the squash along with

the onion and garlic powder, salt/pepper 

until it is fork tender. Drain and set aside.

Place cooked rice into the bottom of a 

lightly greased 3 qt. baking dish.

In a bowl combine the sour cream, rotel

and onion together. Pour  half mixture over rice.

Sprinkle with half cheese. Layer the 

drained squash over cheese layer. 

Repeat with remaining sour cream layer

then top off with remaining cheese.

Cover with lid or foil, Bake at 350

for 30 minutes. Remove cover

bake another 10 minutes.

Let set 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy mixing things up,

Lark

The Winner is...

Today is the day that 

1 Lucky reader will find out they

have won their very own copy of

Gooseberry Patch's Newest

101 Cozy Casserole Cook Book!

THE WINNER IS.....
JOCELYN!
*Who said her favorite Casserole is a
Tator Tot Casserole!

~ You have 24 hrs. to reply with your shipping address.

Congratulations!

I just know you are going to LOVE it!

Gooseberry Patch knows how to make a

great looking cook book that is filled

with Homemade family pleasing recipes.

I would like to thank not only You the readers

but also the good people of Gooseberry Patch

for giving me the opportunity to

review their fine books!

~Lark

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple French Toast

With School just about to begin

I wanted to make something 

special for the "First Day back"...

However with my knee in a brace,

doctors orders to "stay down"...

I knew I would have to come up

with something to prepare ahead of time 

or it would be cold cereal.

My daughter loves French Toast,

and that got me to thinking

of one of my recipes I share 

around Holiday time.

I am sure you all have a "Overnight

French Toast Casserole" recipe

in your file as well.

Well I thought what if I made it

into a Slow Cooker friendly

recipe? ~ It was a HIT!

Here is what you will need:

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple French Toast

6 Eggland's Best Egg's~ beaten

2 C. Whole Milk

1 tsp. Cinnamon

2 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1/2 C. Brown Sugar~ divided

2 Apples~ Peeled & diced

1 Loaf of Day Old Bread~ cubed

Start by beating the eggs together with 

the milk, cinnamon and vanilla.

Place the cubed bread into a large

bowl. Pour egg mixture over bread,

toss to coat. Let sit and soak for 10 minutes.

Lightly spray your slow cooker dish

with Pam.

Place half of the soaked bread into the

bottom of the slow cooker.

Sprinkle 1 diced apple over bread.

Followed by 1/4 C. Brown Sugar sprinkled

over the apples. Repeat a second

layer with the remaining ingredients.

Cover and Bake on Low for 6 hours.

You will love the smell of this cooking

through out the night.

Then the next morning, just dish up

and serve with warm syrup and

powdered sugar.
**depending on how HOT your slow cooker cook's
you might need more milk. Also check on the 
cooking process...if it looks as if it doesnt need 
that much time to "cook", turn it off! I like to
remove the lid for the last half hour so the
top will harden a bit..not be soggy.**

The perfect morning,

Lark

Homemade Pickles

With all the fresh veggies that

are in season or coming out of

your own garden, there just isnt an excuse

to buy pickles when you can make your own!

If you dont have cucumbers on hand

you can use this recipe really for

ANY veggie you want to pickle.

You can double or triple this recipe to

give you a larger amount. I just happen to

only have a family of (3) so the 2 quarts

were the perfect size for us.

HOMEMADE REFRIGERATOR PICKLES

4 C. Water

1 TBSP. Fresh Garlic~minced

2 TBSP. Kosher Salt

4 tsp. Pickling Spice

2 C. White Vinegar

Fresh veggies~for 2 qts. I used 6 cucumbers

Start by bringing the water and minced

garlic to a rolling boil for 5 minutes.

Add in Salt and vinegar, return to

a boil until salt is dissolved.

Wash 2 quart jars, place 2 tsp. of

pickling spice into each jar.

Then add in your fresh veggies,

packing them in tightly.

You can cut  or use whole veggies.

Pour hot brine over veggies.

Let the jars cool to room temp.

before placing on lids.

I like to shake the spices up in the jar

every hour or so....you don have to do this step,

I just like to make sure it is all seasoned evenly.

These will gain flavor each day .

And will keep for up to 4 weeks.

You Reap what You sew,

Lark

Sweet Cream Dressing

This is a recipe I created for

a contest earlier in the Summer.

The "secret" ingredient in it I 

needed to use might surprise

you a little, once you taste this.

I wanted to make a dressing

that could be used in (2)

completely different ways.

For Salad's as well as

something you might want

to spread on a hot biscuit.

