As you may know if you have read some of my blog, I have a vegetable garden. All the planting has been done for a few weeks now. We have been watering (and weeding) faithfully. Seeds have sprouted and with Spring well under way, I am now impatiently looking forward to harvesting some fresh vegetables from the garden.

Luckily, some vegetables are quick to germinate and mature. I have already picked my first crop of radishes. They were beautiful and tasty. There are more on the way. We have also been picking bowls full of strawberries every day. I have two beds that are 4 feet by 12 feet long and they are producing quite nicely.

One of my most anticipated goodies is the home-grown zucchini. Last year we had such an amazing crop that we had to find some new recipes to use them all up. Here are two of my favorites. The first is a savory muffin. My daughter found the recipe, but of course I altered it to make it work for my family. The second is an old recipe that my mom used to make. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

ZUCCHINI MUFFINS (savory, not sweet) yield 10 muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini (after draining off extra water in a strainer)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese (or your favorites grated cheese)

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients well. Drop into well greased muffin pans. Bake at 400° for 11 – 14 minutes. Remove when golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve all by themselves or top with marinara sauce for a delicious side dish.

SPICED ZUCCHINI BREAD yield 1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 cup grated zucchini (after draining off extra water in a strainer)

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter softened

2 large eggs

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh if possible – you won’t believe the taste difference!)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, soda and nutmeg. Add in zucchini and mix well. Stir in flour completely then add walnuts. Place in a greased and floured pan. Bake at 350°F until golden and firm to the touch.

Do your bananas ever look like this?  Surprisingly, it happens in our house quite often.  I have a hard time understanding it, though.  My daughter likes them almost totally green.  The little ones like them just barely yellow and I like them just before they turn brown.  How is it that some of them get to the point of being over-ripe?

I definitely don’t have the answer to how they get to that point, but I do have several ideas of what to do with them when they do.  I buy lots of bananas, because each of the six of us eats one almost every day.  So sometimes, one or two slip through and are past the fresh eating stage.  Try some of these ideas.

Make Banana Bread.  Make Banana Pancakes, all you have to do is mash the bananas and add to your regular pancake mix or recipe.  Or you could make Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies!  My daughter found this recipe and these cookies are delicious!

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup room temperature butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup mashed bananas

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated if possible)

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Stir in the egg.  In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and mix with the soda.  Let sit for two minutes.  The soda will be activated and this will produce light cookies.  Add the banana mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.  Stir in the spices and salt.  Add in the flour and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.  Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 11 – 13 minutes or until nicely golden brown.  Makes about 30 cookies.

What if you only have one over-ripe banana?  My mom taught me this trick.  Peel the banana and drop into a large freezer bag and freeze.  The next time you have one or two over ripe bananas, peel and add them to the bag.  Soon you will have enough for a recipe and nothing will go to waste!

Today, research has shown that chocolate has some health benefits.  Over 300 naturally occurring chemicals are found in chocolate. In a study conducted by Andrew Waterhouse, chocolate was found to have potent antioxidants called phenols. Cocoa phenols were found to prevent the bad cholesterol from causing plaque buildup in the arteries.  The darker the chocolate, the more phenols it contains. The conclusion is the purer and darker chocolates may provide the most health benefits.

As with all things, moderation is the key.  So today, let’s enjoy some delicious, sweet, satisfying chocolate!  Here’s my favorite chocolate cake recipe with my easy chocolate butter cream recipe, also.

Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup butter (melted)

1-1/2 cups milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour

1 cup cocoa (Hershey’s)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Grease and flour 2 9-inch round cake pans.  In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, eggs, milk and butter.  Add in the vanilla, salt and baking powder.  Stir in the flour and cocoa.  Don’t over mix the batter.  Pour into the prepared pans.  Bake the cakes for about 30 – 35 minutes.

I think the most common reason people end up with dry, crumbly cakes is over baking.  I don’t rely completely on the timer.  When I smell chocolate, I open the oven and lightly touch the center of the cake.  If it springs back, I take out the cake.  If it doesn’t I give it a few more minutes and test again.  I also remove my cakes from the pans while warm.  I find if I let them cool completely they stick to the pans.

Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 cup cocoa (Hershey’s)

4 cups powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 milk

In a mixing bowl, using a hand mixer, combine all ingredients until light and creamy. 

Use the frosting for the filling between the two layers and then generously ice the rest of the cake.  If the frosting seems a little soft you can either add more powdered sugar until the desired thickness or place the cake in the refrigerator for a few minutes or until serving.

So I hope you enjoy your chocolate cake!

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with CHOCOLATE

There’s nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate. – Linda Grayson, The Pickwick Papers

Too much of a good thing is simply wonderful! – Deborah Fox-Rothschild

The Best Pancake Recipe (makes about 16 small pancakes)

Ingredients:

1/2 – 3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg

1 cup white flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

The amount of milk you use will determine how thick the pancakes are.  Start with the smaller amount and add more if the batter seems too thick.  Beat the milk, butter and egg lightly in a mixing bowl.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and then add to the milk mixture.  Mix until well combined, but don’t over mix.  Lightly oil or butter a heavy griddle pan or skillet and place over moderate heat.  Use a ladle to portion out the pancakes on the pan.  Cook until the tops bubble up and the undersides are slightly browned.  Turn with a spatula and brown the other side.  Keep in a warm place until ready to serve.

One of the things I love about pancakes is their versatility.  Sometimes I put thinly sliced bananas or apples on the griddle and pour the batter over them to make fruit pancakes.  Other times I replace some of the white flour with buckwheat flour or whole-wheat flour.  One of my favorite things to do is chop walnuts and raisins and add them to a whole-wheat batter with a little cinnamon.  They are so tasty. 

Try topping your pancakes with something other than plain old maple or pancake syrup.  Spread on a little peanut butter and drizzle with honey.  Pour on a little home-made fruit syrup.  You can make your own by taking 1/4 cup of any jam, add a few tablespoons of water and warm in the microwave.  Fresh fruit is another delicious topping.  Try sliced strawberries or blueberries. 

The options with pancakes are endless.  Give a few of my ideas a try.  I think you will really enjoy them.  Then, try a few of your own!

Since it is a little chilly in our house, I think I will turn on the oven to warm it up. Hmmm, what excuse to turn on the oven? “How about some rice pudding?” I ask my four children. “Sounds good!” is the general reply. Rice pudding it is. Here’s my quick and easy recipe:

Tina’s Rice Pudding

Ingredients:
2 cups white rice
4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups milk
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
3 tablespoons vanilla

Bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and rice. Turn down and simmer 15 minutes until the rice is done. Preheat the oven to 400°F. In the bottom of a large baking/lasagna pan, slice the butter and lay out evenly. Pour in the rice and spread out to start cooling. While the rice is cooling off, in a large bowl whisk up the four eggs, add in the milk, sugar and vanilla. Temper the egg mixture by adding a large spoon on the rice and stirring well. Add another large spoon of rice and stir again. Now pour the egg mixture into the baking pan and mix well. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for about one hour. Check and see if all the liquid is absorbed. If not give it a few more minutes.

I love to add dried fruit (raisins, cranberries or chopped prunes) and chopped nuts of any kind to my rice pudding. Unfortunately, some of my kids don’t like when I do, so I just top mine off with whatever I want. Today I had walnuts and cranberries. It was delicious!

Since I had the oven on and the kitchen was getting nice and toasty, I thought I should make some fresh bread. I decided on a French bread with rosemary. Here’s my recipe:

French Bread with Rosemary

Ingredients:
2 packages dry yeast
2-1/2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups white whole-wheat flour
4 cups flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
cornmeal for the pans
1 egg white, slightly beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

In a very large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of warm water. Wait about 5 minutes until is starts getting foamy. Add the remaining 1-1/2 cups warm water, salt, white whole-wheat flour, flour and rosemary. Mix well until it turns into a manageable dough. Turn out on a floured surface and knead into adding a little more flour if necessary to keep the dough from being sticky. Let rest 10 minutes. Resume kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let raise in a warm place until double in bulk. This may take up to 2 hours for this recipe due to the amount of yeast in proportion to flour.

