Petit Fours

What are petit fours? The ones I made were two layers of dainty cake, topped with home-made buttercream and raspberry jelly. Then, they were covered in a chocolate glaze. The above picture showed what I had in mind what they would look like when finished.
This took me all day to make. There are 4 recipes involved, plus the work of assembling them. Instead of posting the recipes, I will refer you to the Joy of Cooking 75th anniversary edition for the recipes I followed.

Petit Four recipe (pg 738)

For cake batter: Lady Cake (pg 713)

For chocolate glaze: Buttersweet Chocolate Glaze (pg 796)

Buttercream recipe: Classic Buttercream (pg 792)

The trickiest part of this was making the buttercream. You're supposed to boil sugar and water until it turns into a syrup and then pour into an egg mix while blending before you add the butter.
So here is a picture of my first attempt at Petit Fours. They're not as pretty as the pic above, but they are delicious!

Shopping List for the above recipes:
Sugar
Cream of Tartar
Eggs
Unsalted butter (6 sticks)
Jam
Cake flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Milk
Almond Extract
Zest of 1 lemon (I did 1/2 tsp lemon juice)
Semi-sweet baking chocolate
1-2 tbsp liqueur

As you can see, it's likely you have all the ingredients already if you're into baking. The challenge is in all the work.

Sprouted Wheat Berries

A whole grain like wheat berry is made of 3 main parts: The Bran, the Germ, and the Endosperm. The bran contains most of the vitamins, minerals, and fiber. The germ, contains most of the protein, and all of the fat, the Endosperm is mostly starch and some protein.
Most of the nutritional content is contained in the germ and the bran. Alot of processed flour has removed the bran and the germ to increase shelf life. This means that most store-bought flour is just made out of the Endosperm. I got this info in The Joy of Cooking, under 'Grains'.

This is what one website said about the benefits of eating sprouted grains:
Sprouted grain breads are significantly higher in protein, vitamins and enzymes, and the complex starches are converted into natural sugars. They are also low GI, so they are digested more slowly by the body, keeping the blood sugar levels stable for longer, making people feel more satisfied. This leads to snacking less. It is interesting to note that the more highly processed a food is, the higher GI it is. A loaf of white bread is significantly higher GI than a loaf of sprouted grain bread.

The site is: http://www.naturaltherapypages.com.au/article/Benefits_Sprouted_Grains

Sprouting Wheat Berries:
Fill a stocking with about 2 cups of seed.
Soak it really well, and hang it up over the sink to drain.
Rinse the seed 3 times a day for 2-3 days, until the seeds sprout little tails.
When the tails are about 1/4" long, dump them on a pan to dry out.

When they're wet, you can eat them as is on salad, etc. I dried mine thoroughly, and ground it up in my vitamix using their special grain-grinding container. I ended up with about 3 cups of flour that I used for my beer bread.

Beer Bread

MAKES ONE 8-1/2 x 4-1/2-INCH LOAF

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1 12-ounce bottle beer
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375° F. Generously butter 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2 inch loaf pan. Mix together the flour and salt; add beer and mix well. Pour into loaf pan. Top the batter with the egg; do not mix in. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and spread top with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cool slightly before removing from pan and serve warm.

Notes: Salted butter or margarine may be substituted for unsalted butter, but omit the salt in the recipe.

Lamb Stew/Roast

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb lamb stew meat (or roast)
1 lb sliced potatoes
1 large onion
1 lb baby carrots (or sliced adults)
1-2 beers
Fresh Thyme (handful)
Salt & Pepper
Garlic powder
Balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Brown lamb meat and season. Throw in crock pot.
Add potatoes, sliced onion, carrots and beers (2 beers for it to be more 'stewy')
Season everything to taste.
Slow cook 8-10 hours.
Add fresh thyme in the last hour as well.

Domestic Updates

None of these are worth their own post, but I figure they are if they're all put together.

Just got my Melaleuca order. Their tub & tile cleaner made my bathroom beautiful. And there are no abrasive chemicals as it is biodegradable. If anyone local wants a catalogue I have one. Or you can visit www.melaleuca.com If you decide to join, make sure you join under me so I get credit.

