Squash Bars

These are from Nanci; Lauren just put them on the blog. So the comments etc. are from Nanci.

Squash Bars

4 well beaten eggs

2 C sugar

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 1/3 C oil (scant)

2 C flour

1 1/2C cooked mashed zucchini (you can use pumpkin or butternut or any other squash you think would be good)   I usually put the cooked squash into my food processer and puree it that way.  It is much faster than mashing by hand.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 11 x 15 jelly roll pan. Mix well all ingredients except squash. Then add the squash into the mixture and beat to mix in well.  Bake in 11 x 15 pan for 20 minutes.  Frost with cream cheese frosting and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 TBSP butter or margarine

1 / 2 tsp vanilla

1 8 oz package cream cheese

2 C powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients well.

OK, I have to admit I have never actually made this frosting recipe. It came with the squash bars recipe and I usually just use frosting from the store, so I can’t verify the goodness of this recipe.But how different can it be?

Zucchini Bread

It is zucchini time and I love this classic recipe for zucchini bread from Betty Crocker!

3 cups shredded zucchini
1 2/3 cups sugar (can use Agave - half of the amount of sugar)
2/3 cup oil
2 tsp. vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups flour (can use whole wheat)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Move oven rack to low position so that the tops of pans will be in center of oven.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans.

Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Pour into pans.

Bake 8 inch loaves 50 to 60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool 10 ten minutes in pans on wire rack.  Loosen side of leaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack.  Cool completely before slicing.  Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

This recipe has become our family's favorite go-to pancake recipe. It's healthy and I love that it makes a huge batch and will last us several meals. I make mine using all whole wheat (white) flour and adding in some ground flaxseed. I also put my oats in a blender or food processor to pulverize before adding them into the mix. I got this recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, My Kitchen Cafe.

*Makes 10 cups of dry mix

3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable or canola oil

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer with a paddle (or by hand). If desired, grind the oats in a blender or food processor before adding to the other dry ingredients for a smoother mix. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct (I’ve never had to add additional oil). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.

To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don’t break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side. As a sidenote, buttermilk can be frozen indefinitely for future batches of pancakes, so it’s worth keeping it around!

*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes.

Aunt Mary Ann’s Pasta, chicken, & broccoli pesto toss

Recipe sent to me from Jane.  Thought I'd share on here!

This is soooooooo good!  I used almonds instead of pine nuts.

Aunt Mary Ann’s Pasta, chicken, & broccoli pesto toss

4 ounces (about 2 cups) of uncooked vegetable spiral pasta

2 cups cubed, cooked chicken or turkey breast meat (2 breasts)

2 cups small broccoli florets, cooked crisp-tender, cooled

1-½ cups (6 ounces) shredded Mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

1-cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP lemon juice

½  tsp salt

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1/s cup pine nuts or coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Cook pasta according to package, drain and cool.

Combine pasta, chicken, broccoli and mozzarella cheese in large bowl.  Process basil and garlic in covered blender or food processor until finely chopped.  Add mayo, lemon juice and salt.  Process to combine thoroughly.  Stir in Parmesan cheese.  Add to pasta mixture; toss to coat well.  Stir in pine nuts.  Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.  For maximum flavor, remove from fridge and toss gently 30 minutes before serving. 

Makes 8 servings

Easy way to make some delicious candied nuts. We love ours on steel cut oatmeal with fresh blueberries and strawberries. Would be great on salads too.

Candied Pecans

1 egg white

1 T Water

1 Lb Pecans

1 C white sugar

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven 250. Mix water and egg, Mix in pecans.

Mix sugar, salt and cinnamon in large ziplock bag.

Pour wet pecans into bag and shake well. Spread on

cookie sheet and Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 min.

Thai Lentil Chili

 This soup is so good!  Jane made it and shared some with me.  She didn't use red lentils, so any lentils will do.

Olive oil (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, however much you feel like using)
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 ½ lbs sweet potatoes cut into ¾ inch chunks
1 cup red lentils
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth
2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
1 15 oz can lowfat coconut milk
28 oz can diced tomatoes
½ cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Limes for garnish (optional)
Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Saute onions and pepper in oil with a pinch of salt, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more.
Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.
Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!

Canning Salsa

I've had a few requests for this recipe so here it is!