I am HAPPY to say I

did achieve those goals!  :)

Sweet Cream Dressing

1 C. Miracle Whip Spread ~"secret ingredient"

1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

1 1/2 C. Powdered Sugar~sifted

1 TBSP. Lime Juice

1 TBSP. Orange Juice

Zest of 1 Lime

Zest of 1 Fresh Orange

Sift powdered sugar into a sauce pan.

Next whisk together the heavy cream

and Miracle Whip, juices and lime zest.

Combine this to the powdered sugar

in the sauce pan, beat until smooth.

Heat over low/med. heat just until 

it becomes pouring consistency.

Now you can add this to a fresh 

fruit salad or serve along side

a basket of warm biscuits.

Don't forget to sprinkle the 

fresh orange zest over top

before serving.

Give it a try...

Lark

Gooseberry Patch Cook Book Review & Give Away!

I was thrilled when Gooseberry Patch

contacted me to see if I would do another

Cook Book Review and Give Away.!

Everyone knows I LOVE

Gooseberry Patch Cook Books

so much I Collect them!

When they told me the name of the

cook book I was even more excited...

101 Cozy Casseroles

I was raised on Casseroles!

As soon as I received the book

I had the hardest time choosing 

which recipe to make. 

They all sound and looked 

mouth watering.

One of the things I love about the

cook book, is that they have a 

photo with EVERY recipe.

I dont know about Y'all,

but I know I eat with my eye's first!

It always helps when you have an

idea of what the finished dish

should look like.  ;)

I decided to make the recipe  

 for the Cheesy Sausage-Potato Casserole.

Cheesy Sausage-Potato Casserole
3-4 Potato's ~ thinly sliced
1 lb. Kielbasa Pork Sausage~ sliced
1 Med. White Onion~ diced
1/2 C. Butter~sliced
1 C. Sharp Cheddar Cheese~ Shredded

Preheat oven to 350
In a 2 quart or 9x13 pan start
layering potato's, onion,  and sausage.

Dot with butter and sprinkle

with the shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hrs.

Or until potato's are tender.

** I did not have to bake mine for this

long.I would also recommend that you

DO cover the dish with foil for the

 first 40 minutes. Then remove foil and top 

with shredded cheese. 

This recipe was a bit dry for my taste,

so in the future I will add in more liquid.

Perhaps a 1/2 C.milk or cream and pepper.

The second recipe I made was the

Hearty Stuffed Pepper Casserole

(you can find this recipe on page 34)

This is a great way to serve

"traditional stuffed peppers" to a

family or large crowd.

In this recipe they have you quarter the 

peppers. Using only 2 peppers you

end up having 8 servings.!

( In my picture above I used a whole pepper

due to the fact that I  was taking this to a

single older person for dinner)

Hearty Stuffed Pepper Casserole

2 1/2 C. Herb flavored Stuffing Mix~divided

1 TBSP. Butter~ melted

1 lb. Ground Beef

1/2 C. Onion~ chopped

1 (14 1/2 oz.) Can Diced Tomato's

1 (8oz.) Can Corn~ drained

2 Large Green Peppers~ quartered

Salt/Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

Mix together 1/4 C. stuffing mix and 

the butter- set aside.

Brown the ground beef and onion

together over med-heat, drain.

Stir in the tomato's, corn, salt/pepper.

Add in the remaining stuffing mix,

combine well. In a 2 Qt. baking dish or

a 9x13 pan arrange the quartered

peppers on the bottom of pan.

Spoon mixture into each pepper.

Cover and bake for 40 minutes.

Remove cover, sprinkle on the remaining

stuffing mix you set aside earlier.

Return to the oven to bake 

for additional 5 minutes, or until

the peppers are tender.

**I also made this recipe a 2nd time in the 

slow cooker. They turned out great!

If you want to cook this in a slow cooker

Following all directions above, add in 

1/2 C. water on the bottom of your slow cooker

before layering in the peppers.

 Cook on low for 4  hours.**

NOW onto the GIVEAWAY!

The great People at Gooseberry Patch

Will be giving 1 lucky reader their

very own copy of 101 Cozy Casserole Cook Book.

*All you have to do to enter is leave a comment

below telling me what your favorite Casserole

to make is.

*For EXTRA entries you can do the following:

"Like" Gooseberry Patch on Face Book
Leave a comment on Gooseberry Patch Blog
Follow Lark's Country Heart on Twitter

"Like" Lark's Country Heart on Face Book

* Giveaway ends on Aug. 28th.

Winner will be announced Aug. 29th.

