Zucchini Bread

Zucchini Bread

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup oil
3 eggs
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
3 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. nutmet
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Beat together oil and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until creamy.  Beat in sifted dry ingredients.  Fold in grated zucchini and vanilla.  Pour into greased and floured bread pans (2).  Bake at 325 for 50 mins - 1 hour.
 

Creamy Grape Salad

Large bag of grapes--red, green or both (enough to fill a 9x13 pan)

Creamy mixture:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c. sugar
8 oz. sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
Topping:
1 heaping cup Grape Nuts
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. coconut flakes

Beat together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, then fold in sour cream. Stir grapes in with the creamy mixture then spread out in a 9x13 glass pan and refrigerate.
RIGHT BEFORE SERVING: Combine topping ingredients well and add over top of the grapes.

Wedding Water

1 gallon water
3 cups sugar
1 Tbsp. Pure Lemon Extract
1 Tbsp. Citric Acid

Strawberries may be added to garnish

Baked Beans

2 large cans Bush's baked beans
1 can drained kidney beans
1/4 c. ketchup
2 to 3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
Chopped green pepper (optional, I omit)
1 chopped onion
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into pieces and fried with onion (drain fat)

Mix all together in crockpot or warm on the stove.

Chicken Pasta Salad

12-16 oz. bow tie noodles
12 oz. rainbow spiral noodles
3 c. chopped celery (or peeled, diced cucumbers)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 (16 oz.) bottle Kraft cole slaw dressing
3-4 chicken breast, cooked, cooled, and cubed
1 can cashew halves (added right before serving)
Sprinkling of salt, pepper, and sugar
2 green onions, chopped
2 c. red grapes, halved
1 large can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 large or 2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained

Cook all noodles until done.  Drain, cool, and place in a large bowl.  Add cut up chicken, celery, green onions, pineapple, oranges, and grapes.  Mix together.  Combine cole slaw dressing and mayonnaise until smooth.  Pour over salad and blend in till completely mixed.  Lightly sprinkle some salt, pepper, and sugar over salad.  Mix, cover, and refrigerate (it's better if it is refrigerated for 8 hours).  Add cashews before serving.  Serves 25-30.

From Sharon Kono

Raspberry Marble Cake

1 box black raspberry Jello
3/4 c. hot water
1/2 c. cold water
1 box marble cake mix (I just used a yellow cake mix)

ICING: (optional)

1 envelope Dream Whip
1 box vanilla instant pudding
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix a package of black raspberry Jello with 3/4 cup hot water. Add 1/2 cup cold water. Bake marble cake mix; poke holes in cake. Pour Jello over it. Set in refrigerator.Beat icing ingredients together until thick. Put over cake, refrigerate.

Luscious Lemon Lime Cupcakes

This is kind of long process but they are soooo good!   (Recipe from Tricia)

Lucious Lemon Lime Cupcakes

Cake
1 box lemon cake mix
1 small box lime flavored gelatin
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup lime juice (3 limes)
zest from 3 limes
1/3 vegetable oil
3 eggs

Heat oven to 350 degrees Line muffin tins.  In a large bowl, beat cake mix with gelatin with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds.  Add remaining cupcake ingredients.  Beat with electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds beat on medium speed for 2 minutes scrapin bowl as necessary.  Divide batter evenly among muffin cups filling about 2/3 full bake 18 minutes or until toothpick inseted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 minutes.  Remove from pan to cooling rack.  With toothpick perce top of cupcakes in several places.

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T lime juice
in a small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 T lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle.  Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes

Frosting
8 oz cream cheese softened
1 t Vanilla
2 T lime juice
1 T lemon juice
Lemon and Lime zest (approx 3 limes)
3-4 cups powdered sugar
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy.  On low speed, beat in vanilla, lime juice, and zest and add in powder sugar until mixed.  Beat in medium speed until fluffy.  Frost cupakes, mounding and swirling frosting.  Store covered in fridge.  Top with slice of strawberries

Cucumber Sandwiches with Cream Cheese

Remove crust from bread and cut to desired shape.  Spread with cream cheese mixture:

1 cube cream cheese
1/2 c Mayo
1 packet dry italian seasoning

Place cucumber slice on top, then sprinkle with dill seasoning.

