Zucchini Bread

As I'm beginning to type this post, I wonder if I've ever put a recipe for zucchini (my husband likes to annoy me and pronounce it "zoo-chin-eye" or "zuck-chinny", depending on his mood) bread.

Ah, well. If so, sorry--here it is again!

I made this bread out of necessity. I found a zucchini in my garden that was bigger than a large eggplant. This guy was a total behemoth, and I knew that the only way I'd be able to successfully use it was in a bread or muffin.

Turns out, this bad mamajamma made 6 cups of grated zucchini--or enough for 4 loaves of bread when following the recipe below.

I decided to use half and freeze half, as I'm sure I'll want some zucchini bread again during the winter.

The recipe I used was from one of my absolute favorite blogs/recipe collections: Simply Recipes, by Elise.

I didn't change a thing, but I'll copy the recipe below for your viewing pleasure. I love Elise's cooking--she's methodical and analytical. Basically, she's the blog version of Cook's Illustrated.

Simply Recipes' Zucchini Bread

Makes 2, 9x5" loaves

Ingredients:

2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups grated, fresh zucchini--I pressed a little (but not all) of the water out
2/3 c melted, unsalted butter*
2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt*
3 cups flour (I used bread flour, because it's all that I had)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp cinnamon

*I only had salted butter, so I omitted the pinch of salt---everything came out just fine.

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F, butter/grease 2, 9x5" loaf pans
2. Mix eggs, sugar and vanilla until combined.
3. Mix in the grated zucchini and butter.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the batter, then combine.
5. Add 1 cup of flour at a time, and completely mix in before adding the next cup. The batter will be considerably thicker now.
6. Mix in the cinnamon and nutmeg.
7. Divide the batter equally between the two loaf pans. Set the pans on a cookie sheet (this makes getting them in and out of the oven easier, and if you have any spills, they won't burn in your oven).
8. Bake 50 minutes. Check with a toothpick in the center to make sure the bread is cooked all the way through. If it's still gooey, put back in the over for another 5 minutes.
9. Cool in pan for 20 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

The Very Epic Picaken

Do y'all know what a picaken is?

Well, don't fret. I didn't know what a picaken was either until a close friend of mine requested one for her graduation party back in May. She earned a doctorate, and thus deserved an epic dessert. My friend first heard of the picaken through this blog, but it seems picakens (or piecakens) are all over the internet.

First off, I apologize for the quality of the photos--all except the final photo were taken with my phone, and are, therefore, a bit blurry/crappy.

Okay, so here's what you do if you're super stressed and don't have time to make anything from scratch (my scenario for making this picaken):

Ingredients:
1 frozen pie, cooked and cooled to room temp, or 1 store bought already baked pie (I chose apple)
1 box cake mix (I chose spice cake)
1 tub frosting (I chose cream cheese flavored)

Procedure:

1. Preheat your oven to whatever temperature your cake mix tells you to preheat to (I think mine was either 350F or 375F).

2. Mix up your cake batter as directed. Grease a large (9", in my case) springform pan, taking time to carefully lock the outer rim so you don't have any leaks. I recommend also placing a baking sheet below the pan in the oven to catch any potential drips.

3. Place about 3/4 cup cake batter in the bottom of the pan, coating the whole bottom.

4. Take your baked, room temp pie and flip it over onto a cooling rack or large plate (the bottom of the pie will be face up). Then flip it over again into the springform pan.

5. Hysterically weep.

6. Pour the remaining cake batter over the pie, being careful not to cry too much into the bowl so as to not change the salt content and/or water down your cake.

7. Pop the cake into the oven for the recommended time on the cake box, then start swearing after that time has passed, because your cake is NOT going to be done yet, friends. It can take upwards of 20 extra minutes to have the interior portion of the cake bake properly--just be sure to check it with a toothpick (the toothpick should come out clean). Nothing should be jiggling. That will happen after you eat the picaken.

8. Cool that sucker. It will take a long, long, LONG time to cool. Like, overnight, folks. Just plan accordingly, because you need to ice this guy to cover up any pie crust poking out.

9. Ice it. It may come out crumbly (like mine), but that's okay. It will taste WONDERFUL, and you won't care as much about the crumbles.

10. Enjoy with lots of friends! This picaken can serve about 10-15 people--maybe more!

My sweet friend made me a picaken in return--same combination (apple pie/spice cake/cream cheese frosting), but she made her cake and frosting from scratch! Delicious!

What combinations of flavors would you try?

Bread Pudding and Whiskey Sauce

Hey y'all!

It's been a while.

But I come bearing gifts. Buttery, nom-a-licious gifts.

I learned this recipe while on my New Orleans trip last year thanks to Brittni's amazing idea to take me to an authentic New Orleans cooking class.