Punch the dough down. Divide into two. Form each half into a log approximately 2 inches wide and 12 inches long. Place the formed loaves on baking sheets that have been generously covered with cornmeal. Spray each loaf with a fine mist of water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let raise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the plastic wrap and brush the loaves with the egg white and water mixture. Using a sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal slices into the top of the loaves. Place the loaves in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes, then spray with another fine mist of water and lower the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 15 minutes more, then spray the loaves again. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until the crust is dark golden brown. Remove the loaves and cool.

I have to tell you that the rice pudding and the French bread really warmed us up inside and out. Both were tasty treats on a cold and dreary day. I hope you give them a try, no matter what your weather is like.

We have all been a little under the weather, so the long weekend came just in time.  We did a lot of resting and relaxing.  We did have a nice brunch Sunday after church, though.  Several years ago I saw a waffle iron in a catalog that I just had to have.  The waffles are the shapes of cow, chickens, pigs and barns.  The waffles are so cute.  Everyone loves to eat them, children and adults alike.  Here’s my recipe for a really yummy, healthy waffle:

Tina’s Waffles

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2-1/2 cups 2% milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 cups flour

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients and whisk together.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, oil and vanilla together.  Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.  Bake in the waffle iron of your choice.  Serve with butter and syrup, peanut butter and jelly or just with a sprinkle of powdered sugar.

 I like to serve bacon and scrambled eggs with my waffles.  Add in a big glass of milk and you have a tasty fun breakfast or brunch!

I have started my holiday baking. Mmmm, mmmm, do I love cookies? Yes, I do. We’ve been baking off and on for several days in between Christmas concert performances and Christmas parties with our family and friends. Here are a few more great Christmas cookies recipes with pictures.

CRANBERRY ALMOND BISCOTTI yield 24 cookies

In a microwave safe bowl add all ingredients except walnuts. Working at 30 second intervals, heat the mix then stir. Repeat heating and stirring until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Add in walnuts and spread in a 9 x 9 inch pan. Cool completely and cut into 1 inch squares. You can also try mixing different types of chips (peanut butter, milk chocolate, mint) and different nuts (almonds, cashews or peanuts) to create various types of fudge.

If you are giving cookies and candies as gifts, a fun and easy to way to present them is to get a new gift box. Line the box with either foil or parchment papers and then add your cookies. Tie off with a big bow and your gift is ready to go.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine egg, sugar, peanut butter baking soda. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on cookie sheet. Press with a fork to make criss-crosses and flatten slightly. Bake at 350°F until golden and firm to the touch. Cool completely before storing.

My oldest daughter found this cookie recipe a few years ago. We all love it! You can also make this cookie recipe with almond butter or cashew butter. Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 pound butter

2 cups sugar

6 eggs beaten

1/2 cup milk

4 teaspoons baking powder

8 – 9 cups flour

3 tablespoons orange extract

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

3 egg yolks for brushing tops

Mix butter, eggs, sugar, milk, orange extract and vanilla together thoroughly. Add baking powder and 8 cups of flour. Combine well. Add more flour if needed to make the dough not sticky so you can form the cookies in your hand. Working with small amounts of dough, roll into a long coil. Cut into 4 inch pieces and scroll into an “S”. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Brush with egg yolks. Bake at 350° for about 15 – 20 minutes.

I grew up eating these cookies. Our neighbor Androula made them all the time. They are the perfect cookie for dunking in coffee or tea. They are so simple and so delicious. Give them a try!

Holiday baking is one of my most treasured family traditions. I love to smell the sweetness as the cookies and breads bake. It is so much fun to teach my children how to make and decorate their own special cookies. Now my grandchildren are in the kitchen baking cookies, too. It is such a great way to spend time with my family. If you haven’t done holiday baking in the past, I hope that you try it this year. Merry Christmas!

