From The Garden, Making Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

I've really never been a huge fan of zucchini. I do love eating many kinds of veggies, but zucchini just never appealed to me. But that recently changed, and now I'm finding lots of different ways to cook with it.

These Zucchini Parmesan Crisps make a delicious snack or appetizer. We ate them with low calorie Ranch dressing with peppercorns, and there were requests for seconds. Next time I'll make a double batch.

The reason that I have begun to enjoy eating zucchini is because it is from our own garden. Having the garden this year, has opened my eyes to eating new foods, and ones I thought I wasn't very fond of. The zucchini will all be gone in a couple of weeks and I really will miss it.
Of course I can buy it at the grocery store, but it just isn't the same as growing it yourself.

The only thing I had to buy for the crisps was the freshly grated parmesan cheese. I like buying it in small batches from a little grocery store nearby. I used Panko breadcrumbs, but you can use regular, too. And I'm a bit addicted to Johnny's Seasoning Salt right now, but you can also use regular seasoning salt if you want.

Making the crisps is a great way to use up zucchini that you have grown, or friends have given you from their gardens.

I do recommend baking them on a wire baking rack if you have one. I think it makes them taste better.

Recipe for Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Ingredients:

cooking spray
2 medium zucchini, about 1 pound total
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs, Panko or regular
1/2 teaspoon Johnny's seasoning salt, or regular seasoning salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet or wire rack with baking sheet underneath, with cooking spray.

Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the olive oil.
In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, seasoning salt, and pepper.

Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating evenly on both sides. Press mixture onto round if needed.
Place on prepared baking sheet/rack in a single layer. Bake zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, about 25 minutes.
 Remove with spatula, and serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.

Eat and enjoy!!

Usborne Books Astronaut Academy Review and Giveaway

*I received books for free to review for this post.

Books are a very important part of my life! I was raised with a love a books and the library. I now encourage my own son to love reading and I am always buying him new books. As a homeschooling family we try to find educational books that make learning about a topic more fun. My friend Waiyee has introduced me to Usborne Books as a resource for schooling and fun reading.

We recently reviewed Astronaut Academy as a part of learning about space and the planets for school. My son and I both loved the interactive aspects of the book with being able to write in the book and some parts being punch out to make things with. With each page there is a new task that your little astronaut in training learns. As you make your way through the tasks you add an official sticker to the page, once you complete all the tasks you earn a certificate.

Here is some information about the book from Usborne Books website:

"An activity book like no other! Through a series of fun and challenging tasks, kids will begin to understand the skills and training required to become an astronaut on a mission to Mars. There are “classes” for kids to attend as part of their training. These include Space Pilot, Space Living, Space Engineer, Space Scientist, and Space Gym. Each topic is explored in detail and accompanied by astronaut missions, including physical and mental challenges, as well as drawing and craft activities designed to mimic the skills involved in real-life training. Kids will tackle hand-eye coordination exercises and obstacle courses and learn how to build a balloon rocket, as well as first aid skills. There are also stickers, a poster, and a model space shuttle."

My son really loved this book and wanted to keep going with the tasks. Our favorite one was making the Balloon Rocket! We still have it up in his room for times when we want to launch it. There is a board game style game that you can take out of the book to play called "Mission to Mars". We enjoyed playing it and my son made a box for the game to add to his other board games he owns.

Waiyee hosts Online Book Parties to share the love of reading and books with your friends. We are offering a special of free and half priced books when you use the code "Frugal Family Tree" when you contact her  to host an online party at waiyee.usbornebooks@gmail.com


GIVEAWAY

We are hosting a giveaway for one of the Academy series books. The winner can select from Architect, Engineer, Vet, Coder, Doctor, Pilot or Scientist. 


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts April 6, 2018 and ends on April 20, 2018 at 12:01 am PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.

May 1st Sacramento Comedy Show Benefiting Youth from Foster Care #dress2success #DavidStudebakerLive

I am so happy to share this event with everyone! My friend Justin Studebaker started the non profit Dress 2 Success, which provides free high end clothing and shopping sprees to at-risk Youth in Foster Care and helps them prepare for adulthood. It is amazing all the work the volunteers with Dress 2 Success and all the staff from Koinonia Homes For Teens/Aging Up are doing for these kids.

Justin's brother David Studebaker is a comedian and supporter of Dress 2 Success. He will be hosting a Comedy Show for Benefiting Youth from Foster Care on May 1st at the Sacramento Punchline. Tickets are $20 and this is a PG-13 show and all proceeds go towards supporting Koinonia, Aging Up and Dress 2 Success. You can buy a ticket HERE.

This event is a wonderful collaboration between local non-profits and business partners to support teens in foster care. A fun PG-13 comedy show that will leave you uplifted and inspired. Special Guests Jared Cook of the Raiders and Inspirational speaker Miles Cooley will be in the house for a special meet and greet before the show. We are also offering scholarships to current and former teens from foster care to attend. The show will be at Punch Line Comedy Club 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225, Sacramento, CA 95825.