Life shall never be the same again.

I've modified the recipe a bit, but that's what you're supposed to do. If there's one thing I took away from that class, it was cook with feeling. Do you feel like adding raisins? Do you feel like adding extra booze? Then DO IT.

I made this recipe for my in-laws and friends at a small get together we had at our house, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. I hope you all get to have as much fun experimenting with this as I did!

NOLA Bread Pudding

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

6-8 cups cubed, stale French bread

2 c sugar

8 Tbs melted butter

3 eggs (break yolks, but don't whip)

2 tsp vanilla

1 c shredded coconut

1 c chopped pecans

1 c raisins (I didn't add these because I married a raisin-hater)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Dash of whiskey for kicks

milk (add at end)

Sweet Treat

Procedure:

1. Mix all ingredients except milk thoroughly (I used my clean hands). Add the milk to get the desired consistency: the mixture should be moist, but not soupy.

2. Pour mixture into a greased (with butter, crisco or cooking spray) 9"x13" baking dish. Sprinkle with Sweet Treat if you have it. Place into a non-preheated oven. Bake at 350F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown.

Serve with Whiskey Sauce, or eat plain when no one is looking...

Whiskey Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 c butter

3 egg yolks

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1/3 c whiskey (or as much as you prefer)

Procedure:

1. Cream the butter and sugar over medium heat until uniform in consistency.

2. Remove from heat, and blend in the egg yolks.

3. Add the whiskey to your taste, constantly stirring.

Serve warm with warm bread pudding!

Raw Chocolate Date Bars

Sorry again for the absence. You can read all about it here.

I learned this easy recipe from a friend of mine who brought it for dessert to yoga night. She made the mistake of leaving the leftovers with me, and a million calories later, here we are. Tummy ache.

Actually, this dessert isn't inherently bad for you, as long as you enjoy it in moderation.

Feel free to experiment--don't like dates? Used dried papaya and white chocolate for a more tropical rendition.

The possibilities are endless!

Raw Chocolate Date Bars

Serves 10-12 (or 3 Lisa sized portions...)

Ingredients:

1 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 large dark chocolate bar

1 8 oz portion of pitted dates (you can also use the chopped dates, I just couldn't find any without any extra sugar)

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Procedure:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.

2. Grease an 8x8 serving pan LIGHTLY with some cooking spray. Wipe off excess with a paper towel. Press the contents of the food processor into the pan firmly. Refrigerate, cut into squares and enjoy!

Ambrosia

This dish means so much more to me than most of the other recipes I post on here.

It's not particularly complicated, or fancy.

But this dish is beautiful.

For me, this recipe symbolizes home. My mom used to make this "salad" (which is actually much more of a dessert to me) in the spring and summer time. It's a fool proof recipe, which means I can replicate it even if I'm about 2,500 miles away from my mom. We've started a tradition a couple of years back to always make at least one dish that's the same for Easter dinner, no matter how far away we were from one another. This year, I requested ambrosia. Having a physical connection, knowing my mom and dad are eating the same thing I am, enjoying each other's company like I am enjoying the company of my husband and friends, is a very comforting feeling.

I got to spend time with a local family and friends this Easter. Transitioning to living in San Diego has been very hard for me (you can read about my struggles on my other blog). For the first year or so, I really didn't have any community or friends that I felt comfortable with. Then, in an answer to prayer, I was taken under the wing of a lab mate, and included in her fellowship community. At first, I was awkward.

Well, I'm always a little awkward. Awkwardness comes naturally when you are a giant lady with red hair. But then, I became comfortable. And then I became happy. And then, after I had assimilated into a group of lovely, godly women, I became totally and tearfully joyful. There is no better feeling than knowing people have been hand picked and placed in your life. This knowledge keeps my faith strong.

Tony and I were so kindly welcomed into a friend's family household this Easter, I was nearly reduced to tears at the dinner table. I brought ambrosia, and even Tony, a self-proclaimed hater of fruit salad, cleaned his dish. Perhaps he sensed the weepy-ness and decided he better clean his plate to prevent the irrational "WHY DON'T YOU EVER LIKE ANYTHING I MAKE?!?!" waterworks. I felt like I was tapping into some underlying current of family, tradition and love by sharing my mom's dish.

I am so grateful for friends, family and ambrosia.

Enough of the story--enjoy the recipe with your own family and friends!