We finally had a plumber out to snake out our septic line and kitchen sink. I totally recommend Walter W. King plumbing 301 473 4330. Their price was more than fair, about $100 less than I expected. So for the first time in 3 months, I washed dishes in my kitchen sink. That is, after polishing it per Fly Lady's laws. (www.flylady.org)

I also have Bed Bath & Beyond coupons if anyone wants them. Don't ever shop there without a bunch of coupons! They are usually 20% off coupons, and you can use one per item with no limit to how many you use. You can even bring back coupons with a receipt that says you paid full price, and they'll issue store credit. Also, the store dosen't care if the coupons are expired.

I'm about to freecycle a bag of baby/toddler toys. It contains plastic links, some small stuffed animals, a few happy meal toys, a mat for imagination play, etc... Let me know quickly if you want to come over and pick them up. Freecycle.org puts you in touch with a local Yahoo group where you can post offer and wanted ads for free stuff you don't use any more.

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

A spaghetti squash strings up like spaghetti when it's cooked. So instead of spaghetti noodles in my meat sauce, I put spaghetti squash in it. Totally eliminates the carbs.

The only complaints I have heard about this recipe is that people expect it to have the same texture as regular spaghetti, and keep comparing it to the more familiar dish. It's not going to be even a close replacement for noodles. If you can get past that, and view it more as some kind of thick stew, you'll love it.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375
Puncture squash all over with a knife. Put in baking dish
Bake about an hour

Cook 1 lb ground beef in a medium-large pot
Add one onion, finely chopped and saute'
Season to taste
Add 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
Heat up

Take squash from oven, and cool until you can handle.
Slice squash in half, spoon out seeds and center pulp, discard.
Take a fork and run it longways thru the rest of the squash. It should shread up like spaghetti.
Add to the meat sauce and stir in well.

Pot Roast

It was cold and rainy today. I thought it was a perfect day to make pot roast. Even though I would have made pot roast no matter what the weather was.

I always use my crock pot. I throw in potatoes on the bottom, then the veggies, then the meat. Usually, I use carrots and celery, but I had other stuff in my fridge.

Here's what I did:

Brown 1 lb beef cut into quarters. Salt, pepper and garlic powder. Set aside.
Fry sliced potatoes (2 potatoes) Throw in crock pot
Fry eggplant slices. Throw in crock pot
Fry one onion, sliced. Throw in crock pot.
Put meat on top. Close the lid. Cook on high 4-5 hours.

Make sure you season every thing you add to taste.

Also, with a crock pot, try not to open the lid and peek. Each time you open it adds 15 more minutes of cook time. Plus, opening the lid helps the juices and flavor escape. You wouldn't want that.

If you don't like how your pot roast turned out, you can save it. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to each serving and mix it up. That will fix anything. Or ketchup, but that's a little too obvious.

Totally Not On Purpose

Look what my eggs did this morning.

It was cute until I scrambled his face and fed him to my family.

New Interest in Wine

After I watched that John Cleese documentary I posted about earlier, I have found a new interest of tasting wine.
I found a website that you can post reviews on wine you have tried. It's www.snooth.com
Look up Joknowswhy for my reviews. Let me know if you joined yourself.

Wine Review: Vampire Merlot 2005

I found this wine for about $12 today. I was excited because all the grapes come from a relatively small area. Namely, Vampire Vineyards off the coast of SW California.

This is a strong wine with no bitter taste. It was very rich and smooth. I had it with my Moussaka and Stuffed grape leaves and it combined very well.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

I have no idea how to rotate this picture on blogger.

Meat mixture (from previous recipe)
Jar of grape leaves
cooked rice
salt & pepper
garlic powder
balsamic vinegar
nutmeg

Mix meat mixture in with rice. Add seasonings to taste.

Lay out a whole grape leaf. Fill the center with rice mix.
Wrap like you're swaddling an infant. First the bottom, then each side. Fold whole thing in half long-ways and tuck the top under to face the plate.
Repeat until you run out of rice or leaves.

Potato Moussaka

Moussaka is the dish in the back.

If you can score yourself a pound of ground lamb, and an eggplant, you're likely to have all the other ingredients in the kitchen already.

I always order Moussaka at the Greek restaurant. Mine tasted a little more American, because I used potatoes instead of bread crumbs to line the bottom of the pan.

1 small eggplant
1 lb ground lamb
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
olive oil
1/4 tsp garlic powder, or one clove of fresh
1/2 cup red wine
1 small can tomato paste
1 large potato (or 3 slices of bread, crumbled)
1/4 cup white cheese (I used Chihuahua cheese, even though it's Mexican)
White Sauce (recipe follows)
Parmesian cheese

Brown mean in oil
add onion, green pepper, salt & pepper
Add wine, tomato paste 1/2 of cheese

Cut eggplant in 1/4 inch slices, quarter slices, brown in oil
Bread crumbs on bottom of 9 inch pan (or thinly sliced potatoes)
Eggplant goes next, then put the meat mixture on top.

White Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup milk
salt, pepper & nutmeg
remaining cheese
2 beaten eggs

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add each ingrediant, one by one after the previous ingredient is mixed well.
Stir until thick.
Pour half of the sauce over your eggplant and potatoes. Then add the meat. Pour the rest of the sauce on top.

Easy Banana Bread

Someone gave me a bag full of ripe bananas, so I tripled the following recipe, and it turned out good. Then, I made another loaf using almond extract instead of vanilla. It was perfect, because I had a canister of self-rising flour that I didn't know what to do with. So I turned 12 ripe bananas into four loaves.

1 1/2 cups self rising flour
3 mashed bananas
2 eggs
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

Combine butter, eggs, and sugar and mix well. Add banana, flour and vanilla and mix.

Bake at 325 for one hour

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes I omit the choc-chips in a few cookies for fun.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease or line 2 cookie sheets

Whisk together:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Beat in a large bowl until well blended:
1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar

Add and beat until well combined:
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Stire in the flour mixture until well blended and smooth,
Stir in:
1 cup chocolate chips

Drop the dough by heaping teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just slightly colored on top and the edged are brown, 8-10 minutes. Let stand briefly, then remove to a rack to cool.

Home Cleaning Tips By Room

Kitchen: Before you start cooking, make sure your sink is filled with hot soapy water. While you're cooking, clean up the dishes you have used so far. In the end, you won't have a whole mess to clean up.

Living Room: Feather dust everyday. It's relaxing, and it keeps the place feeling fresh. I always get the tops of my ceiling fans when I dust. Then, it will never end up being a big project to get on a ladder and clean it off in spring.

Hallway/Entrance: People tend to throw their keys and junk in an area like this. Locate the area people throw things when they first come home, and clean it up twice a day. That way, you can prevent the 'junk drawer' before it happens.

Bedroom: Make your bed first thing every day.

Bathroom: Clean up while you're getting ready. Keep cleaning supplies in the bathroom. Wipe up the tub, sink, and toilet as you are getting dressed for the day. Then, your bathroom will always be ready for company.

I got these habits from www.flylady.org
I figured I'd type up my take on her habits, since their website is really wordy.

Tamale Beef Squares

From the One-Dish Bible (some changes)

1 (6.5 oz) package corn muffin and cornbread mix
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound of really lean ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 cup corn
1 can Mex-style stewed tomatoes
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup shredded cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease 12x8 inch baking dish.

2. Prepare cornbread mix as directed using milk, egg and oil. Spread in bottom of dish.

3. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet until beef is slightly browned. Break up the meat. Drain fat, add corn.

4. Mix together undrained tomatoes and cornstarch. Stir into beef mixture, cook until meat is done

5. Spoon beef mix over cornbread mix. Cover with foil. Bake 15 min. Uncover, bake 10 minutes more. Sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven; bake 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese.
Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Things I did differently with this recipe:
I didn't have the mex stewed tomatoes. So I just chopped up fresh tomatoes and mixed with cornstarch.
I seasoned the beef with chile and cumin to give it a mex flavor.

Don't use Trader Joe's brand cornbread mix for this one. Their's is as sweet as cake, and it does not go well with this savory recipe.

Weekly House Cleaning

I do this each weekend. It takes about an hour, and it's all the house needs to looked blessed.
BTW I didn't really make this up. I got it from www.flylady.org

1. Put away everything that needs it.
2.Feather Dust whole house
3. Wipe down doors and furniture
4. Sweep all carpets and floors (I don't have a vacuum yet)
5. Mop kitchen and hall
6. Sweep and Dust section of basement (do another section next week)

Wine Tasting

I watched a John Cleese documentary 'Wine For the Confused'. It gives you a basic overview of how to choose wine that you like.

He reviewed the 6 main type of grapes for wine making.

For white wine, there is Reisling, Savignon Blanc, and Chardonnay.

The first one is generally made sweeter, though it can be made dry. Savignon Blanc is slightly acidic which makes it sour, but you should be able to taste the fruit so you think of it as sweet. That's why people may say it has a crisp flavor. Chardonnay has a rich, buttery taste.

The grapes for red wine are Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Savignon.

