Zucchini Bread/Muffins

Zucchini bread is sooo delicious and easy to make. I like to make the mini muffins instead of the loafs for an on-the-go snack. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 c. vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 c. water
• 2 c. grated zucchini
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, and zucchini. Mix wet ingredients into dry. 
4. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. If you prefer, you could bake the mix in mini muffin pans instead for about 15 minutes, or until tester comes out clean.

Red Potato Salad

This is an awesome, simple, and delicious recipe for red potato salad - just in time for summer! I added a little bit of ranch dressing for additional flavor. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! 

Ingredients: 
5 red potatoes, scrubbed clean with skin on
2 eggs
3 green onions, cut into very thin slices
3/4 c. mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. dill 


Directions: 

1. BOIL POTATOES until cooked all the way through, but not mushy. Remove potatoes from the pot and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. BOIL EGGS: Cover with 1 inch of water, and bring to boil over high heat. Remove the pan from heat, drain the water, add 1/2 cup of ice and 1 cup of cold water to the pan. Allow to sit 5 minutes.
3. SAUCE: While the potatoes and eggs cool, stir together the mayonnaise, salt, and dill weed in a small bowl.
4. COMBINE: Peel the eggs. Cut the potatoes and eggs into small pieces and put into the large serving bowl. Stir in the onions and sauce until it is thoroughly distributed. Garnish with dill leaves and serve. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Chicken-Stuffed Peppers

I love this recipe because it's relatively easy to make, it's delicious, and it's healthy! I bought the peppers from the discounted veggies bin - but I cooked them the same day and they were just as tasty as any other peppers. I paid $0.67 cents for all three peppers as opposed to $2.70 in the regular veggie section. Always check out the priced-for-quick-sale sections - most of the time it's not that the food is bad, it just needs to move out of the store quickly before it ruins. In short, this dish met all of my desired food criteria - cheap, easy, tasty, and healthy. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 

3 green peppers

4 chicken tenders (frozen)

1 tomato, diced

1 onion, diced

1 c. your choice of shredded cheese

1 tbsp olive oil (or adequate cooking spray)

Garlic-pepper seasoning

Salt (and extra pepper) to taste

Directions: 

1. Boil peppers until they turn a darker shade of green and are soft.
2. While Put olive oil and onions in pan and cook for a few minutes, put in chicken. Dash seasoning on chicken. Cook until chicken is done.
3. Cut and shred chicken. Mix cooked onions, chicken, and half of cheese in bowl with diced tomato.
4.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
5.    Remove peppers from boiling water and let cool. Cut tops off and remove seeds.
6.   Place hulls of peppers in greased baking dish and fill with chicken-tomato-onion mix. Top with remainder of cheese, then replace tops of peppers.
7. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Spaghetti Sauce

If you don't have a jar of pasta sauce handy or if you want to try making spaghetti sauce on your own, this recipe will get the job done. I kind of experimented with making pasta sauce with stuff I already had in the cabinets and fridge. Needless to say, it turned out pretty well and it made the "final cut" to the blog.


Ingredients: 
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning (or combine spices to make your own - oregano, basil, etc.)
salt and pepper to taste
[Optional: dice up some cooked chicken and add in with Step 1.]


Directions: 

1. In a heated pan, add olive oil, onion, bay leaves, and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. 
2. While that's cooking, drain tomatoes (most, but not all of the juice) and smash the tomatoes up a bit more. 
3. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for a few minutes. 
4. Add remaining ingredients and let the flavor of the herbs soak into the mixture. (5-10 minutes)

Creamy Shrimp Bisque

This recipe is a lot like the shrimp and corn chowder, but it has a different consistency and is tasty nonetheless. An awesome cooking secret (that may not be so secretive, but I didn't know) that I learned from my friend Emily: you can buy minced garlic in jars at the grocery store.... because we like time- and energy-saving cooking ideas. 


