Zucchini Bread

In my household we prefer to grow as many fruits and vegetables as we can. This year’s crop included blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini.  For some reason we had an abundance of zucchini this year. So much so that we were trying to figure out what exactly you can make with zucchini. We decided to make a couple of loafs of zucchini bread since you can always freeze the extra loaf to eat at a later date.

What I love most about zucchini bread is that you can add almost anything you want to it. I added walnuts or pecans to add an extra crunch to the batter. You can also put in chocolate chips, dried cranberries or raisins if you are looking for a little more sweetness. There are also several spices that mix well together like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Zucchini Batter Recipe

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-teaspoon salt

1-teaspoon baking soda

1-teaspoon baking powder

3-teaspoon ground cinnamon

3-teaspoons of nutmeg (optional)

3 eggs (or 1 egg and 1/3 cup egg whites)

1-cup vegetable or canola oil

2-¼ cup sugar

3-teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1-cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1-cup chocolate chips (optional)

Zucchini  Bread Batter

Directions

Grease two 8 by 4 inch pans. I used a 9 ¼ by 5 ¼ by 2-¾ inch pan greased with butter and flour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sift flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a bowel.

Beat eggs, oil vanilla and sugar together in a large bowel. Add sifted ingredients to the mixture and beat well. Stir in zucchini, nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.

Bake for approximately 50 minutes. Inserting a toothpick in the center to determine if the zucchini bread is done. The toothpick will come out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes then remove from pan and completely cool.

Zucchini Bread 

Coca Cola Cupcakes

My brother is always asking me to bake his favorite cookies, brownies or cupcakes. A few days ago my brother brought a Coca Cola cupcake recipe to my attention. Putting soda in cupcakes was something different, but having experiences of cooking with Coca Cola, I knew that the soda does add sweetness to whatever you are cooking. I figured I would give the recipe a shot.

The one concern I had with this recipe was that it might add too much sweetness since the recipe also calls for sugar and coco powder. To my surprise, the cupcakes were not overly sweet and tasted great. The Coca Cola added that extra something to the cupcake. 

Cupcakes Batter

2 cups Coca Cola (do not use diet!)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs 

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Whipped Cream Frosting 

1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
4 tablespoons of powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Optional: Maraschino cherries (for topping)

Whipped Cream Frosting 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Generously spray the inside of the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small saucepan, heat the Coca Cola, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy. Do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

Coca Cola Cupcake Batter

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake liners/tin and bake for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract until medium peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag with a 5B star tip.  In a circular motion, pipe on whipped cream and top with one cherry. If you do not have a pastry bag, you can use a knife or or place the frosting in a plastic bag and cut the tip to frost the cupcakes. 

Coca Cola Cupcake with Whipped Cream Frosting

I did experience some trouble getting the whip cream frosting to thicken up. There are several reasons as to why the whip cream frosting didn’t thicken up including not beating the batter long enough or the mixer was not on a high enough speed. To remedy this problem I added in three to four tablespoons of cream cheese and about three tablespoons of cream of tartar. The cream of tartar helps stabilize the whip cream frosting.

Thank you to acozykitchen.com for sharing this delicious recipe!

Got Smoothie?

Smoothies are the perfect cold summer drink. They are healthy and refreshing, helping you get your daily vitamins and minerals, depending on what ingredients you use. Just beware that smoothies made at smoothie places or restaurants may not be as healthy as you would like to believe. They often contain large amounts of sugar and very little fruit, juice or yogurt. Making them from scratch is a sure fire way to guarantee a healthy beverage and know what exactly is going into your smoothie.

My personal favorite smoothies are peanut butter banana smoothies and strawberry mango smoothies. Below are the recipes I use. 

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

One banana

Three to four tablespoons of peanut butter

½ cup of milk

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together. 

What I like most about this smoothie recipe is the peanut butter and milk provides protein that keeps you full for several hours. It is also great for a breakfast on the go.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Three to four strawberries de-stemmed

½ of a mango, peeled and cut

½ cup milk

One six-ounce container of plain yogurt

Approximately five ice cubes (you can use more or less depending on how thick you want your smoothies)

Put the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. I recommend liquefying and then purifying the smoothie. This will crush the ice, as well as mix the ingredients together. 

Brownie Pie

I’ve discovered a new use for brownies – brownie pie. Brownie pies consist of a piecrust, brownie batter and the topping(s) of your choosing.  Although you have to make and bake the brownie batter, there are endless opportunities of what you can do with the brownies once they are created.

