Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

This is a recipe I tried when we had zucchini in abundance. It's perfect for after-school snacks or even as a light dessert. Be sure you add the orange zest, even if you have to make a special trip to the store to buy an orange! It definitely makes a difference in the overall taste and fills your house with a slightly citrusy aroma. Tip: When buying oranges or lemons, zest the rind and store in Ziploc bags in the freezer for later use.

CHOCOLATE CHIP ZUCCHINI BREAD

3 c. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 t. baking soda
3 eggs
2 c. white sugar
1 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 c. grated zucchini
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 T. orange zest

Preheat oven to 350. Grease two bread pans. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, spices, and baking soda. In a separate large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and continue beating until well blended. Stir in oil, vanilla, zucchini, pecans, chocolate chips, and orange zest. Stir in sifted ingredients. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan Cheese

I got this recipe from the Weight Watchers site and it was a hit, even with my kids! This is as quick and easy as it gets! The best thing about it is that it's truly delicious and not as soggy as cooked cauliflower tends to be. Roasting it gives it a rich, nutty flavor with some saltiness from the parmesan cheese. No guilt either!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH PARMESAN CHEESE

1 head of cauliflower, cleaned and broken into florets
1 T. olive oil
1/2 to 1 t. salt
freshly gound black pepper
1/4 c. grated parmesan or parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 450. In a large bowl, combine cauliflower, oil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. transfer cauliflower to a large baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Roast in over until cauliflower is golden brown, tossing occasionally, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, place in serving bowl, and sprinkle with cheese; toss to mix.

Seafood Enchiladas

You guys are going to love these! If you like seafood at all, try these enchiladas. I made up my own version tonight and they turned out great! My kids loved them!

SEAFOOD ENCHILADAS

6 T. butter
1/2 c. flour
freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. salt
3.5 c. milk (2% or whole)
1 c. white wine (can be cooking wine)
8-10 oz. monterey jack cheese, shredded
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 green onions, chopped
1 four-ounce can of medium shrimp or 1/4 lb. small shrimp, cooked, peeled, and coarsely chopped
6 oz. imitation crab, coarsely chopped
3 packages of Chicken of the Sea (or other) lump crab meat (in the store by tuna fish)
8-10 flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375. Melt butter in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add milk, white wine, and 2 oz. cheese; cook until thickened. In a medium bowl toss together green onions, crab, and shrimp. Add 1.5 cups of the cheese sauce and mix well. Spread approximately 2 t. cream cheese down the center of each tortilla and then place 2 heaping tablespoons of the crab mixture. Roll up and place in a greased 13 x 9 dish, seam side down and cover with the remaining cheese sauce. Top with the remaining shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.

Remember to play around with recipes if you like certain ingredients better than others. I happen to hate imitation crab meat (crap meat) but I bought it today because my kids like it and it's cheap. In the future, though, I'll definitely use real crab, and I'd even like to find fresh crab meat--maybe using less crab and more shrimp. At any rate, this turned out really good!

German Pancakes

All the recipes I post on here are either our family's tried-and-true favorites, or they are recipes from my Taste of Home magazines that I've actually tried at least once. I'll never put any recipe on here that hasn't been tested and approved by us first!

This recipe is our Christmas morning tradition.

GERMAN PANCAKES WITH BUTTERMILK SYRUP

Pancake:
6 eggs
1 c. milk
1 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
2 T. butter, melted

Place the butter in a 13 x 9 glass dish and put in the oven at 400 degrees until melted. In the meantime, place eggs, milk, flour, and salt in a blender; cover and process until smooth. Pour batter into the baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Syrup:
1.5 c. sugar
3/4 c. buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, pour approx. 1 T. white vinegar in a measuring
cup and fill the rest--up to the 3/4 c. line--with milk)
1/2 c. butter
2 T. corn syrup
1 t. baking soda
2 t. vanilla

In a saucepan, combine the first five ingredients; bring to a boil (be careful not to let boil over, as the baking soda makes the mixture really foamy). Continue a soft boil for two minutes. Remove from the heat and add vanilla.

This is super rich syrup, but you've got to try it at least once. It's the best! You can refrigerate it and use later, but it does tend to separate. After reheating, just blend well with a fork.

Malibu Chicken

Have any of you eaten Malibu Chicken at Sizzler? This is one of the restaurant recipes that I've tried to duplicate at home, and I think mine is better than Sizzler. They use a pre-breaded frozen chicken patty, while I use real chicken breast meat. I'll try to make the recipe as specific as I can, but I usually don't measure much when I prepare this. This is almost like a simplified version of my favorite meal, chicken cordon bleu. I have the best recipe for cordon bleu, which I'll be sure to post later!

MALIBU CHICKEN

1 c. mayonnaise
1 to 1.5 t. lemon juice
1 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 t. salt
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 3 small)
6 slices of deli ham
6 slices of swiss cheese

Sauce:
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 to 4 T. prepared mustard

Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch or so. Cut each breast into 3 sections if large, 2 if smaller. Thin out the mayo with the lemon juice by mixing until well combined. Brush the mayo mixture on the chicken, coat with bread crumb mixture, and place in a greased 13 x 9 baking dish. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from the oven; place one folded slice of ham and one slice of swiss cheese on top of each chicken. Place under the broiler for a minute or two until cheese is melted. Combined mayo and mustard and serve on the side.

Heather Buck's Wheat Bread

This is for all of you who may be wanting to try making homemade bread, are looking for a new recipe to try, or are wanting to grind your own wheat and use it! This recipe is from my friend Heather and is my absolute favorite for everyday bread. Not only is it light, yummy bread that is great for slicing, it's super easy to make!

Also, a bread maker's best friend is a mixer such as Kitchen Aid, Bosch, etc., with a dough hook. I have an Electrolux that has a pretty large mixing bowl, which works well for this recipe, as it makes four loaves.