Ambrosia

(in my mother's words)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 can pineapple chunks in juice, drained some liquid reserved

1 can fruit cocktail, drained

~8-10 maraschino cherries, drained and halved (used mostly to add color)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup sour cream

1 cup miniature marshmallows (Kraft brand Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are the best)

1 cup chopped pecans (optional; delete if nuts are a problem)

1 can mandarin orange segments, drained

Drain juices from all the canned fruits, one can at a time, then dump each into one large bowl for mixing later. (Don't worry about getting the fruit "dry" -- you just need to get rid of most of the juice. But save a little of the pineapple juice for later if the mix seems too dry -- or drink it for breakfast or as a snack while you cook! )

Add the coconut, sour cream and mini-marshmallows to the bowl of fruit. Take a big spoon and mix gently with a folding motion, but mix well so that the fruits and other ingredients are evenly distributed.

Pour the mixture into your serving bowl (the bowl for mixing needs to be much bigger and will be "messy looking" after folding and stirring), and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but it tastes better made in the morning for serving that evening or even made the night before to let the flavors mellow and the marshmallows to "dissolve" a bit in the sour cream. You do NOT need to mix again before serving.

Garnish with cherries, mandarin oranges or anything else edible and pretty!

Kaye's Sweet Potato Pie

I love this pie. When baked without a crust, which is my favorite way to eat it, the pie caramelizes and crisps up around the edges, making it completely divine.

In terms of flavor, this pie tastes very similar to pumpkin pie, but is unique in its own right. I substituted Splenda for the white sugar, 1:1, in order to reduce calories. My mom makes this pie using fresh squeezed orange juice and orange zest, but all I had was a lemon, so I went with it. I think the pie still turned out great!

Kaye's Sweet Potato Pie

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1/4 c. granulated white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar (packed down)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
2 cups baked sweet potatoes, peeled and mashed to smooth consistency
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (or about 1/2 squeezed lemon)
1 to 1-1/2 tsp. orange or lemon zest (orange color only, none of the white pith underneath the skin)
1 can (12 fl. oz) Carnation (or Pet) Evaporated Milk (for the best results, use the
original, NOT the low-fat Evap. milk)
1 unbaked 9-inch DEEP DISH pie crust (or you can use 2 shallower pie crusts...or NO CRUST AT ALL)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven at 425 deg. F.

2. Mix brown & white sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves together in a small bowl, and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat the 2 eggs, then stir in the mashed sweet potatoes and the mixture of sugars and spices.

4. Stir in the orange juice and orange zest.

5. Gradually stir in the evaporated milk.

6. Pour into prepared pie shell, or if making the crust-less version, pour into a well buttered/greased 9" pie dish.

7. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

8. Reduce oven temperature to 350 deg. F, and bake an additional 40-50 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

9.Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately, or refrigerate.

Personal Oreo Cheesecakes

What better way to celebrate the holidays with family that making baked goods! This recipe was used verbatim from Baking Bites. She's such a baking rockstar. I've copied the recipe below for your convenience, but this was NOT my creation. I wish it was. Goodbye science, hello photography and restaurant development.

Personal Oreo Cheesecakes

Makes 16

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
2 8-oz packages plain cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chopped Oreo cookies
16 whole Oreo cookies

Procedure:

1.Preheat oven to 350F, and line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.

2. Beat together sugar, cream cheese, eggs, milk and vanilla extract until very smooth using a hand-held electric mixer. Blend in flour with a spoon, and stir in chopped oreo cookies.

3. Place 1 Oreo in the bottom of each muffin cup, and top with about 1/4 cup cheesecake batter.

4. Bake for 16-19 minutes, until cheesecakes are set, and allow them to cool in the pan.

5. Chill the cheesecakes overnight (or for at least 2 hours) in the fridge. Store in the fridge.

People go crazy about the oreo cookie in the bottom!

Pecan-Topped Carrot Pie

Yes, you read correctly: carrot pie. I was a little skeptical myself, but I had to try it out. What I found was this pie tastes like the perfect holiday hybrid of a fresh pumpkin pie and my momma's pecan pie.

This recipe is also significantly cheaper than either a pecan or pumpkin pie--a 1 lb bag of carrots (which is about what this recipe took for me) costs less than 50 cents at some supermarkets! I'm just happy that I found a year-round recipe that mimics my favorite pies...

Oh, and about the crust...well...I'm not so good at crust shaping, which you'll see from the photos. I also use store-bought refrigerated crust, because I'm horrifically lazy. I'm just showing y'all the real me :).

Pecan-Topped Carrot Pie

Taste of Home

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

4 cups sliced fresh carrots (about 1 lb bag)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

dash of salt

1 unbaked, 9" pie shell

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

3 Tbs butter, melted

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9" pie plate with cooking spray, and form pie crust into the plate.

2. Add about 1" of water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add carrots, cover and reduce heat. Cook the carrots for about 10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain the carrots.

3. Add the carrots, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, pie spice, cinnamon and salt into a food processor or blender. Cover and puree, until smooth and uniform.

