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!

Corned Beef Brisket

Ingredients:

1 corned beef brisket

1 onion coarsely chopped

5 cloves of garlic peeled and halved

seasoning packet from brisket

1 tablespoon pickling spices

1 teaspoon coriander seed

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dill seed

boiling water to cover brisket

When I follow the package directions for corned beef brisket, it never has enough flavor for me so I add lots of extra spices.  The spices listed above are my favorites, but you can add anything you want.

In the bottom of the crock pot pour in the coriander, celery and dill seed.  Place the brisket on top and pour the season packet and pickling spices on top.  Place the garlic and onions around the brisket.  I boil the water in a kettle to help speed up the crock pot process.  Pour in the boiling water over the brisket and cover.

Cook on high for 5 – 6 hours.  Remove the brisket from the crock pot and allow to cool on a platter.  I am not very good at slicing the brisket thinly, so I use a fork and pull apart the brisket removing any fat along the way.  You can return to the cooking liquid to reheat if you so desire.

I serve this corned beef on a really good rye bread with mustard and Swiss cheese.   It really doesn’t need anything else.  One of my favorite side dishes for this sandwich is a coleslaw containing apples and pineapple.  Here’s the recipe:

Sweet Coleslaw

Ingredients:

1/2 of a large head of cabbage, chopped or shredded

1 granny smith apple, coarsely chopped

1 – 16 oz. can of chunk pineapple, well drained (reserve juice)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

Combine the cabbage, apple and pineapple and mix well.  In a jar combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt and sugar.  Shake well.  Add a little pineapple juice at a time to make the dressing the consistency you would like.  Pour over the cabbage mixture and mix well.  This salad can be made a few hours before serving with out getting soggy.

We all love this corned beef recipe and the coleslaw is also one of our family favorites.  I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do!

The reason I have been making pizza more than ordering it recently is probably obvious. With the economy what it is, we just can’t afford to spend $30 or more for pizza. Pizza is surprisingly easy to make. And, if you watch for sales on the cheeses and toppings, it is usually less than half the price of take-out. Here is my pizza crust recipe and a quick pizza sauce recipe.

EZ Pizza Crust (makes 2 twelve-inch pizzas)

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

2 tablespoons dry yeast or 2 packages

3/4 cup warm (about 110 degrees) water, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons salt

4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

cornmeal for pan

Dissolve yeast in a bowl with 3/4 cup lukewarm water. In a large bowl mix the flour, sugar and salt. Stir in the olive oil and the water with the dissolved yeast. Mix well. Add more lukewarm water as needed to make a dough that is smooth and elastic. Turn out on a floured board and knead until for 3 minutes. Pour a little olive oil in a large bowl and place the ball of dough in the bowl. Turn to coat with the oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

EZ Pizza Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large can of crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 minced garlic cloves

Mix everything together and let sit for a hour or so to let flavors mingle before making your pizza.

Preheat your oven to 550°F. Punch down the dough and separate in to two balls. Using a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 12-inch round. Sprinkle some cornmeal onto your pizza pan and place the dough on top. Spread with the pizza sauce. Add the desired toppings and cover with cheese. I usually use just mozzarella cheese, but sometimes we mix it up and add cheddar, jack or parmesan. This is the great thing about making pizza at home. You can make it the way you want it, not the way the restaurants offer it.

We often have Make Your Own Pizza Night. I prebake the crusts in the morning. I cook them until just down, but not brown. I usually break the recipe into fourths and make small crusts. Before baking use a fork and pierce the crust so that it doesn’t bubble up. Then that night everyone gets to pick their own toppings and put their pizza together. I cook them as fast as they are assembled and everyone gets just the pizza they want. Everyone loves this; kids and adults alike.

Start a new family tradition. Pizza night!

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 many Christmas holiday traditions in our family. There is the Christmas cookie tradition, the Christmas tree traditions, and naturally the Christmas Eve traditions. Of course, my favorite tradition is the Christmas cookie tradition. Every year we make dozens and dozens of different cookies to share with our family and friends. It is really a lot of fun and many of our friends do the same thing. So, each year I look forward to Janet’s Pistachio Thumb-Print Cookies and she waits expectantly for my Italian pepper cookies. I spend the last few days before Christmas in the kitchen with my children (so all the cookies are as fresh as possible) and we roll, cut, form, bake and decorate together while singing Christmas carols, telling stories and laughing. Lots and lots of laughing. We have one special day dedicated to decorating the World’s Best Sugar Cookies. The kids and grandkids come over, along with invited guests and we “paint” our cookies adding lots of sprinkles and candies. I hope you try at least one of my special Christmas cookie recipes! Peace, love and joy to you and your family!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 egg

3 teaspoons vanilla (clear Mexican vanilla if available)

Mix butter, egg, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Add dry ingredients slowly. Mix completely. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough for one hour. Roll out on floured board. Cut with cookie cutters of choice. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375°F for about 8 minutes. If desired decorate with colored icing paints and candies.

ICING PAINT FOR SUGAR COOKIES

Ingredients:

1 cup powdered sugar

milk

food coloring

To make icing paint mix the powdered sugar with enough milk to make the sugar the consistency of thick pancake batter. The amount of milk will vary with the humidity in the air. Separate the paint into smaller containers and add food coloring to created desired colors. The gel colors make it much easier to get deeper colors. Use new paint brushes (synthetic, wash before using) from the craft store to paint the cookies. Add candies and sprinkles if you wish. The icing paint will set up in about 30 minutes.

JANET’S PISTACHIO THUMB-PRINT COOKIES yield 3 to 4 dozen cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

3-1/2 oz. package instant pistachio pudding mix

1 egg

2 cups flour

1/2 cup miniature or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 to 1-1/4 cup finely chopped pistachios

Filling Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 to 3 tablespoons milk

Glaze Ingredients:

1/2 cup miniature or regular semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 teaspoons shortening

Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease cookie sheets. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, pudding mix and egg until well blended. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Mix well. If necessary, refrigerate dough 30 to 45 minutes for easier handling.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls; roll in nuts. Place on prepared cookie sheets. With thumb, make imprint in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350°F for 10-14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely.

In a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients until smooth. Spoon about a teaspoonful of filling into the center of each cookie. In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate chips with shortening, stirring constantly. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon glaze over each filled cookie. Allow filling and glaze to set up before storing cookies.