A couple of months ago I stumbled across this curious little kitchen appliance while cleaning out my cupboards. I had placed it in the Goodwill pile because 1) I didn’t have a clue what it was and 2) It was left over from Jer’s bachelor days, I’d never seen it before and…I didn’t have a clue what it was. Jer walked in and saw my progress, immediately on hyper-alert due to his slight hoarding tendencies (he denies this, emphatically). He glanced over the giveaway section, his eyes stopping on the appliance.
“What are you doing? This isn’t going to Goodwill,” he said,
“Um, yeah it is. Get out, ” I answered from inside the cabinet.
“Mindy, you can’t get rid of this. It was expensive.”
“Okay…we haven’t used it once in our ten years of marriage. I think it’ll be alright,” I said.
“Do you even know what it is?” Jer asked.
“Um, yeah. It’s a kitchen appliance.” Duh.
“Yes, it is. But what does it do?” he asked, in that I-already-know-the-answer and you’re-a-dumbass kind of way.
“I don’t know, Jer. Okay? Now, get out. You’re in my way.”
“It’s a food processor.” What?!?! Stop the presses! You mean, we own a food processor and I didn’t know it? I scurried out from inside the cabinet and excitedly looked at my brand “new to me” appliance. I immediately started looking for stuff to chop. You guys, that thing is awesome. I honestly cannot figure out how I survived years of cooking without it. Okay. That’s a bit of an overstatement. I haven’t really been cooking, per se, for years and the types of dishes I typically serve up really aren’t that involved. But, all that being said, after discovering this little miracle worker I haven’t turned back since.
After finding this recipe I decided to prepare it for dinner one night. My food processor was working overtime. I was processing things like nobody’s business. I threw in some zucchini and watched that thing shred into a bazillion pieces. I even called my husband in to watch.
I yelled, over the whir of the moving blades, “Jer, get in here! Quick!”
“What? What’ s the matter?” he asked, frantically.
“Okay, watch this,” I said, feeding the zucchini into the machine.
“Um, alright. What am I watching?”
“Duh. Look how cool this thing is!” I answered, smiling proudly at the shredded proof of my handiwork.
“It’s a food processor, Mindy. That’s what it does.” He gives me that you’re-a-nut-case look and shakes his head.
“Yeah, I know, Jeremy, but it’s pretty awesome. God, you’re a buzzkill.”
“Um, okay. Anyway. Happy food processing Mindy!” he says as he walks out of the kitchen, condescension oozing out of his pores.
Even with the slight distraction of all that unnecessary sarcasm (thank you, Jer) I banged out one awesome dish…a’la my new best friend, the food processor.
So, without further ado I present to you…
Southwestern Zucchini Casserole
- 4 cups shredded zucchini (shredded in the…food processor!!)
- 1 chopped onion (chopped in the…you got it…food processor!!)
- 1 diced red bell pepper (diced in the…okay, I’ll stop.)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 (8.5 oz) pkg dry corn muffin mix
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- In a large bowl, mix together zucchini, onion, bell pepper, eggs, muffin mix, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir in half of the cheese. Spread mixture into your prepared dish; top with remaining cheese.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 60 minutes. Enjoy!
Serves 8.
**This recipe can be altered several ways. Add green chilis and jalapeno or substitute pepper jack for a spicy kick.
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Mindee@ourfrontdoor
Mindy
Mindy, your post had me laughing out loud. We have a food processor and it hasn’t gotten as much use as I want it to. It has been hiding in the back of our kitchen cabinets. When we’re settled somewhere on our own, it’s going to have a place on the counter where I can use it all the time! Thanks for reminding me how cool it is! Awesome recipe.
Yeah, Jer was laughing at me pretty hard too. I just had never had a reason to care about a food processor before…or so I thought! That thing rocks! Definitely try the recipe. It’s somethin’ good! =)
Mindy
I’m glad you got a food processor! Lucky girl. That’s what teenagers are for at my house. =] I give them a fancy name like “sous chef” to make them feel important because I’m such a good mom and I’m all about self esteem. Wait..that doesn’t really sound like me. Maybe it’s just so they’ll do it without complaining too much. Yeah, that’s probably it.
The recipe looks yummy, but I will have to add some meat to it or my men will revolt. They are carnivores. I have to sneak in the veggies. Except for Sean…who will eat anything. That’s why I don’t need a garbage disposal. Wow, now that I think about it…teenagers really save you money on kitchen appliances.
♥Spot
I need to get me some teenagers! Oh, and I definitely understand about the meat situation. One time I cooked a vegetarian pasta dish for dinner and Jer actually got lunch meat out of the fridge to go with it. Pathetic. =)
Mindy
OMG! You sound like me. I get excited over that kind of stuff, and my husband and mom just laugh at me. It’s like being a kid in a candy store. Seriously. I got excited when someone bought us a potato peeler, because I had been using a paring knife to peel potatoes.
Yep, it doesn’t take a whole lot to get me excited about something (obviously). And being that I am the world’s worse knife user (I seriously cut off half of the potato) a potato peeler is an essential around here. =)
Mindy
Now that I have my breath…That was hilarious!
I’ve never had a food processor, but now I want one! I will put it on next years Christmas list. Hubby has to have a years worth of advance notice.
Yes, you need one of these little babies. Life changing…in a meal preparation kind of way! =)
Mindy
Food processors are awesome! Congrats on your find, though Goodwill is probably sad they missed out.
Before we got married, Rich had an immersion blender which I mocked and threw away after a few years.
Now I want it back.
Okay, so you totally reminded me that when I moved in with my hubby he also had an immersion blender and I also tossed it. To this day he doesn’t know that I got rid of it. I feel like I kind of got away with something all sneaky-like… =)
Mindy