Winner has 24  hrs. to contact Lark

with their address.

I jsut know Y'all will love this fabulous

New 101 Cozy Casserole Cook book!

Raspberry & Cream Stuffed Croissant Bread Pudding

I had a friend request my recipe for

My Bread Pudding.

That got me to thinking... that I hadnt 

made any other flavored bread pudding.

(That just wont do!)

I had just bought some fresh

raspberries I needed to use,

so I got busy in the kitchen thinking

up this new creation.

I even had it as one of my

"taste tester" items to be 

judged by friends.

I am pleased to say the vote

was unanimous = A HIT!

 This will make (10) individual

croissant servings.

Raspberry and Cream Stuffed

Croissant Bread Pudding

10 Small Croissants~cut length wise

3 C. Fresh Raspberries

1/2 C. Sugar

1 tsp. Almond Extract

dash of Cinnamon

4oz. Cream Cheese~softened

1/3 C. Brown Sugar

1/8 tsp. Nutmeg

4 Egglands Best Eggs

1 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

Start by mixing together the berries, sugar,

cinnamon and almond extract. ~Let set for 15 minutes.

In one bowl combine cream cheese,

brown sugar and nutmeg.

In a second bowl beat together

the eggs and heavy cream.

Now it is assembly time:

Take each croissant and spread both

sides with the cream cheese mixture.

Then add the fresh berries.

Fold and dip into the egg-cream.

Repeat a second time.

(for this, it is ok to double dip!)

Place each on into your baking dish,

you might have to squeeze them in.

When all have been dipped, you will 

want to pour the remaining egg-cream 

mixture over top.(I also tapped each one

down with my fingers to let the mixture

soak in a bit more.) 

To finish this off I then took the 

remaining raspberries and dotted 

them over the top.

Now your going to want to let this

set and "soak" for at least 1 hour.

Or overnight. Take this out of the

fridge at least 30 minutes before

you place it on a preheated 

oven of 375 degree's.

Bake for 40 Minutes.

Let it cool for 15 minutes 

before you serve.

*I like to serve it with my

warm Homemade Syrup.

Served Warm or chilled it is

DELICIOUS! 

Lark

Zesty Spaghetti Salad

This is a great way to feed a crowd

a "pasta" salad. My Mom use to make this

while I was growing up. Usually it was 

served for a family reunion lunch in.

You can make this into a HUGE amount

or enough to serve your family.

Zesty Spaghetti Salad

12 oz. Pkg. Spaghetti~cooked/drained

1(16oz.) Kraft Tuscan Italian Dressing

1 C. Shredded Parmesan Cheese

1(4oz.) Sliced Black Olives

1 Green Pepper~ diced

1 C. Red Onion ~diced

2 Roma Tomato's ~diced

1 tsp. Fresh Ground Pepper

In large bowl combine the drained pasta

and Parmesan cheese, tossing until coated.

Add in olives, green pepper, onion

and tomato. Pour 3/4 of the dressing over

Mix well. Season with black Pepper.

Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Stir in the remaining dressing right

before you serve.

Keeping it simple,

Lark

*I have submitted this to 
The Search for the Ultimate Weeknight Meal Contest

Simply Potato's Breakfast Lasagna

Who says you can only have Lasagna

for Dinner?

Probably the same person who

says you cant have Breakfast for Dinner...

Believe me when I tell you~

You CAN serve this dish forth BOTH!

Simply Potato's Breakfast Lasagna

1 (16 oz.) Cottage Cheese 

1/4 C.  Green Onion

 1/4 C. White Onion 

1 C. Frozen Spinach~drained

 9 Egglands Best Eggs

1/4 cup Milk

 1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Pepper

 8 oz. Cooked Lasagna Noodles 

1/2 lb Spicy Sausage 

1/2 lb Bacon~cooked crisp

 1 C. Kraft Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

 1 (20 ounce) Simply Potatoes Shredded Hash Browns

 4 slices Muenster Cheese

  Mix together the cottage cheese and shredded cheese.

  In a small pan saute the onions,until tender.

  Drain and then add to the cooked sausage and bacon.

  In a separate bowl beat together the eggs,

 milk, salt and pepper. 

 Then cook to a soft scramble, set aside.

 Next lightly spray a 9x9 baking dish.

First layer 3 noodles in the bottom of pan.

  Cover with half of the hash browns, 

1/2 of the scramble eggs,.

  1/2 of the sausage/onion mixture,

 1/2 cheese mixture and  1/2 Spinach.

 Repeat with remaining ingredients a second time.

 Finish off with the 4 slices Muenster Cheese. 