WHEAT BREAD

5 c. warm water (110 degrees)
2 T. yeast (or 3 packets)
2/3 c. honey
2/3 c. oil
2 T. salt
5-6 c. white flour
5-6 c. wheat flour

Combine water, yeast, and honey in mixing bowl and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Add vegetable oil and combine. Gradually add salt and flour until well combined, and then let the mixer do the kneading for you! If you don't have a mixer, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Transfer dough to a greased bowl and cover; let rise until double. Punch down, shape into four loaves, place in greased bread pans, and let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I always brush the top with butter while hot to help keep the top crust soft. Let the loaves cool completely before putting into bread bags. Keeping homemade bread in the refrigerator helps it stay fresh, as homemade bread does not have the added preservatives that store-bought bread has. I usually make the four loaves and put three in the freezer.

Product Review: Silpat

I love my Silpat! I first saw it being used on my favorite cooking show, "Everyday Italian" with Giada DeLaurentiis. I bought mine a few years ago at Kitchen Kneads in Logan. Mine is approximately the size of cookie sheet and cost about $20, if I remember right. I actually think it's a money saver since it eliminates the need for parchment paper (if you ever use that), Pam cooking spray, and waxed paper. It has a nonstick surface and can be used for so many things. I use it for baking cookies but I also use it quite often as a nonstick, non-slip surface for kneading dough on the countertop.

The following is a description I got off the internet:

The Silpat is a liner made of silicone and fiberglass which replaces the need for parchment paper. It comes in standard sizes to fit your baking pans. The non-stick surface allows baked goods to slide off the mat after baking without the need for a spatula. The mat serves double-duty as a non-stick surface for rolling out sticky doughs or candies. Safe for freezer or microwave.

A damp sponge easily removes any residue from the mat or it can be washed in soapy water. Do not use knives or sharp edges on the mat to avoid marring the non-stick surface. Store either flat or rolled; never folded.

Prices start at about $11 for the smallest size. Considering you'll get two to three thousand uses from each mat, it's cheaper than parchment paper in the long run and performs better.

This is my newest five-star cookie recipe! I got it from the Oct/Nov edition of Taste of Home, and since we had all the ingredients on hand, we thought we'd give it a try. These cookies meet my criteria for perfect, as I like them a little crunchy on the outside but chewy on the inside. The coconut makes them really moist, and the finely chopped almonds add great texture. Let me know what you think!

Coconut Crunch Cookies

1 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract (I used 1/2 t., as I'm not a big almond extract fan)
2 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
2 c. flaked coconut
1 pkg (11.5 oz.) milk chocolate chips
1.5 c. finely chopped almonds (I used slivered almonds)

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the coconut, chocolate chips, and almonds. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks.

Easiest Pumpkin Cookies Ever!

My sister-in-law, Lori, posted this recipe with what I call the low-fat version. She worked up the nutritional value on them without the frosting, and each cookie contains approximately 80 calories and 1 gm fat. They are super quick and easy, which makes them great for kids in the kitchen! The non-fat version has somewhat of the same consistency as an applesauce cookie and tastes wonderful...but be careful, because it's hard to stop at just one! I've also created my own "fattening" version, with the added ingredients in parentheses. It simply makes the cookies a little more dense and moist. Icing isn't necessary with either version...they taste great with or without!

Low-fat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 spice cake mix
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
(1/4 c. oil, optional)
(1 egg, optional)
1 C. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cake mix, pumpkin, and vanilla (oil and egg, optional) together in large bowl with a spoon. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake 8-12 minutes (12-14 minutes with egg and oil). Make 36 small cookies.

Icing (Optional)

1/2 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. milk
3 Tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp vanilla
3-4 C. powdered sugar

Stir all ingredients together. Spread on cooled cookies.

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

This is a super hearty, super yummy soup that even picky eaters love!

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

3 c. chicken broth
2 to 3 c. diced peeled potatoes
1 c. diced carrots
1 c. diced celery
1/2 c. diced onion
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
2 c. milk
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. diced cooked chicken
1/2 to 1 can of corn, drained (optional)

In 4-qt. saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Reduce heat; add all vegetables, salt, and pepper and simmer for 15 minutes or until veggies are tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan; add flour and mix well. Gradually stir in milk; cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Stir in cheese and cook until melted; add to broth along with chicken. Cook and stir over low heat until heated through. Optional: add corn with the chicken. Makes 6-8 servings.

Product Review: Ultra Gel

A friend introduced me to Ultra Gel a few years ago, and I absolutely love it! Ultra Gel is a thickener that you can use in place of flour, cornstarch, tapioca, and arrowroot. It's more versatile than any of the other thickeners because you can add it to hot OR cold liquids without any clumping! And there is no need to mix into a paste with water before adding to your recipe. Just sprinkle it on, whisk, and it thickens within seconds.

Second to the convenience, what I like most is that your dish doesn't have that starchy taste that flour and cornstarch leave. I just used Ultra Gel the other day when I was making the glaze for my peach pies. The glaze came out clearer--and with a prettier, brighter orange color--than when I used cornstarch. You can add it to soups, gravies, homemade jams and jellies, pie fillings, Jello salads, etc.

Use 1.5 Tbsp of Ultra Gel for every 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Easy as that!

In Utah, you can usually find Ultra Gel at Macey's.

Butterscotch Fruit Dip

We just discovered this quick and yummy recipe this year. With apples in season, we use it a lot!

Butterscotch Dip

1 can condensed milk

1 bag butterscotch chips

1 T. butter

1 T. white vinegar

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

Combine all ingredients and melt over medium to medium-low heat. Stir often to keep the bottom from scorching. Serve warm with fruit, cookies, pound cake, etc.