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!