Now, I'm going to pay attention more to how wine tastes, and remember the name of it. I never paid attention. I would just ask for something sweet, or dry.

Mom's Kitchen

Focaccia

From The Joy of Cooking Book

Made this today. Filip has been turning his nose up at my bread, but he ate this up, sans the tomato and olives. It must be the rosemary.

Prepare Pizza dough:

Combine in a large bowl and let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes:

1 1/3 cups warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Add:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

Mix my hand or on low speed for about 1 minute.

Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Focaccia:

Divide in half and roll each piece out to a 1/2-inch thick round.

Transfer to well-oiled 8 or 9 inch round or square baking pans.

Let rise, covered with oiled plastic wrap, for about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Ten minutes before baking, press the dough with your fingertips to make indentations all over the dough. Drizzle with:

Up to 1/2 cup olive oil

Top with:

2 tablespoons grated cheese, such as romano, parmesan, or Asiago

1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as rosemary, dill, basil, thyme, or oregano

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Optional: Slices of sundried tomatoes, olives, caramelized onions

Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the pans to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, as is, or sliced open horizontally to use as sandwich bread.

Fast White Bread

From Joy of Cooking book.

Making bread is nothing to be afraid of! I'm sure mine would have turned out much better with a bowl mixer with a hook. It still was good. I'm going to make grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Stir together in a large bowl or the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer:

2 cups bread flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry or quick-rise yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Add:

1 cup very warm (115 to 125 F) water

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted or softened

Mix by hand or on low speed for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is moist but not sticky:

1 to 1 1/4 cups bread flour

Knead for about 10 minutes by hand or with the dough hook on low to medium speed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and turn it over to coat with oil.

Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 40 to 45 minutes.

Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Punch down the dough, form it into a loaf, and place seam side down in the pan.

Oil the surface and cover loosely with a clean cloth.

Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 20 to 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Bake the loaf for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake about 30 minutes more. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove the loaf from the pan to a rack and let cool completely.

Bulgogi

This is a Korean dish of beef marinated and grilled. Wrap it in romain leaves with a dab of bean paste, which you get in an Asian grocery store.

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup Japanese or Korean dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for grilling
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 medium garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and grated
3 scallions, root and dark green ends trimmed, and 6-inch stalks minced
2 pounds marbled sirloin or rib steak, sliced paper thin against the grain

INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together the soy sauce and sugar in a bowl until the sugar is completely dissolved. Stir in the vegetable and sesame oils, sesame seeds, garlic, and scallions until well combined. Add the beef, tossing it with your hands to make sure it is evenly coated on all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it, allowing the meat to marinate for 30 minutes. Drain the beef, shaking off the excess liquid and scraping off the scallion and garlic.

Grill the beef, laying the slices flat on a table hibachi. If using a grill pan, brush a generous amount of vegetable oil on the cooking surface and heat it over medium-high heat. When it starts to smoke, add the beef slices and grill to your preferred doneness, but no more than 5 seconds on each side, so the beef remains tender.

Beet Salad

This pic does not do the color of it justice. It's really a bright pink and orange from the beets and carrots.

I got this recipe from http://www.elanaspantry.com/


It's all about organic, gluten-free food.

1 cup jicama, grated
1 cup carrots, grated
1 cup beets, grated
2 tablespoons orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cup olive oil
¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt

In a large bowl, combine jicama, carrots and beets
In a glass jar, combine orange juice, lime juice, oil and salt; shake well
Toss dressing into salad
Serve
Serves 8

Squash Souffle

Got a big ol' squash you're wondering what to do with? Try this. I made it for dinner tonight, and it was good.


Ingredients:
2 pounds sliced yellow summer squash
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons flour
8 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
seasoned salt and pepper, to taste
buttered bread crumbs

Preparation:Combine squash, onion, and salt in a large saucepan; cover with water and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and mash well. Stir in milk, eggs, melted butter, flour and cheese. Add salt and pepper and garlic powder to taste. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake in a buttered 1 1/2-quart casserole for about 30 minutes. Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake for about 10 minutes longer.Serves 4.

Sugar Solution

Beef and Grits Dish

I forget where I got this recipe. Plus, all the spices are add to taste, but you should get the gist of it.