Ingredients: 
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green onion w/tops, chopped
4 tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. half & half
2 bouillon cubes
3 tbsp. fresh parsley
8 oz. cooked shrimp, chopped


Directions:

1. In medium pan, add celery, butter, onions. Stir.
2. When tender, add garlic and mix.
3. Stir in flour and half & half.
4. Let simmer 5 minutes.
5. Stir in bouillon and parsley.
6. Cook for 10 minutes, until thick.
7. Add shrimp and let simmer 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and add salt to taste. 

Apple Pie (from scratch)

I don't typically measure ingredients for this recipe, but this is my guesstimate (just for you!):

Ingredients for pie crust:

2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 stick of butter

3 tbsp. ice-cold water

pinch of salt

Directions for crust:

1. Place butter in freezer for about ten minutes, then remove and dice into small cubes. 
2. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. 
3. Mix butter cubes into dry ingredients. (As you mix, break the butter up into shreds so that it better integrates with the dry ingredients. You don't want chunks of butter in this mixture.)
4. Add cold water gradually to the mix as you stir. If the mixture gets sticky, just add a bit more flour. 
5. Rub your hands in flour and work the dough a bit. 
6. Break the dough into two halves, then roll them into balls and coat them with flour. Place individual rolls in ziplock bags and put them in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes. (You can leave them in the freezer for up to 2 days).
7. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Flour your hands and sprinkle a generous amount of flour over a clean, smooth surface. Also rub flour on the rolling pin.
8. Place one dough ball in the center of the flour and roll it flat with your rolling pin. 
9. Trim the edges smooth and carefully transfer to a 12" pie pan. Leave excess edges hanging off the pie pan for now. 
10.  Place pie filling in the crust. 
11.  Repeat 8 for the other dough ball. Trim edges smooth and transfer crust to the pie. 
12.  Fold the bottom crust's edges up and over the top crust and pinch the edges. Cut slits in the top crust to let steam escape. To keep the edges of the crust from burning before the pie is done baking, cut strips of tin foil and wrap around the edges.

Ingredients for apple pie filling:

5 apples

 1 c. sugar

3 tsp. cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter

Directions for Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel and core the apples, then cut them in half. Cut very thin apple slices  (less than a quarter inch). You want very thin apple slices, or else you will have crispy apples in your pie.
3. In a large bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and mix until the apples are coated with the cinnamon-sugar mixture (which should be gooey from the juicy apple slices).
4. Fill the pie crust with the apple filling mixture. Place thin slices of butter over the mixture. 
5. Follow steps 10-11 of the pie crust directions above.
6. Place pie in oven and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until crust is a light golden brown. 

Pumpkin Roll

This recipe was much simpler to make than I expected. The only trouble I had was re-rolling the cake without having the cake break apart.  I used a second person to help roll the cake,  so in the end everything turned out okay. Be sure to really mix the cream cheese filling until it's smooth for the best taste and texture. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

3 large eggs

1 c. sugar

2/3 c. Libby's 100% pure pumpkin

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese

1 c. powdered sugar

6 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 15"x10" jelly-roll pan; line with wax paper. Grease and flour wax paper. Sprinkle a towel with powdered sugar.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl.
3. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Let the roll cool.
5. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in small bowl until smooth. 
6. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

Supreme Pizza

Okay, the process for this recipe and the list of ingredients don't seem gourmet at all, but I promise the final taste test proves otherwise. If you want to make your own pizza easily and on a budget, I recommend that you try this recipe: 

                                                       Ingredients:
1 pkt. Betty Crocker pizza mix

1 can pizza sauce

1 c. cheese (mozzarella and cheddar is a nice mix)

1/2 c. mushrooms

1/4 c. green peppers, finely chopped

1/4 c. feta cheese (tomato-basil preferred)