I don’t know how I forgot to start my favorite and most important list. The holidays just wouldn’t be the same for me without our favorite Christmas cookies. Some make an appearance every year. Others are special editions. Some cookies I only make at Christmas.

My most favorite cookie of all times is the Italian Chocolate/Pepper cookie! Yum, yum, yum. This is my Grandma Mary’s recipe and as far as I know, she only makes it at Christmas. I only make it at Christmas because I love this cookie so much, if I made it year long, I would eat nothing else. They are also my Dad and oldest son’s favorite cookie, so we make lots of them. I know the recipe sounds “different”, but try it once and you will be hooked!

Cookie Ingredients:

Mix butter, sugar, milk and eggs together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. (If you want, taste the dough. I like mine really spicy. Sometimes I need to add more pepper or other spices.) Take a piece of dough enough to form into a 1 inch ball. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper.

To make the glaze, start with adding 3 tablespoons of the milk to the powdered sugar. You want the glaze to be the consistency of pancake batter. Add more milk if needed. When cookies are cool you can either dip them into the glaze or paint on the glaze with a pastry brush. Top with a pinch of candy sprinkles. This step is a must because that is how Grandma always did it! The glaze will harden and then you can store them.

Another cookie that shows up every year is my Mom’s favorite – Mexican Nut Kisses. These cookies have many names including wedding cakes and butter kisses. But, no matter what you call them – they are tasty!

Ingredients:

1 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies)

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

2-1/4 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup walnut pieces

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. Take a piece of walnut (approximately 1/4 of nut) and a piece of dough (about a 1 inch ball) and form the dough into a ball around the walnut. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 400°F until set to the touch, but not browned. Cool on parchment or wax paper. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar until covered.

I will be sharing more of our favorite Christmas cookies and desserts in the next few weeks. As soon as I get some pictures of the cookies, I will post them so you can see how pretty they are. I really hope that you find something you like.

Having been on a fairly tight budget for the first few years of your marriage, I got used to planning what meals we would be eating for the week. I would make a shopping list, grab my calculator and off to the grocery store I would go. So the problem wasn’t what to cook, but where to find the time and energy to do it? I came up with a few BIG time-saving strategies that really work for me. The first, being to prepare some of the meal components ahead of time.

When I go shopping on Saturday morning I come home and get several things going at once. I get the oven preheating to 350°F. I grab my huge cast iron skillet. It is 16 inches wide. Very big, very heavy. I throw three pounds of ground beef into the skillet and break it up with a spatula. I take a large baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray and spread out a family pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Salt, pepper, garlic powder – flip – salt, pepper, garlic powder and into the oven they go! As the ground beef starts to brown I continue to stir and breakup the large pieces. I chop up three large onions. One for each pound of beef I am using. I drain off the fat and water in the pan and add the onions. Now a bulb of garlic. Yes, the whole bulb. I peel and chop it finely and into the pan it goes. Now – salt, pepper and a big handful of dried oregano.

The chicken is flipped after about 30 minutes. I let it go for another 30 minutes and then allow it to cool off on the top of the stove. When the ground beef is well browned and the onions are soft, I let it cool and then portion it into six zipper bags. I use small sandwich bags and then stuff all six of them into a large freezer bag. I do the same thing with the cooled chicken. One breast per bag and into a larger freezer bag. This strategy allows me to pick the amount of meat needed for any particular meal.

I have also been known to throw a london broil or pork loin into the crock pot with a bunch of onions, garlic, carrots and celery and let it cook for hours until it just falls apart with a fork. Divide into smaller portions, bag and freeze. Another trick is when I make meatloaf or meatballs, I make a huge batch (3 pound of ground beef) and make half meatballs and half meatloaf. I freeze whichever one is not for dinner that night.

I have an arsenal of recipes that I use the prepared foods in. I call them my Quick Fix Meals. They are usually my regular recipes, but some of the preparation steps are already done. I can get a stir-fry chicken dinner on the table in the length of time it takes to make rice. Spaghetti in the time it takes to cook the pasta. This works so well, that my husband is now on board and helps with the Saturday preparation and often the makes dinner.