These are TRADE SECRETS here today!!
Okay, not really. But you know what food is pretty important to me, and I have taken the serious task of testing and adapting recipes so that YOU will enjoy them!
First up...
Zucchini Bread. After all, zucchini is growing like crazy in this region right now. There are a lot of variations with this bread, but I have found my favorite. It was a fluke really, because I only had part of the white sugar that I needed, so I improvised and put half brown sugar and half white. I figured sugar is sugar, right? WRONG! The combination of white and brown sugar adds depth to the bread and a little bit of crispness in flavor! I also love to mix nutmeg with most things that have cinnamon. It's a great companion spice and adds a little zing. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
Directions:
1. Grease and flour two 8 X4 inch pans or 4 mini loaf pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove from pan and completely cool.
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A less traditional recipe that I stumbled on at my grandmother's house is for French Toast Casserole. I get it, casserole's come with a bad rap, but truly this one is a tasty time-saver. I did have to make some adjustments to the recipe because the flavor wasn't quite right to me. The perk about this recipe is that you can make it the night before, chill it overnight and pop it into the oven the next day. It was perfect for a lazy Sunday morning for us. This recipe is definitely one that is aromatic and makes the house smell DIVINE! If anyone has suggestions for a better name, pop me a comment!
French Toast Casserole
Ingredients:
1 Loaf White Bread ( I also think it would be delicious with cinnamon raisin bread!)
1 Dozen Eggs
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup milk
4-6 oz cream cheese depending on your preference.
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. Cube bread and put half in the pan. (I used a 9 X 13 and it was stuffed full!)
2. Crumble cream cheese over bread, sprinkle with cinnamon and cover with other half of bread.
3. Mix eggs, milk, syrup, and vanilla. Pour over bread.
4. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. Uncover and bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Serve with syrup. This recipe can easily feed 6-8!
I thought I had a picture of this for ya'll but apparently it's in neverland! Once I find it- I'll upload! :)
I have made several new recipes lately, and I decided to go ahead and share some with you :) I had a night full of fun Mexican Food. I made homemade salsa. It's really simple- I just grabbed some jalapenos and banana peppers from the garden, some cilantro, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. I just tossed it little by little in the Mini Chopper (shameless plug here- but SERIOUSLY it works and no pepper hands!!) and VIOLA yummy salsa! I may have added more jalapenos than most prefer since I like quite a bit of kick to mine :)
Then I made Chicken Taquitos! YUMM!! The recipe I used seemed like it had a lot of ingredients that were easily replaceable so I 'll share my adapted recipe.The original recipe came from pintrest of course! The perk is that it is really easy to make, kids can help, and it freezes well! Make a double batch and throw one in the freezer for a night that you don't have time to cook!
picture of the filling...mouth watering!
BAKED not fried CREAMY CHICKEN TAQUITOS
Yield: 12 taquitos
12 tortilla flour or corn
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 to 1/2 cup taco sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder or fajita seasoning
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used chicken from Oscar Meyer, comes in chunks and I just chopped it finely)
1 cup shredded Mexican flavored cheese
Preheat your oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, salsa or taco sauce, ground cumin, chili powder or taco seasoning, onion powder and garlic. Once combined, stir in the cilantro. Add the chicken and cheese; mix thoroughly.
(If you decided to prep this in advance, refrigerate the mixture at this point until ready to continue.)
Working with a few tortillas at a time, heat them in the microwave between two paper towels until they are soft enough to roll (about 20 – 30 seconds).
Spoon 2-3 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture onto the lower third of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla as tightly as you can. DO NOT PUT MORE THAN THIS AMOUNT, OTHERWISE IT WILL OOZE OUT OF THE SIDES WHEN COOKED
Place the rolled tortilla seam side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas until the mixture is gone.
Make sure the taquitos are not touching each other.
Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray.Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until crisp and golden.
Serve with salsa, sour cream or guacamole.
**To freeze: Before baking, flash freeze the taquitos in a single layer on a baking sheet then place in a labeled freezer bag and store up to 3 months. To bake a frozen taquito (no need to thaw first): Preheat oven to 425˚F and bake for 20 minutes. (Flash Freeze means freezing the taquitos in a single layer for 15-20 minutes (until hardened) so that when you add them to the freezer bag, they will not all stick together).
Enjoy!
These taquitos were a hit here and were quite delicious :) I hope you enjoy them as well!
Coming up in recipe land... french toast casserole (definitely an interesting one) and my excellent zucchini bread, as well as some other dinners I've dabbled in :)
Oh, and good news! I start school on September 1st to finish my degree in Human Resources! Very excited to get back on track :)
Wow. Life has been a roller coaster these past 8 months. Have no fear though, even if I haven't posted I HAVE been baking and cooking. I of course, have lots to share and am exited to get back to blog land.
First, let me say that I am currently at home and boy is it peaceful. By peaceful I mean to say that I am on the computer typing away, while my handsome hubby has headphones on and is cleaning out his music list. I believe that's what he is doing anyways...you never know, I suppose. There's also an amazing summer storm going on with lightening so bright it lights up the entire neighborhood, and thunder that makes your heart skip a beat. Needless to say, this is close to nirvana for me, and I consider this peaceful. I'm not sure what appeals to me about the storms, as most people are afraid of them. There's just something about a storm that seems to absorb any anxieties I have, and resets my inner strength to find hope and positivity in what most people find a terrifying situation.
Today was mostly a day of solitude. As most people, sometimes solitude is just what I need to face my own demons. Other times it makes me feel lonely and frantic to be out with people. I would say most of the day left me feeling restless but also unmotivated. Once Casey got home from work, I pretty much begged him to go on a walk with me and the dogs. We walked about a mile or so, and came home. I felt slightly rejuvenated after that, but for some reason I just didn't feel like myself. Normally when this happens I do some baking or cooking, so today I decided to try that normal route. I made stuffed banana peppers, which were surprisingly savory and delicious, chicken taquitos, salsa, peanut butter chocolate cups, and I have homemade ice cream in the freezer. Even though dinner was scrumptious and I found some great new recipes that are quick and easy, I feel lethargic in spirit. All of this brings me back to the storm which hopefully will reset my internal...emotions? What I do know, is that something is missing. What impact am I really making...
For all of you followers that enjoy new recipes, I'll include the stuffed banana peppers here now. I started looking for ways to utilize banana peppers because we grow them in our garden. Why we grow them, I'll be honest I've been reflecting on that all day as we never use them. But I cross referenced a few recipes, and I made my own. I know trying the unknown may be scary. I can assure you that this treat will make a great appetizer for any meal or party, and is incredibly easy to make. It's also light, creamy, and savory all at the same time. I hope you enjoy...
Stuffed Banana Peppers
6 banana peppers of medium to large (feel free to use what you have)
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 slices hard salami
black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
optional jalapeno diced small. (only use if you'd like some kick)
1. Cut the tops off the tops of the banana peppers. Slice open lengthwise. Remove seeds and set aside.
2. Blend together cream cheese, pepper, Italian seasoning, and jalapeno.
3. Spread a little cream cheese mixture onto the side of a piece of salami. Roll tightly.
4. Place rolled salami inside of banana pepper.
5. Bake about 15 minutes in an oven preheated at 425.