Perfect for tea parties or girly occasions!

"Dizzy Izzys"

Italian Sodas  (aka "Dizzy Izzys"

1. Fill glass with crushed ice
2. Pour 1 inch of favorite flavored syrup in bottom of tall glass
3. Fill remainder of glass with club soda
4. Top with a big dollop of whipped cream.
5. Stir with straw before drinking.

Cool and Crunchy Lettuce Wraps

I know it's been forever since I posted on this recipe blog. It's because I haven't really cooked anything exciting in a while. We just finished up baseball season last week, and since it always falls in the middle of dinner time, we have had a lot of take-out the last month.

Also, we had a little health scare with my husband. He's doing just great now, but we've made some major eating modifications to try and get healthy here at our house. Now I need to learn how to cook good food that is also low-fat/heart healthy. I don't know how to do that yet. Everything I've tried to adapt has been a little gross. I didn't realize how much cooking I do with tons of cream, cheese, etc. So we've just had a lot of grilled chicken and grilled fish lately.

But I did make a new recipe a couple days ago. It was adapted from a taco recipe I had at a Pampered Chef party about a month ago. Instead of putting it in taco shells, I made the filling into lettuce wraps. It was pretty healthy and good--recipe blog worthy I think. Plus I got to use fresh cilantro from my garden!

Cool and Crunch Lettuce Wraps
1 small head iceberg lettuce
2 limes

3 c. dice grilled chicken breasts

1/2 small jicama

1 small mango, peeled and diced

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp salt

1 avocado, peeled and sliced (optional)
1/2 cup fat free magonnaise
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Wash and separate lettuce, set aside.

2. Make sauce using zest and juice from one lime--add to small bowl. Combine with mayonnaise, cumin, and cayenne pepper, if desired. Chill.

3. In a separate bowl, combine chicken, jicama, mango, cilantro, zest and juice from remaining lime, salt, and avocado if desired.

4. To serve: top lettuce with large scoop of chicken mixture, and about a Tablespoon of sauce mixture.

I won!

I am so very excited about winning the give-away over at One Crazy Cookie, a food blog that I totally enjoy!

You should all go check her out here.  She's always cooking up something wonderful!

Thanks again, Tiffanee!

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

Have you ever had one of those weeks?  Not the really awesome, great weeks, but the other kind?  I am having one of those.  Sigh.  And when I feel stressed I find therapy in my kitchen.

So today when I was nearing the end of my rope I grabbed a wooden spoon and a bowl and held on for dear life.

These peanut butter cookies made my daughter smile.  And her smile made me smile.  It's getting better already!  :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 325.

Cream the peanut butter with the butter and sugars for 3-4 minutes, then beat in the egg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and mix until combined.  Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl so that everything is combined evenly.

Scoop dough by the rounded tablespoonful and roll into balls.  Place the balls about 2 in. apart on a baking sheet (can line with parchment paper or aluminum foil if desired), and press down slightly.  Using a fork dipped in flour, press down on the cookie to form an "X" pattern.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.  Overbaking will cause these chewy cookies to become crunchy, so try to avoid it.

Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.  For longer storage wrap in plastic and aluminum and freeze for up to a month.

Custard Baked French Toast w/ Raspberry Sauce

Custard Baked French Toast with Raspberry Sauce From Tasty Sensations

6 TBS butter
French bread loaf
1 1/2 C sugar
6 eggs plus 3 yolks
2 C whipping cream
4 C milk
1 TBS vanilla 

Melt butter in a 9X13 inch pan. Slice bread and layer 2-3 deep. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over bread. Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Bake 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Serve topped with raspberry sauce and slivered almonds (optional). Dust with powdered sugar and place a few fresh raspberries on top.

Raspberry Sauce:
1 pkg (10 oz.) frozen raspberries (organic, if you can get them)
1/4 C sugar
1 TBS cornstarch 

Combine on stove and cook until thickened, pour over French toast.  This sauce is the best part of this breakfast.  So yummy.  