1 cup Stone ground grits
1 lb ground beef or venison
1 large onion

Shredded cheddar
butter
salt & pepper
garlic powder

Optional: creole powder or old bay, pure maple syrup

Directions:

Bring 4 cups water to boil and stir in 1 cup grits. Cook on medium low until thick
Add butter, cheddar, salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Pour into a 9x12" dish

Cook ground beef or venison, stirring to keep it crumbly. Add salt, Bragg's Aminos, Creole season, 1/4 cup or less Maple syrup, pepper, garlic powder. All to taste
Drain meat, and spoon meat on top of grits, leaving a space around the edges of the grits for the onions

Slice onion into rings, saute. Pour all around the space on the grits, going around the meat.

Serve.

Shrimp and Grits

I got this from a cookbook Amber gave me, called 'The Best of the Best'.

1 cup stone-ground grits
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, roughly chopped
6 slices bacon
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped up onions
1 large clove garlic, minced

1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add the grits and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well with a whisk. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting and cook the grits until all the water is absorbed, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheese. Keep covered until ready to serve.

2. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Fry the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crisp, then drain on a paper towel. Add the shrimp to the bacon grease in the skillet and saute' over medium heat just until they turn pink, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook! Immediately add the lemon juice, parsley, onions, and garlic. Remove the skillet from the heat.

3. Pour the grits into a serving bowl. Pour the shrimp mixture over the grits. Garnish with the bacon bits.

Fried Squash

My friend Kim gave me this huge squash. She gave me the idea of frying it up.

Cut it in thick slices and coat it in oil.
Dip it in a bowl of flour, salt and grits (I didn't have corn meal)
Let fry until brown, and flip.
Put on a plate and shred cheese on top. Put lid on plate so cheese melts.
Eat!

Chicken with Peaches

This is a good recipe if you're a fan of meat that's sweet. I liked it. It almost tastes like cobbler.

INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 can (15 to 16 ounces) sliced peaches, drained

PREPARATION:
Wash chicken pieces and pat dry. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl or food storage bag. Coat peaches with the flour mixture.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or deep heavy skillet; brown chicken on all sides. Add the orange juice, honey, vinegar, and chopped parsley. Cover and bake (if necessary, transfer to a baking dish or ovenproof pan) at 350° for 45 minutes. Add peaches; bake 5 minutes longer.Serves 4.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

This is my standard dish for bringing to parties. Everyone loves it, and you can substitute ingredients easily. Make sure you have the tortilla chips. It makes it so good.

Original recipe yield:8 Servings (from allrecipes.com)
PREP TIME
15 Min
COOK TIME
7 Hrs
READY IN
7 Hrs 15 Min

INGREDIENTS
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla

Zucchini Bread

I made this last night, because my friend Kim gave me a huge zucchini from her garden. I ran out of regular sugar, so I had to substitute one cup of brown sugar and confectioner's sugar to make up what I lacked. It turned out good, just a little dry. It tastes great when you butter it.

3 eggs

1 cup oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups grated, peeled zucchini

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup chopped nuts

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Sift together 3 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soda, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon baking powder. Stir until well combined. Set aside.

Beat eggs and sugar until light and foamy.

Add oil, grated zucchini and vanilla. Mix lightly, but well. Add flour mixture and stir only until blended. Stir in chopped nuts.

Pour batter into 2 loaf pans (9x5x2) which have been brushed with oil.

Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Apricot Tea Cake

This is so good warm with butter. I heat it up on a frying pan and spread butter on it. It also is not too sweet. Make sure you have a decent amount of time to make it, since cook time is total 80 minutes.

1 cup dried apricots
1 large orange
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla

Simmer apricots in boing water for 30 minute.
Drain and mash.
Squeeze juice from orange. Add enough boiling water to juice to make 1 cup.
Sift together: flour, soda, baking powder, and sugar.
Add fruits, juice, egg, melted butter, and vanilla, mixing well.
Bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.
Serve hot and buttered, or cold.

Salad Wraps

I got this idea from Stephanie's blog at http://stephy404.blogspot.com where she did a restaurant review of a place that makes sandwiches like this.

I took Trader Joe's Habenero & Lime flour tortillas and loaded them up with:
Shredded Romaine Lettuce
Cucumber slices
shredded chedder
tomato dices
salad dressing

Then rolled them up like a taco or a burrito (depending on how much you loaded up the tortilla)
That's how you make a salad wrap!

Bananananananana Bread

Easy easy easy!

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Uses for Crepes

I make Crepes alot when we run out of bread, or we need to go grocery shopping. They're also a convenient dessert.