1/2 pkg. lean hamburger meat

pepperonis (however many you like)
2 tsp. basil 


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease 12" pizza pan.
2. Prepare Betty Crocker pizza mix according to instructions.
3. Cook hamburger meat while dough rises. Note:To prevent the middle of the crust from becoming soggy, either pre-bake the crust for about 5 minutes before adding toppings, or just go light on the quantity of toppings.
4. Spread prepared pizza dough on pan. Cover dough with thin layer of pizza sauce.
5. Sprinkle remaining toppings over the sauce to your liking.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Potato Soup From Scratch

So I don't have a picture for this one just yet, but this recipe makes a thick, hearty potato soup that your grandma Betty will absolutely covet. The only problem is that I am a bit impatient when it comes to waiting for the soup to be done, so I (and whoever is with me) usually ravishes the pot for burned tongues. The wait time is a bit agonizing, but it's totally worth it!


Ingredients:
3-4 potatoes, diced into small pieces
1 small onion
1/2 c. flour
1/2 stick of butter
6 c. water
2 c. milk
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Melt butter in sauce pan until completely liquid.
2. Stir in flour to make a thick paste.
3. Add onions to the pan. Saute onions with flour-paste mixture.
4. Add remainder of ingredients to pan.
5. Cook mixture on high for about an hour, or until potatoes are soft.

Blackberry Cobbler (Crock Pot)

I wasn't sure if blackberry cobbler in a Crock Pot was a very good idea... but it was just as sweet and juicy as any other baked cobbler I've had. I dolloped frozen whipped cream on top of the blackberries fresh out of the pot, and it tasted just as great as ice cream (well, almost). Plus, whipped cream has less calories! Sugar is a different story... It is an easy, delicious recipe, nonetheless.


Ingredients:
1 pkg. frozen blackberries (16 oz.)
1/2 c. sugar
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. lemon juice (optional)
1 c. Bisquick original mix
2 tbsp. sugar
ground cinnamon
whipped cream or ice cream (optional)


Directions: 

1. Mix blackberries, 1/2 c. sugar, water, and lemon juice in Crock Pot. Cook on low 3-4 hours, or until mixture is boiling.

2. Mix Bisquick and 2 tbsp. sugar in small bowl. Stir in milk just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop dough by 6 spoonfuls onto hot berry mixture. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

3. Cover and cook on high 20-25 minutes.

4. To serve, spoon dumpling into dessert dish. Spoon berry mixture over dumpling. Top with whipping cream or ice cream.

Lentil Soup (Crock Pot)

Lentils have a odd, firmer texture than other beans, but perhaps I didn't cook them long enough. I guess if you want softer lentils, you can soak them overnight before cooking. I loved the basil-tomato-y flavor of the juices. I hope you find it as tasty as I did!


Ingredients: 
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. salt
1 pound lentils, picked and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken broth (I just used two dissolved bouillon cubes)
2 bay leaves
2 tsp. dried basil
4 cups water
salt & pepper to taste


Directions: 
1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot.
2. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.
3. Let crock pot simmer during day on low.

Shrimp & Corn Chowder

We halved this recipe to accommodate a small Crock Pot and substituted the shrimp for the pre-packaged seafood blend (squid, octopus, shrimp, surimi) and it was DELICIOUS! To be honest, I wasn't excited about eating squid and whatever the heck surimi is... but I loved it. I'm sure you could substitute the shrimp with scallops or other tasty seafood. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 bunch green onions, sliced
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 lb shrimp
1 stick butter
2 bouillon cubes (chicken)
1 cans cream corn
1 can cream of potato soup
1 quart of milk (to thin soup)
2 tsp. creole seasoning
salt & pepper to taste


Directions:
1. Melt butter in large pan.
2. Saute onions & bell peppers in butter.
3. Add 1 tsp of seasoning.
4. Add shrimp or crawfish before onions are completely wilted. Stir to combine.
5. Add remaining ingredients, including second tsp. of seasoning.
6. Add more milk if necessary to thin.
7. Cook on low for about 20 minutes. Taste for seasonings. Add more salt, pepper & seasoning to taste