Garden Zucchini Tomato Bake

My boys and I just returned from a visit to New York to see my family. When we got home we found 4 giant zucchini and many Roma tomatoes ready to eat from our garden.

Nothing tastes quite as good as a fresh tomato, IMO. And as I've shared here before, I love zucchini for its versatility in everything from baked goods to side dishes.

I threw together this combo because it was easy and quick and we had all the ingredients on hand. How do you do zucchini?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Garden Zucchini Tomato Bake

1 large zucchini (about 2 pounds), thinly sliced into rounds
6 medium Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced into rounds
6 tablespoons bread crumbs, divided
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground pepper
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously spray bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

In a small bowl, mix garlic powder, dried basil and dried oregano. Set aside.

Place slices of zucchini in bottom of pan. Top with tomato slices. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons bread crumbs and 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of seasoning mixture.

Repeat steps to make 2 more layers. To top the last layer, use 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, then add Parmesan cheese. Finish with a sprinkle of fresh ground pepper.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until vegetables soften. Remove foil and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned on top.

Let cool and slice to serve. Top with fresh basil. Yum!

S'mores Pizza

Happy July 4th! Here's a summer dessert your kids will love.

As soon as I took it out of the oven, my boys starting grabbing the gooey marshmallows off the top.

This recipe makes enough for a crowd and would be great at a holiday picnic or pot luck.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

S'mores Pizza
Inspired by this recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 12 ounce package chocolate chips
4 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a large (13 inch) circular pizza pan or a large rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat to combine.

Add 1/3 of dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and blend until combined. Repeat two more times until you incorporate all of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

*This dough was a bit sticky, so I rolled mine out on top of parchment paper, to make it easier to transfer to the pan.

**There will be a lot of dough. You might want to use less than you have, depending on the size of your pan, or if you prefer a thinner crust.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to fit the pan you are using. Transfer dough to pan. Press into place and press together any pieces that break or fall apart.

Bake for 12 minutes or until just beginning to brown and set in the middle. Remove for oven and set on a work surface. Sprinkle crust with most of the chocolate chips, then top with marshmallows.

Return to oven and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until marshmallows are browned on top. Melt the 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and stir until smooth while marshmallows brown.

Drizzle melted chocolate on top of s'mores pizza. Slice and serve warm. Also tastes great at room temperature.