Some info about David Studebaker from the Punchline website:

"David Studebaker, named “One of the 10 Best Comics to Watch” by SF Weekly, has taken the Bay Area comedy scene by storm with his brand of fun, fresh, and uplifting comedy. A great all-around performer, David incorporates music, personal stories, and pop culture into his highly interactive shows and possesses a level of professionalism well beyond his years, opening for some of the biggest names in comedy, including: Chris D'Elia, Chris Kattan, The Impractical Jokers, Arj Barker, Emo Philips, Mitch Fatel, Steve Lemme/Kevin Heffernan from Super Troopers, Aries Spears, Tom Papa, John Heffron, Bret Ernst, Ardal O'Hanlon, Will Durst, Joey "Coco" Diaz, Reese Waters, Jay Larson, Cameron Esposito, Rex Navarrete and many more!

Recently, David has been featured on Newstalk 910, 107.7 The Bone, KSRO 1350, KOFY TV, SF Sketchfest and was a "critics choice" in the North Bay Bohemian. He’s also worked as an actor/writer in a variety of projects including: "The Big Bris," a Remi-Award winning 20-minute short film that's been screened at film festivals all over the country. Now a resident of Los Angeles with his wife and two dogs, David can be seen hosting 'Pivot On The Street' for Pivot TV."

If you would like to see a sample of his comedy you can watch some clips on his YouTube channel.

Homemade Hummus with Cilantro and Avocado #hummus

I am currently obsessed with Hummus! It is so delicious and versatile to add to many dishes. I indulge in a hummus and pita chips snack a few times a week and love to find new ways to add flavor to my hummus creations.

I feel like I have mastered my Basic Hummus recipe to the texture and flavor I prefer. Some people like a silky smooth hummus while other prefer a bit of texture to theirs. Both ways are tasty but I make mine silky smooth. I achieve this easier with peeling the chickpeas and not including the skins in my recipe. It is a tedious task that takes time but worth it to me for the smooth texture.

Basic Hummus Recipe

1 can 15 oz. of organic chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup of Tahini paste ( I use Sadaf All Natural brand 100% sesame paste)
1/4 fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 garlic clove 
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tablespoons of water
Dash of salt

Directions:
Drain and rinse beans, set aside 1/4 cup of water from can to add if needed to thin hummus. Add lemon juice and water to your blender first, then add rest of ingredients on top. Blend until smooth, adding reserve water as needed to desired thickness. I use a Blendtec one that has a "dip" setting that works perfect for this. Serve in a bowl adding a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika on top.

To make the Basic Hummus into Cilantro and Avocado Hummus you will add 1/3 cup of chopped fresh cilantro, 1 1/2 ripe avocados and 1 extra tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Hummus Mini Turkey Burgers with Foster Farms Buzzer Beaters #FFBuzzerBeaters #ad

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions expressed in this post are my own. #FFBuzzerBeaters #ad

March is College Basketball Tournament time and we love to find reasons to have more basketball fun. We like to shoot some hoops before a game, make some great food and cheer on our favorite college teams. I like to try new recipes but still include our favorite dunkable foods. I always buy the Foster Farms brand to support a California based company.

To celebrate College Basketball Foster Farms has a fun online game called Buzzer Beaters. My son and I have been in a fierce competition of who can make the most baskets in 30 seconds! So far we have won a promo code for Fanatics.com where we can get a discount on fan gear and some coupons for our favorite Foster Farm products. As a frugal Mom I love discount codes! My son always jokes that I can beat him in real basketball since I am taller and closer to the hoop. With Buzzer Beaters the odds are even and actually in his favor since he is an ace at online game play. He was elated that he was beating Mom and the winner! How many baskets can you make in the 30 seconds? Have you beat the home team?

Game time always calls for good food. I bought my sons favorite, Foster Farms Mini Corn Dogs since they are easy to make and easy to dunk into tasty dips. I also made a new recipe using Foster Farms Ground Turkey. I have really been into hummus and wanted to try to find a way to incorporate it other than a dip. I made Hummus Mini Turkey Burgers that I served in pita pockets.

Hummus Mini Turkey Burgers

1 pound Foster Farms Ground Turkey
2/3 cup of your favorite hummus ( recipe for my homemade Basic Hummus)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fennel

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together until hummus and spices are fully incorporated into the ground turkey. Form into small balls, flatten into small burgers. Brush pan with olive oil and tops of burgers. Cook in oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. (adjust cooking time with your pan and oven as needed)

Serve mini turkey burgers on pita bread cut into quarters from the whole pieces of pita bread. Add sliced avocado, yellow and red sweet peppers, top with yogurt based blue cheese dressing and a dash of pepper. Turn on your favorite College Basketball game and enjoy your snacking!

We always include a "dunkable" item in our College Basketball celebrations. This time I served mini corn dog and sweet pepper kabobs that can be dunked into a spicy black bean dip. Delicious!

Giveaway:

Enter in the Rafflecopter form below to win $69 in Foster Farms Coupons ($21 in Foster Farms Ground Turkey Coupons, $20 in Foster Farms Frozen Cooked Chicken Coupons and $28 in Foster Farms Corn Dog Coupons)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Limited to US residents 18 years old and above. Giveaway starts March 26, 2018 and ends on April 3, 2018 at 12:01 am PST. Winner will be emailed and has 48 hours to respond before another winner is selected. The opinions on this item are 100% mine and may vary from others. The sponsor is responsible for providing the prize.