4. Pour the carrot mixture into the pie crust.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the pecans, sugar and butter. Sprinkle over the pie filling. Bake for about 40-50 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean.

Serve chilled with whipped cream or warm out of the oven! Be sure to refrigerate any leftovers.

Apple Brown Betty

This recipe could also be called "Butter Cobbler", given the incredible amount of delicious, fatty butter in it. I snagged this recipe from the Pioneer Woman. She's a hoot, and I totally recommend reading her blog if you haven't. I appreciate her self-deprecating humor, which is also tends to be my sense of humor.

I have to say that I didn't really change a thing (except for the addition of my second love, Sweet Treat), but I'm going to post the full recipe anyway to keep myself busy.

This dessert is the perfect way to usher in fall, and uses only staple ingredients, making it the perfect "throw-together" dessert!

Apple Brown Betty

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3 Granny Smith apples

5-7 Slices of wheat bread

3/4 cup salted butter

1 and 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3 Tbs water

Sweet Treat (if you have it)

Procedure:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F

2. Peel and thinly slice the apples, and cut the wheat bread into bite sized cubes.

3. Grease a pie plate with butter, then begin to make layers of the ingredients. PW used thirds as a rule of thumb (i.e. add 1/3 of the bread, apples and brown sugar, and repeat twice more). Be sure to end with breadcrumbs (though Lord knows I didn't, and it didn't really make a difference).

4. Sprinkle the water and a bit of brown sugar (or Sweet Treat!!) on the top. Cover with foil and pop into the oven for about 35-45 minutes. Remove the foil and allow to brown the top for a few more minutes.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream for an extra special dessert!

Sugar Donut Muffins

Before I left for Missouri, I printed off several recipes I wanted to try out while I was on vacation. Sugar Donut Muffins just seemed like a natural choice. Sugar, donut, muffins, what's not to like?

I came across the recipe at Baking Bites, and didn't change a thing. I'll re-copy it below, but I can't take a lick of credit for this recipe. These muffins were so good I made them twice in Missouri, and would have made them three times if the zucchini bread I made didn't last as long as it did!

Sugar Donut Muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking power

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 cup sugar, for rolling

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or vegetable oil.

2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar and egg until light in color.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Pour into egg mixture and stir to combine.

4. Pour in vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract. Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. While muffins are baking, melt butter and pour remaining sugar into a small bowl.

When they are done, lightly brush the top of each with some melted butter, remove from the pan and roll in sugar.

7. Enjoy with coffee, with vanilla ice cream, or just plain by themselves!

Open Faced Blueberry Pie

I don't really have a whole lot of time to make my own pie crusts, so normally I just use the refrigerated/frozen store bought crust. If you are a pie crust fanatic and have the time/patience/energy to make your own from scratch---more power to you. Use that recipe for this blueberry pie, and I'm sure it will put this pie over the top!

I recently bought a boat-load of fresh blueberries, because they were on super-sale at the local market. I knew fresh blueberry pie was the way to go, but I also knew I only had one crust in the freezer.

Normally, whenever I think of blueberry pie, I think of the lattice topped steaming pie on a country window sill, and I was skeptical about trying this recipe. But let me tell you, this pie is FANTASTIC, easy and definitely worth a try if fresh blueberries are in season!

Open Faced Blueberry Pie

Adapted from Epicurious, and The Pie and Pastry Bible

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pastry crust, thawed

1 egg white

4 cups blueberries (or about 3 6-80z packages)

1/2 cup water, plus 2 tablespoons water, divided

2 Tbs cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar (or Splenda)

2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lay pie crust on pie plate, and flute edges/do whatever pattern you like around the rim of the crust. Place in fridge while the oven preheats.

2. Place parchment paper or foil in the bottom of the crust, and weight with dry beans or pie weights. Place foil around the rim of the crust (or use a handy silicone pie rim), so the edges of the crust don't burn. Bake for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the beans/weights, and prick the bottom and sides of the crust several times with a fork. Return to the oven, and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

4. Allow the crust to cool 10 minutes, the brush egg white over the crust.

5. While the crust is cooling, prepare the filling. Choose 1 cup of the softest blueberries, add to a saucepan with 1/2 cup water, cover and bring to a boil. Whisk the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl, and set aside for later.

6. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer, and constantly stir the mixture for about 4 more minutes, or until the blueberries burst.

7. While stirring constantly, add in the cornstarch mixture, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir until the mixture thickens and becomes translucent.

8. Remove the mixture from the heat, and immediately fold in the remaining three cups of blueberries. Turn the mixture out into your pie shell, and allow the pie to sit at least a few hours before serving.

9. Top the pie with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or simply enjoy it plain!