The Bitch is Back

Yes, I'm cooking from a be-wigged biatch recipe.  I'm still mad at her.  But I had a ton of zucchini, as is par for course late summer, and was craving some comfort veggies.

So a casserole it was.  And who better to consult than the queen of COM soup?

When I came along this one while sorting through my various impulse purchase grocery store checkout cooking mags, I was pleasantly surprised.

Not too processed or full of gunk (shudder).  And full of yummy veggies.  I made 2 8x8's and stuck one in the freezer.  This is my new plan in attempting to be my dream of Donna Reed, as opposed to Ally McBeal.

Or Matlock.

Matlock will always be the dream actually.  Even though he lives off hot dogs.

Um, anyway.  Thinly slice a dozen zucchini. 

Then chop a green bell pepper.  Aren't bell peppers such a pain in the ass to chop?  I do all the little tricks, but chopping them really annoys me. 

Then chop an onion (or two).

Stick all of this in a big pot (I'm telling y'all that is a LOT of zucchini).  Cover the veggies with water.  I had some chicken broth sitting int he fridge so I added that too, for some extra flavor.

Bring that to a boil, then simmer until the veggies are tender- about 10 minutes.  Now, get cracking on your other stuff.

Like GRATING cheese.  Yourself.  I used 2% sharp cheddar, and a touch of mozzarella.  Obviously, full fat would taste better, but I've personally been feeling rather full-fat in the tummy region lately, so cutting calories here and there won't hurt anything except my muffin top.

Beat three eggs.

Then Italian seasoning.  Which I didn't have.  So I scrounged the crate that is currently my pantry (must unpack soon), and pulled out these.  A generous dash of each into the eggs.

Mmmm, next time I will probably use fresh basil, sauté some garlic, and a dash of dried oregano. 

Also, you need a can of mater sauce. 

Drain your veggies hardcore.  Squeeze them with a dish rag.  No one likes a runny casserole.

Mix all everything together.  Watch your eggs (temper, temper)!

Put everything in a lightly greased baking dish (either 9x13, or two 8x8's).  Top with a sleeve of Ritz crackers mixed with a couple tablespoons of melted butter.

Bake at 350 for about an hour.  Dig in!