Chicken Alla Voldostana

CHICKEN ALLA VOLDOSTANA

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
4 slices Parma ham (proscuitto)
1 Tbs. flour
1 tsp dried italian herbs
2 Tbs. olive oil (any)
3 Tbs. butter
4 oz hard cheese (gruyere)
1/2 can chicken stock

Method
1. Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper and beat with a rolling pin until flat.
2. Coat the chicken with flour that has been mixed with herbs, salt and pepper.
3. Melt the butter with the oil and fry the chicken for 5 minutes each side.
4. Place a slice of proscuitto on top of each piece of chicken, cover with sliced or grated cheese. Pour the broth into the pan, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. I served with spinach salad and dauphinois potatoes.

Potatoes Dauphinoise

ingredients:

2 extra large russet potatoes

1 pint half and half

salt

white pepper

1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, about 5 ounces

1 clove garlic, minced

nutmeg

italian seasoned bread crumbs

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

peel potatoes, then slice very thin with a sharp knife (i used my mandolin).  put them in a medium pot with half-and-half, 2 tsp. salt, and freshly ground white pepper.  stir well and simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until they are just beginning to soften.

rub bottom of medium casserole dish with garlic, then transfer one layer of potatoes to the dish.  sprinkle with half of grated cheese and nutmeg, then transfer remaining potatoes to dish, along with the half and half  mixture.  the liquid should come just to the tops of the potatoes.  top with remaining cheese, another sprinkle of nutmeg, and a thin layer of bread crumbs.  bake for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and cheese is golden brown.

Mique's Chicken Enchiladas

3 chicken breast, cooked, shredded
¾ c. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 c. milk
¾ c. salsa
12 corn tortillas
2 c. shredded cheese

Mix soup, milk & salsa. Heat in microwave on medium heat, 3 minutes. Add sour cream, heat 1 minute. Heat tortillas by wrapping 4 at a time in wet paper towel and heating in microwave for 1 ½ mins. Take 1 tortilla & place in greased 9x13 pan. Put 1 ½ Tbsp. chicken, 1 ½ Tbsp. cheese, 2 Tbsp. soup mix in the middle and roll up placing edge on bottom of pan. Reserve about 1 c. soup mix and 1 c. cheese to cover entire casserole. Bake at 350F for 30-40 mins or until bubbly (may be covered for more moist enchiladas).

I served with black beans and Rainbow Jello (I always love to have something sweet with Mexican food).  


From Mique's Tried and Trues.  Thanks for sharing Mique.  I thought they were delicious!

Rainbow Jello

Hee hee, this is fun but start early because it takes all day!

Ingredients:

5 boxes (8 oz.) jello in red, orange, yellow, green purple
2 cans evaporated milk

Directions:

Purchase the 8 oz. boxes, but only prepare half of the box at a time.

Layer One:  1/2 box red jello, mix with 3/4 c. boiling water, then when dissolved add 1/2 c. COLD water

Let this set up in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Layer Two:  remaining half of red jello, mix with 3/4 c. boiling water, then when dissolved add 1/2 c. evaporated milk

Repeat with the rest of the colors.

Pear and Walnut sandwiches

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2  cup  (4 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
• 8  (1.1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped walnuts, toasted
• 2  Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced
• 1  cup  alfalfa sprouts

PREPARATION

1. Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese evenly over each of 8 bread slices. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon walnuts evenly over each of 4 bread slices. Top each evenly with pear slices, sprouts, and 1 bread slice. Cut each sandwich in half diagonally.  From Cooking Light.

Annual St. Patricks Day dinner at our house

2009--green pasta with green alfredo sauce, green jello, green french bread, green salad, green fruit, green Sprite

2008--basically the same

Fried Rice

 Ingredients:

3 Tbs. sesame oil
3 cups cooked rice, chilled
1 c. diced ham, or smoked turkey
4-6 scallions, white part only, minced
3 eggs
1 Tbs. sugar
soy sauce
pepper
peas (optional)

In a large skillet or wok, heat oil on med/high.  Add rice and stir fry until rice is slightly scorched.  Add ham, peas, and scallions.  Toss for 1-2 minutes.  Push all contents to one side of the skillet.  In a bowl, beat eggs with a fork.  Add eggs to cleared side of skillet.  Scramble until no longer runny.  Combine with rice mixture.  Pour soy sauce evenly along entire skillet of rice just enough to make the top layer turn brown.  Stir, add sugar and pepper to taste.  Toss 1-2 more minutes.