Zucchini Bread

I was at my friend Jen's house yesterday having a little playdate with the kiddos and she offered me some zucchini bread that she had made. That's when it hit me- I LOVE ZUCCHINI BREAD- why have I not thought of making any (in many, many years?!) Maybe it's because it has been so long since I've had any (but I seriously doubt it) but this was the BEST I have EVER tried! I had to have more- now! We made these loaves this morning and one is already gone!

Zucchini Bread

1-1/2 cups sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup canola oil

2 egg whites

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups shredded zucchini

1 can (8oz.) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained

1/3 cup walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, applesauce, oil, egg whites, egg and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and baking soda; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in the zucchini, pineapple, and walnuts.

Pour into two 8 large or 4 small loaf pans coated with cooking spray.

Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes. Cool before serving.

Original recipe came from Taste of Home 2011.



Happy Baking!



Chicken Curry Pasta Salad

One day shortly after we moved here, I found a curry chicken salad at one of the high end grocery stores in our town and I just had to have some! It was amazing! Too bad the price wasn't- I don't remember the exact price but I know that it was high enough that I wasn't going to buy it again. I also wasn't going to live without having this pasta salad either so I created a close replica of the original so that I can indulge (financially) guilt free whenever I want!

I can even usually get my kids to eat this- if your kids don't like any spiciness in foods then try to find a mild curry and you're set!

Oh, and by the way, this is makes an awesome picnic item. I like to make this often in the summer- just pack individual portions in containers and you have a ready to go meal for anywhere- I even take it to the pool!

Chicken Curry Pasta Salad

2 large chicken breasts

½ cup yogurt
2 tsp. curry

 10-12 oz. pasta- I use Campanelle by Barilla

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. curry
½ cup yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
1 medium red pepper
5 oz. can sliced  water chestnuts
½ cup golden raisins
salt & pepper

In a medium container, put 1/4 cup yogurt in the bottom, top with 1 tsp. curry, lay the chicken breasts on the mixture, lightly salt & pepper, top with another tsp. curry and 1/4 cup yogurt. Marinade in fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Sear chicken in a medium pan drizzled with olive oil until cooked through. Place on a board to cool, cut and place in a large bowl.

Place 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a small pan, add 2 Tablespoons curry, warm on low-med for 2 minutes to release flavor & aroma.

Cook pasta al dente, drain, LIGHTLY rinse but do not cool it too much & place in bowl with chicken. Add curry from pan, 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup mayonnaise, stir well. Add red pepper, raisins & water chestnuts. Salt & pepper to taste. Stir well.

Place in fridge overnight.

 In the morning, take out pasta, stir, taste & add more yogurt if necessary to re-moisten.

Happy Cooking!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I originally posted this a little less than a year ago but just finally got around to adding a picture which always helps- I rarely make a recipe without seeing a picture. Not to sound like a bully but TRY IT! You will NOT be disappointed! (If you're wondering where I got the carrot from, it's part of the Thanksgiving Stuffing set!)

I LOVE this recipe because I can not only get my kids to eat it but they scarf it down! It has a whole pound of carrots to only a little over a cup of flour! In my opinion, it's a mother's dream come true- where else can you get your kids to eat so many vegetables in one sitting?! If you are still sceptical, just try it- it really tastes like carrot cake!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1-1/4 cups) I use a white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted- I sometimes leave this out if I'm being lazy and it still turns out great

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg- really? I don't know anyone who does this- nutmeg from the jar is fine

dash of ground cloves

dash of ground ginger

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon canola oil

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract- I've said this before- PLEASE don't use imitation

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups finely grated carrot (about 1 pound) If this step makes you not want to make this because of the time, just use a food processor- the carrots will be shredded and not ground but it still works

cooking spray

3 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons honey

Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through ginger) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar and next 4 ingredients (through eggs); add sugar mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in 2 cups carrots.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Spoon 4 (1/4 cup) batter mounds onto pan, spreading with a spatula. Personally, I use a large electric skillet to get more pancakes on at once and use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop the mixture and then flatten in a bit.
Cook for 2 minutes or until tops are covered with bubbles and edges look cooked. Carefully turn pancakes over; cook 1 minute or until bottoms are lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter. Combine butter and honey in a small bowl; serve with pancakes. When feeding the kids, I usually just serve it with syrup.
Yields: 12 pancakes


Recipe comes from Cooking Light Magazine (January/February 2010.) Originally from  Snooze Restaurant in Denver (303-297-0700, snoozeeatery.com)

Happy Cooking!

