mangia mondays 73: zucchini burgers from the midwestern wife

hey, guys!

welcome to another edition of

a blog hop i share

with my favorite co-host & yours

lisa from shine your light.

can i just tell you how much i'm enjoying

life as a new mommy?

everything she does is so cute -

& she's grown SO much!

come back later this week for a one month update

{even though she'll be 6 weeks old this week!}.

today, kara from the midwestern wife

is sharing some scrumptious zucchini burgers!

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Since I am a vegetarian, I often have to get a little creative so that I don't get bored. I really love meat substitutes like quorn and morningstar products, but those can get quite pricey. Plus, Aldi doesn't really sell those, and that is my grocery store of choice. There are quite a few things they don't sell, but I just try to stock up on those things once a month or so and just make one trip when I seem to be getting low on some of the items they don't have. Anyway, I am beginning to ramble, so let's get back on track with my "burgers."

A few months ago, my mother-in-law made us spinach burgers which were really yummy. I had never really tried making homemade burgers with vegetarian items before, but I braved the challenge this week! Since my husband likes zucchini and they are everywhere right now, what better burger base than a yummy veggie? I used mostly zucchini on this one with a little bit of potato since our potatoes need to get used up!

Ingredients

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup shredded red potatoes

salt to your taste

a pinch of flour

1 egg

garlic powder, salt, pepper, dried italian herbs to your liking

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1 Tbl olive oil

Directions

Shred the zucchini and potato and place spread out in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let sit for at least 30 minutes to let the moisture release from the veggies. Once that process is over, using paper towel, squeeze remaining water from the veggies. Make sure you really squeeze, because even after I did this to mine, it still was watery in my mix and if it is too watery, you won't really be able to keep the patties together.

After that sprinkle with a little flour to help soak up some of the extra water. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the egg, cheese, seasoning and the veggies. Heat oil with a skillet on medium heat. Shape the mixture into patties and cook until browned on the outside. Then serve! I served mine with sweet potato chips and salad. YUM!

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i LOVE zucchini,

& even if you aren't a vegetarian,

these burgers look like a delicious way to 

"hide" some veggies!

i think even the hubs would eat these

{& he's a die-hard meaty-burger fanatic!}.

swing on by the midwestern wife

& take a look at her great recipes!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

until next time,

dowlings out!

mangia mondays 72: chocolate almond semifreddo from the year of living healthfully

hey guys!

welcome to

a blog hop i'm lucky enough to co-host each week

with the always wonderful

lisa from shine your light.

still enjoying some much needed time with

little miss charlotte.

BUT - while i'm gone,

some FABULOUS food bloggers have

kindly offered to fill in for me!

today, i'm happy to have

valerie from the year of living healthfully!

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Hi Friends. I’m Valerie and I blog over at The Year of Living Healthfully. Every Monday I look forward to checking out Mangia Mondays on Kristin’s blog. Talk about great ideas and delicious food! Kristin throws a great blog party, right?! I am happy to be able to share today while Kristin and her family enjoy their beautiful new addition. 

Today I want to share a Chocolate Almond Semifreddo. That is an Italian word meaning “half cold.” This is a frozen dessert that tastes a lot like a really rich chocolate mousse. It gets partially frozen and the minute you put it in your mouth your taste buds shout for joy! It is easy to make, impressive to serve, and completely delicious! 

Ingredients: 

(Makes one standard loaf size pan.) 

2 egg whites 

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 

4 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate 

2 tablespoons butter 

1/2 teaspoon almond extract 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1 cup whipping cream (Here’s a hint: Put your cream in a medium mixing bowl and put the bowl and cream in the freezer when you start the recipe. By the time you are ready for it, it will be nice and cold and easy to whip.) 

Berries for serving 

Sliced Almonds for garnish. toasted 

Here’s what you’ll do: 

Stir together the eggs whites and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. You want to heat it until the sugar melts and the egg whites are warm. Remove the bowl from the heat and whip the eggs and sugar until they form stiff peaks. Set aside. 

Over the same simmering water stir together the chocolate and the butter until they melt and combine together. Remove from heat and let the chocolate mixture cool slightly. Stir in the almond and the vanilla and set aside. Fold the egg mixture very gently into the chocolate mixture. 

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture just until everything is combined. Be very gentle. You don’t want to lose the air that you whipped in. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan that you have sprayed and lined with saran wrap. (Leave some wrap overlapping to make removal easier.) Cover pan and freeze until firm. You can make this up to 5 days ahead of time! (Love that!) Inspired from Bon Appetit. 