One brownie pie idea is brownie ice cream pie.  First you need to select the ice cream that you would like to use. You can also throw in chocolate chips, M & Ms or other candies if you so choose. Here’s how you would create the brownie ice cream pie:

1 nine-inch pie shell

Brownie batter or brownie mix

1.5 quart of ice cream

¼ cup candy of your choosing

¼ cup hot fudge or syrup for topping

Whipped Cream

In mixing bowl combine sugar, flour, coca, salt and baking powder. Combine oil, eggs, corn syrup and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Put the brownie batter in the piecrust and bake from 25-27 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Once the brownies are cooled, place the ice cream on top of the brownie and freeze until the ice cream is hardened.  Take the pie out a few minutes before you are ready to serve.  Before serving the brownie, I recommend drizzling hot fudge or syrup topped with whipped cream over the pie.

If you are looking for a quick brownie ice cream pie, you can get pre-packaged brownies. Just be sure to push the brownies down and spread them out evenly in the piecrust.

If you are hosting a get together, mini pie trays are a great dessert idea. It gives your guest a choice of desserts. You can create s ‘mores brownies, brownies with nuts, brownies with candy and the list goes on. For s ‘mores brownies you need to cook the brownie batter for about 18 to 20 minutes. Take the pie out and put the marshmallows on top to cook for the remaining 5 minutes. Once the pie is cooled, drizzle some chocolate over the pie and enjoy! 

Jell-O and its Many Shapes

The other day I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal talking about sculpting Jell-O into a variety of shapes and colors. This got me thinking about how versatile Jell-O. You don’t need an oven so it’s great for the summer months; they come in sugar-free and have a variety of flavors that fit almost anyone’s taste.


Think about it. Who would want to turn on a hot oven in sweltering 90 degree heat? As much as I love to bake, I do not want to make the house any hotter. This is where Jell-O desserts and snacks comes in. 

Jell-O molds come in all types of shapes so they are perfect for any occasion, ranging from fun things like zombie brains to hearts, stars and Tupperware models for drinks. Jell-O is also a great project if you are looking for something to do with kids. There isn’t too much mess, and is a healthy alternative to ice cream and cookies. 


All you need to do is check the web or your local home goods store for Jell-O molds, pick up a variety of flavors and you are on your way to crafting a delicious Jell-O dessert. 

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I am a huge fan of red velvet cake. I absolutely love the cream cheese frosting and the taste of biting into a piece of red velvet cake. I don't know how to explain it, but there is just something about the texture and flavors that really gets to me. With this in mind, I decided to combine my love of the cupcakes and red velvet cake to create red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.

This recipe turned out great. My family and friends loved them. The sour cream in the frosting really added a nice kick to the flavor. The only downside to the cupcakes was that I did not put enough batter in the cupcake tins. They turned out a little smaller than I hoped. The recipe and frosting also took a little longer to make than I thought, but the results were definitely worth the extra time.

Prep Time: ~20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes

Servings: 30

Batter

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1-cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

1-cup sour cream

½ cup milk

1 (1 ounce) bottle of red food coloring

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Red velvet batter

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

¼ cup butter, softened

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (16 ounce) box of confectioners’ sugar

Cream cheese frosting

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Mix in sour cream, milk, food coloring and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until just blended. Do not overbeat.

Spoon batter into 30 paper lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cupcake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting: Beat cream cheese, softened, butter, sour cream and vanilla extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar until smooth.

Prepared and ready to be baked

The final product

This recipe came from www.allrecipes.com

Gluten Free Oatmeal Pancakes

Over the weekend I was helping prepare brunch for several people. We decided to serve pancakes and fruit, but had to accommodate a few of the guests who have gluten allergies. Since people with gluten allergies cannot have any wheat ingredients, we had to come up with an alternative pancake recipe that everyone would love. 

After talking to a few of the guests, one of them lent us a gluten-free oatmeal pancake recipe that she promised would taste great. She was right.  The pancakes tasted amazing. The oatmeal really adds that extra something. Everyone loved the pancakes with a request that they be made on a regular basis.

Ingredients

3/4 cup gluten free quick rolled oats

 1 cup nonfat mils

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea alt

2 eggs beaten

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions
In a small saucepan heat milk till hot; stir in oats; let stand for 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl combine oat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add oat-milk mixture.

In a small bowl combine egg yolks and cooking oil; add all at once to flour-oat mixture, stirring just till combined.

In another bowl beat egg white till stiff peaks form; fold into the batter. 





For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto a hot, lightly greased griddle or heavy skillet. Cook till golden brown, turning to cook other side when pancake has a bubbly surface and slightly dry edges.

Use a 1/4 cup measure as a handy scoop for transferring pancake batter from the bowl to the griddle. If you want smaller pancakes, switch to a 1 tablespoon measure. That will put just the right amount of batter on the griddle for dollar-size pancakes. Makes 12 pancakes.







This recipe came from http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes_details.php?rid-236

As a side note, oatmeal pancakes take a little longer to cook then regular pancakes. Be sure to check the middle before serving.

If you are looking for gluten-free pancakes or just pancakes in general, oatmeal pancakes are the way to go. Everyone will surely enjoy this pancake twist.