You can double this to make a really huge batch if you want.  I ended up getting 19 pints out of the below recipe.

24 C (6 Quarts) blended tomatoes
4 large onions
6 small bell peppers
3 small cans diced green chilies
1 large can tomato paste (12 oz)
2 small cans tomato paste (1 was a basil and oregano flavored but you don't have to use it if you don't want to or don't have it.)
4 cloves garlic
2 limes juiced
8 T garlic salt
4 T vinegar
1 bunch cilantro
2 jalepenos
3 serranos
some sugar (if you want)
1-2 T cumin

Mix all together, warm up and put in bottles, then water bath or pressure cook!

Red Velvet Cookies

I'll be making these for myself for my birthday this year!

Recipe from this blog.



Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks

1 box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 cup of All-Purpose Flour
2 sticks of softened butter
1 egg
2 cups of White Chocolate Chunks
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, add butter and mix until soft and fluffy. Slowly add cake mix and flour. Once combined, add egg and mix completely. Add white chocolate chunks, and mix for a minute or so until well combined. Form dough into one inch balls, and place into the oven for 8-10 minutes. {Yields about 24 small cookies.}

Baked Stuffed Jalapenos

I found this recipe at simplyrecipes.com.  It is a great way to use up a ton of peppers fast.
Super yummy.  I tried it with all different types of peppers ranging from mild anaheims to
spicer jalepenos--all good.  Your going to wish you grabbed more from Nanci at the Labor
Day get together.  I know I am regretting not getting more from her!

I combined the two different versions using cream cheese, bacon, and cilantro. I filled up a
baking sheet full and should have made more, they were gone quick.

Baked Stuffed Jalapeños Recipe

When working with jalapeños, it helps to wear disposable gloves. If you don't have gloves, coat your hands with some oil before working with the peppers, then once you are done, wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water. Do not touch your eyes for several hours after handling the peppers.

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling Version

• 12 jalapeño peppers*
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup cream cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
• 2 ounces jack cheese, cut into 2 1/2-inch long batons

Bacon and Jack Cheese Filling Version

• 12 jalapeño peppers*
• 1/4 cup chopped cooked bacon
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup shredded jack cheese, plus another 2 ounces of jack cheese cut into 2 1/2-inch long batons
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

* When buying jalapeños for this recipe, if you want mild peppers, look for peppers with smooth skins. Striations tend to indicate that the pepper has been stressed while growing, and that can mean a hotter pepper.

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 375°.
2 You can either slice the jalapeños in half lengthwise or you can slice off the top one-third (lengthwise) of each jalapeño to make a boat shape out of each pepper. The halved jalapeños will go further (twice as many stuffed peppers), but you can put more filling into the boat-shaped peppers. Your choice. If you choose to make the boats, you can mince the tops and add them to the filling if you want some extra heat, or save them for another recipe. Scrape out all the seeds and ribs from each jalapeño with a spoon (a grapefruit spoon works great).
3 Mix together all the filling ingredients except the jack cheese batons.
4 Pack the filling into the peppers and nestle a baton of jack cheese onto the filling of each one. Arrange the peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, and the peppers are cooked.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Yield: Makes 12-24 servings (depending on how you've cut the jalapeños).

Pesto!

I have a huge basil plant, and have only used a few leaves for spaghetti and such.  I'm ready to make some pesto!  I found these uses for pesto from my favorite gal--the pioneer woman, Ree Drummond (she has her own series coming on Food Network now too!).  And the recipe is here as well as below, but she uses it with a cream sauce.  You can just do the pesto without the cream sauce for other pesto dishes.  Do you think it'll freeze?  I'd love to make a big batch, then freeze bags of it to use later.  Thanks Ree!

Recipe: Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

Prep Time: 6 Minutes  |  Cook Time: 10 Minutes  |  Difficulty: Easy  |  Servings: 8

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
• 2 cloves Garlic, Peeled
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan (additional)
• 12 ounces, weight Pasta (cavitappi, Fusili, Etc.)
• 2 whole Tomatoes, Diced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente.
Add basil leaves, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Turn machine on, then drizzle in olive oil while it mixes. Continue blending until combined, adding additional olive oil if needed. Set aside.
Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pesto and stir.
Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Pour pesto cream over the top. Toss to combine. Add diced tomatoes and toss quickly. Serve immediately.