When you are ready to serve, just slice the semifreddo. Top with berries and a few toasted sliced almonds. I hope you love this!

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first:

valerie, if you could just send some my way,

that would be FANTASTIC!

seriously, how amazing does that semifreddo look?

second:

make sure you swing by the year of living healthfully

to visit valerie & check out her blog!

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

until next time,

dowlings out!

mangia mondays 71: chocolate raspberry fingers from melissa's cuisine

howdy, friends!

welcome to

a blog hop i co-host each week with

lisa from shine your light!

this week, i'm so happy to have the

magnificent melissa from melissa's cuisine guest host!

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Hi everyone! I'm so thrilled to be posting for Kristin while she's enjoying time with precious baby Charlotte. Isn't she just the sweetest baby?

Last time I had the honor of posting for Kristin, I shared a recipe for cinnamon rolls. Today I'd like to share another sweet treat with you. I received this recipe from a good friend of mine who told me I had to try the "easiest and best cookies ever!" One great thing about this recipe is that it's no-bake. Plus it's so simple to make--it's great for people short on time (like new moms!)

The original recipe for these cookie fingers called for orange juice. I decided to swap it out for pink lemonade and add in some mini chocolate chips. I brought my friend some of my version of her cookies and she loved them. Give these cookies a try, and don't be afraid to make up your own flavor combinations!

Chocolate Raspberry Fingers

Makes 18 Cookies

You will need:

3-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

3 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 cup mini chocolate chips

6 ounces frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed, undiluted (I just used 1/2 of a 12 oz. can)

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup sweetened coconut, toasted*

1. In a large bowl, stir vanilla wafer crumbs, powered sugar, pecans, and chocolate chips until completely combined.

2. Pour in thawed pink lemonade concentrate and melted butter. Stir until the mixture comes together in a ball.

3. Pull of golf ball sized pieces of the dough and roll them into logs the size of your pinkie finger.

4. Roll the cookies into toasted coconut.

Store cookies in an airtight container in the fridge.

*Toasting the coconut is optional. As you can see, I made some cookies without coconut, some with untoasted coconut, and some with coconut. Each was delicious! To toast the coconut: spread the coconut in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 5 minutes (or until toasted), stirring after 2 minutes.

don't those sound amazing?

& sooo simple, i think i could even handle making them right now!

make sure you swing by melissa's blog to check out all 

of her other amazing recipes! :D

now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

until next time,

dowlings out!

mangia mondays 70

hiya, everyone!

welcome to

a blog hop i co-host each week

with the fabulous

lisa from shine your light.

i'm still accepting any offers to guest host

mangia mondays!

just email me at:

delightfully dowling @ gmail . com

{minus all those spaces, of course!}.

now, i don't have a food post this week,

but i have some cuuuuute pictures

of my little cupcake!

charli's first 4th! :)

newborn photos via lauren ashley creative group

newborn photos via lauren ashley creative group

newborn photos via lauren ashley creative group

newborn photos via lauren ashley creative group

newborn photos via lauren ashley creative group

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

until next time,

dowlings out!

mangia mondays 69: cookbook fever

howdy, friends!

welcome to

a foodie blog hop that i'm so happy to co-host each week

with the lovely

lisa from shine your light.

as a brand new mommy,

cooking has become some what of a challenge.

finding the time to actually make a home-cooked meal

seems near impossible!

i know that will change, 

but for now... yeesh.

that's why i'm SO glad that i planned ahead!

back in march,

i made 40+ freezer-friendly meals.

thank goodness!

i have to tell you -

these 3 cookbooks are amazing resources!

they're chock-full of freezer friendly meals

& ways to help you plan & organize ahead of time.

don't panic - dinner's in the freezer

don't panic - more dinner's in the freezer

fix, freeze, feast

i would recommend any of these cookbooks to ANYONE!

they're great to have & contain so many recipes that

i still can't wait to try!

plus, who doesn't like having dinner ready to go?

not having to worry about what's for dinner is an

amazing feeling! :D

ALSO - if you didn't see:

i'm looking to see if anyone is interested in

guest posting/hosting mangia mondays!

i need some time to relax with my new itty bitty

& would love it if you would help run

mangia mondays for a bit! :D

if you're interested,

please email me at:

delightfully dowling @ gmail . com

{minus all those spaces, of course!}.

so, now it's your turn -

link up those recipes & food posts!

how mangia mondays work:

. add a link to your recipe or food post & visit some others who have linked up before you .

. link back to mangia mondays anywhere on your blog .

. thanks for not linking up to giveaways or items you're selling .

. help spread the word about mangia mondays by sharing this post with others .

until next time,

dowlings out!