Lemon Muffins

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe and this is a great one to break that streak! I wanted to find more muffin recipes to send muffins with my husband to work for breakfast and per his request for lemon poppy seed muffins I found THIS recipe at Annie's Eats. I have made enough changes that I thought it would be easiest to give you my altered recipe which is very close to the awesome original!

Lemon Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour (I personally use white whole wheat flour)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons butter, at room temperature (1 stick)

1 cup sugar (I use evaporated cane juice which doesn't work for all bakery but was OK for this)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup vanilla (or plain) yogurt- because I use white whole wheat flour, I add a few extra tablespoons

**optional- add 2 tablespoons poppy seeds to the flour mixture to make Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease the bottom of a muffin pan. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt (and poppy seeds if you choose) in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in two additions alternating with the yogurt, beating each addition just until incorporated. This is where I determine how much extra yogurt to add; I want it to be thinner than dough but much thicker than let's say cake batter. I personally have never accidentally added too much yogurt but I have had dry muffins if I followed the original recipe, so you judge.

Fill the muffin tins about 2/3 full. I usually fill one pan (12 muffins) and then have enough batter left for 3 more in a second batch (or use two pans.) Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, transfer to a wire rack.

Mix together powdered sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl with a fork. While the muffins are still warm, spread or drizzle a little glaze on top of each muffin. Let the glaze set before serving.

Makes 12-15 muffins.

Annie's Eats is a great food blog for those foodies out there. Her recipes are all "down to earth" where you don't have to drive to three specialty stores to recreate a recipe but at the same time the quality of culinary taste exceeds that of many food websites. I always figure that if a blogger finds a recipe good enough to share of her (or his) personal blog, then I have a much better chance of finding a winner!

Happy Baking!

The BEST Apple Pie Ever!

I know that apple pie recipes come a dime a dozen but that doesn't make them all equal! I am claiming this as my own recipe because I have looked at and made MANY apple pies and in the end, this is the combination that I love. I do have some proof behind my claim of this being an awesome recipe because I sell these at my parents' over opening hunting weekend and have gotten great compliments on them (this year I sold about 30 apple pies!)

Apple Pie

Filling:

7-9 apples

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter- butter must be cold!

Preheat oven to 425°. Peel, core and slice apples. Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, then add to apples in a large bowl and stir well. Unroll, (yes, I use Pillsbury crust!) pie crust and line pie tin, fluting the edges. Fill crust with apple mixture. Combine ingredients for the topping in a food processor and process until there are only small pieces of butter. If you don't have a food processor you can do this step by hand with a pastry cutter. Sprinkle topping over apples. Place pie in preheated oven and loosely cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. So, a total of 45 minutes. If you don't have time to worry about taking the foil off half way, you can put it in the oven for the entire 45 minutes without foil but I find that the crust and top get a wee bit too brown. Let cool and hide until you plan to serve or you might risk the pie disappearing unexpectedly:)

***Here's the key to great apple pie: use more than one apple variety! I heard one woman at an orchard where we were picking apples once say to go picking apples, not being particular to the variety but grabbing many different types. If you are purchasing them at the store, buy at least two varieties. If you can, try to get one hard apple and one soft apple and/or one sweet and one tart. This year I have been mixing Cortlands (hard) and different gold varieties or Macintosh (soft.) The point of all this is that when you bake the pie, some apples will become very soft and some will remain a little more firm which gives a great texture and taste combination!

Yam Casserole

With Thanksgiving closely approaching, I just have to share this Yam Casserole. My mother found this recipe around 15 years ago and it quickly settled into part of our family's Thanksgiving tradition. In fact, the first time that I brought this to my husband's Thanksgiving we were still dating and my now father-in-law declared that I was officially invited to every Thanksgiving from then on. When my husband joked about what would happen then if we broke up, my father-in-law replied "then I guess it might be a little awkward for you!"

Yam Casserole

4 pounds yams- cooked & mashed (stab yams & bake on cookie sheet for one hour at 350°)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine ingredients and fill dish. Personally, we put it in a round or square deep casserole dish but it could go in a 9x13.

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons cold butter

Combine the ingredients, cut the butter in with a pastry cutter or in a food processor.
Then add:

2/3 cup pecans
2/3 cup flaked coconut

Sprinkle topping over yams. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350°.