 Cover and chill for 8 hrs or overnight.

  Let lasagna set at room temperature 30 minutes before Cooking.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. 

 Uncover and bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through.

 *Let set for 5 minutes before cutting *.

BEST BREAKFAST EVER!,

Lark

Creamy Lemon Fluff Layer Cake

I have been in a "repeat rut".

Have you ever found yourself repeating

over and over your favorite recipes

to take to a pot luck or get together?

I find that friends request certain dishes. 

While I dont want to let them down, I 

also want to let them know I CAN make 

other amazing recipes.   ;)

So when I volunteered to take a

dessert to BBQ, I knew they were

expecting the "usual"....

Well I SURPRISED them all

with this New Creation!

Light, Lemony, Moist!

Believe me when I tell you you might just

want to make a double batch of this creamy

lemon cream cheese fluff filing! 

Creamy Lemon Fluff Layer Cake

1 Boxed  Lemon Cake Mix

3 Egglands Best Eggs

1/2 C. Oil

1/2 C. Lemon Juice

1/2 C. Water

(6) packets of Crystal Light~Lemonade* 

~*Individual water mix in

1 (8oz.) Cool Whip topping~ thawed

2 (7oz.) Marshmallow Cream

2 (8oz.) Cream Cheese~ softened

In mixing bowl mix together the 

cake mix, eggs, oil, lemon juice,

water and 3 packets of the lemonade mix in.

Mix until smooth. Pour batter into (2) 

sprayed 9 inch round cake pans.

Bake at 350 for 25-32 minutes.

Let cool completely, then cut each layer in half.

While the cake is cooling you can make

the filling. Start by beating together the 

cream cheese with the remaining 3 

lemonade packets. Add in the marshmallow

cream, beat until smooth.

 Fold in the cool whip topping. 

Cover and chill until ready to frost.

Keep this chilled until ready to serve.

Then get ready to indulge!

I am pretty sure this Cake ended

my "repeat rut"...or then again

It may have started it all over again.

ENJOY,

Lark

*This recipe has been linked to the
Six Sister's Linky Party*

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna with Chili Verde White Sauce

As MY saying goes....

Oh My Flipping Heck! 

This is so good. Y'all MUST try it.

You can thank me later...Yup,

I am that sure you will love it!

Be warned ...It may not look

very spicy, but it is!  (YUM!)

Go on..DIVE RIGHT IN!

Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

with Chili Verde White Sauce

3 C. Chicken~ cooked/diced

4 C. Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese

1(15oz.) Can Cream Chicken Soup

1 C. Sour Cream

1 C. Chili Verde Salsa

1 tsp. Pepper

1/2 tsp. Salt

1(4oz.) Diced Green Chili

1 C. White Onion~ diced

1(8oz.) pkg. Lasagna Noodles~ Cooked

1C. Shredded Sharp Cheese

Preheat oven to 375

In a Blender combine soup,sour Cream,

salsa, pepper,and salsa. Puree mixture.

In bowl stir together the chicken,green chili,

mexican blend cheese,and onion.

In a 9x9 baking dish place 1/4 C. white sauce

on the bottom. Layer of cooked lasagna noodles.

1/2 of the chicken mixture. Then pour half

of the white sauce over chicken layer.

Repeat this process a second time.

Top off with the sharp cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes.

Serve alone or with White Corn Chips.

It's gonna be a favorite!,

Lark

Homemade Lemon Pie Ice Cream

I love Lemon..

I love Pie...

I love Homemade Ice Cream...

Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo~

Homemade Lemon Pie Ice Cream!

What's there NOT to love about this?

The tartness of the lemon juice, 

whipped with heavy cream,

blended with crunchy bites of

shortbread cookie crust.  YUM!

Homemade Lemon Pie Ice Cream

4 Lemons~ enough for 1/2 C. juice

Zest of 2 Lemons

2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream

1 (14oz.) Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 (3oz.) Box Instant Lemon Pudding

2 C. Milk

1 Pkg. Shortbread Cookies~ crushed

Start by mixing the instant pudding 

with the 2 C. of Milk. Cover and chill.

Zest 2 of the 4 lemons, juice all to make

1/2 C. juice. Place into a bowl along with the

sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream.

Whisk until smooth.

Pour into Ice Cream machine, follow

the machine directions. After the Ice

cream is finished in the maker,transfer

it to a freezer safe container. 

Fold in the chilled pudding 

and cookies pieces.

Return to the freezer to 

allow to set. I like to let it

set up over night.

Happy Chillin',

Lark