Things I fill my crepes with:

Saute onion and green peppers and sausage
Butter and jelly
Melted chocolate chips or Nutella and banana
Meat speghetti sauce and cheese
PB&J
Marshmallow and Peanut Butter
Sprouts and Tuna
Lox, cream cheese and tomato or spinach

Yum!

Crepes

Crepes

1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon butter melted

Directions:

Put all wet ingredients and salt into blender and blend well. Add flour last and blend well. You can use a whisk instead if you want.

Heat a lightly oiled frying pan on medium high. Scoop batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so the batter coats the surface evenly, nice and thin.

Cook the crepe about 2 minutes until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

It's that easy!

Home-made Marshmallows

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil, for brushing
4 packages of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1. Brush a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish with vegetable oil. Cut a piece of parchment of wax paper large enough to cover the bottom of the dish and to overhang the longer sides. Place the parchment in dish, brush with oil, and set aside.

2. Pour 3/4 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer, and sprinkle the gelatin on top. Let stand for 5 minutes

3. Place 3 cups granulated sugar, the corn syrup, salt, and 3/4 cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Once you turn on the heat, do not stir sugar mixture, it changes the chemistry of it. Insert a candy thermometer, and cook until the mixture reaches soft-ball stage (238 degrees), about 9 minutes

4. Using the whisk attachment, beat the hot syrup into the gelatin on low speed. Gradually increasin speed to high, beat until mixture is very stiff, about 12 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Set dish aside, uncovered, until marshmallow becomes firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.

5. Place 1 cup confectioners' sugars in a fine strainer, and sift onto a clean work surface. Invert large marshmallow onto the sugar-coated surface, and peel off the parchment paper. Lightly brush a sharp knife with vegetable oil, and cut the marshmallow into 2-inch squares. Sife the remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into a small bowl, and roll the marshmallows in the sugar to coat.

6. Place marshmallow in s'mores, hot chocolate, or mouth. ENJOY!!

Focaccia Style Flax Bread

This is a great way to get your fiber. I like it with alot of butter and jelly, because it's very- fiberlicious.

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups flax seed meal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 teapsoon of sweetener
5 beaten eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare pan (10x15 pan with sides is best) with oiled parchment paper or a silicone mat (I used butter and flour)

1) Mix dry ingredients well

2) Add wet to dry, and combine well

3) Let batter set for 2-3 minutes

4) Pour batter onto pan.

5) Bake for about 20 minutes, until it springs back when you touch the top and/or is visibly browning everywhere.

6) Cool and cut into slices. You don't need a sharp knife, just a spatula

At 12 servings, each piece of bread has less than one gram carbs, and 5 grams of fiber

Lox Crepes

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This was so good. I used pecans for nuts. It got polished off at my nieces graduation party.

Giant Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004
Show:
Emeril Live
Episode:
Our Favorite Sweets

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Confectioners' sugar for garnish,
Sweetened cocoa, for garnish
Sweetened whipped cream, accompaniment


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 14-inch, light colored, round pizza pan with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars. Add the eggs, beating well after the addition of each.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix with a whisk.
Add to the butter mixture, mixing to incorporate, and add the vanilla extract.
Fold in the dark and white chips and the nuts.
Spread across the bottom of the prepared pan and bake until the edges are golden and the cookie is set but the center is still slightly soft, 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To serve, sift confectioners' sugar and sweetened cocoa over the top, and cut into wedges. Serve sweetened whipped cream on the side.

Italian Wedding Soup In Crock Pot

I got this from www.flylady.net but I changed it by taking out some ingredients. I like it better this way. Plus, you don't really have to 'cook' any of it, just heat it up.

Italian Wedding Soup In Crock Pot

12-15 1/2 oz frozen meatballs (quartered)
6 cups Chicken Broth
1 bunch spinach, (stems removed)
Garlic Salt, to taste
lemon pepper, to taste
1/4 cup Romano cheese
1/4 cup tiny pasta,

Pop the meatballs in the microwave for a minute or two on defrost, so you can quarter them.
combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook 3 hours on low. If the pasta is added during the last hour of cooking, you will see pasta, The first time I made it, I put it in at the beginning and it thickened the soup some.

This freezes well too.

From the Internet, to the Kitchen, and back to the Internet!

This is going to be primarily a recipe blog. Most of my recipes come from the internet anyway. However, getting them from here, is way better than from some cold website that dosen't even know your name.
Keep checking for food ideas!