Enjoy!

Amy

Butternut Squash Soup

Back in my "youth" I worked at a number of phenomenal restaurants and caterers (and occasionally still do!) One of my favorite things that I looked forward to when the weather turned cooler was a wonderful collection of soul-satisfying autumn fare.  My favorite was always squash soup. Since I now am a stay at home mother, I am constantly searching for recipes that replicate food that I regularly enjoyed in my prior life. When I recently found the blog Our Best Bites, I FINALLY found a recipe for Butternut squash soup that satisfies my cravings. It truly feels like velvet on the tongue.  Make it. Try it. You'll love it!

Butternut Squash Soup

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 Cup sliced carrots (about 1 med carrot)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 Cup diced onion
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium butternut squash, cubed (about 4 cups)
1 medium potato, diced (about 2 Cups)
32 oz chicken broth (that’s one box/carton)
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 pinch cayenne pepper

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and butter. When butter is melted add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic.
Saute for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender. Add the squash, potato, sage, salt, red pepper, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer. Simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes or until everything is tender. Check a piece of squash and also a piece of celery and potato to make sure they area fork tender. Stir in 1 Tablespoon brown sugar.
Use an immersion blender, or transfer soup to a regular blender and puree until smooth.

Sara from Our Best Bites recommends topping with parsley or sour cream.
However, from personal experience and preference, I topped with a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese. Try it this way. The drizzle of olive oil seems unnecessary but it adds an amazing roundness to the soup.

Serves 6-8.

White Chicken Chili

One day in the fall of 2009, my mom and I were watching one of her favorite local shows called "Living with Amy" which we have gotten many great recipes and ideas from. Amy that day was making this White Chicken Chili and later when we were trying to come up with an idea for dinner we remembered this looking pretty good and decided to give it a try. Boy, are we glad we did! This has been a favorite ever since. I hope you like it as much as we do!

White Chicken Chili

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped- I like a lot of onion so I use 2 small or 1 large onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced green pepper

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers (optional if you like it spicy, if not, use another 4 ounce can of green chilies)

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper- skip this if you are feeding it to the kiddos
2 (15 ounce) cans chicken broth

3 cups chopped chicken breast- OK, to tell you the truth, I've never used chicken breast. I roast a whole chicken when they're on a good sale OR you can buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off

3 (15 ounce) cans white beans

shredded cheese

sour cream

cilantro

tortilla chips

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook onion, celery and green pepper until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chili peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mash beans up a bit to thicken (personally, I've never done this and it's fine.) Serve hot with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and chips. Enjoy!

Recipe comes from Living With Amy, originally from Festival Foods 10/5/2009

Tequila Lime Chicken

My wonderful husband made this for dinner last week when I was really craving tequila lime chicken. He did some research and created this recipe. After trying many different recipes and techniques, we both agree we never have to search for another. This is it folks- the BEST tequila lime chicken- anywhere- ever! Don't believe me? Try it for yourself and DON'T skip the fresh squeezed juice! Enjoy!

Tequila Lime Chicken

1/2 cup gold tequila

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)

1 tablespoon chili powder
1 small onion- finely diced
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)- we cheated on this and used a small can of diced jalapenos and minced them ourselves

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
crushed tortilla chips- for this recipe, spring for the good ones- it's worth it
monteray jack cheese

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, onion, brown sugar, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside. Pound/tenderize the chicken to make it slightly thinner. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pan sear on medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes per side. Cover the chicken breast with cheese and finish under the broiler until the cheese begins to brown slightly. Serve over crushed tortilla chips. Garnish with minced jalapenos. Serve with an ice cold Corona and lime and enjoy!

Sour Cream Cherry Pie

My parents and I made this recipe a few weeks ago when we were given a bucket of tart cherries from their neighbors. We all agreed that this was by far the best cherry pie we had ever tasted! I just had to share- enjoy!

Sour Cream Cherry Pie

3 cups pitted tart cherries (if using frozen, thaw, drain and pat dry)

1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)

1 tablespoon butter

1-3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a large bowl, combine 1-3/4 cups sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the eggs, sour cream and lemon juice. Add cherries and gently fold in to filling. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 30 minutes longer or until topping is set. Cool for 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours before cutting. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

This recipe comes from tasteofhome.com- originally from Betty Wingo, Marshall, Arkansas

I slightly changed the recipe for my preferences.